College and Research Libraries Automatic Records System at the University of Missouri Library By R A L P H H. P A R K E R IN S T A L L A T I O N of I B M equipment in the library of the University of Missouri in January 1957 was the first step in the development of an integrated auto- matic records system. T h e initial opera- tions were planned to be self-sufficient but also to fit into further automation without major modification of records or procedures. In some cases, had no further extension of the system been con- templated, a different approach might have been preferable. T h e extent to which the system will be expanded will depend upon future developments. If electronic computer use for information retrieval should be proven practicable, the present system can encompass that aspect, and the com- puter can be used for all other computa- tions and records. As installed in 1957, the equipment was to be used in fiscal operations only. It was planned to use the equipment for all ordering, paying, and accounting for library materials. Plans were also de- veloped for preliminary cataloging rec- ords. Subscription records were already on I B M cards using equipment in the university business office, and were the first operation taken over in the library installation. T h e key machine in the library is the I B M cardatype, Type 858. T h i s machine reads standard I B M cards, and also re- ceives input information from a key- board; it is capable of adding, subtract- ing, and multiplying. Information read into or developed in the machine may be read out to a typewriter or a key- punch or both. It is possible to attach Dr. Parker is Librarian, University of Alissonri. as many as four typewriters, each pre- paring distinctive documents. T o support the cardatype, there are another keypunch (Type 026), a sorter (Type 080), and a collator (Type 085). Since the punches also print, there is no need for an interpreter. T h i s battery of equipment can perform almost any op- eration of which punched card equip- ment is capable. In addition to listing items and totals, the cardatype can dou- ble as a reproducer, summary punch, and gang punch. T h e only difference from larger in- stallations is speed, and in some cases the apparent slowness of the cardatype is illusory. An illustration will suffice. Subscriptions are recorded on punched cards which show title, expiration date, renewal period, source (vendor), esti- mated cost (previous year's cost), cost, and a number of other items. When the subscriptions to be renewed have been selected from the file by the collator and arranged by dealer by the sorter, and vendor address cards have been inserted in front of each group, the cardatype is used to type the purchase orders, auto- matically advancing the expiration date. If it is desired that the dealer should be changed, the only thing needed is to use the new dealer's address card. As a by- product, a new accounting card is cre- ated, reflecting the data appearing on the order, including the new order date, M A Y 1 9 6 2 231 new expiration date, new estimated cost, and if the dealer was changed, the new vendor code. T h e estimated cost is the actual cost for last year, unless for some reason last year has not been paid (and this can happen!), when the estimate for last year will be carried forward. T h e fact that this operation is per- formed at the rate of six cards per min- ute, instead of from 50 to 100 on larger machines, is largely offset by the fact that at least four operations on as many machines will be required to complete the order and the new accounting cards. And with the relatively small quantities of cards involved, the make-ready time will often exceed the running time on the large machines. Another decided ad- vantage of the cardatype over most ac- counting machines is the ability to create full punctuation and upper and lower case letters. It is also possible to create finished tables, complete with dollar marks, commas, and decimals, without punching the punctuation in the cards. Disadvantages of the cardatype are the high level of maintenance required and the skill required in programming. T h e service required is related mostly to the typewriter and the automatic form feed; it is usually not serious, but may be an- noying if service is not close at hand. T h e cardatype is serial in operation rather than parallel (meaning that each character is read singly rather than that all characters on a card are read simul- taneously, with each step requiring one tenth of a second. T h e program, and hence the wiring of the control panel, must take into account every step, and, except in the simplest programs, every alternative situation which may be an- ticipated. Once a program has been set up, actual operation is simple and can be learned by a clerk within an hour or so. A book purchase request which has been verified and approved by the order department is the source document from which all punched card operations pro- ceed in the University of Missouri sys- 232 tem. Arrangement of items on the punched card follows the layout of the book purchase request for ease of punch- ing. Cards are punched to represent each book purchase request; two or three cards are normal, but in some cases, a single card is sufficient. Each card in a set is numbered so that sequence and completeness may be checked by the cardatype. Purchase orders and slips for various processes are prepared on the cardatype from the punched cards. Extra 3x5 slips are used for Library of Congress card orders, entry in the public catalog, nu- merical file, etc. Alternative procedures were considered, which, under other cir- cumstances, might have been adopted. These would have used machines to create punched cards for accounting pur- poses as a by-product of manually typing purchase orders. Those employed might be a typewriter-card punch; or a type- writer-tape punch, (e.g., the Flexowriter), with a tape to card converter. If any of these alternatives had been used, only one card per title would have been re- quired for accounting purposes and would have reflected only the first few words of the author and title. Purchase orders, except for rush items, are issued only once each week. Before they are mailed, one of the slips for each title (with the legend "On Or- der") is filed in the public catalog, serv- ing as a final check on duplication. At the same time, the I B M cards (called en- cumbrance cards) are used to post en- cumbrances to the budget ledger; thus, any item may be cancelled before mail- ing, either for lack of funds or because of unwanted duplication. T h e I B M cards are filed in an Orders Outstanding file by vendor and order number. When invoices are received, they are routed through the accounting office. T h e Orders Outstanding cards are (Continued on page 264) C O L L E G E A N D R E S E A R C H L I B R A R I E S Automatic Records . . . (Continued, from page 232) pulled to match invoices, and are in- serted in the read unit of the cardatype. A control panel, wired for this particu- lar purpose, enables the operator, by en- tering the actual invoice amount in the keyboard, to create a payment (Payables Distribution) card for each item, which includes all information from the encum- brance card being read. A total card (Accounts Payable) is prepared automat- ically for each invoice, proving both the vendor's footings and the operator's post- ings. These Payables Distribution and Ac- counts Payable cards are held in a sus- pense file while the invoices, accompanied by the original encumbrance cards, are being checked in the order department. As the books are checked with invoices, the encumbrance cards are placed in the volume. T h e invoice is approved and returned to the accounting office. If an item is missing, a form notice of change of invoice is prepared and attached with the I B M cards to the approved invoice. T h e accounting office destroys the De- tail Payment card for the undelivered item, corrects the Accounts Payable card, returns the encumbrance card to the Orders Out file, and sends the notice to the vendor. A Balance Forward card for each of the 150 budget accounts comprising the book fund shows payments to date, orders out- standing, budget allocation, and unob- ligated balance. Each week the Payable Distribution cards for invoices approved are sorted by budget account, merged with the balance cards for active ac- counts and posted to the budget ledger using the cardatype. Actually, both new orders and payments are posted in the same operation. A new balance card is created for each active account. T h e Payables Distribution cards are filed in a Paid but Not Cataloged file. When the book has been cataloged, the encumbrance cards placed in it at the time of invoice approval are returned to the accounting office. They are then matched on the collator with the pay- ment cards which are transferred to a Paid and Cataloged file. T o this point, either the order pro- cedure adopted or the alternatives which were rejected would have produced es- sentially identical results. It was the additional operations which follow that influenced the decision. In early thinking, much weight was given to the possibility of using the I B M cards for temporary cataloging. T h e I B M cards would be used to prepare temporary entries for the catalog, using the order number as the temporary call number. Actually, for reasons not related to the procedures, little use has thus far been made of this possibility. Claiming of undelivered orders is a useful by-product of the procedures adopted. T h e Orders Outstanding file is searched with the collator for delinquent items, and 3x5 slips are typed automati- cally for each item. These slips may be used to claim delivery of an item or to request invoices for items already de- livered. Another feature is the reordering of cancelled items. Under the system adopted, once cards have been punched for an item, it is possible to reproduce and alter them to reorder from any other source. T h i s feature has been more use- ful than originally anticipated. More im- portant, however, is the maintenance of an active quotation file. In this li- brary, the quotation file had been a safe burial place for a request; if not favor- ably reported after one quotation re- quest, an item was well nigh forgotten. Under present procedures, whenever a book purchase request for an out-of- print item is received without a second- hand catalog reference, the quotation procedure is instituted. I B M cards are punched in the normal way, except that no vendor is recorded. A three-part form 2 0 4 C O L L E G E A N D R E S E A R C H L I B R A R I E S is prepared for the item: a quotation request to be sent to an appropriate dealer, a slip for filing into the public catalog bearing the legend "Recom- mended for Purchase," and a card to be placed in the quotation file on which are recorded the dealers invited to quote. T h e I B M cards are kept in lots by month of quotation. If an item is offered the cards are pulled and are used to create the purchase order. Cards remain- ing after four months are re-listed on a single-part form for sending to another dealer, and the I B M cards are advanced to the proper month. Whenever an item on order is can- celled, it is entered in the quotation routine without any additional card punching. When an item has been in the procedure for a year, it is reviewed for further treatment. It may be cancelled outright, ordered in microfilm, ordered in facsimile, continued in the quotation procedure, or placed on a want list. T h e want list differs from the quota- tion file in that a specific dealer is given exclusive (almost exclusive, that is) right to supply an item during the ensuing two years. If located at a price which meets the terms of the agreement with the dealer, it is sent without further paper work. T h e I B M cards in the file are used for all accounting operations. In time, these procedures will be ar- ticulated with shelf listing, book mark- ing, and circulation records to create a completely integrated automatic record system. STANDARD LIBRARY FURNITURE Accepted as the standard for durability and beauty in libraries throughout the country. Interesting and informative brochures on library furniture are available on request. I l l u s t r a t e d : O u r i n s t a l l a t i o n i n t h e B r o a d m o o r J u n i o r H i g h S c h o o l , M e r r i a m , K a n s a s . M A Y 1 9 6 2 2 6 5