Page 8 The Standard, Wednesday, June 18. 1997
Library To Computerize Files - Thanks To $10,000 Donation  

Blind River: The library will soon be going high-tech .

Cameco is donating $10,000 to the library so it can set up a data base catalog of its 15,000 books.

Catherine Green, plant manager at Cameco, says both she and the company are very interested in improving literacy.

It has been a corporate initiative to help combat illiteracy, she adds.

"It's a very painful thing for an adult who is illiterate. And the library can help (fight illiteracy)," says Green.

The data base will make it easier for readers to find the book they're looking for, says Rhea Marcellus, librarian.

Currently, readers looking for a particular book or subject had to scan the rows of books to find their selection. Only those who knew the author, or a book's name could use the card file, and that's relatively new as well.

The books were only listed on a card file about three years ago, Marcellus says.
The automation of the card file will also eventually lead to a computerized check-out system.

Books being taken from the library would be scanned, making the check-out process faster.

Last year more than 23,000 check-outs were made.

But the computer system shouldn't cut into jobs at the library.

"But we'll still need bodies. Machines don't do everything," says Marcellus.

However, to list all the books on computer, which will allow readers to cross reference by author, title and subject, will take about a 18 months after the software is received.

The delay in having the system entered on computer is due the library's limited staff.

Because of limited funding the library's existing staff will transcribe the mountain of data, including the approximately 1,000 new titles added each year.

"This is in addition to everything else we do. It's almost a make-work project in itself."

The most popular sections will be added first.

But Marcellus hopes to get qualified volunteers, possibly some of the Friends of the Library to help.


The Camcco donation will go toward the purchase of specialized computer software, a bar code reader for the computerized checkout and a printer.

The library's present computer will hold the data base.

An additional computer will only be purchased if finances allow.

Another computer would cost about $3,000, Marcellus says.

While the donation will mean extra work for the library staff in the short term, Marcellus is grateful.

"We're delighted (with the donation).

"It's definitely something that will make the library more efficient and effective. And it's good to have a corporate sponsor like Camcco to help."

The library planned to eventually acquire such a system.

Marcellus says she thought the staff would have to hold fundraisers over several years to afford the system.

Having the system computerized will also benefit readers in other communities seeking books that might only be available here. The book list might also be available on the Internet.

The computerized card file is the second high-tech step the library has taken this year.

This spring it received a donation from the local Legion branch to get on the Internet.

But while patrons will have access to the Net, use of the computer is currently restricted to staff.

Staff will perform the search on the Net . That is because the computer used for Net access is the staffs main computer, Marcellus explains.  Marcellus expects to receive an additional computer from the Ontario Ministry of Environment and Energy this summer for Internet use.

Anyone seeking information on the Net can get a printed copy of the information at a price of 25 cents per page.

Photo Caption: FILING: Nadia Corbiere, a summer student working at the library, roams through the card file, preparing to have the books listed on a computer data base.