XII. BUYING AND INSTALLING CIRCULATION PLUS As you plan for your purchase of , the information on these pages will be helpful. HARDWARE FOR CIRCULATION PLUS ` software is written in ProDos (Apple) or PC-Dos (IBM). The hardware configurations that are used with` are: APPLE IIe 80-column text card video display monitor Thunderclock or other ProDos-compatible clock (optional) 1 floppy disk drive (with controller card) 80-column printer (with interface card and cable; Apple ImageWritertm`or equivalent) tm`hard disk drive (with controller card and cable) ** 5 megabyte (for 30,000 item maximum) or 10 megabyte (for 30,000 or 65,000 item maximum) ** Other hard disk drives that are compatible are the Sider and the TeamMate The Corvus` OmniDrive` ` with ProDos installed (and a minimum of 11 megabytes for 30,000 volumes or 20 megabytes for 65,000 volumes) can be used with the latest Apple software. The Z-80 `or Microsoft`or CP/M card) is NOT required. IBM PC XT, IBM PC AT, or TANDY 1200 `(1 floppy drive and hard disk) Game Control Adapter Card (for barcode scanner installation) 80-column printer Clock card (optional for XT; built-in feature of AT) All software is available in : for a maximum collection of 30,000 items for a maximum collection of 65,000 items. The 30,000-volume systems allow 8,000 borrowers, while the 65,000-volume systems allow 15,000 borrowers. Other printers that are often used with the system include the C. Itoh Prowriter8510, EpsonFX-80 or FX-100, and the Okidata92 or 93. Printer interface cards normally include the Super Serial card with the ImageWriter, the Apple Parallel Card, or the Epson APL Card. The barcode scanner` used to read barcodes must be purchased with your` system. If a is present (or you have an IBM PC AT) the day's date will not have to be typed manually each day when booting the system. If you are using the IBM PC XT or IBM PC AT with a color monitor color card, contact us to receive the "color version" of the software. SUPPLIES FOR CIRCULATION PLUS Laser-printed barcodes` that include your library name may be purchased from the FOLLETT SOFTWARE COMPANY. Also included is the extra eye-readable label that is a` hallmark. We recommend covering each barcode with a clear label protector` to prolong its readability and its adhesion. Our experience has shown that barcodes placed on the outside of books near the book's spine work very well when protected in this way. On new books the barcodes may be placed under mylar jacket covers. Inventory becomes a pleasure. Some librarians prefer to place the barcode inside the book near the pocket or date due slip; again, a label protector is recommended. (ID cards with barcode labels affixed can be laminated with a clear laminate, if preferred.) Borrower cards-- and a if you are using Rolodex cards-- must also be obtained. Because putting a barcode label on the the Rolodex card doubles its thickness, order a Rolodex file with double the capacity you would ordinarily need. A library with 1,000 patrons will need a Rolodex with a 2,000-card capacity. Acquire good-quality blank floppy disks. Two boxes of 10 disks should be enough to have on hand to start, though this depends on the size of your collection. If you are using the IBM PC AT, you should be aware that it requires double-sided, high-density diskettes. The IBM PC XT and Tandy 1200 require double-sided, double-density diskettes. Continuous printout paper` will be used for all lists and notices. There is also a self-mailer form` that can be used for notices that are to be mailed (they can also be printed on regular paper if preferred). This is the Trans-O-Gram form, available through the FOLLETT SOFTWARE COMPANY. Two other peripherals for your system are highly recommended: anti-static mats` and a surge protection device. Anti-static mats should be placed where your circulation staff will be working and perhaps where patrons pass by the microcomputer, as well. Surge protection should be placed between your equipment power cords and your outlet. Several products of this type are available in the FOLLETT SOFTWARE COMPANY catalog, ranging from power strips with spike and noise protection to uninterruptible power supplies. Allow us to mention one other item that is an integral part of a computerized system: a telephone` in your library with a cord that is long enough to allow you to bring it near your computer when talking to a member of our support staff. If you do not have a telephone in your library, begin lobbying for one . Can I use a security system along with ? As long as you observe a few precautions, this should cause no problems at all, either for the security system or the circulation system. Just keep the desensitizer three to four feet from the hard disk and from all your floppy disks. Also, the "gate" should be 10 to 15 feet from them. With this Demo-Pak you received samples of FSC's pre-printed barcode labels, transparent label protectors, and Rolodex cards. You may examine them and read the accompanying brochure for ordering information. THE FOLLETT WARRANTY AND SOFTWARE SUPPORT If you need any assistance at any time, you may contact our technical support staff. Other ways in which we offer support are through our publication of a newsletter, Follett Library Automation News (or Follett LAN), and by encouraging user meetings. CIRCULATION PLUS WARRANTY PLAN: When you purchase , your warranty extends for one year from the date of purchase. Our warranty plan entitles you to unlimited replacement disks, automatic receipt of new versions of the circulation system, and unlimited use of our toll-free support services. For an annual fee of $100, you may extend your warranty. Each year you will be sent a bill offering you this option. The billed amount of $100 extends coverage for an additional year. If you are not a warranty owner: A damaged Master Diskette can be replaced by returning the original disk and paying a $25.00 handling charge. of the program are available to previous owners for a fraction of their current cost (usually 20%). And you may contact our technical support staff at your own expense. INSTALLING CIRCULATION PLUS You will devise your own installation procedure. As you can imagine, public libraries often approach the task differently from school libraries. Libraries with large collections approach installation differently from those with small collections. And the librarian with a large staff will approach the job from a different perspective than the person with little or no help. The list of considerations go on and on: the library arrangement; the condition of the collection, the card catalog and shelf list; the librarian's calendar and other responsibilities; etc., etc., etc. What we are trying to say is that there is no one correct way to install the system or even one optimum procedure. The following checklist is meant as a guide, to be rearranged and adjusted to fit the special circumstances in which you work. _1) Purchase your hardware, your Circulation Plus software, and supplies. _2) Assemble your hardware. should feel comfortable putting the system together, taking it apart and putting it back together again. Read the information that came with it. There is nothing magical involved, nothing that you cannot master if you are willing and interested. One other thing: Take time to learn how to boot disks, how to format disks, and how to copy disks. These are all basic skills you will need in all your future dealings with computers. _3) If you have not performed the tutorials on the Circulation Plus DEMO/TUTORIAL program, do so. After you have practiced with this disk, you will feel very comfortable using . The DEMO/TUTORIAL program is also an ideal tool for training staff members. All you have to do is make a fresh copy of the Demo.Data disk for each person who needs to run through the tutorials. (You can make the copies over and over again on the same disk, if necessary.) _4) Install the Circulation Plus program on the hard disk. Detailed, step-by-step installation instructions are in the manual. _5) Review Circulation Plus's Setup Options and adjust them to your practices. At this point, setup instructions become trickier. What you will do in what order depends upon how much you intend to do "on the run." In other words, you could begin to use now for checking books in and out, barcoding items as they are checked out and barcoding patrons as they approach the circulation desk. , you could barcode all the patrons and type their data onto the hard disk before beginning to use the system, doing just the books "on the run." , you may decide to apply barcodes to the books in certain sections of the library and type in their data before going "live" with the system. In some libraries, patrons and items are barcoded and their data is typed onto the hard disk before the system is used. It's up to you" Whichever route you are taking in your library, these are the tasks you will eventually need to accomplish: _6) Assign barcode numbers to patrons, affix patron barcode labels to patron cards, and protect the labels with clear label protectors or clear lamination. _7) Type patron data onto the hard disk (or onto Batch Disks to be uploaded to the hard disk). _8) Assign barcode numbers to items, affix item barcode labels to items, and protect the labels with clear label protectors. _9) Type book data onto the hard disk (or onto Batch Disks to be uploaded to the hard disk). _10) Enter outstanding transactions into the system. When all of these tasks have been checked off the list, your Circulation Plus installation is complete. Do I need to continue to put pockets in my new books after I am automated? You will no longer be using check-out cards when checking books out and in. However, many librarians keep them in the books as a backup system for that inevitable day when the electricity is off or the computer is down. If the barcode number for that item is on the card (common practice for sites that set up on the run-- the little eye-readable number label is applied to the check-out card), it is fairly easy to "batch in" the transactions when the computer is available again. Some of our users have withdrawn these cards from the books as they were barcoded, but they maintain them in an alphabetical title file where they can be located in an emergency. They may still use the pockets to hold the date due slips.