Chapter 1INTRODUCTION

Situation Analysis

Society is in the midst of learning how to “be” in the information age.

The advent of computers and the inclusion of the Web in our work and

private lives have pushed innovations and embraced information and access

in ways we can hardly imagine. We are living in a complex and challenging

digital landscape that changes constantly. (2005)

The school library exists to provide a range of learning opportunities

for both large and small groups as well as individuals with a focus on

intellectual content, information literacy, and the learner. (2004).

In addition to classroom visits with collaborating teachers, the school

library also serves as a place for students to do independent work, use

computers, equipment and research materials; to host special events such

as author visits and book clubs; and for tutoring and testing.

The school library media center program is a collaborative venture in

which school library media specialists, teachers, and administrators work

together to provide opportunities for the social, cultural, and educational

growth of students. Activities that are part of the school library media

program can take place in the school library media center, the laboratory

classroom, through the school, and via the school library's online resources.

(2004)

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In a school or university setup, the library plays a very vital role in the

institutions role of providing quality education to its clientele – the students.

The library should not only be updated with its collection but far most should

be able to deliver what is required of it – that is to serve as a haven of

information and knowledge to its clientele.

The current Library catalog is poorly designed for the tasks of finding,

discovering, and selecting the growing set of resources available in our

libraries. It is best at locating and obtaining a known item. For librarians and

for our users, the catalog is only one option of accessing library collections.

(2005)

In this time, access to information has radically changed. Information

today symbolizes power by most organizations in the corporate world. The

library is not spared from this revolution. The library should be at the

forefront of this technology explosion.

La Union School of Arts and Trade were established in 1907 by Mr. D.

Aran, an American, its founder and its first principal. It was one of the

earliest vocational schools in the Philippines that started as an intermediate

school with only 5 teachers and 88 students. In 1917, Mr. Huncy, succeeded

him until 1922. Secondary courses were then offered. The intermediate

curriculum was eventually dropped in 1927, and in 1928, the La Union Trade

School was transferred to its present site and converted into the secondary

level. It was the incumbency of the first Filipino principal, Catalino Calica,

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that the school turned out its first set of only 8 graduates. The school closed

during the second world war.

By virtue of R.A. 543 on 16 June 1950, the La Union Trade School was

placed under the support of the National Government. R.A. 801 was enacted

on 21 June 1952 to convert the institution into a National Regional School of

Arts and Trades known as the La Union School of Arts and Trades. Tranuilino

delos Trinos was the first superintendent. In 1957, Apolinario Apilado took

over as the second superintendent, and in 1957, Fermin Taruc became the

third superintendent. Taruc's administration placed much emphasis in the

improvement of the standard of instruction in all levels of education.

In 1975, Avelino Ascuncion assumed office as the fourth

superintendent. The school served as a Regional Development Center for

Practical Arts in Region I. The degree of Bachelor of Science in Industrial

Technology was offered during the school year1976-1977. The school

accommodated the extension classes of UP Graduate School, Baguio City, for

the degree of Master of Management. Likewise, the school was also chosen

by the Engineering Equipment Inc. as its training center in Northern Luzon

wherein vocational graduates underwent further training in their field of

specialization.

On May 25, 1978, Hipolito Pacis took over as the fifth superintendent

and this marked the greatest milestone for LUSAT. The school was integrated

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into the Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (DMMMSU) on

January 15, 1981 through P.D. 1778. Dr. Bienvenido Agpaoa became its first

president. In 1989, Dr. Manuel Corpus was installed as the second president.

In 1996, DMMMSU has been adjudged by the CHED (Commission on Higher

Education) as number 7 among top universities and colleges (public and

private) in the Philippines. Most graduates rated high in their respective

board and licensure exminations. On 23 July 1999, Dr. Dionisio Gat Ducusin

became the third president of the University. The Mid-La Union Campus

(MLUC) has Dr. Rodolfo R. Apigo as its chancellor, assuming the position on

September 23, 1999. With transformational leaders at the helm of DMMMSU

and the MLUC in particular, the University is at the threshold of the new

millennium upholding excellence in instruction, research, extension, and

production for global competitiveness.

Through the years, Mid-La Union Campus, under the flagship of the

Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University has developed and sustained

itself to become the leading school in the region and one of the top

educational institutions nationwide. Proof of its excellence can be seen in the

list of board topnotchers that MLUC has produced over the past 25 years.

MLUC takes pride in its continuing plight to be a distinct center of

excellence…

Today, MLUC carries the flagship of being the key provider of

Information Technology Education as the Bachelor of Science of Information 4

Technology of the Institute of Information Technology was awarded by the

Commission on Higher Education as Center of Development in Information

Technology. With this, the campus is now revolutionizing its various

processes and infusing it with the use information technology to hasten

various activities of the campus – one of which is the library.

Conceptual Framework

An integrated library system (ILS), also known as a library

management system (LMS), is an enterprise resource planning system for

a library, used to track items owned, orders made, bills paid, and patrons

who have borrowed. (Adamson, 2008)

An ILS usually comprises a relational database, software to interact

with that database, and two graphical user interfaces (one for patrons, one

for staff). Most ILSes separate software functions into discrete programs

called modules, each of them integrated with a unified interface. Examples

of modules might include:

acquisitions (ordering, receiving, and invoicing materials)

cataloging (classifying and indexing materials)

circulation (lending materials to patrons and receiving them back)

serials (tracking magazine and newspaper holdings)

the OPAC (public interface for users)

Each patron and item has a unique ID in the database that allows the

ILS to track its activity. (Tennant, 2006)5

The term 'digital library' is now widely accepted to mean the use of

digital technology by libraries to acquire, store, conserve and provide access

to information. Practically, a digital library is an assemblage of digital

computing, storage and communications machinery together with the

content and software needed to reproduce, emulate, and extend the services

provided by conventional libraries based on paper and other material means

of collecting, cataloguing, finding, and disseminating information.

(Rathinasabapathy 2006)

The Internet and the World Wide Web are two of the principal building

blocks that are used in the development of digital libraries. The Internet

tradition emphasizes collaboration and, even now, the continuing

development of the Internet remains firmly in the hands of engineers. An

important characteristic of the Internet is that the engineers and computer

scientists who develop and operate it are heavy users of their own

technology. They communicate by e-mail, dismissing conventional mail as

"snail mail." (2000)

The World Wide Web or "the web" as it is colloquially called, has been

one of the great successes in the history of computing. It ranks with the

development of word processors and spread sheets as a definitive

application of computing. The web and its associated technology have been

crucial to the rapid growth of digital libraries. Technically, the web is based

on four simple techniques. They are: the Hyper-Text Mark-up Language 6

(HTML), the Hyper-Text Transport Protocol (HTTP), MIME data types, and

Uniform Resource Locators (URLs). Each of these concepts is introduced

below and discussed further in later chapters. Each has importance that goes

beyond the web into the general field of interoperability of digital libraries.

(2000)

In a paper written by Yan Han and Atifa Rawan, they proposed for the

building an Integrated Library System (ILS) for Afghanistan universities and

colleges based on open source software. As one of the goals of the Afghan

eQuality Digital Libraries Alliance, the authors applied systems analysis

approach, evaluated different open source ILS, and customized the selected

software to accommodate users' needs. The author adopted systems

analysis by taking account of Afghan collections, users’ needs, and systems

functionality required to perform essential library operations. Koha was

chosen as the base software due to its functionality, maturity and support.

Some of the reasons are:

• The software architecture is open source LAMP, which is popular, stable,

and predominant.

• Our staff has skills in these open software systems.

• It is a full-featured open source ILS. Certain components such as

multiple branch support and users management are critical.

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Koha is probably the most renowned open source ILS. It is a full-

featured ILS, developed in New Zealand and first deployed in Horowhenua

Library Trust in 2000. So far Koha has been running in a few public and

special libraries. The underlying architecture is Linux, Apache, MySQL, and

Perl (LAMP) stack. (2007)

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Existing status of the DMMMSU-MLUC Library Management System in terms of:PerformanceInformationEconomicsControlsEfficiencyService

Survey QuestionnaireAssessment of the existing status of the DMMMSU-MLUC library management system

Systems Development

Usability QuestionnireAssessment of the usability of the ILMS software

DMMMSU-MLUC Integrated Library

Management System (ILMS)

Feedback

Figure 1. The Research Paradigm

Statement of the Problem

The main purpose of this study is to implement a computer-based

Integrated Library Management System for the library of Don Mariano

Marcos Memorial State University Mid-La Union Campus (DMMMSU MLUC).

Specifically, it aims to answer the following:

1. What is the status of managing the library of DMMMSU-MLUC in terms

of:

a. Performance,

b. Information,

c. Economics,

d. Control,

e. Efficiency,

f. Services?

2. What integrated computer-based library management system can be

developed for DMMMSU MLUC?

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3. What is the level of usability of the DMMMSU MLUC Integrated Library

Management System in terms of:

a. Efficiency

b. Affect

c. Helpfulness

d. Control, and

e. Learnability?

Importance of the Study

We have come to an age where everything is already accessible with a

single click. The library which is known as the repository of information is no

doubt should be at forefront of this digital revolution.

The DMMMSU MLUC Library is struggling its way to be at pace with the

University libraries in the country who have already made a mark in the

digital world. This study will put the DMMMSU MLUC Library in the ranks of

these Universities in the Philippines as well as in the world.

This study will be very beneficial to DMMMSU MLUC Library’s clientele

as information will be readily accessible to users conveniently because of the

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integration of the Internet and the World Wide Web to the Online Public

Access Catalog.

The DMMMSU MLUC Library workforce will also be benefited from this

study as their work will be greatly reduced by the aid of computerization

specifically in the task of maintenance and inventory of library holdings.

Reports will be easily generated at a single click of a mouse. This will only

mean that less time will be attributed to library collection monitoring and

maintenance thus time may be diverted into furthering the improvements of

the library collection.

The community can also be benefited from this study because the

DMMMSU MLUC Library is not only for students and staff of DMMMSU but is

also open to the public.

Definition of Terms

Existing Status of the DMMMSU-MLUC Library. This refers to the

current status of managing the library resources of the DMMMSU-MLUC

Library. The status of which will be measured using performance,

information, economics, control, efficiency and services as variables.

a. Performance: It indicates whether the current throughput and

response time are adequate.

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b. Information: It indicates whether the end users get timely,

accurate, and useful information.

c. Economy: It indicates whether services provided by the current

system are cost-effective.

d. Control: It indicates whether there are effective controls to provide

accurate and secure information.

e. Efficiency: It indicates whether the current system makes good use

of resources.

f. Services: It indicates whether the current services are reliable,

flexible, and expandable.

Integrated Library Management System. A computer-based

information system used to manage the library collections of the DMMMSU

MLUC Library in terms of cataloguing, circulation and report generation.

Usability of the ILMS. The capability of the software to be

understood, learned, used and liked by the user when used under a specified

condition. Indicators include efficiency, affect, helpfulness, control and

learnability.

a. Efficiency. The degree to which the user can achieve their goals of

his interaction with the ILMS in a direct and timely manner.

b. Affect. The degree of how much the ILMS captures the user’s

emotional responses.

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c. Helpfulness. The extent to which the ILMS assist the user.

d. Control. The degree to which the user feels, he and not the ILMS, is

setting the pace.

e. Learnability. The ease with which the user can get started and

learn new features of the product.

Chapter 2REVIEW OF LITERATURE

This chapter provides for discussion on various literatures relating to

this study. It will present various theories and concepts that may be

applicable to the study under consideration.

This is a fascinating period in the history of libraries and publishing. For

the first time, it is possible to build large-scale services where collections of

information are stored in digital formats and retrieved over networks. The

materials are stored on computers. A network connects the computers to

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personal computers on the users' desks. In a completely digital library,

nothing need ever reach paper.

Digital Libraries

An informal definition of a digital library is a managed collection of

information, with associated services, where the information is stored in

digital formats and accessible over a network. A key part of this definition is

that the information is managed. A stream of data sent to earth from a

satellite is not a library. The same data, when organized systematically,

becomes a digital library collection. Most people would not consider a

database containing financial records of one company to be a digital library,

but would accept a collection of such information from many companies as

part of a library. Digital libraries contain diverse collections of information for

use by many different users. Digital libraries range in size from tiny to huge.

They can use any type of computing equipment and any suitable software.

The unifying theme is that information is organized on computers and

available over a network, with procedures to select the material in the

collections, to organize it, to make it available to users, and to archive it.

In some ways, digital libraries are very different from traditional

libraries, yet in others they are remarkably similar. People do not change

because new technology is invented. They still create information that has to

be organized, stored, and distributed. They still need to find information that

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others have created, and use it for study, reference, or entertainment.

However, the form in which the information is expressed and the methods

that are used to manage it are greatly influenced by technology and this

creates change. Every year, the quantity and variety of collections available

in digital form grows, while the supporting technology continues to improve

steadily. Cumulatively, these changes are stimulating fundamental

alterations in how people create information and how they use it.

Economics

Technology influences the economic and social aspects of information,

and vice versa. The technology of digital libraries is developing fast and so

are the financial, organizational, and social frameworks. The various groups

that are developing digital libraries bring different social conventions and

different attitudes to money. Publishers and libraries have a long tradition of

managing physical objects, notably books, but also maps, photographs,

sound recordings and other artifacts. They evolved economic and legal

frameworks that are based on buying and selling these objects. Their natural

instinct is to transfer to digital libraries the concepts that have served them

well for physical artifacts. Computer scientists and scientific users, such as

physicists, have a different tradition. Their interest in digital information

began in the days when computers were very expensive. Only a few well-

funded researchers had computers on the first networks. They exchanged

15

information informally and openly with colleagues, without payment. The

networks have grown, but the tradition of open information remains.

The economic framework that is developing for digital libraries shows a

mixture of these two approaches. Some digital libraries mimic traditional

publishing by requiring a form of payment before users may access the

collections and use the services. Other digital libraries use a different

economic model. Their material is provided with open access to everybody.

The costs of creating and distributing the information are borne by the

producer, not the user of the information. This book describes many

examples of both models and attempts to analyze the balance between

them. Almost certainly, both have a long-term future, but the final balance is

impossible to forecast.

Why digital libraries?

The fundamental reason for building digital libraries is a belief that

they will provide better delivery of information than was possible in the past.

Traditional libraries are a fundamental part of society, but they are not

perfect.

Here are some of the potential benefits of digital libraries.

The digital library brings the library to the user. To use a library

requires access. Traditional methods require that the user goes to the

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library. In a university, the walk to a library takes a few minutes, but not

many people are member of universities or have a nearby library. Many

engineers or physicians carry out their work with depressingly poor

access to the latest information.

A digital library brings the information to the user's desk, either at work or

at home, making it easier to use and hence increasing its usage. With a

digital library on the desk top, a user need never visit a library building.

The library is wherever there is a personal computer and a network

connection.

Computer power is used for searching and browsing. Computing

power can be used to find information. Paper documents are convenient

to read, but finding information that is stored on paper can be difficult.

Despite the myriad of secondary tools and the skill of reference librarians,

using a large library can be a tough challenge. A claim that used to be

made for traditional libraries is that they stimulate serendipity, because

readers stumble across unexpected items of value. The truth is that

libraries are full of useful materials that readers discover only by accident.

In most aspects, computer systems are already better than manual

methods for finding information. They are not as good as everybody

would like, but they are good and improving steadily. Computers are

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particularly useful for reference work that involves repeated leaps from

one source of information to another.

Information can be shared. Libraries and archives contain much

information that is unique. Placing digital information on a network makes

it available to everybody. Many digital libraries or electronic publications

are maintained at a single central site, perhaps with a few duplicate

copies strategically placed around the world. This is a vast improvement

over expensive physical duplication of little used material, or the

inconvenience of unique material that is inaccessible without traveling to

the location where it is stored.

Information is easier to keep current. Much important information

needs to be brought up to date continually. Printed materials are awkward

to update, since the entire document must be reprinted; all copies of the

old version must be tracked down and replaced. Keeping information

current is much less of a problem when the definitive version is in digital

format and stored on a central computer.

Many libraries provide online the text of reference works, such as

directories or encyclopedias. Whenever revisions are received from the

publisher, they are installed on the library's computer. The new versions

are available immediately. The Library of Congress has an online

collection, called Thomas that contains the latest drafts of all legislation

currently before the U.S. Congress; it changes continually.18

The information is always available. The doors of the digital library

never close; a recent study at a British university found that about half

the usage of a library's digital collections was at hours when the library

buildings were closed. Materials are never checked out to other readers,

miss-shelved or stolen; they are never in an off-campus warehouse. The

scope of the collections expands beyond the walls of the library. Private

papers in an office or the collections of a library on the other side of the

world are as easy to use as materials in the local library.

Digital libraries are not perfect. Computer systems can fail and networks

may be slow or unreliable, but, compared with a traditional library,

information is much more likely to be available when and where the user

wants it.

New forms of information become possible. Most of what is stored in

a conventional library is printed on paper, yet print is not always the best

way to record and disseminate information. A database may be the best

way to store census data, so that it can be analyzed by computer;

satellite data can be rendered in many different ways; a mathematics

library can store mathematical expressions, not as ink marks on paper but

as computer symbols to be manipulated by programs such as

Mathematica or Maple.

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Even when the formats are similar, materials that are created explicitly

for the digital world are not the same as materials originally designed for

paper or other media. Words that are spoken have a different impact from

words that are written, and online textual materials are subtly different

from either the spoken or printed word. Good authors use words

differently when they write for different media and users find new ways to

use the information. Materials created for the digital world can have a

vitality that is lacking in material that has been mechanically converted to

digital formats, just as a feature film never looks quite right when shown

on television.

Each of the benefits described above can be seen in existing digital

libraries. There is another group of potential benefits, which have not yet

been demonstrated, but hold tantalizing prospects. The hope is that digital

libraries will develop from static repositories of immutable objects to provide

a wide range of services that allow collaboration and exchange of ideas. The

technology of digital libraries is closely related to the technology used in

fields such as electronic mail and teleconferencing, which have historically

had little relationship to libraries. The potential for convergence between

these fields is exciting. (2000)

An Integrated Library System

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An Integrated Library System (ILS) usually includes several critical

components such as acquisition, cataloging, catalog (search and find),

circulation, and member management. Traditionally it has been the center of

any library. Recent development in digital libraries results in distributed

systems in libraries and an ILS is treated as one of digital library systems. It

is still critical to have a centralized ILS to provide a primary way to access

library-owned materials for Afghanistan universities and colleges. Other

services such as inter library loan and other digital library systems can be

further developed to extend libraries' services to users and communities.

(2005)

Currently the ILS market is primarily dominated by commercial

systems such as Innovative Interface, Endeavor, and Sirsi. Compared with

other computing areas, open source systems in ILS are immature and

limited, as there are only a few products available and most of the products

do not have the full features of an ILS. However, they are providing a

valuable alternative to those costly commercial systems.

Based on the availability of existing funding, experiences with

commercial vendors, and consideration of vendor supports and future

directions, the authors decided to build the Digital Library infrastructure with

the "open" concept (open access, open source, and open standards). The

decision is widely influenced by globalization, open access, open source,

open standards, and increasing user’s expectations. At the same time, the

21

decision gives us an opportunity to develop and integrate new tools and

services for libraries as suggested by the University of California. (2005)

This paper described an Afghanistan digital library initiative of building

an Integrated Library System (ILS) for Afghanistan universities and colleges

based on open source software. As one of the goals of the Afghan eQuality

Digital Libraries Alliance, the authors applied systems analysis approach,

evaluated different open source ILS, and customized the selected software to

accommodate users' needs.

This has been a successful endeavor which means for a similar

approach to be used in this study, a similar amount of success will be

achieved as we can develop an integrated library system out of technology

at a low cost.

Web OPACs have become almost universal and de rigueur in present

day library systems. Web OPACs generally offer a wide range of search

options. They may incorporate information retrieval techniques such as word

stemming, truncation, weighted searching, use of fuzzy match search logic,

natural language processing; they may provide enriched subject access, or

enhanced content. They may (e.g. Fretwell-Downing’s OLIB) provide

automatic spelling correction of common terms. They frequently provide the

ability for a reader to save searches via email. Self-service features, such as

reader-initiated reservations, renewals, equipment bookings, and document

ordering, are common; the trend is towards “borrower empowerment”

22

(Saffady 2000). The interfaces may incorporate extensive search limiting or

browsing features.

Chapter 3METHODOLOGY

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Research Design

The researcher will be used the descriptive and applied type of

research. Descriptive research design is a scientific method which involves

observing and describing the behavior of a subject without influencing it in

any way. Descriptive research design is a valid method for researching

specific subjects and as a precursor to more quantitative studies. Whilst

there are some valid concerns about the statistical validity, as long as the

limitations are understood by the researcher, this type of study is an

invaluable scientific tool. Whilst the results are always open to question and

to different interpretations, there is no doubt that they are preferable to

performing no research at all. (Shuttleworth, 2008)

Descriptive research is used to obtain information concerning the

current status of the phenomena to describe "what exists" with respect to

variables or conditions in a situation. The methods involved range from the

survey which describes the status quo, the correlation study which

investigates the relationship between variables, to developmental studies

which seek to determine changes over time. Primarily, the researcher in its

goal to determine the existing status of the DMMMSU-MLUC Library

Management System will be using a survey questionnaire to gather data. A

survey questionnaire will also be employed to determine the level of usability

of the developed DMMMSU-MLUC Integrated Library Management System.

24

The applied type of research will also be used for systems

development. Applied research is designed to solve practical problems of the

modern world, rather than to acquire knowledge for knowledge's sake. One

might say that the goal of the applied scientist is to improve the human

condition. In the aim to improve the current library management system of

DMMMSU-MLUC, this methodology is invoked with the goal of improving the

management of the resources of the DMMMSU-MLUC Library by the

development and implementation of a computer-based integrated library

management system.

Population and Locale

The study will be conducted at DMMMSU-MLUC San Fernando City. La

Union particularly, the Library. The respondents will include library

administrators and staffs, as well as the users of the library who are faculty

members and students.

Total enumeration will be used for library administrators and staffs of

DMMMSU-MLUC library while purposive sampling will be used for library

users who are faculty members and students.

The DMMMS-MLUC Library is divided into five reading centers and the

main library. Each reading center employs a librarian and a staff except for

the main library which has two (2) staffs.

DMMMSU-MLUC has a total of 246 teaching staff and 50 non-teaching

staff. The study will consider students enrolled for the Second Semester, 25

School Year 2009-2010. Records of the Office of the Campus Registrar show

that for the given period, the school has recorded 5,123 officially enrolled

students.

The Lynch Formula was used to determine the sample size of the

student, faculty and staff respondents. The distribution of respondents is

shown in Table 1.

Table 1. Distribution of Respondents

Respondents Population

Librarians and Staff 13

Faculty members and Non-teaching Staff

100

Students 500

This will be used to determine the existing status of the DMMMSU-

MLUC library management system and the usability of the DMMMSU-MLUC

Integrated Library Management System.

Data Instrumentation and Collection

To determine the existing status of managing the library of DMMMSU-

MLUC, Wetherbe’s PIECES framework will be used (see Appendix A). The

PIECES framework is used for identifying operational problems to be solved.

It is a checklist used for identifying problems with an existing information

system. It consists of the following:

Performance: It indicates whether the current throughput and response

time are adequate.

26

Information: It indicates whether the end users get timely, accurate,

and useful information.

Economy: It indicates whether services provided by the current system

are cost-effective.

Control: It indicates whether there are effective controls to provide

accurate and secure information.

Efficiency: It indicates whether the current system makes good use of

resources.

Services: It indicates whether the current services are reliable, flexible,

and expandable.

For the development of the system, the researcher will be using the

Rapid Application Development. James Martin, in his book first coining

the term, wrote, “Rapid Application Development (RAD) is a development

lifecycle designed to give much faster development and higher-quality

results than those achieved with the traditional lifecycle. It is designed to

take the maximum advantage of powerful development software that has

evolved recently.”

Rapid Application Development is a software development

methodology that involves techniques like iterative development and

software prototyping. According to Whitten (2004), it is a merger of various

structured techniques, especially data-driven Information Engineering, with

prototyping techniques to accelerate software systems development.

27

Figure 2. Rapid Application Development Paradigm

In Rapid Application Development, structured techniques and

prototyping are especially used to define users' requirements and to design

the final system. The development process starts with the development of

preliminary data models and business process models using structured

techniques – requirements analysis and design. In the next stage,

requirements are verified using prototyping, eventually to refine the data

and process models. These stages are repeated iteratively; further

development results in "a combined business requirements and technical

design statement to be used for constructing new systems". (Bently, 2004)

To determine the usability of the DMMMSU-MLUC Integrated Library

Management System, the researcher will be using the Software Usability

Measurement Inventory (SUMI) (see Appendix B). SUMI is a rigorously tested

and proven method of measuring software quality from the end user's point

of view. SUMI is a consistent method for assessing the quality of use of a

software product or prototype, and can assist with the detection of usability 28

flaws before a product is shipped. SUMI is recommended to any organization

which wishes to measure the perceived quality of use of software, either as a

developer, a consumer of software, or as a purchaser/consultant. SUMI is

increasingly being used to set quality of use requirements by software

procurers. SUMI also assists the manager in identifying the most appropriate

software for their organization. It has been well documented that if staff have

quality tools to work with, this contributes to overall efficiency of staff and

the quality of their work output.

Data Analysis

To analyze the gathered data the researcher will be using mean, and

weighted mean and grand mean. A standard Likert Scale will be used to

analyze the data.

For the status of the existing status of managing the resources of the

DMMMSU-MLUC library, the following scale will be used with the

corresponding descriptive ratings as follows:

Table 2. Status of the Existing DMMMSU-MLUC Library Management System

Numerical Equivalent

Rating ScaleDescriptive

Rating

5 4.21 – 5.00 Strongly Agree Constraint

4 3.41 – 4.20 Agree Constraint

3 2.61 – 3.40 Neutral Constraint

29

2 1.81 – 2.60 Disagree Capability

1 1.00 – 1.80 Strongly Disagree Capability

For mean ratings between 2.61 and 5.00, it will be considered a

constraint as it is a weak point for the existing system. On the other hand,

mean ratings between 1.00 and 2.60 are considered capability, as there are

strengths of the existing system.

To describe the usability of the DMMMSU-MLUC Integrated Library

Management System software using the Software Usability Measurement

Inventory (SUMI) in terms of efficiency, helpfulness, control and learnability,

the following Likert scale with the corresponding descriptive ratings will be

used:

Table 3. Usability of the DMMMSU-MLUC Integrated Library Management System

Numerical Equivalent

Rating ScaleDescriptive

Rating

5 4.21 – 5.00 Strongly Agree Very Usable

4 3.41 – 4.20 Agree Usable

3 2.61 – 3.40 Neutral Fairly Usable

2 1.81 – 2.60 Disagree Unusable

1 1.00 – 1.80 Strongly Disagree Very Unusable

For mean ratings between 3.41 and 5.00, it will be interpreted as the

software being “usable”. On the other hand, mean ratings between 1.00 and

3.40 are considered “not usable”, as respondents are not satisfied with the

software.

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REFERENCES

Morris, B. (2004). Administering the school library media center. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.

Rathinasabapathy, G (2006) Building Digital Libraries by using Open Source Software: Opportunities and Challenges. In Rathinasabapathy, G, Eds. Proceedings National Conference on "Digital Libraries: From Technology to Culture", Coimbatore, INDIA.

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Anctil, Eric, and Jamshid Beheshti (2004). Open Source Integrated Library Systems: An Overview.

The University of California Libraries (2005). Rethinking how we provide bibliographic services for the University of California. California.

Han, Yan and Rawan, Atifa (2007) Afghanistan Digital Library Initiative: Revitalizing an Integrated Library System. Information Technology and Libraries.

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Adamson, Veronica, et al. (2008). JISC & SCONUL Library Management Systems StudySheffield, UK: Sero Consulting. p. 51. Retrieved on 21 January 2009. "... a Library Management System (LMS or ILS 'Integrated Library System' in US parlance)."

Tennant, Roy (16 April 2008). "Picking When to Jump, Part 2". Library Journal. Reed Business Information. http://www.libraryjournal.com/blog/1090000309/post/1770023177.html. Retrieved 20 January 2009. "Across the pond they use the term library management systems (LMS) for what we call the integrated library system (ILS)."

Shuttleworth, Martyn (2008). Descriptive Research Design. Retrieved April 12, 2010 from Experiment Resources: http://www.experiment-resources.com/descriptive-research-design.html

Jeffrey L.; Lonnie D. Bentley, Kevin C. Dittman. (2004). Systems Analysis and Design Methods. 6th edition. ISBN 025619906X.

Martin, J (1991), Rapid Application Development, MacMillan, New York.

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