   
UDT Series on Data Communication Technologies and Standards for Libraries
Electronic Data Interchange: An Overview of EDI Standards for Libraries (1993)
5. LIBRARY APPLICATIONS FOR EDI
While most libraries are not primarily engaged in commercial activities, they do operate in a commercial environment. Libraries buy books and other materials from multiple suppliers, are invoiced for those materials, and payments are made. Libraries also use various commercial document delivery services, and have some commercial dealings with their patrons. Examples include payment for photocopies, mediated searching or interlibrary loans. This means that libraries use and process purchase orders, invoices, and delivery notifications as do other businesses.
The acquisition of library materials, a central function of the library, is the area of library operations where EDI can best be applied. However EDI-based transactions can also be applied to other library functions such as interlibrary loan/document delivery and general purchasing.
5.1 Acquisitions
A number of groups and organizations have proposed or implemented EDI messaging for acquisitions. Some of the benefits associated with implementing EDI-based messaging include:
- reduction in manual labour and paper processing required
- more timely shipment and delivery of orders items
- improvement in the availability of price information, particularly for serials
- ·more efficient invoicing and payment procedures, as keying of data is avoided
- more timely information can reduce the number of claims required, particularly for serials
While considerable gains have been made in developing the standardized formats necessary to support EDI-transactions for the purchase of books and serials, the implementation of EDI-based systems has been slower than anticipated. The following outlines some of the obstacles that may be slowing the adoption of EDI by libraries and the book and serial sector.
5.1.1 Organizational/Attitudinal Barriers
- Disparate User Community
In order to purchase materials, libraries must interact with a very diverse group of partners that includes publishers, wholesalers, subscription agents and automated library system vendors. As each of these groups has different interests and objectives, bringing these groups together to work toward a common goal represents a significant organizational challenge. Without the cooperative efforts of this community, it is difficult to attain the support necessary to move toward EDI implementation.
- Acquisitions is sometimes less a priority than other areas of library operations.
Acquisitions is often considered a 'housekeeping' function that may be less a priority than patron-oriented services such as reference and circulation. When decisions are made to fund automation projects, the acquisitions function has traditionally been given a low priority. This situation may improve has many of the other library processes are now supported by well-developed automated systems. This could help to shift the priority towards automating the acquisitions process.
- Organizational Challenge for Libraries
Implementing an EDI-based acquisitions function may require libraries to alter the work flows patterns in the acquisitions department, train staff in new procedures and acquire staff with systems training to maintain the new system. This requires considerable planning and coordination on the part of library management.
- Lack of Education
Education is required on the part of both librarians and members of the book and serial industry. They require a basic understanding of the existing EDI standards and the benefits which can be accrued through EDI implementation. While progress has been made in this area, these efforts must continue.
Education is important in order for librarians to specify their requirements for EDI-based systems to the vendors of library automated systems.
5.1.2 Technical Barriers
- Reliance on other parties to develop supporting software
For the most part, libraries do not have the expertise to develop software to support their operations, so they are dependent library software vendors to develop the supporting software. Software vendors, on the other hand are often reluctant to invest in product development for an uncertain market.
- Automated library systems tend to be based on proprietary architectures
The tight integration of existing library applications with proprietary architectures often makes it difficult to integrate these systems with EDI interfaces such as translation software without the assistance of the system vendor. The library is again dependent on the vendor's priorities and time scales in order to begin operations.
- Adding EDI-capabilities to existing systems
Integrated library systems tend to have a single database that underlies all operations and users are connected to various views of the database. It may be difficult to integrate the EDI data with existing database.
5.2 Interlibrary Loan/Document Delivery
Recent ILL and document delivery literature suggests that the purpose and scope of interlibrary loan services are changing (Khalil, 1993). The concept of document delivery is moving away from the delivery of returnable and non-returnable items and towards a broader interpretation that includes the delivery of information in electronic form, not only between libraries, but also between patrons, libraries and information brokers.
Document delivery is akin to acquisitions in that an order is placed and the requested item is delivered. Also, demands for document delivery have increased over the years as the cost of periodical subscriptions has increased and library budgets have decreased. Commercial information providers were quick to recognize the potential market for rapid delivery of individual journal articles and have established document delivery services to meet this demand. When libraries use these services, they become business partners with commercial suppliers.
Also, new information storage and retrieval, copying and communications technology are being used to locate the required document quickly and transmit the copy quickly. As many of these services are operated either by serials publishers and subscription agencies who have been active in the support and implementation of the ASC X12 within the serials industry, it is reasonable to predict that EDI may well move into the document delivery arena.
5.3 Other transactions
Other library operations involving communication with external systems include invoicing and payment activities. Libraries receive invoices and generally process them for payment by confirming the details, i.e that the items invoiced have actually been received. Often, however, the library does not actually make the payment. Instead a centralized finance function within the library or within a larger organization such as a university or a municipal government is actually responsible for allocating and transferring funds. The library is thus often involved in a complex set of transactions between invoicer, purchaser and payer. These transactions are normally asynchronous and thus lend themselves for consideration as candidates for EDI.
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