King Khalid University, Media Center

Library Affairs Deanship at King Khalid University Sought to link libraries in all colleges spread in Asir province governorates via adopting an electronic, integrated system which will develop, enhance its services and benefit potentialities and possessed sources of information in order to deliver modern and developed services to the community of researchers and scholars, depending on the latest computer technologies and communications to exploit them to provide services.

Library automation system is the cornerstone and infrastructure necessary to build and provide these services within (Integrated Services) that enable researcher or anyone searching for information to get it accurately regardless of the shape and location.

On his turn, Dean of Library Affairs Dr. Saeed Al-Khalidi clarified that smart search system is a ( Symphony ) featuring (Integrated Library System) and contains all technical, administrative operations represented by supply , registration, classification, indexing, borrow , adjust periodicals , and research , as well as compatibility with Marc formula that fit with the Anglo- American Classification Rules.

In addition to the ability to search through the Internet , to expand and the ability to be linked with other systems through a network with any computer network regardless the computers used. We have started registering and archiving books using Mark form.

Al-Khalidi clarified that smart search system corresponds with the system of self- borrow through an advanced device which can read data on a borrower card through scanner then the barcode of the book , to record the book on his account so he could borrow it . Same devices can be used to bring back borrowed books. Self-borrow has contributed to serve library users and to reduce waiting periods in front of borrow Counter .

He reported that classification and archiving project involves several things , including automating sub libraries through upgrading a Symphony system in the deanship to automating all branches, resulting in launching an interconnected network of university libraries affiliated branches , and treat the groups of branches according to the international standards and link them to the system , as well as the development of a unified plan for the technical Services across the network , in addition to the application of RFID technologies for security and protecting groups in sub libraries , and training and qualifying employees in branch libraries on the new working environment. He said " lets Symphony system adopted at the Central Library has huge potentials at the level of branch libraries , which reinforces the fact that investment with Arabian Advanced Systems achieves a long-term return on investment . "

He added," the university takes advantage of the license granted from Symphony system in the Central Library and to expand simply to include branch libraries , allowing forming an interconnected network of branch libraries associated with each other through Symphony system."

Regarding the results of the unification of university libraries network at King Khalid University, Al-Khalidi replied that it allows sharing resources and unifies practices across it and provide parallel services to all users in branch libraries, and business management centrally through deanship but it is possible for branch libraries to search archive on the Internet and make internal borrow to the beneficiaries in order to unify cataloguing process among all colleges.

Regarding the current status of the groups at branch libraries, Al-Khalidi confirmed that there should be a cadre of technical staff to carry out processing to these groups and improve them. This includes groups archiving according to several criteria including Anglo-American cataloguing rules (Version II ) , machine-readable archiving (MARC21), decimal Dewey plan, a list of unifies Arabic archive heads, download archived recordings to Symphony system, the creation of information container in the system, and print tags of the book , secure adding vertical coding tag, secure Adding broadcasting tag, secure adding magnetic tape for the books of the Central Library , in addition to shelving books in colleges .

Dr. Khalidi concluded his speech explaining that modern technical processing of the groups maximizes the effectiveness of academic libraries network at King Khalid University and change its archive to be the best and most wide spreading if we took into account the number of branches under the umbrella of the network.