CAPE SCHOOL LIBRARIES COMPUTERIZE

Libraries at Cape Girardeau Central High School, Junior High and L.J. Schultz are now computerized, thanks to federal grant money.

Ann Bartlett, head librarian at the senior high school, said: "In the long run this will provide a lot better access to materials in the library. It's so much easier and faster."

The equipment was installed last week at the senior high school.

Ruth Lang, junior high librarian said: "This will also help us get more for our money. We will have more use of what materials we have in the library."

The junior high library has been automated for about two weeks.

"Students have been involved in math projects and science projects," Lang said. "They are finding that they can find information a lot easier than using the old card catalog."

The equipment was installed Monday at L.J. Schultz School, said librarian Bonnie Wilson.

"The kids are already asking when they can use it," she said. "They're as anxious as we are.

"Automation in libraries is not a new thing," Wilson said. "In fact, many schools around us already have their libraries automated."

The librarians looked at several different systems before selecting a system.

Wilson said, "Every librarian we talked to said circulation is up with an automated system.

"We battle this reading problem. All the time we are wanting kids to take time to read. This will help."

James Englehart, director of secondary education, said the school district has been looking for a way to automate the libraries for the past five years.

"We have purchased IBM hardware and Follett software to automate the libraries," he said.

The school used money from the Chapter 2 federal block grant program to fund the improvement.

Each year the school district received a block of money, about $40,000, to spend. A committee of school personnel and district residents decides how to spend the money.

The federal money can be used for a variety of purposes. Englehart said the district has used the money to improve programs and to upgrade equipment.

In the 1990-91 school year, most of the money was allocated to elementary schools to purchase computers and software.

For this year the committee decided to use the money to computerize the libraries.

Englehart said the entire project cost $55,000. This year's block grant was $45,000; the local school district added $10,000.

Englehart said: "Probably the one thing that stood out foremost in our consideration is the fact that almost all libraries are automated, including the local city library. This is the type of library students are going to see, and do see already.

"Certainly our students going on to college will be using an automated library. We felt it was urgent to give them the opportunity to work with this type of system."

The program also automates circulation and record-keeping aspects of operating a library.

The computer will keep track of what books students have checked out and fines on overdue books. It will also monitor which materials in the library are most popular with students.

Lang said: "These students are living in the age of technology. We have got so much knowledge to pass on to these students, the best way is through an automated system."

She said the computer can give students a selection of books on a particular topic. "It allows them to branch out to other possibilities they might not have thought of."

Bartlett said: "Students can browse on the computer. We have had books on the shelves that are dead because nobody ever looked them up. There may be chapters in a book which are pertinent, which can now be easily accessed."

Lang said that students enjoy using the computers. "Students with computers are very compatible. They have been very enthusiastic.:

Locally, Larry Loos from Microage Computers helped install the equipment. "He helped us tremendously," said Lang.

In the future, Bartlett said, libraries at the three schools can be networked together. Also, she said she hopes the libraries here can be part of a statewide data base. The city library is part of that system already.