The Organization of Information

Chapter 6:  Systems and System Design


     An information system is an organized, purposeful structure that is made up of interrelated and interdependent elements that (in)directly influence each other to achieve a goal. This type of system works in three different ways: storage (to organize data) , retrieval (to search for data based on queries) and display of information (related to the interface design, the part of the system design that controls the interaction between the computer and the user).  The ILS, or Integrated Library Systems, is a type of system that unifies and then shares information from multiple databases. It serves many purposes, including keeping track of items owned and patrons who borrow materials.
     Online Public Access Catalogs, OPACs, like the Chicago Public Schools' S.O.A.R. (Seeking Online Access to Resources), are very useful systems that allow users remote access to search for and retrieve online information. One can find out what items school libraries have, whether those items are currently available and what form they are in, e.g., e-book, magazine, hardcover book.  The information gathered by these systems is readily available wherever there is Internet access.  The arrangement of the information is of little or no significance to the user since each arrangement is created in response to queries.
     WorldCat is the the world's largest online library catalog. It keeps a record of the collections of over 70,000 libraries in 170 countries and territories that participate in the global cooperative OCLC, the Online Computer Library Center.  Go to http://www.worldcat.org/ to find more than one billion items in libraries near you!