Discusses the need for management information and decision support systems in libraries, and identifies inertia and confusion as the main contributors to the lack of successful implementations. An attempt to initiate a decision support system at the University of Nebraska at Omaha is described, and both problems encountered and benefits gained are…

Describes some of the available software and hardware tools that can be used to develop a decision support system implemented on microcomputers. Activities that should be supported by software are discussed, including data entry, data coding, finding and combining data, and data compatibility. Hardware considerations include speed, storage…

Describes the development of a microcomputer based management information system (MIS) for the DeKalb County Public Library. Data collection activities that determined system requirements and the evolution of a database design from those requirements are discussed, as well as plans to develop a generic public library MIS based on this model.…

Discusses staffing needs and plans that need to be considered by library administrators. Topics addressed include the supervisory process, including patron needs assessment; the staffing process, including a staffing control system; staffing studies that establish a base for decision making; staffing standards; staffing problems; scheduling; and…