Mystery of the Crime Drama
I have/had four jobs this Summer. My most stable has been working as a substitute reference librarian for two of the local branches (they fight over me, which is quite gratifying unless you remember that a monkey with computer skills could do my job, but they require a Master's degree just to keep things exclusive).
Library Circulation appears relatively simple at first glance. Libraries begin with a building containing books, and a database containing all the information about those books. The database also contains a second layer, namely a list of patrons and information about each one. There are operational restrictions about the borrowing of books (length of time, number of items per patron, etc) and other materials offered. The database abbreviates each item into a code which the computer system reads, and then connects that item to a patron for the appropriate amount of time.
There are, of course, complications. There may be different patron types (juvenile, visitor, student, senior, staff, etc), and different item types (media discs, volumes in a series, tapes, meeting rooms, electronic devices) as well as hundreds of different ways of dividing a mass of available items into smaller groups more appropriate for browsing.
This is where it gets personal.
Hold Lists. When one patron has an item checked out and another patron wishes to enjoy the item next, some database systems allow the person to put themselves on a list to receive the next available iteration of that item. That sounds relatively simple as well. When the coded abbreviation logs off the original user's card, the computer sends a notification that that item should be kept from general circulation (the stacks) so that the next person in line (whose name is provided, and who is subsequently notified of the item's availability) may claim that item.
I have put myself on the hold list for several items in a short series. Not a single one of those items exists in the form, state, or position which the computer claims to be actual. This is the mystery. Where are my NCIS Season 3 DVDs?
Library Circulation appears relatively simple at first glance. Libraries begin with a building containing books, and a database containing all the information about those books. The database also contains a second layer, namely a list of patrons and information about each one. There are operational restrictions about the borrowing of books (length of time, number of items per patron, etc) and other materials offered. The database abbreviates each item into a code which the computer system reads, and then connects that item to a patron for the appropriate amount of time.
There are, of course, complications. There may be different patron types (juvenile, visitor, student, senior, staff, etc), and different item types (media discs, volumes in a series, tapes, meeting rooms, electronic devices) as well as hundreds of different ways of dividing a mass of available items into smaller groups more appropriate for browsing.
This is where it gets personal.
Hold Lists. When one patron has an item checked out and another patron wishes to enjoy the item next, some database systems allow the person to put themselves on a list to receive the next available iteration of that item. That sounds relatively simple as well. When the coded abbreviation logs off the original user's card, the computer sends a notification that that item should be kept from general circulation (the stacks) so that the next person in line (whose name is provided, and who is subsequently notified of the item's availability) may claim that item.
I have put myself on the hold list for several items in a short series. Not a single one of those items exists in the form, state, or position which the computer claims to be actual. This is the mystery. Where are my NCIS Season 3 DVDs?
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