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Do I have to enter my entire library before I can benefit from
ResourceMateŽ?
No. You
can instantly save time by having ResourceMateŽ do the work of generating
multiple library catalogue cards and labels (a tedious job at the
typewriter).
You may also begin by
entering only those items which are already checked out. With this
information, you can then remind yourself or patron with items checked
out and begin saving money on lost or misplaced books, videos, CD's,
etc.
How can I speed up the process of entering all of the books
in our library?
ResourceMateŽ
Plus: One of the features of this more advanced version
of ResourceMateŽ allows several people to enter items into their
home computers, transfer to the main computer, and merge those items
into the main computer. This feature allows volunteers or committee
members to help in the process of entering the entire library. Click
here to learn more about ResourceMate® Plus.
Enter Basic Information:
When entering items into ResourceMate® it is not necessary to
enter all information related to that item. The person entering
can determine how much or how little information they want to enter.
Some people begin by entering the title, author, category and Dewey
decimal call number of all items in their library and later come
back to enter replacement value and detailed subject information.
Import from Internet
/ ISBN Retreival: This feature allows you to find full
cataloguing information using the free Library of Congress Z39.50
web site, copy it in one motion to the Windows™ clipboard
and have that information automatically entered into the appropriate
fields in ResourceMate®! This very popular feature can increase
your entry speed by about five times. Click
here to learn more about Import from Internet.
With ISBN Retreival,
type in the ISBN, click the ISBN Retreival button and, if you have
an internet connection, the information is automatically retreived
from the Library of Congress, otherwise a local file is searched.
ISBN Retreival is available to registered users with paid support.
EntryMate™
service allows incredibly fast initial cataloguing using bulk importing
of the bibliographic data after you supply us with your ISBN numbers.
We even have a hand-held scanner that you can rent to create your
ISBN list easily. (Import from EntryMate™ File is a feature
of the Plus version but Regular
version users can merge the data file for $60.) Click
here to learn more about EntryMate™.
Is
there a limit to the number of items I can enter?
While there is no
limit, ResourceMateŽ is intended to service the libraries of individuals
and organizations with 100 to 10,000 or 15,000 items. Click
here for more detailed information.
What kind of learning curve is involved?
We have found that most
ResourceMate® purchasers have two to six questions related to
getting started on ResourceMate®. The manual was written with
the novice computer users in mind. ResourceMate® was designed
so that users can begin using the product effectively for their
library needs. Also, training videos
are available for $35 plus shipping and handling.
Is
training available?
Introductory and Level
2 training will be available as specifically requested or through
regularly scheduled group sessions approximately every three to
six months. Training videos are available
for purchase for $35 plus shipping and handling.
Can ResourceMateŽ be customized to my specific requirements?
Yes, in several ways:
- The field descriptions
for all fields including title, sub-title, series,
author, second author, third author, publisher, date published,
# of pages and subjects can be changed for each different resource
type;
- You can add your
own resource types to the list that comes built-in;
- You can define unlimited
user definable fields. These consist of character, numeric, date,
yes/no (on/off, true/false) fields and notes or comments fields.
These fields are all searchable when generating reports.
- In a basic way, you
can customize the reports to your specific requirements (fonts,
bolding, position of text, etc).
Can I print a listing of items checked out? Can I print a listing
of overdue items?
Yes. From the Reports
Menu choose "Checked out Items Reports". As an option, you may filter
the report, say, by date, and the report will list only those items
expected back by the entered date.
How extensive are the search capabilities of ResourceMateŽ?
On the Simple Search
Screen you can search by Title, Author, Subject or Keyword. You
may also define 4 more buttons to search any field. A convenient
feature of this screen is that, an entered title will search the
series, title and sub-title fields simultaneously. An entered author
will search the author, second author, third author and Statement
of Responsibility fields.
On the Complex Search
Screen you can search by any field. Boolean (and,
or, not) searching is alo available.
When generating any of
the item reports, you may include/exclude specific items based on
ANY of the information that has been entered including
notes and comments and user defined fields. Complex compound or
“chained” queries allow you to find, for example, all
books not checked out in the last two years, etc.
What if we have a specific need or a suggestion for ResourceMateŽ?
A big part of the continued
improvement of ResourceMate® is feedback from those using the
product. We have always been open to hearing the concerns and suggestions
of those using ResourceMate®. If we find that a field or feature
is missing, we would like to hear these needs and consider the implications
of changes within ResourceMate®. Many of the existing features
of 3.0 are a direct result of suggestions or requests from people
already using ResourceMate®.
Can
I generate a listing for insurance purposes?
Yes. From the Reports
Menu choose “Replacement Value Reports”. You can generate
a detailed listing of all items with their replacement values or
you can do a “Totals Summary” report. You can easily
try this feature in our free
demo.
To update replacement values, do I have to update every item
individually?
No. From the Utilities
Menu choose "Update Item Replacement Value". You can then choose
your entire library or some of the resources in your library and
apply a percentage increase or decrease against the replacement
value of those items.
Once
in, can the data be transferred out?
The Plus
version offers Export to MARC. Grid information and reports
can be exported to a number of formats.
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