Resource Center Tracking System

I am looking for a way to track all the material in our building's resource centers (or library if you wish). We are wanting something along the lines of freeware and something that will work on Windows 98 (sad, I know) or Linux. If there wasn't anything available, I was going to look into making a system and would love help. I was thinking of doing something with Adobe AIR just for kicks.

Here are some of our basic requirements:

• Must be able to track multiple types of materials (video, pictures, books, magazines, etc)
• Must be able to track information in multiple buildings (i.e. Building 1 knows what materials are in Building 2)
• The buildings may or may not be Internet connected. (in our case, they are not)
• Would like a way to track who has what materials currently checked out.
• Would like to track requests for material that weren't available. This way we can determine a need to purchase more of certain items or if items are missing.
• A history of what items are used a lot vs items not used a lot will help us too when it comes to cleaning.

Suggestions?

Here are two related threads that might also help in your ideation...

http://tech.lds.org/forum/showthread.php?t=302

http://tech.lds.org/forum/showthread.php?t=596

I knew there were some others out there interested. Thanks!

I didn't see anything pointing to a specific program, so I may still start working on one.

opee wrote:Here are two related threads that might also help in your ideation...

http://tech.lds.org/forum/showthread.php?t=302

http://tech.lds.org/forum/showthread.php?t=596

To get things kicked off, I have started a new project over at Sourceforge to centrally locate the files for this program. Any interested in helping out are invited to join.

Simple LDS Resource Center
http://sourceforge.net/projects/simpleldsrc/

net_runner wrote:To get things kicked off, I have started a new project over at Sourceforge to centrally locate the files for this program. Any interested in helping out are invited to join.

Simple LDS Resource Center
http://sourceforge.net/projects/simpleldsrc/

I looked at this page but I don't know how to use it to join the project.

I'm not sure how many of you are familiar with Apple or Mac OS X, but something I've sorely been wanting in our Materials Center is a Mac Mini, a copy of Delicious Library, a wireless barcode scanner, and a barcode generating application.

I've looked at a few of the threads about creating an inventory management system, and it just strikes me that Delicious Library is already about as easy to use as possible. Now, getting the Church to pay for Mac Mini's is probably not going to happen (as all I've ever seen in a meeting house have been Microsoft Windows computers). But at least I can always hope!

–Michael

marianomarini_vi wrote:I looked at this page but I don't know how to use it to join the project.

To be honest, I don't know how to join a project either at this time. I will let you know when more information comes up. There isn't much there right now. I was talking with a friend about the features and such, and his first thought was to develop it in Java (so it can be used in Windows, Linux and Mac). The main thing you will see there now is documents outlining the features.

The project admin has to add you to the project. You can follow the project without being assigned to it, but if you want to be able to update anything except the forum, you need to be assigned to the project.

Michael S wrote:I'm not sure how many of you are familiar with Apple or Mac OS X, but something I've sorely been wanting in our Materials Center is a Mac Mini, a copy of Delicious Library, a wireless barcode scanner, and a barcode generating application.

I've looked at a few of the threads about creating an inventory management system, and it just strikes me that Delicious Library is already about as easy to use as possible. Now, getting the Church to pay for Mac Mini's is probably not going to happen (as all I've ever seen in a meeting house have been Microsoft Windows computers). But at least I can always hope!

–Michael

Try taking a look at Libra (http://getlibra.com)
It looks an awful lot like Delicious Library, but for Windows. (But I don't think it fits the needs of this project)

I am in the last fase of my technical course and I need to program a software as an "Course Conclusion Project". I have the idea to create a Resource Center software with the same characteristics of MLS, like appearance and disposition of contents.

Obviously I can't submit to the community the software to the community to help building it before my graduation, but the software will be most simply (because I am writing it sole). After my graduation, on November I can post it to your help in develop, with all documentation and translated to English.

The program is write in Delphi 7, have some features of other library softwares and will be "donated" to the Church after the project. If the Church will adopt it or no, it isn't my problem, hehehehe

MorettiDP wrote:I am in the last fase of my technical course and I need to program a software as an "Course Conclusion Project". I have the idea to create a Resource Center software with the same characteristics of MLS, like appearance and disposition of contents.

Obviously I can't submit to the community the software to the community to help building it before my graduation, but the software will be most simply (because I am writing it sole). After my graduation, on November I can post it to your help in develop, with all documentation and translated to English.

The program is write in Delphi 7, have some features of other library softwares and will be "donated" to the Church after the project. If the Church will adopt it or no, it isn't my problem, hehehehe

I will be interested to see what you have. Is there an option in your program to select different languages based on the user? The reason I ask is because in our stake we have a Spanish speaking branch and we share the library with them. It would be good for us to just have to run one program instead of many.

For all those that are interested to join the SourceForge project, you can send a message to me and I can add you to the project. You will need a SourceForge user name and please include that in your message.

I can't make a "language selection" in these first release because is a rule of my school work that the program need to be write in Portuguese only. I don't know Spanish so good to translate the program to that language (my English translation will have translation problems, I believe). Because of it I have the idea of, after the project presentation to SENAC, give the program to the community to help in develop more features. It can be another choise to your project net_runner, or, after the work presentation, we can put these two projects together. It can be easy because I need to prepare all documentation to the software, and it can be easy the "translation" to another programation language, like the Church's standard Java (good to linux and Mac users too).

My original idea is it: If the meetinghouse have only one computer (the Church's computer) the software can be installed on that machine. The ward librarian or meetinghouse librarian can make their service in printed forms and after use the software to put the forms on the computer. The software can, before it, make other reports, like lease materials, need to purchase materials, etc. If the meetinghouse library have a computer, the work can be fast, make in the software directly.

Next week I go have a true published interface (I need more help from my teacher to end the graphic of the program). I can post photos on next sunday (I believe).

And thanks for the interest!

Is you system able to run on Linux or Windows 98? That is one of our setbacks right now...

I can't know what type of OS I can implement at these release, because I am using Delphi 7 and don't learn about OS compabilities with Delphi 7. If you know more about it, or have time to search (I don't have much today), pelase, post here.

Remember that it's a student project, and I believe that it will be far from perfect for implementation to whole Church. But after the project presentation the community help will be wonderful to best the software.