On Thursday, July 6, 2000, the staff of the Milbank Memorial Library conducted a demonstration of EDUCAT's Circulation Module for the staff of the Thomas J. Watson Library of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The Watson Library recently decided to add the Circulation Module to its INNOPAC, the online catalog on which EDUCAT is also based, to manage the thousands of books loaned annually to curators and researchers throughout the Museum.

Watson had previously installed the INNOPAC Acquisitions and Cataloging Modules in the mid-eighties and begun cataloging the collections in their online catalog, Watsonline.

Attending the demonstration were Ron Fein, Senior Library Technician; Linda Seckelson, Head of Reader Services; Shawn Steidinger, Systems Librarian; and Ross Day, representing the Museum's department libraries and study centers.

Frank Webster, Associate Director for Academic Information Services, explained the interrelated decisions needed to plan, set up and maintain the tables that drive the Circulation Module.

Ellen Stockdale Wolfe, Non Print Materials Catalog Librarian, shared strategies and tips for barcoding the collections and inventory follow-up.

Maureen Horgan, Associate Director for Administrative Services, demonstrated how to create patron records and discussed policy issues related to patron privileges.

David Donabedian, Head of Access Services, led the visitors through "a day in the life of the circulation department," stressing workflow and procedures for check-out, check-in, placing holds and generating reports and notices.

A different team of librarians from Watson will return to Milbank in the nearfuture for a demonstration of ILL Manager, a new product from the Research Libraries Group for managing interlibrary loan and document delivery that MML beta tested.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Thomas J. Watson Library share the distinction of being among the world's greatest treasuries for the study of the arts of many cultures.

In its scope, Thomas J. Watson Library, the Museum's research library reflects the encyclopedic permanent collection, with particularly strongholdings in European and American art, including architecture and thedecorative arts, as well as substantial holdings in ancient Near Eastern,Egyptian, Greek and Roman, Asian, and Islamic art.

In addition, several curatorial departments have specialized libraries of their own.

Access to Watsonline, the library's online catalog, as well as 3,500 images of objects from the Museum's collections is available through the Museum'sweb site: http://www.metmuseum.org/

Published Tuesday, Sep. 18, 2001