Abstract
At present. integrated library system (ILS) upgrades and migrations seem to be coming faster and more frequently. The reasons for this trend are many. among them being: 1) hardware upgrades are common due to the need for more memory to run the software; 2) software upgrades and migrations are desired because of the promise of new or improved features; 3) changes in system vendor ownership can affect changes in their software; 4) software and hardware upgrades are needed due to the advanced age of either or both; and 5) system upgrades on a yearly basis may be necessary to prevent the library system from being no longer supported by the vendor.
So, what happens after one has done the upgrade or the migration for what seems to be the hundredth time? What happens, of course. is that, yet again, one needs to test all the cataloging functions and perhaps the online public access catalog (or OPAC) functions. The question then arises, how can these functions be checked in an efficient and comprehensive manner? This article seeks to help the reader arrive at a routine through the means of a checklist. While the focus of this article is limited to a systematic verification of various related functions in the cataloging and public catalog modules, the checklist idea may be expanded to include the circulation, serials, and acquisition modules as well.
Publication Date
Spring 2008