The Web catalog is currently on-line:
Sunday 10:30 a.m.-12 midnight
Monday-Friday 6 a.m.-12 midnight
Saturday 6 a.m.-9 p.m.
The Web catalog is not available on Library holidays.
Do they have little sql elves to fetch the book references from the database? Does the web server belong to a union?
Or do they take the system down every night while data entry clerks in Bangalore add new novels and take away obsolete collections of magazines.
Adina, the Ann Arbor library database is down late at night too, and I think it's to do loads of transaction information into the database. I don't know what actual hardware they're running on, or whether it's a service they job out to some library ubercomputer somewhere.
Posted by: Edward Vielmetti on May 16, 2004 10:19 PMMy vote is also on the little SQL elves. It also explains why I haven't had any new shoes made lately, since the library has obviously made them a more attractive offer.
Posted by: Sheila on May 20, 2004 12:55 AMEdward's observation is not out of the question. But for a city of the size and prosperity of Austin, it strikes me as odd that they couldn't afford to integrate their transaction and catalog systems. Smaller public libraries have had integrated transaction and catalog systems for 15 years or more.
OTOH, and especially lately, libraries often seem to be the last civic institutions to get technology money....
Posted by: eric scoles on May 25, 2004 11:28 AMI wrote to the Austin Library a few months ago to ask about the catalog hours. They wrote back that "APL will be getting a new online catalog in late 2004 that will be available 24 hours a day."
Posted by: Matt Vance on October 6, 2004 11:34 AM