The Library Service is the Lead Authority in the Foursite Consortium that consists also

of Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire. The 

partners share access to a single library management system   Galaxy2000   which has

a web based catalogue (http://www.foursite.somerset.gov.uk) providing shared access to

resources across all four authorities, self service reservations/holds, renewals and 

comments facilities.

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The county is one of six councils that will pilot Care Direct   a call centre approach

to handling enquiries relating to care of the elderly. The social services department has

requested the secondment of a member of the library cataloguing team to organise the

information required for the effective operation of the project. 

Community education has interactive booking facilities for its courses. However, this

is the extent of transactional services available, as the council seeks to move to 100 

percent e service delivery.

The library service has identified the following current and future aspects of 

e delivery of services.

Transactions: services currently available: September 2001

  Requests for and renewals of books, CDs, videos, DVDs, talking books in library, or

remote, via web at http://www.foursite.somerset.gov.uk ,

  Comments to staff via website,

  Enquiry centre based on web information resources,

  Public access terminals (80 to increase to 380 with People's Network) with free Inter 

net access and access to Microsoft Office.

Information Services currently available:

  web based catalogue at http://www.foursite.somerset.gov.uk,

  information about the service at http://www.somerset.gov.uk/libraries.

Planned e services:

  self service registration,

  self service issue and return,

  SMS messaging regarding events, requests, etc.,

  remote access for users to e sources,

  E books available for loan,

  E mail to replace paper correspondence regarding overdue books, etc.,

  personalised services,

  expansion of the Enquiry Centre to direct public access,

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