OVER 2 YOU, 137 (08/07/03)

THE LIBRARY CHANNEL

Alderney is a small Channel Island of about 3,000 people.  It has a library of around 18,000 books a record of which is kept on a PC and which shows author, book title, category and hard or paperback.  It is run entirely by volunteers.  This apart, the work of issuing books and keeping a record of borrowers' names and date of issue etc is all done by hand and is very labour intensive.  Suggestions for an inexpensive system of, say, bar codes and a scanner would be most appreciated.

Audrey Atterbury, via email

I suggest that Audrey has a look at the products offered by Micro Librarian

Systems at http://www.microlib.co.uk. We use Junior Librarian in our middle school, currently on network but have also used it on stand alone PCs. It is a brilliant system, bar codes, scanner etc, and one of the best 'helpline' services I have experienced.

John Horwood, ICT Technician, St George' Middle School, Sheppey, Kent.

There are many ways to manage books in a library; from bar coding and scanning to patrons checking their own books in and out securely, some can be quite complicated.  It sounds like a bar-coding system would suit your needs, try contacting 'Yourtech' (http://www.yourtechuk.com/ telephone 0207 6888260); it deals with library inventory management and will advise you on an easy to use solution within your budget.

Sally Thomas

CHOIRWARE

Can anyone suggest software or a spreadsheet solution to help allocate rooms? We have a youth choir of 50 who visit other choirs (or host them). We always seek to place them in pairs in home stays. They are invited to list up to four friends with whom they'd like to share, in order of preference. There must be an easier way than named pieces of paper on the floor! Occasionally we want to allocate rooms of three so if it could cope with that, so much the better.

Phil Dunford, via email

I really think the obvious low-tech solution, i.e. draw up a plan on a sheet of paper, is the simplest answer. If you must involve a PC, and it does have some advantages when it comes to changing entries, then I suggest that you need nothing more complicated than a simple grid or table, which you can construct in Microsoft Word. Just enter the room numbers and names manually and you'll have an easy to understand document, which you can print it out and distribute to everyone involved.

Jason Taylor, Cheltenham

I am not sure if it can be adapted to your needs but I came across a web page with what looks like room allocation software, designed I presume for housing college students. You will find the link to the program's authors at:

http://www.grad.co.il/english/academic.asp#rooms

Jane Cray, via email

FAILED FORMATS

Following on from a couple of recent enquiries on Over 2 You concerning obscure formats, two weeks ago I came across a box of Sony 'Ellecasette' tapes at a local church fundraiser. Apparently the tapes were snapped up by a collector for £5. Neither the stallholder or anyone I later questioned had seen or heard of this system before, and I could find no reference to it on the Internet, can anyone enlighten me?

H. Linden, via email

You should have been searching for 'Elcaset', which was launched by Sony in 1976. The name Elcaset was derived from 'Large Cassette' and the format was designed to replicate the performance of professional quality open reel tape recorders, with the convenience of a tape cassette. The format was moderately successful in the US and Japan for a couple of years and players were also launched by JVC amongst others but it never posed much of a threat to by then very well established Compact Cassette, which by that time had evolved into a high quality recording medium. It was eventually dropped in 1982, just as Compact Disc was starting to take off. It still has a small following and Elcaset decks and tapes can still be found selling on auction sites like ebay. You'll find more useful background and technical information on the following web sites:

http://home.iae.nl/users/pb0aia/cm/elcaset/

http://mhintze.tripod.com/audio/elcaset/articles.htm

Pete Sankey, via email

WATERPROOF PC

I am a professional diver and frequently work on wrecks and submerged structures, recording data and coordinates etc., by hand, on a 'slate', which are cumbersome and has limited storage capacity. Has anyone developed such an underwater organiser or PC, preferably with a large keyboard or touch sensitive screen (for handwriting recognition) or an illuminated display?

S Lindley, via email

I noticed your problem regarding data collection underwater; my company (Bluestone Technology, www.bluestonetechnology.com) has designed and manufactured a rugged 10.4-inch waterproof LCD monitor.

Rob Short

SMALL BUSINESS SOFTWARE

I run a small business and I'm looking for a program that records client names and addresses, logs orders, reports when a customer last placed an order and flags up an entry if there is no repeat business within a certain time frame. Can anyone recommend suitable software?

Monty Portman, via email

You might be should be interested in our software product Prodtrac (www.prodtrac.com). It is especially designed for small and medium sized businesses; in-built features include the administration of suppliers and customers.  The alert facilities that Mr Portman requires is part of the program's reporting structure, and we pride ourselves on customising the package to a client's requirements.  Plus, the core of the software is its ability to record and control traceability between purchased materials and their ultimate destination to customers.

Keith Evans, k.evans@which.net

CAN YOU HELP?

Following on from the media and newspaper reports regarding the potential health hazard of living close to high voltage power lines and mobile telephone masts, I want to know if there are any measuring instruments available to the general public, that would allow me to monitor my exposure to this radiation.

D. Clements, via email

I read recently that new television detector vans are being deployed to track down licence fee dodgers. I can see how they might detect emissions from larger TVs with picture tubes but does anyone know if they can detect newer display devices like LCD screens, video projectors and plasma panels etc. and if so, how?

Nigel Sutton (a fully paid up licence payer by the way)

A few years ago, when I bought my Hewlett Packard printer it came with a small storage box for part-used and refilled cartridges, which keeps them upright and stops them from drying out. My local HP dealer can't get hold of them any more so can anyone recommend either a source of these boxes or a suitable alternative?

Tina Bradley, via email