Book excerpt: "In a complete update of this classic text, author and automation expert William Saffady once again performs the vital function of surveying the types of technology used in libraries and discusses the library applications available to staff and patrons. He assesses the newest developments in operating systems, computer hardware, desktop and display technologies, and programming languages." "Written in layman's terms that even technophobes can understand, Introduction to Automation provides the keys to identifying the important characteristics of technology and understanding its many uses and applications."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved