This is an MSDOS based suite of programs that would explain and allow you to workout your Library's staff requirements. Staff strength required for a library depends upon various factors such as, number of working days in a year, opening hours, leave allowed in a year, total stock, number of documents added in a year, number of documents circulated in a day, number of ready reference queries handled per day, types and quantum of services offered, number of readers requiring guidance in a day and so on. LISPA is a set of programs developed to run on IBM PC/AT and compatibles to assist library staff requirement planning taking into consideration the above factors and more. Though it is not an expert system, it encapsulates the expert knowledge of a library staff planner. LISPA has built-in default values and ratios for computing the staff strength required for a library. But the user of the system (planner) can change the default values and standards set in LISPA and plan the staff required as per his/her library's needs. That is, LISPA has built-in flexibility allowing the planner to choose the kind of services required and the kind of operational environment of the concerned library, and control the computation process as per the requirements. This facility makes LISPA useful for planning staff strength for libraries in different socio-economic and technological environments. The system can be used for checking the present staff strength of a library, for estimating its future requirements and for planning staff strength for a new library. The staff strength is computed and presented as per categories : senior professionals, professionals, para-professionals, skilled and un-skilled staff. LISPA can be used for planning and for teaching of `planning staff strength for a library', as it displays the steps involved in the computation and also the functions of the different sections in the library, including the various kinds of services a library can offer. The system is written in CBASIC and is easy to use, as it prompts the user throughout its execution.

(Published in "Information Technology and Libraries (USA)". 15(2); June 1996. p 105 - 111).

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