The current ER model includes tables that hold formatting information in order to allow the layout of reading lists in different formats (HTML, BibTeX, Refer, etc). This formatting information is currently planned to be snippets of Perl code, allowing some serious flexibility in formatting the output.

However the question is, “why is this code in the database?”. Here at Loughborough we could just as easily have it stored in the filesystem along with all the other Perl code for the back end. The reason for having the Perl fragments held in the database is that it will potentially make life easier at other institutions, where there is a separation between the folk who run servers and install the software, and the folk who actually manage the library side of the database. In some cases getting software updates loaded on machines can be tricky and time consuming, so having the formatting code held in the database will allow the library administrators to tweak it without having to jump through hoops.