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October, 31, 2006 - Issue 2
   
 

 

First Australian state-wide ILL system with end-user requesting: LibraryLink Victoria

Candy BroadThe Victorian Minister for Local Government & Housing, Candy Broad, launched LibraryLink Victoria (LLV) in Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia, earlier this year. LLV is a further development of the MurrayLink Libraries VDXHost service. This service is being extended to include all Victorian public libraries; and ZPORTAL is being implemented to enable the 10 million holdings in Victorian public library catalogues to be searched. This way, Victoria’s 2.5 million library patrons can request ILLs and receive copies supplied electronically at their desktops.

The Minister noted in her speech that that the document delivery capabilities of VDX has the potential to dramatically improve access to local history materials, and that LLV will be the first public library consortia to implement the supply of electronic copy to end users’ desktops, while complying with all copyright requirements. LLV is also the first Australian state-wide public library ILL system with end-user requesting.

“This software will revolutionise public libraries enabling them to deliver improved services to their communities,” said Ms Julie Rae, CEO, Central Highlands Regional Library Corporation, and President of VICLINK (Victorian Public Library and Information Network). “It will bring Victoria’s library collections to all, no matter where they are located and will ensure improved efficiencies for all Victorian Public Libraries.”

At its introduction, LLV went live with SIP2 authentication for 3 libraries which are all on different systems. The implementation for all Victorian public libraries will be completed by June 2007.

 

 

BIBSYS libraries go live with
OCLC PICA portal

At the end of 2005, BIBSYS, the Norwegian library information systems provider, chose OCLC PICA as its supplier for web-based library portals to a consortium formed by part of the BIBSYS libraries. On 2 October 2006, following much preparatory work and Beta versions, BIBSYS released the portal BIBSYS Mime (based on SISIS-Elektra) with embedded resolving technology.

BIBSYS MimeBIBSYS believes the project has been a great success so far. “There is very close communication between all of the parties involved,” says Roy Gundersen, director of BIBSYS. “Most importantly, it’s informal and non-bureaucratic. And we're happy with the feedback we get on our change requests.” BIBSYS also commented on the speed of BIBSYS Mime’s searches: “It’s impressive!” says Gundersen. As a result of the close cooperation the project has recently completed the start-up phase both on-time and to budget.

A total of 37 Norwegian academic libraries will start using the portal. BIBSYS Mime currently searches approximately 110 databases, of which 21 have open access. Over the next few months, BIBSYS will focus on increasing this number, estimating that it will have well over 200 databases available around Easter 2007.

 

New QuestionPoint reference service at the Bavarian State Library

Thanks to the implementation of the virtual reference service QuestionPoint, the Bavarian State Library (BSB) in Munich has been able to extended and enhance its end-user services.

The main difference to the previous reference service is the easy access via the BSB website and the guaranteed response within five working days for general queries and often not more than five working days for specialist questions. If so desired, the user can have a password protected account with which they can check the status of their unanswered questions, redirect questions to the library or review earlier answers and reactivate earlier questions. All responses are sent via e-mail.

In addition, as a result of taking the QuestionPoint license, BSB automatcally becomes a participant member of a world-wide information network.This network enables local staff and specialists to directly forward questions that they cannot answer to other members of the network depending upon the competency profiles of the participating libraries. As a result BSB now has a number of valuable partners that can answer specialist queries from its own users, as well as being able to offer its own rich database and special collections as a valuable support resource to other libraries.

More information on QuestionPoint.

 

UnityUK and LinkUK integration underway

The groundwork for the project to bring together over 100 UnityUK libraries and 78 LinkUK libraries is well under way. 5 libraries across the West Midlands: Staffordshire, Coventry, Stoke-on-Trent, Birmingham and Worcestershire began using the UnityUK service in August 2006. The first early adopter library authorities from across London and the South East: Camden, Slough, Bromley, Southwark, Enfield, East Sussex, Islington and Surrey, have already received their first round of training and are in the process of beginning to use UnityUK to supply items requested by other libraries.

LinkUK will be integrated with UnityUK to deliver the first national service for resource sharing in the UK.

LinkUK library Paddington, London

Jennifer Cox, Stock Services Manager at Bromley Libraries, a previous Chair of the Forum for Interlending and a member of the OCLC Resource Sharing Advisory Committee, is already positive about the move to an integrated service, “All of us at Bromley can see the potential that the new service will offer, particularly its capability to streamline and speed up the ILL process for all members. This will make the job easier for staff and will ultimately improve the service we can offer to our library users. A national ILL service is the way forward we are excited about being part of its development.”

The integration process started, on schedule, in August 2006 and with the process now underway, UnityUK is on track to deliver a national network for resource sharing for the UK during 2007.

Link to full story here.

 

Germanistics online – with SISIS-Elektra

The Virtual Germanistics Library, a trade portal for German language and literature science, is one of the latest hot spots on the web. Since it went live this summer, visitors to the portal can search the three catalogues of the Frankfurt University, the cataloguing system Kallías of the German Literature Archives Marbach and the Bibliography of the German Language and Literature Science BDLS. Additional catalogues are planned to be made available in the future.

The metasearch part of this portal is based on OCLC PICA’s SISIS-Elektra software. The inherent flexibility of the system architecture coupled with its inbuilt modularity, enables users to install the system according to exact specifications and to taylor the implementation according to the current project phase requirements.

More information on SISIS-Elektra.

 

Customer survey rollout

We are keen to make sure that we are maintaining and improving our high levels of customer satisfaction. To this end we are extending the monthly mini telephone survey that has been carried out in the UK since January 2005.

Each month we will call a handful of customers from each region, asking no more than 5 questions. If we contact you, we would like to know whether or not you are satisfied with our products and services. We would encourage you to give us your views to help us to improve in the future.

 

English translation Abel Tasman Journal available

For those interested in Dutch/Australian history, OCLC PICA is now offering free access to a digital copy of a rare English translation of the journal of Abel Tasman (published in 1898 by Frederik Muller & Co.), with thanks to Strata Preservation and the National Archives in The Hague who made the book available for digitisation.

To celebrate the partnership between OCLC PICA and the National Library of Australia and the implementation of the CBS software that was taken into production in Libraries Australia last year, OCLC PICA had the original journal of Abel Tasman digitised through Strata Preservation.

Tasman discovered Tasmania in 1642 and his journal belongs to the Dutch National Archives in The Hague. A digital copy of the original journal in old Dutch is available online via the National Archives. It is remarkably well illustrated with maps, drawings of coastlines as Tasman passed them on his journey, as well as of natives of the new lands and islands that he visited.

 

NetLibrary 4.0 makes finding and using eContent even easier

NetLibrary logoThe NetLibrary eContent website has been upgraded to provide users with improved search performance, a fresh new look and feel, and powerful navigation tools. Based on extensive usability testing and library feedback, the NetLibrary site has been re-engineered to offer the highest levels of speed, reliability and user convenience.

Automatic summarisation now enables users to find the materials they are looking for quickly by providing a brief summary of eContent with search results. Automatic checking of query term spelling recognises commonly misspelled words and offers alternative spellings. Ambiguous search terms are also recognised and recommendations for refining queries are provided. Users can narrow search results by entering an additional search term or terms to drill down to relevant content.

NetLibrary's new search technology keeps track of past queries during a session and allows users to easily return to search results. Query response will match performance indicators of leading Web search engines, typically offering response times of two seconds or less regardless of the search term or type of search.

The sleek new look and feel of NetLibrary 4.0, combined with simple intuitive navigation, makes it easier to search across multiple formats, related databases and online resources. Multiple language support offers users the ability to conduct searches and view results for content available in their native language. Supported languages include English, French and Spanish.

 

Aspire reaches 10 subscribers in first month

Aspire – OCLC PICA’s new federated search service for Further Education Colleges - has secured 10 subscribers by the end of its first month, following the official launch on 1st August 2006.

Loughborough College, a pilot site for this unique new service, has been joined by Stockport College, Somerset College of Arts and Technology (SCAT), North Devon College, South Downs College, Aberdeen College, Colchester College, Kingston College, Newcastle College and Tyne Metropolitan College.

Mark Callan, Librarian at Tyne Metropolitan College commented “As soon as I saw Aspire, I knew that it was what we needed. Our students have been getting very frustrated at the number of clicks that it takes to find information amongst our many and varied resources. Aspire will bring all the library supplied information together and deliver a comprehensive search, with just one click.”

The Aspire service brings together quality pay-for online e-resources, intranet and free internet based information resources, making them all available with one, easy-to-use search. In doing so, Aspire improves the visibility of online resources, promotes the existence of useful information and maximises the benefit that students get from the investment made in e-resources.

Link to full story here.

IDM Connector: user information always up-to-date

Entering and managing user information is becoming more and more complicated, especially given the growing number of applications and IT systems in use. Maintaining all of this data and making sure that it is up-to-date is now proving to be quite an ominous task. A precision tuned Identity Management system could be just the solution. It takes over the distribution of the user data between the applications and the granting of rights and roles.

In order to connect your library management system to an existing IDM system, OCLC PICA has developed the IDM Connector. This IDM Connector enables real-time synchronising between a central metadirectory and one or more OCLC PICA library management systems. Updating the user data can be done in either direction and can be configured individually according to the data structure and update rules.

The benefits of this solution are:

  • consistent authentication
  • better user acceptance
  • better user service
  • optimalisation of business processes thanks to automated processes and simplified integration with other applications
  • use of standards

The IDM Connector is open and configurable within the IT structure of your system, and can be used with identity management systems and directory services of SUN, Microsoft and others. It is based on JAVA, XML and XSLT.

This solution is currently available for SISIS-SunRise; LBS and OLIB will follow soon.

 

OCLC PICA supports ICT educational projects in Africa

This year OCLC PICA sponsored four projects in various developing countries, that in one way or another have a link with our operating activities. One of the projects is Viafrica (Foundation Venture Intelligence Africa): their CLASSworks programme concentrates on setting up sustainable ICT eductional projects at secondary schools in sub-Sahara Africa.

CLASSworks is based on the concept that secondary schools have to take the initiative. In co-operation with two pilot schools, Viafrica has drawn up a number of conditions a school has to meet before computer science can be made available at the school. One condition is that an adequate room has to be made available, others are that computer science teachers have to be trained and a sustainable exploitation plan has to be developed. All conditions are described fully in an agreement.

When a school has met all necessary conditions, and thus shows it is willing to make investments for this new facility, Viafrica will provide the necessary computers, the implementation and further training of the teachers. After this, the school takes over completely and is responsible itself. The exploitation plan also makes sure that the school has the necessary means to be able to function independently.

For its CLASSworks programme Viafrica is supported by the Wilde Ganzen (Wild Geese) Foundation and the development organisation ICCO. The Wilde Ganzen ICCO Premium Plus Plan is part of the so-called Leverage Plan, that has as objective to increase support for development coorporation in the Netherlands. All funds that reach the Wilde Ganzen foundation’s bank account for the Viafrica’s project, are being tripled. More information can be found at www.viafrica.org, www.icco.nl and www.wildeganzen.nl.

 

Advisory Bodies update

OCLC has selected new members to replace the four members of the Reference Services Advisory Committee whose terms expired this summer. Among these new members is one from the OCLC PICA region: Paul Ulrich, Librarian Information Services at the Zentral- und Landesbibliothek in Berlin, Germany. The new members will serve for three years.

 
   
     
 
 
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