Library Chooses Innovative Interfaces Inc. for its Integrated Library System

DRA, the Library's current integrated systems vendor,was recently purchased by SIRSI Corporation. Accordingly the Weinberg Library faced a decision: Should it move to SIRSI or should it investigate the various solutions to Library resources management?

 

Our answer was to look at all systems that matched our size and needs so that the system chosen provides the best solution to our needs. Based on cost and requirements for systems support staffing, the field was narrowed to three companies: SIRSI, Innovative Interfaces, Inc (III) and Endeavor. Representatives from the three companies came to campus and presented their products' features and demonstrated their functions to the Integrated Library Systems Replacement Subcommittee of the Library Advisory Committee and Library staff. After thorough evaluation from faculty and staff, III was selected as our system. Library staff is very enthusiastic about the new features this system will bring for our users and our work. The III product will be installed in July 2003 is called Millennium. It is a customizable web-based integrated system. Millennium enables the Library to design a portal page that presents resources in our collection with links to other Web resources.

 

Two components of the system, WebBridge and MetaFind link information from other resources to the Library's catalog. When a user enters a search, the results will include titles enriched by images of the dust jacket and book reviews as well as links to fulltext journal content. MetaFind makes links to fulltext journal content possible for one-stop searching across Library resources. Millennium uses both the Boolean logic (and, or, not) to combine sets as well as AltaVista search engine software to return results. For example, a search on special education would return a list of resources owned by the Library and present the user with an additional list of databases and web resources from which to chose. This presentation is linked to the subject content that the user entered. This is an exciting concept. In the past, a user might search the catalog without connecting to other resources to which the Library had access. Conversely, a user might search fulltext journals without being aware that the Library had some directly relevant print resources on his/her topic. With Millennium's linking features, the user is presented with both and more. Please check out our new Online Public Catalog at:http://panther.scranton.edu/search