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OLS MORE project and implementation of NCIP Update
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Update of Ohio Libraries Share MORE project and implementation of NCIP
This is an August 1, 2007 letter from State Librarian of Ohio, Jo Budler.In February 2007, enhancements and a name change (Ohio Libraries Share MORE) were made to MORE, the statewide resource sharing mechanism supported by the State Library of Ohio. These enhancements included:
- unmediated A/V request handling,
- material type searching,
- patron limits,
- low volume email alert,
- seamless request brokering to OCLC,
- patron friendly statuses, and
- staff simplified request handling.
One of the major features of the new implementation was the inclusion of NCIP responders for SirsiDynix Unicorn libraries. During the initial demonstration and rollout of NCIP for Unicorn libraries from January through March, the NCIP service worked as expected. This is an exciting development because there are no fully compliant NCIP implementations anywhere in the world.
Unfortunately, due to patches and code changes to both SirsiDynix and the OCLC PICA NCIP software, problems with NCIP developed in March and continue to this day.
This has proven to be a frustrating experience for participating libraries in CLEVNET and INFOhio, the initial targeted BETA test group and for State Library staff. As with any cutting-edge technology, the challenges are ongoing and it is imperative that we keep all parties involved as up-to-date on the status of this initiative as possible.
In order to facilitate this communication, the State Library is taking the following steps:
- This webpage on the State Library website has been established for updates.
- A timeline and documentation of issues is available at www.library.ohio.gov/whatsnew.html and will continue to be updated as updates become available.
Also you can link to an update on the NCIP initiative from Ralph Horton, Vice President of Operations, OCLC PICA, Inc. Angela Thomas (State Library of Ohio), Bob Carterette (CLEVNET), and Jean Banks (INFOhio) have been working extensively with Ralph and his associates to resolve the problems. I felt encouraged when I read this letter of commitment from Ralph. He ends his letter with this line: “Your pioneer spirit is paying off as we take the final steps in creating the first production system in the world to use NCIP.” It is good to remember that: what we are attempting is cutting edge. No one has ever attempted this before and as frustrating as our attempts thus far have been, we are breaking new ground – something to be proud of!
If you have questions or suggestions, please contact the OLS: MORE project staff at MOREEmail or me at JoEmail.
Thank you.
Jo Budler
State Librarian