Information You Need from the Z39.50 Library

In the Administration tool, you must enter specific information about the Z39.50 library and its Z-server. You must also enter specific information about each Z39.50 index in that library that you want to search. Contact the Z39.50 library that you want to connect to and determine the information you need to complete your setup tasks.

The information you need complies with the standard for the Z39.50 protocol, maintained by the Library of Congress. If you want more information on this standard, see the Library of Congress web site at http://www.loc.gov/z3950/agency.

This section includes two tables that list the information you need from each Z39.50 library. The tables list information for these setup items:

Z-server and Z39.50 connection information.
You use this information when you complete the task: Adding a Z39.50 Library Connection.
Each Z39.50 index that you want to search.
You use this information when you complete the task: Adding a Z39.50 Index.

Find out this Z-server and Z39.50 connection information for each Z39.50 library that you want to search:

Table 4-1: Z-server and Z39.50 Connection Information

Information

Description

IP Address

The IP address of the Z-server for the remote Z39.50 library.

Port

The port number that the Z-server listens on for search requests.

Group ID

The group ID to access the Z-server, if the Z-server requires one.

User ID

The user ID to access the Z-server, if the Z-server requires one.

Password

The password to access the Z-server, if the Z-server requires one.

ZDatabase

The name of the database to which Information Portal would send search requests.

Timeout

The amount of time (in seconds) that Information Portal will wait for a response from the Z-server. If this time passes, then Information Portal returns an error message saying that the Z-server did not respond in the allotted amount of time.

Pref Message Size

The size (in bytes) of a response message that the Z-server can usually handle.

(The default in Information Portal is “65536.”)

If the data size is larger than this amount, then the Z-server either returns a subset of the data or returns an error message.

Except Record Size

The maximum size (in bytes) of a response message that the Z-server can handle.

(The default in Information Portal is “65536.”)

If the data size is larger than this amount, then the Z-server either returns a subset of the data or returns an error message.

Brief Record Syntax

A record syntax standard that the Z39.50 library uses for brief bib display. The library may use one of these standards:

UNIMARC
MARC21
UKMARC
OPAC
SUTRS
GRS-1
XML
draHoldings

Full Record Syntax

A record syntax standard that the Z39.50 library uses for full bib display. The library may use one of these standards:

UNIMARC
MARC21
UKMARC
OPAC
SUTRS
GRS-1
XML
draHoldings

Holdings Record Syntax

A record syntax standard that the Z39.50 library uses for holdings retrieval. The library may use one of these standards:

UNIMARC
MARC21
UKMARC
OPAC
SUTRS
GRS-1
XML/Holdings Schema
draHoldings

Important: If the library uses the OPAC standard, ask whether item information is stored in one of these ways:

1) In a holdings data MARC record inside the OPAC record (like Geac library systems).

2) In the HoldingsAndCircData sequence of the OPAC record (like Innovative and Voyager library systems).

3) In the CircRecord and in the HoldingsAndCircData sequence, with copies stored in the HoldingsAndCircData sequence (like Horizon library systems).

This information helps you decide how to set up an element for holdings information on a display. (For more information, see Adding or Changing an Element in a Z39.50 Search Result Display.)

Brief Element Set Name

The element set name you want used for the brief bib display.

(The default set in Information Portal is “B” for “Brief.”)

If the Z39.50 library always uses the full bib display, then the set should be “F” for the “Full” bib display.

Full Element Set Name

The element set name you want used for the full bib display.

(The default set in Information Portal is “F” for “Full.”)

If the Z39.50 library always uses the brief bib display, then the set should be “B” for the “Brief” bib display.

Holdings Element Set Name

The element set name you want used for holdings display.

(The default set in Information Portal is “F” for “Full.”)

If the Z39.50 library always uses the brief holdings display, then the set should be “B” for the “Brief” holdings display.

Find out this Z39.50 index information for each Z39.50 index that you want to search:

The most important pieces of information that you need are the search type or Use Attribute and the Structure Attribute for each index that you want to search.

Table 4-2: Each Z39.50 Index You Want to Search

Information

Description

Search Type or Use Attribute

The index that the Z39.50 library’s Z-server supports.

Note: This information is required when adding a Z39.50 index in Information Portal.

Relation Attribute

The number that represents the symbol used for search limiting in a Z39.50 index (for example, the Z39.50-defined number for “greater than,” “less than,” or “equals”).

Position Attribute

The position attribute for the index, if any.

Most products do not support this attribute.

Structure Attribute

Determines whether or not the index is a phrase or word structure (“1”=phrase, “2”=word).

Note: This information is required when adding a Z39.50 index in Information Portal.

Truncation Attribute

Determines whether or not users can search by entering only a portion of a complete search term. Most Z-servers support the “100” value, which means no truncation is allowed, and the “1” value, which means users can right-truncate their search terms.

Completeness Attribute

Determines whether or not the search term requires the entire field in the database to get the proper search results.

(For example, if the attribute is “1” [incomplete subfield], and you search for “gone wind,” then the Z-server returns “gone with the wind”. However, if the attribute is “2” [complete subfield], then you must search for “gone with the wind” to get the proper results.)

Universal ID

The universal ID that the Z39.50 library uses for this index.

(For more information on universal IDs, see Universal IDs.)

 


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