Understanding the Symphony ILS > Station library

Station library

As you work with the Symphony ILS, it is important that you understand how station library influences requests made through Web Services to the ILS.

Purposes of station library

The station library (also called “login library”) can change behavior in Symphony client applications. This applies to clients such as WorkFlows or Web Services.

Logging and statistics. In transactions that modify ILS data, station library is recorded in the ILS history logs and can influence statistics. For example, when placing a checkout renewal through Web Services, the station library is logged for the request.
Permissions or filtering. In some transactions, the station library can limit the data available to a request. For example, the library may limit circulation or user data by using specific libraries or library groups for display and maintenance. In that case, a response will only display data based on that configuration.
Order of results. In some cases, the station library can change the order of results. For example, holdings for the station library may appear first in a call number list.
Workflows. Depending on the ILS configuration, the station library can influence behavior in the ILS. For example, in holds the pickup library may default to the station library. This may in turn affect transit rules or other logic that affects how holds are filled or what materials are available to hold. In this case, a hold that might succeed for one station library could fail for a different station library.

Default station library

A Web Services instance has a default station library depending on the Station policy and user specified in Web Services configuration parameters. The default station library is passed to the ILS for operations where you do not specify a session token.

User-specific station library

You obtain a session token by logging in a specific user. The login operation allows you to optionally specify a workstation ID (Station policy). If no workstation ID is specified, the default Station policy is used for the login operation.

If the Station policy used for login is of type Floating, the user’s library becomes the station library for requests with that session token.

If the Station policy is of type Port or Named, the user’s library has no effect on station library. Instead, the library assigned to the Station policy is always the station library.

Talk to the library system administrator to learn more about how station library is used in that library’s ILS configuration and to learn whether you might want to use a specific workstationID for login.

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