POMONA, Calif., April 14, 1998 -- Auto-Graphics Inc. has been selected to establish an Internet-accessible catalog that combines holdings of the State Library of Ohio and four regional library systems for the purpose of sharing resources among more than 100 of the state's nearly 250 public library systems.
The AccessOhio project utilizes the Ohio Public Library Information Network (OPLIN), a statewide telecommunications system funded by the State Legislature to connect nearly 700 public libraries, as well as schools and universities. OPLIN is the backbone for an information-sharing network, including commercial and locally developed databases, and a gateway to the World Wide Web.
The mission of AccessOhio is to create a consolidated catalog from participating libraries and an automated interlibrary loan (ILL) system that ultimately will allow patrons access in their local branch or from their own Internet-enabled computers at home or work.
The first phase of the Auto-Graphics contract calls for merging CD-ROM databases from the Northwest Library District and NOLA Regional Library System as the core of the new online catalog. Both consortia are users of Auto-Graphics' CD-ROM-based ILL system and "are the logical starting points for migrating the entire state to the web," said William Kliss, chief operating officer at Auto-Graphics.
The Ohio Shared Catalog which includes the Ohio Valley Area Libraries (OVAL) has been integrated and the Southwest Ohio Regional Libraries (SWORL) will be added to the online system later in 1998. The combined databases of AccessOhio are expected to contain approximately 1.7 million unique records.
In the merging process, duplicate titles are identified and attached to a single bibliographic record. The process also establishes a uniform format for all records to replace a long-term accumulation spanning 18 different vendors.
The contract's second phase involves loading the database for web-accessibility and implementation of Auto-Graphics' Impact/ONLINE ILLTM, which automates both the patron and administrative sides of an interlibrary loan transaction. Another module in the Impact/ONLINETM family -- Impact/ONLINE WebPACTM -- will enable patron access to the statewide catalog from any location via a web browser.
"If the desired title is not available at the patron's nearest branch, the system will determine availability elsewhere in the library network and initiate an ILL request," Kliss said. "All of the paperwork formerly associated with an interlibrary loan is handled electronically by the system."
Full access to the database for staff and patrons at 175 library facilities began in February, with other locations to follow throughout 1998, Kliss added.
Company Information
Company Information Founded in 1950, Auto-Graphics Inc. (OTC:AUGR) provides information publishing and database resource sharing systems to the publishing and library communities.
