OPALS

• • Z39.50 client integrated import & edit function
  • Import MARC records from any Z39.50 database
  • Import list displays author, title, publisher, date,
  • 852 holding template for copy information data
  • Auto adds default 852a & b (location codes)
  • Adds imported record classification (852h, I)
  • Multiple holdings: enter first and last barcode
  • Auto adds number of 852 holdings between 1st & last barcodes
  • Auto increments barcode numbers in 852p field
  • Auto-add text (ex. budget and year) to a designated 852 subfield
  • Modify & add data to any field – full screen editing
  • Add & edit fields to imported records
  • Verifies for duplicates in the catalog and identifies them during import process
  • Provides access to previously entered records & option to add new holding to it
  • Staff can verify duplicates items list, compare and designate best record to retain
  • Designated record aggregates holdings of both records in 852 fields
  • Subject authority browsing, selection and saving to a record in real time (no cutting and pasting)
  • Global item type reassignment utility (“circulation category”)
  • Deleted items report (…for designated date range)
  • Item Acquisitions report to display new acquisitions & edits for designated dates
  • Item Acquisitions report sorts by record id, author, call number
  • Item Acquisitions report displays date of entry and barcode number
  • Acquisitions report hyperlinks record id, title to display, edit, delete, or reserve
  • Acquisitions report hyperlinks barcode to edit item status, loan duration
  • Acquisitions report hyperlinks barcode to view transactions, and statistics
  • Acquisitions report includes “pick-list” to select items to appear on OPAC “New Items” list
  • Acquisitions report includes “pick-list” to print barcode, pocket spine label sets

MARC Record Export

• • Create an export hitfile, export part of a database, export then entire database
  • Export XML-MARC record from their databases,
  • Converts to MARC21 format files

Original Entries 

• • Define MARC templates for original entries (books, videos, etc.)
  • Full screen data entry
  • Select font size
  • Select screen color preference
  • Display field tag descriptions (… or not)
  • Pop-up field and subfield pick lists when adding same
  • Parse 008 field
  • List 008 field authorities
  • Edit Indicator bytes & subfield indicators
  • Add 852 holding to existing record
  • Add a field to existing record
  • Add new item using template (Original cataloguing)
  • Delete 852 Records and holdings
  • Add 856 “Universal Resource Indicator” (URI)
  • 856 URI is hyperlinked and appears in OPAC displays

MARC Record Utilities 

• • 852 Holdings Field and Subfield Search / Edit
  • Specify date ranges, school year, or search all
  • Search any 852 subfields for specific data
  • Search & identify subfields that do not have data but should (ex. Circulation code)
  • Lists records containing that data (ex. “LSTA 2005”)
  • List includes Internal ID #, Title, Author, Call #, Barcode
  • Hyperlinked title to access a specific record for editing
  • Globally modify a specific record’s data, a selected group, or range
  • Globally add data to subfields that should have data
  • System logs global modification details (dates, records changed, staff id)
  • Record merging utility to merge identical holdings and consolidate multiple holdings to it.

• OPALS Circulation

Circulation management functions use barcodes and barcode readers to manage loans, returns, reserves, renewals, etc.

Loans (Scan item barcodes)

• • Partial borrower name entry permitted – system displays pick-list
  • Displays patron transactions and reserves pending
  • Displays damaged items list
  • Consecutive loans to same borrower number
  • Alert if item is on reserve for another borrower
  • Print reserve slip to place in book & notice to send to borrower
  • Option to email reserve ready notice to borrower
  • Alert if patron has overdues (override for authorized staff)
  • Renewals by barcode or by item title & patron name or number
  • Renewals of individual, selected or all items from patron “loans” display
  • Renewals calendar can override system default for shorter or longer period

Reserves

• • Reserves by title – manages multiple copies
  • Reserve by barcode number or title
  • Patron self-service reservations authorization (… when allowed)
  • Reserve groups of items to a borrower
  • Reserve priority based on date and time
  • Alert when items returned have reserves
  • Print a reserve ready notice and reserve slip to place in the book pending pickup
  • In-house library use scanning and statistics
  • Distinct audible alerts for transaction confirmation or exceptional circumstances
  • Expired reserves removed from system
  • Block patrons with overdue items
  • Override blocks for authorized staff
  • Calendar to override system transaction default dates
  • Return individual, selected or all items on loan from borrower “loans” display
  • Return blocked patrons overdue items without leaving circulation program
  • Scan borrower barcodes
  • Touch-screen compatible
  • Instant access to database and OPAC searching without logging out
  • Patron self-service reservations authorization
  • Unlimited, configurable patron categories
  • Patron limits: Maximum loans, holds, reserves, renewals
  • Patron priorities… certain patrons can have designated loan periods
  • Permits patron categories that override standard loan limits for designated items
  • Patron ILL authorization
  • Displays scanned patron demographics
  • Displays scanned patron outstanding transactions
  • Define loan, renewal, reserve limits
  • Print & Sort Overdue Notices using Date Ranges
  • Unlimited item categories
  • Item loan duration: loans, grace period, renewal, reserve, hold
  • Non-circulating status
  • Global item type reassignment utility (“circulation category”)
  • Designate lost items
  • Designate damaged items
  • Circulation Statistics (Items / Patrons)
  • Closing day and holiday calendar
  • Calendar or school year
  • Schedule and describe closing dates

• OPAL Inventory

An inventory program is available to scan the collection barcodes then list and mark items that are missing, and not in circulation.

• • Use a portable device to scan item collection
  • Upload records for comparison with database barcodes
  • Produces a list of barcodes not scanned, sorted by classification number
  • Verify list and add any items not scanned before printing a list of missing items
  • Mark missing items
  • Print list of items incorrectly shelved
  • Print list of items that circ considers “on loan”
  • Incorrectly shelved Items loaned but scanned… lists closest Dewey #
  • Correct status to “on shelves” for individual, selected or all items from this list
  • Print list of items previously considered “missing” but that turned up on the shelves
  • Change status of found items from links that appear on the lists
  • Staff not required to exit inventory, access editor, look up each item, to modify
  • status
  • List of invalid barcodes that were scanned, and relative shelf location
  • Partial inventory – by Dewey range / or item type

• OPALS Member / Admin Database

A member’s database includes and functions that permit manual data entry or data import of demographic information.

• • Add, Edit, Delete Users
  • Import User Demographics from other sources
  • Import can overlay new data in existing records.
  • Import patron pictures
  • Group editor: lists members, select all, sort, lists transaction stats, prints lists & barcodes
  • Group editor list provides hyperlink to edit individual borrower demographics
  • Group editor hyperlinks transaction status to view transaction details
  • Unlimited user types
  • Access to specific functions is configurable: Circ, ILL, Item edit, Patron edit, etc.
  • User profile links to a specific building
  • Three parent / guardian references
  • User email, school & home address
  • User & Admin Login / Password to authorized functions
  • Search patron database
• OPALS Reports & Notice

Dynamically created reports give important relational data for system wide information.

Overdue notices & lists

• • Date range selection: Visual calendars, fiscal year, or manual entry
  • Overdue notices & lists
  • Interactive calendar to specify date ranges
  • Date range selection: By visual calendars, fiscal year, or manual entry
  • Lists paginate by class, homeroom or teacher; select one, some or all to print
  • Sort options: Grade, homeroom, name
  • Notice includes item title, classification number, due date
  • Prints 1, 2 or 3 notices per page (uses PDF format to ensure proper alignment)
  • Add a custom note to notices
  • Email overdue notices or lists

Reserved Item Lists

• • Reserve items by searching the database
  • Reserve items by barcode number
  • Reserve list sorts by User Name, Dewey, Date of Reserve, Expiry Date.
  • Date range selection: By visual calendars, fiscal year, or manual entry
  • Reserve priority list management
  • Lists all reservations, reserves available for pickup, and reserved items not yet available.
  • Column to display if an item is a reserve or hold (sorts).
  • When sorting by the “reserve/hold status column,” it will sub-sort by the user name

Advanced Booking & Reserve Shelf Management

• • Search for and request a list of resources for a particular range of dates
  • Advanced booking request are displayed on the staff “Task Reminder” list
  • Library staff can assemble the requested resources, place them on a reserve shelf and notify requester that they are ready for pickup by email

Circulation Transaction List

• • Calendars to select date ranges
  • Date range selection: By visual calendars, fiscal year, or manual entry
  • Group outstanding transactions by homeroom, grade, teacher, user
  • Select a class or all groups to print a list

Stores & searches diacritics

• • List and subsort all items in a library collection

Lost Items List

• • Creates prints lost items list for a selected date range.
  • Date range selection: By visual calendars, fiscal year, or manual entry
  • Option to select holdings to delete
  • Sort options author, call number
  • Option to retain records that do not have any holdings for union databases
  • Option to delete MARC record when the last holding has been deleted (building)
  • Select or deselect all items on a page for printing and deletion.
  • Lost item barcode is hyperlinked to the item’s status screen. Permits rapid access to modify the item’s status, or review the item’s statistics to determine whether it should be replaced.
  • Hyperlinked title provides rapid access to the item’s MARC record and MARC editor functions.

New Acquisitions List

• • Select items from the item acquisitions list for OPAC display
  • Users click on “New Items” in OPAC to display current acquisitions
  • System removes selected items from the list on staff-designated expiry date
  • Users can click on 30-45-60 days to view new acquisitions

Deleted items list

• • Creates prints deleted items list for a selected date range.
  • Date range selection: By visual calendars, fiscal year, or manual entry
  • List sorts by item #, author, call number, deletion date
  • Select or deselect individual items or whole pages of deleted items for the report
  • Displays the number of records and holdings deleted for the date range

Circulation statistics

• • Interactive calendar to specify date ranges
  • Date range selection: By visual calendars, fiscal year, or manual entry
  • Sort by Dewey, Dewey 10′s, Dewey 100′s
  • Statistics by special collections (Fic, Ref, etc.)
  • Sort by Grade, homeroom

Acquisitions lists

• • Interactive calendar to specify date ranges
  • Date range selection: By visual calendars, fiscal year, or manual entry
  • List items imported, and entered for specified dates
  • Sort acquisitions lists by author, title, classification

Item Spine & Barcode Label Set Printing

• • Prints sets of three labels:
  • 1 X Spine label – bold print
  • 2 x Barcode labels… also prints classification #, author, title
  • Sort item acquisitions list: Title, Author, Classification #
  • Select one or many items for label printing
  • Print individual spine labels using a Dymo 450 printer

Patron Barcode Printing

• • Print barcode for a borrower or group of borrowers
  • Include or exclude borrower types and status (ex. staff, teachers, blocked, inactive etc.)
  • Barcode includes eye-readable number, and borrower name

Database Subscription Management & Authentication

• • Vendor database contains list of subscription database vendors
  • Vendor database lists products for each vendor including logos and thumbnails
  • Subscriber information filters from region to district to branch or school libraries
  • Subscriber information aggregates subscriptions for each branch… can be customized by branch
  • Subscriber information enables authentication using a common username & password or patron ID number
  • Branch database subscription menus group subscription databases by topic and offer other A-Z listing views
  • System aggregates use-statistics locally and can report statistics from all vendors for any specified date ranges
  • System provides hierarchical authorization to administrative functions

Equipment Management 

• • Database records pertinent equipment information
  • Include url link to online equipment manuals
  • Uses OPALS patron database
  • Hourly loans
  • Notices

Textbook Management 

• • Database records pertinent textbook data
  • Includes teacher and course tables
  • Can link teachers and courses to specific textbooks and students to whom they are loaned
  • Generates notices

• OPALS Union Catalogue

OPALS can be used as a union catalog, providing options to focus a search within a district or even on a specific school.Manage multiple buildings & multiple regions ILL.

• • Integrated Z39.50 Server & Client Protocol
  • Manage multiple buildings & multiple regions ILL (ex. Multiple BOCES SLS)
  • Scope: Search all sites (Regions, Districts, Individual buildings)
  • Scope: Search by District
  • Scope: Search Specific building
  • Set default to search a specific building
  • Directory: Individual building codes, data, contacts, addresses
  • Search results display location codes and names
  • Retains building level multiple copy barcodes
  • Manages inter-site duplicate barcodes (Where systems do not use distinct barcodes)
  • Import records & update holdings from vendor or site – provided files
  • Identify duplicate records for merging
  • Merge options record options
  • Batch deletions from site-provided deleted items files (May 2007)
  • Updates & deletions capable for multiple automation systems in a region
  • XML-MARC database structure
  • Unicode compatible (Non Roman Alphabet languages)
  • Stores & searches diacritics
  • Security levels and access for regional administrators & building level staff
  • Reports item status in OPALS-automated branches
  • Portal & Widget Options

Import records

• • Identify duplicate records for merging
  • Merge options (New item to original or original to new)

XML-MARC database structure

• • Export XML-MARC or MARC21 records

Unicode compatible

• • Stores & searches diacritics

• OPALS Inter-library loan Management

Support interlibrary loan services (requests, responses, packing list printouts, and tracking) in a region or among affiliated locations.

• • Launch ILL request to multiple buildings
  • ILL form includes private and public note box
  • Requests emailed to contacts in system directory
  • Email notification includes a hyperlink to ILL details
  • Item request made simultaneously to selected locations
  • System prevents response duplication
  • Accommodates multiple copy requests using a single request template and wizard
  • Response form includes modifiable due date calendar
  • Prints shipping label / packing list to send with item
  • Emails message that item is en route
  • Tracks item receipt, and return
  • Form to request items not in the database
  • Retain ILL request and response statistics
  • Authenticate authorized users
  • Directory of buildings: addresses, contacts, email & phone numbers location codes, etc.
  • ILL statistics reports: Requests, requests filled, not filled, etc. by region / building
  • Logins provide access to individual locations and statistics
• OPALS Preferences (Configuration)

Each OPALS Library can make their own choices for how the circulation and OPAC system operates. Default user category.

• • Default user category
  • SMTP Server (for email related functions)
  • Language default
  • Library code
  • Report group sort defaults (primary, secondary, tertiary)
  • OPAC Advanced Search Field defaults
  • Circ Screen timeout limit
  • Login Session timeout limit
  • Union catalog display options
  • Fiscal Year defaults (ex. school year)
  • Search attribute order
  • Any number of user types or item types can be created.
  • Other databases can be added for federated searching.
  • Select your imported records from any z39.50 server in the world
  • etc . . .
• OPALS Operational Requirements

Equipment 

Server

• • Related to database size and numbers of buildings served. We do not recommend using a virtual environment unless your requirements are minimal.
  • Faster is better for all functions
  • Processor: (minimum) Intel P4, speed: 2+ GHz
  • RAM: Suggested minimum 8GB
  • Hard drives: 200+gigs; SCSI preferred.

Workstations (OPACS)

• • Minimum 1GHz processors
  • 512 MB of RAM
  • Color monitor with 1024 x 768 resolution
  • Internet-connected

Technical workstations for data entry, and transaction processing

• • 1.2 GHz processor
  • 1024 MB of RAM
  • Color monitor
  • Sound capacity with speakers
  • Internet-connected

Desirable Peripherals:

• • Touch screen monitor (Circulation desk, OPACs)
  • Laser Printer
  • Barcode Reader (…”hands-free” stand)
  • Portable computer with Barcode Reader (for Inventory)

Supplies:

• • Barcodes
  • Barcode label protectors
  • Printer cartridges

Operating System / Software:

• • Red Hat Linux ES 5 ; or CentOS 5
  • Apache
  • Perl
  • Zebra
  • MySql

Brief citation – Displays faceted search results that decode the bibliographic records

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