The INNOPAC library system at the University of Hull
| Date | 01 February 1999 |
| Pages | 11-17 |
| Published date | 01 February 1999 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb040714 |
| Author | Diane Leeson |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management |
The INNOPAC library
system at the
University of Hull
by Diane Leeson, University of Hull
The article reviews the INNOPAC system at
Hull, describing various features of the
modules used there with general information
on system administration and performance.
The current and future development of
INNOPAC Millennium is also noted.
Background
In 1995 the University of
Hull
chose the
INNOPAC system to manage its library functions
replacing the GEAC 9000 system. With GEAC we
had the circulation module (which we also used for
cataloguing), the acquisitions module and a locally
written OPAC. We required a new system which
would provide all this plus serials management and
authority control. It was important to have a high
level of functionality and reliability to enable the
library to maintain and improve upon standards of
service already offered. INNOPAC was the
system to provide all this and it has served us well
over the last four years
INNOPAC is developed and marketed by Innova-
tive Interfaces Inc.(III), a company founded in
1978 by a small group of librarians and computer
professionals. Innovative have had a large user
base in North America for many years, but recent
years have seen an expansion of business into
Europe and Asia. At the present time there are
over 800 libraries world-wide using the system. In
1997 III purchased SLS (Information Systems)
Limited which has further facilitated the expansion
of INNOPAC into Europe.
Hardware / operating system
At Hull the INNOPAC runs on a SUN Sparcserver
20 currently using Solaris
2.5.1.
The INNOPAC software itself
is
fully Y2K com-
pliant, but it may prove necessary to upgrade the
operating system to Solaris 2.6. Hull is a software
only site, having chosen to purchase and maintain
our own hardware, but many libraries obtain both
hardware and software and the support for each
element from III. The main method of user access
to the catalogue within the library itself
is
via
Wyse terminals linked to terminal servers. This
set up was deliberately chosen to enable a large
number of dedicated catalogue access points.
Cataloguing / database
maintenance
The database resides at the heart of the system and
is supported by a versatile cataloguing module.
There is more than one way in which to update
information and there are some powerful tools for
updating large numbers of records at once.
This has proved particularly useful when relocat-
ing sections of stock or preparing material for
relegation. Another important factor is the facility
to add URL information to the 856 field which,
within the Web OPAC, enables the user to move
from the catalogue record to the resource
itself.
(See Figure 1)
The library can set up a number of different
templates for particular types of record entry,
depending on what is required. This can speed up
the time taken to create bibliographic and item
records. However, at Hull we download catalogue
records from CURL at the ordering stage and
therefore the vast majority of initial record creation
is done through Acquisitions. Perhaps the most
useful feature for the Cataloguing Department is
the ability to copy records and then amend details
as necessary. Cataloguing was always limited with
Geac because of the necessity of using the biblio-
graphic record facility of the circulation module
for cataloguing. Having a good cataloguing
system has made a considerable difference to work
processes and has enhanced the quality of cata-
logue records.
UKMARC is used at Hull and in several
INNOPAC libraries in the UK although the major-
ity of users world-wide hold their catalogue
records in USMARC format. It is also possible to
enter records which are not in the MARC format if
required. One example at Hull is a separate
database mounted on the system - the East
VINE
115—11
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