Sveriges lantbruksuniversitets bibliotek, SLUB

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Since we last met in Madrid

there have been some changes regarding the ALEPH installation at SLUB. On April 21st this year we went from version 3.2_3 to 3.2_4. The conversion was preceded by a long testing period during which we encountered numerous problems that forced us to postpone the conversion that originally was to take place in December '94. The main problems concerned the import/export functions and they were in fact not solved until recently (May '95). These functions are of the utmost importance to SLUB since we do not create our catalogue locally and since we export parts of a locally created database to the international agricultural database AGRIS.

Developments, completed and ongoing

The ALEPH modules in use at SLUB are the same as a year ago, i.e. OPAC, Circulation, Cataloguing and Serials Control, and to a lesser extent (only when required by the Serials module) Acquisitions. So far, only the main library has been using the Serials module to its full extent, but during the latter half of this year, the branch libraries are going to check in more of their journal issues on a regular basis in the system. Some of the smaller departmental libraries will also begin to use the checking in functions.

Implementation of the ILL module is still pending, although some progress has been made: as announced last year, ICL has developed a routine for invoicing of photocopies, and it works to our satisfaction. But more important is the integration with the Swedish national library system, LIBRIS, in which we make all our ILL requests. We have studied a solution similar to the one that we are going to need in Denmark, and we are confident that it will be possible to make it work for us too.

During the last few months we have gradually put the "Toolbox", developed by ICL, to use. It contains, among other things, routines for automatic stop and start of the batch, word and journal processes, printing of overdue notices and request slips, daily import of catalogue records from LIBRIS. It saves us a lot of time and work each day and we are planning to include other routines in it as well.

We are currently working with the implementation of the ALEPH WWW-server, and at the same time, we are creating a variety of forms for application for user id, loan and photocopy requests etc via SLUB's own WWW-server.

Future developments

One of the major developments on our agenda for the near future is a routine that will enable us to use imported records from LIBRIS for export to the AGRIS database in UNISIST-format. This, we hope, will save us a considerable amount of work since today all AGRIS-records have to be created from scratch in the local database.

Open problems

We are experiencing some very disturbing errors that have a direct and serious effect on our daily work. Since these errors cannot be taken care of by ICL, they have been sent to ExLibris, but we are sorry to have to say that nothing seems to be happening. A few examples: there are the shortcomings of the CCL search, e.g. the completely inaccurate search results when you perform certain combination searches. (How do you explain to the users that they may combine certain search codes but not others, and only in "this order but not in that")?? There is also the problem of automatic merging of long fields during cataloguing, it doesn't work in fields with more than one subfield of the same kind.

We mentioned last year that for our locally created database it would be of great importance to have the cataloguing and thesaurus functions improved. These needs are still as important and we hope that we will see some developments in the near future.

Maria Jonsson

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