Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTS)

Institution name:

Library contact person:

Aleph configuration:

Operating system: VMS 6.1
Server type: Vax 6330, 256 meg RAM, 19 Gig disk space
Network configuration: We are currently connected via serial connections to a terminal server.
Workstations: We work on DEC VT-320 terminals with DEC LA75 printers and DEC LN01 laser printers and with IBM compatible workstations (either 486 or Pentium) running Reflections 2 over the Pathworks network and have HP Laser IV (with Hebrew cartridge) or V printers.

We are migrating to two Digital ALPHA 1000A servers with 256 meg RAM.

Major developments since the last ICAU meeting:

During the past year we have partially migrated to working at PC workstations. Presently we have 19 workstations set up in the Library. All catalogers are now using workstations. They log into ALEPH via Reflections 2, a vt-420 terminal emulator and can work in Hebrew. They access RLIN from the same station. We continue to use the VT-320 terminals as well.
This year we started downloading our cataloging records from RLIN via ftp. It is done on a weekly basis and is a far more satisfactory mode of operation.
The Library set up a web site. One of the options is a connection to ALEPH. (Our url is: http://www.jtsa.edu/library).
We have been active in our retrospective conversion. We converted about 2,000 records over the summer and are working on the records in a systematic basis. We are inquiring about out sourcing some of the work.
We have scanned close to 1,000 images in preparation for our migration to the ALPHA and ability to use the GUI.
The institution purchased two ALPHA machines and we have started the process of migration. ALEPH 3.2_5.11 is running (DEMO) on the machine and we are awaiting the loading of our database and testing the functionality.
We now send most of our book orders via email.
We had a much appreciate site visit from Judy Levi in July. We reviewed some outstanding problems and spoke about some of our plans for the future.

Migration to the ALPHA and utilization of the GUI to link our scanned images to the database.
Import data from Books in Print to ALEPH and use them for acquisitions records.
Vendor interface with Harrasowitz online and Blackwell North America.
After our initial migration to the ALPHA running on VMS, plan to migrate to the UNIX version of ALEPH next year.
We hope to forge ahead with scanning, retrospective conversion and images.

We have been waiting 6- 1/2 years for ALEPH Yissum to produce a working ALEPH to RLIN program.
The holdings program in the RLIN to ALEPH program was changed and is far inferior to the previous one. We have asked for it to be corrected.
The title index is not stripped of subfield codes and therefore creates an extremely sloppy file.

Naomi M. Steinberger