Software upgrade planned for Fondren online catalog

Software upgrade planned for Fondren online catalog
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BY B.J. ALMOND
Rice News Staff

Dec. 19 is the
deadline to renew books online at Fondren Library before
the end of the year, because the library’s online catalog
will be undergoing a software change during the holiday
break.

“We’re
switching the WebCat database engine to a system called
Oracle, which is software that will allow us to share information
with other systems on campus, such as the Student Information
System and the Banner Financial System,” said Karen
Oster, Fondren information technology programmer.

One of the key
advantages to this conversion will be the ability to share
information with other computer systems on the Rice campus.
“In the past, our software couldn’t talk directly
to other Oracle-based products, such as the Student Information
System (SIS),” Oster said. “With an Oracle-based
library catalog, we will be able to build interfaces that
work with other campus departments, including SIS and Buy
Pay.”

Oster noted that
the change will enable library staff to load information
about library users, such as students’ change of address,
more frequently so that the database is kept up-to-date
as much as possible.

The changeover
won’t affect the on-screen design of Fondren’s
online catalog, WebCat, but users should notice a slight
increase in speed when conducting online searches.
The system upgrade is scheduled for Dec. 20 through Jan.
2, 2003. “We picked this time period to minimize inconvenience,
since the university will be on holiday between Christmas
and New Year’s Day,” Oster said.

Because campus
mail delivery is not made over the holiday break, the library
will not receive new books and journals to add to the database
during this time period. The library will receive, however,
the Houston Chronicle and New York Times, which are delivered
directly to Fondren. Other digital library resources, such
as online journals, should not be affected by the software
change.

While the catalog
is undergoing the system upgrade, users will still be able
to conduct searches or browse the catalog, but they might
experience brief outages for five to 10 minutes. The library’s
home page at <http://www.rice.edu/fondren>
will convey the most up-to-date information on scheduled
outages.

While the software
change is taking place, faculty, staff and students can
still renew books by phone by calling the circulation department
at (713) 348-4021. All books checked out or returned during
the holiday break will be recorded in a temporary database
that will be transferred to the new system to maintain “real-time
circulation,” Oster said.

Users also can
visit the library in person. With the exception of a few
days, Fondren will remain open most of the holiday break
(see box).