By Rosario Garza
Services to Be Interrupted for Y2K Transition
Beginning at 7 p.m. (Eastern Time) on December 31, OCLC will suspend access to
online user systems for 24 hours as a precaution during the rollover to the year 2000.
System engineers will monitor the system and any outside events that might affect
performance and security. Barring unforeseen circumstances, OCLC online services will
be available for use again at 7 p.m. (ET) on January 1, 2000.
During the transition weekend, OCLC will post status reports on the OCLC Web site
(www.oclc.org/). Additional information about OCLC and Y2K preparations will be
included in future issues of the OCLC Newsletter and Action for Libraries.
ILL Micro Enhancer for Windows 2.0 Available
The OCLC Interlibrary Loan Micro
Enhancer for Windows version 2.0 is now available. Software and documentation can be
downloaded from the OCLC Product Services Web page at psw.oclc.org/psw/.
Library staff will need a valid OCLC authorization and password to access the Software
and Documentation area. Updated information is found at www.oclc.org/oclc/menu/me.htm.
If you are upgrading from version 1.0, read the document entitled, Read Before
Upgrading to Version 2.00 for important information, not only about upgrading, but also
about using Clio and other third-party management programs.
The new version of the ILL Micro Enhancer allows users to process ILL requests using the
"Reasons for No" functionality recently added to the online system. Lenders can update
"No" responses with ISO ILL reasons or continue to just say "No" without a reason.
Borrowers can download the Transaction History with borrowing requests to view lenders'
responses. Go to the Tools/Options/General tab page to select these features.
Version 2.0 manages all current Message File categories. Users can download Direct
Produced and Online Produced message file categories to get bar-coded printouts of
borrowing records. Review records are automatically updated to Review in Process
during the download process.
The software has many new features and enhancements, including an enhanced Session
List and more downloading and updating options. To learn about the enhancements, use
the TourGuide (Help/TourGuide) or go to "New features and changes in Ver. 2.0" for a
complete list. Use the documentation, Getting Started with OCLC ILL ME for Windows,
Third Edition to install the software and the OCLC ILL ME for Windows Quick
Reference to learn more about the program. Both are available in HTML, PDF and Word
6 formats.
ILL Micro Enhancer and its documentation will be available in electronic format only
until the next version of the OCLC Access Suite is released later this year. At that time
users will then be able to order the new Suite CD-ROM and printed copies of Getting
Started and Quick Reference.
OCLC/LC Fiction Project Discontinued
OCLC and the Library of Congress have informed OCLC/LC Fiction Project participants
that they will no longer support the OCLC/LC Fiction Project. With LC's recent
migration to Endeavor ILS, OCLC staff will no longer be able to add genre and subject
headings to LC bibliographic records or process new subject heading proposals. OCLC
acknowledges and thanks project participants for their support of the project. OCLC staff
will review current subject proposals and forward them to LC. OCLC member libraries
may continue to add fiction headings to bibliographic records in WorldCat (the OCLC
Online Union Catalog) or submit new subject proposals to LC through the SACO
program (lcweb.loc.gov/catdir/pcc/saco.html).
Keyword Searching Enhanced
Technical Bulletin 235, recently mailed to users, describes keyword searching
enhancements soon to be installed by OCLC. The enhancements will provide OCLC
Cataloging, ILL, Selection and Union List users with updates to existing indexes, as well
as 14 new indexes and two new qualifiers for searching WorldCat. The Frequency Index
will be discontinued.
Users should note that the installation will result in significant changes to some indexes,
such as author and title, where new "extended author" and "extended title" indexes will
be added. TB235 contains before-and-after comparisons of fields and subfields included
in each index to familiarize users with the upcoming changes.
The 14 new indexes are: access method, citation/references, conference name, corporate
name, Dewey Decimal class no., extended author, extended title, LC class no., National
Agricultural Library class no., National Library of Canada class no., NLM class no.,
personal name, standard no. and Universal Decimal class no. The two new qualifiers are
microform/non-microform and cataloging source (DLC).
Libraries will soon receive one copy of the revised Searching WorldCat reference cards.
BCR will also have a supply available for libraries wanting additional copies. Contact
BCR's Cheryl Burkert at (303) 751-6277, (800) 397-1552 or via e-mail at
cburkert@bcr.org.
New Cataloging ME and CJK Software Available
OCLC has made available maintenance updates of its Cataloging Micro Enhancer (ME)
version 1.11 and CJK (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) version 3.01 software. As a result,
OCLC will no longer support the Cataloging Micro Enhancer with Windows NT 3.51.
Version 1.11 will be available for downloading from OCLC's Web site only until version
3.0 of the OCLC Access Suite compact disc is released later this year. OCLC and BCR
will discontinue supporting the Cataloging Micro Enhancer version 1.10 and CJK version
3.0 90 days after Access Suite 3.0 is released on CD-ROM.
The new versions contain fixes to problems and a label-printing patch that currently can
be downloaded from the OCLC Web site. The patch will be removed from the Web site
after the new software is available.
The software will be compatible with other OCLC projects, including:
- Adding field 994 to exported records (see Technical Bulletin 232).
- Indexing the new genre/form headings and topical, geographic, chronological and
form subheadings in subject authority records (see Technical Bulletin 228).
- Supporting the new Authority File phrase indexes (see Technical Bulletin 231).
- Giving Tapeloading/Batchloading users the ability to download Tapeload Save
Files for review and resolution.
When users download and install the new versions of either software package, most settings
and local files from Cataloging Micro Enhancer version 1.01/1.10 and CJK version 3.0 will
upgrade automatically to the new versions. Please note, however, that if you are still using
version CJK 2.11, your settings and local files will not upgrade automatically.
