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SCIS Z39.50

General information about the SCIS Z39.50 service.

Configuring your LMS to access SCIS via Z39.50

Activating your SCIS Z39.50 service

Changing your preferences for records retreived via Z39.50

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General information about the SCIS Z39.50 service.

Z39.50 (also known as Rapid Entry or Z cataloguing) allows you to search remote databases (such as SCIS) for library records through your Library Management System (LMS) and then import individual records directly into your LMS.  To access the SCIS database via Z39.50 you will need to have a current SCISWeb subscription.  Using this method of access is also dependent on your LMS having Z39.50 capability and your system will need to be configured so that it can access the SCIS database. 

Implementing Z39.50 is generally quite straight-forward, but it varies from system to system.

Configuring your LMS to access SCIS via Z39.50

In order to correctly configure your Library Management System (LMS) to access Z39.50, you will need the following SCIS database configuration details:

Domain name/IP address: z3950.scis.curriculum.edu.au
Database name: Voyager
Port: 7090
Username: your SCIS username (6 digits)
Password: your SCIS password

You may find your LMS is already configured for SCIS access; alternatively there should be some information in your LMS user’s manual about where you’ll need to go in your system to enter this information – or you can call your LMS vendor support for assistance. 

Activating your SCIS Z39.50 service

Once you have configured your system to access the SCIS database, you will need to contact the SCIS Customer Support team and request that your Z39.50 account is activated.  Accounts are updated daily at 11.00am and 4.00pm.  If you email your request to Customer Support, you should receive a confirmation email the same day, letting you know that your request has been received and when your account will be active.  If you choose to call, Customer Service will be able to confirm your account activation immediately, although you will still need to wait until the next update time to access your Z39.50 service.

Changing your preferences for records retreived via Z39.50

Because the Z39.50 is designed to bypass the SCISWeb interface to access the SCIS database directly from within your Library Management System (LMS) interface, the preferences you have set within your My Profile page on SCISWeb do not apply to records retrieved via Z39.50.

Therefore any import parameters, such as preferring Full or Abridged Dewey, or whether records are downloaded with SCIS subject headings rather than ScOT subject headings must be set up within your LMS.  In some cases your LMS vendor may have already established the retrieval parameters for you and you will be able to download records in exactly the same format you were previously able to in SCISWeb.

In some cases, your LMS may not be perfectly set up to download the records in the manner you would like,  - for example, you had previously specified that you wished records to be downloaded with 13-digit isbns only, but since you have started using Z39.50 you find that you get either 10-digit isbns, or both.  If  this is the case, you will need to contact your LMS vendor to resolve the issue, as it is related to how your LMS is handling the data contained within the retrieved Z39.50 records, not an issue with the SCIS records themselves.

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