Cornell Library will launch new, improved online catalog in June

The new interface for Cornell University Library's online catalog. The catalog is scheduled to be fully operational by the end of June.

By Elizabeth Fontana

In June, Cornell University Library will introduce a new online catalog of library holdings to the Cornell community and to library users worldwide. The new catalog will have a more attractive interface and offer a wide range of powerful new features.

The library already has begun the complex process of installing and transferring data to Voyager -- a library management system from Endeavor Information Systems that employs the newest computing technologies and software standards within a state-of-the-art client/server architecture. The new online catalog will be fully web-based and easily accessible using any web browser, either from within the library or via remote access. It will be more flexible to navigate, with pull-down menus and hypertext links to Cornell's networked resources. (The library also will continue to make available a text-based online catalog, although with fewer functions.)

The present library management system, NOTIS, was developed in the early 1970s and utilizes mainframe computing technology. It has been in use at Cornell Library for more than 12 years, but has become difficult to maintain and adjust in keeping pace with the growing needs of library users and the exponential rise in electronic library resources. University Librarian Sarah Thomas said, "With Voyager, we will provide better access to our collections, both traditional and digital. We'll also be better equipped to take advantage of emerging technology to support future development."

Many of the features in the new catalog have been requested by faculty and students for years, including the ability to limit searches to a particular campus library's holdings. With Voyager, patrons will also be able to browse the online holdings by a call number range as if they were perusing a shelf in the library. They will be able to check on outstanding fines or fees, verify which materials they have checked out and request that an item checked out to someone else be held for them when it is returned or ask to have it recalled sooner. Search results can be printed, e-mailed or downloaded.

Thomas Hickerson, associate university librarian for information technologies and special collections, said, "We are also planning to implement additional Voyager functions during the 2000-01 academic year, including a new electronic course reserve system and a media booking system for using audiovisual holdings and scheduling the use of library facilities." Information about the new online catalog and the Voyager implementation process is available at http://www.library.cornell.edu/newcatalog.

Faculty members on the Cornell University Library Board saw a demonstration of the system prior to its selection and are very enthusiastic about the new catalog's features. Following approval and strong support from Provost Don Randel, Cornell purchased the Voyager system in June 1999, at a cost of nearly $2 million, including equipment and implementation support. Other Voyager installations include the Library of Congress, the National Library of Medicine, national libraries in several other countries, state university systems in Wisconsin and Georgia and many other research libraries, including the universities of Pennsylvania and Rochester and at Princeton, Northwestern and Syracuse universities.

To minimize service interruption for library users, the existing online catalog will remain in place until all data and records have been transferred and Voyager is completely operational. The only cloud on the horizon is likely to be a two-day period, during the final system conversion late in June, when patrons will not be able to check out material electronically. Library staff are taking steps now to develop temporary check-out procedures that will minimize any delays at the circulation desks during that short time.

Once the new online catalog is installed, library staff will be available to assist faculty, students and other patrons in learning about the new system and how to maximize its functions for their own purposes. Training opportunities for the campus community will be offered throughout the summer and fall, and library staff also are developing online documentation to assist those who use the catalog from remote locations.

Information about the transition period in June will be published in the Cornell Chronicle, will be available online at http://www.library.cornell.edu/newcatalog , and will be posted in the libraries. Questions about the new library management system can be directed to Hickerson at 255-9965 or hth2@cornell.edu.