RE: Representing DRA holdings in a future Z39.50 client app

You might like to know that SiteSearch will shortly be released under an
open source license, so you'll be able to crack open that black box. See
http://sitesearch.oclc.org. The code will be released in the next few weeks.

Peter Binkley
Digital Initiatives Technology Librarian
email: peter.binkley@ualberta.ca
phone: (780) 492-5282
fax: (780) 492-9243
post: Cameron Library 4-30
      University of Alberta
      Edmonton Alberta 
      Canada T6G 2J8


-----Original Message-----
From: A. Bullen [mailto:abullen@ameritech.net] 
Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2002 11:45 AM
To: www-zig@w3.org
Cc: levinej@sls.lib.il.us
Subject: Representing DRA holdings in a future Z39.50 client app


Dear all,

Please let me first apologize for what is probably a hopelessly naive 
question. I did try to search the archives for the answer, but the 
search doesn't seem to be working.

To wit: I am trying to implement a Z39.50 client connection to a DRA 
(Classic) online catalog. We are currently using a (at this point) 
rather old implementation of OCLC's SiteSearch product, but we need to 
expand beyond its capabilities. In trying to use the YAZ toolkit, I can 
easily connect to and get good solid results from the server; however, I 
cannot get holdings information returned along with its accompanying 
record. I CAN get good holdings information from the OCLC client. See 
the difference at http://www.finditillinois.org/drarecords.html. 
Obviously, in a DRA system, there is a separate file that contains 
holdings which is then attached to the record. Also obviously, OCLC has 
put in a lovely little widget of code  into their black box JAR file 
that retrieves the full MARC record. Since I can't get at that, I would 
like to be able to duplicate their efforts.

Questions to this community:

A. What is the name of this file in a DRA system?
B. How does one reach it through a mechanism like a Z client? C. What links
the master MARC record with its holdings record?

Thank you for your time,

Andrew Bullen
Illinois State Library

Received on Thursday, 14 February 2002 15:02:46 UTC