Eric Lease Morgan wrote:
> I'm not sure about this, but given the unique identifier of a thing
> borrowed or in question, you might be able to write a Z39.50 query
> designed to return circulation status.
>
Getting the circ data info a known item should be fairly trivial in any
ILS.

The problem is this doesn't allow you to do searches on circ info. (Only
currently available items; only items currently available to be CHECKED
OUT, etc). Or even facetted browse on 'circ' info like location.
Although location is less likely to change then 'availability'.

Patrons definitly want to be able to limit on availability. And I don't
think anyone's figured out a good way to do that in this generation of
"export and index" search tools we are experimenting with. (Heck, I know
a major commercial ILS that won't let you do it in the OPAC either!). I
believe NCSU does a nightly export.

Unless you are suggesting that you get your search results in your SOLR
etc. tool, and then query each item individually to the ILS to get
status, and use that filter before presenting to the user? I dont' think
that's what you were suggesting, but I've thought of that, but decided
it's very unlikely to be scalable, or really work at all.

Jonathan


> --
> Eric Lease Morgan
> University Libraries of Notre Dame
>

--
Jonathan Rochkind
Sr. Programmer/Analyst
The Sheridan Libraries
Johns Hopkins University
410.516.8886
rochkind (at) jhu.edu