SirsiDynix Symphony has a new Web Services platform that is being released in beta at this point. Full documentation is supposed to be available in 2010. It was used to enable the SirsiDynix iPhone app. I think it was built as a wrapper on top of their long-existing command line API tools.

Feature set is supposed to include:
 * authenticated access to user account info and ability to place holds / renew items
 * new / popular title lists
 * bibliographic searching and display
 * item availability information

I don't think this package requires additional $$, but I bet you do have to have already paid for API training. We haven't investigated that deeply with Sirsi yet.

-emily

-- 
Emily Lynema
Associate Department Head
Information Technology, NCSU Libraries
919-513-8031
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------------------------------

Date:    Thu, 8 Apr 2010 14:32:57 -0400
From:    Ryan Eby <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: ILS short list

It would probably be worth putting your findings on the code4lib wiki
if you end up getting very far.

I had started a list awhile ago but never got around to getting more
info/completing it. Here's what I have so far based on talking with
people. The information may be out of date:

Evergreen and Koha both have database access and various API's. Not
sure on the hosted liblime koha.

Voyager
*Export
Built in. Can export Marc with bib, holdings and authorities records,
though marc is often mangled (from person i talked to).
*Database Access
Built in. Uses Oracle and also provides entity-relationship diagrams
and some pre-build "views" to help in development. Believe the oracle
license is also included in the base price. Access is read-only.
*API's and Web Services
Built in. z39 access, however with SQL access you could likely build
the API you need.

Unicorn
* Export
Built in. MARC21 or flat file formats. Unicode support is available as an extra.
* Database Access
Mixed. No access to the embedded Informix database by default; API
training is necessary for read-only access. Oracle is an extra option,
but that only gives you a read-only license. For write access, you
need a full Oracle license. SQL schema is supplied if you purchase API
training.
* API's and Web Services
Mixed. Z39.50 is offered (not sure if it's an extra). "API access" is
an extra - basically you pay for docs of Unix-like commands and the
ability to pay for API support if you screw up. API training also
gives you some access to the client/server wire protocol so you can
roll your own. No Web services. Utterly unusable XML API (it basically
wraps the wire protocol with no abstraction).

Innovative
* Export
Built In. Can dump Marc or CSV files of specific field data
* Database Access
Extra. There is a Oracle option with an additional cost with the
default being a proprietary database without access. From what I've
heard the Oracle tables are not documented overly well. There also
appears to be mysql used for some data as well.
*API's and Web Services
Extra. Z39 is offered as a product. There used to be an XML server but
this appears to have been discontinued. There appears to be more web
services in the works though they also appear to be additional
products. XRecord is built in but doesn't easily allow access to
attached items given a bib

eby


> > Anna Headley wrote:
>   
>> >>
>> >> I am looking to find or create a shortlist of ILSes, open or proprietary,
>> >> that provide API access to bibliographic and item-level data. �I am really
>> >> only looking for ILSes that are used by academic libraries.
>> >>
>> >> Do you know of any resources that might be helpful? �I started with
>> >> Marshall Breeding's 2009 Perceptions report, but it doesn't include much
>> >> information about a given ILS.
>> >>
>> >> Or, do you use such an ILS in your library?
>> >>
>> >> So far my list is: Evergreen
>> >>
>> >> Thank you!!
>> >> Anna
>> >>
>> >>
>>     
> >
>