ILS Vendor Demonstrations *Updated*

Introduction to the Notes from the ILS vendor demonstrations

Each of the vendors developed their own agenda and we listened and asked questions throughout their presentations.  These demos were designed as a preliminary and fairly cursory overview of the vendor’s ILS systems.  The notes included of those demos are based on the agenda that each of the ILS vendors chose.  MLS was able to learn answers to some of our questions and still have several that remain at this time.

Some of the vendors discussed standards that MLS uses and included here are definitions and links for further information on those.

PCI (Payment Card Industry) compliant

The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is a set of requirements designed to ensure that ALL companies that process, store or transmit credit card information maintain a secure environment. Essentially any merchant that has a Merchant ID (MID) must be PCI Compliant. To become PCI compliant, the library adopted a set of security guidelines regarding credit card security for customers and our network is tested on a monthly basis to make sure that it remains secure and that we do not make changes that would cause transmission of personal data to be compromised.(Source: MLS 2010 Information Technology Annual Report, page 6)

RDA (Resource Description & Access)

RDA is a new cataloging standard. Resource Description and Access or RDA is a set of instructions for the cataloging of books and other materials held in libraries and other cultural organizations such as museums and galleries. RDA is the successor to the second edition of the Anglo-American Cataloging Rules (AACR2), the current standard set of cataloging guidelines for English language libraries. MLS software was enhanced to allow the use of RDA while keeping the system compatible with the records done using AACR2 as there is no plan to go back and re-do all prior records. (Source: MLS 2011 Information Technology Annual Report, page 7)

Z39.50

Note: Z39.50 is a national and international (ISO 23950) standard defining a protocol for computer-to-computer information retrieval. Z39.50 makes it possible for a user in one system to search and retrieve information from other computer systems (that have also implemented Z39.50) without knowing the search syntax that is used by those other systems. Many libraries across the world access the MLS Z39.50 gateway server application to obtain catalog and holdings information using a Z39.50 client. Many others access our database via the Z39.50 Gateway available through the Internet on the Library of Congress bibliographic web site. (Source: in each of the MLS Information Technology reports, the first one on the Intranet is MLS 2005 Information Technology Annual Report, document #94, page 15)

Vendor Demostration Notes

Polaris  | SirsiDynix  |  iii  |  TLC