BookWhere - FAQ's
Table
of Contents:
How
does BookWhere work?
What
do I need to be able to run BookWhere?
What
kind of material can I find with BookWhere?
Will
this work with my firewall?
Why
is this different than Google, Yahoo!, and
other Web search engines?
Is
it legal to use the MARC records retrieved?
Can
I edit MARC records with BookWhere?
What
is the WebClarity Resource Registry?
Who
are the Bookwhere Clients?
How
does BookWhere work?
BookWhere uses the Z39.50 protocol for submitting
search queries to databases(mainly library
catalogues) around the world. The Z39.50
standard specifies a client/server-based
protocol for searching and retrieving information
from remote databases. While Z39.50 is a complex
protocol, BookWhere users can search these
databases using a simple yet powerful
graphical user interface (GUI)
What
do I need to be able to run BookWhere?
A PC running Microsoft Windows
XP/2000/NT4.0, Internet Explorer
5.5 or higher as well as an
Internet connection. Finally,
you will need at least 5MB free disk space.
What
kind of material can I find with BookWhere?
Libraries put a wide variety of
materials into their collections apart
from books. Records for video tapes,
movies, audio tapes, maps, kits and all
other materials acquired by libraries can
also be found.
Will
this work with my firewall?
BookWhere will work with most firewalls,
however, your network administrator may
need to open a few of the
most common ports used
by Z39.50 servers out there in the world.
Z39.50 generally operated on port 210
but some important libraries such as
the Library of Congress operate their Z39.50
service on port 7090.
Why
is this different than Google, Yahoo!,
and other Web search engines?
These Web based search tools provide access
to information sources that can be indexed
on the Internet. These sources are limited
to Web pages, FTP sites and various
electronic archives. BookWhere provides
access to the descriptive bibliographic
records for published library materials.
Is
it legal to use the MARC records retrieved?
BookWhere allows libraries to export
MARC records to their local automation
systems. We do know that if you are
in the U.S.A. you are permitted,
even encouraged, to copy records
from the Library of Congress for
your own use.
Organizations
that want to charge for this service
(for example OCLC and Research Libraries
Group) require that you establish an
account (subscription). This account
information (User I.D. and Password)
can be specified in BookWhere and provide
you with authorized access to these databases.
Most databases do not require you
establish an account. The MARC records are
sent to your PC without any explicit
restrictions on use. It has been recommended
that if you intend to regularly use specific
databases to derive cataloguing that you
contact the institution involved and obtain
permission.
A number of libraries have expressed
concern over the the transfer of OCLC
derived records. Please see Guidelines for
the Use and Transfer of OCLC-Derived Records
published by OCLC. Item #1 reads:
Each member and nonmember library may use
records without restriction, and may
transfer records of its own holdings without
restriction to other libraries.
Can
I edit MARC records with BookWhere?
BookWhere
does not provide editing capabilty for MARC
records. WebClarity
Software does sell a companion product, MARC
Notepad which can accept MARC records
through BookWhere's SendTo interface. Using
Marc Notepad, records can be upgraded, have
superfluous tags removed, default holdings
can be added and character encoding can be
updated as per system requirements - all
before the records are loaded into a local
integrated system.
What
is the WebClarity Z39.50 Target Directory?
This is a database that contains
information about available Z39.50 databases
(targets) around the world. BookWhere obtains
its built-in list of databases directly from
the information contained in this Directory.
A one year renewable subscription to this AutoSync
service is included with every BookWhere
purchase.
Who
are BookWhere Clients?
A few of our thousands of BookWhere Clients: The National Library of Canada
The Library of Congress
The Consortium of Finnish University
Libraries
Louisiana State University
Institute for Christian Studies
McGill University Libraries
Queen's University
University of Guelph
Concorida University
Indiana University
Louisianna State University - School of
Library & Information Science
New York University
University of Minnesota
University of North Texas - School of
Library and Information Science
Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal Library
Bismarck Public Schools
Toronto Public Library
The Mandan Public Library
Clermont County Public Library
Clarksburg-Harrison Public Library
North Vanc. District Public Library
VSAC Resource Center Library
Alexander Street Press
Ottario Lottery & Gaming
Law Society of Upper Canada
and more.. Back
to Table of Contents |
