Status Line

Reference Services
Dec 06- Jan 07
Issue: 208

WorldCat Evaluative Content for Your OPAC

If you are like the librarian who called Nylink last month, you, too, are pondering if there's a way for your library to add the evaluative content that's in WorldCat on FirstSearch - cover art, tables of contents, first-chapter book excerpts - to your integrated library system (ILS). If you work in an academic library that uses the Endeavor, Innovative, or Ex Libris integrated llibrary systems, Nylink's Cooperative Services department is authorized to offer this evaluative content from Syndetic Solutions - at a discount. Syndetic Solutions, a Bowker company, offers descriptive information and cover images for videos, DVDs, CDs, and all types of books, including audio books for your ILS. Here is what you need to know:

How it works: enrichment content resides on Syndetics' secured Internet servers and is most commonly integrated into library OPACs through automatic links provided by the ISBNs within local MARC records. Content is accessed and displayed through activation links placed on full record displays or search results lists to HTML "pop-up" windows, frames, or can be directly integrated into the record display using XML.

Available bibliographic elements: libraries have to select the same five-element minimum - cover images, tables of contents, first chapter excerpts, summaries and annotations, and Choice reviews, but can add more. Here is the current list of available elements:

Table of Contents
Fiction Profile
Fiction Search
Series List
Summaries
Covers
First Chapters
Author Notes
PW Review
LJ Review
SLJ Review
Choice Review
Booklist Review
Horn Book Review
Kirkus Review
Criticas Review
Video and Music Cover Images with Summaries and Annotations (liner notes!)

Pricing/SUNY: Nylink's Cooperative Services is able to offer a 30% discount on top of typical discounts, because SUNY set up a huge group subscription for millions of titles. Pricing is based on the number of titles and the type of elements selected.

Subscription cycle: The subscription cycle starts in August, so added orders will be pro-rated.

ILS and library type restrictions: this offer is only available to academic libraries that use the Endeavor, Innovative, or Ex Libris integrated library systems.

Upcoming options: Spanish language content, audio clips from recorded books, tables of contents for serials, searchable tables of contents, and additional author content are all coming soon.

For more information please see or contact Jen Stelling (stellingj@nylink.org) at Nylink.

[See also the Syndetic Solutions Offer for AcademicLibraries article].