See interlaced notes below, Don.. P. Michael McCulley, Librarian II / Information & Technology San Diego Public Library, 820 E Street, CA 92101-4806 Phone: 619-238-6678 / FAX: 619-238-6639 E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] 4/23/2007 4:29 PM >>> If I understand you correctly, you want to allow "instant registration" so that a user can register and immediately use online databases, without having to step foot in a library? Further, this is something you anticipate for the future, and not something you want _just_ for migration? >> Yes, exactly.. we have the option of doing it now with DRA Classic, if we >> can without too much heavy lifting.. but, we also can just work on the >> Unicorn upgrade for this, deploying it as a new eCard option when we >> hopefully launch that on/about August 2, 2007.. Assuming I'm understanding your correctly, I have a couple ideas. All in all, it depends really on how you authenticate access to your databases (SIP/NCIP or just dummy 'Does this meet the rules for a valid number'?-type authentication). I'm going to assume that it's the second (or, perhaps if you use number 1 you can also check number 2 if number 1 comes back with a 'soft' failure [user not registered... denial would be caused by delinquency/expiration/etc]). >> Authentication varies here, like I imagine most libraries.. we do have >> EZProxy, and I was looking again yesterday at Useful Utilities for possible >> notions to use.. right now, card number and PIN failure are pretty dead-end >> for users, except to call in the problem and "we" fix it manually in the >> system (renew their card, change the PIN, etc.).. My first thought would be to create a "dummy" registration system. A person fills out a form online. The contents of this form are e-mailed to a library. The system generates a number that meets the validation criteria for the databases, but would not be valid for the PAC or the like. For example, if your libraries use a patron barcode scheme 2BBBBXXXXXXXXC (where B is a branch ID number, XXXXXXXX is the patrons' "serial number" at that particular branch and C is a mathematically-calculated checkdigit), your "electronically-generated" barcode numbers could use a branch ID of something you'd be unlikely to utilize in the system (such as 9999, so a sample barcode may be 29999000000014). >> This may indeed work, and I'm thinking to host this dummy system off the >> server with EZProxy running on it.. our schema for the card numbers is >> 01336xxxxxxxxx, but I don't know if we can allow either DRA Classic or >> Unicorn to accept other faux numbering schemes, perhaps.. good ideas! A second option may be to frequently create a number of "dummy" patron records with real barcode numbers. These barcode numbers will then be placed in a database on your web site. A patron will register using a web form, and when he/she clicks "submit" the application will be e-mailed to the library staff. He will then get his real card number and PIN and can use this for requesting items in the PAC/etc. He would then be instructed to come to the library to get his actual card. The staff would take the e-mail application and update the "dummy" registration to reflect his actual data. >> We envisioned these temp cards to be upgradable to permanent (real) cards, >> by any visit to any library.. the temp record would just be updated manually >> with the holder's information, and a "real" barcode would be added (via >> scan) to the record, replacing and overwriting any "temp" number.. you can >> see the way this was done on the Sirsi Horizon system by Boston >> Public/Metro-Boston Library Network here.. http://catalog.mbln.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp >> I like how the user/patron gets to pick their own PIN (personal >> identification number).. A third option would be to not utilize numbers at all. If you can add an authentication to your database provider to support access from a referer page, you could create a temporary-use form on your web site. A user would have to fill this out, and upon completion he can access your databases (because the referer would be your web site). A downside is not all database vendors support this type of "authentication", and many firewalls are beginning to block HTTP_REFERER. >> Interesting notion.. but, with the variations in the some 80-odd databases >> here, this would be a more problematic route to go down.. As a final note, if Patron Self Registration from the OPAC is a feature you may find useful (for databases or otherwise), file an enhancement request with SIRSI. Quite a number of systems' DO support a self-registration mechanism, and chances are it's probably on their "to-do list" anyway... But, if people start asking for it, the priority will rise! >> I'm just getting access to the Sirsi Support Forums, and yes, I intended to >> ask the members there about ideas for this, and recommend via channels they >> officially try to do this as a system enhancement.. maybe it will shoot up >> the priority list ;).. Good luck in your migration, and I hope this helps! --Don McMorris >> Incredibly helpful, Don.. I owe you beer+ :).. Best, Michael On 4/23/07, Michael McCulley <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > We have the older Sirsi DRA Classic system here at SDPL, and while we are > migrating soon to Unicorn from SirsiDynix, we already can see something we're > interested in doing that seems "beyond" Unicorn's capabilities. > > Has anyone seen or heard of coding/scripts or hacks/workarounds to provide > eCards (temporary library cards) via Unicorn? We'd like to issue temporary > cards via the Unicorn interface or our public Web site for "immediate" access > to the databases, say good for 30-60 days, and, later, they can be upgraded > at any of our library to a full-access library card. As an aside, we'll have > the hosted version of Unicorn, so we won't have the system/files on any local > servers we can access. > > We've noticed with interest that some Horizon systems, III, CARL, etc. can do > this, but thus far, I can't see anyone with Unicorn that has done this. Any > type of library (academic or public) is a good source, if you've heard of > something. Please drop me a note via e-mail, or post here. > > Thanks in advance, > Michael > > > P. Michael McCulley, Librarian II / Information & Technology > San Diego Public Library, 820 E Street, CA 92101-4806 > Phone: 619-238-6678 / FAX: 619-238-6639 > E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >
