SIMA OCAT Electronic Library

Developed for and marketed to small to medium sized law libraries*, SIMA OCAT Electronic Library is an integrated library system that should be considered by those libraries that have already made (or are considering making) an investment in Folio infobases. SIMA OCAT, one of the many products created by Service Information Management Association, Inc. (SIMA), was developed using Folio Views by law librarian, Sima Dabirashtrani, who founded SIMA in 1983. Initially started as a business that offered technical services to law libraries, today SIMA has evolved into a company that offers both technical services and library automation products.

System requirements for OCAT include:

• Windows 3.1 or Windows 95
• Folio Views for Windows (3.10 or higher) or LEXIS-NEXIS Office for Windows (which includes Folio Views).
• Installation on a single stand-alone computer or on a local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN).

System features include:

• A library staff interface using Folio Views that allows staff to:

• Add bibliographic records manually using an input form/template. A pop-up window provides the ability to add records if the library does not use a bibliographic utility such as OCLC to create a MARC data input file or if they want to add a record without having to import it from the utility.
• Import MARC records from OCLC or other bibliographic utilities. A utility is included that processes MARC data files to prepare them for import into OCAT.
• Include links to other Folio infobases or CD-ROMs. Catalogers can add links to any Folio infobase or CD-ROM that they have on the stand-alone PC or network.
• Include links from one bibliographic record to another. Records can be linked to show relationships (e.g., this could be used to link the records for serials whose titles have been changed).
• Include links for documents or web pages on an Intranet or the Internet. This feature provides the ability to catalog electronic documents that are accessed via the web. Please note that permission may be needed to link to some web sites.
• Include links to full-text documents imported from the Internet. Libraries may want to import documents that are used more often into the Folio infobase (e.g., electronic journal issues for titles to which the library subscribes). It’s important to note here that some documents may require purchase of copyrights in order to download to the infobase.
• Add notes to the bibliographic record that appear in the form of a yellow sticky note. The example given in the SIMA OCAT demo is a note that alerts the library users that the title they are viewing is being considered for cancellation.
• Print card, pocket, and spine labels. Labels can be printed one at a time or in multiple to accommodate multi-volume sets.
• Search for and display bibliographic records.
• Circulate library materials using integrated circulation module. This provides for check-out and check-in of physical items (books, periodicals, sound and video tapes, etc).
• Run reports.
• Link to integrated serials module (to be reviewed in the next issue of ILSR).

• A Folio Views interface that allows library users to:

• Search for and display bibliographic records.
• Print search results.
• Use hyperlinks to move directly to Folio infobases or CD-ROMs once the bibliographic record is displayed.
• Use hyperlinks to move between related bibliographic records.
• Display the full-text of documents downloaded from the Internet.
• Use hyperlinks to launch the browser and view documents or web pages on the Intranet or Internet (for records that contain URLs).
• View notes from library staff that are linked to individual records.
• Determine if an item is checked out.

Pros

• Easy point and click interface using SIMA navigation buttons.
• Developed using database manager (Folio Views) that may already be familiar to library users (reduces learning curve).
• Nice integration with CD-ROMS and Internet or Intranet resources.
• Interesting display of bibliographic records. Fields are made more visible through the use of different colors for the text in each field.
• Unlimited number of titles.

Cons

• If not used regularly, Folio Views can be difficult to use because of the complex drop down menus and navigation system. Users may be overwhelmed with too many options. Note: SIMA has reduced some of this complexity by adding their own menu. While it adds a bit more clutter to the screen, it helps users focus on what their options may be.
• If Folio Views for Windows is not being used by the firm for other infobases, it may mean one more application to support on end user desktops that may not be used often enough to warrant the cost of the support. Note: SIMA does supplies a utility that converts bibliographic records to HTML files that can be search and displayed using an Intranet search engine and browser. This would allow end users to search the library catalog without having Folio Views installed on their desktops.

Costs

* Supports up to 125 simultaneous users.

SIMA
P.O. Box 248
Springfield, VA 22150-0248
Telephone: 703-569-0993
Facimile: 703-569-5161
E-mail: simainc@ibm.net
http://www.simainc.com/

SIMA OCAT users please note: Send your comments about the software to the e-mail address listed below. We will update this review with user comments as we receive them. Please note that you are sending comments about SIMA OCAT. Thank you.

Reviews || Vendors || About ILSR || Contacts || Home

Copyright © 1998 Mary Dzurinko & Nina Platt
Last revised: June 20, 1998.

Contact webmaster@ilsr.com with questions or comments regarding this site.