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OPALS We support this initiative in a number of ways by conducting research and development, technical support, and providing hosting services for those for whom setting up and running a server is not affordable or even if it were, not economically efficient. The name of this project is (OPALS) "Open Source Automated Library System." Approximately 400 school libraries use it to manage their collections and / or inter library loans. A number of special libraries (cultural communities, churches, etc.) have also adopted it. OPALS will launch its Website, and become more generally known to the world this September... in the meantime, we have attached a list of OPALS functions for you to examine. Briefly, OPALS is Web-based, incorporates Z39.50 client and server, stores XML MARC bibliographic records (can import and export MARC21), and supports Unicode (... stores non-Roman alphabet languages). Public functions include OPAC, federated searching for online databases, APA - MLA format bibliography printing or emailing, patron transaction file checking and self-service reservations (when enables by the local library). Administrative functions also work over the Web for authorized users, including cataloguing, circulation, statistical reporting, notices, barcode printing, inventory, etc. The server operating system is Red Hat Linux, although all the Web-based applications can work on Windows using the IE browser. Here are some url's that connect to libraries that use OPALS: http://opalsvla.stier.org/bin/home http://lks.scoolaid.net/bin/home http://brnh.scoolaid.net/bin/home The following is a link to the "SCOOLS" inter library loan site. This site provides union catalog and almost paperless ILL services for 300 schools in New York State's southern tier. The database stores over 700,000 bibliographic MARC records, and approximately 3 million holdings located within these school libraries. http://www.scools.org/bin/home
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