http://www.library.cornell.edu/cts/backstory/ITSOfeature.htm
Re-printed with permission
ITSO Big: OCLC, CUL announce partnership to offer
Integrated Tool for Selection and Ordering to the
world
Faithful readers will recall that the first issue of this magazine featured a profile of CUL’s innovative software application, the Integrated Tool for Selection and Ordering, more popularly known as ITSO. Launched on February 13th, 2004 –yes, that was a Friday—ITSO enables library subject specialists to select new monographs for purchase online, using the ITSO interface. Newly chosen items then have orders generated automatically, with minimal staff effort. The orders are sent out electronically, funds are encumbered almost immediately, and ordering unit staff can devote more time to those items that require searching and manual orders.
ITSO has expanded over the past two years to include new vendors and new capabilities. But the lack of dedicated technical, marketing, or other necessary staff support has meant that the product, as ingenious and valuable as it has proven to be, could not grow to its full potential. Over the past two years, LTS staff have conducted a number of information sessions about the potential use of ITSO in other institutions and investigated the possibility of selling the tool to other libraries. A thorough business case analysis indicated that while demand existed for the product, the library was not well-positioned to be a software developer for other institutions. Thus CUL sought out a partner to make ITSO a truly viable service for the whole community.
Enter
OCLC.
and has been working closely with Scott, programmer Peter Hoyt of Library Systems, and Adam Chandler of Library Technical Services to develop a tool that would serve a broad array of OCLC WorldCat users. In May, CUL and OCLC finalized the partnership agreement and announced the new service to the library community.
WorldCat/ITSO Logo
Coming soon to lapels and tote bag straps near you: a button promoting the ITSO-based WorldCat Selection service Like ITSO, the WorldCat Selection service, as the OCLC version is called, will allow selectors to view records from multiple materials vendors in one central comprehensive system. But tying the service to the WorldCat database means that subscribing libraries will be able to get WorldCat records for newly purchased materials into their integrated library system earlier in the technical services process.
Also, the library’s holding symbol will be automatically set on the WorldCat records for the materials at the point of order, allowing other institutions to see what their peers are acquiring, which could help foster collaborative collection development efforts.
A number of major library materials vendors are negotiating with OCLC to participate in the initial release, including Aux Amateurs de Livres International, Blackwell's Book Services, Casalini Libri, and Harrassowitz. OCLC expects to add more vendors as the service goes forward. In the meanwhile, OCLC is planning a session at the ALA Annual Conference to talk about a number of their services, including WorldCat Selection, on Saturday, June 24th, from 10:30-12:00 PM. To register for the session, go to:
https://www3.oclc.org/app/ala_registration/ OCLC has also posted an official announcement about WorldCat Selection on its web site (available at: http://www.oclc.org/news/releases/200619.htm).
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