NCSU Libraries Focus Online

Volume 23 number 3 - Spring 2003

NCSU Libraries Implements New ILMS

By Kristin Antelman, Information Technology, and Carolyn Argentati, Public Services

The wide range of library operations--from acquiring materials, to cataloging them, to making them available to users--is supported by complex and specialized software known as the Integrated Library Management System (ILMS). The online catalog is the part of the system visible to library users.

The NCSU Libraries has been running the Data Research Associates (DRA) system since fall 1993. In 2001 DRA, Inc., was acquired by a competitor, Sirsi Corporation. Sirsi subsequently dropped support for the DRA system in favor of continued development of its own system, Unicorn. After conducting an in-depth survey of the marketplace in early 2002, the Libraries determined that migrating to the Unicorn software would provide staff and library users with the best available functionality and that it could be implemented with minimal disruption to library operations and services.

Unicorn went live in the NCSU Libraries on February 3, 2003. Online catalog users will not notice a dramatic change. A few frequently requested new features have been added, however. Users can now limit searches by location (e.g., to search resources located in the Textiles Library) and by format (e.g., to search for journals or electronic resources). The flexibility of the Unicorn software will allow the library to introduce innovative enhancements in the future, such as personalization options, and will support better-integrated access to the Libraries' entire collection, both paper and electronic.