SIP3 has just been released and it provides many new messages which means communication between ILS/LMS and your self-check, sorters, security system, PC management system....will be easier to implement and you'll have more options. That is IF your ILS vendor supports it!
So, make sure you start adding a requirement for SIP3 support to your procurement documents.
Here's what's new:
- allow creation / registration of patrons from self-service devices
- allow patrons to update their PINs / Passwords from a self-service device in the library
- allow patrons to update their home addresses and phone numbers
- support for handling electronic resources
- support for staff overrides on self-service circulation
- support for sortation systems
- support for PC Management systems
- added some other new messages simplify implementation and clarify usage
- added Undo Checkout and Undo Check-in messages to simplify implementation. It has been confusing for many developers to send a Check-in w/cancel flag to cancel a Checkout and send a Checkout w/cancel flag to cancel a Check-in. This was confounded by the fact that many ILS vendors did not support cancelling a transaction and would then proceed as a standard check-in (if cancelling a checkout) causing the patron to be removed from the hold list.
- added Off-line Checkout and Off-line Check-in messages to support off-line processing
- added Unsupported Message Response to indicate that the message request is not supported by the library system
- added Grouped data. Data can now be grouped to provide all information required for a specific event. For example, a fee consists of the following fields: fee identifier, currency code, fee amount, and fee type. These fields can now be grouped together to simplify the passing of multiple fees on a single request or response message. Each set of group data starts with a group identifier and ends with a group end field.
