• Article Type: General
• Product: Aleph
• Product Version: 20

Description:
One of our colleges is using the SIP protocol as part of its security system. That is, when a patron exits the library with a book the device senses the item and sends a message to ALEPH asking for the status of the item (SIP message type 17). The expectation is that if the item is not checked out correctly, the system will sound an alarm and alert staff that the user has an item that needs to be checked.

When staff take an intransit item out of the library, the alarm sounds, i.e. ALEPH does not record the item as checked out. What I see in the responding SIP message 18, is an 03, item available. I have two questions.

1. Does Exlibris think that this result is consistent with the SIP 2 protocol?
2. Should I not be able to control this result in any case.

Further on number 2. In the tab_sip2_translate file, there is a section with a value in column one of ITEM-STATUS Based on the header in that file, it looks like that table should provide a translation from the ALEPH value to the value to be used by SIP. In looking at the documentation, I can't find this value defined anywhere. I am not sure where the table in the file came from, but since the same table is in default files in admin libraries that have never used SIP, I assume it is a set of values that ExLibris established. In any case, it doesn't seem to have any impact on the operation of the SIP server? Is there any documentation on how this section of the table should work?

Resolution:
[From Ex Libris:] According to SIP2-protocol items "in transit between library locations" should get circulation-status "10" instead of "04" (charged).

Please see protocol definition here (especially definition of circulation status on page 18):
http://multimedia.3m.com/mws/mediawebserver?mwsId=SSSSSu7zK1fslxtUm8_9m82Uev7qe17zHvTSevTSeSSSSSS--

So Alephs SIP2 server is working in compliance with SIP2 protocol when treating transit-items differently from charged-items. This better support of field "circulation status" was introduced with rep_change #3060 upon customer request.

If you want circulation-statuses "10" and "04" to behave the same, you need to configure the security system accordingly.

• Article last edited: 10/8/2013