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The Department of Public Instruction has awarded the contract to Auto-Graphics, Inc. for the Wisconsin Resource Sharing and Information Access project. The Department has negotiated for a hybrid union/virtual catalog containing Wisconsin library holdings and an interlibrary loan management system. This new system replaces the WISCAT union catalog, ZPORTAL virtual catalog, and VDX interlibrary loan management system that the state had been using since 2003.

The Request for Proposal (RFP) process for this next generation Wisconsin Resource Sharing and Information Access system was completed in September 2006. Four vendors responded to the RFP: Auto-Graphics, OCLC/Fretwell, SirsiDynix, and WebFeat. Auto-Graphics was selected as having the product that best fits our needs. The department has moved to the new system and will discontinue use of the current VDX and ZPORTAL systems on or before January 1, 2007.

The new resource sharing system will allow library staffs and patrons to enjoy a number of exciting new features. To see a more detailed list of features available with the new system, go to: New WISCAT Functionality

Unlike our earlier system, the new product uses a single integrated user interface for the hybrid union/virtual catalog as well as for the interlibrary loan management system. Search results can be deduplicated and resorted so that records from multiple catalogs are displayed together. In addition, the seamless search interface between the union and virtual catalogs is expected to reduce the need to batch upload records to the union catalog for those local catalogs that are Z39.50 compliant.

The new product is extremely customizable. It allows customization and "branding" down to the regional or local library level. Each library or region can easily create its own customized splash page for the catalog if they wish.

While the look and feel of the WISCAT search environment (including creation of interlibrary loan requests), will remain much the same as the earlier product with which most users are familiar, the look and feel of the new interlibrary loan management system has changed quite a bit for the better. Interlibrary loan screens and terminology are much simpler in the new system.

The product can be configured to require library users to borrow from their own library or region prior to requesting materials from other libraries outside their region, and displays an alert to the patron if a requested item is locally owned. A long sought after feature in the new system allows it to check the shelf status of a potential lender's Z39.50 catalog prior to sending a request to that lender, and then skip the location if the item is checked out or otherwise not available. It can also check the policy statement of a potential lender prior to sending a request, and can skip the location if their policy indicates that the library does not lend the type of media requested (e.g. does not lend DVDs).

The product facilitates many of the ILL clearinghouse functions that have traditionally been handled by some Wisconsin public library systems. In addition, it allows us to continue email functions we had previously instituted, in an effort to be as inclusive of as many small libraries as possible in the resource sharing system. It also makes available email notifications to a library's patrons and email alerts to lender libraries that receive occasional loan requests.

The Department has had a very good experience and relationship with Auto-Graphics over the past few years, and we look forward to continuing that relationship.