A test version of the system will be available later this month. Library administrators are preparing to implement a new version of the University's library database system, to be available to students beginning this June. Students can access the new system by using a test version of the software later this month, and the system will be available for general use June 3. The new Franklin database system will provide increased Internet capabilities and improved search capabilities for students, taking the "online catalog an extra step," said Joe Zucca, executive assistant to the vice provost and director of libraries. The World Wide Web-based system will also offer hypertext links to over 1,200 electronic journals and other Internet resources. An additional feature of the system will allow students to see a list of books they have checked out and recalled, as well as identify any fines on their accounts. The new system will also offer students increased self-service and options. "We are interested in developing at Penn the niftiest digital library in North America," Vice Provost and Director of Libraries Paul Mosher said. The goal of revamping the system is to provide students with an "access structure to useful, relevant academic information on the Internet," Mosher explained. "We want Penn students to find more useful information faster and more effectively than anywhere else," he added. Penn's current online library catalog -- created in 1985 -- relies on 1970s technology to deliver information electronically, Director of Library Public Services Patricia Renfro said. And Zucca added that the old system is "frozen in time." "We were using a 1970s-developed system that wasn't allowing us to grow," he said. By early summer, Franklin and the other mainframe bases will reside on new computing platforms searchable on the Web. The library's approximately 2.8 million records and accounts will be transferred during May to minimize disruption to library users, Zucca added. Since planning for the project began a year ago, students and faculty have identified "tools, needs and the functional standards that provided the frame for our planning," Mosher said. The Endeavor Information Systems company produced the software for the new Franklin system. "People are moving to Web-based catalogs," Zucca said. "We're one of the first libraries to use it." And library administrators have been working with several software companies to design "cutting edge tools" for future library software projects, according to Mosher. Renfro identified several advantages to the new system, including its efficiency and cost-effectiveness in cataloging and circulation systems. "This is a system that's a lot easier to use and better-integrated," Zucca said. Beginning this summer and continuing next fall, the library will offer several orientation sessions to acquaint students and faculty with the new database system, according to Reference Librarian Debra Bucher. Students will still have the option of accessing Franklin using the current telnet version, which will not have the added functions of the new Web version. Zucca explained that a new library workstation will open this week on the west end of the first floor of Van Pelt.
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