DOCLINE, Loansome Doc, and Relais...What Next?

At the Medical Library Association, Annual Conference, a Sunrise Seminar was held on Tuesday, May 26, 1998. The discussion included DOCLINE and Loansome Doc system enhancements, the Relais implementation at the National Library of Medicine (NLM), and the next generation of DOCLINE, DOCUSER, and SERHOLD. A summary of the discussion follows.

Recent DOCLINE and Loansome Doc Enhancements

• In the DOCLINE LEND module, the phrase "Not Available" displayed for Options 5 and 6, was changed to "Future Option."
• In February 1998, the DOCLINE manual was updated with the system enhancements implemented in February 1997. The updated manual, and all future changes, will only be available through the Web at: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/psd/cas/docline/contents.html.
• In January 1998, the ordering feature was added to PubMed.
• In April 1998, the following system enhancements were implemented:
  • The Loansome Doc feature was added to the side menu bar of the PubMed web site.
  • A Loansome Doc Home Page was established where users may learn about registering, retrieve status of orders, and update user information.
  • The Loansome Doc Registration Information Page was redesigned so that users read the registration information prior to registering. In addition, separate registration pages were designed for three user groups: U.S.A., Canada, and Other countries. The registration page for "Other countries" contains a hot link to a list of U.S. libraries that are willing to serve international users. NLM is gathering information from libraries that are willing to serve international users. This will be a Web site that is created and maintained by NLM. International Loansome Doc users will be able to link to the web site from the "Other countries" registration information page.
  • The Loansome Doc Registration Page was reformatted into the following four separate sections: Identification Information (Ordering Library ID, first and last names), Address Information (accommodates both domestic and inter-national addresses), Delivery Information, and Login Information.
  • The Loansome Doc Copyright Notice is displayed as a separate page after the user clicks the "Order" button. The user reads the copyright notice and clicks either the "Accept" or "Decline" button. Then a list of documents to be ordered is displayed for the user to review and/or modify before sending the order.

DOCLINE - The Next Generation NLM plans to redesign the DOCLINE system. NLM staff is currently discussing the specifications for the new system. These specifications represent their vision of the new system. No programming has begun, and these plans may change over the course of the year. The plan is to move the DOCLINE system from the main- frame to a new systems environment. NLM plans to retain current functionality, but add a limited number of new features. The new DOCLINE will be available only through the Internet with a web interface. NLM plans to implement the ISO ILL Protocol (10160 & 10161). Specifically, NLM will implement the ILL Protocol messages to allow users to send a request and respond to a request. The target date for the new DOCLINE system is Summer, 1999.

The new DOCLINE system will allow users to retrieve bibliographic citations from PubMed, Internet Grateful Med (IGM), and NLM's Integrated Library System, Voyager.

Loansome Doc users will continue to search and retrieve citations through PubMed and IGM. They will place Loansome Doc orders that will be forwarded to their ordering library. They will have three administrative functions: registration, check status of orders, and updated user registration page. Loansome Doc users will not have access to DOCLINE.

DOCLINE Functions In BORROW, users will continue to transfer Loansome Doc requests into DOCLINE, create requests to borrow journal articles, monographs, audiovisuals, and non-SERLINE titles. Also, users will be able to enter the bibliographic data for items that cannot be retrieved from any NLM systems. A new feature of the system will be a user profile that will be maintained for each user. This will eliminate repetitive keying for selected data fields (e.g., type of request [journal, monograph, audiovisual], form [copy, original], delivery method, comments, maxcost, and patron's name). NLM plans to retain the last data input in selected fields when the user logs off DOCLINE. Thus, at the next logon, the last data input will reappear so users will only need to change data in a few fields.

When NLM implements the ISO ILL protocol, it will eliminate the need for users to log-off one system and log-on to another system to initiate a request. A DOCLINE participant may be logged onto a bibliographic utility or vendor system and decide that a request should go through their DOCLINE routing table. The user can specify that the request is to be sent to NLM for processing. The request will be sent through the Internet to NLM. NLM will authenticate that the user is a DOCLINE participant. The request will be added to the DOCLINE system and routed on the user's routing table. In addition, the ISO ILL protocol will allow a DOCLINE participant, logged onto DOCLINE, to send a request to a bibliographic utility or vendor system that has implemented the protocol in lieu of routing the request on its routing table. In this case, the user will specify the bibliographic utility or vendor system and NLM will send the request through the Internet without the user logging off of DOCLINE.

The remaining DOCLINE functions (receipt, lend, status, and cancel) will be available in the new system. NLM is discussing how these functions will be implemented.

NLM plans to cease mailing the paper copy of Statistical Reports after the new system is fully implemented. These data will still be provided, for each library, through an administrative function. The data could then be downloaded by the user. At this time, NLM has not identified how the data will be displayed or retrieved.

Jay Daly plans for QuickDoc to interface with the new DOCLINE system. He plans to use the ISO ILL protocol.

DOCUSER / SERHOLD - The Next Generation
The new DOCLINE system will include the holdings information from SERHOLD and the institutional information (name, address, phone numbers, ILL policy, etc.) from DOCUSER. Access to the information will be through a Web interface. Institutional information will be available to DOCLINE participants as well as the general public.

A new feature of DOCLINE will be administrative functions that will be available to users and the regional DOCLINE Coordinators. Users will be able to maintain their own institutional record, SERHOLD holdings data online, and using the administrative page, search for information on their Loansome Doc patrons. The regional DOCLINE Coordinators will be able to create and maintain institutional records. NLM is evaluating other possible administrative functions for users such as updating routing table changes online that would be forwarded to the regional DOCLINE Coordinator for review and approval. The regional DOCLINE Coordinator would approve the routing table and it would be updated in the system immediately.

Holdings data will be updated online through a Web interface. Each library will be able to maintain current holdings information for DOCLINE routing. All libraries are encouraged to maintain their own holdings through online updating. SERHOLD data will be maintained in USMARC format.

NLM is developing plans for accepting an initial batch input from new SERHOLD libraries with significant holdings. Thereafter, these libraries are encouraged to maintain holdings online. In addition, NLM is developing plans for accepting an annual batch update from users who cannot switch to online and new members of a consortium which currently contributes batch data.

Testing of the new SERHOLD system will begin by the end of first quarter of calendar year 1999. Implementation will occur during the second quarter of calendar year 1999. The last batch update submission for 1999 (the current system) will be February 1999. The first batch submission for the new system will be scheduled for the year 2000.

Relais
Relais was fully implemented at NLM in May 1998. A short video was shown that described the document delivery process at NLM prior to the implementation of Relais and the benefits of Relais as it is implemented. NLM will be sending copies of the video entitled "Relais: A Document Delivery Solution at the National Library of Medicine - 1998" to the Regional Medical Libraries. Libraries may borrow a copy of the video through the RML.

Contact PSRML at (800)338-7657 if you would like to borrow this video.

This article summarizes the remarks made by NLM at MLA. To see the questions and answers that were discussed during this Sunrise Seminar, visit the following URL: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/techbull/mj98/mj98_doclineqa.html

If you'd like a printed copy of these questions and answers, contact us at PSRML and we'll send you a copy.

Latitudes, September/October, 1998 -- Vol. 7, Number 5