When we build web search interfaces for bibliographic databases with our Andornot Starter Kit or Andornot Discovery Interface, we usually include code to fetch book cover images from Google Books. Javascript on the search results pages takes the ISBNs from the bibliographic records and passes them into the Google Books API. If Google Books has a record, the cover image is displayed, as a link to more info in the Google Books database. This adds visual appeal to predominantly textual pages and provides users with valuable additional information about the work.

If you’re using Presto for DB/TextWorks as the web search interface to your database, you can configure it to show Google book covers as well. All you need is our Google book cover script and some experience editing Presto screens.

Here are the steps to take to add Google Book covers to your Presto for DB/TextWorks site.

1. Download the Andornot Google Books script here. As noted in the file, these are offered under an MIT open source license. You are free to use reuse, redistribute, modify etc. this script as long as the license text within it is retained.

2. As described in the Presto Administrator’s Guide, a custom script file called CustomCommonScripts.js is included on every page. So, just copy the contents of Andornot’s Google Books script into this file, which you’ll find in <Presto-install-path>\WebApps\Mercury\jscript\CustomCommonScripts.js (if the file doesn’t exist yet, just create it). The script relies on the jQuery javascript library, but that’s already included in Presto.

3. To use the script, you just need to wrap the ISBN from a record inside a div with the class “isbn”, like this:

 <div class="isbn">9780140187465</div>

To do this, you will need to edit the detail screen for your catalogue content type to add three Custom Value Controls. The Presto Administrator’s Guide has more information and examples of these. 

The first custom value control will contain only this bit of HTML:  <div class="isbn">

The second custom value control will contain the ISBN data field (you’ll want to select the option to suppress hit highlighting on it).

The third custom value control will contain the closing div:  </div>

All three will be associated with the ISBN field, so they will only appear on the detail screen when there’s data in that field.

Our Google Books script will look for the “isbn” div and replace the contents within it with a call to the Google Books API for the cover image, if available.

ISBN’s often have more than just straight numbers in them. Sometimes there’s punctuation or trailing text. Our Google Books script is pretty good at ignoring all of that, so don’t worry about cleaning up your ISBNs first.

Have fun!

The Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA) Library recently switched from an in-house built library catalogue system to Inmagic’s DB/TextWorks and WebPublisher PRO, becoming the fifth British Columbia health authority to do so.  The new system provides staff in all the VIHA hospitals and health-related offices (and from their homes and elsewhere, too) access to more features than were previously offered.  Because the catalogue is on the Internet, the public can use it too, although requesting items is limited to staff only.  Several of the VIHA library staff have used Inmagic software in other library settings and were delighted to be using it again.

The VIHA library catalogue on the web: http://viha.andornot.com is based on the Andornot Starter Kit and features Quick and Advanced search screens, a few popular topic searches – using canned searches.  The search results include Google book covers, which add both colour to the site and links to more details about each book; icons for quick material type identification; Permalinks to provide a link that remains unchanged over time (for sharing and bookmarking); and functions for Ordering requests and Email, Save and Print for sharing or personal use. 

They now join other BC Health Authorities, including Fraser Health, Northern Health, Vancouver Coastal Health, and Interior Health, and similar health organizations; all using the same backend Inmagic software.  As a result, this facilitated the inclusion of the VIHA catalogue into the popular Health Libraries Association of BC (HLABC) OneSearch where search terms can be entered into a single search box and all the  catalogues can be searched quickly at the same time.  Librarians from all the health authorities have commented how much they like to use the OneSearch system to locate items not in their collection, thus providing a time saving search mechanism and a wonderful resource sharing tool. 

Both the new features in the VIHA catalogue and the inclusion in the HLABC OneSearch system provide greater functionality to all the VIHA users, including both staff and public alike.   Cliff Cornish, Regional Manager, Library Services, comments:

“It is wonderful to finally have a modern OPAC, and it is great to be able to participate with the other Health Authority Libraries in the HLABC search.”

For further information, contact Andornot. 

The collection of the Resource Center for Volunteer Organizations (RCVO) has recently come under the management of Volunteer Alberta.  The resources, which focus on the volunteer and nonprofit sector, are available at http://rcvo.org and are hosted by Andornot.  While the collection itself has not changed a great deal from under its previous management, the website interface has been completely redesigned and features a lively new look. 

The site uses the Umbraco content management system to allow RCVO  staff to easily add and modify site content.  Andornot assisted RCVO in the selection of a website design and its development.  Access to the collection is via the Inmagic WebPublisher PRO search interface, with quick and advanced search screens.  A popular feature are the pages of canned searches available as Quick Subject Searches on the quick search page.  An RSS feed is available on the new catalogue additions and Google Book Covers and links augment the site.

A user searching the collection can add items to a cart as well as bookmark or copy the link for each item via its permalink.  The RCVO collection continues to be part of the Canadian Non-profit Library Network along with Imagine Canada and Volunteer Calgary making its combined collection the largest source of materials for this sector in Canada.  RCVO staff commented:

“We have long been working on a website update, and are pleased to have it available for the nonprofit/voluntary sectors. Our ability to link with Imagine Canada and Volunteer Calgary’s library collections makes us an excellent hub for information relevant to the nonprofit/voluntary sector.”

Andornot has hosted the Northern Health (NH) Library catalogue and website on the internet for almost 10 years.  During this time it has undergone many iterations.  The most recent is one located at http://library.northernhealth.ca.

Earlier this year a new design for the NH website was implemented using the DotNetNuke Content Management System (CMS).  So while Anne Allgaier, the librarian was considering how to deal with that change, she was concurrently being pressured to move the library presence off the internet and inside to the intranet.  The major concern being that the library services were meant for internal staff only. Anne knew however, that there were plenty of users who accessed her Inmagic-based catalogue and related information from their homes or from remote locations throughout the widely distributed region.  These users would be deprived of what had become a very popular service.  Anne asked Andornot to help her find a solution to keep the library presence on the internet and to incorporate the new website design and comments:

“Andornot’s has provided the Northern Health Library with exemplary service for the past decade, providing us with solutions that make it possible to provide the level of service that the library’s clientele requires, regardless of location.”

Website Template Linking

Andornot’s philosophy has always been that web-based databases should be integrated into the website template.  So while we worked with Anne to built up layers of content on the new site to go with the library catalogue, we also liaised with the NH website developers to implement a method that taps into the always-live site template on the NH server.  This was accomplished by having a content-free page on the home server within the NH’s CMS with a specific hidden comment tag in the content area (in this case, "<!—andornot -->").  This bit of text in the content area tells our system where to parse each page's content into the source site's template.

Library Portal

So while the template remains current on the hosted site, allowing users to quickly navigate to other areas of the NH website, the library content on the site continues to grow.  It includes: 

• the BC Ministry of Health News RSS feed
• access to e-HLbc databases (requires IP authentication or username and password login)
• access to thousands of online books (requires IP authentication or username and password login)
• links to other library catalogues
• Google Book Covers with links to Google Book Previews
• Ordering cart
• a canned search (one click) and an RSS feed for recent library acquisitions
• links to various other services (Tutorials, InfoBriefs)
• Patient information website links
• Professional information website links

… thus providing NH staff, University of Northern BC medical faculty, and patients with a single access point for all sorts of resources, whether they are in the hospital, on campus, in their office, at home or on the road.  

New Brunswick isn’t just about lobsters, Acadian culture and amazing tidal heights, it is also about living a healthy lifestyle and the Horizon Health Network hopes to play a part in accomplishing that. 

The Horizon Health Network consists of four Zones, each with their own hospitals and libraries within those zones.  The hospital libraries have all used Inmagic software for many years but the recent amalgamation into one health region now allows them to share their resources across the region. The Fredericton/Upper River Valley Zone and the Moncton Zone have both had their catalogues on the web for sometime – under different names prior to the union.  The Miramichi and the Saint John Zones have now joined them and the library collections from all the Horizon Health Network Zones are searchable on the web both individually or all at once.  Each site uses Inmagic DB/TextWorks locally to manage their collections and Inmagic WebPublisher PRO on the web. 

  Using Andornot’s OneSearch application, all the catalogues can be searched simultaneously at:  http://hhn.andornot.com/.  The total number of hits for each Zone are displayed, with an ability to view each of the search results separately.   This is a huge time saver for both library staff and their end users.

A single template was used to coordinate the appearance of all the catalogues visually, while still allowing for individual identification on each Zone’s page.  The Andornot Starter Kit was used as a basis for all the sites, with all its features, including links to Google Books to show the book covers and to link to further information about the book’s content.  Ordering carts within each Zone’s catalogue permit users to request items from that Zone’s library providing a valuable extension of library services, especially for offsite employees. 

Lori Leger, the Regional Manager of Library Services for the Horizon Health Network, commented about the project,

“What a great team Andornot has been in pulling this together.  You were able to respond in such a timely manner when we requested quotes, and followed up with your commitment to provide the OneSearch interface within the stated timeline. Input on our end was minimal; you took on the project and ran with it.”