OPAC SBN web interface

  • The first web version to be developed was mainly search-oriented; it was addressed both to users who had little experience of the structure of bibliographical data and search techniques (i.e. users who performed simple searches on the whole catalogue) and to more expert users from one or both point of views, who could carry out searches on database subsets (Modern Book, Ancient Book, Music), having at their disposal specific access points for the type of bibliographic record required and more sophisticated technical tools (such as a choice among several Boolean operators) as well; any search could be refined during the subsequent steps. 
  • The second web version, SBN On-line, was tailored mainly to services, particularly to the SBN ILL interlibrary loan and document delivery service; furthermore, localizations could lead users to the local OPACs, where additional information on the availability of documents were to be found; bibliographic records could also be visualized in UNIMARC and USMARC formats and exported in UNIMARC format for derived cataloguing. In addition to the SBN catalogue, SBN On-line made it possible to query other Z39.50 bibliographic, archive, and museum catalogues, in order to achieve the interoperability among various kinds of catalogues, which was one of the goals of the ONE-2 European programme, within whose framework SBN On-line was developed. 
  • Another web interface of the OPAC SBN system was to be found on the Internet Culturale portal, developed in 2005 within the framework of the Italian Digital Library and the Cultural Tourism Network project. In this portal, OPAC SBN was put together with other types of bibliographic searches (including other Italian and foreign Z39.50 catalogues), searches related to digital objects, information on digital collections, cultural itineraries, links to other information resources and portal services. In addition to functions concerning searches, viewing and export of bibliographic records in the SBN catalogue, links to the ILL SBN services and integration with the local OPACs (already available in the previous interfaces), new services are provided, including links to the Italian Libraries Database and access to the digital objects collected within the portal, as well as some personalized services (selective viewing of localizations [all of them, only those related to services of interest for the user, or none], saving of bibliographic records, saving of search settings) which can be maintained for registered users also beyond a single search session. 
  • As of December 2007, the first two web interfaces of the OPAC SBN system have been replaced by a new OPAC SBN interface that complies with the Public Administration guidelines for web site standards; this unified interface draws together all functions included in the two previous interfaces, and adds several new ones. Users can perform searches at various complexity levels over the whole SBN catalogue or subsets thereof, and can refine search results in subsequent steps; they can visualize the bibliographic records resulting from their searches in several formats (and also export them, if needed); it is also possible to move from localizations to the Italian Libraries Database (in order to get  information concerning contacts and services related to the library in question), to move to local OPACs (for detailed information on document availability) and send requests for the delivery of documents or inter-library loan as part of the ILL SBN service. A new developed function allows users to also search for ‘authority archives’ (the archives of authority records ensurecoherence to the catalogue), concerning at the moment name of persons that have been processed at a ‘high level’ ; the authority records can also be ‘recalled’ from analytical bibliographic records. The new unified interface also makes it possible to search in other Z39.50 catalogues. 
  • As of September 2011, the new version of OPAC SBN can be consulted.