SIP 3.0 Ready for Implementation

SIP3 has just been released and it provides many new messages which means communication between ILS/LMS and your self-check, sorters, security system, PC management system....will be easier to implement and you'll have more options.  That is IF your ILS vendor supports it!  

So, make sure you start adding a requirement for SIP3 support to your procurement documents.

Here's what's new:

  • allow creation / registration of patrons from self-service devices
  • allow patrons to update their PINs / Passwords from a self-service device in the library
  • allow patrons to update their home addresses and phone numbers
  • support for handling electronic resources
  • support for staff overrides on self-service circulation
  • support for sortation systems
  • support for PC Management systems
  • added some other new messages simplify implementation and clarify usage
  • added Undo Checkout and Undo Check-in messages to simplify implementation. It has been confusing for many developers to send a Check-in w/cancel flag to cancel a Checkout and send a Checkout w/cancel flag to cancel a Check-in. This was confounded by the fact that many ILS vendors did not support cancelling a transaction and would then proceed as a standard check-in (if cancelling a checkout) causing the patron to be removed from the hold list.
  • added Off-line Checkout and Off-line Check-in messages to support off-line processing
  • added Unsupported Message Response to indicate that the message request is not supported by the library system
  • added Grouped data.  Data can now be grouped to provide all information required for a specific event. For example, a fee consists of the following fields: fee identifier, currency code, fee amount, and fee type. These fields can now be grouped together to simplify the passing of multiple fees on a single request or response message. Each set of group data starts with a group identifier and ends with a group end field.