Tuesday, January 26, 1999
Students, faculty anxiously await Orion system upgrade
TECHNOLOGY: After delays, new web-based catalogue should debut
this spring
By Jaime Wilson-Chiru
Daily Bruin Contributor
Come spring quarter, students will no longer have to deal with
the hassles of an outdated computer system to find library
books.
ORION2, which is a web-based system designed to facilitate
access to library materials, will allow students to view all
library material records from any Internet link.
Though ORION2 was originally slated for release in fall 1998,
technical problems delayed the release until this coming
spring.
"It’s very hard to predict how long the development will take.
As we look at the system, we think of things we want to change,"
said Terry Ryan, associate university librarian for systems. "We
want to be happy with the system we put out."
While ORION2 will be equipped with almost the same abilities as
its predecessor, it will also be able to integrate with other
systems such as my.ucla and MELVYL, a combined catalogue of all UC
library resources.
"We have about six million records on ORION," Ryan said, "Five
million of which are UCLA’s."
When a web-type interface became popular earlier this decade,
the library decided to update the system so it would live up to the
standards of computer users.
"(ORION) worked well for 30 years as what is was" Ryan said.
Before the Internet explosion in the early 1990s, all libraries
used a system similar to ORION.
Now that over 50 million people use the Internet, a web-based
system makes library information more accessible.
In addition, ORION2 will not be affected by the Y2K problem.
"(ORION) will not gracefully turn the century," Ryan said,
explaining the technology used to build ORION is obsolete and does
not allow expansion like ORION2 will.
The older ORION system uses technology that’s 20 or 30 years
old," said Stephen Schwartz, head of Library Information Systems
Development.
Schwartz is in charge of several teams responsible for testing
the system and training people to use it.
The new system will also allow easier access to more library
resources than was ever possible with the first ORION.
The Southern Regional Library Facility (SRLF), a facility that
stores old collections from the five southern UC campuses, is not a
browsable collection. But any student, through ORION2, can request
a material and have it delivered to campus within 24 hours.
"We’ll be able to take full advantage of the BruinCard," said
Claire Bellanti, head of access services at Charles E. Young
Research Library. Instead of using bar code numbers, students can
perform self-service functions, such as renewing books, using their
BruinCard number.
Originally, ORION2 was scheduled for completion before fall
quarter 1998, but technical problems delayed the release of the
system.
Schwartz says UCLA is pioneering the use of this technology.
Meanwhile, systems development is searching for a way to
efficiently transfer materials from the old system to the new
system.
"We’ve been working on it for three years," Schwartz said.
UCLA is considered a "beta site," or rather the first user, of a
new system. "Our job is to find bugs and do performance testing,"
said Schwartz.
Schwartz added that these "bugs" have been a definite factor in
the late release of ORION2.
As for technical difficulties, Schwartz said because UCLA will
be the first to use the new technology, that he expected to have to
work out the bugs.
Schwartz said if all goes as planned, 400 people will be able to
use the new system simultaneously.
Several other universities intend on using the new software,
including UCSB and Harvard.
Though the first ORION was built entirely by UCLA, this time
Data Research Associates has been contracted to develop ORION2.
"When you develop your own system, you have to pay for software
development," Ryan said. Having Data Research develop the system
eases the strain on UCLA’s pocketbook.
UCLA has been working closely with Data Research in order to
develop the best system possible. "We are their highest priority,"
Ryan said. "So far I’ve been very pleasantly impressed."
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