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National Library News

October 1995, vol. 27, no. 10

Information Network for Ontario

by Barbara Franchetto, Director of Resource Sharing, Southern Ontario Library Service

The purpose of the Information Network for Ontario (INFO) is to provide all citizens of Ontario with equitable access to information regardless of where they live. While libraries provide services that meet many community needs, they cannot meet all the informational, cultural and recreational needs of their citizens. Using INFO, a library can provide people with access to the information resources of public libraries across the province and beyond.

This phase of INFO will provide electronic access to the resources of other public libraries through a provincial information network which has two major components.

CD-ROM-based provincial database:

The combined efforts of the Metropolitan Toronto Reference Library, the Ontario Library Service-North, the Southern Ontario Library Service, and the public libraries of Ontario, have resulted in a CD-ROM union catalogue of the collected holdings of Ontario's 175 automated public libraries. The set of seven CD-ROMs contains bibliographic information and locations for 4.5 million books, CDs, videos, films, talking books, periodicals and newspapers. The CD-ROM catalogue's system uses Auto-Graphics IMPACT software. The user interface is easy to use, and the search software ensures accurate and comprehensive information retrieval by employing sophisticated searching techniques. The creation of this database has resulted in much retrospective conversion activity among those libraries that are not currently automated. INFO will publish the third edition of this union catalogue in 1995.

Message management software:

In January 1995, the Metropolitan Toronto Reference Library, the Ontario Library Service-North and the Southern Ontario Library Service completed contract negotiations with ISM Library Information Services for the use of AVISO and Postmaster software products to continue development of INFO.

The provincial database enables libraries to search and locate items they wish to borrow. With the AVISO interlibrary loan and messaging software, public libraries will be able to combine the search and retrieval of bibliographic data and locations with an automated requests form. Requests will be sent online to the Postmaster in one of the three agencies and automatically forwarded to an appropriate lending library. The agencies and a number of public libraries throughout the province put AVISO and Postmaster through a vigorous series of tests to ensure that the software products meet INFO specifications and performance requirements. Acceptance was announced early in June and the software is being released to public libraries in the fall of 1995 accompanied by a strong training and support program. When implementation is complete, almost 400 public libraries in Ontario will be connected to INFO.

The implementation of INFO will result in:

expanded access to public library collections through the use of the CD-ROM catalogue;
extended public library participation in resource sharing as more and more add information on their collections to the union catalogue;
simplified interlibrary loan service with locating and messaging in integrated steps;
cost-effective resource sharing that minimizes the operational costs of the system for participating agencies and libraries;
introduction of automation in smaller communities and greatly enhanced skills in information technology;
creation of a base upon which to introduce enhanced INFO services such as Internet access.

The INFO project is funded by the people of Ontario through the Ministry of Citizenship, Culture and Recreation.

For more information on INFO, contact:

Barbara Franchetto
Director of Resource Sharing
Southern Ontario Library Service
55 West Beaver Creek, Unit 50
Richmond Hill, Ontario
L4B 1K5
Telephone: (905) 771-1522
Fax: (905) 771-1526
Internet: b_franchetto@sols.on.ca