LSO Systems & Services

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LSO Systems & Services

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The Columbia University Library Systems Office (LSO) supports extensive production-level hardware and software for the Columbia University Libraries system.

CLIO

The Columbia Libraries Information Online system, or CLIO, was originally created at Northwestern University as "NOTIS," and is now being marketed and supported by Ameritech Library Services. At Columbia, CLIO is a large MVS/CICS application running under VM and sharing an IBM ES9121, Model 621 with the University's administrative systems. It supports direct access from some 350 terminals, networked access from all campus buildings and dorms, and substantial access over the Internet. LSO takes full advantage of the availability of NOTIS source code by programming new system features to enhance the online public access catalog (OPAC) and increase staff productivity. In Summer 2003, the Libraries will replace NOTIS with the Voyager system marketed and supported by Endeavor Information Systems.

Servers & LANs

LSO maintains four 486/Pentium Novell servers with over 200 nodes supporting staff workstations, networked public-access CD-ROMS, and other types of use. We are still using Novell release 3.11, but are working toward a campus-wide migration to 4.1 later this calendar year. Our central CD ROM "farm" currently includes some 40 disks. There are approximately 150 non-Novell networked PCs (using straight tcp/ip, NFS), and some 150 stand-alone machines. All staff PCs are in the process of being upgraded to Windows 95; public PCs will also be upgraded when security concerns have been addressed. We use a 20-gig Optical Jukebox for system and user backups. We also manage a "legacy" network of approximately 10 NextStations, still used for mission-critical Financial applications and system development. Early in 1996 it was decided to migrate library staff workstations to Windows 95; Windows NT workstation will be evaluated for certain specialized types of applications.

Graphical Public Access Terminals

During 1995 and 1996, LSO has also deployed for patron use some 35 17" Color X-terminal within the twenty departments that constitute Columbia Libraries, and will continue to aggressively upgrade older public terminals to color x-terms to provide a broad workstation infrastructure for patron access to our growing digital library collections of images, texts and multimedia. All LAN and WAN-type networking, including Novell/IPX, is carried over the campus Ethernet/FDDI infrastructure.

Unix Servers

In 1995 and 1996, LSO acquired a SparcStation 5, a SparcStation 20, and an IBM RS6000 server for development of new networked applications, especially those that integrate and enhance library resources using the World Wide Web and related technologies. We have begun to migrate all telnet/vt100-based services over to the Web to be able to provide distributed graphical, hypertext access to both local and remote information resources.

Library Training Center

The Libraries' computer training center is managed by LSO and includes 8 Windows/Novell-networked PCs, 8 IBM terminals, several Xterms, and an instructor's workstation with an overhead projector and LCD panel.