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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.
Last revision: 1/14/98
© Columbia University Libraries