The goal of this project is to expand the integrated library system, Online Catalog of Local Libraries (ONCALL), presently serving the libraries of Buffalo General Health System and Millard Fillmore Health Systems, to five additional hospitals (at eight library sites) all of which are members of the Library Consortium of Health Institutions in Buffalo (LCHIB). This shared library catalog resource will advance the added goals of: (1) facilitating more effective coordinated collection development among the LCHIB libraries, (2) providing a single, common resource for hospital library materials in Western New York, (3) expanding access to such information to both the professional community and the public at large, and (4) improving overall library services through the efficient use of information technology at all participating libraries. The objectives of this project will be achieved by building on the work already accomplished during the """"""""pilot project"""""""" phase of this effort. Leveraging the human capital, computer server hardware, and experience of those involved, the LCHIB will extend that phase to a Consortium-wide project, bringing together their collective resources to implement the ONCALL II system. Access to the system will be provided via computer workstations located at all library sites as well as through Internet connectivity to the Web-based (WebCat) interface. Gateways to the State University of New York at Buffalo?s online library catalog (BISON), WNYNet -Western New York?s Regional Union Catalog, and HUBNET, the LCHIB?s collection of health and biomedical databases will also be provided. End users will be able to request information through the system using the telecommunications infrastructure in place, including electronic mail, at the University of Buffalo and its teaching hospitals and clinics.
