Data Research Associates

1276 North Warson Road PO Box 8495 St. Louis, MO 63132-1806 Telephone: 314-432-1100 Fax: 314-993-8927 E-mail: sales@dra.com URL: www.dra.com BACKGROUND Open DRA Net is a bibliographic utility operated by Data Research Associates (DRA), a leading supplier of integrated library systems that support public catalog access, circulation control, and other operations. It is an outgrowth of DRA Net, a computer service established in 1980 as an online cataloging utility for customers of DRA's library automation systems. Over time, DRANet incorporated additional information resources, including subject-oriented databases that contain citations to journal articles and other publications. In 1992, the DRA Net service became available to all libraries, whether or not Data Research Associates was their automation vendor. It was renamed Open DRA Net to reflect its broadened availability. Open DRA Net's cataloging support capabilities are obtained through a cataloging module that is incorporated into DRA's integrated library systems. That module, which supports both original cataloging and cataloging with copy, consists of programs that run on a library's local automation system, as opposed to the computer on which the Open DRA Net database resides. Open DRA Net consequently differs sharply from OCLC, RLIN, WLN, and the Interactive Access System discussed elsewhere in this issue. Libraries that do not use Data Research Associates as their automation vendor can access Open DRA Net with other software products, such as the ITS for Windows program from The Library Corporation. Alternatively, Open DRA Net cataloging records can be downloaded as "screen prints" for local editing by a word processing program. Libraries can also access Open DRA Net's information resources, including the LC MARC database, for reference and research purposes. The following discussion is limited to cataloging support functions and related capabilities that are directly associated with Open DRA Net. Additional functions supported by DRA's integrated library automation systems are described by Saffady (1996). EQUIPMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS Open DRA Net operates on a Z39.50 server located at DRA's headquarters. It can be accessed through leased telephone lines or the Internet. A publicly accessible version is available at the following telnet address: "dra.com." Libraries equipped with DRA's integrated systems will typically access Open DRA Net through workstations attached to their local systems. Open DRA Net can be accessed by any Z39.50 client, whether or not it is a DRA product. The publicly accessible telnet site requires a VT100 terminal or microcomputer equipped with appropriate terminal emulation software. DATABASE CHARACTERISTICS As its most important resource file, Open DRA Net provides online access to the LC MARC database of cataloging and authority records produced by the Library of Congress. The Open DRA Net database contains all MARC records offered by the LC Cataloging Distribution Service as part of their "Complete Service," which includes the Books Ail, Maps, Music, Serials, and Visual Materials segments of the LC MARC database. Cataloging records for works published in non-roman scripts are romanized. The Complete Service contains approximately six million cataloging records produced by the Library of Congress from 1968 to 1997. Approximately 280,000 new records are added annually. Open DRA Net also provides online access to cataloging databases created by other libraries. Typically, such libraries are installation sites for DRA's integrated library systems. Examples include the Cleveland Public Library, the Memphis-Shelby County Public Library, the University of Toronto, and the Southeastern Library Cooperative in Rochester, Minnesota. Access to cataloging records contained in specific library databases available on Open DRA Net is governed by individual agreements with the producing institutions. …