1. A B C D
Introduction to the ABCD software as an ISIS- and WWW-based integrated library management tool

2. Overview Background information Technology overview
Installation issues
Modules overview
Management and planning

3. Background information 1
ABCD = Automatisación de Bibliotécas y Centros de Documentación
ABCD = WinISIS + KOHA
ISIS database creation and structures definition
ISIS PFT's creation with testing
ISO-2709 import/export, import from text files and CSV with conversion tables
All main library management functions : cataloguing, OPAC, loans, statistics, serials management, portal, acquisitions

4. Background information 2
ABCD is a BIREME initiative supported by VLIR/UDC
BIREME avails not only their best existing web-based ISIS applications (SeCS, EMP, iAH) but also their experts co-ordinated by E. Spinak and hired G. Ascencio (Venezuela) to contribute from her Orbital Documental products
All BIREME ISIS-technology culminates into ABCD !
VLIR/UDC (Flemish University Development Co-operation) selected ABCD as preferred ILS and contributes funding and will provide French version plus training materials + pilot workshop through DOCBIBLAS project (E. de Smet)‏

5. Background information 3
ABCD aims at :
Providing ISIS-users community with an integrated library system
which is suitable also for university libraries as per requirements of VLIR/UDC
e.g. MARC, AGRIS, METS, Z39.50, thesaurus-support
High volumes (at least up to 500K full records)‏
(close to) state-of-the-art functionality
Which can be(come) an alternative to KOHA c.s. for ISIS-users building on the existing ISIS reality

6. Background information 4
Planning of the development :
September 2008 : first beta version distributed for testing at Rio ISIS3 conference, including :
Database management
Cataloguing in MARC + CEPAL structures
OPAC + Serials Management + Portal
End 2008 : full version 1.0
+ Circulation + Statistics
March 2009 : Training materials in English, Spanish and French

7. Background information 5
Planning of 1st phase users :
University libraries in Latin-America, e.g.
UMSS (Cochabamba, Bolivia)‏
UCLV and public libraries network (Cuba)‏
University libraries in Africa. e.g.
Moi University (Eldoret, Kenya)‏
Mekelle and Jimma University (Ethiopia)‏
Sokoine University (Tanzania)‏
Some 4 – 5 other VLIR/UDC partner universities are queuing (Suriname, Peru, Ecuador, Mozambique)‏
... many others for sure !
=> not just a newcomer on the scene…

8. ABCD Technology 1 WEB-based :
The software runs as web-pages in a web-browser (IE, FF, Opera, Chrome, Safari...) served by a web-server (Apache, Xitami, IIS)‏
Client-server can run on 'localhost' ( ) on any PC with Windows or UNIX/Linux
Pages are written in PHP (v5.2)‏
E.g. HTML Editor controls can be used
PFT's can contain all HTML codes as literals, including e.g. JavaScripts (e.g. to create links in OPAC)
Links are web-links (<A HREF>)‏ and multimedia is provided by HTML

9. ABCD Technology 2 ABCD is ISIS-based :
All data are stored in ISIS-databases
Until 2009 : 'classic ISIS-technology' upgraded with CISIS extensions, i.e. MST+XRF with 1Mb records upto 4 Gb databases, IF with 60-character keys
From 2009 : 'seamless' migration to NBP
ISIS-Script is used for data retrieval
(C)ISIS Formatting Language is used throughout
Existing ISIS-databases and their structures can be imported

10. ABCD Technology 3 ABCD uses PHP : ABCD uses JavaScript and AJAX
Current version 5.2
Free OS software with large developers community and very wide usage
Easy installation, often together with Apache, e.g. WAMP, XAMP, EasyPHP...
Already offers a wealth of 'controls' (existing codes for almost any popular function), e.g. calendar, HTML Editor etc.
Strong links with e.g. (MySQL and) Postgres e.g. to be used in future Loans module
ABCD uses JavaScript and AJAX
as part of its HTML-capabilities
for enhanced interactivity and flexibility

11. ABCD Technology 4 Client-server with 2 options :
CGI (Common Gateway Interface) : if $url variable is defined in config.php, this 'classic' protocol will be used to call the wxis-server to serve ISIS-pages
Advantages : widely used, more secure
Direct executable calling : if no $url variable is defined in config.php, PHP will directly 'exec' the wxis-server as a call to the OS
Advantages : (a bit) faster
Disadvantage : less secure, e.g. Windows 'cmd' needs 'executable rights' on WWW-sharing

12. ABCD Installation 1 Web-server : Apache PHP
Both are free OS softwares, most resp. very widely used web-server resp. scripting engine
Both can be installed independently or as part of packages such as WAMP, XAMP, EasyPHP
Apache needs PHP-modules to be included (in httpd.conf) LoadModule php5_module "c:/wamp/bin/php/php5.2.5/php5apache2_2.dll"
Apache needs 'Alias‘ declared in httpd.conf for :
'abcd' for the folder \abcd\www\htdocs
'bases' for the folder \abcd\www\bases
ScriptAlias for the folder \abcd\www\cgi-bin

13. ABCD Installation 2
If not working : open in your browser \abcd\www\htdocs\php\test\test.php
Test on PHP installation
Test on WXIS being available, executable and having access to users-DB
ABCD-users can/should be created first (by administration super-user : login 'abcd', password 'adm') :
Create user
Link to pre-listed DBs as 1 of 4 possible levels

14. ABCD Installation 3 4 user levels for added security :
System Administrator : 'access to all areas' (superuser, be careful !!)‏
Database Administrator : can change, modify read and write the given database
Database Operator : can read and write the given database
Loans Operator : can read and write only the Loans database

15. ABCD Modules 1 Database management
Creation and modification of database structures
Internal and external database ID
Can be copied from existing WinISIS-databases or from existing ABCD-databases
Can be created 'from scratch' with FDT, FST, FMT and PFT-editors
Updating of created database structures
FDT, FST, FMT, PFT + record validation
Advanced search form (for cataloging) definition
Help files

16. ABCD Modules 2 Database management : Utils
Initialise DB
Delete DB
Lock/unlock DB
Help pages and translation editing
Browsing database folder
OPAC configuration for DB

17. ABCD Modules 3 Cataloguing with main handy (!) toolbar :
Browsing MFN's
Searching by form, A-Z browser
New or copied record, Z39.50 downloading
Edit, stop edit, save or delete record
Print, tools (import/export, GMOD, locks, IF)‏
Help pages, Home

18. ABCD Modules 4
Serials Management with SeCS module

19. ABCD Modules 5
OPAC searching with iAH

20. ABCD Modules 6
The ABCD interactive portal : allows ‘localisation’, news/messages
localhost/site/admin/index.php : allows editing of ALL elements of the ‘site’ (portal/home page), e.g.
Which databases to search in meta-search
Which links to provide for external resources for meta-search
Which partners exist in the network with other information resources
Communication : newsletter etc..

21. ABCD Modules 7 : Loans administration 1
Configuration screen :
Identify source DB
Configure users DB
User and items types definitions
Loans policy for objects (per user/item type, days/hours, fines, reservation conditions etc.)
Currency + calendar definition
Users management (editing of simple database with names, categories, etc.)

22. ABCD Modules 7 : Loans administration 2
Transactions :
Loan or return :
Identification of the user by code (e.g. barcode)
Identification of the object by code (e.g. barcode)
Table display of all object in use by user with immediate options to return
Reports and statistics : not yet available (expected decembe 2008)

23. ABCD Modules 8
Statistics and reports : preview

24. ABCD Modules 9 Acquisitions management
Not yet available, expected March 2009

25. ABCD : Management 1 Timing :
Test version (beta) to be tested September-December 2008
Loans, Statistics + Acquisition modules to be developed by December 2008
loans/statistics : 75% ready now (September)‏
Acquisitions : simple 'pre-cataloguing' module will be produced by end of 2008
Training materials (in En, Sp, Fr) to be produced by March 2009

26. ABCD Management 2 Other additional developments :
Loans module using Postgres with dynamic coupling over LDAP to existing user-registration systems
UMSS (Cochabamba, Bolivia) is interested to do this
French version to be produced (by DOCBIBLAS project from VLIR/UDC)‏
Arabic version ? => is being planned
...
???

27. ABCD Management Separate from ISIS co-ordination or not ?
Communication through ISIS-list or dedicated OS-tools ?
Co-ordination through BIREME
Who ?
How ?
Migration to NBP in 2009 : how, guidance ?

28. ABCD configuration : directory structure
Main subfolders in /ABCD :
apache : the Apache server software
php : the PHP scripting software
www : the application directory
www-subdirectory :
bases (see infra)
htdocs : the ‘home folder’ for Apache
Apache configuration : httpd.conf
ServerRoot "/ABCD/apache“
Listen 9090 (to use port 9090 instead of 80)
PHPIniDir "/ABCD/php"
DocumentRoot "/ABCD/www/htdocs“
ScriptAlias /cgi-bin/ "/ABCD/www/cgi-bin/"

29. ABCD configuration (1) : config.php
Start sequence: index.php includes config.php and calls inicio.php, which includes homepage.php
config.php in /htdocs is crucial file as it contains the main ‘variables’ of the system :
$db_path="/ABCD/www/bases/";
Also : paths for images, wxis-server and scripts
$lang="en";
$lang_db="en";
$wxisUrl=""; //"
$institution_name="BIREME in co-operation with VLIR/UOS";
$distributor_url="
inicio.php and homepage.php create the visible pages

30. ABCD configuration (2) :
header.php : rather standard => don’t change
footer.php : version and year information
the use of CSS :
php/styles : basic.css
php/css : layout.css, styles.css and template.css
But : many other CSS for other modules still to be made homogenous for non-beta version …

31. ABCD configuration (3) : databases
The folder ‘www/bases’ is the default database-folder for ABCD
A subdirectory ‘PAR’ contains the parameter-files for all databases
E.g. ‘users.par’ : users.*=/ABCD/www/bases/users/data/users.*
In case of ‘exe’ (not cgi) setup : environment variable %path_database% can be used, e.g. dblil.*=%path_database%dblil/data/dblil.*

32. ABCD configuration (4) : databases
Each database has the following directory-structure :
pfts : for each language-subdirectory PFT’s and TAB’s
def : for each language-subdirectory FDT’s and TAB’s
data : the MST/XRF/IFP files
cnv : for conversion files
ayudas : for help files (for each DB in each language)
bases.dat (in /bases) : text-file with internal/external names
E.g. marc|Marc catalogue
lang.tab : text-file with language codes

33. ABCD configuration : names, logo’s etc.
Index.php <div header class> header presents heading names :
<div class="institutionalInfo"> <h1>BIREME - Centro Latino Americano e do Caribe de Informação em Ciências da Saúde</h1> <h2>ABCD</h2> </div>
E.g. for main OPAC-portal page : C:\ABCD\www\bases\site\html\en\bvs.html: contains reference to logo’s
E.g. main logo left : <img src="/img/logovliruos.png“ …
E.g. logo’s to UN-bodies right : <img src="../image/public/skins/classic/en/logoOpas.gif" alt="BIREME | PAHO | WHO logo"/>

34. ABCD main pages Supposing : localhost:90
Cataloguing :
Loans : idem, login as ‘Loans administrator’
Portal with OPAC :
Portal CMS :
Serials Control :

35. ABCD test passwords administration of ABCD portal : SeCS-Web :
user: adm
pass: x
SeCS-Web :
administrador: admsecs/ADM
ABCD : cataloguing + Loans
administrador abcd / adm

36. ABCD users management
Before everything else : create your own administrator login and password and delete the default one.
Start from : ‘Data Entry’ (cataloguing)
Each user needs to get assigned all databases to get access to !
For each database : access level (administrator/db admin/db operator/loans operator) needs to be defined!

37. The extended FDT of ABCD (1)
Row
Type :
Field or Group (=repeatable field with subfields)
Fixed Field
MARC fixed field and leader
Line or heading
Tag
Name/title of field

38. The extended FDT of ABCD (2)
I : Identifier field : the field to be used for listing the records in the A->Z list
Only one can be identified as such
Repeatable
Subfield delimiters
Pre-literals : punctuation to replace subfield-delimiters in data-entry
Input type : all HTML types + table, date, password, upload file

39. The extended FDT of ABCD (3)
Picklist definition :
Type : DB, Thesaurus or table
Name (of DB, thesaurus or table)
Prefix : used to identify index-section
Browse : details of external picklist
Display format : PFT to show items in picklist, can be external PFT e.g. with ‘select…. endsel’ series to adjust to different fieldtags
Extract as format : PFT to define what to enter
Default value
Help page for use with this entry

40. Definition of the FST

41. Creation of PFT’s

42. Definition of validation rules