End of BTCat?

Following Baker & Taylor's October announcement that it would wind down its business, we've still been able to search the BTCat cataloging database...until today (Friday, Dec. 19). We don't have any firm word from the company but this could be the end for BTCat as a source of MARC records.

Results of MARC Needs Assessment Survey

Back in October we sent out a survey to gather input on MARC record use in NH libraries. Thank you to everyone who responded to that survey!  

We have compiled the results and will use this data to inform our research into what the next step will be for NHAIS cataloging resources. We hope to have a plan in place at the start of the new year. 

Needs Assessment - MARC Records for NHAIS Libraries

Given the changed environment in the library cataloging world after the demise of Baker & Taylor, NHSL is asking NHAIS libraries to complete a short survey to give us a clear picture of the cataloging needs within your libraries. This input will guide our decision making as we move forward without the option of the BTCat MARC source we had expected to make available.

We are hoping to hear from ALL the NHAIS interlibrary loan participants and any other NH library that has thoughts to share on this topic. The survey will remain open until the end of the day on Monday, November 10, 2025. We are looking for as much input on this question as possible, so if you have an opinion about this please complete the survey, we will be able to tell if we got multiple responses from the same library and will take that into account when analyzing the responses. 

 

The link to the survey is https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MARCfall2025 

Setting Up a Z-Target in Koha

 Many NH libraries use Koha for their ILS, including the State Library. To help those libraries transition to the new BTcat Z39.50 here are the steps to follow to switch your Z39.50 target from NHU-PAC to BTcat.

1. Log into your Koha system with a login that has Administrative privileges
2. From the main menu select "Koha Admin"
3. Under "Additional Parameters" in the lower right corner select "Z39.50/SRU Servers"
4. At the top left of the screen click the button marked "+ New Z39.50 server"
5. Complete the fields as shown in the image below -- you will need to call the NHAIS Help Desk to get the password
6. Click the yellow save button when you are done

To remove the NHU-PAC Z-target find it in the list of targets and at the far right side of the screen there is an "Action" button on the line you want to get rid of. Click the arrow on that button and choose "delete".

If you have similar instructions for another ILS, please send them to the NHAIS Help Desk and we will gladly share them. 

Access BTCat Records via Z39.50

As we announced earlier this month, we are setting up access to BTcat, a cataloging resource, for all NHAIS libraries who wish to use it. 

The first phase of this project is to make new Z39.50 configuration info available to replace the access libraries have been using to NHU-PAC for downloading MARC bibliographic records.

The configuration info for the NHAIS BTcat Ztarget is on our training page. You will need to contact the NHAIS Help Desk for the password. 

If you have not set up a Z39.50 target before you may want to contact the vendor for your ILS to do this for you (or show you how to do it yourself).