Thailis Union Catalog solutions are designed to support a physical union catalog implementation using the Virtua Library Automation System.
The system design is based on a three-tier architecture, where the processing is intelligently distributed between the client and the server software. Application software may be on the same or different server.
While developing the database, a Working Committee of representatives from member libraries carefully considered the different requirements of Librarians and Patrons, to strike the right balance during duplicate control. The objective was to provide a quality record with links to Holdings in local Libraries. The patron can then follow these links to see the status and for further transactions in the local system.
The intelligent design of Virtua allows the system to be distributed to multiple servers that can be platform independent, an ideal feature for very large databases or situations where future growth is to be accommodated.
Each member library has a different interface for all search and retrieval functions, which can be further customized to their requirements. Even in a multivendor
environment, the system is able to link and allow users to view holdings information at local system by searching the Union Catalog using Virtua iPortal. This permits a seamless integration between the features and facilities like circulation, requests etc., offered by the two disparate systems
