DCB - Glossary
- Ian Ibbotson (Use this one)
HostLMS - DCB works with instances of library management systems. Sometimes these systems support soft multitenancy, as in the case of Sierra “Cluster” systems. Sometimes they use hard multitennancy (Most FOLIO systems). HostLMS is our core abstraction for talking to an ILS system. A HostLMS can host zero, one or many “Agencies” (Usually Libraries). Identifiers for system resources such as locations, patrons, bibs, items and system codes are always shared within the context of a single HostLMS - e.g. in the context of a given Sierra install, patron type 201 always means “Normal circulating user” regardless of which agency hosted on that system is describing a patron.
Agency - The “Institutional” unit - an Agency could be a university, a public library or authority or other organisational construct. The Agency is the legal entity participating in resource sharing.
Location - Agencies are composed of lists of different kinds of Locations - Pickup Locations, Library Locations. Locations can be hierarchically arranged as needed to describe local arrangements, but the codes must be unique within the context of an Agency and within the enclosing HostLMS.
ShelvingLocation - Although technically a “Location”, shelving locations are given a special treatment in order to allow more dynamic modelling.
Operated as a Community Resource by the Open Library Foundation