[OPEN-ILS-DEV] SIP2: Unexpected Results from Patron Info Request (Msg 64)

[Brandon W. Uhlman]

Hi, all.

I think this question is probably going to be for David Fiander,  
mostly, if he still hangs out in these here parts. Maybe Bill or  
someone else with some general experience with SIP2 (not necessarily  
Evergreen) can provide some advice as well.

The SIP Message 63, Patron Information Request, takes a number of  
parameters, the most important of which is a patron barcode (AA). In  
response, the ACS responds with a message 64, Patron Information  
Response, which contains a bunch of information about the patron,  
name, various circulation limits, and a list of the items currently  
charged/overdue/on hold/etc.

Currently, title information on these items is being returned through  
a chain of  calls initiated by calling __circ_to_title(). Our SIP  
client vendor expects message 64 to return the item identifier  
(barcode). Further information about the item (including title) is  
received by issuing a message 17 (Item Information Request), and  
receiving back message 18, Item Information Response.

I think the SIP2 standard is poorly written enough that you can return  
any piece of information about the item and still adhere to it. The  
fact that a title can't be guaranteed to identify a *unique* item, and  
that numerous SIP2 requests on the client side, including msg 17 (info  
request) and 29 (renew) expect barcodes, leads me to believe that  
message 64 should *return* barcodes where it currently returns titles.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? If the general consensus is  
that msg 64 should return barcodes, I can prepare and submit a patch  
to that effect.

Thanks,

Brandon

======================================
Brandon W. Uhlman, Systems Consultant
Public Library Services Branch
Ministry of Education
Government of British Columbia
605 Robson Street, 5th Floor
Vancouver, BC  V6B 5J3

Phone: (604) 660-2972
E-mail: brandon.uhlman at gov.bc.ca
         brandon.uhlman at bclibrary.ca