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NCIP Implementer Registry

A website that allows vendors to share information about their implementations of the

NISO Circulation Interchange Protocol (ANSI/NISO Z39.83, Parts 1 and 2). NCIP

addresses the need for interoperability among disparate circulation, interlibrary loan, and

related applications by standardizing the exchange of messages between and among

computer-based applications.

At this time, the following vendors have indicated their use of NCIP by signing up for the

registry: Auto-Graphics, Ex Libris, Innovative Interfaces, Inc., and Rapid Radio. The

registry is linked from the NCIP website (www.niso.org/workrooms/ncip) and from the

NCIP maintenance agency site (www.ncip.info).

The registry allows vendors to enter information about their implementations of Version 1

of the standard, now deprecated but still widely used, and Version 2 of the standard, the

current version of the standard adopted in 2008. Vendors may participate in the standard’s

implementation as an initiator of messages, a responder to messages, or both.

By making this information publicly available, libraries will be able to see which vendors

currently support NCIP, which version(s) of the standard are supported, and which

messages in the standard are supported. In 2010 the NCIP Standing Committee defined

two sets of core messages for accomplishing essential tasks: the Resource Sharing and the

Self-Service. All required messages must be enabled for a vendor to claim support for a
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core message set. Depending on the role the vendor is playing in the transaction, the vendor

must either support the messages as an initiator or responder.

NCIP Standing Committee member Susan Campbell (Research & Development

Consultant, College Center for Library Automation), who, with Mary Jackson (Product

Manager, Resource Sharing, Auto-Graphics) developed the Drupal-based registry for the

committee, noted, “The new registry builds on years of work on NCIP. It is a key next step

to help libraries better understand which vendors provide NCIP, which NCIP messages are

supported, and how those might in turn support what the library needs in order to more

efficiently provide resource sharing or self-service services to their users. I am pleased to

make this registry available and look forward to seeing its growth.”

Rob Walsh, President of EnvisionWare, the Maintenance Agency for NCIP, as well as co-

chair for NISO’s Discovery to Delivery Topic Committee, which provides oversight to the

NCIP Standing Committee, added, “This is a wonderful step forward for NCIP. The

registry is just one of the tools that the Standing Committee has been working on to

support NCIP implementers and users. By making this information more broadly

available, the community will be able to make better informed decisions to help meet their

customers’ and patrons’ needs.”

The NCIP Standing Committee is working to develop additional user tools. For more

information, visit the NCIP website atwww.niso.org/workrooms/ncip or the NCIP

maintenance agency home at www.ncip.info.

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