- About Z39.50
- Technical Specifications
About Z39.50
Z39.50 is an international communications standard that specifies a client/server based protocol for searching and retrieving information from remote databases. The advantage of this standard is that computer systems can be separately developed with custom search syntaxes but can talk to each other as long as they comply with the protocol.
The database engine that underlies the library catalog comes with a Z39.50 server. Patrons can use standalone Z39.50 client software or bibliographic management software containing Z39.50 clients, like RefWorks, EndNote, or ProCite, to connect to the library catalog and search and retrieve citations relating to bibliographic records. This web page describes the elements that are needed to make a connection to the Z39.50 server and to perform successful searches of the library catalog.
Site Information
Organization Data
| Site Name: | Rutgers University Libraries |
| Address: | 169 College Ave |
| City: | New Brunswick |
| State/Prov: | NJ |
| Country: | USA |
| Zip Code: | 08901 |
Technical Support Point of Contact
Database Information
| Database Name: | Unicorn |
| Database Description: | Rutgers University Libraries Online Catalog |
Server Information
| Domain Name: | www.iris.rutgers.edu |
| Port Number: | 2200 |
| Server Software Vendor: | Sirsi Corporation |
| Implementation ID: | Unicorn 2001 Bath Lvl 1 |
Initialization Service
| Z39.50 Protocol Version: | 3 |
| Preferred Message Size: | 16000 bytes |
| Maximum Record Size: | 16000 bytes |
Server Options Supported
General Options
- Search
- Present
- Scan
- Sort
- Delete Result Set
- Named Result Sets
Attribute Type
- Type-1
- Type-101
Element Set Names
- Full
- Brief
Record Syntax
- MARC 21,SUTRS,XML
5.5 Attribute Set ID
- Bib-1 Attribute Set Profiles:
Encoding Definitions
The Z39.50 standards makes use of attributes to "code" a client's query so that the receiving server can process the query correctly. There are provisions for six encoding definitions in the Z39.50 standard.
- USE or INDEX
- - Specifies which data field(s) the query should be processed to
- RELATION
- - Controls the order of numerical expression
- POSITION
- - Specifies the location of term(s) within the fields for matching query
- STRUCTURE
- - Specifies the structure of data in the query
- TRUNCATION
- - Specifies type of truncation processing for query
- COMPLETENESS
- - Specifies query processing by subfield
Attribute Value Notes
| Relation Attributes | 1=less than | 2=less than or equal | 3=equal |
| 4=greater than or equal | 5=greater than | ||
| Position Attributes | 1=first in field | 3=any position in field | |
| Structure Attributes | 1=phrase | 2=word** | 4=year |
| 6=word list | 101=normalized name | ||
| Truncation Attributes | 1=right truncation | 100=do not truncate | |
| Completeness Attributes | 1=incomplete subfield | 3=complete field |
**As per the requirements of the Bath Profile, the server will not process a multi-term structure "word" search term. Multi-word keyword searches must be encoded as single "word" terms combined with the boolean "AND" operator.
Server Supported Attribute Table
| Z39.50 Bib-1 Value | Field Description | Unicorn Index (MARC Tag #) | Relation | Position | Structure | Truncation | Completeness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Title Search - Keyword | 130,222,240,241 242,245,246,440 490,730,740,830 |
3 | 3 | 2 | 100 | 1 |
| 4 | Title Search - Keyword with Right Truncation | 130,222,240,241 242,245,246,440 490,730,740,830 |
3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 4 | Title Search - Exact Match | 130,222,240,241 242,245,246,440 490,730,740,830 |
3 | 1 | 1 | 100 | 3 |
| 4 | Title Search - First Words in Field | 130,222,240,241 242,245,246,440 490,730,740,830 |
3 | 1 | 1 | 100 | 1 |
| 4 | Title Search - First Characters in Field | 130,222,240,241 242,245,246,440 490,730,740,830 |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 4 | Title Search - Unanchored Phrase | 130,222,240,241 242,245,246,440 490,730,740,830 |
3 | 3 | 1 | 100 | 1 |
| 21 | Subject Search - Keyword | 600,610,611,630 650,651,690,691 |
3 | 3 | 2 | 100 | 1 |
| 21 | Subject Search - Keyword with Right Truncation | 600,610,611,630 650,651,690,691 |
3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 21 | Subject Search - Exact Match | 600,610,611,630 650,651,690,691 |
3 | 1 | 1 | 100 | 3 |
| 21 | Subject Search - First Words in Field | 600,610,611,630 650,651,690,691 |
3 | 1 | 1 | 100 | 1 |
| 21 | Subject Search - First Characters in Field | 600,610,611,630 650,651,690,691 |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 21 | Subject Search - Unanchored Phrase | 600,610,611,630 650,651,690,691 |
3 | 3 | 1 | 100 | 1 |
| 31 | Date of Publication Search | PBYR | 1,2,3,4,5 | 1 | 4 | 100 | 1 |
| 1003 | Author Search - Precision Match for Established Name Heading | 100,600,700 | 3 | 3 | 101 | 100 | 1 |
| 1003 | Author Search - Precision Match for Established Name Heading with Right Truncation | 100,600,700 | 3 | 3 | 101 | 1 | 1 |
| 1003 | Author Search - Keyword | 100,600,700 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 100 | 1 |
| 1003 | Author Search - Keyword with Right Truncation | 100,600,700 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 1003 | Author Search - Exact Match | 100,600,700 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 100 | 3 |
| 1007 | Standard Identifier Search | 001,010,020,022,028 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 100 | 1 |
| 1016 | Any Search - Keyword | 3 | 3 | 2 | 100 | 1 | |
| 1016 | Any Search - Keyword with Right Truncation | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |
| 1016 | Any Search - Unanchored Phrase | 3 | 3 | 1 | 100 | 1 |
