Summer Reader - Authentication


Authentication is the means by which the Summer Reading application connects to your ILS system and confirms that a patron record exists for the library card number used. The 2 methods supported by Summer Reader are "III (Patron API)" and "SIP2".

This article applies to version 8 and newer of the Summer Reader software. You must be logged in as administrator to see the links described below.

Configuring Summer Reader to use authentication is a matter of configuring the connection and opening the path to the ILS server. Similar to what would be done when adding a self-checkout station. Configuring the connection is done through the Summer Reader software from the 'Authentication Setup' link on the main maintenance page. Opening the path to the ILS server can consist of many devices and configurations.

Opening the path to the ILS system

You will probably need to enlist the help of your IT staff and/or ILS company to open the path from the Summer Reader application and the ILS system. Because the equipment used can be considerably different for each application we cannot cover the actual configuration changes needed. Instead, here is a list of the most common devices and what should be done.

107.23.147.38
107.23.135.42
207.250.85.106
207.250.104.106
207.250.104.108

Authentication Setup

The 'Authentication Setup' link on the main maintenance page is how you configure the Summer Reader application to authenticate with your ILS system. You will need to log in as an administrator to see this link.

Clicking on the 'Authentication Setup' link will bring up the configuration page. The major components of this page are; the authentication configuration, a 'Field Setup' button, a 'Patron Type Setup' button and a 'Test' button. There is also a 'Save' button and a 'Save and Test' button that can be used for convenience.

Authentication Configuration

The following list is from the authentication setup screen.

Residency Checking

If 'Residency Checking' is enabled then the system must be told how to determine if a patron is a resident. There are 2 methods possible; using the "P TYPE[p47]" value from the patron information record (usually used with III Patron API) and using the first few numbers of the patron barcode (usually used with SIP2).

To use the "P TYPE[p47]" value with a III Patron API system you will need to enable 'Residency Checking' and configure the 'Residency Check Prefix Characters' to 0 or 1. Then you will need to configure the values by clicking on the 'Patron Type Setup' button. On this screen you will enter all of the values that represent a resident and non-resident that are used in the "P TYPE[p47]" field in the ILS system. Summer Reader will then pull the "P TYPE[p47]" value and compare it to this list to determine who is a resident.

To use the first few digits of the barcode value you will need to enable 'Residency Checking' and configure the 'Residency Check Prefix Characters' to the numbers to compare against. If you set this value to 5 then the first 5 characters will be compared. Then you will need to configure the values by clicking on the 'Patron Type Setup' button. On this screen you will enter all of the values that represent a resident and non-resident that are made up of the first few digits of the patron barcode. Summer Reader will then pull the barcode value and compare it to this list to determine who is a resident.

Testing and Troubleshooting

The 'Test' or 'Save and Test' buttons will allow you to not only test the connection but also will display some of the message level text to help you determine the cause of any problems you may be having. When you run a test it will ask you to enter the barcode and last name or just the barcode (depending on your configuration) for a patron. A screen will then display the results of this test. The test result screen consists of 3 areas; the 'Communication Result', the 'Error Result' and the 'Data Result'.


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Article ID: 148
Created On: Wed, Sep 28, 2011 at 3:15 PM
Last Updated On: Fri, Oct 27, 2017 at 10:03 AM

Online URL: https://kb.demcosoftware.com/article.php?id=148