Due to the unexpected crash of OLIS last Thursday, there has unfortunately been a delay in the transition between the old system and the new one that was due to ‘go live’ on Monday morning. The new system will now be up and running from 9am on Friday 22nd July. SOLO will continue to be available until 3pm on Thursday 21st when it will need to be taken down in order to complete the final part of the preparation for the new version of SOLO that will be available on Friday.

The arrangements that have been in place for the downtime this week will continue throughout next week. If you need help finding material then please continue to ask for assistance from library staff or alternatively you can use the SOLO Live Help chat function that is available on the SOLO homepage. If  there is material that you need urgently that you cannot stack request then please contact the ‘Just-in-time’ team using their online request form and they will help you to locate alternative copies.

We apologise for the delay and any inconvenience this has caused you.

As part of the transition to a new integrated library system at the Bodleian Libraries, on 18 July all patron functions currently offered in OLIS will move to a new version of SOLO. This will replace OLIS (WebOPAC and telnet versions) and can be searched by anybody anywhere in the world. Registered readers need to use only one interface both to locate collections and to order them, but can then also renew loans and holds, check their patron record, etc. Also, once signed on to SOLO (s.b.), Oxford members who are working off-campus will have seamless access to subscription e-resources without having to sign on again.

More about SOLO

Since October 2008 SOLO has been a search and discovery tool for the major collections of the libraries of the University of Oxford. As well as searching the University libraries’ print and electronic holdings and title links to more than 1,100 databases on OxLIP+, it also searches ORA (Oxford University Research Archive), the Bodleian Library Allegro Chinese and Allegro Japanese catalogues and the Refugee Studies Cardbox catalogue (mostly grey literature published before 2004).

On 18 July, in addition to patron functions, the new version of SOLO will also feature enhanced searching functionality, esp. in Advanced Search where an additional search box and new fields have been added. For instance, scholars researching early printed books will welcome the addition of certain searches such as date of publication, place of publication and publisher.

Unlike OLIS, SOLO allows registered readers to save search results and set up search alerts; all registered readers, including non-Oxford users, can also save details of collections to a personal e-shelf.

Signing on to SOLO after 18 July

Readers who wish to check the status of books, stack requests, use the e-shelf, etc. need to be registered readers before they can sign on to SOLO. Oxford members should sign on with their Single Sign On details; non-Oxford members will continue to sign on with their Library Card barcode and associated password.

Need help with SOLO?

A SOLO guide gives helpful instruction how to use it. A series of SOLO workshops will be offered after the go-live. See the timetable for details and bookings. Do not hesitate to contact library staff who can also assist with any enquiries or problems. Finally, for the period of the downtime 8-18 July, a SOLO Live Chat will offer immediate assistance to readers in the use of SOLO.

Important news for current e-Shelf users

If you are currently using SOLO’s e-shelf functions, we shall need to migrate your personal data. It is imperative that by 8^th July you have set your email address correctly in SOLO. If you have not already done so, then please sign in to your SOLO account using the “Oxford Single Sign On” link on the top right corner of the screen. Once signed on, click on “My Account” then choose “Edit Details” to set your email address. Please use the same email address as you do for OLIS. (You can check your current email address in OLIS by logging in to OLIS, http://library.ox.ac.uk, or by asking library staff.) This must be done before 8th July so your email addresses in SOLO and OLIS match before data migrations are started on 8th July.