4.1, for example Brenda Bailey, Director OCLC Distributed Systems		4.1 Release Notes Versions and Styles Rules Based Formatting Vocabulary-Assisted Searching Combined Result Sets and De-Duplication Record Builder 4.1 API -- Javadoc Full Release Notes
The Autumnal Equinox, arriving September 23 this year, portends a welcoming relief from an unusually hot, dry summer. Here at OCLC, we are truly excited to release Open SiteSearch Version 4.1, available September 20, which should also offer some welcome relief of another kind at your institution. In this issue of InSite, we highlight some of the major additions and improvements made to SiteSearch -- changes we hope will provide greater control over your environment. Below are general overviews of these features, which are discussed in more technical detail in the release notes. Selections from the release notes are listed to the right. Please be sure to review the full release notes for a complete listing of changes made to SiteSearch. Three Starter Interface Options. SiteSearch 4.1 comes packaged with both frames and no-frames interfaces to better support users' varying levels of equipment and connectivity. The no-frames version was tested against Americans with Disabilities Act requirements. A third starter interface is provided for those institutions that wish to use WebZ strictly to create a virtual union catalog for resource sharing purposes. Another feature introduced in 4.1 is Base Styles. With Base Styles, the user can create a custom base style based on elements from several different interface styles. Rules-Based Formatting. This feature was designed specifically to help use time more efficiently. Rules-based formatting is a new way of creating and modifying record display formats. In many cases, you will only need to edit configuration files to create or change a formatting class instead of writing and compiling Java code. Vocabulary-Assisted Searching. Vocabulary-Assisted Searching (VoAS) will help your patrons search databases more effectively. You can link a database to a thesaurus of terminology designed specifically for the database, or allow the patron to browse subject terms that are associated with a file. In the starter interfaces, try using the Term Finder button to search through the thesaurus first. Or begin with another type of search, then link off the tree structure icon located in the record. If the information is provided in the thesaurus, you can view the narrower and broader terms, and see the number of postings for each. Combined Results Sets and De-duplication. Also in WebZ is a new capability to merge the result sets of searches. Result sets for cross-database searches can be merged then de-duped on a single field, such as ISBN or ISSN number. Only one bibliographic record will be displayed, with the individual holdings records for each institution concatenated underneath. You can determine which database's records takes precedence in the display. Record Builder. This new component within OCLC Database Builder allows the creation, modification, and maintenance of records. This means that individual records can be updated, deleted or added dynamically. A variety of pre-defined templates and workforms are provided in the release, including samples for archival materials, Dublin Core records, and MARC records. Record Builder includes much of the functionality used in OCLC's CORC Project, and makes it available for you to use with your own local digitization projects or other databases. I hope you'll find these new features in Open SiteSearch 4.1 as exciting as we do here in Distributed Systems. I'm looking forward to hearing your feedback on the release as we plan for future enhancements.