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FOLIO Integration with Atlas Products for Resource Access��

Clara Fehrenbach�Document Delivery Services Librarian

David Larsen�Director of Access Services

July 29, 2026

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Chicago Daily Maroon�January 21, 1977

Early developer of library computer systems.

Library Data Management System (LDMS)

implemented in 1978.

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Circulation in LDMS

Beverly A. Sperring Papers 1952-2010, Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center

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Circulation in LDMS

Beverly A. Sperring Papers 1952-2010, Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center

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A New Horizon

Luke Swistun, University of Chicago Photographic Archive, 1997.

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�Horizon Circulation

Luke Swistun, University of Chicago Photographic Archive, 1997.

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Horizon Training

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Beverly A. Sperring Papers 1952-2010, Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center

Staff had to learn to use the Windows

“mouse basics” by “clicking” and “dragging”
“opening by double clicking on icon”
“maximize and minimize” windows

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�Horizon Circulation

Beverly A. Sperring Papers 1952-2010, Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center

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SirsiDynix suspends Corinthian development

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Turned to Open Source Development

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Easing the transition

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Ares Migration Goals

Simplify ILS by taking reserves processing out OLE
Reduce learning curve for new staff
Integration with campus course management system
Faculty request interface
Efficient handling of e-reserves

System-managed file creation, storage, and access
Copyright / Fair Use tracking

Efficient handling of print reserves

Integration with ILS
Avoid duplicative processing

Less data entry by staff

Horizon had its own online catalog and its own reserves module that did an amazing job of handling print reserves processing. It let staff choose items from the catalog, “flag” them for reserves use, assign them a temporary reserves location, assign them a temporary loan period, and to place them on reserve at the beginning of an academic term and remove them at the end of the term.

It didn’t have support for electronic reserves, but our staff developed processes and procedures to support electronic reserves that involved both cataloging in MARC formats and complicated file management processes.

We wanted a new reserves system that could exist apart our library management system but:

Would simplify the work of reserves staff

Would natively support electronic reserves

Would integrate with course management systems that were beginning to be used on campus.

Would provide faculty with a way to request and manage their own course reserves lists.

Would assist with tracking copyright compliance.

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Chicago and Atlas Systems

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Ares integrations

Our Ares integrations pulled information from our online catalog and from Horizon. We developed integrations that successfully kept things in sync between our catalog, Ares, and the University course management system, which at the time was Blackboard and later became Canvas.

Ares became the source of truth for reserves, and we needed to make certain that if Ares said that something was on reserve, then the location and loan periods listed in Ares were reflected in the library management system.
When Ares said something was no longer on reserve, then that change needed to appear in the online catalog.
When something was added to a reserve list, bibliographic and item information were imported from the catalog and the library management system. Since course reserves tended to have multiple copies of items needed for reserve, Ares let us distinguish between copies and indicate which one to use.

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Ares Outcomes

More efficient processing allowed reduction in reserves processing staff by 1.5 FTE at main library �(by not filling one vacancy and reassigning another staff member to work half-time in another area)
Easier to train staff to process reserves
No longer had extensive backlogs awaiting processing for much of quarter
Faculty and students received their reserve materials much more quickly

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Additional ILLiad integrations

Importing information from Catalog to enhance record information

Barcodes
Circulation status
Shelf location

NCIP implementations

Created item records for borrowed items
Created hold requests
Checked out in LMS
Checked when returned

Variable loan periods based on loan periods specified by lender

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Resource Sharing Environment

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Photo by Pierre Matile on Pexels.com �(Black and White Dandelion Seeds Dispersing · Free Stock Photo)

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Frayed but holding….

Photo by Chris F on Pexels.com �(A close up of a knot tied to a rope · Free Stock Photo)

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Photo by Brett Jordan. �Brown Wooden Letter Tiles on a White Surface · Free Stock Photo

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People Passing a Baton · Free Stock Photo

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Atlas Systems: The Three Products

ILLiad

Interlibrary loan management — borrowing and lending workflows, patron requests, document delivery.

Ares

Course reserves management — electronic and print, faculty-facing request tools, copyright tracking.

Aeon

Special collections request and workflow management (not covered in this integration).

Addons: how the integrations actually work

Atlas products are currently client-server systems (moving to the cloud) that run custom system addons and client addons — scripts ranging from simple webpage searches to making Ares the database of record for reserves over FOLIO.

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ILLiad ↔ FOLIO via NCIP

1

Accept Item

ILLiad creates a stub record in FOLIO plus a hold for the requesting patron.

2

Check Out

When material ships, ILLiad checks the item out in FOLIO automatically.

3

Check In

Deliberately not implemented — kept out of scope for this integration.

Implementation note: configured against FOLIO's standard Edge NCIP responder. The transition from the legacy ILS was uneventful — the existing ILLiad addon continued to work without modification.

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Extending NCIP: Due Dates and Lender Accounts

Lender account selection

Before the check-out call, ILLiad matches the borrowing library to its FOLIO barcode and assigns the loan to that library's account — a practice carried forward from the days when a generic lending account could not handle the loan volume.

Loan period approximation

NCIP Accept Item creates the FOLIO record with a standard 112-day interlibrary loan type. A server addon then runs every few minutes, updating the loan type based on the actual due date, building-use-only status, and whether renewals are allowed.

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NCIP Addon and Configuration

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VuFind for Ares and ILLiad

One VuFind addon works inside both Ares and ILLiad, combining the public catalog with live FOLIO data.

Search by OCLC #, ISSN, author/title, barcode, BibID, call number
Real-time item information pulled directly from the FOLIO API
One-click paging and recall requests from within Ares and ILLiad
Auto-imports barcode, call number, location, and availability into workflows

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Ares: The Database of Record for Reserves

FOLIO mirrors Ares — not the other way around. As a request moves through Ares' workflow, FOLIO's item record updates to match.

Awaiting Request

Barcode assigned → call number and shelf location update in FOLIO.

→

In Stacks Searching

Temporary “resup” (upcoming reserve) location blocks checkout while staff retrieve the item.

→

Available at Desk

FOLIO loan period and shelf location update to match Ares.

→

Removed from Reserves

FOLIO clears the temporary location and loan period.

One gap remained: Ares could not replicate Horizon's old “FLAGGED-FOR-RESERVE” status. The workaround relies on reserve locations, not a status flag, to control circulation.

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Ares Integration in Action

The FOLIO Sync connector configuration that drives the Ares-to-FOLIO status and location updates.

Video Demo

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Setup: Acting as the Liaison

Three parties to coordinate

1

Atlas Systems

2

Index Data (FOLIO hosting)

3

UChicago Library staff — Doc Del and IT/ILS

Information required

FOLIO API endpoints (circulation and inventory)
NCIP connection details
Service point mapping — UUIDs matching Ares and ILLiad to FOLIO
Loan type mapping – UUIDs
Test credentials and sandbox access

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Mapping

Loan period mapping

“On Reserve” locations

Ares Loan Period	Ares description	FOLIO ID	FOLIO name	Description
6	2 hours	84a7340c-0871-5663-b048-34b2614ea170	res2	2 hour loan, no renewals
7	4 hours	c2b0952b-b1a9-5147-a1f4-cf88b3854870	res4	4 hour loan, no renewals
8	24 hours	6d5ef6ae-6c3d-5bdd-b8fa-aa6972af0cfc	res24	24 hour loan, no renewals
9	48 hours	24e09ee6-62a5-5357-b2ab-d54d8c77a34e	res48	48 hour loan, no renewals
10	7 days	7d30ae22-61ff-55f1-a13f-7a68db133ea3	res168	7 day loan, no renewals

Ares site code	FOLIO ID	FOLIO name / description
DLL	120c0120-531f-52d2-8f45-90549bb28013	D’Angelo - LawResC - Reserves Courses
ECK	e083acc5-5e95-5d24-b7d2-b150bcb3a9b2	Eckhart - EckRes - Reserve
JCL	89dfb0b4-f614-5412-90af-3c2cabacea4d	Crerar - SciRes - Reserve
JRL	894fbe0c-ec6d-5996-8dfa-7562a3c0fa5c	Regenstein - JRLRES - Reserve
SSA	878cdc79-70e2-55db-9719-55144d1bb89a	Social Work - SWLRes - Reserve

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Regression Testing

FOLIO is under active development

Every planned upgrade requires full regression testing of the NCIP, VuFind, and Ares integrations. There is no separate Atlas environment to validate changes before production.

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Thank You

Discussion & Questions?

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