Mercury Z39.50 Client is able to search multiple Z39.50 servers (library catalogues) simultaneously.
It is available as Freeware.
Download version 1.3 of Mercury Z39.50 Client - Last updated 19 February 2008
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Features
Search Multiple Z39.50 databases simultaneously
Export to MARC, XML and Text.
Export to XML using custom XSL Transformations.
Export to any OLE DB compatible database. New
ISBN Batch Search Mode (Use a barcode scanner to quickly scan ISBN barcodes found on most books)
Requirements
Windows 2000/XP (It should also work on Vista)
Internet Explorer
MSXML 4.0
Limitations (To Do)
Display of character sets needs improvement.
Needs better support for record types other than USMARC.
Can only export one record at a time
Integration with Library Gateway's, Library Directory
Mercury Z39.50 Client - Download
Current Version - 1.3 - 19 February 2008
You may also need to have at least version 4 of MSXML which can be downloaded from Microsoft
Older Versions
Version - 1.2.2 - 22 September 2006
mzc1_2_2.zip
Version 1.2.1 - 1 Aug 2006
mzc1_2_1.zip
Records can be exported in a variety of formats.
Currently only one record can be exported at a time. Exporting multiple records is being worked on and should appear in the next version.
MARC
To export the current record, select from the menu Export -> MARC, then select the destination and name of the file you wish to save the record as.
Text
To export the current record, select from the menu Export -> TEXT, then select the destination and name of the file you wish to save the record as.
The text format is a readable text version of a MARC record.
XML
To export the current record, select from the menu Export -> XML, then select the destination and name of the file you wish to save the record as.
XSL Transformation
To export the current record, select from the menu Export -> XSL Transformation, then select the XSL file you wish to use for the transformation then select the destination and name of the file you wish to save the record as.
Database
Records can be inserted directly into any OLE DB database.
The export to database feature is new and is currently very limited.
First construct an SQL INSERT query such as
INSERT INTO tablename(title, record) VALUES('{TITLE}', '{MARCRECORD}')
using tags for values. Before the query is executed the tags will be replaced by the data of the current selected record.
Currently only the following tags are supported:
{MARCRECORD} - insert MARC record
{XMLRECORD} - insert XML record
{TXTRECORD} - insert text record
{TITLE} - insert title from MARC field 245
{AUTHOR} - insert author. this can come from a variety of different locations depending on the MARC record
and
{TARGETNAME} - the name of the database
Tags have to be enclosed in quotes.
Secondly select the database. Click on the edit button to create or edit a connection string to a database.
Lastly click on OK to execute the INSERT query.
1. I,ve installed Mercury Z39.50 Client and it doesn't work and no options are remembered?
This can happen where the install program is run from a different account then the one Mercury Z39.50 Client will be used.
The install program does not need administrator privileges to run as it makes no changes to any system files and makes limited use of the windows registry.
Simply rerun the installation program from your normal user account and all should be fine.
2. When I search nothing happens?
You most likely need to adjust your firewall setting to allow Mercury Z39.50 Client to access the Internet.
The solution depends on the sort of firewall you are using.
If you are using a software firewall such as ZoneAlarm, Sysgate or Windows Firewall simply configure the firewall to allow Mercury Z39.50 Client access to the internet. You will probably be prompted to either allow or deny access when you try and search with Mercury Z39.50 Client.
Otherwise you may be using a network firewall - most likely if your computer is part of network in a large organization. You will need to contact your network administrator. You may need to give them a list of port numbers to open. If so go to Databases and click on Port Numbers to get a list of port numbers that need to be open to allow Mercury Z39.50 Client to work.
3. I get an error whenever I try to use a Custom XSL Display or export via an XSL transformation?
You need to install MSXML 4.0 or higher. This can be downloaded from Microsoft's website.
4. Will Mercury Z39.50 Client be released as open source?
It is a possibility if there is enough interest.
5. Will Mercury Z39.50 Client be ported to Linux?
Users have informed me that it works well under Wine on Linux.
A native Linux version is not currently planned.
Mercury Z39.50 Client requires Windows 2000/XP to work.
It should also work on Windows Vista but this has not been tested.
It used to work on Windows 98 but this has not been tested for some time.
You may also need to download the latest version of MSXML from Microsoft's website.
Download the latest version of Mercury Z39.50 Client and run the install program.
Settings
Main
Max. Records Per Search
The maximum number of records that will be downloaded in one search. More records can be downloaded by clicking on Resume.
Max. Records Per Target
The number of records to download from each target. This value is also used when resuming a search and will download this many more records.
Max. Connections
The number of simultaneous connections. The faster and more reliable your internet connection the larger this value can be. If you get too many errors try setting this too a lower value.