CILEA can manage outsourced automation systems for single libraries or library systems within the National librarian system (SBN nodes). 2700 libraries belong to the SBN network, which is promoted by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities, with the collaboration of regional councils and universities. It is coordinated by the ICCU (Istituto Centrale per il Catalogo Unico delle biblioteche italiane e per le informazioni bibliografiche - the central institute for the single catalogue of Italian libraries and for bibliographic information).
The automation software must be chosen among those certified to work with SBN. It can either be one of those developed originally for the participation to SBN (SBN/BULL, SBN/ADABAS, SBN/SQL, SBN Unix client/server, Sebina) or one of those that have obtained the certification of compliance to the SBNMARC protocol. CILEA, with its service of a virtual library, manages a set of software already certified or which is in the process of obtaining the certification.
The management in outsourcing includes the activities mentioned in the introduction of this section. The operations necessary to connect the node to the SBN network are excluded, as they have to be arranged with the ICCU.
At the moment CILEA manages the following SBN nodes (in order of activation date):
- MI - SBN Node of the universities in Lombardy (software: SBN Unix client/server, 40 libraries, 135 workstations)
- USM - Node University of Milan (software: Sebina, 117 libraries, 234 enabled IPs)
- LIG - Node Region Liguria (software: SBN Unix client/server)
- BIA - Node Civic library of Biella (software: SBN Unix client/server)
- UTO - Node University of Turin (software: Sebina, 33 libraries, 12 enabled IPs, in the starting phase)
- BS1 - Node for training within the project Libraries in Schools, promoted by the Ministry for Universities and Research (software: SBN Unix client/server)
CILEA also provides training courses, either at its own premises or that of the customer, to teach the use and the management of the SBN Unix client/server software. It offers also managerial support for other nodes (e.g. UM1 - Node Umbria Region) that uses such software.
Moreover, CILEA houses and manages the Manual of cataloguing rules for SBN, edited by Giuliana Sapori. The manual is based on the ICCU and RICA rules, enriched by the modifications added during the SBN experience.
