ONIX for Serials
SOH: Serials Online Holdings -
Version 1.0 (revised September 2005) Version 1.1 (June 2007)

The Serials Online Holdings (SOH) format is designed to convey information about online serial resources from suppliers – such as hosting services, publication access management services, agents or publishers – to end customers in subscribing libraries. Each instance of the format shows the holdings of a particular subscribing organisation or library available via, or known to, the sending party.

Information in SOH exchanges can be used to advise librarians and their user communities on which resources are available, in which formats and from which sources. Details may be directly viewed and available sources compared, using cascading style sheets or other applications. Alternatively, the exchanges may be used to populate resolution servers within the library organisation concerned.

The extent of coverage of each subscribed resource (date or volume/issue ranges) is included in the SOH exchange, as are details of any applicable embargo conditions in place. The format is specifically designed so that resources may be grouped in a flat “A-Z” listing or hierarchically by supplying service.

Version 1.0 is the first version which is being published for general use following the completion of a series of pilots based on Version 0.9. We intend that, for the foreseeable future, subsequent Versions will maintain backwards compatibility with Version 1.0.

Revised versions September 2005: the text of the Overview has been revised and expanded without any substantive change; and the Schema has been corrected by the addition of two optional elements that were previously missing from the message header, and by specifying that the <OnlinePackage> composite is non-repeating in a "by host" message.

Revised version of Schema January 2007: minor corrections have been made to the Schema for consistency with the User Guide, none of which affect the functionality of the Schema.

Draft Version 1.1 (June 2007) includes the ONIX for Serials Coverage Statement within <PackageDetail>.  <Coverage> is an XML structure capable of carrying simple or complex statements of holdings of serial resources.  The Coverage statement is explained in detail at http://www.editeur.org/onixserials/ONIX_Coverage09.html.

Draft Version 1.1 was made available for review and piloting through September 2007, and it is now considered available for general use.  Please send comments to brian@bic.org.uk.