Library Protocols

3M has been a library technology leader in the development and implementation of several important standards that allow disparate library systems to inter-operate.

SIP is currently in its second revision called SIP 2.0. All major ILS vendors and major self-check vendors are SIP 2.0 compliant. SIP was developed by 3M so that its self-check stations could work with all the ILSs. It was then adopted by all the other major self-check manufacturers.

3M™ Standard Interchange Protocol (PDF, 103KB)

The NISO Circulation interchange protocol defines a communication protocol for interoperability among integrated library systems. The protocol was designed to support the following areas of the library operations: Interlibrary Loan, Direct Consortial Borrowing and Self Service. The NCIP standard, Z39.83 was approved by the National (U.S) Information Standards Organization in 2002.

Request a Copy of the Standard | Colorado State University Maintenance Agency

3M continues its support of standard for the library industry, by continued participation in standards development, implementation, and promotion of standards.