Boundless EContent Integration

Note:
Baker & Taylor has re-branded Axis 360 to Boundless. If your library was initially set up for Axis 360, you might see Axis 360 in sections of the Polaris staff client for vendors. All patron-facing references are now Boundless.

Libraries using the Polaris ILS can catalog, display in PAC, manage access, and circulate eContent from Baker & Taylor’s Boundless. Innovative Interfaces requires a license for each integrated eContent vendor and for the Polaris API (PAPI). Boundless uses Polaris API (PAPI) authentication, and Polaris requires an SSL certificate for PAPI server security.

Once the library has a subscription with Baker & Taylor’s Boundless and the Polaris licenses, the library creates an item template, an integrated vendor account, and an import profile in Polaris. The vendor account is in Polaris Administration, not in Acquisitions, and it is used during importing to create resource entities in the eContent bibliographic records. After the setup is complete, the library imports the eContent MARC data using special features that are required to support the integration.

As a result of this integration, patrons can search for, place holds on, and check out Boundless eContent directly from the PAC. All associated circulation processing and tracking for these integrated eContent occurs in Polaris.

Boundless and Polaris Synchronization

Availability and hold counts (total number of copies, number of available copies, and number of holds) for Boundless eContent titles appear in the PAC based on the status of the items in the Boundless repository, not on the status of the items in the Polaris database. Patrons can see the availability information whether they are logged into their library account or not.

When a library purchases a new title, Boundless sends a push notification that the title is available, the import process automatically imports the new titles, and the title appears in the PAC within minutes. The availability counts for existing cloudLibrary titles are automatically updated when the library purchases additional copies or when copies expire because of publisher limits.

When a patron checks out or places a hold on a Boundless title in Polaris, the data is immediately updated in the Polaris database and in the vendor's repository. However, when a patron uses the Boundless app to initiate circulation, the synchronization process takes longer because the app uses the Polaris API to push the data to Polaris, and then the API consumer service completes the process. The API consumer service also performs a periodic "pull" query of the Boundless database and then synchronizes the data if any circulation activity was detected.

The Polaris database and Boundless are synchronized according to circulation activity as follows:

Holds - Real time
Check-out or Check-in from the PAC - Real time
Check-out or Check-in from Boundless - Every 5-15 minutes
Added copy for an existing title - Once daily (overnight)
Expired copy for an existing title - Once daily (overnight)
Added title - new MARC record - N/A

To ensure that the API consumer service synchronizes transactions correctly when a server is rebooted, the API consumer service attempts to connect every 35 seconds for 20 minutes. If it fails to connect, the service stops.

See Implementing EContent Integration - Overview for a checklist of the components necessary for Polaris integration with eContent vendors.