I-Share via Z39.50

Revised: March 10, 2025

General Settings for Z39.50 Connections

To connect to an individual Institution Zone instance from a Z39.50 client, you will need the following information:

Server:  i-share-xxx.alma.exlibrisgroup.com
Where xxx is your institution's three-letter I-Share code in lowercase.*

Database:  01CARLI_XXX
Where XXX is your institution's three-letter I-Share code in uppercase.*

Port:  1921 (if 1921 does not work, try port 210)

No username or password is generally needed. If you are prompted for a password, please contact the institution directly.

*Three-letter I-Share codes can be found by choosing an institution in the list of I-Share Participating Libraries.

To connect to the I-Share Network Zone from a Z39.50 client, use:

Server:  i-share-network.alma.exlibrisgroup.com

Database:  01CARLI_NETWORK

Port:  1921 (if 1921 does not work, try port 210)

No username or password needed.

Additional settings that applications may request include:

Syntax:  MARC21

Element Set:  Full

Text:  Unicode (alternately, choose UTF8)

Considerations for Citation Managers

Citation managers, such as RefWorks, EndNote, Bookends, and Zotero, may offer Z39.50 catalog searching as a way to capture data via search. These applications may use different terminology for the type of connection being made. It may be necessary to try more than one option to get a successful connection and search results. 

Look for options such as Direct access Z39.50, and use port 210 with any citation manager.

Documentation to configure a RefWorks Client with Z39.50

Bookends for Mac: Do not select the "Library of Congress Z39.50 Gateway" option. This does not connect to I-Share.

Considerations for MarcEdit

MarcEdit includes a Z39.50 client for searching different catalogs. You may select an institution zone or the network zone using the settings listed above; use port 1921 with these settings.

Responsibility for Changes

I-Share Library staff configure the Z39.50 integration profile in Alma using the settings above and the Ex Libris Alma Z39.50 Search documentation. We recommend that member library staff do not make any changes to this profile.

If you have any questions, please contact CARLI Support.