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What is a "super user" account?

This is a publisher's primary account. This account has full rights for managing inventory and for creating additional accounts for others at your company and/or for conversion vendors who will be uploading files for your account. This is also the account that receives the digital certificates when your files are accepted by the NIMAC.

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How do I register as a "super user"?

Send an email with all the following information to NIMAC@aph.org:

Company Name
Web site address
Mailing address
Telephone number for company
Fax number (if available)
Contact person's name
Contact person's job title
Mailing address
Email address
Contact person's phone number

Please note that new publishers are required to submit a sample XML, OPF and PDF from a converted file for preliminary review by NIMAC staff before the new account is activated. Contact the NIMAC if you have any questions about this requirement.

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How many "super user" accounts may a publisher have?

In general, a publisher will only have one "super user" account. However, large publishers may choose to have a "super user" for each division or imprint of the company. Feel free to contact the NIMAC if you have questions about this.

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What is a conversion vendor/conversion house?

Conversion houses are companies who contract with publishers to convert file sets into NIMAS format for submission to the NIMAC. These contractual relationships are directly between the publisher and the chosen vendor and do not involve the NIMAC. If you are a publisher seeking a conversion vendor, CAST maintains a list of these companies at their web site: Content Conversion Services.

How do conversion vendors gain access to the NIMAC?

The "super user" can create as many "sub user" accounts as needed in order to provide access to conversion vendors. Click here for instructions on how to create sub users accounts: Creating Sub Users for Your Publisher Account. NIMAC recommends that vendor accounts include the following rights:

Add Content
Edit Content
Delete Content
View Inventory

Please note that NIMAC staff do not have access to publishers' sub user accounts and are not able to view or change those accounts.

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Who do I contact with questions about the NIMAS specification or creating valid NIMAS files?

The organization charged with doing outreach and training on the specification itself is the CAST AIM Center. Resources can be found at their web site: Creating NIMAS. Chuck Hitchcock is the director and can be reached at:

EMAIL: chitchcock@cast.org
TEL: 781-245-2212 x233

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How can I help ensure that metadata are correct so that files are not rejected?

The NIMAC strongly encourages publishers to take advantage of the "Excel to OPF" feature in the NIMAC publisher portal. This stand-alone tool allows you to use a completed Excel Batch Metadata spreadsheet to generate correctly formatted, correctly tagged OPF metadata for file sets that are in your conversion process. If you provide this sheet to your vendor, the vendor will not have to perform any data entry in order to prepare the OPF metadata. Please view the PowerPoint: NIMAC 2.0 for Publishers: Managing Inventory for more details on how to use this great tool!

How do publishers get their files into the NIMAC system?

Files 60 MB or smaller each should be directly uploaded through the publisher portal. Files larger than 60 MB must be delivered to OverDrive through a batch submission. Files over 60 MB each but smaller than 1 GB each should be delivered by FTP. Files over 1 GB each should be burned to DVD.

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My files are over 60 MB in size each. How do I prepare my batch delivery?

These are the steps:

1. Prepare the NIMAS file sets.
2. Run each file through the validation wizard. Once you have fixed any errors, be sure to run the file through a second time. Note: Some errors will stop the wizard from completing the validation, so it is important to check again to ensure that all errors have been addressed.
3. Zip the file set. Remember that the specification requires that the name of the zip file be the NIMAS Identifier.
4. Once the zip file has been created, click on the file to see that it can be opened, and that no data corruption occurred during the zipping process.
5. Download the "NIMAC Private Reserve Metadata Template" available under the Support tab in the publisher portal. All batch submissions must be accompanied by this Excel spreadsheet. All metadata included in the sheet should match what is contained in the OPFs for the files. Use only one spreadsheet per delivery.
6. If you have questions about how to prepare the Excel spreadsheet or the OPF metadata, please review the metadata requirements at: NIMAC Metadata Guidelines, Updated July 2009.
7. Files over 60 MB each but smaller than 1 GB each should be delivered by FTP. If you do not yet have an FTP Login, please request one from OverDrive by emailing them at: FTPNIMAC@privatereserve.com.
8. Files over 1 GB each should be burned to DVD and mailed to OverDrive at:
   
   OverDrive, Inc.
   Attn: NIMAC Batch Upload
   8555 Sweet Valley Dr.
   Cleveland, OH 44125
   
   
9. In order for your delivery to be processed, you must notify NIMAC's system vendor, OverDrive, of the delivery. Please email them directly at FTPNIMAC@privatereserve.com. The notification must include ALL of the following information:
   • 1. Your NIMAC Login ID
   • 2. Your FTP Login ID
   • 3. The FTP Folder name (if any)
   • 4. A complete list of all file(s) uploaded (this should include all of the NIMAS zip file names, as well as the Excel spreadsheet name)
   • 5. Notice as to whether the files are NEW submissions (not ever previously delivered) or RESUBMISSIONS (corrected files submitted to replace files already in the system).
   • 6. On the Subject line of the email, please include the full name of the publisher, type of delivery, and number of NIMAS files in the delivery (e.g., Acme School Publishers / FTP / 25 files).
   • Special Note: OverDrive asks that publishers/vendors submit only one delivery per week. However, if you need to submit both new and replacement files in the same week, please break these into two separate deliveries. Resubmissions should not be submitted with a metadata Excel sheet.

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My files are under 60 MB. How do I find out how to upload through the portal?

Please review the step-by-step instructions found in the PowerPoint "NIMAC 2.0 for Publishers: Managing Inventory." This presentation can be found here: NIMAC 2.0 for Publishers: Managing Inventory. It can also be downloaded from the Support tab of the publisher portal. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact the NIMAC.

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How long does it take for OverDrive to process and upload batch deliveries?

OverDrive begins batch processing of deliveries when they are received, and the zip files are uploaded on Thursday evenings. Processing time will depend on the number of deliveries received at the same time, and on whether or not any files in your delivery are found to be invalid or corrupt. OverDrive asks that all vendors check every file before submission to ensure that files are valid and that zip files are not corrupt. Submitting files with these problems leads to delays in processing your delivery.

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Where is the file validation wizard?

The file validation wizard is available for download on the Support tab of the publisher portal. This is a stand-alone program that should be used to check the validation of all files before they are submitted. If you are a new publisher who has not yet established an account with the NIMAC, feel free to call or email and we will be happy to provide the tool to you. Note: Although the NIMAC system is Mac compatible, the validation wizard is a Windows-based program and requires Windows.

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How will I know if my files were accepted?

Acceptance of files into the NIMAC involves two steps. All files are checked for validation before they are uploaded into the system. Once loaded, a manual quality check is done by NIMAC staff to ensure that metadata are complete and correct, and that no other apparent problems are present in the file set. (Information about NIMAC metadata requirements can be found at: NIMAC Metadata Guidelines, Updated July 2009.)

After a file is reviewed, if the NIMAC is not able to accept it, detailed feedback will be sent to you and/or directly to your vendor regarding the needed corrections. When a file is accepted, the system automatically emails the digital certificate number to the publisher super user.

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Who should I contact for technical support?

OverDrive is the system vendor for the NIMAC. Technical problems with the publisher portal should be reported directly to them by email at: nimacsupport@privatereserve.com.

Any problems experienced during submitting files by FTP, or questions regarding an FTP delivery, should be directed to the OverDrive FTP Team at FTPNIMAC@privatereserve.com.

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