Some Differences Between Old and New

With the new ILS comes a new lingo. This lingo will be solidified over the next year, but let me run over some differences between the old and the new systems.

In the old system, you routed items in and out. This was used to move books to other locations to be picked up by customers. This was also used to send items to Tech Services.

You do not route items in or out with the new system. You "put items in transit" or "receive items in transit". Receiving items in transit is easy. You click on...this is a hard one..."Receive Items in Transit" and scan the item ID (barcode). Putting items in transit is a little different. You don't click on "Put Items in Transit". Items are automatically placed in transit as a RESULT of another action.

For example, you place a hold on a book in hand for a customer to be picked up at another location. You then trap that hold. That item is now in transit to the pick up location.

Also, we used to route items to tech services. With the new system, we will basically check out an item to a tech services department. Each department has a "user account" that you check the item out to.

For example, if you work at the Raleigh branch and you are sending a book to Material Services, you would basically check the book out to the RALMATSVS account (don't worry, these accounts names are all listed on the screen).

When Material Services is done with the book, they used to route it back to its home location. In the new system, all they need to do is Discharge the book. Since the book was "checked out" to them, as soon as they discharge the book, it is automatically placed in transit back to the home location.

Someone in Raleigh would then use the Receive Items in Transit tool as soon as that book made it back.

In the old system, we used to withdraw items. With the new system, we will discard. Much like sending the book to tech services, you would "check the book out" to your agencies discard account. For example, if you worked at Levi and you discarded a book, you would use the check out tool to check the book out to LEVDISCARD. The book will then show DISCARD in the catalog and will be shadowed from customers.

Why individual agency accounts? This allows you to easily view all the items that your agency has sent to cataloging, or what items your agency has discarded.

If you have any questions regarding this process, please let me know (email, phone, comments, wiki discussion page, etc.).