Monday, March 30, 2009

Item Format

As mentioned in the previous post, Item Types can be a decent search limiter, but sometimes they can be a bit too limiting.

There is another search option that can be used to limit your search that may be a better tool to use. It is called "Format".

I have created a page that lists each Format as well as a description. Click here to see this page. It is also listed on the main WorkFlows page.

You can limit your searches to specific formats by clicking on the Search Options button and using the Format drop-down menu.

When using the online public access catalog, you can limit your search to a specific format by using the advanced search and using the Format drop-down menu.

Monday, March 23, 2009

Item Types

As noted in a previous post, each item is given a Home Location. Each item is also given an Item Type. Not only does this give us a decent description of the item, it also allows us to create different circulation rules depending on the Item Type. And it can also be a decent search limiter from time to time.

I have created a page that lists each item type as well as a description and any notes (if any). Click here to see this page. It is also listed on the main WorkFlows page.

Item Types can be seen on the Call Number/Item tab in WorkFlows. You can limit your searches to specific item types by clicking on the Search Options button and using the Item Type drop-down menu.

When using the online public access catalog, item types can be seen by clicking an individual title. The item details page lists the item type description instead of the item type code that we see in WorkFlows. You can limit your search to a specific item type by using the advanced search and using the Item Type drop-down menu.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Home Location vs. Current Location

Now that we have talked about a record, let's talk about the details. A record describes a certain material, but we may buy many copies of that book or CD or whatever. These are called items. Each item is given a Home Location, an Item Category 1 and 2, an Item Type, and so on. Today, we'll talk about Locations.

Each item has a "Home Location". This can be something like FICTION, NONFICTION, POPULAR, REFERENCE, etc. The Central library has many unique Home Locations such as HUM_FIC (which stands for Humanities Fiction and is used instead of FICTION), or C_EASY_FIC (which stands for Children's Easy Fiction and is used instead of EASY_FIC).

This is similar but different to an item's "Current Location". If the Current Location is the same as the Home Location, then the item should be on the shelf. But the Current Location can also be CHECKEDOUT, DISCARD, MISSING, INTRANSIT, LOST-ASSUM, LOST-CLAIM, etc.

In WorkFlows, the Home Location and the Current Location can be seen on the Call Number/Item tab. The "item tree" displays the Current Location. The box on the right will show the Home Location as well as the Current Location.

On the Online Public Catalog, the Current Location can be seen by clicking on a title that displays in your results. The ensuing screen will display a list that is similar to the "item tree" that appears on the left side of the Call Number/Item tab in WorkFlows. This lists the Current Location only. The Home Location cannot be seen unless the Current Location is the Home Location. Also, this list does not show items that have a Current Location of MISSING, DISCARD, LOST-ASSUM, LOST-CLAIM, etc. These are "shadowed".

Friday, March 06, 2009

Online Renewals

When customers access their account online, they have the option to renew their items. However, the list of items is not limited to those items which CAN be renewed. It simply lists all of their items they have checked out.

If a customer selects all items and renews, they receive a list of items that did renew followed by a list of items that did NOT renew. A problem occurs when customers do not examine this list and assume that all items were renewed. Fines continue to accumulate on the items that were not renewed, and the customer is not happy when they find this out the next time they try to check something out.

Not helping this matter was the brief message a customer received when they renewed items. It stated, "(x) items were renewed." A couple of weeks ago, I changed it to "(x) items were renewed. Please scroll down to see is some items were not renewed."

I also changed the message that appears below an item if that item could not be renewed. It used to state, "renewal failed". It now states,"Renewal failed. 1) Either item already renewed once; 2) Item is a Popular Book or New DVD and cannot be renewed; 3) Or another customer has a hold on the item."

I also added a bullet to the online help for "Renewing Items". It now states:

To renew online, follow these steps:

  • Log in to your account.
  • In the My Account area, click Renew My Materials.
  • Select the check box by items to renew, or mark Select All.
  • Click Renew Selected Items.
  • You will then receive a list of the items that successfully renewed followed by a list of items that could not be renewed. Please review this list carefully.
I have also submitted an enhancement request to SirsiDynix that could hopefully address this issue in future upgrades. Other library systems have stated that their customers report the same experience. One way would be to possibly limit the list of items that the customer sees prior to selecting items to renew. This list would be limited to only those items that can be renewed. Or, perhaps a simpler way would be to reverse the renewal results so that all of the items that failed to renew are listed first.