MPLIC ILS & Tech Train

Upgrading Unicorn Application

2009-11-10T10:42:00.004-06:00

Unicorn is the overall name of our Integrated Library System. WorkFlows is the desktop application that we all use to access the ILS (desktop computers refer to all the individual staff computers throughout the system, as compared to the server which all the desktops connect to). We are currently using Unicorn 3.1 and we need to regularly update the ILS application as new versions are released.

By the time I came on board last year, Symphony 3.2 (the successor of Unicorn 3.1) had been released and Symphony 3.3 was around the corner. I opted to wait for Symphony 3.3, but when Symphony 3.3 was released recently, I noticed that the desktop RAM requirements increased. As you may recall, we had a difficult time with WorkFlows until we finally increased our desktop RAM to somewhere near the 1GB range, which is the recommended amount of RAM. The WorkFlows that comes with Symphony 3.3 has a recommendation of 2GB of RAM.

So I shifted gears and aimed for Symphony 3.2. I then saw that a server requirement for 3.2 calls for a newer version of Oracle (the underlying database embedded within Unicorn/Symphony and not related to the city-wide Oracle database). SirsiDynix can perform this upgrade, but it requires a two-hour downtime. And SirsiDynix can do this for free between the hours or 8am-5pm, but it costs quite a bit per hour to do this upgrade when the library is not open.

Along came the Veteran's Day holiday in which the library is closed and SirsiDynix is open. So, tomorrow, SirsiDynix will upgrade Oracle so that we can upgrade Unicorn in the near future. And we will save a good chunk of change in the process.

Stay tuned for more about the Symphony 3.2 upgrade.

Public Catalog Most Popular Lists

2009-10-28T13:29:00.002-05:00

A while back, I added some links on the public catalog page listing some popular titles and subjects. I would update this list manually, but the time it took to update forced me to update the list only once a quarter.

After an upgrade to our public catalog, I was able to utilize an automated tool that would do the same thing. Therefore, we now have the "Most Popular Lists" on every page of our public catalog. This list shows the top 5 Authors, Titles, and Subjects with the option to expand to the top 20 in each category. Of course, these list entries are links to searches for these topics. Rankings are taken directly from our circulation stats and are updated every Saturday night.

So, to review. These lists changed from manual quarterly updates to weekly automated updates. And these lists are located on every page instead of only on one page as it was before.

Behind the Scenes of Statistics (a general overview)

2009-10-21T14:53:00.004-05:00

OK. It has been nearly 5 months since my last post. I'm not promising anything, but in the spirit of openness and greater access, I'll give this another try.

Outside of regular "ILS" duties (see previous post), I also coordinate many of the statistics that we produce. Some statistics can be pulled directly from the ILS, such as circulation, user, catalog-type statistics. How many items do we have in the library? I can pull that up pretty quickly. How many items in each library? Can do. How many items in a certain location that have had no activity in the past 3 years? No problem.

But there are also a lot of statistics that do not come from the ILS. They come from you. How many people visited the library? How many reference questions did they ask? These are a bit harder to answer. These statistics require staff to measure usage and submit various forms. I have been exploring the idea of converting some of these forms to "webforms". Much like "online job applications" (which we love so much), you could enter data online with drop-down menus and text boxes. Instead of worrying about using the correct form and sending attachments to various people, you could enter the data online and click submit and be done with it. And computer usage statistics will soon be a lot easier for everyone as the automated computer sign-up allows for some detailed reporting.

So what do we do with these stats once we've collected them? Some are used to measure our own Goals and Objectives. This report is produced by the 5th of each month. We also produce Quarterly and Annual statistic reports. We also use these statistics for various surveys we receive throughout the year. Currently, I am working on the annual Tennessee public library statistics report. And we use these statistics to assist with any grant proposals or to provide answers to questions from other government offices or media.

If you have any questions about our statistics, please let me know and I'll see what I can find.

What is the ILS?

2009-05-29T11:06:00.002-05:00

My job title is ILS Coordinator. But what exactly is the ILS? It stands for Integrated Library System. This refers to the application that libraries use to help purchase items, catalog items, search for items, check items out to users, store user account information, and more.

The ILS application that we use is a product from SirsiDynix called Unicorn. We have version 3.1. This application is run on a server, but there is an application on each workstation called WorkFlows which allows us to perform ILS-related tasks in a Windows-based graphical environment. And while much of my work can also be performed in WorkFlows, from time to time I have to delve deep behind WorkFlows and perform tasks on the server itself, which is not a graphical environment.

The Unicorn product communicates with many other products on other servers. First, there is EPS. This is the application used for our Web-based catalog, which is the main interface that our customers have with our ILS system. They perform searches on our catalog via the internet, which sends the request to our EPS server, which grabs the information from the Unicorn server and sends it back to the customer on the Web. And while many of the tasks I perform on the EPS can be done on the Web-based interface, many times I find myself crawling through files and directories on the server.

Unicorn also communicates with SVA (Sirsi Voice Automation). Unicorn sends overdue and hold notices to SVA and SVA calls the customers and reads the notices. SVA will also need to request information from Unicorn from time to time when a customer calls our automated account line.

Then we have Director's Station which is a statistical web-based application. Unicorn sends information to this server once a day. This allows people to query the information stored on the Unicorn database without actually interfering with that information (such as circulation stats, user stats, collection stats, etc.). As of now, I am pretty much the only user of Director's Station. I use it to collect many of the stats that eventually appear on quarterly and annual reports. I also use it quite frequently when I receive questions regarding circulation or collection counts for specific libraries, locations, and time periods.

So coordinating the ILS involves making sure all of these applications work together. And as updates and upgrades occur to these applications, I have to make sure those occur smoothly and with as little down-time as possible. Speaking of "down-time", these applications will stop working from time to time (just like any other application), and it is up to me to get them back up and running, find out why they went down, and try to fix it so it doesn't happen again.

Unicorn also needs to be able to communicate with other third party applications such as OverDrive (the e-audio book application). OverDrive needs to be able to access information from Unicorn when customers attempt to check-out an e-audio book. And when we institute self-checkout and automated computer sign-up, these services will need to communicate with our ILS application as well.

On top of coordinating all of these machines, I also coordinate the connections between staff and customers and our ILS. That involves making sure we are using the ILS correctly, assisting in developing proper procedures, assisting with training, investigating mysteries, and more!

Behind the Scenes of Discarding

2009-05-26T13:43:00.002-05:00

When you discard an item, you check it out to your agency's discard account (HUMDISCARD, PWSDISCARD, etc.). The item is still in our catalog, but items that are checked out to a DISCARD account have a current location of DISCARD (instead of CHECKEDOUT). This current location is set to be shadowed (or not viewable) on the public catalog. Holds cannot be placed on these items as well.

While these items have been checked out to a discard account, we have not "really" discarded them. Therefore, once a week on Saturday, reports run which convert all items checked out to a discard account. These items are then "officially" set to a discard status. But that is not all.

Another report runs, also on Saturday after all of the Discard Convert reports. This is the "Discard Remove" report. It removes all discarded items from the catalog and produces a list of those items. Items that have bills associated with them are not removed. That is why you will still see quite a few "discard" items in our catalog.

Once a quarter, I take these weekly discard reports and perform a multi-step process in order to create a list of deleted items that we can use to update our holdings with OCLC.

Emailing Customer Surveys

2009-05-13T11:02:00.003-05:00

Last week we sent an email to all customers who had selected email as their preferred method of notification. As we see in my prior post, that is about 13% of our 360,000+ customers. This email asked our customers to fill out a survey. The last time we sent an email out like this was back in 2005 for our last customer survey.

We have since had about 2,800 people fill out the online survey. With many more weeks to go in our survey collection period, we have far surpassed the 1100 online surveys collected in 2005.

Also, about 20% of these emails bounced back. Over the years, people changed their email, but they did not inform us. Or, the email was entered incorrectly.

We regularly receive bounce backs from email notices we send daily. Circulation staff receive those bouncebacks and they change the customer's notification method to PHONE, erase the email, and place a note on the account requesting an updated email. Or, if an obvious error is found, it can be corrected (ex. blahblah@yahoo.cmo).

There is not much we can do about people changing emails and not informing us. But we can eliminate any typos (whether written down wrong by customer or entered incorrectly by staff). One way we will do this is by sending out a welcome email. This will be sent weekly to all customers who have created an account in the past week who have also chosen email as their notification method. This email will inform them of the types of notices they may receive. It will also allow us catch any bouncebacks before we actually send an overdue or hold notification.

While we do not want to start sending random emails to our customers, we feel that this will serve both the customer's needs and our own.

Behind the Scenes of Customer Notifications

2009-04-22T12:40:00.003-05:00

We send notifications to our customers regarding holds, overdue items, and assumed lost items. We send these notifications by email, telephone, or US mail and it is up to the customer to choose which method they prefer.

Currently, we have about 363,000 registered customers and here is the breakdown for notification preference:

84% TELEPHONE
13% EMAIL
3% US MAIL

Telephone customers will receive a hold notification and overdue notification. Our SVA service handles this process. It will attempt to notify the customer three times. If someone answers or an answering machine answers, it will cue the recording and will count as a notification. If SVA cannot notify the customer about an overdue item, then a mail notice will be sent at the same time that all other mail notices are sent (only for overdue, not holds). If an item status changes to assumed lost, these customers are sent a US Mail notice.

Email customers receive several notifications since it is so much easier to send emails. They receive a hold notification on the day the hold becomes available. If the item has not been picked up after four days, they receive another email. They also receive an email three days prior to an item being overdue, three days after the item is overdue, and ten days after the item is overdue. If an item status changes to assumed lost, these customers are sent a US Mail notice.

US Mail customers receive only one overdue notice, and that is all. They do not receive hold notifications. They will also receive, via US Mail, any assumed lost notices.

LOST-ASSUM vs. LOST-CLAIM

2009-04-13T15:17:00.003-05:00

We have talked about "Current Location" in a previous post. It tells you where the item is currently located. Two of these locations may seem redundant, but they are, oh, so different. They are LOST-ASSUM (aka Assumed Lost) and LOST-CLAIM (aka Claims Returned).

In short, LOST-ASSUM are items that are so long overdue that we assume they are lost. LOST-CLAIM are items that customers claim to have returned but were never discharged.

Every two weeks, I run several reports on our system that produce overdue mailer notices. One of these notices is the assumed lost notice. This report finds all items that are currently checked out to customers that are over 60 days overdue (NOTE: Since the report is run just once every two weeks, items could actually be up to 73 days overdue before they are assumed lost.) This report changes the "Current Location" of these items to LOST-ASSUM and bills the associated User ID for the cost of the item and a processing fee. Notices are mailed to all customers (even to those who have selected PHONE or EMAIL as their notification choice (more on that on another post)). If the customer returns the item, the customer only owes the maximum $5.00 fine.

At any point in time, a customer may state that they have returned an item that, according to us, was never discharged from their account. A report is created every two weeks that is sent to each agency that lists all items that have been claims returned for the past two weeks. Staff then attempt to locate these items.

Academy Awards - Best Picture

2009-04-13T14:03:00.000-05:00

1927/28 (1st) -Wings
1928/29 (2nd) -The Broadway Melody
1929/30 (3rd) -All Quiet on the Western Front
1930/31 (4th) -Cimarron
1931/32 (5th) -Grand Hotel
1932/33 (6th) -Cavalcade
1934 (7th) -It Happened One Night
1935 (8th) -Mutiny on the Bounty
1936 (9th) -The Great Ziegfeld
1937 (10th) -The Life of Emile Zola
1938 (11th) -You Can't Take It with You
1939 (12th) -Gone with the Wind
1940 (13th) -Rebecca
1941 (14th) -How Green Was My Valley
1942 (15th) -Mrs. Miniver
1943 (16th) -Casablanca
1944 (17th) -Going My Way
1945 (18th) -The Lost Weekend
1946 (19th) -The Best Years of Our Lives
1947 (20th) -Gentleman's Agreement
1948 (21st) -Hamlet
1949 (22nd) -All the King's Men
1950 (23rd) -All about Eve
1951 (24th) -An American in Paris
1952 (25th) -The Greatest Show on Earth
1953 (26th) -From Here to Eternity
1954 (27th) -On the Waterfront
1955 (28th) -Marty
1956 (29th) -Around the World in 80 Days
1957 (30th) -The Bridge on the River Kwai
1958 (31st) -Gigi
1959 (32nd) -Ben-Hur
1960 (33rd) -The Apartment
1961 (34th) -West Side Story
1962 (35th) -Lawrence of Arabia
1963 (36th) -Tom Jones
1964 (37th) -My Fair Lady
1965 (38th) -The Sound of Music
1966 (39th) -A Man for All Seasons
1967 (40th) -In the Heat of the Night
1968 (41st) -Oliver!
1969 (42nd) -Midnight Cowboy
1970 (43rd) -Patton
1971 (44th) -The French Connection
1972 (45th) -The Godfather
1973 (46th) -The Sting
1974 (47th) -The Godfather Part II
1975 (48th) -One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest
1976 (49th) -Rocky
1977 (50th) -Annie Hall
1978 (51st) -The Deer Hunter
1979 (52nd) -Kramer vs. Kramer
1980 (53rd) -Ordinary People
1981 (54th) -Chariots of Fire
1982 (55th) -Gandhi
1983 (56th) -Terms of Endearment
1984 (57th) -Amadeus
1985 (58th) -Out of Africa
1986 (59th) -Platoon
1987 (60th) -The Last Emperor
1988 (61st) -Rain Man
1989 (62nd) -Driving Miss Daisy
1990 (63rd) -Dances With Wolves
1991 (64th) -The Silence of the Lambs
1992 (65th) -Unforgiven
1993 (66th) -Schindler's List
1994 (67th) -Forrest Gump
1995 (68th) -Braveheart
1996 (69th) -The English Patient
1997 (70th) -Titanic
1998 (71st) -Shakespeare in Love
1999 (72nd) -American Beauty
2000 (73rd) -Gladiator
2001 (74th) -A Beautiful Mind
2002 (75th) -Chicago
2003 (76th) -The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2004 (77th) -Million Dollar Baby
2005 (78th) -Crash
2006 (79th) -The Departed
2007 (80th) -No Country for Old Men
2008 (81st) -Slumdog Millionaire
2009 (82nd) -The Hurt Locker

Item Format

2009-03-30T11:54:00.002-05:00

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.

Item Types

2009-03-23T11:17:00.002-05:00

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.

Home Location vs. Current Location

2009-03-12T11:22:00.000-05:00

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".

Online Renewals

2009-03-06T08:21:00.002-06:00

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.

What is the Catalog?

2009-02-26T11:22:00.004-06:00

Part I in a series on basic searching...

Knowing what the catalog is will help you search that catalog. In simple terms, the catalog is a collection of records that describe all of the material we have in the library. Each record has numerous fields which house certain types of information. What are the three main types of information libraries collect? Anyone?

Answer: Author, Title, and Subject.

There are other fields which store information such as call number, publisher, etc. Another useful field is the Contents field which stores information such as song titles on CDs or music scores, short story titles in short story collections, and such. Some records even have a Summary field which provides a brief description of the contents of the material.

When searching in WorkFlows, these fields can be viewed by selecting the Description tab that appears once you have your results. On the online catalog, these fields can be seen by clicking on a title in a results list. Then, click on Catalog Record which appears in a column on the right side of the page.

Where Am I? Or, The Importance of the USER ID When Logging into WorkFlows

2009-02-23T15:49:00.003-06:00

The process of logging into WorkFlows is trickier than you might expect. You should always make sure that you log in with the User ID and PIN of the location that you are currently located. Many of us work in multiple locations and almost all of us help out at Central on Sundays. And, for example, if you log in using the Randolph User ID and PIN when you are actually at Highland, then WorkFlows thinks you are at Randolph.

What are the implications of this? If you check out any books, then stats are assigned to Randolph and not Highland. If you place a book on hold to be picked up at Highland, the item is placed intransit to Highland from Randolph even though the book is already at Highland. If you discharge books that belong to Highland and reshelve, the items are still intransit from Randolph to Highland. Basically, all sorts of chaos ensues.

And you thought remembering the cryptic 4 digit PIN was the hard part!

For more information on logging into WorkFlows, visit the WorkFlows wiki and click on Logging In.

OPAC Enhancement: No Results???? Is That All I Get?

2008-10-08T15:37:00.004-05:00

Previously, if you performed a search on our online public access catalog (or OPAC) and your search retrieved no results, you received the message "No results". However, digging around the configuration files of our OPAC, I found the source of this message and altered it. Now, if you perform a search and retrieve no results, you receive this message:

No Results. Please 1) check your spelling above; 2) resubmit your search as a Browse Search below; or 3) feel free to contact us for assistance in searching our catalog.

The third suggestion is a link to our contact page.

The PrtSc Key (or Print Screen)

2008-06-12T16:16:00.003-05:00

Here is a link to some helpful instructions regarding the PrtSc key on your keyboard. You can use this to create a screen shot. Screen shots are great for notating odd error messages that may appear on your screen. That way, when you report the problem, you don't have to say something like, "An error message came up that said something about referencing a control issue or siphoning off a cable gear... what does that mean?"

Basic Mail Merge Assistance

2008-06-09T12:18:00.001-05:00

By staff suggestion, I have created a page on the Technical Trainer wiki devoted to the basics of mail merging letters and envelopes.

Phishing

2008-06-06T09:52:00.003-05:00

I just received this email:

"As a Firstbanks customer, your privacy and security always come first. We have been dedicated to customer safety and protection, and our mission remains as strong as ever.

We inform you that your Firstbanks Internet banking account is about to expire. It is strongly recommended to update it immediately. Update form is located here.

However, failure to confirm your records may result in account suspension. This is an automated message. Please, do not reply.

Sincerely,

Firstbanks administration"

This email is an example of phishing. From Wikipedia, "phishing is an attempt to criminally and fraudulently acquire sensitive information, such as usernames, passwords and credit card details, by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication."

Unfortunately, there are enough people in this world that would see this type of email, get worried because they do not want an account suspension, and follow the link and enter their bank username, password, etc.

More About Online Job Applications

2008-06-04T16:08:00.003-05:00

Robert from Randolph commented on the Job Application post from May 5. I was adding a follow-up comment when I realized that it would be better to create another post.

Robert's comment:

"I've noticed an increasing number of patrons who want to fill out an online job application, but their computer skills are often minimal at best. I'm wondering if we could offer a computer class at Central once a month that would help people with the online job application process?"

First, I appreciate the comment and would like to see more from everyone.

We offered a class called Job Searching on the Web. We set up monthly classes, recruited trainers, distributed flyers, and we could only get one or two people in a class (and canceled others due to lack of registration). And the few people that did attend already had the skills necessary to fill out an application. Their questions were more focused on the entire job searching process (not necessarily technically-related). Meanwhile, we have people banging the door down in order to register for our existing classes. Therefore, I removed the class from the rotation so that we could continue to focus on the existing classes.

Why did this class fail? Unfortunately, the online job application is one of those customer needs that is immediate and fleeting. Also, as the previous post pointed out, if someone cannot fill out a job application, then it suggests a larger lack of computer skills that needs to be addressed appropriately.

The online job application requires basic computer knowledge (filling out text boxes, using drop-down menus, etc.), basic internet skills (entering a URL, following links, not getting overwhelmed by the Web environment, etc.), as well as Email skills. All of these skills are addressed in our existing classes. If a customer went through our entire class program, I have no doubt that they would be able to fill out an online job application. But one class will not successfully address the issue at hand.

I believe the online job application is the single most important battleground inside the Digital Divide, which exists partly due to lack of desire to cross the divide. Nothing else has continually pushed unwilling participants into the online world. As stated in the previous post, I think that some companies use it as an unofficial screening process. If you do not know how to fill out an online job application, then they probably do not want to interview you. If that is not the case, then these companies will need to find out ways to simplify their online job application process so that first time computer users have equal access.

Databases Special Access

2008-06-02T11:19:00.003-05:00

A while ago, a staff member suggested the creation of a list of databases with special access features. As you know, most of our databases include remote access with the username m* and password e*. (These must be in lowercase letters. If you do not know what m* or e* stands for, just ask a fellow co-worker. They will know.) And many allow for unlimited log-ins.

However, some do not allow for remote access, some do not use m*/e*, and some only allow for a limited number of log-ins. Here is a list of those that do not have remote access, or do not use m*/e*, or have limited log-ins. This can also be found on the Technical Trainer page on the MPLIC-Wiki under Databases Special Access.

Alternatives for Customers When Saving Files

2008-05-30T13:37:00.003-05:00

Many times, customers may begin working on a document, but they fail to bring anything to save the document to. Their allotted time on the computer passes, but they cannot leave the computer because they are not done with their document and they have no means of saving it so that they can complete it some other time. How can we help these customers?

First, I would heavily suggest that each agency have a floppy disk that they can use as a conduit to move customer files from one place to another. The customer cannot obviously take that disk with them, but many options below require that you first save the file somewhere. And many public computers do not allow you to save to the My Documents on the computer; therefore, you have to save it to a floppy disk or flash drive first.

Now, the first question I would ask a customer is whether or not they have an email address. If they do, then you can save the file to your agency disk. Then the customer can log onto their email account and email themselves the attached file. We can then delete the file from the agency disk and a copy is available in the customer's email account. They can access it from any other computer that has internet access.

If they do not have an email address, Andy in History points out that you can use the same site I talked about earlier regarding sending faxes from a computer (http://drop.io). You can upload files to this site without an email address or without registering:

First, you save the file to your agency disk.
Go to drop.io.
Create a unique url (ex. drop.io/kevindixon)
Upload the file from the agency disk.
Create a password if you want.
Select an expiration time.
Customers can then access the files later by going to the url that they created in step 3.

Give it a shot. Thanks Andy!

Browsers, Plug-Ins, Media Player Versions

2008-05-23T14:24:00.004-05:00

Do you receive questions from customer regarding the capability of our internet browser? Example: How come this video can't play? Or, how come this website does not work?

It could be that the lack of capability with our computers is related to the plug-ins installed on our computers. For example, do we have the most up-to-date version of Flash Player? If not, this could affect videos or websites that require the most up-to-date version of Flash Player.

For more information, see this information found on the Technical Trainer wiki page.

Send a Fax from a Computer

2008-05-15T16:20:00.004-05:00

I just tested this out and it works. If you have an electronic version of a document (Word, PDF, etc.), then you can use a website to send that file to a fax machine. The website is drop.io and it is probably best to suggest to the more tech-savvy customer. For more information, see this blog post from Reference at Newman Library.

And technically you can receive a fax from this site as well, but it looks extremely complicated. And that is usually not what our customers ask for. They usually want to send a fax, not receive.

Printing Excel Spreadsheets On One Page Width

2008-05-14T16:11:00.006-05:00

One annoying thing that happens frequently when attempting to print an Excel spreadsheet is the fact that it is sometimes difficult to fit the contents onto one page width. What do I mean by this?

Have you ever printed a spreadsheet in which the main contents will appear on, say, the first three pages; however, you get three more pages of random contents that spilled over onto separate pages due to the fact that your table was too wide to fit on one page? (wow, what a long question).

If this has ever happened to you, then here are a couple of quick fixes. First, make sure that your Page Orientation is Landscape instead of Portrait.

Click on File on the menu bar. Click on Page Setup. The Page Setup dialog box will appear.
Make sure you are looking at the Page tab.
Select Landscape under Orientation.

If this does not fix the problem, then you can automatically shrink your worksheet to one page wide.

Click on File>Page Setup again.
Make sure you are looking at the Page tab.
Under Scaling, see where it says Fit to ??? page(s) wide by ??? tall.
Select that option and make it such that it will be one page wide. This will automatically shrink the text so that it appears on one page wide.
Seeing that we do not necessarily need the table to fit on one page tall, you can change the number tall to anything obtuse (like 500). Excel will not stretch your document so that it is 500 pages long; but if your worksheet is longer than 500 pages long, then it will shrink the text. We don't really want to shrink the text this way, which is why I suggest entering in a large obtuse number that you will hopefully never approach.

So, next time you are helping a customer who can't seem to get their Excel table on one page width, just show them this handy-dandy trick.

Customer Question About MSN Messenger

2008-05-13T16:27:00.004-05:00

A customer recently requested use of his MSN Messenger, which is an instant messaging service provided by the same people who provide Hotmail. However, MSN Messenger requires you to download software in order for it to work. Since you cannot install anything on library computers, customers cannot use MSN Messenger.

However, they CAN use MSN Web Messenger. This is a basic instant messaging tool that customers can use WITHOUT installing anything on the computer. This is just one of many web-based instant messaging services. You could do a web search for web instant messaging.

Online Job Applications

2008-05-05T13:35:00.003-05:00

A new report released by ALA titled Internet Connectivity in U.S. Public Libraries points to a study which states that "77 percent of Fortune 500 companies do not give job seekers the option of responding offline to job positions posted to corporate careers Web sites".

Many people do not have access to a computer except at a public library. And many people do not have the basic computer skills necessary to fill out an application. So what can we do to assist these customers with the limited time that we have?

Does the customer have an email address? Filling out applications online almost always requires an email address. Customers without an email address should register for any free web-based email first. If a customer is interested in taking an Email class, feel free to give them the information on our free public computer classes. Keep in mind that this will not satisfy their immediate need.
Does the customer know how to use a mouse? Some people can pick it up quickly while others cannot. If the customer is having difficulty with the basic skill of using a mouse, then the customer may need to ask someone that they know for assistance. You may refer them to our Computer Basics class. This class explains how to use a mouse, but it does not satisfy their immediate need.
Does the customer know some basic keyboarding skills? I have assisted customers that did not know how to create a capital letter, how to add a space between words, or how to use the backspace key. A quick demonstration of these three key skills may be necessary. Our Computer Basics and Word Basics class can assist these customers, but it does not satisfy their immediate need.
Does the customer know how to work with text boxes, drop-down menus, buttons, scroll bars and other graphic-based interface tools? If someone is familiar with a mouse, but not familiar with some of the common interface tools, then a quick demonstration may be beneficial. For example, "To enter text into a text box, just click on the box and type. To enter text into another text box, click on it and type." Our Computer Basics class can assist these customers, but it does not satisfy their immediate need.

It just so happens that filling out an online job application requires someone to possess just about EVERY basic computer skill in existence. Customers with no experience will have many hurdles with every step. That is why it sometimes seems that the customer wants us to do it all, because every thing they have to do requires a new skill that they do not have.

The online job application can be seen as a great divider between the "have"s and "have not"s of the digital divide. And as you see above, our computer classes do not fulfill their immediate need of filling out that job application. Unfortunately, the online job application just exposes a larger problem that needs to be addressed. The customer needs basic computer skills.

In reality, the employer probably moved to online job applications to screen out those without basic computer skills. And while many jobs will not require daily computer use, employers would probably rather have someone with basic computer skills than someone without basic computer skills, no matter the position.

And to gain those basic computer skills almost takes a change in lifestyle, much like dieting. Your mindset has to change. Your daily routine has to change. Your time commitment has to change. You have to want to change. And addressing only the immediate needs while ignoring the larger picture will catch up to you eventually.

Website Research Tool

2008-04-24T15:26:00.001-05:00

Over a year ago, I mentioned the fact that just because something is on the Web does not make it true. This forces each of us to evaluate the information we find on the Web.

Part of Day 3 of our Search Strategies training covers Web evaluation. UC Berkeley has a great site with lots of suggestions for Web evaluation.

You can also try out this new Google feature, a "whois" search. Go to Google and search whois [name of website]. Your first result will be a link to a whois search which provides all sorts of information about a website, such as who owns the domain, how long it has been active, etc. For example, click here to see the search results for whois memphislibrary.org.

The Library That Is Our Databases Page

2008-04-16T13:29:00.003-05:00

Imagine walking into a large room filled with bound volumes of current and back issues of thousands of magazines and journals, current and back issues of hundreds of newspapers from around the nation, hundreds of reference books on various topics, genealogical records, legal forms, sample tests, literature criticisms, and more.

By visiting our Databases page, you are essentially doing just that. And would it not be great if you could search all of those materials and find related articles within seconds? You can.

As more and more information is found online, it is helpful for us to envision the magnitude of this information if it were still being offered via paper. We would probably have to build a couple more floors here at Central to accommodate the material! Or, we can look back at the way it used to be when we did not have computers.

In 1887, The U.S. War Department attempted to transcribe their medical records onto index cards, which were stored in Ford Theatre. This worked until supposedly the accumulated weight of the index cards "brought down the house", literally. Twenty-two people were crushed to death when the front part of the building collapsed.

Back in 1910, two Belgian lawyers set out to gather all the worlds knowledge by using index cards. The result is the Mundaneum, an archive of more than 12 million index cards and other documents. Nearly 100 years later, we now have the Internet and the Mundaneum gathers dust and decomposes in a converted department store in Belgium.

Until about 10-15 years ago, these index cards would still be seen as serious methods of data collection. Now, it is a farce! So if you ever feel like you are having a difficult time with information overload, just know that it is better than being crushed with index cards.

some via

10 MPLIC Online Services You May Not Know About

2008-04-15T13:39:00.002-05:00

Here are ten online services that we offer to our customers that you may not be aware of:

Children can read reviews or write their own review of children's books. [link]
Teachers can fill out a form that alerts us of any assignments. This will allow us to prepare and ensure we have the best materials ready for that assignment. [link]
Customers can read instructions for researching the history of your house. [link]
Customers can donate to the Foundation for the Library or become a Friend of the Library online. [link] [link]
Customers (or aspiring authors) can request us to purchase certain material. [link]
Customers can browse through various award lists that describe each award-winning book and also link to the item in our catalog. [link]
Customers can find what books are being read over the air on WYPL. [link]
Customers can find a list of all the things one must do to start a business in Memphis/Shelby Co.. [link]
Customers can access full-text reference books, magazines/journals, legal forms, practice tests, book reviews on our Databases page. [link]
Customers can fill out a volunteer application online. [link]

OK, so there you go. Ten online services you may not have been aware of. Do you have a favorite online service? If so, leave a comment and let us know what it is.

Watching TV on Library Computers

2008-03-31T12:13:00.003-05:00

The Shifted Librarian poses some interesting questions in regards to TV programs on library computers. In the past year, we have seen several new online services that allow for people to watch television programs or movies online. For the most part, these services require you to register and download certain software, which would eliminate library computers as a possible avenue to use these services.

However, it may not be too long before a special download is not required. Customers currently access YouTube-type videos and music videos with our computers. Will we be seeing customers sitting back and watching their favorite TV show, or their favorite movie? Are we already seeing this?

Performing Reference Interviews Works!

2008-03-28T11:18:00.003-05:00

A recent study, The Effects of Librarians’ Behavioral Performance on User Satisfaction in Chat Reference Services, explains that library chat customers have a higher satisfaction rate when librarians conduct a reference interview. How about that!

And I also just read David Lee King's summary of a presentation at the PLA 2008 National Conference that is going on right now. This presentation by Joseph Janes was called "What Does it Take to be Good at Reference in the Age of Google?". One point that the speaker makes is that one thing librarians can do to separate themselves from Google is to conduct a reference interview, regardless of the way the question was received (in person, over the phone, chat, etc.).

So we have two different sources stating the same thing, "Reference Interviews are Good". And in order to satisfy our customers and to stay relevant in the age of Google, we must conduct them.

MyiLibrary Introduction

2008-03-27T14:27:00.002-05:00

We recently announced a new service called MyiLibrary that provides e-books, of which we have currently purchased about 50. This is a great way to ensure that we will always have an electronic copy of certain titles that disappear quickly and frequently (ex. computer books, study guides, job/career, health). Customers can access these titles via the Catalog and the Databases page. Each book can only be viewed by one customer at a time.

I have added an introduction page to the Technical Trainer wiki. Please click here to access the MyiLibrary page.

March Madness

2008-03-22T11:24:00.000-05:00

March Madness is in full force. Add to the fun by reading When March went mad : the game that transformed basketball by Seth Davis. Or how about Last dance : behind the scenes at the Final Four by John Feinstein. Then, in between games, teach some children how to play basketball.

Consultant Helping Companies Tap the Web

2008-03-11T13:32:00.004-05:00

An interesting article in yesterday's Commercial Appeal highlights a local consulting company. They are helping companies use free social networking sites to create an online presence. A couple of sentences jump out at me:

"Because such sites thrive on human connections, common interests and personal recommendations, businesses believe that they are potentially powerful tools to drive word-of-mouth traffic to products and services."

"Feedback has been good, but it is hard to measure the results of the effort".

These two sentences jump out at me because they parallel the experiences of us and other libraries throughout the world.

MPLIC has been blogging for a couple of years now and we are always looking for other types of similar services that may suit our needs. These services have the possibility of becoming extremely useful in connecting with our customers. Or they may not. There is really only one way to find out. And do these online services translate into higher attendance at programs or higher circulation numbers? That is difficult to measure.

But as more and more companies and organizations begin to offer more and more online services, how do libraries keep up?

Claims Returned Dilemna Solved

2008-03-06T12:59:00.003-06:00

As reported a couple of months ago, we had a problem with our "Claims Returned" items not being obviously marked as such. Paul's departing gift to us is a solution to this problem. (If a customer has claimed that they have returned an item, but it is still checked out and cannot be found, the item is "Claims Returned".)

Circulation staff will need to do a few extra steps, but items that are "Claims Returned" will now say "LOST-CLAIM" instead of "CHECKEDOUT". These items will also not be holdable or viewable via the Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC).

This affects nearly 7000 items and should decrease the number of items on your pick list that are not available.

What Type of Information Technology User Are You?

2008-03-04T13:07:00.003-06:00

Pew Internet & American Life Project has broken down the general population into 10 different areas as it relates to users of information technology.

Omnivores - 8% of general population
Connectors - 7%
Lackluster Veterans - 8%
Productivity Enhancers - 9%
Mobile Centrics - 10%
Connected But Hassled - 10%
Inexperienced Experimenters - 8%
Light But Satisfied - 15%
Indifferents - 11%
Off the Network - 15%

Basically, half the population is not connected to technology. Of those, you have a few who are wanting to experiment and learn how to be connected to technology. The other half are connected to technology and a few of those wish that they were not.

Where would you fit? No need to guess. Take this quiz and find out. I am a "Lackluster Veteran". Leave a comment and let me know where you fall.

via Library in Black

Using the Find Tool with the Tax Help Site

2008-02-22T14:33:00.001-06:00

The Tax Help Site is arranged by zip code. However, you may have a customer who is looking for help by a certain day. For example, you have a customer who can only receive assistance on a Wednesday. How can we quickly scan the list in order to find the places that assist on Wednesday?

Click here to find out.

Feel Good When You Search the Web

2008-02-06T16:10:00.000-06:00

Here are a couple of alternatives when searching the Web that allow you to feel like you're contributing to the greater good.

Whenever you search the Web, you are not only retrieving results from their search engine, you are also retrieving advertisements. These companies that appear under the sponsored results give the search engine a tiny amount of money each time that their advertisement appears. What if a certain percentage of that money went to charity?

You can use GoodSearch, powered by Yahoo! to do exactly that. You first search for and select a charity. Then you can perform your searches. Fifty percent of advertisement revenues will be sent to your selected charity. Please note that if you do not select a charity, then the funds will not be dispersed to any charity.

Just brainstorming... We could add the library as a charity. Then, each day we could set our search engine so that we are donating money to ourselves. It appears that an organization receives about $.01 per search. As many times as we search the Web each day, this would have to be beneficial for us.

Or, you could use Darkoogle, a custom search engine using Google search technology. Basically, it is a dark version of Google; thereby it takes less energy to display on a traditional CRT-box-type monitor. It really makes no difference for the flat-screen-type monitors. You may also find that it is easier on the eyes.

via Phil Bradley and Librarian in Black.

Battling Spam with Outlook 2003

2008-01-29T14:23:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, I announced instructions to battle spam within Outlook Web Access. Those of you with the desktop version of Outlook (Outlook 2003) can use these instructions for setting up rules to battle spam.

Use Rules to Battle Spam in Outlook Web Access

2008-01-28T10:03:00.000-06:00

I just added a new page to the MPLIC Wiki which describes how you can battle unwanted spam with Rules in Outlook Web Access. Click here to see the page.

Brochure Template

2008-01-25T15:02:00.001-06:00

A frequent customer request is assistance in setting up a brochure. Unfortunately, our computers did not have a brochure template. Having this template would have made life a lot easier. Instead, I created instructions on converting a normal Word document into a brochure.

I recently had a eureka moment and realized that we could upload a brochure template to our own servers, thereby making the template available to all via the Web.

I will eventually find a place on the public website for this link, but for the time being, you can access a brochure template here. When asked whether or not you want to "Open" or "Save" the document, you should select "Save" and save it to the customers floppy disk or flash drive. Then you can open it.

Journalists Reminded To Check Their Facts, So Should We

2008-01-22T16:29:00.000-06:00

Here is an interesting blog post from Techdirt that discusses a recent announcement by the Agence France Presse which states that "reporters can cite any online resources as long as they also refer to other reliable, independent sources to verify the facts." This includes sites like Facebook and Wikipedia.

Techdirt suggests that it is odd that such a reminder needs to be given to journalists who are supposed to "check their facts".

The same could be said about librarians. There is nothing wrong with using Wikipedia as a starting point to your search. It often refers to other sources for validation and will also let you know when a source is lacking. It also gives you a decent overview which is required before you get into the specifics. (sound familiar, World Book?)

And there is nothing wrong with using Wikipedia if no other source can be used, as long as the customer understands the unique nature of the source.

However, would I raise an eyebrow at a report, written solely from information found on Wikipedia, and not cross-checked with other sources? Yes.

Internet Explorer 7 is on the Way

2008-01-22T11:16:00.000-06:00

I was just informed that the new public and staff builds (anything we install from this point on) will have Internet Explorer 7 (or IE 7). This may take several months at the earliest to convert all public computers. However, some of you will be seeing these new browsers soon (some already have).

While I have yet to test it out, my advice at this point is limited. However, this Microsoft page has a link to a tour that I found helpful.

Some highlights... IE 7 allows for tabbed browsing. This is a great way to work with multiple web pages without opening separate windows. Each page you have open is displayed as a tab that you can see underneath the toolbars.

IE 7 automatically scales pages when printing so that we will no longer have to deal with browser pages being cut off on the side.

The print preview also works a bit differently.

I will send more information as I have it.

PDF Time Again

2008-01-11T15:08:00.000-06:00

As the tax season rolls around, we realize that it is PDF time again. IRS forms are available online in PDF format, so many customers will be working with these forms for the next few months.

To help us out with this, I have created a PDF page on the Technical Trainer Page. From the Intranet home page, look under the Staff Development heading and click on "Technical Trainer Page".

"I Need A List of All Your Videos"... "OK!"

2008-01-03T14:32:00.000-06:00

I have added some content to the MPLIC Wiki in regards to popular searches on the online public access catalog. This page explains how to perform certain, broad searches that are popular with our customers. For example, "I need a list of all of your videos". We can do that.

And, for you added convenience, not only does this page show you how to perform these searches, it also has links that will perform the search in case you are in a time crunch.

If you have suggestions on additions to this page, please let me know. You could add a comment with your suggestion!

Click here to visit the new page. Or, you can navigate to this page from the Intranet site by clicking on the "MPLIC Wiki" link, clicking on the "Online Library Catalog" link, then clicking on "Popular Searches".

More Google Maps

2008-01-02T13:31:00.000-06:00

I have talked about Google Maps before. This is a wonderful tool that allows you to create your own interactive, online map. Well, John Dooley has created the MPLIC Google Map found here. Not only does it show you each branch location, but you can click on each marker and see a picture of the branch, the address, hours, and a link to the branch site on our webpage.

To find this page from the customer home page, click on the branch information drop-down menu on the right-side column. Then click on the last option "All Locations".

Here are some other examples of Google Maps:

A Google Map was used to display current information regarding the San Diego fires. This map was constantly updated with the most current information about fire locations, evacuation orders, places of assistance, etc.
NORAD has tracked Santa for years. This year they integrated with Google Maps and YouTube to expand their options. In years past, Santa's position was upgraded each hour with only 24 stops. This year, his position was upgraded every minute. Here is an article from SearchEngineLand for more information.

Emerging Technologies Committee

2007-12-21T12:49:00.000-06:00

Libraries have always been about information. Our mission of satisfying the customer's need to know certainly implies a flow of information from the library to the customer. But libraries have always been about interaction as well. In other words, the flow of information can go from customer to library, or from customer to customer. Citizens meet at libraries every day as a trusted place to interact with each other.

Compare this to the internet, which has always been a place of information. The library's online presence has always been a place to find information, but not necessarily a place to interact. However, just in the past few years, the capacity to use the internet to interact has grown exponentially. And while we have begun using tools that allow us to interact with our customers online, the library will begin looking into expanding our options in this area. To do this, an Emerging Technologies Committee has been formed. Visit the Emerging Technologies Committee wiki page to find out how we are doing this. If you have any ideas and would like to participate, please let us know.

How to Find Out if Something is "Claims Returned"...

2007-12-04T09:35:00.000-06:00

"Claims Returned" is the status of an item when a customer claims that they have returned that item. Many times, we can look on the shelf and indeed the item was returned but somehow missed being discharged. Other times, we cannot find it and the item is in limbo. Unfortunately, the official status of the item is still "CHECKEDOUT".

This can cause confusion, especially if the only circulating copy in the system or at your branch is "CHECKEDOUT", but actually is "Claims Returned". So how do you find out if an item is "Claims Returned"?

Click here to find out. This is a page that has been added to the WorkFlows wiki page under Item Searching.

Thanks to Paul for explaining this quirk.

WorkFlows Log-Ins Tied to Locations

2007-12-03T13:51:00.000-06:00

This is a re-wording of an email message that Paul sent in late November.

When working at Central on Sundays (or when working at any different location for any reason) , please login with the login of the department/branch you are working.

Do NOT login with your home branch REF or CIRC logins.

If you do, statistics will be incorrectly credited to your branch instead of Central, and items could be put INTRANSIT incorrectly.

I have mentioned this in several recent WorkFlows trainings but was one of those caveats that we missed in the original WorkFlows training.

I have added this information to the Logging In page of the WorkFlows wiki.

When Customers Want Many Copies of the Same Book...

2007-11-30T15:35:00.000-06:00

Very soon after Go Live (June 14), I added a page to the WorkFlows wiki that explains the hold process when you need multiple copies of the same item.

Example, you have a Book Club that needs 15 copies of a certain book. MPLIC does have 15 copies but they are scattered throughout the system. Before, we would call each location that has a copy and ask them to send it to us. Or we would send an email to all locations asking them to check their shelves and send any available copies.

This wiki page linked to above explains the process you can go through to avoid those unnecessary steps. Basically, you place multiple title-level holds on the same item.

However, what do we do when a customer requests us to place multiple titles on hold? Technically we can follow the same steps; however, I understand that some agencies are not doing this because of time constraints. Has this come up with you? What do you think about placing multiple holds on the same title for customers? We want to avoid inconsistent service ("Well 'such-and-such' branch did this for me!").

Your Job As A Video Game

2007-11-30T14:43:00.000-06:00

Beth from Highland passed on a great site that has two library-related video games. The first one gives you points for shelving books in the correct order (uses LC and not Dewey, though). You have a stack of books on the left. You click on one of the books and then click on the place on the shelf that it needs to go. Oh, and you have one minute to shelve each stack.

The next game tests your reference, customer service, and cleaning skills. Customers come into your library and you have to retrieve their question. You then are given about five choices to give the customer. You have to select the most appropriate source for the question. This was confusing at first, but was great once I got the hang of it.

Using Zamzar to Convert Office 2007 Files

2007-11-30T13:50:00.000-06:00

Recently, I discussed an issue about customers wanting to convert MS Works files into MS Word. Related to this is the fact that Microsoft's new Office 2007 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) is completely different than our current XP edition (see this February 2007 post regarding Vista (which uses Office 2007)). They even use a different file format. While Word XP (our edition) uses a .doc file format, Word 2007 uses a .docx file format.

And... of course, Word XP cannot open Word 2007 file formats (same for Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) without the help of a special download on each individual computer throughout the system. This is something we cannot do at this time.

Do not fret, though. The same tool (www.zamzar.com) we discussed for converting Works into Word will also convert Office 2007 file formats as well. You can use the same directions found here.

Using Word to Create Labels

2007-11-30T13:40:00.000-06:00

I have added a page to the MPLIC-Wiki for instructions on basic label-making in Word.

I have had a few questions regarding Word labels today. Since it is holiday time, many of you are preparing your holiday cards for other agencies and you want your labels to look nice and pretty.

Using Word labels is also quite handy at all times of the year whether you are helping customers or creating your own office labels. (NOTE: Customers can use our computers to create and save the Word label document. However, they cannot insert label sheets into our printers. They would need to take the document elsewhere to print.)

Myths About Library Computers Get Debunked

2007-11-29T16:10:00.000-06:00

Here is an expansion from the "Technical Trainer Tips" in the most recent StaffWise:

I have recently been informed of a couple of myths regarding our public computers:

Myth #1: Customers cannot insert CDs into our computers due to security risks.
Debunk #1: Customers CAN insert CDs into our computers. They CANNOT install software programs on our computers. For more information, see this MPLIC Tech Train blog post from September 2006.

Myth #2: Customers cannot use flash drives or external hard drives connected via USB port due to security risks.
Debunk #2: Customers CAN use flash drives or external hard drives connected via USB ports. For more information, see this MPLIC Tech Train blog post from June 2006 and this training document.

Creating Charts in Excel

2007-11-26T16:38:00.000-06:00

It took a while, but I have added the "How Do I Create Charts?" content to the MPLICWiki. Take a look when you get a chance. Lots of great screenshots. And just in time for Wednesday's training!...

Could We Podcast...for Free?

2007-11-16T14:04:00.000-06:00

I did a presentation today for the West Tennessee TLA Staff Development Workshop. One of the topics I spoke about was podcasting. What is podcasting, you might ask? Podcasting is placing audio onto the Web so that people can listen to it either on their computer or on a portable media player.

Some libraries are creating podcasts that describe what is going on during the next week or so. Others use it to create book reviews (like an audio Memphis Reads blog). Other libraries allow some of their teen customers to "host a radio show".

While investigating podcasting for this conference, I discovered a way to do podcasting absolutely free. First, you have to download Audacity, a free audio recorder. You use this to record and convert your recording into an mp3 file.

Then, you can register for Gcast, a website that will convert mp3 files into podcasts. They will host the audio and also provide you with a player that can be embedded onto another website. See how you can embed the player into a blog post!

Subscribe Free
Add to my Page

So, do you have any ideas for how MPLIC can use this sort of tool?

Works to Word Conversions

2007-10-25T14:43:00.000-05:00

MS Works is a Microsoft word processor that usually comes bundled with new computers. One must purchase MS Office to use MS Word. Our computers use MS Word. Many customer computers use MS Works. MS Word cannot open MS Works files. What do we do?!

I have added a page to the MPLIC Wiki with instructions on converting Works files to Word files using http://www.zamzar.com.

This page can be found under the Helpful Handouts section of the Staff Development wiki.

Blogging Has Been Slow, But Nothing Else Has Been

2007-10-24T15:53:00.001-05:00

OK, I admit. I have not really been blogging much lately. I have been really busy. Several months ago, I developed an aggressive staff training schedule for the fall/winter months. ILS training had made training other classes a lower priority, so I wanted to make up for it by offering many classes. And I also offered several new classes that would require developing.

We also decided to start placing all training material online via wiki. This is similar to re-making all of my training handouts. So offering more classes, developing several new classes, and migrating content into the MPLIC-Wiki has taken up quite a bit of time.

On top of that, Damone and I have been assisting the City of Memphis Quality of Professional Development by offering all of their technical training classes for the fall/winter. Their previous trainer did not train the classes in a way that meshed well with our style of training. This has resulted in us developing these classes from scratch.

Then, we found ourselves with many new staff to train. Thank you! But that did result in us needing to add several trainings into an already packed schedule.

Also, the new ILS and other changes have required us and the Search Strategies Training Team to re-think the whole four-day training. A large task in and of itself!

The Virtual Reference Committee has spent time expanding the chat service to branch staff. This required training of course. And the expanding role of chat and email reference (now that they are prominently displayed on our new website) has exposed some flaws in the system. This has resulted in several of us spending a lot of time trying to figure out how best to make this work.

I have also been assisting the Crime Incident Statistics Sub-Committee with the development of a database that could make the process of filling out incident forms and tracking incidents a lot easier.

At the same time, I have been gradually settling into the new role of Secretary for your Retirement Board. Trying to learn what these money managers are saying and trying to translate that into something that all of us can understand has been quite a task.

I have also been preparing for a presentation for the TLA Staff Development workshop being held here on November 16. My presentation is called "So Easy, a Librarian Can Do It: Expanding Your Web Presence Beyond Your Website".

So, if you are still reading (which I doubt), please understand that blogging has taken a back seat for the time being. The poor site needs attention, though. I haven't posted in a while. All my pictures are gone. It looks like a lonely ghost town.

Missing Pictures!

2007-10-15T15:27:00.000-05:00

So, you may or may not have noticed recently that my blog seems empty of pictures. Well, I had a Files training the other day in which the final exercise involved uploading pictures to Flickr. I gave participants the username and password for my Flickr account. This is the same account I use to upload photos and screenshots to the Web so that I can display them on this blog. Well, I guess someone practiced the art of deleting pictures as well because soon after the training, I logged onto my blog and noticed that the last 15 or 20 pictures had been deleted. This affects posts going as far back as March of this year.

It would take a lot of time to re-upload all those pictures and change the code for each post, so those posts will remain picture-less. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Can't Open Files??? Operation Canceled???

2007-10-05T15:42:00.000-05:00

If your agency has a fairly new computer, you may receive a message when you attempt to open a file. This message states, "This operation has been canceled due to restrictions in effect on this computer. Please contact your system administrator."

If you see this message when attempting to open a file, simply click "OK" and proceed. You will not be restricted. I have no information as to why this message appears, but I have noticed it on all newer computers.

The World at 2100

2007-09-21T16:37:00.000-05:00

Stephen's Lighthouse points out an interesting "curation at The Bibliothèque nationale de France. There is a wonderful online gallery of illustrations by Villemard from 1910 imagining what life would be like in the year 2000."

A few envision the world of mass transport:

Trains
Personal Transport (roller skates with rockets!)
Motorcycles
Airplanes (with an extremely slow airport - the only employee is sweeping the floor while giving directions to the ONE passenger).

A few envision automation:

Construction (one architect with a bunch of machines)
Barber Shop (I would never...I repeat, NEVER go to a place like this)

And another envisions warfare (sort of a Mad Max scene - SHOOT AT THE TIRES!). And this is interesting as this is prior to World War I and the introduction of the tank. Tanks did not really come into play until World War II. And the French and British did not think that the tank was that important... until Germany showed them how the tank was supposed to be used. So the fact that a French artist in 1910 saw mobile fighting units as being important in the future is interesting indeed (sorry for the historical aside...)

So why is this series important? The paintings envision a future with the tools that were possible (sort of) at the time that the paintings were made. It is difficult to plan for or predict the future when you have no idea what tools will be available for you at that time.

I started working at the library 10 years ago in LINC at the Main Library. We did not have one public Internet access computer in the building. I don't know if I would have predicted the library's importance in providing that access to the public. Because I would not have known that companies would be "forcing" people to fill out online job applications, that e-mail accounts would be a necessity for all.

And when I started my current job as Technical Trainer just three years ago, I had no clue that I would be placing so much content on the Web for all to use. Because these tools were not readily available then.

So how will the library adjust over the next five, ten years? We can certainly envision what we can do with the existing tools at hand. But we cannot predict what new tools will become available to us during that time.

The World Waking Up To The Fact That Libraries Are Carrying the Load For Internet Access

2007-09-19T09:40:00.001-05:00

Here is a link to an interesting AP article on MSNBC.com ("Libraries Facing Internet Traffic Jam") regarding a study recently released by ALA, Florida State, and the Gates Foundation.

Libraries are finding it difficult to locate funds, space, and wiring for additional computers to meet increasingly higher demand (due to sites like YouTube, online job applications, and homework assistance). Some libraries are having to move money and resources away from existing library services (youth outreach, book purchases, etc.) in order to meet the demand for the "new" service of providing internet access to citizens.

Three cheers for the AP for creating this story about this report (the same for MSNBC.com for choosing to post it). We need all the help we can get.

Delay Outgoing Outlook Messages In Case You Instantly Regret What You Sent

2007-09-17T15:21:00.000-05:00

Have you ever sent an e-mail message only to instantly realize that you forgot to include an attachment, or sent it to the wrong person, or misspelled something, etc.?

If you have, then this tip from the How-To Geek is right for you. It explains how to delay all messages being sent for a certain brief amount of time. This gives you a chance to stop a message if you press Send and instantly wish that you had not.

via.

Placing Holds for Items with Multiple Volumes or Years

2007-09-13T13:06:00.000-05:00

I just added some new instructions to the WorkFlows wiki regarding placing holds on items with multiple volumes or years.

Please take a look. Click here to see the new entry.

Staff Language Skills on MPLICWiki

2007-09-12T14:42:00.000-05:00

The Staff Language Skills document that was once available on the Staff Intranet as a PDF document is now available via wiki. The prior list was outdated due to staff departures and changes in location. The new list can be updated instantly.

Please keep in mind that the purpose of the Staff Language Skills is to help staff with non-English speaking customers who have information questions either in the building, over the phone or via Internet.

Customer requests for translations should first be offered language dictionaries/books/tapes. If the customer needs further translation assistance or needs a letter, document, form, etc. translated, they should be referred to the Humanities Department, which will use the Translator File to connect the customer to the right translator.

Change to MPLICWiki on the Staff Intranet

2007-09-12T14:33:00.000-05:00

The MPLICWiki is no longer listed under the "Web Authoring" heading on the staff intranet. The MPLICWiki now has its own heading with links to several resources currently available on the wiki.

You can either click on the MPLICWiki heading to go to the main page of the MPLICWiki. Or you can take a shortcut to any of the resources found underneath the MPLICWiki heading.

New Staff Development Website

2007-09-11T16:46:00.000-05:00

We have been working on updating the Staff Development website, using the MPLICWiki. Using the wiki will allow us to make frequent changes so that information remains updated. This also allows us to place training dates on the page as well. So, not only do you receive a detailed description of all of our training opportunities, but you also have links to handouts (still working on adding some of these) and listings of existing training dates.

Let me know what you think as this is still a work in progress.

Future ILS Trainings

2007-09-04T16:28:00.000-05:00

Our intermediary trainings on WorkFlows and the EPS were offered in August. Those were WorkFlows Searching, WorkFlows Holds, and EPS OPAC Searching. We offered these trainings to fill an immediate training need while we figured out what the permanent structure of the trainings would be.

The WorkFlows Searching and the EPS OPAC Searching will be absorbed into Search Strategies. The Search Strategies Training Team will meet in early October. In that meeting, we will finalize the new structure of the four-day training. The new ILS has made it necessary to review and restructure three out of the four days. A tentative structure has been agreed upon, with some particulars needing to be ironed out.

And, of course, the structure of the four-day training affects the Search Strategies Refreshers. And the tentative agreement allows us to go ahead and schedule a Search Strategies Catalog Refresher on October 4, 1:30-4:00pm. This Refresher will include searching tips for both WorkFlows and the EPS OPAC.

But what about holds? Well, placing holds is not really classified as "searching", and Search Strategies needs to remain focused on searching. So holds will now be covered in a new required class for new reference staff called Introduction to WorkFlows. This class will cover basic searching, holds, marking items missing, discarding items, sending items to Tech Services, changing Item IDs, adding Circ Notes, etc.

So keep your eye out for future training opportunities. There will be plenty.

Internet Security Alerts

2007-08-28T10:42:00.000-05:00

Have you ever received this message while surfing the Web?

You likely came across this message when you were filling out an application of some sort, which makes this message seem scarier than it is.

"But what does this mean?! What should I do? Do I want to continue?! NO!!!"

This message touches on a great fear for many people that surf the Web...the fact that "It will be possible for others to view information you send"!!!

However, you can ignore this message. It carries little weight.

"What!? IGNORE IT! BUT OTHERS WILL VIEW THE INFORMATION I SEND!"

Which is OK. I know this message came up right after you completed your application, but this message is letting you know that you are leaving a secure area. Using Microsoft's words:

Microsoft Internet Explorer generates this warning message to let you know that you are leaving a Web page that is using Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) for security.

So fret not. No one will be able to view the information you just entered into the application. However, once you leave that secure area, then, yes, other people could possibly view what you are doing online.

When you think about it, this is an annoying message. Think of it this way. When you leave your house in the morning, do you really need a sign that states, "You are about to leave a secure area. It will be possible for others to view what you do. Do you want to continue?... Yes or No."

If you come across other "scary" messages while surfing the Web, open up another window (by pressing CTRL+N on the keyboard), go to your favorite search engine, and type the message exactly as you see it. You will then find several explanations.

Search Engines For Kids

2007-08-21T14:30:00.000-05:00

Pulse2.0 conducted a survey to see which search engines for kids do their job best. Click here to see who won!

Via

Gale Databases Now Offer Search Alerts

2007-08-20T12:04:00.000-05:00

While searching our Gale databases, you will be given the option to sign up for Search Alerts. This will notify you whenever a new article matches your search terms. You have two options. You can enter your email address and Gale will notify you via email. Or, you can subscribe to an RSS feed and be notified via your feed reader.

Click here to see the Distant Librarian post which includes snapshots.

More About Downloadable Audio Books and iPods

2007-08-17T13:45:00.000-05:00

Librarian.net talks about libraries offering downloadable audio books (or E-Audio Books) via Overdrive. I talked about this in January in which I describe how these audio books are not compatible with iPods.

Librarian.net suggests that we should move away from explaining to customers why the audio books do not work with iPods, or move away from assessing blame to some entity as to why the audio books do not work with iPods. In her words:

You can say “Here is this service we are providing you. Yes it won’t work on an/your iPod. Yes there are other ways to get audiobooks for your iPod and some of them are even free...

...What do we usually say? Well if my anecdotal experience is any indication — take with a grain of salt of course — we say “Yes you can check out an audiobook via Overdrive. No it won’t work on your iPod. This is the fault of [insert suspected faultmaker — whether it’s Steve Jobs or Bill Gates or Overdrive].” and then the story ends there. We can do better.

I like this. This takes an unpleasant situation and turns it into a situation in which the library is still providing information on what the customer needs.

Oh, and by the way, she then points out another blog (openculture) which lists a TON of free downloadable audio books that will work with iPods.

Google Explains The Data They Collect From You and Why

2007-08-15T13:28:00.000-05:00

Here is a video about Google's privacy methods. It also gives you some insight as to how search engines work. About 5 minutes long.

HELP!

2007-08-14T15:08:00.000-05:00

I need somebody. Not just anybody. You know I need a Help menu. Yes... a help menu. If you are having trouble with Word, or Excel, or PowerPoint, or Outlook, or our new Online Catalog, etc., use the Help menu.

Generally, help menus can be searched via keyword. For example, if you want to know how to view someone else's calendar in Outlook 2003, you would go to help and type something like "view someone else's calendar". The first topic is exactly what you need.

Or, you are having trouble printing an Excel document so that it fits all on one page?... Go to Help and type something like "print on same page" and look through the results.

Or, you saw someone's PowerPoint presentation and you liked the way the words faded in and out. Go to Help and type something like "words fade in and out".

Help menus can also be searched via a table of contents. For instance, if you are using Outlook Web Access and you click on Help, you will not receive a keyword search option. Rather, you will see a table of contents. Scroll through the table of contents to see what you need.

The same is true for the Help menu on our public home page. Click on Help and look to the left sidebar for the contents.

Also, general Web searches work great as well, especially for error messages. You would be surprised at what you find on the Web in regards to doing certain tasks. Probably nearly a third, if not more, of all of my visits to this blog are from folks around the world doing google searches on different topics.

Help menus are a great, easy, underutilized resource. Try it the next time you are in a bind. I know that I certainly do appreciate them being around.

See More Messages at One Time in Outlook Web Access

2007-08-08T09:47:00.000-05:00

One of the more frustrating things with Outlook Web Access is that you can only see 25 messages at a time. You then have to use the navigational buttons at the top right in order to move around within your Inbox (or other folder). Or worse, you may not even realize that you are not seeing all of your messages...

You can quickly change the number of messages that you see at one time.

Click on Options.
Then, under the header Messaging Options, you will see Number of items to display per page.
Change that from 25 to something larger...say 100!
Then click Save and Close.

There you go!

Find Stuff Easier in Outlook by Using Type-Down Search

2007-08-08T09:27:00.000-05:00

Your Inbox (and all other folders) will list messages with three main columns. Those are: From, Subject, and Received. Generally, you want your messages sorted by Received. However, if you are looking for a message about a certain topic or from a specific person, you can click on the column heading to resort your messages (ex. click on From to sort your messages in alphabetical order by the person who sent you the message).

You can then scroll to find the message you need. Or... you can use something called "Type-Down Searching". Basically, after you click on the column heading, type the first couple of letters and Outlook will automatically take you to that part of the list. Example, I sort my Inbox by From as I am looking for all messages from Paul. I then type paul and I am taken to that part of the list (actually, I probably could have typed pa). This works with Subjects as well, but not Received.

Give it a try. This works in both Outlook Web Access and Outlook 2003.

Office Clutter: Physical and Virtual

2007-08-07T11:13:00.000-05:00

The Commercial Appeal had an article on the August 5 paper which talks about office clutter, its effect on productivity, and what to do about it (Office Clutter Decreases Productivity).

You can find some good advice as far as the physical clutter that can hamper your productivity. However, virtual clutter has the same effect.

If you have an organized physical workspace, then you probably have a file system in which you store documents related to various aspects of your job. Your computer and your email should have folders with the same structure as your physical file system.

Do you have a file folder for a certain committee in your filing cabinet? Then create a folder in your Outlook account with the same name. Then move all pertinent and important messages regarding that committee into the folder. Not sure how to do that? Outlook 2003 users click here. Outlook Web Access users click here.

Also, you should have a folder on your computer with the same title. This is where you can store all electronic documents regarding that committee (agendas, minutes, stats, etc.). To create a folder, access your My Documents folder. Click on File, point to New, then select Folder. Name the folder then move existing files into that folder by clicking and dragging.

Also, while you are at it, delete all those messages and documents that you no longer need. On top of that, create an Archive folder to keep things that you just can't throw away.

More Additions to WorkFlows Wiki

2007-07-31T14:10:00.000-05:00

I have added more content to the WorkFlows wiki, especially in regards to searching:

Items Lost While In Transit for a Hold?

2007-07-24T11:35:00.000-05:00

We discovered that when a book is INTRANSIT to a location because of a hold, the customer's hold is attached to that single item. Therefore, if that item is lost along they way, then the customer is bypassed by other people in line when other copies become available. Until we identify the fact that this item has not made it to the pick-up location, then the customer is in HOLD LINGOOOOOoooooo!!! Marking the item missing will allow the customer to get the next available copy. For more information on this scenario, see What To Do When An Item is Lost While In Transit for a Hold.

Customer Confusion About Holds on 7-Day BOOK-APOPs with Copies Already Turned into 21-Day BOOKs

2007-07-24T11:19:00.000-05:00

As you know, customers cannot place holds on BOOK-APOP or DVD-NEW items (we check them out to the agency hold account and set them aside until the end of the business day). However, agencies have some leeway as far as turning some BOOK-APOP copies into BOOKs. Well, as soon as one copy is turned into a BOOK, then customers can place holds on those 21-day BOOKs.

This is fine when a library staff member can explain this to a customer, but now that customers can place holds online, it could lead to some customer confusion. If a customer attempts to place a hold on a 7-day BOOK-APOP, they will receive a "rejection notice". However, if one or more copies are turned into a 21-Day BOOK, then the customer will not receive a "rejection notice" when they attempt to place that book on hold online.

They will be able to place a hold; however, that hold only applies to the books that are no longer BOOK-APOP. Yet, the customer does not know that several of the available BOOK-APOP copies cannot satisfy the hold. The customer does not know that they are waiting for one of the BOOK copies to be turned back in.

So keep that in mind if a customer calls confused as to why they are not getting notified about a hold.

More Go Live Wiki Upgrades

2007-07-18T11:15:00.000-05:00

I have added some new content to the Go Live Wiki over the past several weeks:

The Trapping Holds on the Picklist section has been expanded to include:

Assistance when item is missing or
no holds are found.

The instructions for the Edit Circ Notes... tool have been expanded to include specific instructions for:

I also added instructions for what to do when an item goes missing that is in transit to a pick-up location for a hold.

Practice Online Job Application

2007-07-17T10:19:00.000-05:00

Beth at Highland passed on this useful tool. It is a practice online job application. Customers can practice before they jump on a real application.

Click here to give it a spin.

Holds Graph Places Entire Process on One Page

2007-07-16T14:30:00.000-05:00

I created a Holds graphs which displays the entire hold placement process on one single page. This may be helpful for some of you.

Click here to view it. It is also linked to under the Holds section of the Go Live wiki.

Strengthen Your Skills in August

2007-07-12T15:11:00.000-05:00

Now that you have a few weeks of live action, you now probably know what your strengths and weaknesses are in regards to the new ILS. So, in order to help you strengthen your weaknesses, we will be offering some trainings during the month of August.

WorkFlows Searching will be offered August 1 from 2-4pm and on August 16 from 10am-12pm. This will focus on search strategies using both the Keyword and Browse type searching.

WorkFlows Holds will be offered August 7 from 2-4pm and on August 21 from 2-4pm. This will focus on...well, holds.

Finally, EPS OPAC will be offered August 9 from 2-4pm and on August 22 from 10am-12pm. This will focus on search strategies for the online public access catalog.

Contact Cynthia to register for these trainings. Bring your specific questions to the trainings as well.

CareerBuilder Being Blocked?

2007-06-26T11:53:00.000-05:00

I was speaking recently with a customer who was not pleased that our filtering technology appeared to be blocking the popular job searching site, CareerBuilder. While using CareerBuilder, the customer would sporadically come across our filtering message stating that the page had been blocked.

Sam and I spent some time investigating and discovered that CareerBuilder is not being blocked. Rather, one of the advertisements that appears on CareerBuilder is causing our filter to trip. This add is attempting to automatically divert us to the ErrorSafe website.

ErrorSafe has been linked to the type of virus that I spoke of before, in which it tries to infect your computer, then sell you the solution. NICE!

If you should come across the filtering message while using CareerBuilder, my best advice is to press the back button. As you may know, ads that appear on web pages change frequently. Perhaps the offending ad will not be included the next time the page is loaded.

If this annoyance continues, you may have to use another job search engine that does not include malicious advertisements.

User IDs for Agencies

2007-06-19T09:32:00.000-05:00

Your WorkFlows life will be drastically improved once you make the connection that you check items out to internal user accounts in order to mark items missing, to discard items, to send items to tech services, to set aside items for repair or story hour, etc.

Knowing which User ID to check the item out to just became easier. On the agency abbreviation page of the wiki, I added links to many new pages that list personalized user id's for each agency. Click here to check it out.

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

The Importance of Trapping Your In-Hand Holds

2007-06-14T16:23:00.000-05:00

A customer calls and asks if you have a copy of a certain book. You check the shelf and you do indeed have it. You place that hold with the pick-up location's agency hold account (cenhold, levhold, etc.).

What is the next crucial step???

Trapping!

Placing a hold just lets the computer know that a customer wants a book. Trapping lets the computer know that a staff member has that book in their hand.

So what happens if you forget to trap? Let's say that you have placed the hold. You then put the P-slip in the book with the customer's last name, first initial, and the current date. You then put that item on the hold shelf.

Guess what will appear on the next Pick List? You got it. That same book. The Pick List shows all available items that have holds placed on them. You placed the hold when you had it in your hand. But you forgot to trap it.

So now, you or a co-worker is now looking for a book that is currently on the hold shelf.

So... along with the advice in the previous post, if you see a hold on the Pick List for an agency hold account, then something is wrong. So what do we do?

In the end, all we want is for the customer to get the material that they need. Every situation is different and there is not one answer. It may take some creative thinking in order for us to do that. If you need some help with that creative thinking, just give me a ring and we'll work it out together.

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

Placing Holds for Items Available at Other Locations

2007-06-14T16:08:00.000-05:00

We have received our first Pick List report! I have received notice that a few copy level holds were placed with agency hold accounts on items showing available at other agencies. Copy level, agency hold account holds should only be used when a staff member has the item in their hand.

If you are helping a customer who wants a book placed on hold that is available at another location, you have a couple of options:

First, you can suggest what we have always suggested: that the customer (or you) call the location with an available copy. That location would then place a COPY level hold on the item (because they have it in their hand) with the pick-up location's hold account (pkyhold, cenhold, etc.). This guarantees immediately that the customer will have a copy. Because we are placing a hold with an agency hold account, the customer will NOT be notified when this item reaches the pickup location. We give the same advice we always have ("I will send this book, it should be there tomorrow, but I would suggest calling to make sure it got there"). This process is described in detail here.

Second, if the customer would rather not call or if the location with an available copy is currently closed, you can place a TITLE level hold on the item. It is necessary to have the customer's library card number since it is not possible for a staff member to get their hands on the book. This hold will appear on the owning agency's next pick list report. The customer will then be automatically notified as soon as the item reaches the pickup location. These are the same procedures we follow if all copies are checked out, detailed here.

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

Go Live Wiki Upgrades

2007-06-08T13:58:00.000-05:00

I added some content to the Go Live wiki. The new content fleshes out all of the tasks you can accomplish with the "check out tool".

You use this tool to mark items missing, place holds on 7 day books or new DVDs, send items to various departments in Tech Services, etc.

Click here and take a look when you get a chance.

Also, I noticed that some people were getting lost in the wiki due to the various links to different pages. Therefore, I placed all Go Live contents on one page. You can still view the original version, or you can use this page.

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

Detailed Display Too Daunting?

2007-06-08T12:40:00.000-05:00

When using WorkFlows, you have the option to view an item's Detailed Display. You click on the Detailed Display button at the bottom of the screen. This shows you all sorts of information regarding an item. For some of us, maybe too much information!

However, if your search retrieves only one record, then you will be taken automatically to the Detailed Display. For some of us trying to get used to the initial search screen, this can be a bit daunting.

Not to fear, though. Escaping the grips of the Detailed Display is not a hard thing to do. All you need to do is click on the Return to Search button at the bottom of the screen. This will return you to the familiar search screen.

Now, don't disregard the Detailed Display. It is a great thing! How else will you find out how many people have a hold on a book? Also, viewing the Detailed Display of an item saves that Item ID, which makes certain tasks (such as placing holds on an item or marking an item missing) easier.

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

More Differences Between Old and New (Due Date; Where an Item is Going)

2007-05-31T09:49:00.000-05:00

Here is an example of how the holds process can alter the way we have done things in the past (besides the obvious changes of actually doing holds...).

When we are searching the catalog with WorkFlows, you will see that some items are INTRANSIT. This is the new word for "Route". However, you do not see where the item is being sent. In IG or Circle, you could see where the item was going.

This comes in handy when a customer wants an item and there are no available items except for one or more items that say Route (in Circle) or INTRANSIT (in WorkFlows).

Currently, if an item is in "route" or "intransit" back to its owning location, then we could safely assume that the item would be available soon. We could tell the customer to check back in the next day or so.

Also currently, if an item is in "route" towards another location besides the owning location, we could safely assume that the item was NOT going to be available for a while as it was being sent to another location for a customer to check out.

WorkFlows does NOT say where the book is going. It only says INTRANSIT. So are we losing some functionality????

No. We have to back up a bit and realize that our new holds service has a greater impact on our procedures.

If an item is INTRANSIT, then check to see if there are any holds on the book. If the item has a hold placed, then we can assume that the item is intransit to the pickup location. The item will not be available until the customer who has placed the hold on the book has checked it out and then returned it.

If an item is INTRANSIT, and it does NOT have any holds on the book, then you can safely assume that the book is being sent back to its home location.

On top of all of this, you can offer to place a hold on the book for the customer and as soon as that book becomes available (one way or another), they will be notified.

If you have any questions regarding this process, please let me know (email, phone, comments, wiki discussion page, etc.). All questions and answers will end up on the Holds Discussion page.

Some Differences Between Old and New

2007-05-29T10:08:00.000-05:00

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.).

Use Alt-F4 to Close Your WorkFlows Windows

2007-05-24T13:26:00.001-05:00

As we have progressed with training, more and more of you are going back to your agency and practicing your WorkFlows skills. You may also realize that when you try to close WorkFlows, it states that a message appears saying their are open wizards that require your attention.

Basically you have to close all the various screens that you have opened throughout your session. And depending on what all you have done, this could take a while.

Not necessarily. Use this keyboard shortcut that I mentioned in a previous post. Press and hold the Alt key on your keyboard. Then repeatedly press the F4 key until all windows are closed. Alt-F4 closes this current window. Pressing it repeatedly closes windows rapidly.

If you have any questions regarding this process, please let me know (email, phone, comments, wiki discussion page, etc.). All questions and answers will end up on the Holds Discussion page.

Summer/Fall Technical Training Dates Announced

2007-05-17T16:42:00.000-05:00

I have added the dates for the late summer/fall technical trainings. Some new classes will be added to the rotation:

Wiki Reading and Editing
Typing Parts 1,2,3
Excel: How to Create Lists
Files!
Brochures and Pictures (once one class) is split into two separate classes.

I will explain more about these classes in the near future.

Here is the list:

Wiki Reading and Editing
Wednesday, July 18, 9-10:30am

Word: How Do I Format My Document?
Tuesday, July 24, 2-3:30pm

Typing Part 1 of 3
Tuesday, July 31, 9-10:30am

Word: What's Wrong with My Document?
Tuesday, August 7, 9-10:30am

Aggregator/Reader
Thursday, August 23, 2-3:30pm

Typing Part 2 of 3
Wednesday, August 29, 9-10:30am

Word: What's Up With Bullets, Numbers, and Tabs?
Thursday, September 13, 2-3:30pm

Wiki Reading and Editing
Thursday, September 27, 2-3:30pm

Typing Part 3 of 3
Tuesday, October 2, 9-10:30am

Files!: How to Open 'Em, Save 'Em, Attach 'Em, Upload 'Em
Wednesday, October 10, 9-10:30am

Word: How Do I Customize a Resume Template?
Thursday, October 18, 2-3:30pm

Excel: How Do I Create Lists?
Thursday, October 25, 9-10:30am

How Do I Make a Brochure (Word and Web)
Thursday, November 8, 9-10:30am
(better if participant has taken Files! or is familiar with working with files)

How Do I Find, Add, Customize Pictures (Word and Web)
Thursday, November 15, 2-3:30pm
(better if participant has taken Files! or is familiar with working with files)

How Do I Create Charts (Excel and Web)
Wednesday, November 28, 9-10:30am
(must have taken Excel Lists or be familiar with Excel)

Wiki Reading/Editing
Wednesday, December 5, 9-10:30am

IM on the Tech Train

2007-05-17T15:54:00.000-05:00

UPDATE: Service discontinued. Test failed.

OK, so I'm investigating something here. Bear with me. I don't instant message but I couldn't resist trying something out that may make it easier for some folks to ask questions.

On the sidebar, you see a window that allows you to type whatever. If you have a question (or if you have an answer), then add it here.

You should be able to just click and type. We'll see how this works. If you are getting this through a reader, you have to actually visit this blog to see what I am talking about.

Somebody Call St. Louis. We Need More Rams!

2007-05-14T17:45:00.000-05:00

As we have just discovered, some of our computers need more RAM. The size of RAM (and everything else in the computer world) is measured in bytes. The more bytes you have, the better:

1024 bytes equals a kilobyte (KB)
1024 kilobytes equals a megabyte (MB)
1024 megabytes equals a gigabyte (GB)

RAM comes in any number of sizes. Generally around 96 MB, 128 MB, 256 MB, 512 MB, 1024 MB (or 1 GB).

Now that we know about size, let's discuss RAM. What is RAM? RAM is Random Access Memory. OK, so what does that mean? It is called "random" because the memory can be accessed in any order (unlike a tape or CD which requires the computer to physically move some sort of reading device to locate the desired memory).

To paraphrase lifehacker, if your CPU is the cook, and your refrigerator is the hard drive, then RAM would be the kitchen counters. As the cook (CPU) gets stuff out of the fridge (hard drive) in order to cook, he has to place the stuff on the counter (RAM). If you run out of counter space, then you can't get anything else out of the fridge.

And WorkFlows is a big huge piece of pig that takes up a lot of counter space (and takes a while to get out of the fridge).

And some of our counters are smaller than others. So how do you find out how much RAM you have?

When looking at the desktop, you can right-click on My Computer (a couple staff computers could right-click. Others I tested could not). Then click on Properties. Towards the bottom-right of your window, you will see the amount of RAM (measured in KB). The picture hear shows my computer which has about 256 MB RAM.

So how do you get more RAM?

You can see the instructions from the same lifehacker post I linked to before. You open the computer and slap on a RAM stick. Getting those sticks is the first, crucial next step.

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

Go Live Reference Wiki Additions

2007-05-08T10:22:00.000-05:00

The Go Live Reference Training wiki has a couple of new additions. First, I have added some practice questions that Philip in Cordova created. This is a great way to reinforce the contents of the training.

Next, I have added a page that lists all of the questions that come up during training that we are not able to answer. When the answer is found, we will post it there.

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

A Case for a Wiki

2007-04-30T12:55:00.000-05:00

The slew of e-mails today regarding Section 8 applications got me thinking. Would it not be easier for all of us to keep track of something like this via the MPLICWiki rather than email? If you are helping a customer now, and they are wondering where they can pick up an application, you have to scan your Inbox to see what the latest word is for a specific branch (do they or do they not have applications available).

The wiki version would have a page that lists all of the branches with a note indicating whether or not they have section 8 applications...or if their air conditioner is broken...or if their typewriter is broken...or whatever special news that branch may have.

Whenever the status changes (the branch runs out of applications; the branch received a new batch of applications; the typewriter now works, etc.), someone from that branch could edit the page to notate that change (instead of sending or in addition to sending the email). The entire system would have immediate, quick access to all the special notes for all locations.

However, MPLIC is not quite ready for this yet. Currently, just about all staff are trained on the use of email. If a message needs to be sent to the system, just about anyone can do that now via email. As easy as editing a wiki can be, if we do not have the staff to make the immediate changes when necessary, then your product loses validity fairly quickly.

One of the trainings I will offer in the fall is a Wiki Editing training. This will hopefully be the first step towards building a comfort level with the MPLICWiki so that we may utilize it more in the future.