CCS News

OCTOBER 3, 2008

FROM THE COMPUTER ROOM:
So slow on Wednesday October 1 – Although we have been working with Sirsi since the libraries reported our slowdown on Wednesday, the reason for the slowdown was not found. All avenues were checked and included the networks, the CPU usage, etc. It was suggested that when it happens again we should be logging transactions at one of the affected libraries with a special signon. This has been set up for the next time the problem occurs.

Have you lost a hold? - Around the first of September, many libraries reported occurrences of “lost holds”. One library suggested that the report OLD and EXPIRED HOLDS be consulted to review holds. Also we have found that sometimes multiple windows being open can confuse us when looking at a sequence of events. Finally, there is the situation when the item just manages to find its way to the wrong place – especially when the Circulation workroom is inundated with checkins! If you suspect a hold has gone lost – please be sure to send the patron barcode and name, the item barcode if pertinent, and any other related information like date patron was notified, and if notification was via email or SVA.

PATRON DATA ENTRY STANDARDS APPROVED: On October 2 the Governing Board approved the Patron Entry Standards. We are in process of posting the document under the Circ section of Member Resources on the CCS web site. You should already have a copy; we can e-mail one upon request to Richard Shurman or Roger Anderson.

SPELLCHECK IS COMING TO IBISTRO! The Governing Board also gave a green light to installing Lucien’s SpellCheck with iBistro. A two month trial will determine the subsequent quarterly pricing. We will announce when we have this ready to go.

DID YOU KNOW?
Did you know that information about the library sending an in-transit item and the library to which it’s being sent is available in Java, but it’s not found in the same place as in the C client? In C, after locating an item using Item Search & Display and going to the Detailed Display screen, All Volumes tab, you look for the appropriate in-transit item and when you find it, click on the in-transit glossary associated with that item. (In Sirsi, a glossary is an entry or term with a dotted line under it that can be expanded to provide additional information.) When you click on the underlined in-transit entry, a small window pops up that says: “In transit to from for a hold”. It also gives you the date and time the item was sent. Knowing both the From and To libraries associated with an in-transit item can be useful when resolving holds problems and is a popular feature in the C client.

You can get the same in-transit information in the Java client, but it’s not found in a glossary. Instead, you search for the appropriate item using Item Search & Display, click Detailed Display, and select the Call Number/Item tab. (Basically the same procedure as above.) Under the Call Number/Item tab the information box located on the left will have INTRANSIT as the last piece of data on the item’s barcode line. (Again, this is basically the same as above.) What’s new in Java is the second box on the right of the Detailed Display screen, which has five additional tabs above it: Item Info, Circ Info, Bills, Checkouts, and Holds. Under the Item Info tab, the barcode for the in-transit item is the very first piece of data shown. Highlight the barcode and copy it (using Ctrl C). Then click the Check Item Status wizard and paste it (Ctrl V) into the Item ID field and click Check Status. The status results window will show the same in-transit information as the glossary in the C client and it supplies a lot of other information about the hold as well. – Ken Victorson

CCS MEETINGS NEXT WEEK:

None!