CCS News
APRIL 30, 2010
FROM THE COMPUTER ROOM:
Unicode/Oracle conversion - it is done! Thanks to everyone for their support through this process – shown to us in many ways. We are still dealing with the reality of the new environment, and some adjustments are inevitable such as the recent problems with the index update in the night and other system scripts. We are in the midst of analyzing bibliographic and authority records that appeared in our error reports. We are observing that reports are actually running better than we expected, but re-balancing is needed and will be done a few reports at a time. We have also shared with SirsiDynix that their staff were outstanding working with us in a spirit of true collaboration. SirsiDynix had very senior staff on this project and we learned how very much each one of these staff members cared about doing a good job for the libraries and our patrons.
Email Server - the new email server is targeted now for implementation on May 6.
AUTHORITIES NEWS:
No new subject heading changes to report on, but 2 files were loaded this week from Marcive – one contained 1940 updated authority records and another contained 519 new authority records that were not available before, but needed in our system.
--Virginia
Virginia R. Seward
CCS Authorities Librarian
CCS MEETINGS NEXT WEEK:
Wed., 5/5, 9:30, NSLS: Catalogers (workshop)
Thursday, April 22, 2010
CCS News
APRIL 23, 2010
FROM THE COMPUTER ROOM:
This week we have a guest columnist so Linda could focus more on the post-Bridge restoration and transition to a new and better reality... thanks one more time for all the support and understanding during this project!
Unicode/Oracle conversion - it is almost done! Sunday we started the live process to convert our Informix database to the Oracle Database Management System using Unicode. Thank you to everyone in the consortium for your testing, feedback. understanding, collaboration, and encouragement. We want to thank you all for the support, "atta boy's" and goodies we have received from the libraries, during the conversion.
Email Server - the new email server is waiting in the wings. It should be implemented right after the conversion is complete. It's just "waiting for the runway to clear.."
IP Network Changes - Again it is important to open up Help Desk tickets when requesting IP Network changes. Please keep in mind:
1) The actual numbers can be verified and double checked.
2) The computer room does not do IP changes on a Friday or Monday. Friday may result in the library being "dead in the water” if it cannot connect. Mondays are usually busy dealing with any outstanding issues from the previous week or weekend.
3) If someone in the computer room is on vacation, another computer room member can follow up and assist if needed.
4) Be sure to use your email address when opening up a Help Desk Ticket;
this way you can be contacted instead of CCS trying to get information to a default address or generic email for the Help Desk the library may have assigned.
Vacations coming up - it’s that time again when staff will be taking their vacations in the coming months. If you are working on a problem with a staff member, and don't need a quick reply, don't forget to look at the Help Desk home page , the Computer Room tries to post their vacation notices for libraries to see. This is also another good reason why Help Desk tickets are important: to follow up or track issues in case a staff member is absent or away from the office, and you need help right away.
Next week - Quiz on the Oracle conversion , or tips on a greener lawn...
Frank Correa
IT Systems Engineer
Cooperative Computer Services (CCS)
CCS MEETINGS NEXT WEEK:
None!
APRIL 23, 2010
FROM THE COMPUTER ROOM:
This week we have a guest columnist so Linda could focus more on the post-Bridge restoration and transition to a new and better reality... thanks one more time for all the support and understanding during this project!
Unicode/Oracle conversion - it is almost done! Sunday we started the live process to convert our Informix database to the Oracle Database Management System using Unicode. Thank you to everyone in the consortium for your testing, feedback. understanding, collaboration, and encouragement. We want to thank you all for the support, "atta boy's" and goodies we have received from the libraries, during the conversion.
Email Server - the new email server is waiting in the wings. It should be implemented right after the conversion is complete. It's just "waiting for the runway to clear.."
IP Network Changes - Again it is important to open up Help Desk tickets when requesting IP Network changes. Please keep in mind:
1) The actual numbers can be verified and double checked.
2) The computer room does not do IP changes on a Friday or Monday. Friday may result in the library being "dead in the water” if it cannot connect. Mondays are usually busy dealing with any outstanding issues from the previous week or weekend.
3) If someone in the computer room is on vacation, another computer room member can follow up and assist if needed.
4) Be sure to use your email address when opening up a Help Desk Ticket;
this way you can be contacted instead of CCS trying to get information to a default address or generic email for the Help Desk the library may have assigned.
Vacations coming up - it’s that time again when staff will be taking their vacations in the coming months. If you are working on a problem with a staff member, and don't need a quick reply, don't forget to look at the Help Desk home page , the Computer Room tries to post their vacation notices for libraries to see. This is also another good reason why Help Desk tickets are important: to follow up or track issues in case a staff member is absent or away from the office, and you need help right away.
Next week - Quiz on the Oracle conversion , or tips on a greener lawn...
Frank Correa
IT Systems Engineer
Cooperative Computer Services (CCS)
CCS MEETINGS NEXT WEEK:
None!
Thursday, April 15, 2010
CCS News
APRIL 16, 2010
FROM THE COMPUTER ROOM:
Unicode Oracle conversion – it is time! Over the weekend on Sunday night we will be starting the live process to convert our Informix database to the Oracle Database Management System using Unicode. Thank you to everyone in the consortium for your testing, feedback, understanding, collaboration, and encouragement.
WHY ARE WE DOING THIS AGAIN?
Although our general memo about the “Unicle”/Symphony Bridge project did include a brief explanation of what this is for along with the timetable and lists of what can and can’t be done during the transition, it seems timely to provide a brief reiteration of what this is about. We have been running on a Database Management System called Informix CSAM which, although Sirsi has no plans to discontinue support, is increasingly dated. That makes product integration occasionally problematic, along with the odds on finding a new employee with any training. Oracle is very mainstream, is a foundation for much development (some Sirsi products are only available for Oracle users), and provides better tools for third party integration. Unicode, which requires Oracle for Sirsi support, provides support for a broader array of characters, especially useful for foreign language materials using non-Roman characters. This improves display in the public catalog and enables the Technical Services staff who work with the associated bibliographic records to represent them better.
If we migrate to another vendor (which we’re bound to do someday), it’s pretty much a given that we would go to an Oracle/Unicode platform, so the preparations you’re doing now with fonts etc. will not have been a detour.
We hope this helps provide some clarification for those who needed it. We know the transition will result in some inconvenience, but we have worked hard with Sirsi to minimize it. We look forward to proceeding through Symphony Bridge with everyone’s help, and stand by to sort out any uncertainties, oversights or complications. If those arise, they will have much more to do with inevitability than with any lack of due diligence. We can and will do this – together. RS
LIBRARY CLOSING:
Wilmette will be closed all day Fri. 4/23 for a Staff In-Service Day.
A FEW SUBJECT HEADING CHANGES:
The Library of Congress is continually updating subject headings so that they are now in direct order. Recently “Quilts, Amish” was changed to “Amish quilts”. Other headings that were changed so that they are now in direct order, include: “Taoist hygiene”, “Taoist philosophy”, and “Sikh temples”.
CCS MEETINGS NEXT WEEK:
Wed., 4/21, 9:30, CCS: SCRAP
Thur., 4/22, 1:30: WebFeat Webinar (NBK will host; we’ll send out access info early next week for those who wish to participate from elsewhere)
APRIL 16, 2010
FROM THE COMPUTER ROOM:
Unicode Oracle conversion – it is time! Over the weekend on Sunday night we will be starting the live process to convert our Informix database to the Oracle Database Management System using Unicode. Thank you to everyone in the consortium for your testing, feedback, understanding, collaboration, and encouragement.
WHY ARE WE DOING THIS AGAIN?
Although our general memo about the “Unicle”/Symphony Bridge project did include a brief explanation of what this is for along with the timetable and lists of what can and can’t be done during the transition, it seems timely to provide a brief reiteration of what this is about. We have been running on a Database Management System called Informix CSAM which, although Sirsi has no plans to discontinue support, is increasingly dated. That makes product integration occasionally problematic, along with the odds on finding a new employee with any training. Oracle is very mainstream, is a foundation for much development (some Sirsi products are only available for Oracle users), and provides better tools for third party integration. Unicode, which requires Oracle for Sirsi support, provides support for a broader array of characters, especially useful for foreign language materials using non-Roman characters. This improves display in the public catalog and enables the Technical Services staff who work with the associated bibliographic records to represent them better.
If we migrate to another vendor (which we’re bound to do someday), it’s pretty much a given that we would go to an Oracle/Unicode platform, so the preparations you’re doing now with fonts etc. will not have been a detour.
We hope this helps provide some clarification for those who needed it. We know the transition will result in some inconvenience, but we have worked hard with Sirsi to minimize it. We look forward to proceeding through Symphony Bridge with everyone’s help, and stand by to sort out any uncertainties, oversights or complications. If those arise, they will have much more to do with inevitability than with any lack of due diligence. We can and will do this – together. RS
LIBRARY CLOSING:
Wilmette will be closed all day Fri. 4/23 for a Staff In-Service Day.
A FEW SUBJECT HEADING CHANGES:
The Library of Congress is continually updating subject headings so that they are now in direct order. Recently “Quilts, Amish” was changed to “Amish quilts”. Other headings that were changed so that they are now in direct order, include: “Taoist hygiene”, “Taoist philosophy”, and “Sikh temples”.
CCS MEETINGS NEXT WEEK:
Wed., 4/21, 9:30, CCS: SCRAP
Thur., 4/22, 1:30: WebFeat Webinar (NBK will host; we’ll send out access info early next week for those who wish to participate from elsewhere)
Thursday, April 8, 2010
CCS News
APRIL 9, 2010
FROM THE COMPUTER ROOM:
Oracle / Unicode Conversion Countdown – We are getting ready for the conversion to commence April 19. Stay tuned to the s-Help list for information regarding the conversion.
Opening in the Computer Room – we have an opening for a part time operator to primarily work on Sunday night. If you know of any good candidates, please have them contact Bonnie Owens or Linda Zaleski.
MCHENRY RENOVATION:
McHenry is closing until roughly Monday, June 7, for renovation. Until then, their trapped holds are going directly to Crystal Lake which has graciously agreed to be a temporary pickup point, they are only trapping holds for their own patrons and they are not running a Pick List. Here’s to a smooth two months!
SUBJECT HEADING CHANGES AND OTHER AUTHORITY NEWS: For those who do a subject search for the fictitious character of Frankenstein, be aware that LC has split the subject heading. So what was “Frankenstein (Fictitious character)” (and which covered both Dr. Frankenstein and his monster) has now been split. There are 2 new subject headings – one for Dr. Frankenstein or “Frankenstein, Victor (Fictitious character)” and one for the monster itself or “Frankenstein’s monster (Fictitious character)”.
LC also switched “Legends, Jewish” so that it is now in direct order. The updated subject heading is “Jewish legends”.
In both cases, all affected bibliographical records have been changed, including adding additional subject headings (one for Dr. Frankenstein and another one for his monster) when warranted.
CCS also sent 6308 bibliographical records to Marcive April 7 for authorities processing (which now includes adding new Lexile numbers and other reading notes). 1962 records were returned with 3723 new authority records. Both sets of records were loaded into our system.
CCS MEETING NEXT WEEK:
Wed., 4/14, 10:00, CCS: Executive Committee
APRIL 9, 2010
FROM THE COMPUTER ROOM:
Oracle / Unicode Conversion Countdown – We are getting ready for the conversion to commence April 19. Stay tuned to the s-Help list for information regarding the conversion.
Opening in the Computer Room – we have an opening for a part time operator to primarily work on Sunday night. If you know of any good candidates, please have them contact Bonnie Owens or Linda Zaleski.
MCHENRY RENOVATION:
McHenry is closing until roughly Monday, June 7, for renovation. Until then, their trapped holds are going directly to Crystal Lake which has graciously agreed to be a temporary pickup point, they are only trapping holds for their own patrons and they are not running a Pick List. Here’s to a smooth two months!
SUBJECT HEADING CHANGES AND OTHER AUTHORITY NEWS: For those who do a subject search for the fictitious character of Frankenstein, be aware that LC has split the subject heading. So what was “Frankenstein (Fictitious character)” (and which covered both Dr. Frankenstein and his monster) has now been split. There are 2 new subject headings – one for Dr. Frankenstein or “Frankenstein, Victor (Fictitious character)” and one for the monster itself or “Frankenstein’s monster (Fictitious character)”.
LC also switched “Legends, Jewish” so that it is now in direct order. The updated subject heading is “Jewish legends”.
In both cases, all affected bibliographical records have been changed, including adding additional subject headings (one for Dr. Frankenstein and another one for his monster) when warranted.
CCS also sent 6308 bibliographical records to Marcive April 7 for authorities processing (which now includes adding new Lexile numbers and other reading notes). 1962 records were returned with 3723 new authority records. Both sets of records were loaded into our system.
CCS MEETING NEXT WEEK:
Wed., 4/14, 10:00, CCS: Executive Committee
Thursday, April 1, 2010
CCS News
APRIL 2, 2010
FROM THE COMPUTER ROOM:
Part time operator position open – It is with regret that we will be saying goodbye to our Sunday night operator, Jim Kraft. Jim has served us well for over six years. We will be hiring a Sunday operator soon so if you are aware of someone with the background we need then please send the resume to lzaleski@ccs.nsls.lib.il.us. The position is for 5 hours per week and some fill-in work. A complete description can be found at
http://ccslib.org/attachments/JOB_DESCRIPTION_March2010_part_time.pdf
Sunday April 4 – the CCS computer room will be closed on Sunday April 4. We will be staffed during normal hours on Friday and Saturday.
SUBJECT HEADING CHANGES AND OTHER AUTHORITY NEWS:
LC has changed an important subject subdivision. So, for example, what was “English fiction – Film and video adaptations”, is now either “English fiction – Film adaptations” or “English fiction—Television adaptations”. Another good example, where you will find many of these type of changes is under a subject search for Shakespeare. There are now “Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616--Film adaptations” and also “Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616--Television adaptations.” Besides these mentioned, there are many more – mostly under types of literature or under an individual author.
In other authority news, CCS loaded two files recently that were sent from Marcive. One included 1397 updated authority records and the other included 451 new authority records, that were not available before. Hopefully next week, another batch of bibliographic records will be sent to Marcive for both authority processing and reading notes enrichment.
LEXILE NUMBER PROJECT UPDATE:
CCS’s project for adding reading notes (aka Lexile, Reading Counts, and Accelerated Reader) to all affected bibliographic records is in the final stages. The data has been added to all affected bibliographic records, and you can search under “Lexile” or “Accelerated reader” by doing a general keyword search. But please wait until after the Oracle rebuild later this month, for new indexes and search boxes that will allow you to fine tune those types of searches.
WINDOWS 7/WORKFLOWS HINT:
At CCS HQ, we’ve learned the hard way that it is necessary to handle the Workflows Client with care on a Windows 7 PC to avoid a series of error messages that files need updating; the client works after clicking on the messages, but Carpal Tunnel Syndrome may arrive a nanosecond sooner. Or not. Roger Anderson has documented the workaround Sirsi has shared with us (even though they don’t officially support Windows 7 yet):
To install Java WorkFlows on a Windows 7 machine
1. Close all software applications. Nothing should be running.
2. Go to Control Panel
3. Select User Accounts and Family Safety
4. Select User Accounts
5. Select Change User Account Control Settings
6. Change the slide bar to the lowest setting: “Never Notify” (ignore the “not recommended” message)
7. Click OK
8. You should be prompted to restart your machine. Restart.
9. Double click the Java WorkFlows icon to open it.
10. You might be prompted to update the client. Select Yes. Some installations may not give the prompt to update the client. (Mine did want me to update.)
11. Supply your login and password as usual.
12. WorkFlows should be updated with the files it needs. Set your configuration, desktop setup, defaults, etc. they way you like them.
13. Close WorkFlows
THE FOLLOWING STEPS ARE CRITICAL FOR SECURITY. BE SURE YOU FOLLOW THEM.
14. Go to Control Panel
15. Select User Accounts and Family Safety
16. Select User Accounts
17. Select Change User Account Control Settings
18. Reset the slide bar to the second highest “recommended” setting
19. Click OK
20. You should be prompted to restart your machine. Restart. Congratulations!
CCS MEETINGS NEXT WEEK:
Wed., 4/7, 9:30, NSLS: Catalogers
Thur., 4/8, 9:30, NSLS: ILL
APRIL 2, 2010
FROM THE COMPUTER ROOM:
Part time operator position open – It is with regret that we will be saying goodbye to our Sunday night operator, Jim Kraft. Jim has served us well for over six years. We will be hiring a Sunday operator soon so if you are aware of someone with the background we need then please send the resume to lzaleski@ccs.nsls.lib.il.us. The position is for 5 hours per week and some fill-in work. A complete description can be found at
http://ccslib.org/attachments/JOB_DESCRIPTION_March2010_part_time.pdf
Sunday April 4 – the CCS computer room will be closed on Sunday April 4. We will be staffed during normal hours on Friday and Saturday.
SUBJECT HEADING CHANGES AND OTHER AUTHORITY NEWS:
LC has changed an important subject subdivision. So, for example, what was “English fiction – Film and video adaptations”, is now either “English fiction – Film adaptations” or “English fiction—Television adaptations”. Another good example, where you will find many of these type of changes is under a subject search for Shakespeare. There are now “Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616--Film adaptations” and also “Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616--Television adaptations.” Besides these mentioned, there are many more – mostly under types of literature or under an individual author.
In other authority news, CCS loaded two files recently that were sent from Marcive. One included 1397 updated authority records and the other included 451 new authority records, that were not available before. Hopefully next week, another batch of bibliographic records will be sent to Marcive for both authority processing and reading notes enrichment.
LEXILE NUMBER PROJECT UPDATE:
CCS’s project for adding reading notes (aka Lexile, Reading Counts, and Accelerated Reader) to all affected bibliographic records is in the final stages. The data has been added to all affected bibliographic records, and you can search under “Lexile” or “Accelerated reader” by doing a general keyword search. But please wait until after the Oracle rebuild later this month, for new indexes and search boxes that will allow you to fine tune those types of searches.
WINDOWS 7/WORKFLOWS HINT:
At CCS HQ, we’ve learned the hard way that it is necessary to handle the Workflows Client with care on a Windows 7 PC to avoid a series of error messages that files need updating; the client works after clicking on the messages, but Carpal Tunnel Syndrome may arrive a nanosecond sooner. Or not. Roger Anderson has documented the workaround Sirsi has shared with us (even though they don’t officially support Windows 7 yet):
To install Java WorkFlows on a Windows 7 machine
1. Close all software applications. Nothing should be running.
2. Go to Control Panel
3. Select User Accounts and Family Safety
4. Select User Accounts
5. Select Change User Account Control Settings
6. Change the slide bar to the lowest setting: “Never Notify” (ignore the “not recommended” message)
7. Click OK
8. You should be prompted to restart your machine. Restart.
9. Double click the Java WorkFlows icon to open it.
10. You might be prompted to update the client. Select Yes. Some installations may not give the prompt to update the client. (Mine did want me to update.)
11. Supply your login and password as usual.
12. WorkFlows should be updated with the files it needs. Set your configuration, desktop setup, defaults, etc. they way you like them.
13. Close WorkFlows
THE FOLLOWING STEPS ARE CRITICAL FOR SECURITY. BE SURE YOU FOLLOW THEM.
14. Go to Control Panel
15. Select User Accounts and Family Safety
16. Select User Accounts
17. Select Change User Account Control Settings
18. Reset the slide bar to the second highest “recommended” setting
19. Click OK
20. You should be prompted to restart your machine. Restart. Congratulations!
CCS MEETINGS NEXT WEEK:
Wed., 4/7, 9:30, NSLS: Catalogers
Thur., 4/8, 9:30, NSLS: ILL
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