CCS News
FEBRUARY 20, 2009
FROM THE COMPUTER ROOM:
Director’s Station – the Director’s Station upgrade is in progress as we type, and it should be ready for libraries to use on Tuesday Feb 23. We did discover that more memory will be needed at a later date, so sometime next week we will schedule a short interruption while the additional memory goes in. We will keep you posted on our progress.
3.2.1 Upgrade on Test Server – In our testing we are discovering that the upgrade is running far too long to bring the system back up in the desired overnight time frame. As you know, we strive to do upgrades overnight so that downtime in the library is minimized. We now are working with Sirsi to see if the upgrade can be accomplished in the time frame needed. When we did this on the test server it took over 48 hours – so as you can see it is not a trivial problem that we are trying to solve. Every cloud has a silver lining and in this case we think that we will be REALLY good at running this upgrade because we are getting a lot of practice. We will keep you posted on our progress on this key project as well.
LIBRARY CLOSINGS:
The Wilmette Public Library will be closed all day on Friday, February 20, for Staff Institute Day. Regular hours will resume on Saturday, February 21st.
The Lake Villa District Library will be closed on Friday, February 27th from 9-2 for Staff Development Day. The library will open to the public at 2:00.
DID YOU KNOW?
Did you know that although there are still a few technical issues to be resolved on the test server, we’ll begin testing Symphony 3.2.1 soon? There are several libraries that don’t have anyone involved in testing yet and it’s important that each site have a representative on this project. As always, we want to have as many people as possible trying out the new release before we start using it for daily operations, but it’s also critical that we have at least one person from each library getting hands-on experience with 3.2.1. There are a lot of changes in this version of WorkFlows and if no one on your staff has seen it, there won't be anyone on hand able to answer basic questions that may arise. This isn’t fair to the CCS community as a whole, because inexperienced libraries might unnecessarily monopolize support staff with fundamental questions after we go into production. The best way to become familiar with the changes in Symphony is to participate in the testing project. If you don’t have anyone at your library helping test the new release, please designate a knowledgeable person to spend time becoming familiar with Symphony. It would be best if someone from each department could spend as much time as possible with the new release, but every library should have a minimum of one skilled WorkFlows person learning about and/or testing the changes coming with Symphony 3.2.1. – Ken Victorson
CCS MEETING NEXT WEEK:
Wed., 2/25, 9:30, CCS: Acquisitions Discussion Group
Thursday, February 12, 2009
CCS News
FEBRUARY 13, 2009
FROM THE COMPUTER ROOM:
Test upgrade to 3.2.1 – we have been struggling with the upgrade on the test server and as of this writing we are preparing to re-run the upgrade steps. As part of this, we will (in test) reduce the number of inactive holds that we have been retaining and will likely reduce the same file on the production server soon to only those inactive holds after January 1, 2007. We will keep you posted on our progress.
Indexing problem – Our problem on Tuesday morning with indexing new index keys was cleared up by later in the day. The problem was related to how we brought the system back online on Tuesday morning.
Improving Workflows – The halt and run on Tuesday was done in order to incrementally improve the performance of some of the workflows processes. We hope the improvements will help a bit when the system is really busy.
LIBRARY CLOSING:
The Wilmette Public Library will be closed all day Friday, February 20th, for Staff Institute Day. Regular hours will resume on Saturday, February 21st.
DID YOU KNOW?
Did you know that I’ll be conducting three Java WorkFlows training sessions for Catalogers at Northbrook, Des Plaines, and Ela at the end of this month and the beginning of March? (See schedule below.) Intended for libraries that have not yet implemented the new client, these classes are for catalogers who need instruction on the basics of using the Java client. The sessions will focus on general Java cataloging issues and will cover a range of common cataloging tasks in order to familiarize users with features in Java.
The Java Cataloging classes will be available at the following three libraries on the dates indicated.
- Northbrook Library: Thursday, February 26th - from 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM
- Des Plaines Library: Tuesday, March 3rd - from 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM
- Ela Public Library: Thursday, March 12th - from 9:30 AM to noon
If you or anyone in your department would like to register for one of these classes, please send me their name(s), email address(es), and identify which of the sessions they want to attend. – Ken Victorson
CCS MEETINGS NEXT WEEK:
Wed., 2/18, 9:30, CCS: SCRAP
Wed., 2/18, 10:00, Northbrook: OPAC Review Task Force
FEBRUARY 13, 2009
FROM THE COMPUTER ROOM:
Test upgrade to 3.2.1 – we have been struggling with the upgrade on the test server and as of this writing we are preparing to re-run the upgrade steps. As part of this, we will (in test) reduce the number of inactive holds that we have been retaining and will likely reduce the same file on the production server soon to only those inactive holds after January 1, 2007. We will keep you posted on our progress.
Indexing problem – Our problem on Tuesday morning with indexing new index keys was cleared up by later in the day. The problem was related to how we brought the system back online on Tuesday morning.
Improving Workflows – The halt and run on Tuesday was done in order to incrementally improve the performance of some of the workflows processes. We hope the improvements will help a bit when the system is really busy.
LIBRARY CLOSING:
The Wilmette Public Library will be closed all day Friday, February 20th, for Staff Institute Day. Regular hours will resume on Saturday, February 21st.
DID YOU KNOW?
Did you know that I’ll be conducting three Java WorkFlows training sessions for Catalogers at Northbrook, Des Plaines, and Ela at the end of this month and the beginning of March? (See schedule below.) Intended for libraries that have not yet implemented the new client, these classes are for catalogers who need instruction on the basics of using the Java client. The sessions will focus on general Java cataloging issues and will cover a range of common cataloging tasks in order to familiarize users with features in Java.
The Java Cataloging classes will be available at the following three libraries on the dates indicated.
- Northbrook Library: Thursday, February 26th - from 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM
- Des Plaines Library: Tuesday, March 3rd - from 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM
- Ela Public Library: Thursday, March 12th - from 9:30 AM to noon
If you or anyone in your department would like to register for one of these classes, please send me their name(s), email address(es), and identify which of the sessions they want to attend. – Ken Victorson
CCS MEETINGS NEXT WEEK:
Wed., 2/18, 9:30, CCS: SCRAP
Wed., 2/18, 10:00, Northbrook: OPAC Review Task Force
Thursday, February 5, 2009
CCS News
FEBRUARY 6, 2009
FROM THE COMPUTER ROOM:
Disappearing cursor – a few of you have mention the case of the disappearing cursor which is a problem with the Java client and shows up when checking initems or checking the status of an item. The problem has been fixed in Symphony 3.3 and evidently it required some significant reworking of the SirsiDynix code. We have learned that in the mean time when this happens, if you unplug and plug in your barcode scanner the cursor will return. Also, you may be able to click around in the menu bar (for example, Preferences > Peripherals > Barcode Reader then cancel) to get the cursor to become active again.
Test 3.2.1 – We are in the process of loading the new release on the test server and will keep you posted on our progress. When you are testing, please let us know if you need any new features turned on.
AUTHORITIES UPDATE:
CCS sent 4194 bibliographic records to Marcive on Thursday, Jan. 29th for Overnight Authorities Processing. The records have been processed and were reloaded into our system. Of the 4194 bibliographic records, Marcive returned 1593 updated bibliographic records. Marcive also sent us 2050 new authority records. Marcive’s speedy service insures that the CCS database is kept up to date as much as possible with current headings and references. -- Virginia R. Seward
CCS Authorities Librarian
DID YOU KNOW?
Did you know that we’ll be ready to start testing the Symphony 3.2.1 release (AKA WorkFlows) early next week, but there are still several CCS libraries that do not have anyone from their staff participating in the project? It’s important to have as many people as possible try out the new release, of course, but it’s also critical that we have at least one person from each library getting hands-on experience with 3.2.1 before we start using it for normal operations. When testing indicates it’s stable and ready for primetime, Symphony will be moved into production and all of us will be using it every day. If no one on your library’s staff has even seen the new release by the time we go to production, there won't be anyone on hand who’s familiar with it and able to answer basic questions that may arise. This isn’t fair to the other CCS libraries, because the inexperienced libraries could monopolize the support staff with questions when we go into production.
The best way to gain knowledge of Symphony is to participate in the testing project. If you don’t have anyone at your library helping test the new release, please designate a knowledgeable person to spend time at least becoming familiar with Symphony. It would be best if someone from each department could spend as much time as possible with the new release, but every library should have a minimum of one skilled WorkFlows person learning about and/or testing the changes coming with Symphony 3.2.1. –- Ken Victorson
CCS MEETINGS NEXT WEEK:
Wed., 2/11, 10:00, CCS: Executive Committee
Thur., 2/12, 9:30, NSLS: ILL
FEBRUARY 6, 2009
FROM THE COMPUTER ROOM:
Disappearing cursor – a few of you have mention the case of the disappearing cursor which is a problem with the Java client and shows up when checking initems or checking the status of an item. The problem has been fixed in Symphony 3.3 and evidently it required some significant reworking of the SirsiDynix code. We have learned that in the mean time when this happens, if you unplug and plug in your barcode scanner the cursor will return. Also, you may be able to click around in the menu bar (for example, Preferences > Peripherals > Barcode Reader then cancel) to get the cursor to become active again.
Test 3.2.1 – We are in the process of loading the new release on the test server and will keep you posted on our progress. When you are testing, please let us know if you need any new features turned on.
AUTHORITIES UPDATE:
CCS sent 4194 bibliographic records to Marcive on Thursday, Jan. 29th for Overnight Authorities Processing. The records have been processed and were reloaded into our system. Of the 4194 bibliographic records, Marcive returned 1593 updated bibliographic records. Marcive also sent us 2050 new authority records. Marcive’s speedy service insures that the CCS database is kept up to date as much as possible with current headings and references. -- Virginia R. Seward
CCS Authorities Librarian
DID YOU KNOW?
Did you know that we’ll be ready to start testing the Symphony 3.2.1 release (AKA WorkFlows) early next week, but there are still several CCS libraries that do not have anyone from their staff participating in the project? It’s important to have as many people as possible try out the new release, of course, but it’s also critical that we have at least one person from each library getting hands-on experience with 3.2.1 before we start using it for normal operations. When testing indicates it’s stable and ready for primetime, Symphony will be moved into production and all of us will be using it every day. If no one on your library’s staff has even seen the new release by the time we go to production, there won't be anyone on hand who’s familiar with it and able to answer basic questions that may arise. This isn’t fair to the other CCS libraries, because the inexperienced libraries could monopolize the support staff with questions when we go into production.
The best way to gain knowledge of Symphony is to participate in the testing project. If you don’t have anyone at your library helping test the new release, please designate a knowledgeable person to spend time at least becoming familiar with Symphony. It would be best if someone from each department could spend as much time as possible with the new release, but every library should have a minimum of one skilled WorkFlows person learning about and/or testing the changes coming with Symphony 3.2.1. –- Ken Victorson
CCS MEETINGS NEXT WEEK:
Wed., 2/11, 10:00, CCS: Executive Committee
Thur., 2/12, 9:30, NSLS: ILL
Thursday, January 29, 2009
CCS News
JANUARY 30, 2009
FROM THE COMPUTER ROOM:
RESOLVED ! Blanket Holds – Slowdowns and freezes caused by blanket holds have been addressed by Sirsi and the fix is on the production server as of Thursday morning Jan 29. As of this writing we have tested the blanket holds and they work exactly as before, except they do not slow the system anymore. The function of the blanket hold remains the same; however, a behind the scenes index was added to aid the system in processing the blanket holds. Please report any blanket hold anomalies you encounter. (See “Did You Know?” below!)
Slowdowns – although we have eliminated one cause of the slowdowns, we continue to look at other causes that cannot be attributed to blanket holds. Therefore, please continue to let us know when you experience problems. The only way we can tell if a problem is local or more widespread is when we hear feedback from at least a few libraries – even if it to say that things are okay! We are working with Sirsi to see if system tuning can help some situations. We have also worked with a few of the libraries on locally occurring network problems.
Test server – as of this writing, we are starting the process to test our backup tapes on the test server. Then we will proceed to load 3.2.1 on the test server for library-wide testing. The entire process takes a few days and we will keep you posted on progress.
DID YOU KNOW?
Did you know that users have asked whether the Place Blanket Hold wizard allows you to place multiple holds on the same title (for use by book clubs or discussion groups)? The name of the wizard seems to imply that it would work for this purpose, but the name is misleading. Blanket Holds do allow for placing more than one hold on an item, but it’s designed for use in situations where a single patron wants only one copy of a title, wants the item quickly, and will accept that item in any available format. For example, patrons will usually get an item quicker if they’ll accept the item in a hard cover edition, illustrated edition, large type, or paperback copy of the book. Using the Place Blanket Hold wizard, it is possible to place holds against more than one copy of an item in different formats. The first title that satisfies the hold, regardless of the format, will be sent and the remaining holds against that title should automatically be canceled for the other copies/formats that were selected when the Blanket Hold was placed. There had been a temporary moratorium at CCS on using this function during peak hours because it was causing response time problems throughout the system. But Sirsi developed a patch for this and it was installed on Thursday. It seems to have resolved the slowdown issue, so libraries may resume using the Place Blanket Holds wizard at any time of the day.
Unfortunately, placing holds on multiple copies of the same item for a discussion group still works the same in Java as it did with the C client. (1) From the initial Place Hold screen (NOT the Place Blanket Hold screen) use the Item Search helper button to find the desired item. (2) Place a hold on the title using the in-house patron ID for your discussion group. (3) When the confirmation window displays, select the “Place Another Hold for This User” option. (4) When you return to the Place Hold screen, click the Item Search helper button again to see the previous search results list and select the same title from that list for the next hold. (5) When the “Place Hold: Duplicate Hold Override” window displays, enter the override code in the "Duplicate hold override" field and click the Override & Place Hold button. (6) Repeat steps 1-5 until you’ve placed a hold on the number of items needed for your discussion group. – Ken Victorson
CCS MEETING NEXT WEEK:
Wed., 2/4, 9:30, Fremont: Catalogers
JANUARY 30, 2009
FROM THE COMPUTER ROOM:
RESOLVED ! Blanket Holds – Slowdowns and freezes caused by blanket holds have been addressed by Sirsi and the fix is on the production server as of Thursday morning Jan 29. As of this writing we have tested the blanket holds and they work exactly as before, except they do not slow the system anymore. The function of the blanket hold remains the same; however, a behind the scenes index was added to aid the system in processing the blanket holds. Please report any blanket hold anomalies you encounter. (See “Did You Know?” below!)
Slowdowns – although we have eliminated one cause of the slowdowns, we continue to look at other causes that cannot be attributed to blanket holds. Therefore, please continue to let us know when you experience problems. The only way we can tell if a problem is local or more widespread is when we hear feedback from at least a few libraries – even if it to say that things are okay! We are working with Sirsi to see if system tuning can help some situations. We have also worked with a few of the libraries on locally occurring network problems.
Test server – as of this writing, we are starting the process to test our backup tapes on the test server. Then we will proceed to load 3.2.1 on the test server for library-wide testing. The entire process takes a few days and we will keep you posted on progress.
DID YOU KNOW?
Did you know that users have asked whether the Place Blanket Hold wizard allows you to place multiple holds on the same title (for use by book clubs or discussion groups)? The name of the wizard seems to imply that it would work for this purpose, but the name is misleading. Blanket Holds do allow for placing more than one hold on an item, but it’s designed for use in situations where a single patron wants only one copy of a title, wants the item quickly, and will accept that item in any available format. For example, patrons will usually get an item quicker if they’ll accept the item in a hard cover edition, illustrated edition, large type, or paperback copy of the book. Using the Place Blanket Hold wizard, it is possible to place holds against more than one copy of an item in different formats. The first title that satisfies the hold, regardless of the format, will be sent and the remaining holds against that title should automatically be canceled for the other copies/formats that were selected when the Blanket Hold was placed. There had been a temporary moratorium at CCS on using this function during peak hours because it was causing response time problems throughout the system. But Sirsi developed a patch for this and it was installed on Thursday. It seems to have resolved the slowdown issue, so libraries may resume using the Place Blanket Holds wizard at any time of the day.
Unfortunately, placing holds on multiple copies of the same item for a discussion group still works the same in Java as it did with the C client. (1) From the initial Place Hold screen (NOT the Place Blanket Hold screen) use the Item Search helper button to find the desired item. (2) Place a hold on the title using the in-house patron ID for your discussion group. (3) When the confirmation window displays, select the “Place Another Hold for This User” option. (4) When you return to the Place Hold screen, click the Item Search helper button again to see the previous search results list and select the same title from that list for the next hold. (5) When the “Place Hold: Duplicate Hold Override” window displays, enter the override code in the "Duplicate hold override" field and click the Override & Place Hold button. (6) Repeat steps 1-5 until you’ve placed a hold on the number of items needed for your discussion group. – Ken Victorson
CCS MEETING NEXT WEEK:
Wed., 2/4, 9:30, Fremont: Catalogers
Thursday, January 22, 2009
CCS News
January 23, 2009
FROM THE COMPUTER ROOM:
Response time - OCLC ground to a halt on inauguration day due to Internet usage worldwide, so it is no surprise that we also were having strains on Workflows in the moments leading up to and during the inaugural speech. But aside from this momentous occasion, slowness in Workflows has been attributed to blanket holds. The analysis and remediation of the problem are actively being worked on by Sirsi.
We hope that everyone is now observing the hiatus on blanket holds except for the beginning and end of the day while Sirsi works further on remedying the situation. (If not, we will have to suspend the feature till it’s fixed to avoid system freezes and slowdowns.) Sirsi has a plan involving some new coding and indexing which is being staged on the Test Server.
Test Server availability – we are currently planning to restore the database on the Test Server to prepare it for our eventual test of 3.2.1. The Test Server may be unavailable starting Jan 26. We will keep you posted of our progress via the shelp list, particularly as plans may change due to blanket holds testing by Sirsi as well as OCLC WorldCatLocal testing and ePay testing.
WorldCatLocal – asking your forgiveness in advance – we are in the final stages of getting the WorldCatLocal trial into production for Zion, Niles, and DesPlaines. This means we will be (eventually) adding holds capabilities via WorldCatLocal to the production server for patrons of these libraries. We try to “clean up” after any tests. However, if you inadvertently find a hold on your pick list for a TEST patron, we beg your forgiveness in advance and thank you for helping us with our progress. Sometimes we have seen that OCLC, who is also working with us, might place a hold via the interface and then forget to cancel it before it hits the pick list. Please contact the computer room if you have any questions at all.
MARCIVE NUMBERS:
Every month, Marcive updates many of our authority records, so that if a heading changes (because of a change in terminology or person’s death or whatever), we’re kept up to date as much as possible. This month, Marcive updated 7784 authority records and sent 279 newly found authority records, for headings that had no authority records before.
Virginia R. Seward
CCS Authorities Librarian
DID YOU KNOW?
Ken has been ill all week, so no column this week. There’s still time to let him know if you’re willing to test Release 3.2.1. Thanks!
CCS MEETING NEXT WEEK:
Wed., 1/28, 10:00, NSLS: Annual And Regular Governing Board Meeting
January 23, 2009
FROM THE COMPUTER ROOM:
Response time - OCLC ground to a halt on inauguration day due to Internet usage worldwide, so it is no surprise that we also were having strains on Workflows in the moments leading up to and during the inaugural speech. But aside from this momentous occasion, slowness in Workflows has been attributed to blanket holds. The analysis and remediation of the problem are actively being worked on by Sirsi.
We hope that everyone is now observing the hiatus on blanket holds except for the beginning and end of the day while Sirsi works further on remedying the situation. (If not, we will have to suspend the feature till it’s fixed to avoid system freezes and slowdowns.) Sirsi has a plan involving some new coding and indexing which is being staged on the Test Server.
Test Server availability – we are currently planning to restore the database on the Test Server to prepare it for our eventual test of 3.2.1. The Test Server may be unavailable starting Jan 26. We will keep you posted of our progress via the shelp list, particularly as plans may change due to blanket holds testing by Sirsi as well as OCLC WorldCatLocal testing and ePay testing.
WorldCatLocal – asking your forgiveness in advance – we are in the final stages of getting the WorldCatLocal trial into production for Zion, Niles, and DesPlaines. This means we will be (eventually) adding holds capabilities via WorldCatLocal to the production server for patrons of these libraries. We try to “clean up” after any tests. However, if you inadvertently find a hold on your pick list for a TEST patron, we beg your forgiveness in advance and thank you for helping us with our progress. Sometimes we have seen that OCLC, who is also working with us, might place a hold via the interface and then forget to cancel it before it hits the pick list. Please contact the computer room if you have any questions at all.
MARCIVE NUMBERS:
Every month, Marcive updates many of our authority records, so that if a heading changes (because of a change in terminology or person’s death or whatever), we’re kept up to date as much as possible. This month, Marcive updated 7784 authority records and sent 279 newly found authority records, for headings that had no authority records before.
Virginia R. Seward
CCS Authorities Librarian
DID YOU KNOW?
Ken has been ill all week, so no column this week. There’s still time to let him know if you’re willing to test Release 3.2.1. Thanks!
CCS MEETING NEXT WEEK:
Wed., 1/28, 10:00, NSLS: Annual And Regular Governing Board Meeting
Friday, January 16, 2009
CCS News
JANUARY 16, 2009
FROM THE COMPUTER ROOM:
Sung Je’s (night operator) last day will be on January 22, 2009. Please let Linda know if you know of a good person for this position or have interest. The hours are part-time Tuesday and Thursday nights.
Sirsi’s test of blanket holds on 1/15/09 gathered data. Some of you were concerned the load was not high so little information was gathered, but the issue was what these holds do the system, not overall capacity. Sirsi will continue to investigate. Please refrain from using Blanket hold on peak hours, to alleviate network slowness. If people do not get this message and continue to cause mid-day freezes, we may have to remove the wizard from toolbars. If we do more testing, we will notify you in advance.
With this cold and snowy weather, please check our CCS calendar, e-mail and phone extensions for canceled meetings.
DID YOU KNOW?
Did you know that Symphony 3.2.1 testing will probably begin some time in the next week or so? As a reminder for the volunteer testers, I’ve posted a document on the CCS web page called: “Accessing the CCS Test Server”. It’s under the Sirsi Resources link, in the column for Documented Procedures. The process for switching from the production server (where we conduct our normal day-to-day operations) to the test server (where the Symphony testing will take place) is easy to do, but if you haven’t done it for a while you may want a cheat sheet to remind you where it’s done and the appropriate IP Addresses to use.
Also: Once Symphony is installed on the test server and ready for our review, the first time you open the Java client you’ll be asked if you want to update your client. You should say Yes at this point in order to proceed with testing. Sirsi has been steadily improving the Install Shield over the last several releases and the update process has become relatively straightforward. But until Symphony is available to test, I can’t capture screen prints of the exact steps and include them in an update guide. I’ll send all testers a document illustrating the update procedure as soon 3.2.1 becomes available.
NOTE: Testers should keep in mind that once you say Yes to the Symphony upgrade on the test server, you’ll be asked to upgrade again every time you go back to production WorkFlows. Because the production server will still be at the old release, you must remember to say NO to the upgrade when you return to production. When we’re satisfied that the new release is stable, we’ll install Symphony on the production machine and at that time we’ll all say Yes to the final upgrade. – Ken Victorson
CCS MEETINGS NEXT WEEK:
Wed., 1/21, 9:30, CCS: SCRAP
JANUARY 16, 2009
FROM THE COMPUTER ROOM:
Sung Je’s (night operator) last day will be on January 22, 2009. Please let Linda know if you know of a good person for this position or have interest. The hours are part-time Tuesday and Thursday nights.
Sirsi’s test of blanket holds on 1/15/09 gathered data. Some of you were concerned the load was not high so little information was gathered, but the issue was what these holds do the system, not overall capacity. Sirsi will continue to investigate. Please refrain from using Blanket hold on peak hours, to alleviate network slowness. If people do not get this message and continue to cause mid-day freezes, we may have to remove the wizard from toolbars. If we do more testing, we will notify you in advance.
With this cold and snowy weather, please check our CCS calendar, e-mail and phone extensions for canceled meetings.
DID YOU KNOW?
Did you know that Symphony 3.2.1 testing will probably begin some time in the next week or so? As a reminder for the volunteer testers, I’ve posted a document on the CCS web page called: “Accessing the CCS Test Server”. It’s under the Sirsi Resources link, in the column for Documented Procedures. The process for switching from the production server (where we conduct our normal day-to-day operations) to the test server (where the Symphony testing will take place) is easy to do, but if you haven’t done it for a while you may want a cheat sheet to remind you where it’s done and the appropriate IP Addresses to use.
Also: Once Symphony is installed on the test server and ready for our review, the first time you open the Java client you’ll be asked if you want to update your client. You should say Yes at this point in order to proceed with testing. Sirsi has been steadily improving the Install Shield over the last several releases and the update process has become relatively straightforward. But until Symphony is available to test, I can’t capture screen prints of the exact steps and include them in an update guide. I’ll send all testers a document illustrating the update procedure as soon 3.2.1 becomes available.
NOTE: Testers should keep in mind that once you say Yes to the Symphony upgrade on the test server, you’ll be asked to upgrade again every time you go back to production WorkFlows. Because the production server will still be at the old release, you must remember to say NO to the upgrade when you return to production. When we’re satisfied that the new release is stable, we’ll install Symphony on the production machine and at that time we’ll all say Yes to the final upgrade. – Ken Victorson
CCS MEETINGS NEXT WEEK:
Wed., 1/21, 9:30, CCS: SCRAP
Thursday, January 8, 2009
CCS News
JANUARY 9, 2009
FROM THE COMPUTER ROOM:
Lucien spell checker – we were not aware of this until right before the New Year holiday when Lucien sent us a message. Their spell checker was down for nearly two weeks but it is fixed now. Our trial is nearly ended (it was extended for a month in apology for the service interruption) and we will be considering whether to license this service. We learned from Lucien that in our system we do over 14,000 iBistro queries per day on average.
NSLS RBP data – we had word earlier this week that the NSLS RBP data had been posted incorrectly by NSLS. They had added together two months’ worth of our data. NSLS tells us this was fixed as of Jan 6.
Computer Operator – one of our night operators is considering a career change and relocation, and we will be searching for a new computer operator to start very soon on the Tuesday and Thursday evening shifts. Do you know a good person for this position? If so please let Linda know. The complete job description is available from her.
SUBJECT HEADING CHANGES WORTHY OF NOTE:
There are 2 subject headings changes worthy of note concerning children’s materials. What was “Radio programs for children” is now “Children’s radio programs”. The big change (or the one with a lot of materials in our database) is from “Television programs for children” to “Children’s television programs”. All affected bibliographical records in our database have been changed, and there are references that will redirect catalog users.
The singer, songwriter Cat Stevens or Yusuf Islam also had some work done in our catalog. Since he changed his name a while back, all headings were found under Islam. But it was decided recently that Cat Stevens and Yusuf Islam are really 2 separate identifies of 1 person, and so now works by this author are entered under the name used in the item. All affected bibliographical records had their headings changed back to “Stevens, Cat, 1948-“, but you can still search for works by him under “Islam, Yusuf, 1948-“ (and there are references between the 2 names).
--Virginia
Virginia R. Seward
CCS Authorities Librarian
DID YOU KNOW?
Did you know that an outdated version of the Staff Core Competency training document was mistakenly posted to the CCS web page and it’s been replaced with the correct item? The original document was developed by a committee of CCS librarians in June of 2001, but it didn’t cover hardware functions, web applications, and Sirsi modules that are commonly used today. In 2007, the Continuing Education Steering committee collaborated to rewrite the Staff Core Competency Assessment to incorporate skills that are needed now but didn’t exist at the time the first version was created. It now includes such things as:
- Generic computer skills: Printer maintenance, portable storage devices, backup systems, and email.
- Office Equipment: Copiers, fax machines, scanners, and telephones.
- General Software usage: MS Windows basics, web browsers & search engines, files & folders, basic network operations, online calendars, word processing, and spreadsheets.
- Sirsi operations: Acquisitions, circulation, cataloging, serials, and iBistro.
- General troubleshooting issues.
The document is now called “Staff Core Competency Skills Assessment” and replaces the obsolete version on the CCS web page.
The Core Competency Assessment was designed to help library supervisors evaluate the knowledge, personal attributes, and technical skills of newly hired employees, or to verify that current staff have achieved a specific level of competency through training. It can also be used as a checklist of topics to be covered when training newly hired staff. It’s intended to be a comprehensive inventory of skills an employee might need to do a range of library jobs, so few if any employees will have all skills addressed in the document. To use it effectively, supervisors should review it and delete areas that aren’t relevant to the library position being assessed. You’ll find the Staff Core Competency Skills Assessment in the Sirsi Resources section of the CCS web page, under the New & Noteworthy heading. – Ken Victorson
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!
CCS MEETINGS NEXT WEEK:
Wed., 1/14, 10:00, CCS: Executive Committee
Thur., 1/15, 9:30, Des Plaines: PAS
Fri., 1/16, noon, Jameson’s: Technical
Group Chairs lunch
JANUARY 9, 2009
FROM THE COMPUTER ROOM:
Lucien spell checker – we were not aware of this until right before the New Year holiday when Lucien sent us a message. Their spell checker was down for nearly two weeks but it is fixed now. Our trial is nearly ended (it was extended for a month in apology for the service interruption) and we will be considering whether to license this service. We learned from Lucien that in our system we do over 14,000 iBistro queries per day on average.
NSLS RBP data – we had word earlier this week that the NSLS RBP data had been posted incorrectly by NSLS. They had added together two months’ worth of our data. NSLS tells us this was fixed as of Jan 6.
Computer Operator – one of our night operators is considering a career change and relocation, and we will be searching for a new computer operator to start very soon on the Tuesday and Thursday evening shifts. Do you know a good person for this position? If so please let Linda know. The complete job description is available from her.
SUBJECT HEADING CHANGES WORTHY OF NOTE:
There are 2 subject headings changes worthy of note concerning children’s materials. What was “Radio programs for children” is now “Children’s radio programs”. The big change (or the one with a lot of materials in our database) is from “Television programs for children” to “Children’s television programs”. All affected bibliographical records in our database have been changed, and there are references that will redirect catalog users.
The singer, songwriter Cat Stevens or Yusuf Islam also had some work done in our catalog. Since he changed his name a while back, all headings were found under Islam. But it was decided recently that Cat Stevens and Yusuf Islam are really 2 separate identifies of 1 person, and so now works by this author are entered under the name used in the item. All affected bibliographical records had their headings changed back to “Stevens, Cat, 1948-“, but you can still search for works by him under “Islam, Yusuf, 1948-“ (and there are references between the 2 names).
--Virginia
Virginia R. Seward
CCS Authorities Librarian
DID YOU KNOW?
Did you know that an outdated version of the Staff Core Competency training document was mistakenly posted to the CCS web page and it’s been replaced with the correct item? The original document was developed by a committee of CCS librarians in June of 2001, but it didn’t cover hardware functions, web applications, and Sirsi modules that are commonly used today. In 2007, the Continuing Education Steering committee collaborated to rewrite the Staff Core Competency Assessment to incorporate skills that are needed now but didn’t exist at the time the first version was created. It now includes such things as:
- Generic computer skills: Printer maintenance, portable storage devices, backup systems, and email.
- Office Equipment: Copiers, fax machines, scanners, and telephones.
- General Software usage: MS Windows basics, web browsers & search engines, files & folders, basic network operations, online calendars, word processing, and spreadsheets.
- Sirsi operations: Acquisitions, circulation, cataloging, serials, and iBistro.
- General troubleshooting issues.
The document is now called “Staff Core Competency Skills Assessment” and replaces the obsolete version on the CCS web page.
The Core Competency Assessment was designed to help library supervisors evaluate the knowledge, personal attributes, and technical skills of newly hired employees, or to verify that current staff have achieved a specific level of competency through training. It can also be used as a checklist of topics to be covered when training newly hired staff. It’s intended to be a comprehensive inventory of skills an employee might need to do a range of library jobs, so few if any employees will have all skills addressed in the document. To use it effectively, supervisors should review it and delete areas that aren’t relevant to the library position being assessed. You’ll find the Staff Core Competency Skills Assessment in the Sirsi Resources section of the CCS web page, under the New & Noteworthy heading. – Ken Victorson
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!
CCS MEETINGS NEXT WEEK:
Wed., 1/14, 10:00, CCS: Executive Committee
Thur., 1/15, 9:30, Des Plaines: PAS
Fri., 1/16, noon, Jameson’s: Technical
Group Chairs lunch
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