Friday, November 03, 2006

ECIUG '06: Extra Info from Chit Chat

I asked Beth Whitney (from London P.L.'s Cataloging Dept) re Year End tips for Larry:

  • make sure you take all the stats you want before you close the books
  • LPL carries encumbrances over to the next year
  • 0's out expenditures
  • advise us to email III and say this is what we're going to do on X day, is it ok?...can we have a contact person to communicate with directly on that day?
  • follow every single word in the instructions
I emailed the listserv with other questions I was given to ask...the day was too jam-packed to get them all in in person!...will post answers here as I receive them...

ECIUG '06: googleanalytics

Dave from LPL (impromptu presentation)
  • googleanalytics is a free utility that can tell you all sorts of things about how people use your opac
  • copy code to botlogo in wwwoptions to apply to all pages
  • (Claudia from E&S added it to our website last week and I'll add to opac)
  • includes map of where users are coming from, overlay re what parts of page people are using, info on browsers, screen resolution, sofware (java, flash etc.), connection speed
  • nifty...but makes me think 'what is google getting out of this'...check Stephen Ab's blog to see if he has commented

ECIUG '06: Re-Indexing Our Database

Raj Jain (Head of Cataloguing) / Karen Marshall (Director of Tech Services)
University of Western Ontario

  • Why?...public service request for e-books index and Journal title index
  • decided to re-index to achieve this, and solve a bunch of other problems (eg. with RACER)
  • indexes can only be build with data from marc records
  • check / re-check / check again what you think the system *should* be doing and what it is actually doing
  • indexing takes a long time...and there are performance issues while it's going on

ECIUG '06: Use of Preferred Searches

Eeva Stierwalt from London Public Library
  • use Preferred Searches and email alerts for home service patrons
  • "exclude books I've read" used in conjunction
  • nifty
  • I need to look in to our email alerts...on OPAC imp. cmte list of things to do
  • LPL uses false email addresses which include patron name and route number, so they get info they need from bounced email file
  • suggest to SR/JAg/LAK for our home service patrons

ECIUG '06: Graphical Self-Check

Eeva Stierwalt, London Public Library
  • currently implementing Graphical Self Check at all branches
  • previously had CODOCO big self-check machines
  • empowring patrons...mirroring retail experience (Walmart, Home Depot etc.)
  • free-up staff to provide quality service
  • LPL has NO security gates at branches, so easy for them...no desensitizing equipment required
  • speed / convenient / fun
  • pilot project outline:
    • 7 member team
    • identified locations
    • best practices research
      • looks at other iii libs using this...average number of self checkouts = 54%...most not using security systems (theft rate = same)
    • reviewed lending policies
      • so peeps could cout as much as possible
    • equiment and furniture needs assessed
    • pilot set up
    • customization with iii
    • roll out
    • followed up with stats
  • peeps love it
  • touch screens
  • only need electircal outlet and internet plug-in, computer, hand-held scanner
  • signage/advertising
  • staff simply scan a barcode to log in and out
  • market to staff...train them to train the peeps
  • periodic survey for feedback
  • teach peeps to know difference between library barcode and publisher's barcode, and to *read* the screen re error messages...must bring "lock box" items to the desk
  • have a staff monitor for the first while

ECIUG '06: Enterprise Backup Development

Fangmin Wang, Ryerson University
  • talked about how at Ryerson they use a third-party backup program
  • uses Backup API (Application Programming Interface...how one piece of software communicates with another)
  • went with alternate method becuase III's standard backup method is not very convenient...labour intensive, routine task...and Ryerson's IT dept. has a huge IBM "tape robot"
  • on the iug list there's a linux verion of the backup script (contributed by Mike Lynch)
  • they use the Millenium tape back up as a secondary back up

ECIUG '06: Beyond the OPAC - Providing Additional Avenues to the Catalogue

Mike Cunningham
Web Services Librarian
Cambridge Public Library
  • web sites vs. opacs...how to drive traffic to your opac and within opac
  • RSS feeds, php with mysqul database
  • create lists for new items, export to text file, delete field names, save as ANSI, opne in phpmyadmin...etc...
  • opac enrichment and reviews...link new movies to imdb...embed relevant booklists from an extrenal ColdFusion aplication
  • can reference external javascript files in botlogo wwwoptions...all automated links, slicker than Syndetics
  • reviews incorporated into opac...also kids' and teens' sites
  • in-house build reviews system...cheaper / simpler than iii's
  • can also use javascript to remove stuff from the opac, for eg. "kill call # linking" which confuses patrons...removes the hyperlink tag...nice!
  • alternate opac search via z39.50 (eg. Ann Arbour, Plymouth State...OPAC massaged in to a wordpress format...slick)
  • Hot Items list at AADL...criteria = # of holds...John Blyber's blog comment re analyzing holds...didn't work for Cambridge...used "view outstanding holds", then:
    • sent to email
    • save email as text
    • Perl script
    • retrieve bib # and # of holds
    • online form
    • Cold Fusion
    • access d-base
  • Book cover browser...nice...
    • inspiration from itunes' cd cover browse
    • used Yahoo Carosel and Reflections JS
    • hot book cover browser...purple eye icon on "new books, cds, and more" page...check it out here
  • thankfully, Cambridge is all about SHARING...has policy to share code for all this nifty stuff
  • see his complete presentation here
  • check out Mike's blog

ECIUG '06: III Company Update

Maruta Skujina (our Customer Support person) and Mary Chevreau (Maruta's boss, oversees all of N. America)

  • What's new with R2006:
    • ecommerce integration with graphic self-check, also RFID compatable
    • teleforms will now "speak" the patron's name
    • SUSHI: Standardized usage stats harvesting initiative...use with ERM
    • "Tickers"...in Acquisitions and Serials...little reminder notes linked to records to remind another staff person to do something to that record
    • WebPAC Pro..."Going Pro"
      • free upgrade from R2006
      • place a commitment service request to helpdesk to request
      • some new stuff that's coming down the pipe will be based on webpacpro
      • one big feature = "Right Results"...relevance ranking...rates title and author hits higher than notes, for eg.
      • III offers a "WebPAC refresher service"
      • WebPAC Pro options (extra cost?):
        • spell check..."did you mean?"...drop-down dictionary
        • community reviews (staff can vet before publishing)
        • RSS feed builder
    • RSS...
      • incoming feeds (free in R2006)
      • outoging feeds
        • via Create Lists
        • webPAC Pro
      • outgoing 1:1 feed for patrons record events
        • my record feeds ... notification of change eg. you have fines (not specific amount)
    • CASE
      • robust list of electronic packages and titles
      • A-Z list
      • marc record service
      • case.iii.com
      • useful for TBPL?...not sure...
      • subscription service, updated monthly
    • Program Registration Module (similar to events)...cost????!!!
      • calendar
      • patron self-reg
      • integrated with patron dbase and My Millennium
      • programs are in OPAC, so show up in searches...nifty
      • staff interface: Registration Desk...easy to email registered peeps, can do create lists with reg info
      • TODO: compare with e*vents re cost and functionality...would we be able to use for internal room booking?...staff only?...repress from public view type of thing?
    • Millennium Load Scheduler
      • automate Create Lists
      • nifty
      • cost?
      • can NOT change parameters in saved search strategies though...so, could not use for new/hot...simply runs exactly the same search again...does not even refresh the review file
Coming in 2007: ENCORE (insert fireworks here....)
  • III's answer to the callenge of how to make the library a starting point for patrons' searches...support richer content in the results...allow community participation
  • ratings, reviews, tags BY patrons, in the opac
  • will transform the library's web interface
  • will be introduced in R07 (but costs extra...sale on now...)
  • "best bets" suggestions to push out recomendations
  • federated search results (will it work with AGent?)
  • runs on apache server...uses AJAX and other new technologies
  • Westerville and 12 other libs are deveopment partners
  • ENCORE is a "presentation layer"...slick single-search-box and book shelf of new titles' book jackets
  • tagging...can be cloud or list
  • faceted searchging
    • for eg check out Zappos shoes
    • can search for all books rated "excellent", search reviews...search non-marc info
  • Federated search integration with Research Pro
  • SmartLinking for librarian-suggested resources with Pathfinder Pro
  • rich in info...easy to use...2.0
  • Maruta showed a falshy marketing DVD (can we borrow or download it to show staff?
  • it is possible to have ENCORE without having all the other bits
  • ENCORE comes WITH a server...set up and ready to go...special introductory pricing now...

ECIUG '06: Overview

Wow. Just got back from spending a jam-packed day at Kitchener Public Library with about 65 peeps from other III libs in Ontario. London, Waterloo, Kitchener, Cambridge, Western, Brock, Ryerson, U of Ottawa were all there. It was great to meet Eeva Stierwalt from LPL and lots of others who I have been emailling a great deal over the past year. I presented on E-Commerce, which went well even though I was a nervous newbie. SO many ideas and inspirations and things to do!