LINKcat News

New Requirements for entering data in a patron's phone number field(s)

As of October 2021, the FCC is mandating Wisconsin phone companies to require customers to enter a 10-digit phone number to make calls.  This means that all phone numbers entered in the Bibliovation database should be entered with the area code and correct formatting.  

 

Both of the Talking Tech services, phone hold notices and text hold notices, will require the area code and correct formatting to successfully deliver notices.

 

Format for data placed in the phone number field(s):

• For "regular" phone numbers, the format is xxx-xxx-xxxx.  Use hyphens, not parentheses.
• For text message phone numbers, the format is T1-xxx-xxx-xxxx
• Please do not enter 000-000-0000 or a Note to indicate that a patron has not provided a phone number.  Leave the field(s) blank if that is the case.

Enrollment period of Limited Use and Limited Use-Juvenile patron categories changed to 12 months.

At their September 14, 2021 meeting, the Circulation Services Subcommittee recommended that the enrollment period for the Limited Use [LU] and the Limited Use-Juvenile [LUJ] be changed to 12 months.  The ILS Committee approved the recommendation at their October 6, 2021 meeting.

All new patron records created with these patron categories will have this enrollment period set automatically. Patron records with these categories that are renewed will have a new, 12 month expiration date based on the date of renewal.  Libraries that would prefer a shorter enrollment period can set the expiration date manually to comply with their local library policies.

News Summary (9/1/2021-9/30/2021)

News (in case you missed it!)

• 9/29/2021 5,875 bibliographic records were newly cataloged and/or updated in the database between 8/19/2021 and 9/28/2021.
• 9/29/2021 23,971 items and 3,677 bibliographic records (with only withdrawn items attached) were deleted in the monthly batch deletion of withdrawn items
• 9/24/2021 The minutes from the September 15 DIS Meeting are available online.
• 9/24/2021 The minutes from the September 14 CSS Meeting are available online.
• 9/16/2021 The minutes from the September 8 CMS Meeting are available online. 
• 9/2/2021 The monthly LINKcat.info and LINKcat Mobile reports for August are posted.
• 9/1/2021 The monthly Bibliovation reports for August 2021 can be found online.

News Summary (8/1/2021-8/31/2021)

News (in case you missed it!)

• 8/24/2021 The minutes from the August 10 CSS Meeting are available online.
• 8/20/2021 A Bibliovation update is scheduled for August 23, 2021, at 9 pm. See the LINKcat News blog post for more details. 
• 8/19/2021 The minutes and ILS Report from the August IC Meeting are available online.
• 8/18/2021 12,144 bibliographic records were newly cataloged and/or updated in the database between 6/17/2021 and 8/17/2021.
• 8/18/2021 32,049 items and 4,457 bibliographic records (with only withdrawn items attached) were deleted in the monthly batch deletion of withdrawn items (July was skipped due to server move).
• 8/18/2021 1,534 bibliographic records with no items attached (that were created before 4/1/21) were deleted from the database.
• 8/10/2021 The lastest Bibliovation upgrade was completed early in the morning on August 10. See the LINKcat News blog post for more details.
• 8/10/2021 The monthly Bibliovation reports for July 2021 can be found online.
• 8/9/2021 A Bibliovation upgrade is scheduled for 7 am on Tuesday, August 10. See the LINKcat News blog post for more details.
• 8/9/2021 New Collection Codes (BAEJ, BKJIBE, BKYFIGNMG, PAAFICL) and Shelving Locations (ADPA, CR, YADIS) are available in Bibliovation. See the LINKcat News blog post for more details.
• 8/2/2021 The minutes from the July 21 DIS Meeting are available online.
• 8/2/2021 The monthly LINKcat.info and LINKcat Mobile reports for July are posted.

Bibliovation upgrade (release 6.02.14) August 23, 2021, 9pm

We are pleased to announce that there will be an update to Bibliovation starting at 9pm on Monday, August 23, 2021. The upgrade does not require system downtime. This release 6.02.14 includes fixes to GetIt Acquisitions. See the Release Notes for a full list of issues addressed in this upgrade.

This upgrade includes critical fixes to GetIt Acquisitions for problems caused by the July Bibliovation and GetIt server moves. As we learned with past upgrades and patches, we may experience unexpected results following the upgrade. We may also discover new problems. We will use the Known Problems page to document any post upgrade problems. After the upgrade, please clear your browser cache before using GetIt Acquisitions and Bibliovation.

Bibliovation upgrade (release 6.02.13) August 10, 2021 before 7am

We are pleased to announce that there will be an update to Bibliovation that will take place before 7am on Tuesday, August 10, 2021. The upgrade does not require system downtime, but there may be a brief interruption when services are restarted. If possible, please delay Bibliovation work until after 7am on Tuesday, August 10. This release (6.02.13) includes fixes to Circulation and Reports. See the Release Notes for a full list of issues addressed in this upgrade. 

This upgrade includes fixes that have been tested by SCLS staff. To the best of everyone’s assessment, the fixes are working well and any bugs identified during testing have been fixed. However, as we learned with past upgrades and patches, we may experience unexpected results following the upgrade. We may also discover new problems. We will use the Known Problems page to document any post upgrade problems. After the upgrade, please clear your browser cache before using Bibliovation on Tuesday morning (August 10).

New Collection Codes and Shelving Locations available in Bibliovation

New Collection Codes and Shelving Locations are now available in Bibliovation:

Collection Codes

• BAEJ - BOOK/AUDIO-ENABLED JU - Audio-Enabled Books
• BKJFIBE - BOOKS JU FIC BEGINNER - Beginner Readers
• BKYFIGNMG - BOOKS YA FIC GRAPHIC NOVELS MANGA - Graphic Novels, Manga
• PAAFICL - PAPERBACKS AD FIC CLASSICS - Classics Paperbacks

Shelving Locations

• ADPA - Adult, Paperbacks
• CR - Children’s Resource Collection
• YADIS - Young Adult Display

These Collection Codes and Shelving Locations were approved by the ILS Committee at its August 2021 meeting.

The Collection Codes and Shelving Locations can be used by any LINKcat library. For a full list of Collection Codes and Shelving Locations, see the ILS Support Codes page at https://www.scls.info/ils/codes.

If you would like SCLS staff to batch change a group of items from an existing Collection Code or Shelving Location to one of the new codes, please fill out the Batch Change Collection Code/Shelving Location/Item Type Request form, available from the ILS Forms page.

New Collection Codes and Shelving Locations are now available in Bibliovation:

Collection Codes

• BAEJ - BOOK/AUDIO-ENABLED JU - Audio-Enabled Books
• BKJFIBE - BOOKS JU FIC BEGINNER - Beginner Readers
• BKYFIGNMG - BOOKS YA FIC GRAPHIC NOVELS MANGA - Graphic Novels, Manga
• PAAFICL - PAPERBACKS AD FIC CLASSICS - Classics Paperbacks

Shelving Locations

• ADPA - Adult, Paperbacks
• CR - Children’s Resource Collection
• YADIS - Young Adult Display

These Collection Codes and Shelving Locations were approved by the ILS Committee at its August 2021 meeting.

The Collection Codes and Shelving Locations can be used by any LINKcat library. For a full list of Collection Codes and Shelving Locations, see the ILS Support Codes page at https://www.scls.info/ils/codes.

If you would like SCLS staff to batch change a group of items from an existing Collection Code or Shelving Location to one of the new codes, please fill out the Batch Change Collection Code/Shelving Location/Item Type Request form, available from the ILS Forms page.

NEW INFORMATION: Platform upgrade rescheduled for 7/27/2021.

As you know, LibLime had to abort the platform upgrade this week.  The date has been changed to the night of Tuesday, July 27.  

 

In the morning of Wednesday, July 28,  check your email and the SCLS status wiki to confirm the platform move was completed before accessing Bibliovation and before self-check/sorter libraries make the changes as previously instructed.

 

Best case scenario:

 

The move will begin at 9 pm CDT and complete by 7 am on Wednesday, July 28. Indexing will start. Libraries will have access to the system and may begin regular functions. Libraries can adjust their self-check and sorter settings and the other IP setting work will be completed by SCLS and the database vendors. Searching may be unreliable for much of the day until the re-indexing is complete.

 

Worst case scenario:

 

The move will begin at 9 pm CDT and allowed to continue until completed.  Libraries will not have access to the system and may not begin regular functions until we notify you. If the move is not complete by the time libraries start to open, they will need to use Offline Circulation or an alternative method to check out materials until the move is complete.  

• If your library uses Offline Circulation, confirm that each of your staff Check Out stations has the Firefox extension installed before 7/27.  The step-by-step instructions for installation and use of Offline Circulation is in the Circulation Manual, Section XV Offline Circulation.

Once the move is complete, Indexing will start. Libraries can adjust their self-check settings and other IP setting work will be completed by SCLS and the database vendors. Libraries will be able to access patron records, check out item to patrons and check in materials but searching may be unreliable for much of the day until the re-indexing is complete.

 

SCLS staff will provide ongoing communication via the SCLS status wiki and emails.

 

Thank you for your attention.

New date for Bibliovation server move

LibLime has rescheduled the Bibliovation server move. The move will now occur after 9 pm on Tuesday, July 27 and it will be “live” on the morning of Wednesday, July 28. The following services will be affected by this change: self-checks, sorters and security gate software, MyPC, e-Commerce, Talkingtech (Harriet), iBoss (internet filtering), SIP authenticated databases (OverDrive, Hoopla, etc.), SIP authenticated services (Capira), SCLS authentication script (other databases) and some reports. SCLS will work to make sure that services transition as smoothly as possible. There will be no change in functionality as a result of this transition.

On the morning of July 28, libraries using self-checks and sorters will need to make some setting changes in order for them to work on the new platform. Before making any changes, check the Status Wiki http://sclsstatus.pbworks.com/

Instructions on how to make these changes are available on the LINKcat ILS Support page for Selfchecks and RFID at https://www.scls.info/ils/circulation/Self%20check%20and%20RFID. Libraries should make sure that there is someone on staff who is able to make changes to self checks and sorters on the morning of July 28. All LINK libraries should be aware that this is a major change and may want to have staff on hand to handle any unexpected problems. The SCLS Help Desk Team will be fully staffed and ready to assist.

Special note about GetIt Acquisitions: GetIt will be unavailable all day on Wednesday, July 28.

The Bibliovation server move will take place overnight on July 27, but the GetIt databases will not be moved until overnight on July 28. Therefore, while Bibliovation itself will be available on July 28, GetIt will not be available on July 28.

Library staff should be able to use GetIt as usual on Thursday, July 29. However, please check the SCLS Status Wiki on July 29 before resuming normal GetIt work. If there are any problems with GetIt after the move, they will be posted on the Status Wiki.

 

LibLime has rescheduled the Bibliovation server move. The move will now occur after 9 pm on Tuesday, July 27 and it will be “live” on the morning of Wednesday, July 28. The following services will be affected by this change: self-checks, sorters and security gate software, MyPC, e-Commerce, Talkingtech (Harriet), iBoss (internet filtering), SIP authenticated databases (OverDrive, Hoopla, etc.), SIP authenticated services (Capira), SCLS authentication script (other databases) and some reports. SCLS will work to make sure that services transition as smoothly as possible. There will be no change in functionality as a result of this transition.

On the morning of July 28, libraries using self-checks and sorters will need to make some setting changes in order for them to work on the new platform. Before making any changes, check the Status Wiki http://sclsstatus.pbworks.com/

Instructions on how to make these changes are available on the LINKcat ILS Support page for Selfchecks and RFID at https://www.scls.info/ils/circulation/Self%20check%20and%20RFID. Libraries should make sure that there is someone on staff who is able to make changes to self checks and sorters on the morning of July 28. All LINK libraries should be aware that this is a major change and may want to have staff on hand to handle any unexpected problems. The SCLS Help Desk Team will be fully staffed and ready to assist.

Special note about GetIt Acquisitions: GetIt will be unavailable all day on Wednesday, July 28.

The Bibliovation server move will take place overnight on July 27, but the GetIt databases will not be moved until overnight on July 28. Therefore, while Bibliovation itself will be available on July 28, GetIt will not be available on July 28.

Library staff should be able to use GetIt as usual on Thursday, July 29. However, please check the SCLS Status Wiki on July 29 before resuming normal GetIt work. If there are any problems with GetIt after the move, they will be posted on the Status Wiki.

 

Directions for updating selfchecks and sorters--Rescheduled to July 28th

The server move was reschduled and the libraries will need to do the selfcheck and sorter updates on the morning of July 28th.

In case you missed it, we announced there was a major change coming for Bibliovation on July 21st 28th.  LibLime will be moving a number of our services to a new hardware platform. This does mean that on the morning of July 21st 28th, libraries using selfchecks and sorters will have to make changes to the setup so that their equipment connects to the new URLs.

The directions for updating the server information for selfchecks and sorters are now posted on the LINKcat ILS Support page for Selfchecks and RFID at https://www.scls.info/ils/circulation/Self%20check%20and%20RFID

Library staff will need to follow these directions to update the SIP server URL on their selfchecks and sorters on July 21st 28th. SCLS staff will be available to help if there are problems but our staff can only remote into one selfcheck at a time so we are not able to do everyone’s update for them in a reasonable time frame. Libraries need to have a staff member available to do the update that morning.

We will be posting any updates on the move to the SCLS Status Wiki on July 21st 28th. http://sclsstatus.pbworks.com/ Please check the wiki before proceeding.