LINKcat News

FAQ Updates

We'll be tagging new additions to the FAQ with dates (so you know the info is current and updated).  Here are today's additions:

General Circulation

• Barcode scanned brings up the wrong account
• How to replace a lost card
• How do I renew an item that displays as "not renewable" (ex. "Too Good To Miss" item)?
• If a patron is picking up another patron's holds (with permission), how do I handle that checkout?
• How do I take the "Cancelled Holds" messages off a patron's record?

Searching and Record Display

• Can we change the font size in LINKcat?
• How do I place a hold on a current magazine?

 

Issues at checkout

There are a couple of issues related to checkout that are worth highlighting:

Barcode brings up the wrong account
There is a situation with Autofill/AutoComplete in Koha that requires some action: AutoComplete will recognize the 29078 of the barcode when scanned or typed in and may AutoComplete with the previous patron's information. To prevent this, AutoComplete should be disabled for "forms."  Please see the FAQ for more detailed instructions.  The "fix" related to AutoComplete should be performed in all instances of Firefox on a PC  (Koha Receipts, Koha Labels, and plain-ol'-Firefox).

If changing the AutoComplete settings does not solve your AutoComplete problem (and you're still being prompted with previous patrons' information or having the wrong patron come up when a barcode is scanned), please close out of Firefox.  If you continue to have the problem when you start Firefox again, please contact the Helpdesk (608-242-4710).

Information about Firefox's AutoFill feature can be found here on the Mozilla website.

"Search to Hold" results in hold for wrong patron
Patron X requested a search-to-hold from his checkout screen. However, when the search was executed, the "Hold for [Patron Name]" button displayed another patron's data. The other patron, Patron Y, was active in the second tab on the browser, and his data was pulled to populate the hold information.

If library staff wish to have more than one tab open in Circulation, it is highly recommended that the screen be cleared between transactions, particularly if the staff person is toggling back and forth between tabs with patron records active in both tabs.

The Low-Down on Printing in Koha

Different shortcuts give different default printing
Printing in Koha is different than in Dynix. The shortcut you use to start Firefox will determine how printing will behave. This guide covers the various Koha shortcuts you may see on your desktop.

Easily knowing what print option is selected
Firefox looks the same no matter how you start it, UNLESS you tweak it.  Andrew and Craig wrote great TechBits posts this week about how you can tweak Firefox to tell which Firefox instance you're viewing (is it receipts?  is it labels? is it regular printing?). Andrew's post covers 2 different options.  Craig expanded on the "personas" option and created some custom personas just for Koha Receipts and Koha Labels.

Quick guide to the various types of printing
For Go-Live, we put together a cheat sheet for the various types of Koha printing you might do. The cheat sheet includes how to print receipts, reports, and spine labels. There's also a link to a "spine label workaround" for those who don't care for the formatting of the Koha-generated spine labels.

Printing a list of items a patron has checked out
Quick instructions are also on the cheat sheet.  (Hint: don't use the receipt printer -- the list will be so tiny that most people won't be able to read it)

Temporary workaround for printing the Holds Queue Report
Currently, there is a problem printing the Holds Queue Report.  Hopefully everyone already knows about the temporary workaround -- if not (or if you need a refresher), you can find the workaround info on the cheat sheet too.

Printing receipts for fine payments
The development to print receipts for any Payment Received has not been completed. We have asked PTFS to expedite their work on this project.

Swimming in Data

Ever feel like you're up to your eyeballs in your inbox? Since go-live on April 18th, we've had 750+ problem/question submissions!   A *HUGE* thanks to everyone who's submitted feedback!

As you can imagine, all these issues and questions are keeping everyone very busy. To help the ILS staff, Jean and Kerri will be posting responses to some of the reported problems to the FAQ.  We'll be listing updates on the blog so you know which issues have been answered.  And if there's an issue generating lots of calls or questions, we'll try to highlight that.

Thanks for your patience as these issues are addressed.  We know that it may not appear that much is happening, but there is LOTS of hustle, bustle, testing, investigating, bug-reporting, and email going on behind the scenes!

A quick reminder:

• critical issues and information can be found on the SCLS Status Wiki  (most everything else will be moved to more appropriate homes now that things are settling down a bit)
• email will still be sent out about critical issues (like restoring holds)
• known problems (and fixed issues) can be found here: http://www.scls.info/ils/koha/faq/problems.html
• Problems can be reported using the Koha Comments and Questions form. 

Links to all of the above information (and more) can be found on the main page of the ILS Support website: http://www.scls.info/ils/index.html.

Celebrating LINKcat @ Your Library

Guest post by Jean Anderson, CE Coordinator

Looking for ideas to celebrate the new LINKcat at your library? Here are some ideas for you.

Check out Reedsburg's Flickr stream - they have a countdown sign in their window - what a cool idea!  (Countdown is 6 days today!)

Madison Public Library has been answering lots of questions about the new LINKcat on their Facebook page.  I've seen lots of other libraries posting about the new LINKcat, too. Are you using your Facebook page, Twitter account, and web site to let your patrons know about the new LINKcat?

In addition to posting on Facebook, Oregon Public Library is conducting two half-day training sessions for staff prior to the migration and watching the training webinars and tutorials. In addition, there will be chocolate kisses (mmm… chocolate…) for staff and patrons during the week of the migration as a Thank You. Oregon staff are tie dying t-shirts and scarves to wear during the week of Go-Live (hey Susan – send us pictures!)

No time to tie dye? No problem – SCLS has LINKcat t-shirts (and other items, too) available from the Zazzle store. 

These are some great ideas to start celebrating the new LINKcat! I know there are more great ideas out there – please share yours in the comments.

Koha Go Live Week Schedule

During the "cutover" period on April 15 and April 16, libraries will be using Koha Offline Circulation for checkout only.  Libraries will not be able to do checkin on Offline Circulation.  We will be phasing in checkin and running the Holds Queue report over the two Go Live dates (April 17 and April 18).  The purpose of phasing in services is to make sure that SCLS staff are able to provide support and we do not yet know the impact of multiple libraries doing checkin and running holds queue reports in a short time span.  Checkin also impacts Delivery.  Bruce Smith is contacting libraries individually regarding special delivery schedules during the Cutover and Go live.

We will be using the SCLS Status wiki whenever possible to communicate with ILS libraries during the implementation period.  All ILS library staff should become familiar with the status wiki in preparation for the Go Live.

Friday, April 15

 ILS Libraries use Offlince circulation (checkout only)
Libraries should not upload Offline circulation transactions
LINKcat down

Saturday, April 16

ILS Libraries use Offline circulation (checkout only)
Libraries should not upload Offline circulation transactions
LINKcat down
At the end of the day, ILS Libraries will send SCLS staff Offline Circulation transactions (separate directions will be provided)

Sunday, April 17

Prior to noon SCLS staff will load all Offline Circulation Transactions

12-2pm Sunday libraries open their doors to patrons and provide normal circulation services: Checkout, library card registration, fines payment, placing holds, etc.
3-4pm Sunday libraries only do checkin (tentative: may be staggered)
4-5pm Sunday libraries only run holds queue report (tentative: may be staggered)
LINKcat will be available for all patrons at noon
Libraries not normally open on Sunday should not do any checkin
No technical services activities (cataloging, serials and acquisitions)

Monday, April 18

Prior to library opening, all libraries may do checkin (tentative) ; libraries may continue doing checkin throughout the day
All libraries open doors at normal hours and provide normal circulation services (see Sunday above)
Libraries will be given the go ahead to run their holds queue report ; this will probably be staggered so libraries should wait until they have been notified that they may go ahead
No technical services activities (cataloging, serials and acquisitions)

Tuesday, April 19

Libraries may conduct all normal circulation functions
No technical services activities (cataloging, serials and acquisitions)

Wednesday, April 20

Libraries may conduct all normal circulation functions
Libraries may begin technical services activities (cataloging, serials and acquisitions)