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.

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.

Rio Community Library goes LIVE in LINKcat on 6/21/2021

Rio Community Library will officially join the LINKcat libraries on Monday, June 21, 2021. They have been working hard to get ready while getting ready for and starting their Summer Library programming and also coordinating the Summer Lunch Program at the library.  

Optical scanner required to read digital patron barcodes

With the advent of the new LINKcat Mobile App, patrons are able to store their library cardnumber (patron barcode) in their app.  However, the laser barcode readers, Metrologic and Honeywell, will not read these digital barcodes.

If you are accepting digital library cards at your library, you may wish to purchase an Optical Barcode scanner to read these barcodes at your Check Out station(s).  Bibliotheca and Envisionware Self check units have optical scanners, though one Bibliotheca library reported that their older model Bibliotheca unit had a laser scanner for patron barcodes.

Craig investigated optical scanners a few years back and his purchase recommendation is located on the Peripherals Order Form.

Bibliovation Upgrade April 22, 2021 (release 6.02.12)

We are pleased to announce that there will be an update to Bibliovation starting at 9pm on Thursday, April 22. The upgrade does not require system downtime. This release (6.02.12) includes fixes to Circulation, Cataloging, and the Discovery Layer. 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 Friday morning (April 23).

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

As of October 2021, the FCC will be 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 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 entered 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.

Reports will be sent to libraries for clean-up.  Please make sure that all of your staff are aware of this change.

Reporting intermittent response time problems and short-term slowdowns in Bibliovation

To address ongoing reports of intermittent response time problems in Bibliovation, we have created a form so that libraries can log the problems they experience on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.

In order to provide the most specific information possible to LibLime about these response time problems, we need libraries to report them when they occur, and with as many details as possible. We are asking libraries to fill out this form to record dates, times, modules, etc. that are experiencing intermittent response time problems and short-term slowdowns.

Please do not use this form to report urgent problems with Bibliovation. If Bibliovation is unusable or seems to be having major problems, please contact the Help Desk immediately (use the After Hours Support Number during evenings and weekends). 

You can find a link to both the Response time form and information about contacting the Help Desk on the ILS Support home page. 

Bibliovation upgrade February 10, 2021

We are pleased to announce that there will be an update to Bibliovation after 9 pm on Wednesday, February 10. The upgrade does not require system downtime. This release (6.02.09) includes a couple of Circulation fixes. See the Release Notes for more information on the fixes.

IMPORTANT: After the upgrade, on Thursday, February 11, please clear your browser cache before using Bibliovation.

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.

Patron expiration date extension request - January 2021

Some libraries have requested that we offer a patron expiration date extension again.  Below is the proposal from the Circulation Services Subcommittee that staggers the next expiration date over the next six months.

 

Here is the link to the Google survey form for your response- the deadline to opt-into this extension is Monday, January 25 at noon. If your library does not respond, or responds "No", patrons with your library listed as the Home library in their patron record will not have their expiration dates extended.  And please, only once response per library.

 

Here are the proposed extension parameters.  They are also listed in the survey form but the text is all bunched together.  

 

Patrons with an expiration date between 1/1/2021 and 6/1/2021 AND have a last name starting with these characters will have their expiration dates extended according to the following schedule:

A-D expiration date extended to July 1, 2021

E-H expiration date extended to August 1, 2021

I-M expiration date extended to September 1, 2021

N-R expiration date extended to October 1, 2021

S-V expiration date extended to November 1, 2021

W-Z expiration date extended to December 1, 2021