LINKcat News

Bibliovation Upgrade, May 16, 8pm

We are pleased to announce that there will be an update to Bibliovation starting at 8pm on Tuesday, May 16, 2023. This update will require system downtime of about one hour. This release, 7.02.34, includes fixes to all areas of Bibliovation (except Serials). See the Release Notes for a full list of issues addressed in this upgrade. Some, but not all, of the fixes, changes, and new features are listed below.

This upgrade includes fixes that have been tested by SCLS staff and at some libraries. 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.

High Priority Fixes

This release includes fixes for the following high-priority problems (these problems are also listed in the Release Notes):

• Check in: message about Item barcode not in system (API error)
• Offline Circulation timestamp off by 5 hours
• Caching/retaining search parameters
• Staff View of patron Reading Record - incomplete displays
• Selfcheck renewals by scanning item in checkout mode do not work
• Checkouts made from selfchecks have a timestamp 6 hours ahead
• Editing Item from Item Statuses page
• Bibliovation not retaining text of deleted Lost items
• Items with a Lost status (Lost, Trace, Missing) must be checked in before allowing checkout
• Account Receipt will not generate if certain charges are in the record

Changes and New Features

This release also includes the following changes and new features (these changes are also listed in the Release Notes):

• Patron Group functionality
• Proxy Borrowing
• Patron Merge
• Patron Delete

LibLime Koha 4.18.19 upgrade Monday, June 6, 2016

The LibLime Koha 4.18.19 upgrade is scheduled for Monday, June 6, 2016 after 9 pm. Please review the 4.18.19 Release Notes for details on the upgrade. 

No Koha staff client or LINKcat downtime is expected. SCLS staff will be checking the system after the scheduled upgrade. If you experience any unexpected problems with Koha after the upgrade, please report them as soon as possible using the SCLS Help Desk Portal, available from the Get Help page: http://www.scls.info/ils/help.html.

LibLime Koha 4.18.13 upgrade 6/16/2015 9pm

6/12/2015 The LibLime Koha 4.18.13 upgrade is scheduled for Tuesday, June 16 after 9 pm CDT.

Please read the 4.18.13 Release Notes for details on the upgrade. The upgrade includes several bug fixes and one  development project.

LINKcat online payments: launch date April 1, 2015

Wednesday, April 1, 2015 is the launch date for LINKcat online payments.  The bug with the Transaction library (Account and Account History screens) was fixed in the 4.18.9 upgrade on 3/4/2015 so we are good to go.

 

The e-Commerce: LINKcat online payment information (p. 22) has been posted in the Circulation Manual.  This Section also includes the instructions we will be providing to the patrons.  The patron instructions will be available as a printed handout and also linked​ from multiple places in LINKcat.  Library staff should watch the recorded webinar "LINKcat Online Payments" if they have not already done so.

 

An initial quantity of the printed instructions and promotional bookmarks will be sent to your library the week before April 1.  We will add the printed instructions to the ILS Forms Request form so libraries can order additional copies as needed.  

 

Announcements will be in the status wiki and in Top 5 the week before and the week of  the launch.  

 

General information

• ​Payment will be via web access only. 
• ​​Patrons can make credit and/or debit card payments from within the library or from outside the library.  
• Library staff will instruct patrons to use a PC to pay their fees.  
• For increased security, library staff will not handle the credit/debit card and will not enter the information for the patron.  
• Once this feature is up and running, we will provide guidelines for libraries that have patrons that require physical assistance to handle their cards.
• Truncated version of patron instructions:
• If a patron owes more than 10.00, they will see a Pay Now hyperlink display in their “my summary” screen.  There will also be a nearby link to instructions.
• After clicking the “Pay Now” button, the patron will be required to login again, using their patron barcode and PIN, to access the Envisionware payment software.
• Once they login they will be taken to the payment option page.  Currently there is only one option to choose from (Credit/Debit card).
• Users will be required to enter their full Card Holder Name, Expiration Date and the CVC number (to validate the credit card use).
• Patrons using this service are currently required to pay the full balance owed on their account.
• ​This is a real-time service: once the patron has paid their fines, the payment is applied directly to their account and the charges are credited.

Koha 4.18: No more zero-amount Manual Invoices added as Notes.

Some library staff have used zero-amount Manual Invoices as a way to place a Note in a patron's Account screen. With the modifications to the accounting rules in 4.18, staff will no longer be able to create zero-amount Manual Invoices.  Staff will have to use the Circ Notes field or the Messages feature on the patron's Check Out screen to add informational notes to the patron's record.  Please be diligent about deleting those Messages that are out of date or no longer needed.

As part of a development project to create a Patron Note or Message history, all current zero-amount Manual Invoices will be migrated from each patron's 4.16 Account page into their 4.18 Patron Block History page (Circulation History).  The other part of the development will be to add a "history" or "save" hyperlink to each message that will provide staff the opportunity to retain the message in the Patron Block History screen (which will be re-named).  We don't have a date for when this new hyperlink will be implemented but as soon as it is available in the Sandbox for testing we will let you know.

LibLime Koha upgrade to Release 4.18 Scheduled for April 15

Based on recent software fixes and final testing, SCLS ILS has determined that we will move forward with the upgrade to LibLime Koha Release 4.18 at 7 pm on Tuesday, April 15.  We will be using link-announce email and the SCLS status wiki to keep staff updated on the upgrade progress as appropriate.  Here are the details that we have so far:

• The upgrade will begin at 7 pm on Tuesday, April 15
• The PAC will not be available during the upgrade
• SCLS is alerting the patrons of the down time via a slide in LINKcat and social media
• We do not yet know what time the system will be available on the morning of the April 16
• This upgrade will include a data migration of some item statuses and fines / fees
• SCLS ILS staff will be doing data testing on the morning of the upgrade
• Most likely the staff modules will be available, but, due to the data testing, we ask that staff do not use the system until given the all clear via email and the status wiki
• Libraries should be prepared to use Offline Circ on the morning of April 16 in case the system is not available by library opening time

Now is a great time to watch the recorded Koha 4.18 webinars if you have not already done so or if you have not attended a live webinar: http://www.scls.info/ils/training/index.html (see under Webinars).

This is also a good time to review the Offline Circulation tutorial if you are not familiar with its use.  LibLime and SCLS ILS staff will do everything possible to make the system available by library opening time on the morning of April 16, but it is best to be prepared for all scenarios!

Finally, please review the 4.18 Release Notes if you have not already done so.

Drafts of Koha 4.18 documentation posted

Drafts of modified circulation documentation for the Koha 4.18 upgrade have been posted on the Circulation Services SubCommittee webpage:  Payments workflow, Waiving charges workflow, Refunds and Unallocated credits workflow and Circulation Manual sections VII Fines and Financial transactions and VIII Problem Items.  The workflows are embedded in the manual sections but some libraries may want to print these as separate documents to assist in training.  Please submit suggestions for change, questions or corrections to Heidi Oliversen at [email protected].  All input is appreciated.

 

 

LibLime Koha Release 4.18 scheduled

The LibLime Koha upgrade to Release 4.18 is scheduled to begin at 9 pm on Wednesday, April 2.  The system should be available the morning of April 3.  Watch the SCLS status wiki for updates.

This will be a major upgrade with most of the improvements focusing on the fines and fees structure.  There are also improvements to the lost & claims returned process, item statuses, and debt collection.  This upgrade paves the way for deployment of the Envisionware e-commerce solution, as it provides the SIP2 enhancements necessary for patrons to pay fines online.  Final setup and testing of e-commerce will commence after the upgrade.  Please read the Release Notes for complete details of the changes coming in this upgrade.  

It is important that staff prepare for this upgrade because it will change the workflow for fines and fees.  There are two webinars explaining the changes ("4.18 Changes: Fines, fees and payments" and "4.18 Changes: Other Item statuses"), both of which can be found on the Training page under the Koha Webinars heading. We will also be providing additional live training opportunities over the next two weeks to assist you with preparation for the upgrade.

SCLS staff are in the final phase of testing bug fixes.  Once this is complete, we will ask library staff to do one final test in the Koha sandbox, to conclude by March 25.  Watch for an email with details.

LSTA 2014 Technology Grants

In the past two months we have solicited ideas for the 2014 LSTA Technology grants via Technology and ILS Committee cluster reps. The ideas were discussed at the committee and then evaluated by the SCLS ILS and Technology staffs. Below are the grant projects that we submitted. 

1)      RFID Tags. 9 of the 43 SCLS libraries in the shared ILS (LINKcat) are using RFID technologies. LINKcat libraries benefit from an open resource sharing policy.  When items from non-RFID libraries are received at RFID libraries to fill patron requests, it is beneficial to tag the item for the ease of patron self-checkout. Patrons will benefit from a standard self checkout process at the RFID libraries. Non-RFID libraries would benefit by having their items tagged should they someday implement RFID as well.

2)      Integrating LINKcat with 3^rd party databases.  LINKcat is the shared ILS using LibLime Koha for 43 of the SCLS member libraries.  Since Koha is an open source ILS, SCLS has developed the searching interface to be a modern and highly functioning retrieval tool for materials held in libraries.  We also load bibliographic records for electronic resources such as Wisconsin’s Digital Library (OverDrive).  However, these records are not integrated and patrons cannot see current status, etc.  Some third party databases such as OverDrive and Ebscohost have developed APIs that allow the ILS to integrate more completely.  The goal of this project is to pursue development for LibLime Koha so that patrons will be able to search electronic resources databases such Wisconsin’s Digital Library and Ebscohost (via BadgerLink) and to see real-time statuses where appropriate.  All patrons using LINKcat will benefit from this project.  By incorporating electronic resources searching into LINKcat, the opportunities for finding appropriate resources expands greatly.  This is particularly true for patrons in rural areas who may not be as close to their library as in more urban communities.

3)      Increasing bandwidth in libraries. The majority of the libraries using the SCLS managed network do not have enough bandwidth to meet the ever increasing demands of their patrons.  Access to wireless is becoming even more critical as more patrons bring their own wireless devices into the library.  SCLS has been working for several years to find ways to increase bandwidth.  We have created a plan to increase bandwidth based on critical need to moderate need.  We are moving forward, but with increased bandwidth come increased hardware costs as a large number of the network routers will need to be upgraded in order to accommodate increased bandwidth.  Increasing bandwidth will meet the needs of all types of patrons using both wired computers and their own wireless devices in the library, including those seeking jobs, students doing homework, those doing research on the internet, foreign workers attempting to stay connected with their relatives and friends back home, those downloading electronic resources and those who are using the internet for recreational use. 

4)      Joining the SCLS Shared ILS. SCLS has 10 libraries that have not joined the shared ILS. Many of these are very small, rural libraries. For them it is often difficult to come up with the costs necessary to join the system, such as the ILS vendor software setup fee.  Larger libraries tend to have higher startup costs as they often pay migration fees in addition to a setup fee.  SCLS would like to assist libraries with startup fees and migration costs by allocating a portion of the LSTA grant to them. Libraries that have not joined the shared ILS will benefit from this service as they will be able to access the resources of all LINKcat member libraries. 

Authority Control - Step One

In preparation for our upgrade to Koha 4.16 taking place later this summer, SCLS will be performing some database maintenance work on bibliographic records.

The first step is to send all bibliographic records added to the database from 4/19/2011 (migration) to 4/1/2013 to our authority control vendor for initial processing. This means that bibliographic records with biblionumbers in the range between 815696 and 954059 with full MARC cataloging (most records) will be copied to our vendor as they appear in the database on Thursday, May 30th at 6pm.

Any changes requested by libraries for bibliographic records with bib numbers in this range will be made if they are important for access to the record. Madison TS will be tracking these changes, since they will have to be re-applied once we receive updated records from our vendor later in June. You can still edit, add, and delete item records attached to these bibliographic records. You can also still add BSEs, GEN, PERM, LOCAL, and Acquisitions BSEs to the database.

We will also be performing larger database maintenance tasks during and after the time of the upgrade to improve authority control linking. In general, subject, series title, and author links will be more reliable and we will be able to resume regular updates to our database on the back end.

If you have any questions about this process, please contact Joanna at [email protected].

Edited to add: 106,764 records were extracted and sent to our vendor for processing.