LINKcat News

Updated procedure: Changes to the Annual Batch Deletion process.

Twice a year we run cumulative reports of items that have certain problem items statuses that are eligible for batch deletion, according to SCLS procedure.  These reports help libraries keep track of older, problem items and give them the chance to take appropriate action on these items, according to their local policy, or leave them for the annual batch deletion.

Typically, those reports are run each November and May. Items that appear on the May reports but are not modified or resolved are batch deleted in July.

Last May we discovered that the 4.18 upgrade had converted all our timestamps to 4/16/2014, so we could not run the semi-annual problem item reports for the Annual Batch Deletion process.  Because of that timestamp change, we could not batch delete older, problem items in July.  We came up with a plan last November and were able to batch delete items that were unchanged from the Nov. 2013 report.

Given that we now run monthly “problem item” reports, we needed a better way to label these semi-annual reports.  In conjunction with the changes to the Reports page we have come up with some changes that we hope will provide clarity.   We missed our May deadline but will be back on track this November.

For this current cycle, the first round of ABD (Annual Batch Deletion) Problem Item reports were run and posted on June 22, 2015.  SCLS Staff will re-run these reports in late August.  If any of these items are unmodified, we will mark them for batch deletion at the end of August.

Libraries need to review these reports and

1. Decide if they are going to keep the record of the item, or the item itself in the case of Damaged items, or
2. Delete the record from the database or
3. Leave it and let the annual batch deletion process delete the record the database.

If a library does not already have workflow for reviewing these reports, here are some questions to ask to see if the status of the item can be changed.  This list is not exhaustive.

• Were broken items mended?
• Were replacement parts ordered?
• Did patron pay for damages?
• Were magazines with Current Issue/No CKO status correctly updated?
• Were items marked as In Processing correctly checked in?
• Do patrons with “Lost items” need to be reminded about payment?

The June 2015 Annual Batch Deletion problem reports are:

• ABD Damaged. This report is posted on the Reports page, Batch Deletion folder.
• ABD Other (Missing Inventory, Lost in Transit). This report is posted on the Reports page, Batch Deletion folder
• ABD Lost (Lost, Missing, Trace). A "hidden" link to this report is emailed to the Director of each library because it contains patron information.  This report is not posted on the Reports page.  

Items with a status of Claims Returned, AV Repair, Defect Reported, Mending, In Processing and Parts Missing are not included in the Annual Batch Deletion.

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.

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 hjo@scls.lib.wi.us.  All input is appreciated.

 

 

Public Note field bug; Item Detail screen.

Do not use the Public note field in the History section of the Item Detail screen. Using this field for an item with a Lost status strips the patron information from the Checkout status line. If the item is Claims Returned or Lost + Charge, it will also be removed from the patron's Lost Items list, but the charging entry will remain in the patron's Account screen. Use the Non-Public Note in the full Item record if you must add a note to the item record. (SCLS Support ticket 44076)

Migration Updates for week of 1/10/2011

FAQ

The Koha migration FAQ has been updated. SCLS staff are compiling answers on all types of issues pertaining to the migration.  You will see "dead" links where future topics will be posted.  Check back frequently for new information. http://psw.scls.lib.wi.us/ils/koha/faq/index.html (login required)

Check-in Notes

This week we approved development for the new check-in notes feature.  This feature will allow you to create a check-in note for any item.  Check-in notes will appear when the item is checked in. Staff will have the option to keep or delete the note at that time. The really good news is that the existing check-notes from your item records will migrate into the new check-in notes on Koha.

Ownership of Items and Editing Item Statuses

Another development project we are working on is the "ownership" of items.  This feature will prevent staff from one library accidentally modifying items from another library. However, libraries need to be able to change many of the item statuses for all libraries' items. This week we approved a development project that allows libraries to modify statuses even if they do not own the item.

Third Party Product Vendor Collaboration

This past month we have been working with LibLime and some of our third party vendors. We have been testing checkout and check-in on a self check unit that is on loan from ITG. We are testing check-in to assure that libraries will be able to use automated materials handling (sorters) with Koha.  We sponsored a project to add to the SIP2 data that is transmitted from Koha in order to handle holds check-ins.  ITG has been working closely with LibLime on this.

We have been working with Talking Tech to fine tune the call-in and holds notification call out processes. Again, Talking Tech is working closely with LibLime.

LibLime has also been finishing the electronic ordering, receiving and invoicing component of the acquisitions module (GetIt).  They are working with all of the vendors with which we do electronic ordering.

This project has become a truly collaborative effort between libraries and multiple vendors.

 

 

Report from ALA: the Koha and Open Source ILS communities

The Open Source ILS Community

ALA was a week ago and I realized I haven't blogged about it yet!  This is a summary of a few events that I attended having to do with Koha or Open Source.  These events range from a general meeting of open source ILS users (OSS4PL), to a Koha users group meeting (KUDOS), to a demonstration of new Koha development.  Perhaps one of the most difficult things to keep straight about open source ILS software is that there are different software products (Koha, Evergreen and more) and for each of these, libraries have the option to have a vendor provide support (we are using LibLime) or to go it on their own. As the number of libraries using an Open Source ILS increases, the community of users, developers and vendors is figuring out how to organize themselves and ultimately work together.

OSS4PL

OSS4PL stands for Open Source Software for Public Libraries.  The goal of this group is to foster communication between the different open source ILS software users.  At the OSS4PL "unconference" at ALA, libraries using both Evergreen and Koha gathered at the beautiful Harold Washington Library Center (Chicago PL).  In one exercise we organized ourselves into groups to discuss a particular topic.  Naturally, we organized ourselves into Koha and Evergreen groups! This was beneficial to those of us in attendance from SCLS because we made some new Koha contacts.  The second session was a more general discussion of issues facing the open source ILS community.  From this session we learned a bit more about Evergreen and its development path.  This event was organized by the King County Library System and the Galecia Group.

KUDOS Meeting

KUDOS is a U.S. users group for libraries using Koha.  Present at the KUDOS meeting were representatives from Koha libraries of all types and sizes; some use a vendor and some support Koha on their own.  The primary focus of this group is to develop ways that Koha users can share information with each other.  Goals include creating an easy-to-use list of U.S. libraries that use Koha, sharing information on development projects and holding an annual user conference.  John Brice of Crawford County Federated Library System has been doing the arduous work of ratifying KUDOS as a non-profit organization.  KUDOS will need to work within the international Koha community, regional communites (such as Wisconsin) and any vendor communities that may  develop.

LibLime Demonstrations

LibLime, our Koha support vendor, was doing Koha demonstrations throughout ALA.  I attended a demonstration of features being developed by LibLime that will be available in a future release of Koha.  Ian Walls of NYU Health Sciences Library tweeted the presentation as it was happening. (How cool is that?) Here is a summary of that Twitter feed as posted by Nicole Engard on her Open Sesame blog.

LibLime Gives Back to the Community

Some of you were fortunate to attend ALA and perhaps attended a LibLime presentation on how they give back to the community.  But if you weren't there, or did not attend the presentation, LibLime summarizes their projects on their web site.  Take a look; it's quite impressive.

LibLime/Koha Demonstrations at ALA

If you are going to ALA this weekend, you might be interested in the following Koha demos at the LibLime booth.

In the Booth (#1134): Presentations

Saturday, July 11th

10:00 a.m. – We Give Back: LibLime's Contributions to the Library Community 

Learn more about LibLime's open-source business model and what the impact is on the library community. LibLime's CEO, Joshua Ferraro, will review three ways that LibLime 'gives back': ‡biblios.net, Koha with Class and LibLime's Koha Community Contributions.

 

1:00 p.m. – Mission Possible: the LibLime Data Migration Process

Extraction, field mapping, normalization, oh my! LibLime's Senior Vice-President Operations, Debra Denault, presents an overview of the process of migrating to Koha through LibLime.

 

3:30 p.m. – Koha Demo: OPAC

An introduction to Koha's next-generation OPAC. LibLime's Application Support Librarian, Maria Laude, presents Koha's OPAC, including some of the new customer-sponsored enhancements and third-party integration.

 

Sunday, July 12th

9:30 a.m. – 4,000 Users and Growing! ‡biblios.net

‡biblios.net is a FREE browser-based cataloging service with a data store containing over thirty-five million records. Records are licensed under the Open Data Commons, making the service the world's largest repository of freely-licensed library records!

 

2:00 p.m. – Coming Soon! 

A sneak peek at the new functionality that will soon be available to LibLime's customers. LibLime's Senior Business Analyst, Daniel Sweeney, gives an overview of customer-sponsored projects including a new acquisitions solution, improved consortial support, and academic functionality.

 

3:30 p.m. – Koha Demo: OPAC

An introduction to Koha's next-generation OPAC. LibLime's Application Support Librarian, Maria Laude, presents Koha's OPAC, including some of the new customer-sponsored enhancements and third-party integration.

 

Monday, July 13th

9:30 a.m. – We Give Back: LibLime's Contributions to the Library Community

Learn more about LibLime's open-source business model and what the impact is on the library community. LibLime's CEO, Joshua Ferraro, will review three ways that LibLime 'gives back': ‡biblios.net, Koha with Class and LibLime's Koha Community Contributions.

 

1:00 p.m. –  Koha Demo: Staff Side

An introduction to Koha's staff modules. LibLime's Senior Vice-President Operations, Debra Denault, presents on Koha's Circulation, Technical Services and Administrative functionality.

 

3:00 p.m. – Coming Soon!

A sneak peek at the new functionality that will soon be available to LibLime's customers. LibLime's Senior Business Analyst, Daniel Sweeney, gives an overview of customer-sponsored projects including a new acquisitions solution, improved consortial support, and academic functionality.

 

Tuesday, July 14th

9:30 a.m. – Koha Demo: Staff Side

An introduction to Koha's staff modules. LibLime's Senior Vice-President Operations, Debra Denault, presents on Koha's Circulation, Technical Services and Administrative functionality.

 

11:00 a.m. –  4,000 Users and Growing! ‡biblios.net

‡biblios.net is a FREE browser-based cataloging service with a data store containing over thirty-five million records. Records are licensed under the Open Data Commons, making the service the world's largest repository of freely-licensed library records!

 

LibLime Press Release

LibLime has issued a press release announcing that South Central Library System selected LibLime and Koha.

LINK Members took a few moments at the end of their April meeting to celebrate the April 7 signing of the contract with LibLime for Koha support. Koha is the library system software that will replace Dynix. (That's cherry lime aid in the glasses.)