Support and Training Report: April 2011

Aleph


Acq/Serials

  • A new service pack was installed on April 10, 2011
    • Rep change #3267 corrects the known problem in version 20 in that libraries were not able to search by the ISSN from the top serial bar in the Acquisitions/Serials module. This is now corrected.
  • Two separate web meetings were held in March that explained a new feature in version 20 on "Automatic Creation of Monograph-Type Items in Acquisitions". See Answer #3421

Cataloging

  • File-90 Bib Loader. Answerbook #3430 has a document “Correcting Records in MarcEdit”. There are 3 pieces, which can be used independently for their own purposes, or together in this series of 3 to accomplish the following:
    • Extracting a File of Bib Records from ALEPH
    • Correcting Bib Records in MarcEdit (you must have downloaded the FREE MarcEdit software from the web and know how to use MarcEdit. There is a tutorial available at the MarcEdit website. Google “MarcEdit” to find the software and tutorials).
    • Loading Corrected Bib Records back into ALEPH via the File-90 Loader. (NOTE: Before using the file-90 loader, contact PALS Support for instructions on how to use the loader. It is tricky and each parameter; e.g. match routine, fix routine and overlay, must be filled in CORRECTLY or you will have problems.)
  • New Help on Field (Tag Info). This will be kept current via the updates to a new version of ALEPH or via service packs as ALEPH includes new MARC tag information. ALEPH keeps this information current via the new MARC fixed fields, variable fields, indicators, and subfields which are introduced at each MARBI meeting (ALA mid-winter) and approved at the general ALA Cataloging session (ALA summer). If a new version of ALEPH is about to be released after the summer session of ALA, the new tags may be included in that version; otherwise, they will come out in a service pack.
  • Fix for the Catalog Editor ‘Edit Text’ menu. In ALEPH ver. 19, the edit text menu became no longer available in the right-click menu. It was then put into a shift+right-click menu. As a result, PALS put forward an enhancement request that this be changed in the next version of ALEPH. Our rationale was the following: “The change to split the ‘Edit Actions’ and ‘Edit Text’ functions into two menus has caused functionality for use of ALEPH cataloging to deteriorate. Staff must now use the shift key to access the right-click menu that contains the edit text functions most often used.” That enhancement has not been approved yet, but another ALEPH library created a workaround which PALS has implemented and tested with the MSU/Mankato library. The workaround works for those libraries who have control of their .exe files; otherwise, your IT staff will have to do it for you. Answerbook #3431
  • Fire/EMS/Safety Library was closed in mid-March. The materials were physically moved to the Century College Library, where they have been interfiled into that collection. PALS has made the global move within the system so that now you can search these materials on the Century College Library OPAC.
    • If you would like to search specifically for these materials, that can be done from the Classic MnPALS 'Library to Search Box' and selecting the library catalog: Fire/EMS/Safety.
    • From within the MnPALS Plus discovery layer, the Fire/EMS/Safety logical base (library) cannot be created nor found as a specific library to search. The best way to do a search on just Fire/EMS/Safety materials within MnPALS Plus is to do a search of 'All Fields' with the term fire/ems/safety. This will retrieve all the records from the Fire library plus a few extra that may have the words fire, ems or safety.
    • Interlibrary loan of the Fire/EMS/Safety materials will now be requested from the Century College Library
  • Global changes to Fixed and Variable fields. PALS has been working with members of the Cataloging Steering Committee to do database cleanup of fixed and variable fields. This is a 'big' job but will be very helpful in displaying facets more correctly in MnPALS Plus, along with the fact that now the bib records have correct coding. Watch for the session "MARC Changes: Update Your Catalog to Reflect Changes to the MARC Standard: Lori Pesik CATALOGING" at Cataloger's Workday on April 29 to explain this.
  • Answerbook #3429 explains the difference between com-02 (Count of New and Updated Catalog records - by cataloger) and com-03 (Report of New and Updated Catalog Records - by cataloger). Both these reports can be found in the Cataloging module/Services/General.
  • We have become aware, via the Aleph Discussion list, that in version 20 a very important expand routine for OPAC presentation and indexing has stopped working. The expand is used to get Marc tags from Holding records into the BIB record for display and indexing. In our case, to display holding record fields on the bib record, the following fields from the holding record are used and are not displaying: LDR, 007, 008,506, 538, 845, and 856. Indexes not working would be those expanded from the holding record into the SYS01 bib index: tab_hldr_config, tab_h007_config, and tab_h008_config. Both these issues have been reported to ExLibris by many Aleph libraries, including PALS. This has been sent to 2nd line analysis at Ex Libris.
  • Flipping records with authority records that had subdivisions. Since November 2009, MnPALS libraries had reported there were bib records appearing in the catalog with form subdivision $x, $v repeated in a 6xx string; e.g. 650 $a Art $v Periodicals $x Periodicals. Ex Libris provided us with 4 solutions to clean this up. It was decided to choose the solution of UPD=N on authority records with a main heading and a form subdivision. This prevented bib records from being updated by that authority record. The upshot was that the authority functionality to automatically update bib records with the correct heading was now turned off for about 20-25% of the records. Mike Barnett, PALS consultant, found a way to identify subject headings impacted by cross-reference links (450/451). The Authorities Task Force co-conveners met with PALS staff working on the authorities project on February 8, 2011. It was decided that PALS should implement Mike’s work of identifying the subject headings, turn the flip to UPD=Y on those authority records, run them through the indexing again to catch bib records linked to them, and after the indexing had occurred Mike cleaned up the $x, $v issue in the bib records. This was all done on the development server for the Authorities Task force to examine the results by April 15. If there are any questions or findings to examine that will be done at this time; otherwise, the process will be put onto the production server. The results will be that the bib records apppear correctly in the catalog with form subdivision $v; e.g. 650 $a Art $v Periodicals.
  • A new service pack was installed on April 10, 2011
    • Rep change #3347 corrects Cataloging/[I]mport so that when moving more than 20 records, a warning message is displayed ("Cannot load more than 20 records at a time. Reduce your selection.") and the action is cancelled.
    • Rep change #3368 corrects the "Internal Print" function of the record editor in GUI Cataloging where non-space fields longer than 78 characters were cut off. This has now been corrected so that the text in long fields is wrapped.

ILL

Service pack installed on April 10, contained fixes for ILL issues.

  • Lending request Status Change - A status change can be done from “Located” to “Located and Printed” and from “Mediated” to “Located and Printed.”
  • Patron requests - Blocked or Expired patron record will be stopped from entering an ILL request.

Remember to do a Version Check on each workstation to bring in the service pack updates.

There is one outstanding issue for ILL with the update to version 20 - Locally owned borrowing requests. ILL staff must continue to use Change status on a Locally owned borrowing request and change the status to New and then locate. There is a fix in the May service pack for this issue.

Workdays

Upper Midwest Regional Ex Libris User Group

  • The Upper Midwest Regional Ex Libris User Group meeting will be held October 17 and 18, 2011. If you have an idea for a session please submit your proposal via this link: http://umwug.odin.nodak.edu/2011_proposal_submission by May 20, 2011 (feel free to send them earlier). Acceptance notifications will be sent by July 1, 2011.
  • Suggestions for topic areas:
    • Dollars and staff time are short: What process/workflow efficiencies have you undertaken involving your Ex Libris products?
    • Helpful hints and finished projects: What projects are you doing/what did you finally finish that might be of interest to others?
    • Look to the future: What changes have you made or will you make concerning work done with Ex Libris products over the next two years?
    • Third-party products: Share your experiences with successfully integrating third-party products with an Ex Libris product.
    • Short on ideas: Consider recycling a presentation from ELUNA or suggesting someone you heard there or at another conference.
  • MnPALS User Group meeting will be held at Minnesota State University Moorhead on October 19, 2011.

Evergreen


ECRL implementation

  • ECRL will be upgraded to v. 2.0 in early May. Training on new features (serials/acq) will not occur until Fall.

Other

  • Testing continues on v. 2.0.
  • KCLS has released a version of their OPAC skin to the Evergreen Community. We will be implementing this on a test instance of ECRL's data.
  • Anoop has exported and imported data from ECRL 2.0 to VuFind 1.0.1: http://slhdb.mnpals.net/vufind/. There are still some bugs to work out.

Other Products/Services


EZproxy

MnPALS Plus

PALSconnect Linker

  • In the April knowledge base update for PALSconnect Linker, you may notice errors in the EBSCO databases. From Simon Fraser University: "EBSCO introduced a large number of errors in their latest title lists. They are aware of the problem and have told us that fixing them is a priority for them. Hopefully, we'll have a solution soon."
  • We invite you to post all your Open URL Link Resolver questions and tips on the PALS Forum: http://forums.mnpals.org/index.php?board=68.0

Task Forces


Authorities

Indexing

MnPALS Plus Working Group

Reports Task Force

  • The Priv-21 Titles/Items with Circ Events by Call Number/Date Range report has been reworked. The same improved way of defining call number ranges (as in the priv-16) has been implemented. Radio buttons have been added to allow choice between a list of all titles and a list of all titles with all associated items. For both choices, call number range, collection(s) and date range is specified. Multiple collections may be chosen. Additional columns have been added for more information (e.g. Author, Bib Status, Process Status, Open Date). Additional parameters have been added to sort. Report may be exported to Excel more easily.

Office Teams


Communications Team

Rod has been trying to work out issues with integrating the public wiki with Drupal. We will next meet on April 19 to discuss the need to continue the public MnPALS wiki.

Marketing Team

The PALS Marketing team met on April 6 to create their 3-year team strategies and actions within the overall PALS Strategic Plan. The team determined the conferences to attend in 2011 will be MLA, SDLA, ILA, NDLA, and possibly MEMO. As a result work will begin on presentation proposals whose deadlines are fast approaching. New customers are: PALSconnect ERM - Century College and PALSconnect LINKER - Lake Superior College. We continue to work with prospective customers for our open source products; e.g. PALS Evergreen ILS, PALS EZproxy, MnPALS Plus, PALSconnect LINKER, and PALSconnect ERM.

PALS Support Center

The Help for the Support Center has been redone on the PALS web site. Check it out here.

Meetings Attended by Support Staff

  • April 4: Reference Workday (PM, SFE)
  • April 11: Minnewebcon (PM)