Support and Training Report: January 2011

Aleph


Version 20

Aleph version 20 will be installed on January 29 - January 30.

To review the new features in version 20 click here.

Acquisitions

  • Version 20 - After you are live on version 20, libraries will need to set up tab_36 if they want to use the new feature in acquisitions that improves the automatic creation of item records from order records for monographs by taking into account the material type in the order record. See Answer #3421 for more information.

Cataloging

  • The NEW indexes document, Aleph Indexes - November 2010, has been created and is ready for you to use. This reflects the new indexes added and/or removed in November 2010. This document is the 'user friendly' version for you to use in your day-to-day needs of indexing, access points. You can find the document on the PALS Homepage at this link http://www.mnpals.org/aleph/idx201011.pdf
  • PALS is moving to a new-look homepage, which will soon be released. We chose not to move old, Library-created documents from the current PALS homepage to the new homepage. For the library-created documents that have been available under the Cataloging documentation on the current homepage, I have contacted all the libraries who had created them to determine if they needed to be updated and/or retained. Most of the libraries said they were old and should be removed. As a result, we will have a diminished amount of library-created documents in the Cataloging documentation area. These documents were written by your colleagues in steps and terms that you can work with in your library. As a result, I hope that many of you will submit your current procedural documents for others to learn from or consider another way to perform a job. Once I receive your library-created documents, we will load them on the new PALS homepage under Cataloging documentation, Library-Created Materials.
  • Ver. 20, Cataloging - NEW Service, Direct Index (ret-06). Clarification: Retrieve Records by Direct Index is a new service that allows the use of an input file of direct index values (such as ISBNs, ISSNs, etc.) and then for its output it gives you a list of Aleph bib numbers that contain any of the values in the given direct index from the input file. One problem we see with this is that you cannot limit the list of Aleph bib numbers to a particular OWN code.
  • New Knowledge Base Answer #3419 - Upload library holding code to OCLC. This is a procedure that must be done by you the library after a batch load of bib records to Aleph has been done where your library's holding code had not been set at OCLC. For example, if you have purchased Credo Reference bib records but did not choose to have your holding code added to them at OCLC, then loaded them by an Aleph bib loader or had PALS load them to your catalog; you must now load your holding code for each bib back to OCLC.

Circulation

  • There is a new feature in Aleph v.20 that puts a statement in the “Your Borrowing Record” area of the WebOPAC, to alert patrons to their accumulating fines. After asking for input from the Consortium, we are changing the wording of the statement. The statement will now say: Current (not final) accumulating fines: $xx.xx
  • We discovered that running the priv-22 service, which deletes Z36H Loan History records, could cause some missing data pieces in the Circulation module. We've added the following statement to the Help for the priv-22 service:
    • The Z36H records are not used for statistical purposes in Aleph. Reports for loan stats primarily rely on Z35 Events records and Z30 Loan Totals, so deleting these Z36H records should not impact statistics for loans. However, deleting the Z36H records could result in missing pieces of data in certain areas of the Circulation module. For example, while cash transaction records have certain loan-related data recorded in the cash transaction itself (e.g. the Loan Date and Due Date), other loan related data comes from the Z36H Loan History record (e.g. Patron Status and Loan Librarian). It is this Z36H data that will be missing from cash transactions.

ILL

  • In version 19 when a borrowing request has a status of Locally owned, ILL staff could use Locate and find potential suppliers for the request. In version 20 when a borrowing request gets a status of Locally owned staff can use Change Status to change the request status from Locally Owned to New. Library staff may use Locate on the request or allow ue19 to do the Locate and Send.

An SI has been filed with Ex Libris about this issue.

  • In version 19 staff can change the status on a lending request from Located to Located and Printed and from Mediated to Located and Printed. Version 20 doesn't allow a status change on lending requests.

A fix is available for this issue in the February service pack.

Serials

  • Version 20 - There is a known problem in version 20 in that libraries are not able to search by ISSN from the top serial bar in the Acquisitions/Serials module. The ISSN BIB search (which searches in SYS01) works correctly, but the plain ISSN search (which searches in your XXX50) does not. Rep_change 3267 will correct the problem. It will be available in the February service pack.

Systems

  • Working with Ex Libris about a crash that is encountered in Aleph Version 20. While in the Task Manager, select Services - General - restart PC server (sys01) - Click on the REFRESH button (may have to do this a few times) - Program will produce an error message - When trying to exit the error message, the program will terminate. Did not do this in Version 19. An SI has been filed with Ex Libris about this issue - 16384-230543.

After a number of message exchanges, Ex Libris finally tested and accepted that it is an issue. The issue has been forwarded to 2nd-line Support.

Workdays

The following dates have been identified as the subsystem Workdays:

  • Location: Minnesota State University Mankato, 7700 France Avenue, Edina MN
    • Reference and Instruction: Monday, April 4, 2011
    • Systems: Wednesday, April 13, 2011
    • Circ/ILL: Friday, April 15, 2011
  • Location: Metropolitan State University, St. Paul, MN
    • ACQ/SER and Cataloging: April 28-29, 2011

PALS Annual Meeting

  • Thursday, April 14, 2011. Minnesota State University Mankato, 7700 France Avenue, Edina, MN

Evergreen


ECRL implementation

  • Upgrading to v. 1.6.1.4 on 01/19/2011.
  • A final test conversion is in process on the ECRL development server.

Training & Documentation

  • V. 2.0 is being learned, tested, and documented.

Other Products/Services


EZproxy

  • Worked with Concordia College on developing a method to prevent the 'community' borrowers from accessing the electronic databases. We are able to define a Local Patron information - the sublibrary Global Patron - Local Privilege for Hold Request set to 'NO'. When the patron attempts to sign into the databases, we compare the value for Hold Request and Allow/Prevent based on the setting. http://forums.mnpals.org/index.php?topic=1412.0

MnPALS Plus

  • A reminder of some recent updates to MnPALS PLus
    • Remove the link to Amazon customer reviews in the Review tab. Can we link to the editorial reviews instead?
      • (November 2010) Because of a change in the way Amazon allows Reviews to be used, we are no longer receiving/displaying Amazon Reviews. We are looking for alternative suggestions for source(s) of reviews.
    • Ability to change password within MnPALS Plus
    • Direct link to blank ILL form in MnPALS Plus
      • (December 2010) You can now access the ILL page with its links to the forms using the following url: http://plus.mnpals.net/vufind/MyResearch/ILLForm/XXX where XXX is your 3 letter library code. Like the Classic Aleph OPAC, it will ask you to login in. Unfortunately, it won't display the form right away, that will take another click on the Book Request or Journal Request tabs.

PALSconnect ERM

  • If you have an interest in an ERM or experience with an ERM (either PALSconnect or others) and would like to serve on a task force, please let us know by January 21, 2011. See announcement sent on the mnpals-discuss list on December 6, 2010, and posted to the PALS Forum board under PALSconnect ERM and Other Electronic Resource Management Tools.
  • The PALS office has created a CSV file of the ELM databases. This CSV file can be downloaded into the PALSconnect ERM in order to create elecronic resource management records for the ELM databases.

PALSconnect Linker

  • We have renamed the Link Manager forum to Open URL Link Managers, and invite you to post all your Open URL questions and tips, no matter which Open URL Link Resolver you are using: http://forums.mnpals.org/index.php?board=68.0

Task Forces


Authorities

Indexing

MnPALS Plus Working Group

  • A meeting of the MnPALS Plus Working Group is scheduled for Thursday, January 20, 3 pm.

Reports Task Force

  • A meeting is trying to be scheduled for late January.

Office Teams


Marketing Team

  • We continue to seek customers for our open source products.

PALS Support Center

  • On January 9, the PALS Support Center interface was upgraded. The functionality remains mostly the same, but there is a new look to the interface. We have added a link to the PALS Forum and are working on adding a link to the PALS Wiki. Check it out at http://pals.custhelp.com