Support and Training Services Report November 2006

• The second conversion of version 17 on lute is still in progress. We estimate that it will be ready for libraries to access by the first full week of December. Watch for an announcement indicating you can logon to version 17.
• A major purpose of doing this second conversion was to determine how long the process takes. After the second conversion is done, a detailed timeline will be created and sent to the mailing lists.
• PALS will post a detailed timeline for the rest of the upgrade to the PALS discussion list once the second conversion is completed and available to libraries.
• Web OPAC: A version 17 Web OPAC customization template will be sent out to libraries very soon. Watch for this information soon. PALS would appreciate libraries returning the completed Web OPAC customization template as soon as possible.

• Table Changes Aleph Ver.17 and XSL Forms Editing Aleph Ver.17 web trainings have been completed.
• Advanced Module Navigation (New Features) Aleph Ver.17 for Acquisitions/Serials, Cataloging/Items and Circulation are in session now.
• Version 17 Question and Answer web sessions will be offered for each module and the Web OPAC starting in January.
• Trainers have been recording one session of each web training offered and making them available in Breeze. We are experiencing some technical difficulties with Breeze which has caused the video portion of the recordings to not be available. MetNet, the hosting spot for Breeze, has assured us that they are working with Adobe to resolve this problem and the recorded sessions will be available at some point. Currently you can listen to the audio portion of these sessions but not view the video. As an alternative you could listen to the audio and follow along in the documentation for the session you are interested in. We will post an announcement when the full recorded sessions are back.
• Training for the Item booking and media maintenance module will be two days of hands-on training. PALS will offer this session at the PALS office on January 25-26 and Hennepin Technical College, Eden Prairie Campus on February 8-9. Watch for registration announcements.
• Version 17 Upgrade Training Calendar http://www.pals.msus.edu/aleph/syslibs/home.html
• Check out the following link off of the PALS homepage for a full listing of training offerings and links to registration forms. http://www.abcsignup.com/view/view_month.asp?as=16&wp=112"aid=PALS.
  
  

• Search by answer number - occasionally PALS Support Specialists will refer to an answer in the knowledge base by a number. You can search by the answer number simply by entering it into the search box from the "Answers" tab of the PALS Support Center eDesk. For example there is an answer titled "How can I configure Aleph to automate emailing and printing of notices?" Rather than keying in the search string for the title or some of it's keywords you could just enter the number (#2991) associated with this answer.
  
  

• No meetings in Fall 2006. http://boards.pals.msus.edu/fusetalk/forum/index.cfm?forumid=17

• Indexing of large, incoming bib records and keyword retrieval: message sent to Cataloging User Group for a vote to -
  1. remove WNO (keyword note) from the following 5XX fields (which are also indexed in WRD): 500, 502, 505, 508, 511, 520, 521, 522, 530, 533, 538, 545, 546, 561, 586, 590, and 599. The 5XX fields that were *only* indexed as WNO will remain. The objective is to reduce indexing of words in multiple indexes; e.g. WNO and WRD;
  2. turn off adjacency, and
  3. fixed field keyword indexing (wff). The Cataloging User Group e-mail vote was "yes" to all of the above.
  The changes from 'a and b' will be implemented in ver. 17. The timing and processes needed for fixed field keyword indexing are being tested in the PALS office as the second test upgrade is being done. Based upon those results, PALS management will make a decision to index or not index the fixed fields.
• 9-digit OCLC number: Mary Ann sent a message to the PALS list informing MnPALS libraries of the new 9-digit OCLC number prefaced with 'ocn' coming through the Aleph OCLC loader just fine and the old, OCLC eight-digit number with a trailing space containing 'ocm' as the prefix. Indexing of the OCLC numbering issue has been tested by the PALS office and works fine in ver. 17. The test in ver. 15.5 for new 9-digit OCLC numbers did not work ... it could not add the 'ocn' prefix. PALS has been assured by OCLC that the first 9-digit numbers won't be showing up until sometime in February or March. By that time, we will have migrated to ver. 17 where the problem doesn't exist.
• tab_type_config list: after much discussion as to which terms to drop or change for the WebOPAC, it was decided to give the list to the Reference User Group and the MATF. MITF has done their work of identifying tag fields and subfields to create the type; e.g. print book, video recording, sound recording, etc.
• Indexing the new 13-digit ISBN: tested and found to work in ver. 17. Aleph automatically indexes both the 10-digit and 13-digit ISBNs. No matter how one searches the record, it can be found.
• Items to work on in the next few meetings:
  1. MINITEX/Minnesota State Standards - incorporating the minimum fields for browse and keyword indexes.
  2. SYS60 (holding record) indexing.
• For complete MITF minutes go to their WebBoard site at: http://boards.pals.msus.edu/fusetalk/forum/index.cfm?forumid=15. The next meeting is scheduled for December 4th.

• No meetings in Fall 2006.

• At the Fall Cataloging User Group, this task force was established for one specific purpose - to set an official policy as to where MnPALS libraries can get their MARC records.
• People serving on this task force will be: Bobby Bothmann, MSU/Mankato; Adam Marsnik, Normandale Community College; Kathleen Ashe, SW Minnesota State University; Robin Horowitz, Legislative Reference Library; Carla Dewey Urban, MINITEX liaison; and Mary Ann Greenwald, PALS liaison. The first meeting is scheduled for December 14, 2006.

• An Aleph Reports Committee was established in October 2006 to identify reports needed by libraries that are not available in the ALEPH client services menus. Members on this committee are: Adam Marsnik, Normandale Community College; Carrie Curie, Minnesota State Community & Technical College, Moorhead; Jean Kramer, MN State University/Moorhead; Kathleen Ashe, SW Minnesota State University; Dave Wuolu, College of St. Benedicts/St. John's University; Sonja Timmerman, Gustavus Adolphus College; Linda Swanson, Concordia College; Rebecca Bell, PALS liaison; Luda Lindahl (convener of the group), PALS Tech Staff liaison; and Mary Ann Greenwald, PALS Support Staff liaison.
• Using the 2006 Academic Libraries Survey as a basis, the group was able to identify and prioritize necessary reports.
• Priority was given to these reports:
  1. Statistics by Collection (top priority),
  2. Number of titles and number of volumes (PALS old STATS shelf report),
  3. Fund Report by material type.
  The PALS office is working on creating SQL scripts to create these reports. The goal is to have these reports available for libraries by mid-January so that the 2006 Academic Libraries Survey can be filled out.
• The next meeting of this group is scheduled for December 14, 2006.

• Web board address for MATF http://boards.pals.msus.edu/fusetalk/forum/index.cfm?forumid=16

• No new developments or action at this time.

• For a complete schedule of web training, hands on training and workshops available please consult the PALS homepage. Click on Announcements, Training & Workshops, select the link under "Scheduled Workshops and Training Sessions" or click http://www.abcsignup.com/view/view_month.asp?as=16&wp=112&aid=PALS
• Individual invitations will be sent out each time we add a new session to our offerings.

• Consortium of MnPALS Libraries User Group, October 23-24 - All
• CAO/CSAO/Deans Conference, October 24-26 - Kyle & Frank
• Cataloging Training for BSU, October 25 - Mary Ann
• LaSSSI, October 30 - Becky
• XSL Forms Editing Web Training, October 31 - Dan
• MnSCU Marketing Conference, November 1-2 - Perry
• Gateway Operations, November 2 - Susan
• DARS Agent Training, November 6 - Kyle & Frank
• MCT Administrator Training, November 7 - Kyle & Frank
• RightNow Demonstration for WFP, November 8 - Kyle & Frank
• MCT Knowledge Training, November 9 - Kyle & Frank
• Consortium of MnPALS Libraries Strategic Planning, November 16 - Sonja
• Advanced Module Trainings, November 15, 17, 28 - Mary Ann, Dee & Susan
• Consortium of MnPALS Libraries Strategic Planning, November 28 - Becky & Sonja
• Metro State RightNow Tune-up, November 28 - Kyle & Frank
• eStudent Services Meeting, November 29 - Kyle & Frank