Support and Training Services: August 2008
Aleph
Acq/Serials
- The following changes were in the ver. 18 service pack that was loaded on August 10th on our production server. These changes are only for those few libraries that are using the file-96 when working with Blackwells Collection Manager or Yankee's GOBI product.
- It is now possible to update two additional fields while loading to the Generic Vendor Records Loader (file-96) and Advanced Generic Vendor Records Loader (file-90). The fields are Z68-TARGET-ID and Z68-ORDER-GROUP. These fields have to be in the config file so they would always be the same for each order loaded.
- When running the Generic Vendor Records Loader (file-96) service, if a discount was given for orders, the encumbrance was not created for these orders. This has been corrected by the mean of a new entry in the Default Values Input File (tab_96_def). The entry is named ENC-FROM-ORDER. If it is set to Y, then the encumbrance is created with an amount equal to Z68-E-PRICE (final price including the discount).
- Generic Vendor Records Loader (file-96) - When loading records with two ISBN fields that contained the same ISBN (one being the 13-digit ISBN and the other being the 10-digit ISBN), the Z68-ISBN field was not populated. This has been corrected so that now Z68-ISBN is populated with the 13-digit ISBN in this case.
Cataloging
- ELUNA Aleph Cataloging & Authorities Special Interest Group (SIG). Topics discussed in this session can be seen in my report. A highlight is that librarians using the Aleph cataloging should begin talking with other ELUNA librarians about issues you are having with the software. The Products Group needs your on-the-job expertise with the software to point out areas that need enhancement. The place for you to vent, discuss, share this type of information is on the ELUNA-ALEPH-CATAUTH mailing list. You can join or leave the list at this address: http://listserv.nd.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=eluna-aleph-catauth-ig-l. This list is for the discussion of any cataloging and/or authorities topics relating to Aleph.
- ELUNA Products Group. Aleph ver. 20 is to be released in the first quarter of 2009. It is locked down so that it cannot accept more enhancement requests. The Products Group needs input on what to ask ExLibris for enhancement/fix requests for ver. 21. ExLibris wants us to tell them what we need, so get involved by saying what you need on the ELUNA CAT/AUTH mailing list in the above bulleted point. The timeline is the following: enhancement ideas can be gathered from Sept. '08 through mid-May '09. The first round of voting will be in mid-May '09 with final voting in mid-Sept '09. Each ELUNA member site has one vote which is cast by the ELUNA site contact (PALS office). The final list will be sent from the Products Group to ExLibris by the end of Sept. '09. Aleph ver. 21 will be released in quarter 4 of 2010 or quarter 1 of 2011, with ver. 21.1 released in quarter 4 of 2011.
- Version 18 service pack was loaded August 10th on our production server. To read about ALL the rep_changes go to the Aleph Forum/Aleph 18 http://forums.mnpals.org/index.php?topic=577.0 . Here are some highlights for the Cataloging/Items area
- The URL validity check in the URL Check (print-11) service did not work properly when the URL did not begin with "http://". This has been corrected.
- The report of the Inventory List (item-07) service contains the description of item collection (Z30-COLLECTION). If an item had no collection, the report contained the description of the last item with Z30-COLLECTION. This has been corrected.
- Marcive loader: When a document that was being loaded had multiple subfields $$a in field 049, the items and the holding records (one for each 049$$a) were not correctly created. This has been corrected. A problem still remains when loading a Marcive record that does match an existing record with 2 holding symbols. The existing record already has two holdings and two items. Aleph does overlay the bib and leave the two holdings and two items as they are. But, it also creates two additional items.
- The check_doc_line routine did not work well for a field that had different lines for different formats in the check_doc_line table. This has been corrected. (This affects Validation of a record).
- Scan requests entered in the Cataloguing GUI were occasionally created for the wrong sublibrary. This has been corrected.
- In the Download Machine-Readable Records (print-03) service, only up to ten subfields per tag were exported in MARC xml format. This has been increased to 99 subfields.
Circulation
- As reported in the July Support Report, we will be starting the process to delete expired patron records the week of August 25. More information is in the July Support Report and also in an email that was sent to the MnPALS Discuss mail list on August 1.
ILL
- New functionality, "Cancel All" was added with the latest Service Pack. The "Cancel All" will send a cancel to the first lending library and remove the potential lending libraries from a request.
- The choice that received the most votes in the patron renewal response poll was "Renewal Requested - check later for new due date". Based on this the response to a patron who makes a renewal request on an interlibrary loan has been changed to "Renewal Requested - check later for new due date" in the production and development WebOPAC.
- Tested the basic ILL workflow between version 18 ILL2 and version 19 ILL2 with MINITEX and University of Minnesota staff.
- The University of Minnesota and MINITEX moved to version 19 August 15-August 18. While they were moving to the new version MnPALS libraries were not be able to locate, send or update requests with ILL units on the University of Minnesota server.
OPAC
- The latest Service Pack from Ex Libris has restored the ability to view ACQ requests made by a patron in the "Your Borrowing Record" section of the Web OPAC. You still cannot make create ACQ requests from the Web OPAC, but Ex Libris is working on functionality that will allow this to happen.
Question and Answer Sessions Version 18
Question and Answer Sessions on ALEPH version 18 are being offered. Please go to http://www.mnpals.org/sections/MnPALS_Support_Training.html to signup. Update sessions are being offered on Acquisitions and Serials, Circulation, Systems, Interlibrary Loan and Cataloging.
Not Aleph
EZproxy
- Two more libraries have expressed interest in converting from LibProxy to EZproxy - CTC and IHC. The count is now 5-New EZproxy libraries and 21 converted libraries. Six institutions remain to get on the list to convert from LibProxy to EZproxy.
- EZproxy Training - Current Schedule - 8/5-MCT, 8/12-MWL, 8/18-TRM
- Sites Trained - SCC, TRC, CEN, RCLH, RCLW, HTC, RVL
OCLC Link Manager
- OCLC Link Manager is an Open URL Link Resolver. The MnPALS office has negotiated a group purchase discount price.
- We have 10 libraries who have purchased and been set up: Minneapolis Community and Technical College, Southwest Minnesota State University, College of St. Scholastica, St. Cloud Technical College, Bethany Lutheran College, Inver Hills Community College, South Central College, Dakota County Technical College, Hibbing Community College and Riverland Community College.
- If other libraries are interested in getting a price quote, they should contact Stephen Elfstrand.
MnPALS Plus (Discovery Tool)
- MnPALS Plus is an open-source "discovery tool" based on VUFind. A “discovery tool” is an application or group of applications working together in a “presentation” layer between end users (students, faculty, public) and the integrated library system (ILS; in our case, Aleph). Most ILS’s have poor OPAC environments, so the idea is to create a better OPAC for users. MnPALS Plus extracts the bibliographic data from the ILS (usually daily is sufficient), reformats it to optimize performance, and stores it in its own database.
- The address for MnPALS Plus is http://plus.mnpals.net/
- More information on MnPALS Plus as well as a list of Frequently Asked Questions about it can be found at http://www.mnpals.org/sections/mnpalsplus.html
Task Forces/Teams
Authorities
Discovery Tool Task Force
- http://forums.mnpals.org/index.php?board=61.0
- The rollout of MnPALS Plus (the vuFind discovery tool) occurred on August 15, 2008. An historical document, explaining the background of this tool for MnPALS, was sent to all consortium members the latter part of July. The August 15th rollout document elicited some of the high points of this presentation layer and points to an FAQ page with further explanation of the tool. To share with you in this report, a brief explanation is that:
- It sits on top of the Aleph ILS.
- It has features such as a simple Google-like user interface, faceted seaching, and social networking features such as tagging.
- A typical “discovery tool” extracts the bibliographic data from the ILS, reformats it to optimize performance, and stores it in its own database.
- The Task Force is creating a usability study for reference librarians to use with their students and/or faculty. Watch for this announcement from the task force.
Indexing
Reports Task Force
Communications Team
- The PALS Communications Team is made of of PALS staff members and is working to improve our communications efforts with our PALS Libraries.
- We have been organizing and making changes to the forum boards and have added a few more links to the Quick Links area of the PALS web page.
- Check out the MnPALS Forum at http://forums.mnpals.org
- Check out the PALS web page at http://www.mnpals.org/
PALS Support Center
Updated & New Answers
- 3226 Holdings Prediction Pattern Template
- 3258 Remote File Error
- 3254 Current Standing Orders mnpals-51
MnLink Gateway Update
- The MnLINK Gateway will be starting an RFI/RFP process as the last contract extension with OCLC expires June 20, 2010. MINITEX will be soliciting names for a group of staff representing different library types for the RFI and eventual RFP process.
- An invitation to join the MnLINK Gateway was sent to the North Star Library Consortium in July. They are unable to participate at this time. Invitations have also been sent to Saint Olaf and Carleton Colleges in Northfield. The remaining institution on the list is William Mitchell College of Law and they will be contacted after the responses from the Northfield sites are received.
- Mars and Jupiter Releases of ZPORTAL/VDX Software
- Mars is the name given to the upcoming release of the MnLINK Gateway software. It will be version 4.0 and is scheduled for production use in the fall of 2008.
- Becky Ringwelski has been asked to join a global focus group to provide feedback on the web administration developments that are planned for the 2009 release of the software, called Jupiter. She is one of two U.S. members on the group.
- MnLINK User Group Meeting
- This annual meeting is planned for Tuesday, November 11, 2008. It will be held at the Northland Inn in Brooklyn Park. The keynote speaker will be Lee Raines, founding Director of the Pew Internet & American Life Project.
- MINITEX/MnLINK ILL Committee
- The committee held an in-person meeting on Tuesday, June 17, 2008. We generated a list of areas to be working on and are prioritizing the issues at this time. Kathy Drozd joined the group to discuss delivery and interlibrary loan impacts. Melissa Perron from Traverse Des Sioux attended as the newest member of the committee.
Meetings Attended
- ELUNA User Group Conference, Long Beach, CA, July 29-August 1, 2008.
- Highlights of the ELUNA (ExLibris Users for North America) User Group conference held in Long Beach, CA from July 29 to August 1, 2008. A report is located on the Aleph Forum/ELUNA child board. The report is in 2 parts.
- "Battles and Triumphs with Online and Batch Inventory (Aleph ver. 17 and higher)" presentation given by Peg Lawrence, MSU/Mankato; Bruce Willms, Metropolitan State University; and Mary Ann Greenwald, PALS. This presentation covered the areas of working with online manual inventory, using batch inventory with an RFID media reader, and configuration/setup issues from a central server site in a multi-ADM environment.
- "Yikes! How many databases do I need to learn?" was a poster session presented by Dianne Narum, Bemidji State University and Mary Ann Greenwald, PALS. Many folks from North America attended the above 2 sessions presented by our PALS folks. Comments & questions about the presentation were informative. It's good to know that we have folks out there seeing the same positives or the same problems. The poster session has been invited to present at the upcoming Spring '09 Regional ExLibris User Group meeting.
- All the presentation and poster session handouts and powerpoints can be found on the ELUNA website: http://el-una.org/web/. Choose LOGIN from the top bar of choices. Signon with our member signon/password is necessary. To obtain the username and password go to Knowledge Base #3062. The correct logons are the second on the list under the title "ELUNA Web Site". Once you have signed on to the ELUNA website, the link to the Archives will appear.