TechBits

Notice Printing and Firefox Profiles

I'm sure you all saw the January 31st News item on the ILS Support Home Page about libraries printing their own notices beginning on Monday, February 27th, 2012.  You may have also read Joanna's LINK 2.0 Koha Blog posting about this same topic and read that she had created instructions that outlined how to print your own notices.  In those instructions in step 7b under section 2 says: "Call the Tech Help Desk at 608-242-4710 if you'd like help setting up another profile."  I'd like to use this blog post to explain to you what this really entails and suggest a different solution.

Background for our use of Firefox profiles
When Koha became our ILS we needed an easy way for all of you to print receipts and spine labels.  So the ILS and Tech staff came up with the use of Firefox profiles to make these printing tasks much easier for you.  In order to make this work you first all needed to use the same spine label printer and the same few receipt printers.  Then we developed and installed the Firefox profiles and after that you no longer had to choose where you wanted a receipt printed or a where you wanted a spine label printed.  Firefox just knew and printed it.  This saves you precious seconds and allows you to work more efficiently.  But again this only works because you all are using the same few printers.

Notice printing and Firefox profiles
Profiles work well when there are a limited number of printers involved, but when you try to do the same with a multitude of different printers it becomes a lot more difficult and time-consuming.  Not all libraries have the same laser or ink jet printers, so essentially we would have to design a different Firefox profile for each library for each printer that they want to print notices on.  Woe to the library whose notice printer breaks down because now you can't print notices.  Not good!  So the best solution, albeit a manual one, is to turn off and on the headers and footers each time you print notices.  The online instructions for printing notices has already been updated to reflect this change.

To assist you in this manual process of turning off and on the headers and footers each time, please take a look at the pictures below.

After turning off the headers and footers it will look like this:

After turning the headers and footers back on it will look like this:


I hope I have explained this step of the notice printing so that you have a good understanding of it.  Happy notice printing!

Digital Learning Day Feb. 1, BadgerLearn BadgerLunch Feb. 2

There are a few library/education tech-learning opportunities coming up:

Feb. 1 is Wisconsin Digital Learning Day

As part of a national celebration, the Wisconsin education community will highlight and explore digital learning practices that can improve students' education and save money for schools. Teachers are the main audience for this event, but librarians can participate too. Find out about Wisconsin events and take advantage of the toolkits that are available. Bonus(?): Digital Learning Day Garfield artwork.

Feb. 2  is BadgerLunch's BadgerLearn Webinar

Explore BadgerLearn, Wisconsin’s Collaborative Learning Space and Training Portal, by attending a BadgerLunch webinar at noon on Feb. 2. No need to register—to join click: http://ow.ly/84pEU. View all upcoming BadgerLunch webinars (PDF).

All about Online Resources

With all the database subscription changes for 2012, I have the Online Resources at the front of my brain. Here are some things to keep in mind about them:

Not all libraries subscribe to all resources
Beginning in 2010, not all SCLS libraries subscribe to all online resources. What does this mean?

• On the SCLS website, we have one page for resources to which all libraries' patrons have access.
• We have another page for "locally-subscribed" resources --- resources accessible only by subscribing libraries' patrons.
• Access to "Locally-Subscribed" resources is determined by a patron's "home library."

We use scripts for access
When a user wants to access an Online Resource, they click on a link. This link takes the user to one of our authentication scripts. The script:

• checks if the patron is in a subscribing library. If so, we pass them right through to the resource. If the patron isn't in a subscribing library, the script...
• prompts the patron for their barcode. If the patron's barcode has a "home library" that is a library that subscribes to the resource, we pass them through to the resource.

If we get to the 2nd step where we check the patron's barcode, we pull this information from a custom patron database. Because of this...

Updates/Changes to patron information sometimes take an overnight
How do we get this custom patron database? Scripts build the database early each morning using yesterday's patron data. For LINKcat libraries, this means that if a patron just got a new card, renewed a card, replaced a card, or changed their home library, it will take an overnight before their "new" card information is available for authentication (be it for Library Online, OverDrive, or other Online 
Resources). For non-LINKcat libraries,the amount to time may vary from "overnight" to "a week or more," depending on the library's schedule for updating patron records. 

Who has access to what? -- Reciprocal cards.
We already know that access is based on Home Library. What should we know about "reciprocal cards"?

• For regular Online Resources (SCLS Resources and Locally-Subscribed Resources), if a patron lives outside of SCLS but has a barcode from an SCLS library, they may use their home library's resources.  Example: If I live in Rock County and have an SCLS barcode with a home library of STO, I will have access to any Online Resources to which Stoughton Public Library subscribes.
• For OverDrive, if a patron lives outside of SCLS, they must access OverDrive through their library system.  Example: If I live in Rock County and have an SCLS barcode with a home library of STO, I still must access OverDrive through the Arrowhead Library System's account using my Rock County library's card number. 

Why must OverDrive users access OverDrive through the library system where they live?
Because OverDrive is available statewide and costs are determined in part based on usage, SCLS libraries have opted to provide access to SCLS's OverDrive account only to SCLS residents. 

Whew! That's a lot of information!
Have questions?  Please contact Kerri!

SCLS's Gadgets for you

Did you know South Central Library System has several different kinds of gadgets your library can check out? For instance, if you are interested in purchasing an e-Book reader and don’t know which one you would like, you can reserve some though SCLS to try them out. This way you can see them in person and figure out what features you like and dislike before spending your hard earned cash.

We have several devices to choose from ranging from the popular iPad, e-Readers, Flip video cameras, and wireless laptop labs to mp3 players and digital cameras.

To make a reservation visit our home page and click Equipment under Programming Resources. Select the gadget(s) you want and fill out the request form. If you want to reserve the wireless lab the registration form for them is at the top of the equipment page. You may want to plan a few months in advance of requesting the more popular items as some are reserved out that far.

It’s a great way to get familiar with the devices your patrons are asking you about.

Is Your Home PC Sick?

I'm sure a lot of you have a PC at home and that you use it in part to send and receive email and to surf the Internet.  This means that your PC can be exposed to any number of viruses, trojans, malware or root kits.  Hopefully you have some antivirus software installed on your PC to catch these "baddies" before they get installed.  If you're unlucky enough to have been infected you know what problems and hassles they can cause.  If you're one of these people then let me offer some advice that may solve your problem.

If you're infected, your antivirus software may be turned off or disabled and you need some other way to disinfect your home PC.  Here are some products that will assist you in disinfecting your home PC:

1. Microsoft Safety Scanner is a free downloadable security tool that provides on-demand scanning and helps remove viruses, spyware, and other malicious software.
2. Bitdefender's QuickScan is an online scanner that uses in-the-cloud scanning to detect malware running on a PC, usually in less than 60 seconds.
3. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free utilizes Malwarebytes powerful technology to detect and remove all traces of malware including worms, trojans, rootkits, rogues, dialers, spyware and more.
4. If you get a root kit then an excellent tool to use is Kaspersky's TDSSKiller. This program is portable and can be run from a flash drive.  A rootkit is a program (or set of programs), that hides its presence or the presence of another program(virus, spyware, etc.) on a PC thus making them almost undetectable by common spyware blockers, antivirus and anti-malware software.  A rootkit can get to a computer using various ways. The most common way is through some trojan horse or some suspicious e-mail attachment. Also surfing the web may result in installation of a rootkit, for example when "special" plugin (pretending to be legitimate) is needed to correctly view some webpage.
5. Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Tool will check for infections and remove then if found.  This tool comes with the other Windows updates, so hopefully your PC is up-to-date on its Windows updates.  Please note though that the version of the tool delivered by Microsoft Update and is run by Windows Update in the background will report if any malware infections are found. To run this tool more than once a month, you will need to use the version that is found here.

Hopefully these tools will be enough to combat any "baddie" that finds their way onto your home PC.

For your LINK staff PC we run a product called Sophos Endpoint Security and Control.  This product is updated many times a day for LINK staff PCs and during the overnight processing for your LINK patron PCs.  Even with this software I still receive a few calls about an infected PC.  I've seen this a happen some when staff are surfing the web and they get a popup that says that they are infected.  They click on it and then get infected.  To read more about these fake virus alerts check out this article.  If you see one of these fake virus alerts or you think your PC is infected please give me a call at the Help Desk.

Day 6 - Spreading the word about ebooks

As books shift from paper to bits and bytes, libraries still have a place providing access to these electronic titles. I was pleased to see in the CNET article from Day 1 of "The 12 Days of OverDrive" that libraries were given more than a passing mention as a source for content. ("6. Can I check out e-books from my local library?") Woohoo! When ereaders are unwrapped, I want people to think of their public library!

Ereaders and tablets should be BIG this holiday season and libraries are gearing up to play a big part. How much are ebooks and ereaders taking off? This article with ebook infographic tells us ereadership doubled between Nov 2010 and May 2011 and it's going to continue to increase.

How are SCLS libraries promoting ereaders and OverDrive?

Many libraries have a graphic and link to OverDrive prominently displayed on their website. Some have highlighted OverDrive and its offerings on their website or blog, including information about the still relatively new Kindle compatibility. Some offer tips and resources for OverDrive users (Oregon Public Library and Madison Public Library have particularly nice write-ups!).

And some libraries have been scheduling programs to help their patrons get comfortable with OverDrive and ereaders.  Stoughton Public Library has an "E-Reader Support Group" scheduled in December and Deerfield Public Library will be offering OverDrive classes. Fitchburg Public Library and Sauk City Public Library had "Technology Petting Zoos" in December (Lester Public Library of Rome had one back in October). Baraboo Public Library has an "Ebook and Ereader Informational Session" scheduled, Reedsburg Public Library is having a series of "eBooks for you" programs (the first one had 20 attendees!) and McMillan Memorial Library will host an "E-Books for Beginners" program (check out the accompanying info page!). Rock Springs Public Library's website advertises a Nook that can be used in the library and Monroe Public Library has Kindles for loan.

Looking for some info sheets to help you plan patron programming?

• Jean wrote up sheets for the ereaders in the SCLS Gadget Package with information for trainers and tips on use. Just know that if you use them for patrons or patron training, they may need some customization!
• Materials for promoting the OverDrive service can be found on SCLS' "OverDrive Promotional Materials" page.
• Two printer-friendly handouts (PDF) can be found on the Wisconsin Digital Book Center FAQ -- "Getting Started with eBooks and Mobile Apps" and "Library Compatible eBook Devices".

What ideas does your library have for promoting OverDrive and ebooks through the library?

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Need OverDrive training for your library's staff? Contact Jean.

Day 4 - All things WPLC and OverDrive

So where can you go if you want even more OverDrive info than we provide on TechBits?

WPLC
OverDrive is a project of the Wisconsin Public Library Consortium.  You can follow the WPLC blog (just visit the site or subscribe to an RSS feed ----feeds are down in the lower right of the page) and/or subscribe to the WPLC email list for OverDrive and WPLC related news. Topics covered by the email list include:

• patron support notices and tips
• ideas and tools for promoting the collection
• collection content details
• news/announcements from OverDrive
• news/announcements from WPLC

See the WPLC website/blog for archived email list messages, links to reports, and other useful information.

OverDrive
OverDrive has some great resources, including their Digital Library Blog, the OverDrive Learning Center, and their newsletters. The Digital Library Blog includes posts on a variety of topics ranging from collection development and features of the digital download center website to new products and features from OverDrive.

OverDrive's Learning Center offers online training courses, available any time. You can also sign up for live training courses when they're available. 

The Online Learning Center Resources page offers promotional and educational resources which include:

• patron training templates
• ebook how-to guides
• an eBook Cheat Sheet
• how-to instructions and slideshow templates for promoting OverDrive via an electronic display board in the library (Cool! Does your library have an electronic display board you'd like to use to promote OverDrive?)

The OverDrive newsletters are delivered by email and include the Digital Dispatch newsletter which is another source for OverDrive news such as software changes and new services (things that sometimes but not always get covered by the Digital Library Blog).

Or perhaps you'd just like to follow OverDrive on social media: they're on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube!

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Something I noticed on the WPLC blog today (and must have missed the first time around) was this post about an article in Library Journal, "Secrets of Ebook Success."  Sara Gold of WPLC is quoted twice, describing WPLC's selection practices and the million dollar buying pool goal for 2012. WPLC staff note the article is "an interesting comparison of trends and practices among OverDrive customers" and pull out some interesting highlights in their blog post.

OverDrive, ereaders, and lots of links

OverDrive limits have changed!  At the last WPLC meeting, the board approved the Selection Committee's recommendations for the following (which are now in place):

• Increase the number of checkouts per patron to 10
• Increase the number of holds per patron to 10
• Add a 21 day checkout option for ebooks (note: this will not be an option for audiobooks)

Updated checkout and holds policies can be found on the Digital Download Center Help pages.

All about ebook readers
Now that I've got you thinking about OverDrive and e-materials, here's a handful of items on an ereader theme:

• Helping staff help themselves: Ereaders and training  A recent post from LibraryRenewal highlighted different approaches to help staff get up to speed on ereaders and their support. I like the idea of a $50 subsidy toward staff purchasing an ereader...  you?
• What are SCLS libraries doing with ereaders?  See the results of the first Collective Knowledge survey about eBook readers to find out which libraries have purchased ereaders, what they're doing with them, and what sorts of challenges they've encountered.
• L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library in Eau Claire is loaning iPads.  This got a fair amount of press (mentions on Mashable, TechCrunch, other blogs, and even news sites) when it first launched in September. 32 iPads for checkout and 6 for on-premise use were purchased with grant money and are being loaned to the public.
• May a library loan a loaded ebook reader?  The LibraryLaw Blog weighs in on this (short answer: in most cases, yes).
• The Gadget Ecosystem. WebJunction's excellent page on gadgets in the library. How are they being used? What types of gadgets are out there? And there's a section with information about Apps. This is a fantastic list of links with brief descriptions--- everything from "20 Coolest iPad Ideas for Your Library" to "2011 Best eBook Reader Comparisons and Reviews." They've rounded up a great collection of resources to make your library's gadget life easier!

Koha Log In Problem Solution

Have you ever had the problem that when you try to log into Koha you get the big Error Trace message?  I know a few of you have, so I thought it might be worth sharing the secret to getting rid of this problem.

If you have previously logged out of Koha successfully the address bar should be displaying the address that ends in ...library.com/cgi-bin/koha/mainpage.pl?logout.x=1 when you are at the Koha login screen.  If you just closed Firefox and did not log out of Koha then Firefox tries to be nice and take you back to exactly where you were when you closed Firefox.  This helpfulness is what causes you to see the big Error Trace message when you try to log in.  Follow these steps to get logged into Koha:

1. Put your cursor in the address bar at the end of the address
2. Delete everything up to but not including the .com
3. Hit enter
4. You see the message: "Error: Session timed out, please log in again"



5. Enter your login information
6. You should then be able to successfully log into Koha
7. If this doesn't help you log into Koha then give me a call

To prevent this problem from happening again you should always first log out of Koha and then close Firefox.

EBSCO Auto Repair Reference Center has been updated!

BadgerLink has let us know that the EBSCO Auto Repair Reference Center interface has been updated!

From the BadgerLink announcement...

"Key features of the updated interface include:

• Intuitive, user-friendly navigation
• Enhanced searching within content collections
• Ability to print/email/save high-quality PDF records
• Increased repair coverage – more than 37,000 vehicles covered
• Expanded, in-depth repair information from the major original equipment manufacturers, including Ford, Honda, and GMC
• On-Board Diagnostics (OBD II) codes with description and troubleshooting information

To learn more about the new Auto Repair Reference Center, you can attend one of EBSCO’s free online training sessions at http://training.ebsco.com.

If you have questions, please contact BadgerLink technical support by using this web form: http://dpi.wi.gov/rll/bl_sup.asp"