Index
- Recent ILS changes of note
- Member/Staff News
- Books2Go story time kits available through WISCAT, courtesy of Milwaukee Public Library
- 2012 Wisconsin Public Library Directory available
- 2013 LSTA information, guidelines available
- Continuing Education Calendar
Recent ILS changes of note
In case you don't routinely read the ILS News page, here are some developments that might be of interest.
A fix implemented in the 4.12 Koha upgrade (May 31) was to Talking Tech. Koha now checks to see if a hold is filled before the call list is sent to the Talking Tech Server. Testing has confirmed that if a patron picks up all holds on the day they are trapped, they will not be called or texted with a hold notice the next day. If they pick up some, but not all of the holds trapped on the same day, they will receive a notice with the correct number of items remaining on the shelf. There is still a chance that a patron will pick up holds early in the day after the day they were trapped and still get a call later in the day. This is because it takes a long time for Talking Tech to work through the call list, which is static once it is sent to Talking Tech. This is less likely to happen with Text messages since they are all sent at 9 a.m.
Also on May 31, we introduced a new graphic layout on the home page of LINKcat. There are currently four slides (and we will keep the number of slides around five or less) which will automatically scroll. If you hover your mouse over the left or right sides of the slides you will get an arrow on each side so you can scroll through the slides. Most of the slides have clickable links, and we plan to keep rotating new slides with tips, announcements, etc. Thanks to Rose from SCLS for getting the slides all set up!
Another May 31 milestone was the announcement of the Library Anywhere Mobile Apps for LINKcat. The apps work with iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch and Android smart phones. Other smart phone owners can use a new mobile website that is available at m.linkcat.info.
Also delivered with the 4.12 Koha upgrade, LINKcat users now have the advanced search ability to limit by adult and books, and there is a new format drop-down menu on the main search page that makes searching faster and easier.
Greg Barniskis has been working on a "New Reports Pipeline" which has resulted in some new report formats this month. Beginning June 1 for the May 2012 reports cycle, the pipeline will efficiently publish reports of total circulation by these facets: library, Dewey class, item type, patron type, PSTAT, collection code, interagency item lending, and time of day.
The pipeline produces all of those reports in 30 minutes or so, roughly the same time as any one report previously required. Adding new reports to this architecture is fairly straightforward, and as we've been doing that the pipeline has scaled nicely. Each facet that we've added so far has increased total run time by only seconds. These reports are a step up in value as well. You will notice immediately that they are complete system matrix reports, not lists of values. Each matrix is "fully registered", which is to say that its rows show every possible value of the facet being reported, even those categories for which there are no stats in the current reporting period.
According to Greg, this format will make it much easier for libraries to compile summary-over-time reports using copy/paste on entire columns. The reports for each time period will always align with the reports of previous time periods, unless/until codes are added to or deleted from the ILS facet in question.
Reports on the May 2012 Reports Page in the new format include:
- Circulation Total
- CKO by Collection Code
- Total CKO by ITYPE
- Total CKO by PSTAT
- Total CKO by PTYPE
- Total Loaned and Borrowed
The following are new reports and should be considered prototypes for more detailed reports that can be developed:
- CKO by Time (circulation by hour across all libraries)
- Total CKO by Dewey (circulation by Dewey range for all materials for each library)
Member/Staff News
With all the "pieces" now in place for our scheduled BadgerNet bandwidth increases, 16 libraries experienced an increase in Internet speed on their SCLS-network last week. This summer, we expect another 10 to join this group after the telecommunications companies complete the necessary work needed at each location.
On June 5, 2012, at the regular Village of New Glarus Board Meeting, after several hours of discussion by the Village Board, comments from the public, motions, amendments, roll calls and votes, the New Glarus Public Library (NGPL) is positioned to move forward with its New Building Program. The Village Board voted to support the library with a $1 million bond, plus an initial contribution of $50,000 cash. The meeting was attended by many long-time NGPL supporters that included past and present library trustees, Friends members, library staff and volunteers, Town of New Glarus officials, and library patrons. New director Maggie Waggoner wrote, “Yesterday was the third official day of my new job as Library Director -- wow! And WOW again! Talk about a great first week on the job! And did I mention the million bucks? Here we go!”
During the June 3 Tommy Awards (http://overturecenter.com/community/tommy-awards) at the Overture Center for the Arts in Madison, Waunakee High School received an award for community outreach for a program they conducted in conjunction with Waunakee Public Library. The school was working on a production of Disney’s Beauty and Beast, and since the main character, Belle, has a real love of books, they decided that working with the Waunakee Public Library was a great way to promote the production to the community -- especially to children. You can read more about the project in the Waunakee Tribune.
Books2Go story time kits available through WISCAT, courtesy of Milwaukee Public Library
Books 2 Go Story Time Kits are now available from the Milwaukee Public Library through WISCAT ILL. The Books2Go Story Time Kits provide pre-planned story times on popular themes for use in childcare centers, classrooms and at home. Each kit contains several different book titles and other items related to a theme.
The Books 2 Go program was created by the Milwaukee Public Library in support of the Early Learning Initiative for Wisconsin Public Libraries. They have now generously offered to share these kits through ILL.
The kits may be requested directly on WISCAT. First, place a checkmark next to “Milwaukee County Library System” in your search resources. Search for “books 2 go” (no quotes) in the Title field. The results list will contain the records for all 45 available kits. Click on a kit title and then the “Request this item” button. (See how)
Here are lists of the available Books 2 Go story time themes and kits.
Themes for Newborn to 2-Year-Olds
- All About Baby
- Baby Animals
- Body Parts
- Families
- Mealtime
- Nursery Rhymes & Fingerplays
- Pets
- Rhythm & Movement
- Things That Go
- Touch & Feel
Themes for 3- to 5-Year-Olds
- All about me
- Art and music
- Backyard animals
- Bears
- Bedtime stories
- Birthdays
- Classic stories & tales
- Clothing
- Colors & shapes
- Counting
- Growing things
- Farms
- Folktales from many lands
- Food
- Friendship
- Healthy you
- Scary things
- Seasons & weather
- Transportation
- Zoo
Temas en español
- Animales
- Conceptos
To borrow one of these kits, create an interlibrary loan request.
2012 Wisconsin Public Library Directory available
A draft of the 2012 Wisconsin Public Library Directory is now available in PDF and Excel formats on the Public Library Development site, based on data compiled in the 2011 Public Library Annual Report and other more recent updates. Library directors are asked to review the information for their library and report any corrections to [email protected].
The PDF version contains a single combined "Directory of Public Libraries and Their Branches" listed by city, followed by an alphabetical name index. The document also includes system and resource library directory information.
An Excel-formatted workbook file is also available containing a spreadsheet by community of all 385 public libraries, services, and branches, as well as a spreadsheet of the state's 17 library systems. This Excel file is useful as a merge source for mailing labels or form letters.
Public library statistics for 2011 will be released in separate files, as soon as editing is complete, and added to the year-by-year file sets from 1996 onward, available to view or download from links at http://dpi.wi.gov/pld/dm-lib-stat.html.
2013 LSTA information, guidelines available
A draft of the 2013 LSTA Information and Guidelines publication is now available and posted on the DPI website, along with a new LSTA Grant Application Worksheet (in Word format). The Guidelines present the LSTA grant categories for 2013 for library and library systems, and instructions on the application process. The Worksheet will be particularly useful to new applicants, and helps clarify the terminology and expectations in the application process.
Please refer back to the DPI website for announcements of upcoming informational webinar sessions, as well as any amendments, clarifications, or changes to the Guidelines.