SCLS Technology News

Monday Night Updates

In early June we began testing a new way to push out software updates for SCLS-supported PCs and shared some information about where we were going with updates in our Tech News blog post, "Revolutionizing Updates". Here are the highlights:

Change will be the new norm

• We'll be changing how we do updates.
• You'll be getting more frequent updates.  Hooray!
• Updates will happen automatically with no notification (exception: we will continue to warn you about Firefox updates)
• Many common programs will always be kept at current versions.
• We won't follow up to get updates to PCs that were turned off. PCs that were off will just wait for next round of updates.
• You will sometimes need to click through Firefox notifications on staff PCs.
• It's CRITICAL to leave your PCs on at night so you'll get the updates.

After doing more testing the past couple of months, we'd like to propose a new update schedule for SCLS-supported staff PCs:

• EVERY Monday night - Staff PCs will receive updates to all the common plug-ins (Flash, Shockwave, Java, Adobe Reader, Silverlight, and Quicktime).
• The 1st Monday of every month - Staff PCs will receive updates to common programs like Thunderbird, iTunes, Gimp, and more.
• No change for Firefox updates - Firefox updates will continue to be announced in advance.

So, as you can see, Monday night will be update night for staff PCs!  If for some reason your staff PC or laptop is off on Monday night, just make sure it's on the next Monday and you'll catch any updates you've missed.  If you miss the 1st Monday of the month, you can catch those program updates the next month.

Feedback and future plans
We hope that this schedule will balance frequency with predictability. We welcome your feedback and will be evaluating the schedule in a few months to see how it is working out and what adjustments need to be made (we're thinking if there aren't many issues, we could move to even more frequent updates). In upcoming weeks and months, we'll also be finalizing a plan for patron PC updates as well as testing delivery of Windows updates and security patches for all PCs.

What do you think about this proposed Monday night schedule for staff PCs? Is it frequent enough? What concerns do you have? Please leave your feedback in the comments.

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Information about PC updates can also be found on the SCLS website: http://www.scls.info/technology/updates/index.html

Partnership Program update

Making changes to SCLS-supported library PCs
One of the things we've heard over the years is that libraries would like more control over their PCs. In late 2010, SCLS proposed the optional "Partnership Program" service to provide libraries the ability to manage aspects of their SCLS-supported PCs.

It took us a little while to put all the necessary parts into place, but we finally kicked things off for staff PCs in December 2011. After piloting the program at a couple of libraries, we opened up the service to all libraries in May 2012 and now have 8 libraries signed on!

Where are we now?

• The Partnership Program is currently available for staff PCs only
• 8 SCLS libraries are participating
• Interested libraries can find more information here:
  http://www.scls.info/technology/partner/index.html 

What about patron PCs?
Because of their complex lockdown and security, SCLS will not be offering the Partnership Program for Windows XP patron PCs.

The technicians have developed a configuration for Windows 7 staff PCs that will continue to allow participation in the Partnership Program, and they are starting to look at the configuration for Windows 7 patron PCs. Our goal is to offer two flavors of patron PCs-- a restricted-browsing "catalog" PC, and a full-featured internet PC with a lot of software.

The final lockdown and security settings for the Windows 7 patron PCs will determine whether we will be able to extend the Partnership Program to Windows 7 patron PCs. If not, we will look at offering another SCLS-supported option that will allow libraries to make their own configuration changes and add their own software, but which may not include all of the lockdown, security, and update features available on our standard patron PCs.

Tech Committee and policy updates

The Technology Committee met on August 8.  The minutes from the meeting can be found on the Technology Committee webpage and include project reports on Badgernet upgrades, Windows 7, software updates, network convergence, Crystal Reports, and Drupal.

The May and August meetings yielded addendums to the SCLS Hardware and Software Support policy that detail support for Third Party ILS Systems and for support for Legacy Wireless equipment.  The updated SCLS Hardware and Software Support policy can be found under the "Policies" section of the Technology page.

 

In the interim

As of Monday, August 6, Vicki Teal Lovely will be interim Technology Projects Manager at SCLS. Vicki will be chairing the Technology Committee and will work with the SCLS Technology Team to ensure that your technology services needs are met. If you have a technology concern that is not addressed by the standard technology Help Desk, please let her know. Vicki says, "I may not have the answer to your question immediately, but I will find someone who can answer it as quickly as possible."

The SCLS staff directory, topical directory, and various SCLS web pages have been updated to reflect these changes.

One-stop shopping

The Help Desk has undergone some changes in the past year as we've started changing the way we deliver service. In the old days, there were two distinct types of PCs: "LINK" and "non-LINK," and what type they were determined who you would call for support.

Starting in 2012, we began to consolidate PC support and move all SCLS-supported PCs to the SCLS network. We also been working on cross-training for support of PCs that haven't moved to SCLS network quite yet.

Here's the low-down on where SCLS support is now:

Ordering of all SCLS-supported PCs can be done in one place
No more calling Dan to order certain PCs and asking Craig and Andrew to order others! All ordering can now be done here: http://automation.scls.lib.wi.us/procurement/index.html

Library staff can call the SCLS Help Desk for any SCLS-supported PC
Did Dan install the PC, or did Craig and Andrew set it up? Doesn't matter! If SCLS staff set it up and your library elected to have SCLS support it, library staff can call the Help Desk for all problems and questions. 

Help Desk hours and phone
Help Desk support is intended for library staff at SCLS libraries (no phone calls from patrons, please). The Help Desk is staffed Monday - Friday from 8:30am-6:00pm and can be reached at 608-242-4710 or toll-free at 855-583-2435. 

Support during off-hours
When the Help Desk is not staffed, library staff can leave a voicemail for non-emergencies or call the Help Desk pager (608-376-0505) for emergencies.

SCLS Status Wiki
Library staff can also find information about known problems on the SCLS Status Wiki: http://sclsstatus.pbworks.com. The status wiki was set up to quickly provide information in the case of a service outage and to easily communicate updates about outages to those who are interested.

What questions do you have about SCLS PC and network support?