SCLS Technology News

New Help Desk software

SCLS will be switching to new Help Desk software on Tuesday, September 6th!

Why are we switching?

• The software we currently use for Help Desk tickets is no longer supported and will lose functionality in October

What’s the new software like?

• The new software has similar functionality but is more user-friendly
• There will still be a User Portal for library staff to submit and manage their own tickets
• Tickets can still be created via the Help Desk Portal, by sending an email, or by calling the Help Desk

What will change?

• The new Help Desk Portal will be available from both inside and outside the SCLS network
• There’s an app (if you’re into that kind of thing… 🙂)
• To use the Help Desk Portal, library staff must have a library-branded email address to create an account (no @gmail.com or @hotmail.com addresses!)
• We will add Knowledge Base articles for self-service
• Portal differences – Library staff can…
  • resolve tickets
  • edit comments
  • more easily add multiple attachments to a ticket
  • add comments to Closed tickets (which will re-open them)
  • add additional accounts to CC: on the ticket

What does SCLS staff love about the new software?

• It is more user-friendly and has additional functionality that may be implemented in the future

How will we get to the new Help Desk portal?

• The new Help Desk portal address will be announced in an email the week before Go Live

What do library staff need to know to use the new Help Desk Portal?

• The new Portal will function similarly to our current Help Desk Portal
• It will be accessible from inside AND outside the SCLS network
• Library staff will need to have a library-branded email address to create an account. Without an account, you may still submit tickets by calling the Help Desk or sending an email.
• Library staff will continue to receive ticket updates via email

What will happen to the old Help Desk Portal and any open tickets?

• Please try to close any open Help Desk tickets before Sept 6th
• Beginning on Sept 6th, SCLS staff will move any remaining open tickets to the new software
• The old Help Desk Portal will be unavailable after Sept 6th

We expect there may be an occasional hiccup as we transition to the new software. We look forward to your feedback (and patience) as we get adjusted!

Workstation Status Reports

For many years now we have provided the Workstation Status Reports to libraries as a reference for the status of their PCs.  If you have viewed them recently you might notice they look a little different now.  This is because we purchased new help desk and inventory software called SolarWinds.  The staff here have been testing it out and configuring it to roll out later this year.  We have already fully migrated over to the inventory side of it.  The new software has already been great to work with and keep track of devices.

The main change between the old reports and the new one is the color coding is gone.  The same information is still there, just presented a little differently. The "Warranty status" column will note either 'expired' or 'not expired'.  PCs that say 'expired' should be planned to replaced soon. As a recap most Dell warranties we purchase with new PCs is 3 years.  The SCLS guidelines are to replace PCs between 3-5 years.  To see a date when the Dell warranties expire please check the "Warranty End Date" column as that tells you too.

The main Workstation Status Report I run for the libraries is the same for each site.  However, if you need more information or a custom report I can run those as well.  Please send me an email with those requests or if you have any questions about your PCS. 

 

Emily 

[email protected]

 

Advance notice for network printer installs

Just a quick reminder -- if your library is getting a new network printer or copier that will be used by your SCLS-supported PCs, please schedule this in advance with the SCLS Help Desk. With a little notice, we'll be able to make sure we have staff available to make any necessary network configuration changes and to help install the new driver on your supported PCs.

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After Hours Support Update

Occasionally, the Support Team receives calls after normal Help Desk hours about SCLS as ISP systems. We have discussed the feasibility of providing after hours support for the SCLS as ISP service. Due to the varied nature of these systems and remote limitations, the SCLS as ISP service will be ineligible for after hours support. All support for these systems will occur during normal Help Desk hours (8:30am – 5pm).

As a reminder, After Hours Support is for urgent or emergency use only. “Urgent” issues are downtime and serious response time issues with system-wide or building-wide services, not an issue with a single PC, or a single self-check.

Please submit a ticket on the Help Desk portal or wait until normal Help Desk hours for regular support tasks and requests.

Information about regular and after-hours support can be found here: https://www.scls.info/technology/help.html

 

Image by Ekkapop Sittiwantana from Pixabay

Requesting ILS & Tech Help

Need a minor tweak to your MyPC hours? Is your printer giving you fits? Have a question about a particular report?

As we head into the holiday (and flu) season, here’s a quick reminder about the best way to report issues and request changes.

Your best option for a speedy response is always to contact the Help Desk -- either by phone (our numbers have changed!) or by putting in a ticket through the Help Desk portal (only available when on the SCLS network). Although the SCLS Help Desk Portal is the preferred way to submit tickets, library staff members who are not on the SCLS network can also submit a ticket by sending an email to [email protected].

If you send an email request to a specific individual, there's always a chance that individual may be out and no one else will know you need assistance. Although we try to share planned absences and use out-of-office messages, unexpected things do crop up. The Help Desk phone is always staffed during SCLS business hours, 8:30am-5pm, and the Help Desk ticketing system has multiple people checking it throughout the day. A call or ticket with the Help Desk is always the best bet for a timely response.

The ILS and Tech staff also have forms for some commonly requested tasks:

• Email and email list forms  
• ILS forms  

The exception to the "contact the Help Desk" rule
If a specific staff person has contacted you and requested that you reply to them with certain info (like when Brian sends an email with a form to fill out for reporting next year’s MyPC hours and holidays), please return the form to the staff person who originally requested it. 

Help Desk number changes

In March 2020, we temporarily changed our Help Desk number to better provide support while working remotely.  On Monday, November 29, we will switch back to our original Help Desk number and add a new toll-free option:

• (608) 242-4710
• (855) 583-2148 (toll-free)
  
  

Your library will be receiving updated "SCLS Technology & ILS Support" cards in Delivery. Please review and share this information with all staff at your library and be sure to recycle the old, outdated “SCLS Technology & ILS Support” cards.

As a reminder, the SCLS Help Desk is available Monday through Friday, 8:30am until 5pm. Issues can be submitted by phone, Help Desk portal, or email.  After-hours support for urgent system-wide or building-wide issues will continue to be provided using the after-hours support phone number.

The SCLS Help Desk is a service for library staff only.  Contact and support details can be found here: https://www.scls.info/technology/help.html.  Please do not share this contact information with library patrons.

End of year ordering and Windows 8 reminders

I'd like to remind you not to wait too much longer to place your end of the year order for PCs. If you are required to have an invoice before December 31st please be sure leave enough time to request your quote and finalize your order with me before Friday, November 5th, 2021. If you are able to receive an invoice in late January with a 2021 date, then you have until Friday, December 3rd, 2021 to place an order with me. If you order after those dates I can't guarantee a timely invoice for you. The Order Forms have recently been updated with the current models and prices so you should have a good idea of what your totals will be before you receive the quote.

I would also like to mention that we are experiencing long shipping delays with some items from Dell, especially laptops, docking stations and monitors. As of today Oct. 12th I'm seeing estimated ship dates of mid to late January for those items. Most of our standard PCs are shipping within 2 weeks.

Lastly, I want to remind you too that Microsoft is ending support for Windows 8 on January 10th, 2023, about 15 months from now. Check out your Workstation Status Report to see where you are in your rotation cycle, it’s updated at the beginning of every month. If you notice anything that needs to be updated on your status report please contact Emily to notify her.

 

Photo by Brooke Lark - Unplash

Updated shortcuts on public PCs

In the beginning of September, SCLS staff made some minor updates to desktop shortcuts on SCLS-supported public PCs.

• Removed: 2020 Census
• Added: Acrobat Reader DC

The Tech Team received a request from a library in March to investigate adding PDF editing capability to the public stations. Adobe Acrobat (full version, not Reader) is by far the most known product and has many features, but it is also very expensive. Lumin PDF is a web-based subscription that is potentially viable for SCLS libraries, but it does not appear to have any additional features to what is included in the free Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is already installed on SCLS-supported PCs. After a trial of Lumin, the Technology Committee indicated in August that they were in favor of not purchasing Lumin and voted to create an Adobe Acrobat Reader shortcut on the desktop instead.

You can find more information about using Adobe Acrobat Reader to edit PDFs in this TechBits post: "Filling in PDFs with Adobe Acrobat Reader."  

Tips for Recycling Electronics with SCLS

We will be changing how libraries are billed back for sending e-waste to File13 for recycling through Delivery. If your items qualify for free recycling you will not see an invoice from us. If the item does qualify for a charge back, File13 will send that invoice to SCLS rather than individual libraries from now on. Below is a copy of an email Brinnan recently sent out as a reminder, which hits all the high points.

• Not everything can be recycled for free. Please check their website for lists and rates here: https://www.file13usa.com/drop-off-rates.html 
• If there is a charge for the item(s) you are recycling, File 13 will send the invoice to SCA and SCA will bill your library. (Indirect billing is a procedural change requested by File 13 to simplify their invoicing.)
• Due to changes at File 13, we are currently only able to drop things off by appointment. For this reason, we may hold items here until we have a large quantity of materials to deliver. This means that a bill for an item you sent could take several months to arrive.
• ZZZ makes File 13 deliveries. When sending items to ZZZ for this purpose, please use a goldenrod label or a sheet of paper and include these three pieces of information:
  • To: ZZZ
  • For: File 13
  • From: your library code or name
• If you are sending a computer to SCA for repairs, to be wiped, etc., please make sure that you indicate "SCA" on the "To" line of the routing slip. Please also include information regarding what you would like done to the item or items. This might be: "wipe and return" or "repair and return."
• If you are sending an old computer to SCA to be stripped for parts and then later recycled, please use phrases like "retire this computer" or " computer no longer needed."  Please avoid using "recycle" as our staff must then try to determine if you want the item to go to ZZZ for File 13 for recycling or to SCA for some other purpose before going to ZZZ for recycling.

Please let either Brinnan or Craig know if you have any questions reguarding this new change.

Major change to LibLime platform on July 21

There will be a major change to the LibLime platform on the evening of July 20 and morning of July 21. Reports, databases and self checks will be affected. Libraries with self-checks should make sure that there is someone on staff who is able to make changes to self checks and sorters on the morning of July 21. Read more in the LINK news blog post.