SCLS Technology News

Reminder: Update your links to certain Online Resources!

Do you link to these resources on your library's website?

• All BadgerLink resources
• Ancestry Library
• eBooks on EBSCO 
  (formerly NetLibrary)
• Flipster
• Gale Virtual Reference Library
• ValueLine
• WorldCat

Did you already update your links to these resources?  (The links to these changed in July!)

Here's the plan for old links:

• Beginning on November 1st, After November 13th*, the old links will redirect to this "invalid link" page.  
• Beginning on January 1st, the old links will stop working entirely.

How can you easily spot old links on your website?

• Hover over the links to Online Resources on your webpage.
• View the URL for each link in the lower left corner.
• Keep your eyes peeled for any URL that contains "auth.cgi," "sclsvl.cgi," or "madvl.cgi." These are the ones that need updating!

If you have any questions about how to link to these resources on your website, please contact Kerri or Rose.

* This date was bumped back to avoid conflicting with the Drupal website migration.

Upcoming OverDrive changes

As part of our authentication improvements, we will be switching OverDrive authentication for libraries on the shared ILS (aka LINKcat) to real-time authentication. The switch is scheduled for Tuesday, October 16^th. 

What’s new?

• For everyone:  There will be two system-level entries in the login screen for SCLS patrons.  Patrons who don’t choose their individual library’s listing and instead use the general “South Central Library System” will have these options:
  • "South Central Library System – LINKcat libraries"
    South Central - LINKcat Library*
    
    • This entry is for patrons of libraries on the shared ILS who use the LINKcat catalog
  • "South Central Library System – Albany, Amherst, Marshfield, Monticello, Pittsville, Rio, Vesper"
    South Central - nonLINKcat Library*
    • This entry is for patrons of libraries who aren’t on the shared ILS system
• For LINKcat patrons:  Changes in Koha will be reflected right away in OverDrive (new cards, renewed cards, barcode replacements no longer need wait overnight to log into OverDrive)  The downside of this is if Koha is down, OverDrive authentication will be down.

What’s the same?

• For everyone:  Each library will still have their own individual listing in the OverDrive login.  (It’s only the system-level login option that’s changing.) 
• For everyone:  When a patron gets a replacement library card, library staff will still have to use an OverDrive Marketplace account to log in and merge the patron’s old barcode and new barcode. 
• For everyone: SCLS still only allows OverDrive access to patrons who live in the SCLS service area.  Patrons who live outside the SCLS service area will continue to use OverDrive through the library system associated with their residence.
• For non-LINKcat patrons:  Authentication for libraries not on the shared ILS will not change.

* 10/16 Update - After seeing the changes in action, it was clear that these longer entries did not always display enough text, especially in the "Libby" OverDrive app. We have shortened these entries up as well as added a helpful error message for LINKcat patrons who might mistakenly select the "nonLINKcat" option.

Linking to Online Resources

We're making progress with our updates to SCLS authentication services!

On July 24th, staff consolidated 7 scripts and updated links on SCLS webpages. The end result of the authentication work to date:

• links to BadgerLink resources now go to the BadgerLink website (and through the BadgerLink authentication system)
• we will be able to gather improved usage statistics for certain Gale and EBSCO resources (mainly Chilton, Literature Resource Center, Flipster, and eBooks on EBSCO)
• support for authentication services by SCLS staff will be simpler

If you or your patrons run across any resources that aren't behaving properly, please contact the Help Desk with the details.

Updating links on library websites

Libraries that link to these resources on their library websites should update their links:

• All BadgerLink resources
• Ancestry Library
• eBooks on EBSCO (formerly NetLibrary)
• Flipster
• Gale Virtual Reference Library
• ValueLine
• WorldCat

More information about linking to Online Resources can be found here: https://www.scls.info/linking-online-resources

Additional BadgerLink changes

You may also have noticed that BadgerLink has seen some changes in recent weeks. They are signing contracts for BadgerLink resources selected through the recent Request for Bid (RFB) process and will release the list of resources in the next few weeks, hopefully. They shared that Access NewspaperARCHIVE and LitFinder have not been renewed and these resources are no longer available. Watch for additional updates on BadgerLink's Badger Bulletin blog.

Updating links to BadgerLink resources

SCLS staff will be making some authentication updates this week. We will change links for BadgerLink resources on our webpages (Archive of WI Newspapers, EBSCO, HeritageQuest, LitFinder, etc) to go directly to BadgerLink instead of through the SCLS authentication scripts. If you have links to these resources on your library webpages, you don't need to update them yet. Once SCLS has finished all authentication updates, we will provide libraries with information about how to update old links.

The result of these changes is that some users (if their IP address is not recognized as being in Wisconsin) may be prompted to log in on the BadgerLink website. The BadgerLink login page will look different than the SCLS barcode login page does.

Click on image to display larger

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More information about BadgerLink access can be found here: 
https://badgerlink.dpi.wi.gov/about/access-badgerlink

More information about SCLS authentication updates can be found here: 
http://scls.typepad.com/scls_technology/2018/07/changing-authentication-for-online-resources.html

Changing authentication for Online Resources

Evaluating SCLS authentication services

As you probably know, SCLS provides authentication services for Online Resources  (OverDrive, Flipster, Ancestry, WorldCat, and others, as well as many library-subscribed resources).

One of the projects on the 2017 and 2018 Technology Plans was an evaluation of the SCLS authentication service, which included investigating commercial products which could potentially replace our home-grown solution. Our initial review of possible options didn’t yield a clear winner, and some other time-sensitive projects have cropped up in the meantime. For these reasons, we’ll be making some changes to the existing system and picking up the evaluation of possible products again in spring.

Upcoming changes

In upcoming months, SCLS staff will make a number of changes to both improve statistics as well as simplify support for SCLS staff. Some of these changes will include:

• Authenticating LINKcat OverDrive users against the live Koha database (instead of against yesterday's data)
• Making updates with vendors and scripts to improve availability of vendor-provided COUNTER-compliant library statistics
• Sending BadgerLink traffic straight to BadgerLink (as opposed to SCLS authenticating users and sending them to the vendor)
• Eventually, doing live lookups of LINKcat patrons against Koha instead of against yesterday's exported patron data

Additional details about all of the above can be found in this document (pdf).

What this means to SCLS libraries

After SCLS staff make changes...

• links to many databases will change, and libraries will need to update these on their websites
• usage statistics for library-subscribed databases will be more accurate
• usage statistics for BadgerLink databases will be available for in-library use only (but will be more accurate)

More information will be shared here on the SCLS Technology News blog, as well as with various email lists and the weekly Top 5 as SCLS staff begin to make changes.

HTTPS for authentication

On Monday, May 21st, SCLS will update the scripts we use to provide authentication and access to Online Resources (Ancestry, Flipster and other library-subscribed resources) to be https. These changes involve a couple dozen vendors and even more products and library subscriptions.

Even though SCLS staff have done extensive testing and already made many updates with vendors, there will likely be some hiccups. We'll be adding an entry to the SCLS Status Wiki with information about the update when it is complete. After that, if library staff or patrons have any trouble accessing resources in the library, or if you get reports of trouble from remote users:

1. Check the SCLS Status Wiki to see if SCLS is aware of the problem
2. If there is nothing in the Status Wiki, contact the Help Desk with details about the problem

SCLS and https

You may have seen a couple of TechBits in the past year about https:

• TechBits: Non-secure HTTP
• TechBits: More on HTTPS 

Well, SCLS is finally starting to take the plunge. The main SCLS website, www.scls.info has been updated to https! We are also in the process of making updates to the scripts we use for accessing Online Resources, and those should be updated by the end of May. In June, we will begin to transition SCLS-hosted library Drupal websites.

Stay tuned for updates, and please let us know if you run across anything that isn't working quite right!

Coming soon - new Guest Pass portal for MyPC

Our vendor for MyPC has developed a web-based staff Guest Pass portal to take the place of the Guest Pass application. We must move to the new portal because the old Guest Pass application is not compatible with future versions of MyPC. We have completed some pilot testing (thanks to LDI and REE for help with this!), and we are ready to roll out the new Guest Pass portal to all MyPC libraries.

Here are the details:

• Beginning on Monday, April 23rd, all libraries will switch over to using the new Guest Pass Portal
  You will be able to log into the new portal and look around before then, but printing Guest Passes will not work until the 23rd. You may also use the documentation to create a desktop shortcut before we go live with the portal.
• URL: http://mypc.scls.info/tbsportal/
• Documentation: http://www.scls.info/sites/www.scls.info/files/GuestPassPortal.pdf
• Use your MyPC staff credentials to log into the portal
• The new Guest Pass portal will replace the old Guest Pass application, and the old Guess Pass application will be unavailable starting on 4/23

February 2018 Tech Committee

The February 7, 2018 Technology Committee meeting minutes and related documents are available. The Technology Report includes updates on year-end subscription changes for Online Resources, a change to Chrome on Catalog PCs, SWLS inventory, BadgerNet/Teach, filtering product, and Meltdown/Spectre.

Technology News

You can read the latest Technology News in the August Report. Highlights include updates on MUFN, BadgerNet, and the recently completed SCLS Headquarters network capacity expansion and re-architecting project. The minutes from the August 2 Technology Committee meeting are available as well.