LINC Update for May 24, 2005

May 24, 2005

2005 - 070

UPCOMING MEETINGS

LINC Policy Council – July 13, 1:30-4:30

2005 - 071 PROMPTCAT QUESTION & ANSWER

In the last LINC Update, we mentioned that the LTLS Cataloging Center has begun to use the OCLC PromptCat service with Baker & Taylor orders from libraries. Here is an answer to a PromptCat question that has been asked.

Q: When is the list of titles I’ve ordered from Baker & Taylor sent to OCLC?

A: When the item you have ordered leaves the B&T warehouse, that triggers the order manifest to be sent to OCLC. Each evening, OCLC processes these manifests and searches WorldCat for MARC records that match our profile. The records are then made available for downloading by the LTLS Cataloging Center. Once the titles have been downloaded into LINC, you can search and attach your new items to these bibliographic records.

2005 - 072 REMOTE PATRON AUTHENTICATION

LTLS automation staff have been working on setting up Remote Patron Authentication. This is a product that interacts with the Horizon patron database to verify that patrons are valid and should have access to the WebFeat databases through the web catalog. For libraries that have their own PAC account and have given us the IP numbers for their building, the access to WebFeat will look no different. However, when patrons access WebFeat from non-library workstations, they will be asked to enter their patron barcode to get access to the WebFeat resources.

We will post a notice on the LTLS Online Status Screen when this work has been completed.

2005 - 073 LINCPAC STATISTICS – APRIL
Each library that has a LINCPAC account has use statistics that are posted on the LTLS Technology web page (http://www.ltls.org/lincpac/lincpac2005.html). During April, we made major changes to the look of the PAC and do not have statistics for the week this was being done. Therefore, the April PAC statistics are less than normal.

2005 - 074 AGENCY CODES IN CAPITAL LETTERS

Have you noticed that the Horizon agency codes have been changed from lower case to upper case? This was done to help alleviate the problem of not being able to read the codes in lower case. Although the codes have been changed (in the codes table), much data had already been saved when the codes were previously in lower case. These lower case codes will begin to be replaced by the upper case codes over time. Because the codes occur in so many different areas, there is no way to make a ‘batch’ change to all the lower case codes that had been input in Horizon.

Another method for enhancing the character display in each Horizon workstation is to change the font size or font style to something other than the default. If you change the font size, Lincoln Trail recommends to not change it to anything larger than 10. Changing the font from Andale WT J to Verdana also make the codes (and other displays) easier to read. However, if you do not use the Andale WTJ font style, you will not be able to see ‘diacritics’ in catalog records. You can change the font/font size each time you login, or, once you find the perfect font/font size, you can make it the permanent default at that workstation.

To change the font/font size, invoke the Horizon desktop icon and enter your login name. Type your password, but do not press return or <OK>. The [Options] rectangle should activate -- click it. The fourth rectangle down is "Window Font" with "Andale WTJ" displayed. Change it to Verdana or some other choice. When you do, the characters in the "----Sample----" rectangle change to reflect the newly chosen font. Changing just the font may be improvement enough, without the need to increase the font size; however, the next rectangle is "Font Size' with "8" displayed. If desired, change it to 9 or 10. When you are through making changes and wish to try out the changes, press the <OK> box and you will be logged into Horizon with the settings you have changed. If you wish to reverse the changes or make other changes, close Horizon and repeat the "Options" procedure. If, any at time, you wish to make the changes permanent, repeat the "Options" procedure, but click the "Make Default" box before pressing the <OK> box.

May 24, 2005
2005 - 070	UPCOMING MEETINGS
	LINC Policy Council – July 13, 1:30-4:30

2005 - 071	PROMPTCAT QUESTION & ANSWER
	In the last LINC Update, we mentioned that the LTLS Cataloging Center has begun to use the OCLC PromptCat service with Baker & Taylor orders from libraries. Here is an answer to a PromptCat question that has been asked. Q: When is the list of titles I’ve ordered from Baker & Taylor sent to OCLC? A: When the item you have ordered leaves the B&T warehouse, that triggers the order manifest to be sent to OCLC. Each evening, OCLC processes these manifests and searches WorldCat for MARC records that match our profile. The records are then made available for downloading by the LTLS Cataloging Center. Once the titles have been downloaded into LINC, you can search and attach your new items to these bibliographic records.

2005 - 072	REMOTE PATRON AUTHENTICATION
	LTLS automation staff have been working on setting up Remote Patron Authentication. This is a product that interacts with the Horizon patron database to verify that patrons are valid and should have access to the WebFeat databases through the web catalog. For libraries that have their own PAC account and have given us the IP numbers for their building, the access to WebFeat will look no different. However, when patrons access WebFeat from non-library workstations, they will be asked to enter their patron barcode to get access to the WebFeat resources. We will post a notice on the LTLS Online Status Screen when this work has been completed.

2005 - 073	LINCPAC STATISTICS – APRIL
	Each library that has a LINCPAC account has use statistics that are posted on the LTLS Technology web page (http://www.ltls.org/lincpac/lincpac2005.html). During April, we made major changes to the look of the PAC and do not have statistics for the week this was being done. Therefore, the April PAC statistics are less than normal.

2005 - 074	AGENCY CODES IN CAPITAL LETTERS
	Have you noticed that the Horizon agency codes have been changed from lower case to upper case? This was done to help alleviate the problem of not being able to read the codes in lower case. Although the codes have been changed (in the codes table), much data had already been saved when the codes were previously in lower case. These lower case codes will begin to be replaced by the upper case codes over time. Because the codes occur in so many different areas, there is no way to make a ‘batch’ change to all the lower case codes that had been input in Horizon. Another method for enhancing the character display in each Horizon workstation is to change the font size or font style to something other than the default. If you change the font size, Lincoln Trail recommends to not change it to anything larger than 10. Changing the font from Andale WT J to Verdana also make the codes (and other displays) easier to read. However, if you do not use the Andale WTJ font style, you will not be able to see ‘diacritics’ in catalog records. You can change the font/font size each time you login, or, once you find the perfect font/font size, you can make it the permanent default at that workstation. To change the font/font size, invoke the Horizon desktop icon and enter your login name. Type your password, but do not press return or <OK>. The [Options] rectangle should activate -- click it. The fourth rectangle down is "Window Font" with "Andale WTJ" displayed. Change it to Verdana or some other choice. When you do, the characters in the "----Sample----" rectangle change to reflect the newly chosen font. Changing just the font may be improvement enough, without the need to increase the font size; however, the next rectangle is "Font Size' with "8" displayed. If desired, change it to 9 or 10. When you are through making changes and wish to try out the changes, press the <OK> box and you will be logged into Horizon with the settings you have changed. If you wish to reverse the changes or make other changes, close Horizon and repeat the "Options" procedure. If, any at time, you wish to make the changes permanent, repeat the "Options" procedure, but click the "Make Default" box before pressing the <OK> box.