LINC Update for October 12, 2004

October 12, 2004

2004 - 016

UPCOMING MEETINGS

October 13, 2004--LINC Directors Group
November 10, 2004--LINC Policy Council

2004 - 017
NETWORK PERFORMANCE

LTLS has received reports of slow response time and dropped connections from a small number of libraries. We are working with ICN and Dynix to identify and correct the cause of these problems. To be sure we are understanding the problem, please report such incidents to LTLS Automation. When reporting a slow response time or dropped connection, be sure to report the time of the incident as exactly as possible.

LTLS is doing several things to diagnose these problems. All of these elements must be examined to determine network performance at both local libraries and within ICN’s network:

We are monitoring bandwidth utilization at individual libraries and at LTLS

We are capturing statistical data on the LTLS router and other routers and forwarding this data on to the Dynix network team

We are capturing network traffic ‘snapshots’ and will work with Dynix to use network analysis software to identify unusual traffic on the network.

2004 - 018 WEBREPORTER NOW AVAILABLE

The web-based report product that produces Horizon reports for each library is now available on the web. This product provides monthly statistical reports, counts of items, and other important Horizon information. The product has over 145 reports, and the reports are presented in a variety of easy-to-read screens.

We have opened up access to WebReporter for all workstations that are running the Horizon client. The url for this product is:

http://caterpillar.lincolntrail.info/HorizonWebReporter/asp.

An email has been sent to all LINC Directors, with a WebReporter login and password specific to each library. Two web-based training classes on WebReporter will be held on Tuesday, October 19, 2004, from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. The session will be repeated Friday, October 22, 2004 at 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. An email about this training was sent out on Thursday, 10/07, to all LINC Directors. Registration is required. Contact Donna Schaal, dschaa@lincolntrail.info, to register.

2004 - 019 ITEM SPECIFIC REQUESTS

Item specific requests in Horizon continue to be a challenge, and there is no immediate resolution until the next major rewrite of the product (8.0). Item specific requests do not follow any of the request rules we have in place, such as the rule that allow patrons in a queue to be the first to get an item owned by their library. However, item specific requests are necessary when a patron needs a specific periodical or volume. We have monitored the requests and find that only a very small percentage are ‘item specific’ requests.

On October 17, LTLS will turn off item specific request capability in LINCPac. This functionality will remain in the Horizon client. This means that patrons will not be able to place item specific requests but staff will still be able to do this for their patrons in the Horizon software.

2004 - 020 CHANGES TO LINCPAC

We continue to enhance LINCPac and have changed the way magazine holdings display. Instead of all individual items displaying, we now have a Subscription Summary screen and a ‘Show All Items’ link at the bottom of each library’s subscription summary that links to the individual volumes/issues for that subscription. This eliminates the ‘long list’ of holdings that displayed previously.

2004 - 021 CHANGES TO HORIZON
There have been some changes made to the display screens in Horizon. The Checkout and Checkin screens both have improved designs. We have also made the patron block, “hold cancelled and reinserted in queue,” a staff-only message. Patrons will not see this on their LINC Pac account but staff will see this in Horizon. This BURB message can be deleted as needed.

2004 - 022 CHAMPAIGN REQUESTS NOW MANAGEABLE!
Thanks to a senior level Dynix manager, we were able to put a rule in place that has greatly reduced the number of daily requests on Champaign’s pull list. They are now down to a more manageable number of less than 150 per day. As a result of this rule, other libraries may see more requests on their pull list. Please contact the LTLS automation department if you see a dramatic rise in your pull list requests.

2004 - 023 TRAINING TIPS

When adding a borrower, copy or item record, the fields that are coded have a [Codes] button off to the far right. Place your cursor in the field that you want to fill in, and then press F12. F12 opens the appropriate codes window. Much easier!

2004 - 024 LINC DIRECTORS GROUP MEETING GOES VIRTUAL
The LINC Directors Group meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, October 13, 2:30 pm, will be a virtual, web-based meeting. An email was sent to all LINC Directors today, with information about logging in to the WebEx conference site for this meeting.

2004 - 025 LTNET EMAIL PASSWORD RENEWAL
Those of you who continue to have an Ltnet email account still need to ‘login’ to Ltnet before 30 days has passed or the password becomes inactive, even if you are using WebMail. You do not need to use AnzioWin (a telnet client) to make this connection. Most PC’s come with a ‘telnet client’ that is part of your computer operating system and you can launch it by going to a web browser, typing in this url, telnet://ltnet.ltls.org, and logging in to keep your ‘active’ status. This can be done from any PC that has the Horizon software loaded on it.

2004 - 026 LINC COMMITTEES

The number of itypes in Horizon (currently at over 850) must be reduced to improve system response time and to allow requests to work correctly. We are seeking names for volunteers to serve on a committee to begin this process. We also need names for a committee to determine enhancements to LINCPac (the web catalog). If you are interested in working with either or both of these committees, submit your name as a possible candidate here.

October 12, 2004
2004 - 016	UPCOMING MEETINGS
	October 13, 2004--LINC Directors Group November 10, 2004--LINC Policy Council

2004 - 017	NETWORK PERFORMANCE
	LTLS has received reports of slow response time and dropped connections from a small number of libraries. We are working with ICN and Dynix to identify and correct the cause of these problems. To be sure we are understanding the problem, please report such incidents to LTLS Automation. When reporting a slow response time or dropped connection, be sure to report the time of the incident as exactly as possible. LTLS is doing several things to diagnose these problems. All of these elements must be examined to determine network performance at both local libraries and within ICN’s network: We are monitoring bandwidth utilization at individual libraries and at LTLS We are capturing statistical data on the LTLS router and other routers and forwarding this data on to the Dynix network team We are capturing network traffic ‘snapshots’ and will work with Dynix to use network analysis software to identify unusual traffic on the network.

2004 - 018	WEBREPORTER NOW AVAILABLE
	The web-based report product that produces Horizon reports for each library is now available on the web. This product provides monthly statistical reports, counts of items, and other important Horizon information. The product has over 145 reports, and the reports are presented in a variety of easy-to-read screens. We have opened up access to WebReporter for all workstations that are running the Horizon client. The url for this product is: http://caterpillar.lincolntrail.info/HorizonWebReporter/asp. An email has been sent to all LINC Directors, with a WebReporter login and password specific to each library. Two web-based training classes on WebReporter will be held on Tuesday, October 19, 2004, from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. The session will be repeated Friday, October 22, 2004 at 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. An email about this training was sent out on Thursday, 10/07, to all LINC Directors. Registration is required. Contact Donna Schaal, dschaa@lincolntrail.info, to register.

2004 - 019	ITEM SPECIFIC REQUESTS
	Item specific requests in Horizon continue to be a challenge, and there is no immediate resolution until the next major rewrite of the product (8.0). Item specific requests do not follow any of the request rules we have in place, such as the rule that allow patrons in a queue to be the first to get an item owned by their library. However, item specific requests are necessary when a patron needs a specific periodical or volume. We have monitored the requests and find that only a very small percentage are ‘item specific’ requests. On October 17, LTLS will turn off item specific request capability in LINCPac. This functionality will remain in the Horizon client. This means that patrons will not be able to place item specific requests but staff will still be able to do this for their patrons in the Horizon software.

2004 - 020	CHANGES TO LINCPAC
	We continue to enhance LINCPac and have changed the way magazine holdings display. Instead of all individual items displaying, we now have a Subscription Summary screen and a ‘Show All Items’ link at the bottom of each library’s subscription summary that links to the individual volumes/issues for that subscription. This eliminates the ‘long list’ of holdings that displayed previously.

2004 - 021	CHANGES TO HORIZON
	There have been some changes made to the display screens in Horizon. The Checkout and Checkin screens both have improved designs. We have also made the patron block, “hold cancelled and reinserted in queue,” a staff-only message. Patrons will not see this on their LINC Pac account but staff will see this in Horizon. This BURB message can be deleted as needed.

2004 - 022	CHAMPAIGN REQUESTS NOW MANAGEABLE!
	Thanks to a senior level Dynix manager, we were able to put a rule in place that has greatly reduced the number of daily requests on Champaign’s pull list. They are now down to a more manageable number of less than 150 per day. As a result of this rule, other libraries may see more requests on their pull list. Please contact the LTLS automation department if you see a dramatic rise in your pull list requests.

2004 - 023	TRAINING TIPS
	When adding a borrower, copy or item record, the fields that are coded have a [Codes] button off to the far right. Place your cursor in the field that you want to fill in, and then press F12. F12 opens the appropriate codes window. Much easier!

2004 - 024	LINC DIRECTORS GROUP MEETING GOES VIRTUAL
	The LINC Directors Group meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, October 13, 2:30 pm, will be a virtual, web-based meeting. An email was sent to all LINC Directors today, with information about logging in to the WebEx conference site for this meeting.

2004 - 025	LTNET EMAIL PASSWORD RENEWAL
	Those of you who continue to have an Ltnet email account still need to ‘login’ to Ltnet before 30 days has passed or the password becomes inactive, even if you are using WebMail. You do not need to use AnzioWin (a telnet client) to make this connection. Most PC’s come with a ‘telnet client’ that is part of your computer operating system and you can launch it by going to a web browser, typing in this url, telnet://ltnet.ltls.org, and logging in to keep your ‘active’ status. This can be done from any PC that has the Horizon software loaded on it.

2004 - 026	LINC COMMITTEES
	The number of itypes in Horizon (currently at over 850) must be reduced to improve system response time and to allow requests to work correctly. We are seeking names for volunteers to serve on a committee to begin this process. We also need names for a committee to determine enhancements to LINCPac (the web catalog). If you are interested in working with either or both of these committees, submit your name as a possible candidate here.