LOUIS Lagniappe Vol 1, Issue 1

Welcome to Lagniappe…and welcome back to the LOUIS newsletter. The newsletter is theperfect example of how the consortium has evolved over the past 21 years. Lagniappe reflects thetheme of the newsletter - a space where individuals and groups willingly share their efforts,expertise, and ideas so others can glean information to use and build ideas for their own libraries.The consortium has been a phenomenal collaboration, and the success and longevity is a directresult of this type of sharing along with the tenacity, commitment, professionalism, andparticipation of each of you to make the consortium sustainable and successful. This issue, thefirst of many more to come, will highlight all the great ideas and interests currently at playthroughout the state. It demonstrates what we continue to achieve even in the face of adversityand highlights the commitment to serving each of our communities. In this issue you will readabout many interesting activities that are in progress, completed, or to come. Please “turn thepage” and enjoy this new venue as a way to communicate and collaborate with your colleaguesthroughout the state.

"Lagniappe." - something given or obtained gratuitously or by way of good measure"Lagniappe." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 6 June 2014.<http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lagniappe>.

by Lynette Ralph and Kevin Hebert

On April 29, 2013, Lynette Ralph joined the staff at Xavier University of Louisiana as the newUniversity Librarian, and immediately conducted an overall assessment of its collection, servicesand resources. It was soon revealed the library faculty and staff were thoroughly dissatisfied withthe legacy ILS system. Extensive discussions with employees indicated that they were eitherunaware of, or unfamiliar with, certain features of the system. Although these employees hadreceived training on the legacy system, a few months before Lynette arrived, she requestedadditional training in an attempt to fill the obvious gaps of information. After the training the Libraryfaculty and staff felt better about the system; some of their questions were answered but overall,training revealed the inadequacy of the system. There was not a gap in information as theythought; the reality was the system was incapable of performing the desired functions and therewas no plan in sight for innovation or immediate improvement. Thus the decision was made to

LOUIS Lagniappe https://sites01.lsu.edu/wp/louis/?wysija-page=1&controller=email&acti...

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replace the system. Read full article

On July 1, LOUIS released access to the SirsiDynixsoftware MobileCirc for all Symphony sites. MobileCirc is amobile application-based software that allows libraries tomake circulation transactions (checkin/checkout), create andmodify users, pull holds, perform inventory and createweeding lists all from a mobile device. LOUIS consortiummembers were invited to attend two SirsiDynix-led trainingsessions on the use of the MobileCirc software in early Junein preparation of the July 1 launch. Read full article

You may be missing new features if you are using an outdated version of WorkFlows. To verifyyour version, log into WorkFlows, click Help and About. As of July 2014, you should see thefollowing release information: 2013-04-15 3.4.1.3.1183

If you see anything else then you need to force an upgrade or uninstall and reinstall Workflows.Read full article

On June 10-12, 2014, the LOUIS staff tested their disaster recoveryprocess in real time. The morning of June 10, LOUIS staff followed animplementation plan and successfully moved the production SirsiDynixSymphony software and data from Baton Rouge to the hotsite server atLouisiana Tech University in Ruston, LA. On June 10 and 11, 2014, weused out hotsite server in full production mode. On June 12, we pulledall software and data back to the server in Baton Rouge.

During the three day process, librarians across the state, using SirsiDynix Symphony WorkFlowsand e-Library, did not have to change anything. The switch was seamless to the public. We weredown about 1.5 hours on Tuesday morning for the switch to LaTech and about 1 hour onThursday morning for the switch back to Baton Rouge. The process started early to avoiddisruption as much as possible.

This was a coordinated effort between the LOUIS staff and the LSU ITS UNIX staff. This was thethird disaster test that LOUIS tested. We are confident that if a disaster should strike we are fullyprepared to keep the library system up and running.


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This was an extremely busy year for LOUIS electronic resources. The Collection & eResourcesInterest Group and the Nursing eResources Task Force were actively involved in identifying andinvestigating resources. Eighteen products from twelve different vendors were investigated ortrialed. The information about products and trials was shared on the LER-L discussion list and theinterest group and task force tallied the results to decide whether a mini-consortium should becreated or further investigation should be closed. Learn more

LearningExpress Library 2.0 was retired on June 30, 2014. The vendor alerted all sites inadvance, and LOUIS sent out reminders and details of the effects this switch to version 3.0 willhave.

All users have to move to version 3.0 as version 2.0 logins will not work, along with any tests,tutorials, or eBooks saved in it. New access URLs with authentication tokens specific to eachsite were provided by the vendor and sent to all sites. They are also available in KB doc #7666. MARC records for version 3.0 are also available from the Administrator link in the footer of theLearningExpress library page. However, before downloading the records, the sites do have totake action. Learn more

Gale has a new interface for their Literature Resources called "Gale Artemis: Literary Sources". Sites had the option to move to this new interface or wait till July 2014 when it was automaticallymigrated over free-of-charge. LOUIS has decided to wait for the July 2014 migration.

You must include the following stanza in your EZproxy config file:

Title Gale/Infotrac/PowerSearch DatabasesURL http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/Location IDDJ galegroup.comDJ google.comDJ readspeaker.comDJ nelnetsolutions.com

Learning with LOUIS is a webinar series that began in March 2013. The 2013-2014 year was


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extremely successful. We hosted twelve webinars - one each month - that covered a variety oftopics and totaled over 300 attendees across all sites.

For 2014-2015, we currently have four scheduled July - September. We are seeking ideas andproposals for upcoming months. If you are interested in learning more, or submitting a topic orproposal, visit the Learning with LOUIS webpage. The webinar schedule can be found on theLOUIS calendar.

Upcoming Webinars:

July 15: EZproxy Admin & Statistics

July 31: Preparing a Library for a SACSCOC Reaffirmation of Accreditation

August 14: A MarcEdit Sampler

September 9: LibGuides

LOUIS announced a new training opportunity for members at LUC 2013 - a subscription toSirsiDynix's eLearning portal, Mentor. At the time the subscription begain, we had five accountsavailable for checkout, but have since added three due to its popularity.

Since the subscription began, we have had a total of twenty-one checkouts across fourteen sites,with 146 courses accessed.

How Does it Work?

Strategic planning identified several objectives that require membership participation in order tomeet current and evolving needs, services, and expectations. Membership participation is largelyundertaken through task forces and interest groups. To learn more about them, visit each group'sweb page by clicking on the group title below.

Task Forces

Task forces were implemented in order to establish working groups tasked with investigatingspecific issues or reaching specific goals as they are identified within in the consortium.

Interest Groups

Interest groups have replaced the original committee structure. Interest groups provides forgreater participation through discussion lists where members can discuss and share ideas, askquestions, and propose projects.


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Interested in the work these groups are doing? Read the updates below!

Assessment Task Force

Collection & e-Resources Interest Group

Committee on Committees

Communication Task Force Final Report

Grants Task Force

Information Literacy Interest Group

Library Technology Interest Group

Nursing Electronic Resources Task Force

Statistics Task Force

The LOUIS Users Conference will beheld at the C. B. Pennington Jr.Conference Center at PenningtonBiomedical Research Center this year.Registration will open Monday, July14, 2014 and close Friday, October,10, 2014.

LUC 2014 will feature two general sessions, an opening session on Thursday and a plenarysession on Friday. It will also feature forty-five breakout sessions and six poster sessions.

LUC 2014 will have two new features - two one-hour "unconference" sessions and an on-the-spotmeeting scheduler. Learn more

Conferences are a wonderful professional development tool, providing opportunities fornetworking and collaboration, discussing key issues with leaders in the industry, and gleaninginformation and ideas from colleagues to bring back to your library. They can also be be a strainon budgets and staff time. So we're bringing some of them to you! Members have written up asummary of their experiences for your enjoyment.

16th Distance Library Services Conference

COSUGI 2014

eResources and Libraries Conference


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ILLiad International Conference

LCTCS Annual Conference 2014

BRCC invites you to subscribe and post to their library blog - Magnolia Bibliophile. Visithttp://brcclibrary.blogspot.com/ to learn more!


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Facebook Twitter Google Linkedin

Congratulations for picking the winning title!

July 8: LearningExpress Webinar - Job/Career Accelerator

July 14: LUC Registration Opens

August 7: LOUIS System Administrators' Meeting

September 15: Submission Deadline - LOUIS Lagniappe

October 6: Next Issue of LOUIS Lagniappe Published

As always, remember to check the LOUIS calendar for upcoming events and updates!

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SirsiDynix: Empowering Xavier to Function Effectivelyby Lynette Ralph and Kevin Hebert

On April 29, 2013, Lynette Ralph joined the staff at Xavier University of Louisiana as the new University Librarian, and immediately conducted an overall

assessment of its collection, services and resources. It was soon revealed the library faculty and staff were thoroughly dissatisfied with the legacy ILS system.

Extensive discussions with employees indicated that they were either unaware of, or unfamiliar with, certain features of the system. Although these employees

had received training on the legacy system, a few months before Lynette arrived, she requested additional training in an attempt to fill the obvious gaps of

information. After the training the Library faculty and staff felt better about the system; some of their questions were answered but overall, training revealed the

inadequacy of the system. There was not a gap in information as they thought; the reality was the system was incapable of performing the desired functions and there was no plan in sight for innovation or

immediate improvement. Thus the decision was made to replace the system./p>

Important considerations for a new system

We felt the essential factors in selecting a new system would be the cost, the various important features delineated below, and the opportunity to engage in information sharing with colleagues.

Cost

How much was it going to cost and were we going to be able to afford it. Besides the fact that the system could potentially cost more annually, there was also always an initial integration and migration cost

to move to a new system.

Features

Of extreme importance were the desired features of the new system. We wanted a system that offered:

Better account management for library employees and users.

Cloud-Based – It was important that the system recognized the advantages of a cloud based platform, and was actively moving in that direction.

Customization of toolbars – We wanted a system that facilitated the customization of toolbars, thus allowing each employee to have at their fingertips exactly what they needed. This is particularly helpful

when you have staff with a variety of workflows and privileges.

Improved staff structure and workflow changes:

We hoped to see circulation transactions completed in a timely manner and reduced the work-load of the circulation staff.

We expected better reserves functionality for current needs, handling both print and electronic reserves.

We wanted greater efficiencies that reduced cataloging efforts and made acquisition workflows requiring less turn around time.

We wanted a system that offered the ability to interface with dynamic discovery platforms.

Familiarity

To ensure we made an informed decision we discussed among ourselves and shared information on systems with which we were familiar; spoke to colleagues from other institutions, and reviewed the

literature.

We were fortunate to have employees who, in previous jobs, had used other systems. A few persons had positive experience with SirsiDynix. One of these persons was Kevin Hebert, our Systems

Librarian. We recognized Kevin would be able to bring his skills and expertise to the process. However, while familiarity was desirable, it was important to ensure that the decision be made from an

unbiased perspective, thus we reviewed the literature.

Literature Review

We looked at several interesting articles and realized that the literature consistently touted SirsiDynix as a system that is innovative and moving in the right direction (Breeding, 2014; Berard, 2013). Wang

and Daves (2012) for example, observed that as early as 1997, the Sirsi Corporation recognized the need to modify systems and “introduced workflows which is designed to streamline library operations”

(p.80). Wang and Daves also pointed out that Sirsi[Dynix] had introduced features which were “intended to allow staff a certain amount of flexibility and customization, depending on the tasks they typically

perform” (p.80). A closer review and discussion with colleagues revealed that SirsiDynix met all the features that were important to us.

Reasons for Selecting Sirsi

Besides the discussions with colleagues and a review of the literature, the cost, features, and networking opportunities informed our decision to select SirsiDynix Symphony. The legacy system was over 20

years old and had begun to prove inadequate, with no known plan for innovation. SirsiDynix is in the process of developing the BLUEcloud Suite, a set of web-based modules that allow staff to operate daily

tasks from virtually anywhere. Other add-ons include MobileCirc, a web-based platform which allows staff to perform selected circulation functions on tablets or other mobile devices. This really appealed to

us, especially since we had already invested in iPads. SirsiDynix Symphony also offered better and increased functionality and performance, flexibility, and ease of use.

SirsiDynix: Empowering Xavier to Function Effectively https://sites01.lsu.edu/wp/louis/2014/07/02/xavier_implementation/

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Considering both initial cost and ongoing expenses, SirsiDynix Symphony proved to be cost-effective in the long run. Hardware is hosted remotely at the LOUIS consortium office, thus Xavier would save on

technology support since it no longer needed to host servers, install new versions of the software or upgrade the system locally. Library faculty and staff could focus instead on their core mission of

collection building and innovative patron services. There is also financial savings since there would no longer be a need to purchase servers. SirsiDynix Symphony offered better reporting tools, advanced

customization options, and a more intuitive staff interface.

Of great significance is the ability to network with colleagues (Kelley, 2013). In the case of the legacy system, there was an element of loneliness and isolation from peers. By selecting SirsiDynix through

LOUIS: The Louisiana Library Network, we are part of a larger network. We are now contributing to building a better library community not only learning more about what our colleagues in other libraries are

doing but also by sharing our insights, thoughts and experiences with them and getting peer-to-peer advice.

Implementation

Kevin spearheaded the implementation process and was the sole point of contact throughout the process. The process of SirsiDynix Symphony implementation at Xavier University of Louisiana began in

January 2014 with a request for a migration quote from LOUIS. After the final negotiations were in place and the quote was accepted by all parties, we began the project. In February we established a project

timeline, created the shell of our new catalog, and extracted the initial data from our legacy system to send to SirsiDynix. The data extraction process involved running several server-side scripts to extract

bibliographic records with item information tagged in the 949 as well as detailed circulation information by patron and item. We filtered records through a marc editor to remove unnecessary data, and made

meticulous modifications to patron records in an effort to clean up some our information before the initial load.

Beginning in March, we started the process of building new system policies while our staff began self-paced training at the SirsiDynix Mentor site. As we began to test the initial data, we identified issues and

worked with SirsiDynix to establish load rules and other customizations for our new catalog. One of the challenges we faced initially involved custom mapping of item types by location and call number,

which SirsiDynix seemingly tackled effortlessly. The month of April brought several trainers on site from both SirsiDynix and LOUIS and lasted for a total of nine days over a four week period. Both parties

provided amazing training and our staff picked up the new system fairly quickly. As the training progressed, we spent many hours testing data and processes to minimize issues with the final data load.

In May we began the final configuration of the system which included creating staff logins, customizing toolbars, and establishing circulation rules. We also modified our custom CSS and worked with

LOUIS to update the system environment file for the e-library interface. Near the end of the month we signed off on the test data, extracted the final data from our legacy system, and SirsiDynix loaded it into

our new ILS. Keeping on track with our established timeline, we went live on May 29, and began working in the new system. In June, we refreshed our training, tested our data for any issues and signed off

for the final data load. Overall, the process could not have gone smoother thanks to all parties involved and their dedication towards this project.

Unexpected (though much appreciated) Consequences

We are now three weeks into the new system and we have already noticed some unexpected benefits. Library faculty and staff are engaged in their tasks. Everyone is learning a great deal and

enthusiastically discussing the ease with which they can now perform these tasks. SirsiDynix Symphony interfaces with Midwest, one of our main book vendors, and flags any duplicates in our catalog.

Everyone likes their customized toolbars and the fact that they can now run their own reports without the intervention of the vendor as in the case of the legacy system. The Head of Circulation appropriately

described it by saying, “I now feel empowered to perform my job.”

References

Bérard, R. (2013). Next Generation Library Systems: New Opportunities and Threats. Bibliothek Forschung Und Praxis, 37(1), 52-58.

doi:10.1515/bfp-2013-0008

Breeding, M. (2014). Library Systems Report. American Libraries, 45(5), 21-33.

Kelley, K., Leatherman, C.C. & Rinna, G. (2013). Is It Really time to Replace Your ILS With a Next-Generation Option? Computers in

Libraries, 33(8), 11-15.

Wang, Y. & Dawes, T.A. (2012). The Next Generation Integrated Library system: A Promise Fulfilled. Information Technology & Libraries,

3(13), 76-84.

FILED UNDER: LOUIS LAGNIAPPE

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MobileCirc

On July 1, LOUIS released access to the SirsiDynix software MobileCirc for all Symphony sites. MobileCirc is a mobile application-based software that

allows libraries to make circulation transactions (checkin/checkout), create and modify users, pull holds, perform inventory and create weeding lists all from

a mobile device. LOUIS consortium members were invited to attend two SirsiDynix-led training sessions on the use of the MobileCirc software in early June

in preparation of the July 1 launch.

MobileCirc can be downloaded directly from Apple’s App Store, Google’s Play Store or accessed directly from the internet browser from any computer.

MobileCirc is developed with HTML5 to ensure the behavior of the software is consistent across all platforms. The benefit of the iOS or Android app version

is that it allows the use of the device’s onboard camera to scan barcodes for circulation functions, in-house use and inventory functions and allows for

Bluetooth connections to portable scanners, mag strip readers and receipt printers.

MobileCirc features both an online and offline mode. When not in “offline” mode, MobileCirc works by making live calls to your Symphony ILS using Symphony Web Services, unlike the previous mobile

scanner PocketCirc which stores information on the device to be uploaded. These live calls to your Symphony database allow you to perform real time functions using your existing WorkFlows login

credentials and data (you do not need to create MobileCirc-specific users, item records etc.). In MobileCirc “offline” mode, you can still perform some limited functions which don’t require a live web services

call to display data from your ILS such as checkin, checkout, inventory, use item and create user. MobileCirc can then upload those transactions to your ILS automatically next time your device has an

internet connection.

LOUIS staff worked hard to ensure the user and circulation transaction data transmitted between MobileCirc and your Symphony ILS is secure. In the interest of keeping your library data private and

preparing for the security future BLUECloud web client that communicate with your ILS via Symphony Web Services, LOUIS has upgraded the software that powers Symphony Web Services on the

Production, Training, and BETA Symphony servers. This upgrade process involved adding or updating existing security certificates that allow for the secure network communication of your data.


Comments

Karen Niemla says:

July 21, 2014 at 4:53 pm

We have not implemented MobileCirc here at ULM yet, but I would like to use it someday soon. We’re now doing a large de-selection project, and it would be very convenient to have access to it now.

Reply

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What Client Version should I be Running for WorkFlows?

You may be missing new features if you are using an outdated version of WorkFlows. To verify your version, log into WorkFlows, click the Help menu, then select About. As of July 2014, you should see the

following release information: 2013-04-15 3.4.1.3.1183

If you see anything else then you need to force an upgrade or uninstall and reinstall WorkFlows.

Forcing an Upgrade

On your PC, go to All Programs, Accessories. Right click on WordPad and click Run as Administrator and say Yes to Run as Administrator.

In WordPad, navigate to c:/Program Files (x86)/Sirsi/JWF/Property/stamp You may need to change to All Documents in order to see the files for the PropertWhy Directory

In the stamp file, look for the line that starts with UPDATE. There should be a number over on the right. Change this number to any other number and save the file.

Back on the desktop, right click on the WorkFlows client and choose Properties.

In the Shortcut tab, click the Advanced button.

Click the Run as administrator option and then click ok

Click Ok to save the Properties change

Open WorkFlows and then it asks to Run as Administrator say Yes.

You should be prompted to login either right before or right after you log in. If you do not get a prompt then stop and let LOUIS know. If you are prompted to update, then follow the update instructions.

After it updates part of the way, WorkFlows will close. Open WorkFlows again to finish the installation.

After it closes again, open once more and log in again. You should not be prompted to upgrade again.

Check the release version and open a Footprint if you are still not at the current release.

Why Do I Get All Those Pop-Up Windows When I Start WorkFlows?

You may be having to click through warnings before the WorkFlows client fully loads. This means that the client is not properly installed and you need to uninstall and reinstall the WorkFlows Client.

Uninstalling WorkFlows

On your PC, go to All Programs, Accessories. Right click on WordPad and click Run as Administrator and say Yes to Run as Administrator.

In WordPad, navigate to c:/Users/yourusername/Sirsi/WorkFlows/Property You may need to change to All Documents in order to see the files for the Property Directory

Make a copy of the file property and save it on your desktop

Navigate to c:/Users/yourusername/Sirsi/WorkFlows/Toolcust

Make a copy of any file in the Toolcust folder and save it on your desktop

Access your PC’s Control Panel and click on Programs and then Uninstall a program

Click on any of the WorkFlows listed and click Uninstall

Go to c:/Program Files (x86)/ and delete the Sirsi directory

Go to c:/Users/yourusername/ and delete the Sirsi directory

Reinstalling WorkFlows

Have your System Admin get a copy of the file fupd_jwf.exe from your site’s Xfer directory and put it on your Desktop.

Double click and follow the installation prompts.


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Electronic ResourcesLOUIS continuously works on the behalf of its members to negotiate discounts for electronic resources in order to minimize costs and maximize access. Information about products and trials is shared on

the LER-L discussion list. To view current subscriptions, visit the Electronic Resources webpage.

July 6, 2015Products investigated and closed:

Geopolitical Monitor – Intelligence Publications

Alexander Street Press 13 collections

Products currently being investigated:

American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Digital Collections

Artstor Digital Library

New minis created as a result of product investigation / trials:

Harvard University Press Digital Loeb Classical Library – The Loeb Digital Library presents over 520 volumes of Latin, Greek, and English texts in digital form allowing readers to browse, search,

bookmark, annotate, and share content. An interconnected, fully searchable, perpetually growing, virtual library of Greek and Latin literature, The Digital Loeb includes accurate English translations of

epic and lyric poetry; tragedy and comedy; history, travel, philosophy, and oratory and other documents of Greek and Latin Classical importance.

Historical New York Times with Index (ProQuest) – Cited in 30,000 dissertations and theses around the world since 2000, The New York Times provides findings on topics as diverse as music,

management, anthropology, computer science, military history, and additional subjects. The New York Times with Index is the definitive record of the day, plus the contextual material of photos,

advertisements, announcements, cartoons, reviews, editorials, and letters that lead to fresh insights.

April 6, 2015Products investigated and closed:

SPORTDiscus with Full Text

MEDCOM Nursing Videos

MEDCOM Nursing Videos

NAXOS Online Library of music

Content Café Ebsco


Harvard University Press Digital Loeb Classical Library

Project Muse

January 12, 2015Products investigated and closed:

World Scientific Publishing ebooks

LearningExpress – Job/Career Accelerator

WestLaw Campus

Sage Stats (State and Local) and US Political Stats

Sage- Nursing Collection

EBSCO – Nursing Reference Center Plus

ANA – American Nursing Association e-resources

UpToDate

Cambridge Journals Online


Electronic Resources https://sites01.lsu.edu/wp/louis/2014/07/07/er/

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Elsevier – SCOPUS

Gale – additional titles for GVRL

Resources for Community Colleges and their core programs: A survey was conducted to identify programs deemed important by the Deans and Directors of Community Colleges, and the results are

being used as a starting point by EBSCO, Gale, Credo and ProQuest to create packages of e-resources specifically for community colleges.

New minis created as a result of product investigation / trials:

Associates Programs Source Plus: “A Comprehensive Full-Text Resource for Two-Year Colleges / Community Colleges – provides comprehensive coverage of the most relevant Associates Program

level content. It contains a wide range of applicable content from more than 2,000 full-text journals and over 350 full-text books. A LOUIS mini-consortium was created in Dec 2014.

Science Online – a product of AAAS/Science (American Association for Advancement of Science): Provides access to “scientific research, news, and commentary, of peer-reviewed general-science

journals. The online publications of AAAS provide access to award-winning news content plus high-impact peer-reviewed research literature from every corner of the world with 40 percent of our

published authors based outside of the United States. Many of our authors are Nobel Laureates in various scientific fields such as Medicine, Chemistry, and Physics.”

Stat!Ref – a nursing e-resources product provided by Teton Data Systems: This product has 32 resources that include “LWW resources, overlapping resources between DNP and your other programs,

and Doody Core Title/popular resources.”

FOD – Films on Demand Master Academic Collection – a product of Infobase Learning: It is “a streaming video platform which allows for unlimited viewing of over 20,000 educational films. All of our

content comes with public performance rights and come to us from producers such as PBS, A&E, The Open University, NBC, BBC, Bill Moyers, History Channel, Discovery Education, National

Geographic and more.”

Nursing eResources Task Force (NeRTF) – one-month trials:

The Task Force was charged with “reviewing the current content in LOUIS-purchased nursing e-resources and reporting…on their recommendation”. They conducted a survey, evaluated the results,

identified several items of interest, and decided to have a one-month trial for each of the resources. The trials ended in December 2014:

Sept: STAT!Ref – mini-consortium created.

Oct: Wiley’s ebooks related to Nursing – dropped because they don’t provide trials on specific online book titles or disciplines. EBSCO’s Nursing Reference Center Plus: October 2014 – no interest.

Nov: ANA-American Nursing Association- ebooks –Scope & Standards of Practice – cost too high

Dec: UpToDate – No discounts provided and cost too high.

October 6, 2014Products investigated and closed:

Ebsco – Cochrane Collection PLUS

Mometrix

Lynda.com

Mango Languages

World Scientific Publishing

LearningExpress – Job/Career Accelerator

Salem Press


Cambridge Univ Press – Cambridge Journals Online

New minis created as a result of product investigation or trials:

Oxford – Grove Art and Grove Music created with a mixed bag of some sites opting unlimited access while others chose a specific number of users

New York Times

Ebsco – Medline Complete

ProQuest – Statistical Abstracts of the World (we already have a mini in place for: Statistical Abstracts of the US).

Nursing eResources Task Force – one-month trials:


identified several items of interest, and decided to have a one-month trial for each of these resources:

Completed … Apr: Cochrane Collection Plus (Ebsco)

Completed … May: Medline Complete (EBSCO)

Completed … Jun: HaPI (EBSCO)

Completed … Jul: Nursing Reference Center (EBSCO)

Completed … Aug: Dynamed (EBSCO)


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Completed … Sept: STAT!Ref

Cancelled … Oct: ebooks (Wiley)

Nov: ebooks –Scope & Standards of Practice (ANA-American Nursing Association)

Dec: UpToDate

July 7, 2014

This was an extremely busy year for LOUIS electronic resources. The Collection & eResources Interest Group and the Nursing eResources Task Force were actively involved in identifying and investigating

resources. Eighteen products from twelve different vendors were investigated or trialed. The information about products and trials was shared on the LER-L discussion list and the interest group and task

force tallied the results to decide whether a mini-consortium should be created or further investigation should be closed.

Products investigated as potential minis:

Cochrane Library – Feb: closed!

AIP Journals (Am Institute of Physics) – Feb: closed!

PsycTESTS (EBSCO) – Feb: closed!

Films on Demand (FOD) – Feb: closed!

Nursing & Allied Health eBks (ProQuest) – Feb: closed

Statista (Lyrasis) – Mar: closed!

Info Literacy Course module (Credo) – Mar: closed!

Salem Press – 7 packages (Salem Press) – Mar: closed!

PolicyMap (PM) – Mar: ongoing …

Psychotherapy Training Videos(PTV) – Apr: closed!

New York Times online (NY Times) – May: ongoing …

Art/Music/Grove online (Oxford) – May: ongoing …

Nursing eResources Task Force – one-month trials:


identified several items of interest, and decided to have a one-month trial for each of these resources:

Apr: Cochrane Collection Plus (Ebsco) – CLOSED June 9, ‘14

May: Medline Complete (EBSCO)

Jun: HaPI (EBSCO)

Jul: Nursing Reference Center (EBSCO)

Aug: Dynamed (EBSCO)

Sept: STAT!Ref

Oct: ebooks (Wiley)

Nov: ebooks –Scope & Standards of Practice (ANA-American Nursing Association)

Dec: UpToDate

New minis created as a result of product investigation or trials:

EBSCO– ebooks. The EBSCO– Religion set (4,100 titles) was merged into the existing eBook mini.

ProQuest – Statistical Abstracts – May 22, 2014.

ProQuest – Sanborn Maps of La. – this was a mini-consortium, but now has been activated for all LOUIS sites.


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Have You Switched to LearningExpress Library 3.0 Yet?

LearningExpress Library 2.0 was retired on June 30, 2014. The vendor alerted all sites in advance, and LOUIS sent out reminders and details of the effects this switch to version 3.0 will have.

All users have to move to version 3.0 as version 2.0 logins will not work, along with any tests, tutorials, or eBooks saved in it. New access URLs with authentication tokens specific to each site were

provided by the vendor and sent to all sites. They are also available in KB doc #7666. MARC records for version 3.0 are also available from the Administrator link in the footer of the LearningExpress library

page. However, before downloading the records, the sites do have to take action.

The switch to version 3.0 has changes in:

AtoZ MARC records loads

EZproxy authentication

Statistics

1. AtoZ MARC records have not been updated as of yet, but is in planning stages, so …

For sites that have EBSCO marc Records service and load their own AtoZ MARC record file:

Version 3.0 records have not been updated in AtoZ MARC. If you load the file as is you will be loading broken URLs. So you need to uncheck LearningExpress in AtoZ Administration. If you need help in doing

this, send a Footprints and LOUIS will do it for you.

This new load should remove the current records that exist in your catalogs, depending on how your bibload report is set up.

For sites that receive the LOUIS AtoZ MARC record file:

LOUIS has made this change, so you will not get records with broken links.

Since LearningExpress records are currently not be available via AtoZ MARC file, if you want the version 3.0 records in your catalog, you will need to go to the new version 3.0 interface, scroll down to the

bottom and click Administrator, then select MARC Records and get the two files listed under Standard Library Platform Files.

The records on the vendor website WILL NOT have the customizations provided in the AtoZ records i.e. the 099 tag with Available Online for call number or your authentication URL prepended to the URL in

the 856 tag. If you decide to load these records, you will need to make these customizations yourself.

For off-campus access, the 856 tag should be prepended with your authentication url, otherwise users will first need to register for an account on campus before they are able to access the product

remotely.

2. EZproxy authentication:

The LearninExpress stanza in the EZproxy config file needs to be updated:

T Learning Express Library 3.0

U http://www.learningexpresslibrary3.com

DJ learningexpresslibrary3.com

DJ learningexpresshub.com

HJ www.learningexpresshub.com

3. Usage Statistics

Your existing account now includes access to reports for the new LearningExpress Library version 3.0. The reports site is located at: http://Reports.LearningExpressLLC.com. If you registered

previously, then your username is your email address. If you do not recall your password, then select the Forgot Your Password? link on the landing page.

New registrants must register at http://reports.learningexpressllc.com/Login/Register.aspx. If you need the consortium-level access code to register, please have a FootPrints submitted requesting

this information.


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1 of 2 11/20/2015 9:11 AM

SirsiDynix Mentor: How Does it Work?

LOUIS has a total of eight Mentor accounts for our sites to check-out and use for eLearning. This allows library personnel to take the self-paced for-cost courses with no money out-of-pocket.

Here’s how it works!

Have a FootPrints submitted to request use of a Mentor account.

One account is assigned per site.

The administrator (the person who opened the FootPrints) shares the user ID and password with any library personnel interested in individual training.

Library staff can arrange group training sessions to work through the selected course(s) together.

The initial loan period is three weeks, at which point LOUIS will check in via the submitted FootPrints and see if the library is ready to release the account or would like to renew its use for another three

weeks. Currently, there are no restrictions on how long a site can use an account, but this may change as demand grows.

If no accounts are available upon request, the library is wait-listed in the order of submission.


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1 of 1 11/20/2015 9:12 AM

Assessment Task Force

To learn more about Task Forces and view publications, click here to visit the Task Forces web page.

July 7, 2014

The LALINC Executive Board established the Assessment Task Force (ATF) as part of the 2013-2016 LALINC/LOUIS Strategic Plan, whose Objective 3.1 is to ensure that LOUIS services and staff meet

the current and evolving needs and expectations of LALINC members. ATF members were tasked in January 2014 to develop and conduct annual assessments of needs and expectations of LALINC

members. The desired outcome is to provide up-to-date assessment data for planning use by LOUIS staff and the LALINC Executive Board.

ATF has met several times via conference phone call and communicated frequently via email. The notes from our first in-person meeting, at Loyola on May 13, are below.

ATF’s goals are to distribute a survey, analyze its responses, and report in October at meetings of LALINC’s Executive Board and Membership.

Mike Olson, chair

Loyola University of New Orleans


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Committee on Committees


July 7, 2014

The strategic plan had goals and objectives that addressed the committee structure. A Committee on Committees(CoC) was established to review the committee structures and offer solutions on how to

make better use of the talents and time constraints of those serving on committees. The three committees in place were Information Literacy(IL), Research and Development(R&D), and Collection and

e-Resources(C-ER). The Chairs of these committees were asked to participate on the CoC. From the CoC meetings, many ideas surfaced and one was implement with the CoC continuing to review this

recommendation to make sure it is successful and keeping with the intent of the CoC and strategic plan.

The recommendation was to create a list specific to the three current committee areas: IL, R&D, C-ER and to rename the committee structure to Interest Group – in order to be more inclusive of all those in

the state that would share these interests. As you may already know, two new lists were created – one for Information Literacy called the [email protected] and one for Library Technology called the

[email protected]; and one list was repurposed: for the Collection & E-Resources interest group, it was decided to use the current [email protected]

The purpose of these lists are to create a forum, for those interested in the specific topics, to discuss and share ideas, ask questions and propose projects related to needs within academic libraries in

Louisiana. The CoC also recommended implementing list moderators/co-moderators in order to have a mechanism for the interests of the group to be brought to the LALINC Board/Membership, peers, and

LOUIS. These moderators provide feedback, in the form of a report, at each of the LALINC meetings (Spring and Fall) and will encourage engagement in topics. New Moderators can be chosen from within

the interest group membership.


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LALINC COMMUNICATION TASK FORCE, 2014

Report/Recommendations

After a careful review of the literature, supported by the personal experiences of the committee

members, it has been concluded that the use of Moodle, forums, and email digests are not

desirable options. Chat was considered a nice option, but the size and geographically diverse

nature of LOUIS means it would be difficult to manage.

The committee rather unanimously agreed that social media was definitely an option and that

LOUIS should expand its presence in that regard. However, this would take the commitment of

having someone dedicated to developing, updating, and managing a round of sites to include

Facebook and Twitter. Tumblr and Instagram would also be great options for promotion and

public outreach.

Sharepoint also seems like a viable option and has a lot of potential, though it would require the

investment of money into the resource as well as system-wide training. This feature-rich resource

could provide a lot of usability but it could also overwhelm users.

List-servs still seem the most viable as an option at this point, especially in light of their current

and wide-spread use.

It is the recommendation of this committee that LOUIS expand its presence in social media and

continue its use of list-servs. This committee also recommends that LOUIS examine SharePoint

as a possibility and consider it in the light of existing systems and concerns.

Grants Task Force


January 12, 2015

The Funding Task Force both investigates foundations and state and federal agencies that might provide funding for LOUIS activities and resources and otherwise collaborates on grant and other funding

and partnership opportunities for the Consortium as a whole.

Each LALINC library and their librarians are asked to suggest to the Funding Task Force programs that both benefit the Consortium and its libraries, as a whole, and are appropriate for grant and similar

funding, consistent with the current inclination of grant-makers to fund innovative initiatives (rather than staffing for or purchases by established programs).

The Funding Task Force is co-chaired by Robert Bremer of Nicholls State University and John Conover of the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium. They are joined by Annie McKinney of Louisiana

Delta Community College and Allison Gallaspy of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Interested in seeking funding for LOUIS activities and resources? Join the Funding Task Force by contacting Rob ([email protected]) or John ([email protected]).

Rob Bremer, Co-Chair

Nicholls State University

John Conover, Co-Chair

Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium

October 6, 2014

Without adequate funding, there is no LOUISiana Library Network!

Without LOUIS to serve it, the Louisiana Academic Library Information Network Consortium has no effective libraries!!

The Funding Task Force is charged both to investigate foundations and state and federal agencies that might provide funding for LOUIS activities and resources and to otherwise collaborate on grant and

other funding and partnership opportunities for the Consortium.

To accomplish this considerable goal, your Funding Task Force needs to receive the ideas of all in the LALINC/LOUIS community … new-and-old ideas, traditional-and-original ones, and all in-between.

Each LALINC library and their librarians … all of you … are asked to suggest to the Funding Task Force programs that will benefit the Consortium and its libraries … in keeping with the current inclination of

grant-makers and other funders to support innovative initiatives, rather than staffing for or purchases by established programs.

Your Funding Task Force is co-chaired by Robert Bremer of Nicholls State University and John Conover of the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium. They are joined by Annie McKinney of Louisiana

Delta Community College and Allison Gallaspy of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Every LALINC librarian interested in seeking funding for LOUIS activities and resources is invited to join the Funding Task Force. Contact Rob ([email protected]) or John ([email protected]).

Rob Bremer, Co-Chair


July 7, 2014

In accordance with the LALINC/LOUIS 2013-2016 Strategic Plan providing for the creation of “a sustainable financial model” for LALINC/LOUIS through the development of “a business plan to provide

sustainable funding for services, resources, systems and support,” the Funding Task Force was formed at the end of 2013 and charged (1) to “investigate foundations, state, and federal agencies that might

provide funding for LOUIS activities and resources” and (2) otherwise to “collaborate on grant and other funding and partnership opportunities” for LALINC/LOUIS.

Consistent with the current inclination of grant-makers to fund innovative initiatives (rather than staffing for or purchases by established programs), the Funding Task Force invites each LALINC library and

their librarians to suggest programs that will benefit the Consortium and its libraries and are, thus, appropriate for grant and similar funding.

Grants Task Force https://sites01.lsu.edu/wp/louis/2014/07/02/ftf/

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The Funding Task Force is co-chaired by Robert Bremer of Nicholls State University and John Conover of the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium. They are joined by Annie McKinney of Louisiana

Delta Community College and Allison Gallaspy of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Any LALINC librarian interested in seeking funding for LOUIS activities and resources is invited to join the Funding

Task Force.

R. Bremer, co-chair



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Nursing Electronic Resources Task Force


July 7, 2014

The Nursing e-Resources Task Force was established by the LALINC Executive Board in the Fall of 2013 and charged with “reviewing the current content in LOUIS-purchased nursing e-resources and

reporting…on their recommendation for changes.” This is important because of the 49 LOUIS members, 23 (46%) have nursing programs which allow their graduates to sit for the NCLEX, the National

Council Licensure Examination, which allows them to practice as Registered Nurses (RN). In addition, approximately ten more LOUIS members offer education preparing the student to practice as a

Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN).

The Task Force looked at LOUIS resources which had applicability to nursing separating them into those of primary importance and those of secondary importance. The TF members discussed the use of

these resources at their institutions and designed a survey to get similar input from both librarians and faculty at all of the LOUIS member institutions. The TF members then evaluated the survey results

and identified a number of items of interest. Trials of these resources are in progress. So far, MEDLINE Complete, the Cochrane Library, and Health & Psychosocial Instruments (HaPI), all from EBSCO,

have had trials.

Trials for both MEDLINE Complete and the Cochrane Library have been finished. The MEDLINE Complete trial received favorable responses and prices are now being negotiated for a mini-consortium. A

satisfactory price could not be negotiated so no mini will be set up for the Cochrane Library. Trials of the remaining databases will take place on a monthly basis until all have been examined. Mini-consortia

will be formed when there is enough interest. Future trials will be for: Nursing Reference Center & DynaMed from EBSCO, Stat!Ref’s nursing package, Wiley Library’s e-books, American Nurses

Association’s (ANA) e-books, particularly the Scope and Standards of Practice, and UpToDate.

Mary L. Marix, co-chair

Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans


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Statistics Task Force


June 19, 2015Wrap up: The LALINC Statistics Task Force

The LALINC Statistics Task Force has formally fulfilled its charge of reviewing the issues (around library statistics/metrics), revealing common needs and identifying next steps towards enabling consortium

members to address those needs.

One of the final recommendations for LALINC’s consideration was to research different analytics tools, such as BLUECloud Analytics, LibAnalytics Insight, JUSP consultation services for SUSHI

implementation, and EBSCO’s Usage Consolidation product.

Information and documents gathered or created by the STF are now stored in the LOUIS Knowledge Base under a new category, “Statistics TF.” A hearty THANK YOU to all who served on this task force.

Alice Daugherty, chair

Louisiana State University

July 7, 2014

Aren’t we all a little perplexed by statistics in libraries? What are we counting? Why are we counting? And how do we report what we’ve recorded and to whom? The newly formed LALINC Statistics Task

Force hopes to answer these questions and more. The task force was charged with reviewing the myriad of issues librarians have with statistics and identifying next steps towards enabling consortium

members to address their own institution’s statistical needs.

The Statistics Task Force held an all-day meeting in Lafayette, LA on June 20, 2014 at the Lafayette Public Library where members viewed a demonstration of the SirsiDynix product BLUECloud Analytics

and discussed EBSCONET’s Usage Consolidation platform. The two products provide data management and analytics for separate library purposes; the former for ILS data and the latter for electronic

resource usage data. In addition to investigating these products further, the task force hopes to respond to the difficulties of reporting statistics to ACRL, provide examples of acceptable reports for

accreditation purposes, and explore avenues for asking, answering, and archiving consortium libraries’ statistics problems.

If you have questions or ideas for the task force please contact the chair, Alice Daugherty ([email protected]).

Alice Daugherty, chair



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LUC 2014

The LOUIS Users Conference is returning to the C. B. Pennington Jr. Conference Center at Pennington Biomedical Research

Center this year. Registration will open Monday, July 14, 2014 and close Friday, October, 10, 2014. You can register at

https://www.regonline.com/luc_2014.

LUC 2014 will feature two general sessions, an opening session on Thursday and a plenary session on Friday. It will also feature

forty-five breakout sessions and six poster sessions.

LUC 2014 will have two new features – two one-hour “unconference” sessions and an on-the-spot meeting scheduler.

Visit the LOUIS Users Conference webpage to learn more about the conference, past and present.

Unconference

The sharing sessions are being reorganized into two one-hour unconference sessions this year. An unconference is defined as “a loosely structured conference emphasizing the informal exchange of

information and ideas between participants, rather than following a conventionally structured program of events” (Oxford Dictionaries).

The room will be set up with a number of tables, some with defined topics and some without. The defined topic tables will cover the expected sharing session topics. Those seated at the undefined tables

will be able to define their own topics of discussion. This format will allow attendees to move freely between tables and topics.

On-the-spot Meeting Scheduler

The conference center has meeting space that will not be used for the breakout sessions. LOUIS team members will have a scheduler available at the registration desk for groups to schedule this space for

impromptu meetings.

References

unconference. (2014). Oxford Dictionaries. Retrieved July 7, 2014 from http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/unconference.


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16th Distance Library Services ConferenceDenver, Colorado April 23-25, 2014

Brief description of the general purpose of the conference:

The Distance Library Services Conference provided a forum where practitioners and administrators involved with providing library resources and services to students and faculty at a distance can

exchange ideas, concerns, perspectives, and pertinent research.

Specific Things Learned

The Distance Library Services Conference focused on five general tracts that reflected the interests and concerns of librarians in distance librarianship such as, administration support, assessment,

collaboration, information services, and instruction.

Specific things learned at the Distance Library Services Conference:

Using MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) the session evaluated the current model for library services in distance learning that may be applied to the support of MOOCs.

Mobile learning explnow iored the implementation and integration of discovery services, chat/SMS capabilities, and computer availability maps into a mobile environment, and how adding

these services significantly could increase website traffic.

Instructional design discussed teaching an online information literacy course and determining whether it is equivalent to face-to-face instruction.

LibGuides addressed the issue of designing LibGuides as instructional tools for critical thinking, and effective online learning.

Instructional Library Videos focused on creating a student friendly repository for instructional library videos. Primary focus: needs assessments, instructional design, web design, and

project management.

Maletta Payne, Emerging Technologies Librarian

Southern University and A & M College-John B. Cade Library

[email protected]

The Distance Library Services Conference is a biennial event started with the intention of melding librarians, educators, and administrators across the globe for the purpose of improving practices pertaining

to distance library-based learning. With the major focus pointing towards services to distance/online students, the conference hosted a wide array of topics including: embedded librarianship, instructional

repositories, accessible web design, and cloud-based learning.

Some of the outreach strategies of a Central Piedmont CC Librarian were truly inspirational, outlining the growing need of collaboration within embedded practices. After identifying the shortcomings of the

current system in place, he developed a new system that included the recruitment of SLIS students, a series of research guides, and a whole lot of manpower. With these tools he was able to increase

distance services by 1160%, finding it difficult to keep up with the demand for new embedded opportunities. http://embeddedextension.wordpress.com/

I was also drawn to the collaborative efforts of the librarians from Nova Southeastern, who built an impressive repository from the ground up to house homemade instructional videos. They detailed the

needs, design, problems, management and launch, and then shared the template for others to follow. http://sherman.library.nova.edu/sites/learn/

Kevin Hebert

Xavier University of Louisiana


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Customers of SirsiDynix Usergroup, Inc. (COSUGI)Renaissance Center, Detroit, Michigan March 15-17, 2014

BLUE (Best Library User Experience) is here to stay! SirsiDynix is actively developing the BLUEcloud (BC) Suite. We have lots to look forward to with MobileCirc, BC Cataloging, BC PAC, BC Acquisitions,

and BC Campus. Take advantage of the Strategic Partner Programs (SPPs) for these and future products!

Natalie Palermo

Louisiana State University Law Center

COSUGI 2014 was held in the labyrinthine Renaissance Center in Detroit, Michigan on May 15-17, 2014. It’s the conference held by the customers of SirsiDynix.

The three big themes I took from COSUGI 2014 were that new SirsiDynix products are soon to be here, SirsiDynix and EBSCO will be integrating some products, and RDA is still a hot topic as libraries

work to accommodate the changes.

SirsiDynix is rolling out a group of products collectively known as BlueCloud. The most exciting is BlueCloud Analytics, which would enhance reporting. It will allow for importing of external data, such as

Google Analytics and COUNTER statistics. BlueCloud MARC will allow customers to download records directly from SirsiDynix. BlueCloud Campus will package together several functions targeted for

academic libraries, the highlight of which is integration with EBSCO products. This might allow patrons to access account functions from within EDS, while serials staff can pull ejournal records into

Symphony directly from EBSCO.

Different libraries had different tactics when it came to what to do with the GMD post-RDA. A conceptual presentation envisioned displaying RDA authorities to the public. Multiple RDA presentations

mentioned a utility developed by Gary Strawn at Northwestern University to convert AACR2 records to RDA.

Mike Waugh


The COSUGI 2014 theme of “Shifting into High Gear” was appropriate as we learned more about SirsiDynix’s BLUEcloud suite of cloud-based products including the applications LOUIS sites have been

anxiously awaiting: MobileCirc, BLUEcloud PAC and BLUEcloud Cataloging. It was encouraging to see the progress made on each of these, and we hope to see these in action soon. Development on the

BLUEcloud Analytics application, a web-based reporting solution for Symphony, has also progressed nicely, and may be of interest to LOUIS sites.

Marshall Breeding, a well-known consultant, speaker, and author in the library industry, shared his vision for the next generation of Integrated Library Systems (ILS), which he calls Library Services Platforms

(LSP). His presentation was informative in terms of the library automation industry, but also encouraging as he spoke about SirsiDynix’s continued success as a leader in library automation products and

services. Marshall revisited the earlier unveiling of SirsiDynix’s BLUEcloud Campus, their LSP, which is comprised of a suite of cloud-based applications. The BLUEcloud Campus initiative illustrates

SirsiDynix’s commitment to academic libraries and involves strategic partnerships with other vendors, such as EBSCO. LOUIS is well-positioned to advocate for and take advantage of this partnership as

we integrate Symphony and EBSCO’s Discovery Service, in an effort to deliver the best user experience.

And lastly, the opportunity at COSUGI to connect and exchange ideas with peers continues to be worth its weight in gold! Meeting with other academic libraries and academic library consortia was

especially valuable. This also shifted us into high gear as we returned home invigorated to try new things we had learned from other customers!

Cathy Sicard

LOUIS

The biggest takeaway for me is more a potential impact on our ILLiad users. Former LOUIS librarian, Carla Clark, is Project Director of the newly-announced BLUECloud Campus which will include ILL

functionality that could rival or significantly enhance ILLiad as an interlibrary loan application. Utilizing a single signon environment, the planned development of this application will streamline both the end

user and staff user experience and allow end users to request an item from EDS and automatically populate the bibliographic data in a transaction with a single click. Staff users are then able to

automatically pull in a MARC record to catalog, circulate and track the transaction with ease. While still early in development, the Strategic Partnership Program for BC Campus is slate to begin in the

coming months. Symphony and ILLiad users alike are encouraged to participate.

Adam Viator

LOUIS

The COSUGI 2014 Conference was marked by an undeniably optimistic and enthusiastic tone, and I am not saying this solely because it was the culmination of my efforts as the COSUGI Conference

Chair! SirsiDynix employees and executives were clearly energized to show their progress on new development and plans for the future. The presentations by users were generally very good and covered a

wide array of topics. I came away fired up to help LOUIS member libraries start with new products and interfaces like BLUEcloud Cataloging and MobileCirc.

Customers of SirsiDynix Usergroup, Inc. (COSUGI) https://sites01.lsu.edu/wp/louis/2014/06/13/cosugi/

1 of 2 11/20/2015 9:15 AM

Mark Witteman

LOUIS


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eResources and Libraries ConferenceAT&T Conference Center, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas March 16-19, 2014

ER&L 2014 was held March 16 – 19 at the AT&T Conference Center on the campus of UT Austin and online with over 500 in-person attendees. Barbara Fister gave the Opening Keynote speech advocating

for libraries to take a larger role in developing a truly free and open landscape for knowledge creation as opposed to the current closed system that barricades scholarship behind paywalls as publishers’

intellectual property. One of the most salient points attendees seemed to take from the keynote was Fister’s pointing out the contradiction inherent in touting “lifelong learning” as a mission in academic

libraries and then severing patrons’ access to resources at the moment of graduation.

In the plenary session on March 18, Sarah Durrant promoted, “not just talking about what we’re doing, but how we’re being,” as a way of adopting a holistic view of organizational philosophy and the first step

to practicing resilience in the face of ever changing work-life landscapes. In addition to regularly-scheduled conference sessions, the 18th was designated as User Experience Day, for which conference

organizers invited in several experts from the Austin community including product designers for Dell and faculty from UT Austin and the Austin College of Design. The day started with an energizing thought

exercise facilitated by UX for Good on how libraries could include TED talks in their collections as a way of thinking about the library’s role in the current global information landscape. Topics of other

sessions included rapid prototyping, using personas for keeping a user-centered perspective in the design process, and using start-up thinking to quickly implement ideas and improvements.

On the last day of conference, official sessions ended at noon, but 8 afternoon workshops were offered for attendants of ER&L and newly-arriving participants in the Leadership, Technology, and Gender

Summit. Workshop topics included techniques for electronic resource management, more discussion of strategies to develop resilience, project management for libraries, and a Railsbridge Workshop for

learning the Ruby on Rails web development programming language.

Popular topics at the conference were: platform content neutrality of discovery services, streamlining eResources workflows, vendor relationships, and data collection and analysis. You can find out more

about this year’s sessions by searching ER&L on flickr, facebook, and on twitter #erl14. Next year’s eResources & Libraries conference will be held Feb. 22- 25, 2015 in Austin, TX.

Allison F. Gallaspy

University of Louisiana at Lafayette


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ILLiad International ConferenceVirginia Beach, VA March 17-19, 2015The 2015 ILLiad International Conference was held March 17th-19th in sunny (and cool!) Virginia Beach, VA at the Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront.

Heather Black with Atlas Systems held the session, “Minding Your Flags & Queues: Tools to Organize Your Work.” Custom flags is a new feature in ILLiad 8.4 that got conference sessions attention.

Custom flags operate like OCLC Special Messages: a request can be flagged but will remain at its current Transaction Status in ILLiad. Using flag to mark those “special” requests without pulling them out

of your workflow! Some ideas for custom flags include tracking billing and international requests, and for inter-office communication about problem requests. Custom flags are created in Customization

Manager, so submit requests for new flags to LOUIS.

In “Exceed Expectations: Excellence in Customer Service through ILLiad,” Caitlin Hafen & Kerry Keegan of Atlas Systems offered best practices to consider when using the trusted sender feature in ILLiad.

With trusted sender active, articles are sent directly from the lending institution to the patron. If you activate trusted sender, please to use a cover sheet with a disclaimer stating that the article came directly

from another institution.

In “Beyond the Basics,” John Brunswick of Atlas Systems covered situations outside of everyday ILLiad processing, including Alerts, Conditionals, Connection Manager errors, and OCLC Special

Messages. One highlight/weird trick: If you, the lender, have received a book back from a borrowing library at the wrong OCLC status, and the borrowing library does not respond to repeated requests to

update the status, it is possible to “Recall” the book. After pressing “Recall” on the OCLC tab in ILLiad, you can then receive the book through the Lending module (“Lending Returns”).

In “All Things Bright and Beautiful: Implementing ILLiad’s Most Recent Features,” Heather Black of Atlas Systems reviewed new ILLiad features. Overdue notifications have expanded to allow one courtesy

notice plus three overdue notices. The courtesy notice can be customized to go out a set number of days before the book is overdue. Also, Odyssey Helper has a new “Auto” mode allows anything scanned

into the Odyssey folder to be sent automatically. Another new feature is an option in Staff Manager that allows staff to log in to a patron’s ILLiad account and view it from their perspective.

In “Do More with Addons!” Shawn Styer demonstrated how to customize and add features to ILLiad with addons. One interesting tidbit: Some libraries subscribe to Netflix and use this addon to fill DVD and

Blu-ray requests for their patrons!

Jacob Fontenot and Shaleesa Bynum


Virginia Beach, VA March 19-20, 2014

Being new to ILL, I immediately recognized what an opportunity it was to attend this international conference. A second later, my own inadequacy struck me. I had been in interlibrary loan for two months and

presumed to ask other librarians about things they had been doing for years. However, several topics had direct applications for my library, such as routing rules and copyright clearance. Encouraged to

probe deeper and inquire further, I left feeling that I had information beneficial to my institution and to librarians throughout the state.

John P. Bourgeois


One session that I received interesting information from was the “ILLiad To Go! Your Mobile Web” session. I was able to learn valuable information on how to make the ILLiad webpages mobilized if a site

requests it. I am currently working with one site now and hope others take the opportunity also.

Marcy Stevens

LOUIS

One interesting session I went to involve configuring ILLiad Customization Manager to optimize unmediated lending processes to automatically direct incoming requests into appropriate queues for

automatic and manual processing. This session placed an emphasis on the order of routing rules where the lower the rule number the higher the priority of the rule. In LOUIS’s shared-server environment,

the Routing Rules table is shared. This necessitated adding the NVTGC to the beginning of the rule description to easily sort each sites rules and group them together, insuring the routing rules you create

are in the correct order and the routed transactions get to their proper queues.

Adam Viator

LOUIS


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Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS) Annual ConferenceLibrary Peer Group Meeting, Baton Rouge, Louisiana March 6, 2015The circulation of portable devices; library print management systems; the challenges of open source textbooks for libraries and what book format students prefer; collection development – who is driving

the content, accrediting agencies’ requirements, the aging of collections and how to weed eBooks, policies and procedures related to prison patrons; ILL; and EBSCO’s EDS Curriculum Builder. Mr. Mark

Witteman from LOUIS was the invited guest, and he provided an update on the LCTCS Systems Office/LOUIS/LCTCS libraries patron load transfers as well as answered questions related to LOUIS

services. There were lively discussions with at least twenty-two library members attending.

Margaret Keller

Northshore Technical Community College

Baton Rouge, Louisiana March 12-14, 2014On March 12-14th, 2014, LCTCS (The Louisiana Community & Technical College system) held its annual conference in Baton Rouge for thirteen community and technical colleges in the state of Louisiana.

On Thursday, March 13th, Joanie Chavis, Dean of the Baton Rouge Community College Library presided over a luncheon for the LCTCS Peer Directors’ Group. Since this was the first formal meeting for

this group, discussion focused on challenges unique to community college libraries in Louisiana. The group hopes to meet in the future to begin to address some of those issues.

On Friday, March 14th, Margaret Keller, NTCC (Northshore Technical Community College) GATOR Library, Shanna Clevenger, Delgado Community College Library, Telisa Sylvest, NTCC, Dr. Alma Dawson,

LSU, and LSU Library and Information Science students, Victoria Elmwood and Brittany Hart, presented the session: Connecting with Students through Faculty/Library Libguide Webpages. The program’s

purpose was two-fold: 1) to give an overall view of how Libguides, a Springshare company cloud-based web publishing platform for libraries can be used to reach students online with useful information and

resources, and 2) to summarize a recent partnership between NTCC GATOR Library and LSU’s School of Library and Information Science. The partnership involved Dr. Dawson and members of one of her

LIS classes, Mrs. Keller, and NTCC faculty. All worked together to create Libguides in various disciplines, such as Adult Education, College Success and English Composition. These Libguides are now

available on the GATOR Library website for access by faculty and students.

Margaret Keller

Northshore Technical Community College


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