CIRCULATION SUPPORT GROUP

Meeting
2:00 PM; SML 409

Announcements

There were no formal announcements. Marybeth inquired about phone numbers to call to report Orbis problems. During the day, call the Help Desk at 2-1849; evenings and weekends, call 2-1852 or 2-1874.

Shawn reviewed the handouts that were distributed: the meeting agenda; a twelve-page summary of new circulation features in the new Voyager release (2001.2) ; a two-page list of valid pick-up locations in Voyager 2001.2; an example of pseudopatron OPAC messages in Voyager 2001.2; and, a nineteen-page instruction guide to Voyager offline circulation.

Schedule of the Voyager 2001.2 installation

Shawn outlined the schedule for this weekend's Voyager upgrade. Old Voyager will be shut down Friday, July 25 at midnight, and the new client will come online officially at 1:00 PM on Saturday, July 26. Most circulation and staff workstations will be upgraded on Monday, July 28, but the new client will be available for installation on Friday afternoon, July 25. (Voyager 2001.2 testers are reminded that the test version must be uninstalled before attempting the upgrade. Instructions for uninstalling were provided in a July 22 e-mail message from Ernie Marinko.)

Five libraries will be open over the weekend and will require special arrangements. Four of the five (SML, CCL, Medical, and Kline) will make use of offline circulation until 1:00 PM, when the new client comes online. E&AS, the fifth library with weekend hours, opens at 1:00 PM when the new client is online. Staff members in these libraries are reminded that no circulation functions should be performed in the new client until all offline circulation files have been uploaded. The Systems Office will contact staff in these libraries to give the okay for uploading the offline circulation files. The Group agreed on the following loan period for offline circulation this weekend: one month, due at 7:26 PM.

Because some sys-admin problems have been discovered in the new client, there is a very slight chance that the upgrade won't happen. In that case, staff will be notified by e-mail ASAP.

Circulation highlights of Voyager 2001.2

Shawn reviewed some of the circulation features of Voyager 2001.2. The handout provides more detailed information.

- Automated course reserves activation/de-activation (Note: Testing should be done for items appearing on multiple reserve lists.)

- Pseudopatron status will display in OPAC

- Patrons can make callslip requests for materials that don't yet have item records

- Patrons can view reasons for being blocked in WebVoyage

- Pick up locations will display in WebVoyage

- Social Security numbers will be masked in the circulation client

- After sixty seconds of inactivity, patron information will clear from the staff screen

- E-mail shortcuts have been added to the patron record

- Streamlined addition of course reserve materials, using barcodes. Also, searching can be done in course reserves using barcode

- Patrons can renew any or all of their items if they have reached the Maximum Items Borrowed limit for their policy group

Other Upgrade Concerns

Each unit should notify Shawn regarding who will be installing the new client on Monday, July 28 at 7:30 AM.

Shawn will send the Group URLs for the following:

1. The link to the spreadsheet detailing OPAC Patron Block messages
2. The RIS website (which requires authentication by netid & password) which has a Circulation section where each unit can find annual stats for circulation transactions

The meeting adjourned at 3:35 PM.