SELCO News

3:08 p.m. - The printer technician has been able to get the notices printer backup and running.  Corrine is going to start printing notices again and will need the library staff to stay out of the Notices Review and the Notice Output windows for the remainder of the say as she finishes printing the notices from yesterday and today.  We appreciate your patience in this matter, thank you.

This news item is only asking action from libraries that have SELCO print and email out their auto notices, including hold, overdue and lost notices. Pre-overdue notices are not affected, nor are libraries that print their own auto notices. Please disregard if this does not apply to you.

The Notices printer at SELCO is still not operational nor is there any additional news about when it will be returned to service. As there are batches of notices ready to print, Corrine has gone into each library’s list of notices and sent out those set up to be emailed. Print notices will be sent out as soon as possible. We will not purge those lines of notices until the printed notices are mailed.

At this time, please feel free to work with your Notices for Review lists and ‘send to print’ notices as you normally would. Later today, Corrine will batch up the notices and again she will go into each library’s list of notices and will send out emailed notices. Pre-overdue notices will also be emailed out today and over the weekend.

Corrine will be batching up notices from 3-3:30 pm. Please do not be in the Notices for Review or the Notice Output windows at this time to help prevent accidental loss of data. Thank you.

If you have batched up to print a notice and the patron resolves the reason for the notice before it is printed, Horizon does not print the notice.  This includes notices generated because the patron picks up the held item, pays the fee, or returns the overdue or lost item. So notices held in the print queue from yesterday will stay there in the list but will not be printed and mailed out.

9:30 a.m. - The technician has not yet arrived due to unforeseen circumstances in his workday, and we do not have an arrival time for him. If you are printing your own notices and would like to batch and print, please do so. As soon as he does arrive, SELCO staff will send out another email asking people to stop batching and printing locally.  If you have SELCO print your notices, please continue to wait to work with your Notices for Review list. Thank you.

We are experiencing hardware difficulties with our notices printer.  Having exhausted all options, we have contacted the company that supports the printer and expect a technician early Friday morning.  With luck, we will be able to catch up with today's notices at that time. 

While we are trying to catch up on the notices on Friday morning, it is important that Online Libraries do not modify notices batches.  Until the printer technician arrives, it's impossible for us to know when Notices batches will be available for modification.  Further information will be posted here and emailed to Directors and Automation Contacts as it becomes available.

We apologize for this lapse in service and will restore normal functionality as soon as possible.

The issue with the server that handles Database authentication has been resolved, and authentication is working again.

Thank you again for your patience. If you experience any other issues please contact the SELCO Helpdesk.

Announcing the launch of SELCO's new Library Legacy webpage! A link to the Library Legacy page can be found under Quick Links on the left side of the SELCO homepage. Individual project pages for each Legacy focus area are directly linked from there:

From Ink & Paper to Digital Record - Regional Digitization

Arts & Culture Live!

Community Collaboration - Forging Partnerships through Art & Culture

Traveling Literary Displays

Poetic Strokes

A Southeast Musical Heritage - Cataloging CBBMLL

RACE - Are We So Different?

Minnesota's Greatest Generation

Minnesota Book Awards

As SELCO's Legacy projects develop and grow, stay tuned to this page for up-to-date information about their progress and outcomes. We look forward to sharing these successes with you in the months and years to come!

SELCO's first community conversation about the new Arts and Cultural Heritage Library Legacy funding will be held at the Owatonna Public Library tomorrow, 4-6 p.m.  Our purpose will be to gather information about what types of community partnerships are taking place and to generate new ideas about initiating partnerships with local organizations and community members.   Other conversation locations include:

Rice County:  November 30, Buckham Memorial Library (Faribault) , 4-6 p.m.
Dodge County:  November 30, Dodge Center Public Library , 4-6 p.m.
Winona County:  November 30, Winona Public Library (please note the location change), 4-6 p.m.
Goodhue County:  December 3, Zumbrota Public Library , 4-6 p.m.
Wabasha County:  December 3, National Eagle Center (Wabasha) , 4-6 p.m.
Olmsted County:  December 7, Rochester Public Library , 3-5 p.m.
Mower County:  December 7, Michael H. Seibel Family Visitation & Exchange Center (Austin) , 4-6 p.m.
Fillmore County:  December 14, Preston Public Library , 4-6 p.m.
Houston County:  December 16, Houston Nature Center , 4-6 p.m.
Freeborn County:  December 16, Albert Lea Public Library , 4-6 p.m.
 
Registration is recommended.  To register for a community conversation, please click here .  To view the conversation flyer, please click here .  Please share with your library administration, staff members, board members, and community groups.

User testing on the beta version of SELCO's new AquaBrowser catalog began on Monday, 11-09-2009.  For the two weeks beginning on the 9th and ending in 11-22-2009, Online Libraries represented on the AquaBrowser Working Group are asking their staff to try a few searches and fill out a short survey about the experience.  Following this staff testing, those same libraries will use the same survey to gather feedback from patrons.  This patron testing will last for two weeks, from Monday, 11-23-2009 to Sunday, 12-06-2009.

Testing data will be used to fine-tune the catalog before training classes for Online Library staff begin in December.  If all goes well, the catalog will go live in mid-January.

SELCO has decided to delay releasing the new Resource Page that had been scheduled to go live on Thursday, 11-12-2009.

In addition to changing the page organization to accommodate the many new ELM databases, the new page uses Minitex's geographical IP-based authentication to restrict database use to Minnesota residents.  This authentication provides superior service to our current authentication in that it does not require library card number entry for patrons at home.  Unfortunately, this authentication is not working as of today.  Minitex has assured us that they are working to fix the problem but we do not have a timeframe yet.

Until these issues have been resolved by Minitex, SELCO will continue using the current Resources page.  We will post further information here as the situation develops.

Step right up!  Join us at SELCO for our Special Consultants' Fair on December 1, 9:30-11:30 a.m.!  Come see the work library staff members from all over the region have completed as part of SELCO's Special Consultants project.  Wondering how to start fundraising?  Looking for a spectacular teen program?  Our Special Consultants, who assisted library staff in doing just these things, will be available for questions and ideas to help you jump start your next project.  Sign up today!  To register for the fair, please click here .  To view the Fair flyer, please click here .

SELCO invites you to a community conversation about the new Arts and Cultural Heritage Library Legacy funding.  These conversations will be held in all 11 counties in the SELCO region.  Our purpose will be to gather information about what types of community partnerships are taking place and to generate new ideas about initiating partnerships with local organizations and community members.   Conversation locations include:

Steele County:  November 18, Owatonna Public Library , 4-6 p.m.
Rice County:  November 30, Buckham Memorial Library (Faribault) , 4-6 p.m.
Dodge County:  November 30, Dodge Center Public Library , 4-6 p.m.
Winona County:  November 30, CHANGE OF LOCATION PENDING TO ACCOMODATE HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBILITY , 4-6 p.m.
Goodhue County:  December 3, Zumbrota Public Library , 4-6 p.m.
Wabasha County:  December 3, National Eagle Center (Wabasha) , 4-6 p.m.
Olmsted County:  December 7, Rochester Public Library , 3-5 p.m.
Mower County:  December 7, Michael H. Seibel Family Visitation & Exchange Center (Austin) , 4-6 p.m.
Fillmore County:  December 14, Preston Public Library , 4-6 p.m.
Houston County:  December 16, Houston Nature Center , 4-6 p.m.
Freeborn County:  December 16, Albert Lea Public Library , 4-6 p.m.
 
Registration is recommended.  To register for a Community Conversation, please click here .  To view the conversation flyer, please click here .  Please share with your library administration, staff members, board members, and community groups.

In observance of Veteran's Day, the SELCO office will be closed on Wednesday, November 11.  Automation Support will be available that day from 8-5 via the Help Desk number. If you have an automation problem, please dial (1-866)529-4469 or (507)529-4469 to contact our on-call staff.

There will be no delivery service on Wednesday.  A regular Wednesday delivery schedule will take place on Thursday that week. 

To celebrate Melvil Dewey’s 158th Birthday, the SELCO Cataloging Team will be offering a free cataloging day on December 10, 2009.  To view the flyer that contains the information you need to participate, please click here .  Please send all items to us by Friday, December 4, 2009.  Briefly, the instructions are:

·         Each library may send up to 40 items of any type
·         All items must be barcoded
·         All items sent in for the free cataloging day must have DEWEY written in the To: column of the delivery slip & your library’s delivery code in the From: column
·         SELCO staff will only create bibliographic records.  Each library will be responsible for adding it's own items to the SELCO ILS.
 
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the Cataloging team (email SELCOCAT@selco.info) for more information.  So, start gathering up your items and send them our way by Friday, December 4!

SELCO will offer five scholarships of up to $1,500 to defray basic costs to attend the Public Library Association (PLA) National Conference.  Portland, Oregon will host this 13th biannual event which offers professional development for anyone interested in the art and science of public library management.  The application deadline for those interested in being considered as a scholarship recipient will be, Thursday, December 3, 2009 at 12:00 Noon.  For more information, click here  or complete SELCO's online scholarship web form .

Thank you again for your patience.  The iPAC is now working correctly again and requests can now be placed on both the Online Catalog and on Horizon.

We are working with Sirsi Dynix to fix an issue where some of our Online Libraries do not have text boxes for searching. While we are working on this issue on the iPAC server, it may be impossible to place a request on the staff computers.

It is not the same issue as the one experienced over the weekend.

Thank you for your patience while this is resolved.

With the assistance of SirsiDynix, the issue with holdings display has been identified and fixed.  All holdings are now being displayed properly on the search results screen.  All holdings are also showing the correct status and call number information.

 
Thank you for your patience in this issue.

Orders for the Fall 2009 Cooperative PC Purchase have been collected and processed.  Thirteen Online Libraries ordered a total of:

             20 - Desktop PCs
              7 - 17" Flat Panel Monitors
              3 - Microsoft Office licenses
              7 - Barcode Scanners
              3 - Star Thermal Receipt Printers
              3 - 2GB USB Flash Drives

We have placed orders with various vendors for these items and will begin installations as they arrive.

E-Commerce is live!  We have flipped the switch and Online Library patrons may now use the My Account section of the online catalog to pay fines and fees online with a Visa, MasterCard, or Discover card.  We here at SELCO are thrilled that Online Libraries can now offer the same convenience as other web-savvy enterprises.  This service is being provided as a Basic Service, with no additional Automation Fees required.

For the original announcement about E-Commerce service, along with promotional materials and FAQs, check out our E-Commerce page .

Looking to receive free books for your library?  The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the American Library Association (ALA) would like to invite public and school (K-12) libraries to apply for the We the People Bookshelf grant.  Part of NEH's We the Peopleprogram, the Bookshelf is a grant program that encourages young people to read and understand great literature while exploring themes in American history.

This year, NEH is offering 4,000 sets of classic books for young readers on the theme, "A More Perfect Union."  To apply, complete the online application by describing how your library will create a theme-related program that highlights the Bookshelf titles.  The application is available here and should take less than one hour to complete. For more information, please visit the SELCO Librarian .  If you have any questions, contact the ALA Public Programs Office at publicprograms@ala.org.

We are aware of an issue that is causing holdings at some Online Libraries to display improperly or not at all in the Search Results page of the iPac public catalog.  In some cases, the call number is missing.  In other cases, there is no holdings information at all.

In all known cases, the full display accessed by clicking the title has the normal display.

Please watch this space for further information as it becomes available.

SELCO has developed a new Research Page to provide access to the many research databases offered through the Electronic Library of Minnesota (ELM) and by SELCO.  As the ELM databases have been greatly expanded, a new organization for the page was necessary.  Rather than a long list of links, the databases have been organized into categories.

The new Research Page will go live on Thursday, November 12, 2009.  The Research button in the right-hand sidebar of the SELCO website will not change in appearance.  Until November 12, the current Research Page will continue to be fully functional.

For those wish to see the new page, either out of curiosity or to get a head start on reworking finding aids, it is available and fully functional:  Beta Research Page .

The flood of questions on E-Commerce has slackened a bit but there have been a few that others might be also wondering about.  So, without further ado...

Q.  Will fines and fees paid through E-Commerce be shown on my library's Money Report?

A.  No.  As all funds enter the system through SELCO's Horizon Location, E-Commerce payments will not be on your Money Report.  This is dictated by the fact that all Online Libraries are sharing a single EnvisionWare license to reduce costs.

Q.  Are payments credited to the patron's account immediately or is there a lag of some sort?

A.  All payments are credited to the patron's account immediately.

Q.  I noticed on the video that the patron has to log on twice, once in Horizon to access My Account and again in EnvisionWare to access the payment screen.  Can this be changed?

A.  No.  Horizon and EnvisionWare are separate systems and do not provide a way to carry login information from one system to the next.

Q.  In your previous posts, you said that only Visa, MasterCard, and Discover are accepted.  But the video shows logos for other cards on the payment screen.

A.  That's not a question but I'll answer anyway.  The three cards named above are the only ones accepted.  The video was made with screenshots that date back almost a full year when SELCO was first implementing E-Commerce for the Chatfield Brass Band Music Lending Library.  We had not cleaned up the graphic yet.  When the service goes live on November 02, 2009, only Visa, MasterCard, and Discover will be shown.

Please send any more questions to Donovan Lambright , Automation Librarian.

The search display issues with the iPac have been resolved.  The results are now showing the correct columns in the correct order, and we have completed a full reindex of the iPac database so all bibs and items are showing up in results. 

Thank you for your patience, and if you have any further issues, please contact the SELCO Helpdesk.

A special event, Naked Civics: Uncovering the Path to the Common Good , will kickoff the newly formed Rochester Citizens League on November 3, 2009.  The featured speaker, Nate Garvis, Target Vice President, Citizens League Board Member and civic entrepreneur, will share his vision beyond partisan divides to an opportunity for community discourse and public decisions.  Naked Civics: Uncovering the Path to the Common Good will take place at the Rochester Golf and Country Club , November 3 from 5:00 – 7:30 p.m. with a cash bar and free hors d’oeuvers.  The event is free and open to the public, although pre-registration is recommended.

Episode #57 of SELCOtv, Paying library fines with a credit card - Library Staff edition , shows the E-Commerce process as it looks for patrons.  The video starts with a patron logging in to My Account in the catalog, follows him/her paying a fine online, and concludes with receipt of an online receipt.  By viewing this video, Online Library staff can familiarize themselves with the E-Commerce process and provide patron assistance as needed.  

On a related note, a new E-Commerce page has been added to the SELCO website.  This page brings together links to the various E-Commerce announcements and FAQs that have been posted since the October 12th announcement that the service is going live on November 02nd.

Art Rolnick, Senior Vice President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis advocates for early literacy as the most effective and essential means to economic security.  He will be in Rochester on November 3 presenting, The Best Economic Investment During Difficult Economic Times .  This luncheon event sponsored by the First Steps,  the Rochester Area Foundation and the First Steps Business Alliance will be held at the Kahler Grand Hotel Heritage Hall, 11:45 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.  Luncheon reservations are necessary before Friday, October 30.

SELCO has announced plans for phasing in support for Windows 7 at Online Libraries.  Please see this post at the SELCO Librarian blog for further details.

As reported previously , SELCO is preparing to start offering E-Commerce services to Online Libraries on Monday, 11-02-2009.  Patrons with a major credit card (Visa, MasterCard, and Discover) will be able to pay fees and fines online via any internet-connected PC.  The original post included a number of frequently asked questions but the smart folks out in the region have come up with more.  So here's Round Two:

Q.  Is there a minimum payment?

A.  No.  Any fine or fee, no matter how small can be paid through the E-Commerce service.

Q.  Can patrons make prepayments for future fines and fees?

A.  No.  Payments can only be made for fines and fees currently in Horizon.

Q.  Can patrons make donations?

A.  No.  Payments can only be made for fines and fees currently in Horizon.

Q.  Do patrons get a receipt after making a payment?

A.  Yes.  After the payment has been made, a receipt page comes up.  Patrons may print or make a screenshot for his/her records.

Q.  Can an Online Library use E-Commerce at the Circulation/Children's/Reference Desk?

A.  Yes and No.  The library may certainly offer patrons assistance with the payment page by running the credit card themselves.  They would do so using the same interface as the patron, however, and would have to get the patron's library card number, PIN, and credit card information (number, type, and security number).  It is not yet possible for the Online Library to set up a credit card swiper and take payments like a retail establishment.  SELCO plans to add this functionality six months to one year after the service goes live in November 2009.  Online Libraries will have to purchase hardware (i.e. the swipers) through SELCO in order to ensure compatibility with the software.

There are a few more questions that are a little more complex and require a bit of research on our part.  We will post answers to those questions in the next few days.  If you have sent us questions and don't see the answer here, just sit tight; we're working on finding you an answer.  If you have new questions, email them to Donovan Lambright , Automation Librarian or simply attach a comment to this post.

Michael Scott, Assistant Director, was elected by the membership of the Minnesota Library Association as Legislative Chair. This will be a three year professional commitment beginning January 2010. In his first term as Vice-Chair, Michael will be responsible for organizing the Legislative Forum co-sponsored by MLA and MEMO. This annual event inaugurates planning activities for the next year's legislative session. Then, based on input from the membership, the Vice-Chair is responsible for crafting the legislative platform with the assistance of the Legislative Committee. In the second year of the term, the Legislative Chair works closely with the MLA/MEMO lobbyist advocating for the the library association platform. And, in 2012, Michael will handle Federal legislative issues and organize the Minnesota contingent traveling to Washington, D.C. for National Library Legislative Day sponsored by the American Library Association. Congratulations, Michael!

The annual conference of the Minnesota Library Association opens today in St. Cloud and offers a full selection of programs October 14-16.  Included among the presenters are SELCO staff members:  Ann Hutton, Executive Director, Donovan Lambright, Automation Librarian, Mollie Pherson, Regional Librarian, Jonya Pacey, Help Desk Manager, and Rachel Gray, Information Services Librarian.  Michael Scott, Assistant Director and Candidate for the MLA Board of Directors as Member-at-Large for Legislative Affairs, and the SELCO/SELS Board President, Don Regelman are also attending.

Effective Monday, November 02, 2009, patrons of all SELCO Online Libraries will have the option of paying Horizon fines and fees online with any major credit card.  This service, which was introduced in May 2009 as part of the Chatfield Brass Band Music Lending Library (CBBMLL) LSTA project, will be made available to all Online Libraries.  Those who closely follow the SELCO Users Group may recall that this was planned as an optional Value-Added Service.  The logistical complications of allowing some libraries to use E-Commerce while others do not proved enough of a challenge that the Value-Added Service concept was scrapped.  Instead, E-Commerce will be part of the Basic Service package with no additional Automation Fee.  A few details:

Who will be able to use this service:  All patrons in the Horzon Integrated Library System (ILS) who have a major credit card and access to an internet-connected PC.

What fines and fees can be paid:  Any fine or fee created in Horizon can be paid online.

Where do patrons go to pay fines and fees:  The "My Account" tab in the iPac web-based catalog will feature a link entitled "Pay Fees and Fines" on the tab bar, along with links to view Requests, Checkouts, etc.  You can see this feature now by choosing Chatfield Brass Band Music Lending Library in the dropdown menu on the SELCO Catalog page of this website.  Clicking the "Pay Fees and Fines" link will take the patron to a payment page, where he/she will be required to log in with a library card number and PIN.  After logging in, the patron's fines and fees will be listed along with the fields for the Credit Card, Credit Card number, and Credit Card expiration date.

When can patrons pay fines and fees online:  24 hours per day, seven days per week.

Why might patrons be interested in paying online:  Online payment is convienient and fast.  Patrons can access the E-Commerce page from anywhere they have internet access.

Some Frequently Asked Questions:

Q.  What credit cards can be used to pay fines and fees?

A.  Visa, MasterCard, and Discover

Q.  When a patron pays their fines and fees, where does the money go?

A.  It depends on the Fee Type.  For payments related to lost, damaged, or overdue items, the funds go to the Online Library that owns the item.  For payments related to fees, such as lost card or photocopy fees, the funds go to the Online Library that created the fee in Horizon.

Q.  What do the Online Libraries have to do to get their funds?

A.  We will need each Online Library to inform SELCO whether they wish to receive funds by check or have funds held on account at SELCO.  That's it--all other work associated with disbursing funds to the Online Libraries will be carried out by SELCO staff.  Funds will be disbursed quarterly.

Q.  Are there really no fees associated with this service?

A.  SELCO is making E-Commerce part of its Basic Service package so there are no additional Automation Fees.  Credit Card companies charge a transaction fee which will be taken from the payments before the funds get to SELCO for disbursement.  SELCO has no control over these fees, which seem to average between 5% and 10% of the revenues.

Q.  Is this safe?

A.  The EnvisionWare E-Commerce software uses SSL (Secure Socket Layer) encryption for the connection between the patron's web browser and the payment server.  This is the same security used for online banking and online merchants such as Amazon.com.

Q.  Will the Online Libraries be trained to use E-Commerce?

A.  An ILS Bulletin, complete with screen shots will be sent out about 2 weeks before the service goes live with complete details on how patrons use the software to make payments.  An orientation video is in development and will be released at about the same time.  Promotional materials to help Online Libraries publicize the new service are also in development.  Samples will be made available at the October 13, 2009 SELCO Advisory Committee meeting.

Sunday 10/11 at 2:30 PM

We had to restart the Pharos system at SELCO today. Online Libraries using Pharos will need to restart its Signup server. Thanks.

If you missed the Solve That Problem! workshop last week, check out the blog posts on the SELCO Librarian featuring some of the suggestions from speakers Michon D. Rogers and Rochester Public Library Director Audrey Betcher.  To view the two blog posts, please click here and here .  To view Audrey’s PowerPoint presentation featuring the RPL’s three continuous improvement projects, please click here .

The Minnesota Writers Hall of Fame is a new joint venture sponsored by the Minnesota Historical Society and the Minnesota Book Awards , as managed by The Friends of the St. Paul Public Library .   The first 10 inductees represent a wide spectrum of literary arts and each made significant contributions to Minnesota's cultural heritage.   The new Minnesota Writers Hall of Fame seeks nominations and will honor additional writers annually.

H1N1 Flu Resources

There is a section of the page specifically for library staff and includes tips from SELCO and library staff from around the region as well as a growing list of member library sites' that contain H1N1 information.  If your library or school has information posted on their website and haven't been included on the list, please send information to Michael Scott, Assistant Director at mscott@selco.info .

Access the page via the link above or look for H1N1 Flu Resources link under the QUICK LINKS section located in the navigation column on the left side of the screen.

Just a reminder!  Orders for Hot Reads for Cold Nights products must be in by Monday, October 12!  We have lowered prices and added items perfect for the winter season!  Take a look and reward your patrons (or staff) with a mug, sweatshirt, tote, or mittens, to name a few!  Click here and place your order today!

The software that runs the MnLINK Gateway will be undergoing an upgrade starting at 5:00 PM this evening, Tuesday, October 6, 2009.  Patrons will not be able to access the MnLINK Gateway to place requests or search the catalogs during the upgrade.  It is anticipated that the MnLINK Gateway will be back up and fully functioning sometime during the afternoon of Wednesday, October 7, 2009.  We will pass along more information as we receive it and apologize in advance for any inconvenience.

The Fall 2009 Cooperative PC Purchase order form has been released.  For this purchase we have moved the order form online for your convenience.  No more faxing in your orders at the last minute, or wondering where you put the email with the order form in it.  Now you can just fill it out online at the website below and we will get your Cooperative PC Purchase order.

http://www.selco.info/display/ols/Fall 2009 Cooperative PC Purchase

Order forms are due back to SELCO by end of day on Friday, October 30th.  We will confirm with you after we have received the orders to verify that the orders are correct.  Also you will need to login to the website with your SELCO logon in order to submit the order form.  This way only valid SELCO users can process the order form.  If you have any questions or concerns with this, please contact us at the SELCO Help Desk and we will be happy to assist you.

The Council of Regional Public Library System Administrators (CRPLSA) is presenting a statewide workshop called Library Legacy Programs and Arts Partnerships that focuses on how to create and maintain successful partnerships and programs using Legacy funds.  Leah Hughes, Children and Youth Program Director for the Minnetonka Center for the Arts , will cover how library programming focusing on the major arts areas affects the learning process and provides positive Legacy outcomes.  The workshop will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 12 in the Avila Room at SELCO.  This workshop should be a high priority for anyone planning on using Legacy funding for programs and partnerships with that Arts community.  To view the workshop brochure, please click here .  To register for the session, please send your name, library, email address, and any special accommodations you may need to Mollie Pherson at mpherson@selco.info.  Hope to see you there!

The Minnesota Historical Society (MHS) will offer a series of grant workshops with statewide locations.  If you plan to apply for a Minnesota History Legacy Grantyou are encouraged to attend and receive an update on the grant program details and progress, as well as bring ideas and questions to share with colleagues. More information, including dates, locations times and registration information is available on the SELCO Librarian .

Congratulations to Samantha Liebl from the Owatonna Public Library, SELCO's Get Creative at Saving For College regional winner!  Samantha's name was drawn from many other entries across the SELCO region.  She won $1,000 for her future college education and won $500 for Owatonna Public Library's future summer reading programs.  Way to go, Samantha!

It’s time for Hot Reads!  SELCO is pleased to present the Hot Reads for Cold Nights products for 2010.  We have lowered prices and added items perfect for the winter season!  Take a look and reward your patrons (or staff) with a mug, sweatshirt, tote, or mittens, to name a few!  Click here and place your order today!  Orders must be in by Monday, October 12, so order soon!  Enjoy!

Five SELCO scholarship recipients will attend the annual conference for the Minnesota Library Association this fall.  The conference will be held in St. Cloud, October 14-16.  Scholarship awardees will receive up to $700 to defray costs for registration, housing, meals and travel.  Each applicant agreed to share impressions of the conference via the SELCO Librarian .  Stay tuned for thoughts from staff presenters and scholarship recipients during next month's conference!  The 2009 SELCO - MLA Scholarship winners include:

• Anita Bruggeman, Austin Public Library
• Bonnie Adams, Kasson Public Library
• Jamie Stanley, Northfield Public Library
• Kim Edson, Rochester Public Library
• Dawn Johnson, Spring Grove Public Library

Our issues with Web Reporter have been resolved. You will be able to login, and all reports available to run.
Thank you for your patience with this issue.

There is an issue with Web Reporter in which it is not allowing users to login.  We are working on the issue, and have opened a ticket with SirsiDynix support.  We will keep you informed as to when this issue has been resolved.
 

Our Pharos server had a little hiccup this morning and we had to restart a service on the server.  Everything is working normally now but each Online Library using Pharos will need to restart its Signup server.  If you are unsure where your Signup server is or how to restart it, please contact the SELCO Help Desk for assistance.

Congratulations to Alex Ferrier from La Crescent Public Library!  Alex was selected as SELCO's Blue Ribbon Reader for 2009.  He received a four pack of Minnesota State Fair tickets and was recognized at the Great Minnesota Read-Together on Wednesday, September 3.  Way to go, Alex!

Looking for new ways to solve organizational problems and to make effective decisions?  SELCO will be hosting Solve That Problem!, a workshop focusing on Continuous Improvement on Tuesday, September 29, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., at SELCO Headquarters.  This workshop will feature Michon D. Rogers, an independent consultant working primarily with non-profit organizations.  She will be presenting an interactive session on basic tools and techniques for defining and resolving organizational issues.  Utilizing these tools and techniques, your library team will improve workplace processes and improve services to your customers.  The afternoon session will feature Rogers and Rochester Public Library Director Audrey Betcher focusing on how Continuous Improvement was introduced at the Rochester Public Library and the three continuous improvement projects the library has taken on since receiving training.  A Question and Answer session will be held at the end of the workshop for those attendees who would like advice or encouragement for future implementation.  Click here to view the workshop brochure.  To register, please click here .

Planning to tweet next week's Technology Users Group meeting ?  Make sure you use the meeting hashtag so that your tweets can be read alongside those of other meeting participants.  The hashtag for the September Technology Users Group meeting is #selcoug.

New to Twitter?   Or hashtags?

Online Meeting instructions for the September Technology Users Group meeting has been released:

1.  To join the meeting, enter https://www2.gotomeeting.com/join/116235394 into your web browser at 9:00 PM on Tuesday, September 08.

NOTE: We ask remote attendees to join the meeting 30 minutes before the starting time to allow time for troubleshooting any problems that might arise.

2.  To join the conference call, dial 218-844-4926.

OR, use your microphone and speakers (VoIP) - a headset is recommended.

3.  Enter the following information on the phone when prompted:

• Access Code: 116-235-394
• Meeting ID: 116-235-394

4.  When asked for an Audio PIN, simply press the # key.

In the event of any problems connecting to the Online Meeting, please contact the SELCO Help Desk for assistance.

The amount of local tax support provided for library operations varies widely city to city and county to county.  Using the State Demographer's 2007 Population Estimates and the 2008 annual report data from each unit of local government levying a tax for library service, county support for libraries per person ranges from $11.15 to $31.15 and city contributions vary from $17.74 to $73.49 per city resident.  The 2008 Per Capita Chart lists each of the 11 member counties and the 36 cities taxing for library service.

In observance of Labor Day, the SELCO office will be closed on Monday, September 7.  There will be no Automation Support that day.  Also there will be no delivery service on Monday.  A regular Monday delivery schedule will be take place on Tuesday that week.  Delivery to schools will begin on Wednesday, September 9.

Join the Minnesota State Fair and Minnesota Public Libraries for Read & Ride Wednesday at the Minnesota State Fair on September 2!  Enjoy discounted admission and all-day discounts on Midway & Kidway rides, games and concessions when you show a valid public library card.  One card is required for each discounted admission, and the discount only applies when purchasing tickets at the gate.  Be a part of the Great Minnesota Read-Together, located just west of the Grandstand Ramp in Carousel Park, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.  Activities and entertainment include ongoing storytime, create your own story-on-a-stick, free books for kids, temporary tattoos, a trivia prize wheel, and more!  Please click here for the Read & Ride Wednesday flyer and here for the Great Minnesota Read-Together flyer. 

SELCO will sponsor five scholarship to encourage participation in the 2009 Minnesota Library Association Annual Conference.  The three day training and networking event will be October 14-16 in St. Cloud.  Scholarship recipients will be eligible for approximately $700 to cover the costs of conference registration, hotel accomodations, and other incidentals such as mileage reimbursement and a small food stipend for meals which are not included in general registration.  One name may be submitted per public library.  While the scholarships are not limited to library directors, preference will be given to directors who have not previous attended an MLA conference.  Scholarship recipients will agree to post a summary of conference reactions and general thoughts to the SELCO Librarian and possibly provide a short presentation at the December meeting of the SELCO Advisory Committee.

The deadline for applying for the SELCO scholarships to MLA will be: 12:00 Noon, Monday, September 14. This scholarship flyer provides additional details.

10:00 AM

Pharos is up and running again. Thanks again for your patience. If you encounter any problems please call the helpdesk.

9:30 AM

Pharos is down. We are currently working on a solution. Thanks for your patience.

The agenda for the September 2009 SELCO Technology Users Group meeting has been announced.  Topics include an update on the AquaBrowser project, a demonstation of a printer your laptop-wielding patrons can use wirelessly, and a presentation on how library staff can use Google Docs as a free replacement for Microsoft Office:

1. Welcome
2. AquaBrowser Implementation Update
3. Ricoh HotSpot Printer Demo
4. Google Docs and Your Library
5. MnKnows
6. How Can Twitter Work For Me?

The meeting will be held in the Avila Room at the SELCO/SELS office on September 08 from 9:30 to 12:00.  An online meeting will be available for those who cannot attend in person.  We'll also record the meeting in it's entirety and post the video to the SELCO/SELS website within a few days.

Users Group attendees are encouraged to stick around after the meeting for an afternoon training session, What's New in ELM at 12:30.  Jennifer Hootman, Reference Service Coordinator for Minitex, will do a presentation exploring exciting changes to ELM.  A total of 31 new databases will be available to patrons; this is your chance to learn all about them.

Register for this session through the training site: http://www.solutionwhere.com/selco/cw/showsession.asp?4115223478/18/20095:13:41+PM

See you on the 8th!

The Council of Regional Public Library System Administrators will be bringing Ann Goering to the Traverse de Sioux Library System Office in Mankato on Wednesday, September 23rd for a workshop called Personnel Management in the Public Library.  Ms. Goering is an attorney specializing in labor and employment law.  Workshop topics will include hiring, orientation and training, relevant statutes for employers, dealing with difficult employees, and employee rights.  The workshop will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and is free to all members of the Minnesota Library Systems.  Lunch will be on your own.  Please register for the Mankato session by emailing Dayle Zelenka at dzelen@tds.lib.mn.us.  Include your name, library, and email address, and please indicate if you require special accommodations.  The deadline for registration is Thursday, September 10. 

SELCO has booked both vans for carpooling to this event.  If you would like to ride to Mankato with SELCO staff, please reserve your spot by Tuesday, September 8.  You may book your spot by clicking here .  Please keep in mind this is just for booking a spot in one of the SELCO vans---you will need to register for the workshop separately.  To view the workshop flyer, please click here .  Hope to see you there!
 

SELCO staff have created an item status that will be useful for any library with display areas. This item status is On Display or ‘odis’ and can be used for items that are moved to a display area. Staff must manually change the items’ status to this code, and then both staffPAC and iPAC will read “On Display” in the status column. This should make it easier for Online Library staff and patrons to find items.

The full bulletin and other ILS Bulletins can be found here.

If you haven’t already heard, Minitex renegotiated its ELM database contracts as of July 1, 2009. What does that mean for you? A total of 31 new databases available to your patrons!

SELCO will hold a special training session, What’s New in ELM, on September 8^th at 12:30 pm for our members to learn more about the changes. Jennifer Hootman, Reference Service Coordinator for Minitex, will present. This session is scheduled the afternoon of the User's Group Meeting, allowing time for an hour lunch break.

Register for this session through the training site: http://www.solutionwhere.com/selco/cw/showsession.asp?4115223478/18/20095:13:41+PM

8/14/2009 - 1:05PM – Day End is complete for August 13th, and circulation reports, reset pull lists, and notices for review lists are now available.

The changes desrcribed in ILS Bulletin 2009-09 had an unexpected, negative impact on the Status display in Staff Pac.  We have reversed this change and restored the original functionality.  We are working with AquaBrowser to assess the situation and find another way to achieve our objective.  Further information will be posted as it becomes available.  For backgound information, please see the original bulletin .

8/14/2009 - 7:40AM – There was a problem and Day End did not run last night. We are working on resolving the issue and will let you know when Day End is done. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

August 11, 2009 -- Due to overwhelming interest, SELCO will be hosting a second back-to-school Boot Camp session on Thursday, August 27, 9:30-4:30.  This session is for new school library media center personnel who need immediate knowledge of SELCO basic operations for the beginning of the school year.  Attendees will be introduced to members of the SELCO staff and learn pertinent information about basic circulation, the SELCO catalog, etc.  Please click here to view the session flyer.  To register, please visit http://tinyurl.com/selcobootcamp2009-2 or give us a call.  Hope to see you there!

ILS Bulletin 2009-9, Modification of Staff Pac Holdings Display has been posted to the ILS Bulletins page.  Please follow the link for full details.

The SELCO website has been migrated to a new platform, with the new page going live today.  The content, organization, and appearance of the page has changed very little.  Please see SELCO Goes Live With Confluence for more details, including a run-down of a few minor changes you might notice.

August 3, 2009, 9:07 AM -- We are currently experiencing problems with our Pharos server here at SELCO.  We are working on resolving this matter and Pharos should be back up shortly.  We will send out more information as it becomes available.

August 3, 2009, 9:40 AM -- The issues with Pharos have been resolved.  All libraries using Pharos will need to restart their signup servers to restore service.

July 30, 2009  - - The Handheld Librarian Conference is experiencing technical difficulties. Conference organizers sent a new URL for the conference that is working for us. Anyone else registered and still having difficulties should check their email for the updated link.
Please direct any further calls about the webinar to the phone number shown below.

888-222-9749

July 27, 2009 - - We have encountered some slowness with the iPac today, so I will be doing a full re-index of the iPac tonight. Starting at 9:00 PM, the web catalog will be down. It will take a few hours to complete before searches contain full results. Thanks for your patience.

July 21, 2009  --  New collection codes were added to the SELCO ILS, as detailed in an ILS Bulletin sent out this afternoon. Read this and other bulletins here.

July 15, 2009, 10:52 AM  --  Day End is complete for July 14th, and circulation reports, reset pull lists, and notices for review lists are now available.

July 13, 2009, 10:55 AM -- The initial problem with the network interface has been resolved.  The issue now is the possibility of disk corruption on the ILS server.  Technicians from Sun are working with SELCO staff to check the drives.  These integrity checks must be performed before we can bring anything else back up.  The process is proceeding slowly but is nearing completion.  After that, we'll need to have SirsiDynix check the Horizon database.

Above, I said "possibility" of disk corruption because it is not yet established that the drive is corrupted.  What I can tell you is that, during a reboot under less than ideal circumstances, it is not uncommon get a warning of possible corruption.  Running a disk-checking utility can clear the warning.  Alternatively, minor corruption to the files can be fixed by this same software.  If the problem turns out to be worse (and I stress that we are not to that point), other measures can be employed.

Updates will be posted here and sent as email to Online Library Directors and Automation Contacts.

ADDENDUM, 11:50 PM--I was not as clear in this posting as I should have been.  The possible drive corruption we're looking at is on the server drive that houses the operating system (Solaris 10), NOT the hard drive array that houses the Horizon databases.  At this point, we have no reason to be concerned about Horizon data.

July 13, 2009, 7:39 AM -- Due to the problems with Horizon, this has also caused Pharos to also be down.  Once the Horizon issues are resolved, Pharos should be up shortly after that.  We apologize for any inconveniences this may have caused and appreciate your patience on this matter, thank you