Tech Support Meeting Minutes for August 2002

Tech Support Meeting Minutes

Date:August 27, 2002

Present: Lisa Myers, Crystal Giles, Jana Hausburg, Debra Spindle, Donna Morris, Anne Fischer, Jim Welch, Teresa Goggins, Judy Walden, Traci Jinkens, Sue Hall, Scott Carter, Janet Brooks, Karen Marriott

• Update on E-mail Notifications and Invalid E-mail Addresses
  Judy presented this issue at the Library Manager’s meeting. Invalid e-mail addresses received for the whole system is about five a day. E-mail notifications have been implemented.
• Update on Audible “Special Instructions” Alert for Staff
  This has been implemented. Anything that has been typed in the “Special Instructions” field will alert staff.
• Update on “Learn-a-Test” Remote Access
  Remote access is now working. When accessing this site, customers will need to use “New User” or “Returning User”. The “Home Access” does not pertain to us and needs to not be used.
• Update on Internet Usage Statistics and Internet Poll
  Judy polled all library managers regarding Internet scheduling at their agency. The consensus is to:
• do away the ½-hour buffer
• reduce the time frame from 2-hours to 1½ hours per day
• reduce Internet scheduling from two weeks to only allow scheduling one week in advance
• For the month of July, there were a total of 18,000 slots scheduled from CyberMars for Internet time. Additionally, time can be scheduled from the Internet or Gates computers when a customer is logged on, but Automation does not track the amount of time scheduled from these computers. The Internet usage is very popular and with these new changes we will be able to serve as many customers as we can. There will be two implementation dates:
• October 7, 2002 – Allow Internet scheduling of up to one week in advance
• January 1, 2003 – Reduce Internet time from 2-hours to 1 ½ hours, with no ½-hour buffer
• Public Relations and Automation will work on ways to notify customers of these new changes.
• Update on How Best to Inform Customers in Using the PACs
  Judy and Scott will need to meet to discuss this further.
• Update on Customer Requests for Purchase
  A discussion group, consisting of Janet, Karen, Jim, Debra, Kim Rickey, Susan Ryan, and Doug Bentin, met to discuss customer requests for purchase. Janet will continue working with this group. Some suggestions that the group presented were:
• Limit requests by year (age of material). There was some concern over material in certain subject areas where the age of the material may not be so significant
• Limit number of requests per customer in a certain time period
• Rewording front page (changing ‘request’ to ‘suggest’)
• Have customer provide more information
• Multiple requests on popular authors
• Hot link to selection criteria
• Redesigning the send request to be forwarded to a database
• Look at “Ask a Librarian”
• Materials Selection staff are looking at other web sites to see what they are doing.  Janet and Karen will present changes to Jim and he will develop a prototype. Materials Selection staff are also looking at ways to streamline procedures.
• Meeting Frequency
• Jim suggested having the Tech Support meetings quarterly or bimonthly. The group voted unanimously on meeting bimonthly. The next meeting will be on October 22nd.
• Leave Approval Forms
• Judy will talk with Ric Rea regarding removing social security numbers from the leave approval forms that are printed up off of mlsHRPay.
• ILS Issues
• A customer had sent in a request for shockwave to be added to the computers.
• Shockwave is already on the computers; however, it is an older version. With the new Gates computers, there will be a newer version.
• There was a request for DVD drives at reference workstations.
• This is a reasonable request but Windows NT will not allow for the DVD drives. When Automation installs the Windows 2000 operating system, DVD drives will start being added.
• A suggestion was made for labeling video and CDs warning customers about keeping these items in their car during the summer.
• Several ideas were presented at this meeting, including signage, a visual statement consisting of a mobile with warped CDs and videos, bookmarks, and anything else that we could possible incorporate this message in to. Scott will send his ideas and information to Judy. Traci will check with Helen Chacon regarding CDs and Jana will check with Heidi Johnson about CDs and videos.
• There was a request to limit walk-up customer access to just the Internet and require the assistance of a librarian/tech to access other applications on the Gates computers.
• Judy will discuss at next Library Manager’s meeting.
• A suggestion was made regarding training on the self-checkout computers, regarding how to put paper in the computers and remove paper jams from the printer.
• Sylvia Lawson will contact this agency and arrange a time to meet with staff for training on the self-checkout computers.
• A question was raised on when interlibrary loans will be computerized?
• Karen will contact employee to find out more information.
• There was a request to have a “New Search” button added to the catalog, which will enable customers to perform a new search instead of using the “Back” button after placing a reserve.
• Automation will implement this.
• Internet Update by Teresa
•  @ Your Service page – link to Reading is Fundamental
• Main page: www.metrolibrary.org has been refined. Automatic rotating graphics that links to the story behind each graphic. Just in case you miss the picture, there is a link under library services or information regarding each graphic.
• For teachers, parents & students, the “Homework Center” is now available on our site. If you have not had the chance to view it, please take a tour of the homework center @ http://www.metrolibrary.org/homeworkcenter.htm. (NO LONGER AVAILABLE)
• The homework center is a work in progress that will continue to grow and improve.
• The homework center could not have happened without the input and hard work of the individuals listed below.
• A special thanks goes to Jim Welch, Anne Fischer, Janet Brooks, Julie Mock, Marilyn Hudson, Megan Johnson, Scott Carter, and Heidi Daniel for all of their hard work! This group has proven to be team players!
• Currently working on “Senior Page”
• Intranet Update by Teresa
• Online forms in the Statistics & Reports, Online Forms, and Meeting Minutes are continuously updated.
  Action Items
• Public Relations and Automation will work on ways to notify customers of the new changes regarding the Internet.
• Judy and Scott will meet to discuss how best to inform customers in using the public access computers.
• Action Items Continued
• Janet and Karen will present changes to customer requests for purchase to Jim and he will develop a prototype.
• Judy will talk with Ric regarding removing social security numbers from the leave approval forms.
• Scott will send ideas and information to Judy regarding labeling of videos and CDs being kept in customers’ cars during the summer.
• Traci will check with Helen to see if she has any damaged CDs for possible mobile.
• Jana will check with Heidi to see if she has any damaged videos and CDs for possible mobile.
• Judy will discuss at next Library Manager’s meeting the request to limit walk-up customer access to just the Internet and require the assistance of a librarian/tech to access other applications on Gates computers.
• Sylvia will contact the agency that inquired about training for the self-checkout computers.
• Karen will contact employee to find out more information regarding computerizing interlibrary loans.
• Automation will implement the “New Search” button on the catalog.
• Automation will implement the following changes to Internet time:
• October 7, 2002 – Allow Internet scheduling of up to one week in advance
• January 1, 2003 – Reduce Internet time from 2-hours to 1 ½ hours, with no ½-hour buffer