Tech Support Meeting Minutes for October 2004

Tech Support Meeting Minutes

Date: October 26, 2004

Present: Linda Gens, Linda Jameson, Kay Bauman, Jim Welch, Teresa Goggins, Anne Fischer, Lloyd Lovely, Janet Brooks, Judy Walden, Karen Marriott, Crystal Giles, Donna Morris, Clyde Herrod, Traci Jinkens

Update on Action Items:

1. Employee Leave Calendar will be placed on the staff home page.
   Done.
2. Materials Selection and Cataloging will meet with Jim to discuss ideas re: cross-referencing and added entries. In progress.
3. Judy will compile a list of all location codes and will run the list by Library Managers to decide which ones to take out of the change location and temp loan options. Managers will review the list and provide feedback on what is needed/not needed. Done. Judy has provided feedback to Jim. SRS and BKR will be removed as an option from the Location Code tab. SRS and BKR will both be under the Temp Loan tab. This update will take place soon.
4. Teresa will send a link to the Drop Down Sample Page to all Tech Support members. Done.
5. Teresa requested Tech Support members to begin sending her ideas on what they would like the Internet to look like. Done.
6. Kay requested Tech Support members to look through the draft developed for answering common questions customers may have when performing searches on the library catalog. Please provide her with feedback. Done. Jim and Kay will move on to the next step in this assignment.
7. Kay will obtain feedback from Public Service staff regarding customer frequently asked questions. Done.
8. Information Technology will implement the change to the five-minute warning on library computers. Done.
9. Current Topics:
1. Phasing out ILS Functions – MR6530
   The MR-Win6530 is becoming more and more difficult to keep up-to-date and the functions are outdated. Information Technology proposes to gray out all of the functions except for Multi-Trieve and Periodicals Check In. Tech Support approved Information Technology continuing on with this project.
2. Demo of PCHelper
   This program was developed to provide better customer service for all MLS employees by the Information Technology Department. IT staff will now be able to automatically perform many necessary functions remotely, i.e. software updates, killing a running program, etc. This development will enable IT staff to better manage all computers running throughout the system.
3. System Reserves
   This new version of the hold shelf pull list will automatically appear at the end of the system reserve search list. Staff will use this list as their guide for which items to no longer hold. Another feature added to CyberMARS, customers will be able to log on to CyberMARS, through the Reserves function, and see those items that are waiting for them at their pick up location. Customers will automatically know how much time they have left before their materials are pulled from the agency’s SR Shelf. Staff will be able to see all of this information as well from the V-Circ Reserves tab. A sample of a system reserve shelf pull list can be found at the end of these minutes. The “Ready” date is the date that the material becomes ready or is being routed. As soon as an E-mail is sent, or a reserve notification is sent via USPS, the customer’s record will change to reflect the “Pull After” date. A suggestion was made to have something other than “Route” to indicate to customer that a reserve is being sent to their library. It was decided to change “Route” to “Shipped”. Jim and/or Anne will present this information at the next Library Manager’s Meeting scheduled for November 10th at the Choctaw Library.
10. Standing Topics:
11. Internet/Intranet
12. Survey developed with the assistance of the entire Planning Staff….
13. Mike Miller - key person in development, monitoring and implementation of survey.
    Purpose of survey:
• Determine which Intranet pages the MLS Employee considered most valuable.
• Determine which Intranet pages were useful and useable by the employees.
• Determine if the Intranet was user friendly and provided easy navigation.
• Determine top five pages, the employees would like to see on the Intranet to include in the drop down / header.
• Provide guidance with arrangement of content, links, and pages.
• Determine ability to use and awareness of Search function by employees.
14. Survey from dates 09/01/04 to 09/15/04
15. Total completed 125
    The top five pages viewed as very valuable by MLS Employee:
• Forms page 76 %
• Who’s Who 66 %
• MLS Policies & Procedures 61%
• Employee Related Information 54%
• Holiday closing schedule 48%
16. Immediate action items as a result of survey.
• The Forms page has been revised by simplifying the names of the form, rearranging links by category and adding a note that explains how to Search for a form. (Traci Jinkens)
• We received several comments on the Search function. Some users were not aware the Intranet had a Search function. In the effort to make the Search button more visible, the Search button was moved from the top right hand corner to the top left corner of the Intranet. (Input from Traci Jinkens & Judy Walden)
17. Goals going forward:
• Utilizing the combined results from the online survey, Intranet statistics and feedback from Tech Group, I have partnered with Jim, Traci, and Kay for guidance and assistance with the revision of the Intranet.
• In process of eliminating department pages on the revised Intranet – Information will be arranged by content.
• Most requested pages / links from survey and Intranet statistics provided by Jim Welch moved to drop down list to be viewed on every page.
• Modify search button on template to allow user to input search request in textbox.
• Fewer links to information.
• Utilized results as guidance for arrangement of content, links and pages.
  Traci Jinkens is currently working on the rearrangement of content and links on the Policies and Procedures page so that it easier for the employees.
• Continue to use the results as a reference and resource for Intranet.
  The development of the brochure included feedback, assistance / guidance from Traci Jinkens, Stacy Shrank, Jim Welch, Anne Fischer and Kay Bauman
• Brochure created to provide information about Intranet.
• FAQ on brochures answers questions from survey.
• FAQ answers most common questions by MLS staff.
• The brochure served as an answer sheet for the Got Info? booth at FOCUS 2004
• The goal of the brochure was to continue to create awareness and usage among staff.
• Future action items:
• Six months from September conduct another survey and gather Intranet statistics, and compare results with previous survey.
• Work with Stacy to develop and implement updated Intranet Training.
18. Listed are a few responses from Question 13:
19. We are currently redesigning the Intranet to make it more useful for MLS staff. Please provide any comments below that you have about the Intranet.
1. “I think it functions very well.”
2. “The most confusing thing for me currently is locating information in different departments like HUM & PLA. I also forget to just check in about things like FOCUS to get additional information.”
3. “It would be more helpful to me to have the system phone list easily accessible on the main page.”
4. “More links up front, fewer steps to info. “
5. “I think the Intranet Search button should be located in a different spot. The current corner to me is a weak area.”
6. Please make it more user friendly. Thanks
7. “Several comments on the difficulty of finding Forms on the Forms page.”
8. Arrangement of content in Policies & Procedures.
9. This has the potential to be the “premiere” source of information to employees. Consider that I have already verbally given input on the
20. Intranet through Tech Group.

1. ILS Issues – Attention Employees: When submitting Tech Concerns and Suggestions, be sure and write down specifically what is needed and/or wanted. Find out the specifics: Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How? The more details provided in your e-mail, the better! Thanks, Tech Support

1. Tech Concerns
• Something should work a certain way or differently
• Information is not needed ASAP
• Something to be fixed without bringing the issue before the whole Tech Support committee
2. Tech Suggestions
• Suggestion or idea for improvement
• Something to be done in the future
1. A suggestion was made to have the “Downtown Library Public Space Regulations and Use Downtown Agreement” in the MLS Room Manager. This would be so much more convenient to be able to print a copy and give it to the customer without going into the Policies and Procedures screens.
   This is a possibility, however it needs to be investigated further. Kay and Jim will get together with a representative from the Belle Isle, Midwest City, and Downtown libraries to discuss exactly what is needed and the pros and cons.
2. A request was made to have the Spanish version of the Internet Agreement available on the Intranet under the Forms page.
   Traci will work with Marketing to obtain a copy to place on the Intranet’s Form page.
3. A suggestion was sent in to have an e-mail reminder when a book is due/overdue when in CyberMARS.
   Anne corresponded with the customer letting her know that we already have a notification system in CyberMARS when an item is due/overdue. An elephant appears upon logging in to CyberMARS.
4. A suggestion was made to have the receipt printout show that a fine was paid for with food, i.e. “Paid with food in lieu of fine.”
   We will not be doing this.
5. A concern was sent in regarding usage of the “Back” button when in CyberMARS. The employee would often lose searches when she used the back arrow.
   In CyberMARS, we have no control over the browser toolbar. The buttons will not work. Information Technology has navigational buttons at the bottom of each screen in CyberMARS that support the “back” function.
3. Action Items
• Materials Selection and Cataloging will meet with Jim to discuss ideas re: cross-referencing and added entries.
• Information Technology will remove SRS and BKR as an option from the Location Code tab. SRS and BKR will both be under the Temp Loan tab.
• Kay and Jim will get together with a representative from the Belle Isle, Midwest City, and Downtown libraries to discuss exactly what is needed, in the way of forms, in the MLS Room Manager and the pros and cons.
• Traci will work with Marketing to obtain a copy of the Spanish version of the Internet Agreement and place it on the Intranet’s Forms page.
• Jim and/or Anne will meet with Library Manager’s on November 10th to discuss the System Reserve Shelf Pull List.