OWWLAC Meeting, Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Agenda

Chilifresh

Renewed through December 2014. Future renewal to be determined.

Discussion:

Based on previous discussion with member libraries OWWLAC recommends that additional efforts to promote use of Chilifresh not warranted, discontinue service December 2014. Strong majority of libraries do not see the value in paying for this service. OWWLAC members support investigating options to make the Goodreads elements of the Syndetics OPAC content more prominent.

Purge Legacy (pre-2007) and Old (2007-2010) Bills

These are bills that were created in Workflows and imported into Evergreen.

• All Old & Legacy Bills

Discussion:

OWWLAC recommends purging all Legacy (older than 2007) bills and linking regular purges of old bills at 6 years along with purging patrons records that are 6 years expired/inactive.

Cash Reports

Lindsay is working on various financial reports to provide more information than is currently available from the CashReport for reconciling fine monies received, as well as reports to help manage fines and bills.

• Cash report - a current draft version of a cash report replacement includes name, payment date/timestamp, bill reason, bill note, total paid, payment type, payment note, staff login, and workstation. Is there more information that should be included?
• Monthly fine tracking - this is still in the conceptual phase, with the idea of providing a way to track bills/payments on a timely basis. Suggestions include: by month data on how many bills are created, for what reasons, and how many have been paid, etc. What other information would be useful for monitoring bills/payments/unpaid debt, etc.?

Checkout receipt "You saved..." item price total

There was some Facebook discussion of MCLS checkout receipts that include a statement totalling the price of materials checked out. We can do this! Here's an example:

Do we want to add this to the default checkout receipt templates? What do we want the text to say? Does it matter if it is the same everywhere (libraries can customize their own receipt templates)?

Discussion:

This addition to the checkout receipt is optional, libraries can use or not use use as they see fit.

One member asked if it would be possible to send checkout receipts (or other receipts) as an email, as stores do. Lindsay will investigate.

OWWLAC is not attached to the PLS-defined receipt templates - we have tried pushing out system wide customized templates, but these are difficult to maintain and can conflict with local customiozations. With the next upgrade, PLS may abandon receipt templates.

Lindsay will provide the code that can be used to insert the "You have saved..." statement and price total into receipts.

Lindsay will also work on training oportunities for libraries to learn how to customize their receipts (useful for other situations as well.)

One consideration with the "you have saved..." are practices used when adding item prices. This will only work when the items have prices; if generic prices are used, or prices include processing fees this will impact the total.

Circulation limits by type of material

Per OWWLAC, April 2007:

As part of the Standard Loan Recommendations, there is no Checkout Limit set within a Library's Circ Map. In order to maintain consistency for patrons, OWWLAC felt there should not be a hard checkout limit set within in a library's circulation map. As such, there are no checkout limits associated with the Standard Loan Period Recommendations. However, it is perfectly acceptable for members to have a limit set within their own library and managed by library staff.

Several libraries have asked about setting circ limits, such as for DVDs. Limits can be set per library, which will impact ONLY checkouts of that library's materials at that library and not any subsequent checkouts of the same material type elsewhere or hold requests. Based on circulation modifier, owning library, and checkout library.

Discusion:

OWWLAC supports allowing system-set circulation limits. Use of limits would be library specific and optional. If system-set limits would help a libraries' workflow, they can request circ limits to be set up. If a library has a manual process in place and that fits their needs, they can continue that manual process.

If an override is possible, i.e. staff can opt to check out items in excess of the limit, that would be desirable.

There is some debate over including hold request items in the limit. This may not be possible, additional testing is required. If hold materials were also limited, the problems with hold fulfillment would probably outweigh benefits.

Circulation Modifier and Circulation Rule change: DVD Set

Proposal to create a "DVD Set" circ modifier that would allow different (longer) loan periods than single DVDs, in order to a) minimize the number of loan period conflicts when DVDs circulate for hold requests, b) clarify researching problems. Problem: finding existing sets and changing the circulation modifier.

Discussion:

OWWLAC supports adding a new circulation modifier "Video Sets" to be used for multi-part DVD series, with a standard circ rule of 3 weeks with 1 renewal.

The label "Video Sets" was determined to be consistent with other video circ modifiers, as a short form of "videorecording", and to avoid further confusion with changing formats (DVD vs. Blu-ray, etc.)

As soon as the rule is in place, libraries can begin to use it for new items. Tips for updating existing records will be distributed.

As always, libraries have the ability to change due dates to match their local policies.

Call Number Prefixes and Suffixes

Evergreen provides the option to define a list of standard prefixes and suffixes that can be applied to call numbers. For example, prefixes: J, J PIC FIC, FIC, DVD, LP, NF, etc. and suffixes: LP, PB, etc.

This would ensure consistent spacing and formatting of call numbers (important when working with lists of records in spreadsheets.) Potential problems: staff training, display in Item Status, possibly display in catalog (need to test), updating PLS reports to include suffixes/prefixes.

Discussion:

OWWLAC supports the use of call number pre-fxes and suffixes. Before this is implemented - tentatively with the upgrade, although it could happen earlier - libraries should contribute to drafting the lists of pre/suffixes. The most common pre/suffixes should be standard, but for libraries that have special collections or materials library-specific pre/suffixes can be defined.

Related query: can the Dewey call number located in the MARC record for fiction items be removed so that it does not autofill when creating a new record? Answer: no; it wpuld place excessive burden on the cataloging workload.

Billing Types

Do we still use/need the following Bill Reasons:

• Bookdrop Fee
• Failure to Rewind Fee

Discussion:

It was agreed that libraries do not use or need these billing types. Lindsay mentioned that in looking at billing/cash reports MANY manually created bills have the billing type "Bookdrop Fee" - presumably because it is the first option in the selection list and populates that field by default. This will cause inaccuracies in reports attempting to track bills by type. It also indicates staff unfamiliarity with using the Bill Patron function. Staff should be reminded to be careful when creating bills and to select the appropriate billing type from the list.

Lindsay will investigate the possibility of deleting these types.

Standard Patron Contact List

New standard report created, currently available on request. This report will list active patrons by home library, over age 18, with name, phone numbers, mailing address, email address, residency, school code, account create date, account expire date, and last checkout date.

ReportStandardPatronContactList

Discussion:

OWWLAC recommends this report be available on request by directors, not made available as an Ad Hoc report. We discussed issues relating to the security of patron information. In terms of this report, which includes personally identifiable information, directors should be careful with who has access to the report, use of the data, and how the report is disposed of when it is no longer needed.

Sandra Hylen asked about the larger issue of Breach Notification Law. Breach notification pertains to security breaches of computerized personally identifiable information/private information and the processes business must follow in order to alert customers, credit reporting agencies, and NYS Attorney General. PLS is currently reviewing patron data security and privacy policies, including Breach Notification, what PLS and member library responsibilities are, security issues relating to our electronic records, security relating to our paper records, and the types of personally identifiable information we collect.

Evergreen Settings

In the new version of Evergreen there are new features and settings, and some old settings, that need to be reviewed and values determined.

• Evergreen Settings Review Chart

Actions

• Initiate purge of Legacy Bills ( internal ticket #35460, submit request to vendor) - LS
• Develop process for purging expired patron records ( internal ticket #35461) - LS
• Consider information needed to track bills/fines/payments - ALL LIBS
  • Used for cash reports/reconciling cash collected
  • Used for tracking general billing trends
• Distribute code for "you saved..." checkout receipts and instructions for editing receipt templates - LS
• Implement checkout limits for requesting libraries and distribute information about this option to all libraries - LS
  • Investigate checkout limit overrides
• Add "Video Set" circ modifier and curc rule - LS
  • Distribute information about this change to all libraries and provide information about strategies for updating existing records
• Create call number prefix and suffix lists - ALL LIBS
  • review pre/suffixes currently used and submit lists to your OWWLAC rep, the common options will be combined into system-wide master lists. Libraries that have special call numbers can have library specific options.
• Remind staff to select the correct bill reason when creating manual bills - MANY bills have the reason "Bookdrop Fee" and a note saying something else! - ALL LIBS
  • Investigate removing the Bookdrop Fee and Failure to Rewind Fee options - LS
• Distribute information about the Standard Patron Contact List - LS
  • Update Request a Report form

Outcomes & Recommendations

• The Chilifresh review service will be cancelled December 2014
• Legacy Bills will be purged
• Patron records inactive for 6+ years, including associated bills, will be purged
• Checkout limits can be implemented for libraries that wish to use them, with the understanding that it will only impact their materials checked out at their library. Libraries that use manual procedures to manage checkout limits and are satisfied with those procedures can continue their current practices.
• A new circulation modifier "Video Set" will be created to be used for multi-disc sets (for example television series); it will have a standard 3 week/no renewal loan period
• Implement call number prefix and suffix selection lists
• Remove, if possible, Bookdrop Fee and Failure to Rewind bill reasons
• Standard Patron Contact List available to directors on request