NExpress Shared Catalog

As a result of today’s Koha Explorer’s Group meeting today, I am sharing the NExpress Orientation Packet created to help with the migration of four Winnebago and three Follett libraries into the Koha catalog.  Heather managed the actual data extraction from these systems and can be contacted directly with questions and procedures.

NExpress Orientation Packet – Table of Contents

• What to expect when you’re migrating time line (Google Document)
• NExpress Migration Check List (Google Document)
• NExpress Shared Catalog Libraries (Google Document)
• NExpress Shared Catalog: Cost Estimates for Phase Four Libraries (not for publication)
• NExpress Vision and Values Statement (Google Document)
• Cataloging and Classifying Your Items in the Koha System
  • Overview of Cataloging Elements in Koha and Shelving Locations (Google Document)
  • Cataloging and Classifying Items in Koha (includes itypes and ccodes) (Word Document)

Hi,

I happened to be in the office this evening when Carolyn got a ‘Dead Box’ – a box of mislabeled materials sent to her by Henry Industries for re-labeling.  I noticed that several of the offenders were NExpress libraries…sending holds to other NExpress libraries.  We understand that NEKLS libraries  have to unlearn and relearn this courier business, whereas the rest of the state just has to learn the ‘Henry’ way.

So, please, pretty please, go to the Kansas Library Express site or visit the Henry Industries site and verify, double check, spot check, or have a look-see that the label you are using to route materials is correct, up-to-date, accurate, complete, new, and right.  This includes your library’s return label…

This may mean finding and deleting a file off of your computer and using the document stored at the Henry Industries site.  It could also mean throwing away old labels that have already been laminated.  A small price to pay to avoid the Dead Box…

Did you know that the labels changed December 11, 2009?  Route designations, hours of delivery, library names, and other key bits of information that are incorrect or incomplete on your label can lead to the Dead Box…

Using the wrong label not only creates work for Carolyn, but also delays the delivery of holds for patrons.

Thank you for your care, concern, thoughtfulness, attention to detail, cooperation, and help.

- Sharon

In CIRCULATION > CHECK IN, there are two checkboxes in the Options section:

* Forgive Overdue Charges
* Dropbox Mode (Book Drop)

These are two separate functions that can be used independently, or in conjunction. The Forgive Overdue Charges allows checkins without fine acccrual, regardless of how late the item is. Dropbox Mode simply sets the checkin period back one business day, to the last business day the library was open, based on the Koha calendar for that library.

-Mickey

Each Item in the catalog has a wealth of information attached to it, including last circulation history information and last borrower barcodes.  For this example, we are using Overbrook’s copy of I, Alex Cross.

To access this information: Search for a title, Select the title from the Results List, and Click on the Items Tab:

Scroll down until you  find Your Copy (or use ctrl+f to search for a barcode):

1. Home Library – The owning library for this item.
2. Current Location – Where the item is currently located or en route to to fill a hold.  This item is currently in transit from Overbrook to Atchison to fill a hold.
3. Status Information – Use the drop down menus to set the Lost or Damaged Status of an item.  Use Missing if the item cannot be found and is not checked out.
   • 
4. Total Checkouts and Checkout history – The total checkouts includes transaction data brought over during migration and checkouts with Koha.  The “View Item’s Checkout History” tracks how an item moves through the NExpress Shared Catalog, recording a date/time stamp for each ’scan’ at a library.
   
5. Last Borrower and Previous Borrowers – Koha will keep track of the last patron to borrow an item, as well as the two previous borrowers.  The Borrower barcodes are active hyperlinks that will take you the patron account if selected.

Extra: What if it’s currently checked out?  The Checkout Status will provide information about who has the item checked out and when it is due.

One of the Great Features of the Koha catalog is Purchase Suggestions.

When a patron is logged into their account in the Online Public Access Catalog, they can place a Purchase Suggestions from the “My purchase suggestions” tab or if they cannot find what they are looking for in a search, they are prompted to make a Purchase Suggestion:

What happens to all of these Purchase Suggestions?
How do you, as the Library Director or Selector, access these suggestions?

1. Log into the Staff Client using a TECH or DIRECTOR account
2. Go to the Acquisitions Module (More > Acquisitions)
   
3. Select the Manage Suggestions link
   
4. Review the Pending Suggestions and select the appropriate Reason, and choose to Accept, Reject or Delete the Suggestions.  The Reason you select will appear on the Patron’s “My purchase suggestions” page.
   
5. The Reasons available at this time:
6. Follow through with ordering the item, then update the status again, if you so choose, once it is cataloged and processed.
7. The Patron can watch the progress of their Purchase Suggestions.
   

A lot of valuable information about holds, transits, holdings and loans can be gleamed from the Details table of a Bib record in Koha.  An illustrated discussion:

1. Location – The location shown is the Owning Library.  Libraries can see how many copies of an item they own.
2. Status – Checked out.  You can see who has the item checked out and when it is due.  The patron name is a hyperlink to their patron account.
3. Status – Waiting.  This item is on hold for a patron, waiting at the pick up branch the patron selected.  This status is triggered when an item sent from one library to another is checked in and the hold is confirmed as received.  This hold will now be OUT of the holds queue and give a status of Waiting.
   
4. Status – In Transit to Fill a Hold.  This is shows that an item has been been confirmed to fill a hold and is in transit from one library to another.  As soon as a hold is confirmed and routed to the pick up library, the Current Location of the item changes to the pick up library (even if the item is temporarily in a courier bin at the sending library).
   This status also shows that this item has been ‘linked’ to a patron for the hold.  In the Holds Queue, this will appear as an “only item” hold instead of a “next available” hold.
   
5. Status – Checked out and On Hold.   This is an example of a Copy-level or item-specific hold, rather than a Title-level or ‘next available’ hold.  Only staff can place copy-level holds and only the specific copy of the title associated with the patron will fill the hold, not the next available item.
   

NEKLS is pleased to announce that seven more libraries have joined the NExpress shared regional catalog, using the open source ILS Koha. Bern Community Library, Eudora Public Library, Horton Public Library, Mary Cotton Public Library (Sabetha), Osawatomie Public Library, Oskaloosa Public Library, and Seneca Free Library all went live on the system over the weekend.

31 libraries are now part of the NExpress shared catalog, with over 650,000 items available to patrons. You can find the full list of participating libraries at the NExpress Library Project website.

NExpress is a joint partnership of the Northeast Kansas Library System and participating libraries, with partial funding through a Library Services and Technology Act grant from the State Library of Kansas. For more information about joining NExpress, please see this post from Jim Minges, NEKLS System Director.

Seven NEKLS libraries will be migrating to NExpress at the end of the month. Although I’m still a newbie in the KOHA world, I’m working to learn more and to help coordinate the training.

Realizing that training isn’t just about where to click and what to type, we held a session yesterday, which focused on policies and frequently asked questions. We covered six topics:

• Fines/system preferences
• Holidays
• Overdues
• Email notifications
• Renewals
• Holds

The participants asked excellent questions and our resident experts, Mickey and Sharon, gave clear explanations. I know I learned a lot.   A recorded version of the session is available (it includes the sound and the text chat) and you’ll need the PowerPoint, too.

More tales of training to come!
-Brenda

We have recently rediscovered a report in Koha that we think will help libraries manage items being transferred to your library.

The “Transfers to receive” report is on the Circulation page, under the Holds Ratio report:

What this report shows is a list of items coming to your library from other libraries in the NExpress Shared Catalog, either to fill a hold for your patron or to be re-shelved.

We recommend looking at this report weekly or monthly to help find and locate missing items, items that were not transferred correctly and/or items that have accidentally been shelved at the wrong library.
(Typical clean up and maintenance that is needed when libraries do interlibrary loan!)

When you first run this report, you will see that some items have been in transit between libraries for MONTHS!

How do you go about ‘cleaning up’ this list? We’ll talk about it at the November 5 Users Group meeting, but I think a simple phone call and shelf check will do the trick in most cases.  If an item is truly lost in transit between libraries, follow your library’s procedures for managing lost ILL items.  You may want to refer to this post about the Materials Replacement Fund.

Images updated Jan. 14, 2010 by Sharon

How to:

Managing the Holds Shelf

Overview -

• Using the Holds Awaiting Pickup Report, you can quickly see which holds have expired and need to be returned or moved on to the next hold.
• Using the ‘Cancel Hold’ buttons provided, you can remove the item from the patron’s account and initiate a transit of the item back Home or confirm and transfer the item to fill another hold.
• Note: This report still has some issues, the biggest being that you are not prompted to print a transfer slip.
  Other issues:
  Bug 3288 (Transit prompt not immediately triggered after hold is canceled) and
  Bug 3270 (Canceling a hold request after transfer initiated orphans item)

Steps (with illustrations below):

1. From Circulation, Open the “Holds Awaiting Pickup Report” (just under the Holds Pick List)
2. By default, the report is in reverse date order – newest holds at the top.
3. Click on the arrow buttons next to the “Available Since” heading to resort the report.
4. Now the oldest holds are at the top of the report. Many will say “Hold Over” – these have been on the Holds shelf for at least 7 days.
5. If the item and the patron who has the item on hold both belong to YOUR library, you will see the “Cancel Hold” button.
   • Clicking on Cancel Hold will remove the hold from the patron and check in the item.
   • You may double check this by checking in the item a 2nd time – it should say Available and Not checked out.
6. If the item is from a different library, you will see the “Cancel hold and return to: LIBRARY” button.
   • Clicking on this button with remove the hold from the patron and initiate a Transit from your library back to the home library IF there is not another hold on the item.
   • To double check this, using the Search the Catalog box, type in “barcode: XXXX” The status should say “In transit from Bonner Springs to Linwood” for example.
7. If the item is from a different library AND on hold for a different patron, you will still see the “Cancel hold and return to: LIBRARY” button.
   • However, when you click on this button, you will get a message saying, “Holds awaiting pickup for your library on: 08/21/09 Hold find for (The boyfriend) must be transferred – This hold placed by Patron at the library LIBRARY. Please transfer…” and SUBMIT QUERY
   • After you submit query, you will be returned to the Holds Awaiting Pickup Report
8. To print a transfer slip, check in the item and Confirm, transfer and print slip (as normal)