No. 06-51                                                                                                                  December 28, 2006

• JAN AGUIRRE, Specialist & Training Coordinator

Polaris “Tip of the Week”

Did you know that manually declaring an item lost in Patron Status by clicking on the “Declare Lost” icon does NOT automatically generate a bill for that lost item?

 

The only time a bill for a lost item is generated is if the item is overdue for 60 days, or whatever your go lost period is, then the replacement and overdue charges are written to the patron account, the item status changes to Lost, the item is removed from the patron's Items Out list, and the lost item counter is incremented.

A bill is then generated. 

 

• LINDA BEINS, ILL/Reference Coordinator

 Websites

Hopefully you have received a print copy of the Best Free Reference Web Sites 2006 published by the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) of ALA in your delivery. Below is the URL so you can explore this list of best free websites more easily.

http://www.ala.org/ala/rusa/rusaourassoc/rusasections/mars/marspubs/marsbestref2006.htm
 

ILL

Beginning, January 2, June Gilligan will be joining the ILL Dept. at FLLS as its new full-time ILL Assistant. She will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the out-of-system ILL functions. June brings a blend of interlibrary loan, reference, and customer service experience to her new responsibilities. She will be working with me to improve management of ILL workflow and expand access to needed material. You can reach June at ext. 42.

ILL Reminders

• FLLS will be closed on Monday, Jan. 1; there will be no deliveries on that day.

• Phillips Library, Homer, will be closed from January 7-21; they will be preparing for their move into temporary space while their building is being renovated during the coming year. No holds on their material will be allowed during this two-week period. We will have more information about availability of Homer’s holdings in the coming weeks.

• Please note that the Alternatives Library will be closed from Dec. 16 through Jan. 7. Hold requests for ALTER items may take longer to fill.

 

Databases

EBSCO suggests the following strategies when you do not get any results searching the EBSCO databases, such as MasterFile Premier.

        1. Expand Your Search by checking the following boxes on your Search Screen.

• Also search for related words

• Also search within full text of the articles

        2. Unmark some of your limiters – you may have created too narrow a search.

 

This Week’s Question of the Week (repeated)  How may understanding the physiology of hibernation lead to improved health for humans? [Hint: database General Science Collection, search term “hibernation physiological aspects”]

 

•  REX HELWIG, Computer Network Manager

Polaris has notified me that in order to preserve any of the custom reports that I have created, they need to be placed in the custom folder and not in the same folders as the standard Polaris supplied reports.  I have created a Custom Folder with all of the Sub-folders that have custom reports in them (Cataloging, Circulation, etc.).  All of the custom reports (reports that are titled with an “AA-“) have been inserted into the respective Custom Folders.

I have created a new report that will help you check your call numbers for proper formatting.  The report is located in the Polaris Reporting Services

Home > Polaris > Custom > Cataloging > Item and is called “AA-Pre_Inventory Call Number Verification”.  Select the Library and the Collection and it will return all of your items sorted and listed by the different components of the call number.  For Fiction, you should see the “F” in the Prefix and the author’s last name in the Cutter.  Running this report prior to using the Polaris Inventory Manager (PIM) is highly recommended since incorrectly formatted Call Numbers can cause improper sorting in the Polaris Inventory Manager.

 

• DIRECTORS’ ADVISORY COUNCIL (DAC) MEMBERS:

If you have any questions or concerns regarding FLLS library service, you are welcome to contact a DAC member from the list below. 

Janet Steiner, TCPL, Ithaca
Judy Barkee, Ulysses Philomathic Library, Trumansburg
Lois Maki, Newfield Public Library
Kay Zaharis, Cortland Free Library
Mary Frank, Peck Memorial Library, Marathon
Sally Otis, Hazard Library, Poplar Ridge
Stephen Erskine, Seymour Library, Auburn
Beverly Dann, Waverly Free Library.