Falcon Meeting
Date: 08/17/2006
Minutes:
Approval of May 2006 minutes. Motion to approve by Cato, seconded by POP, passed.
Present: Alternatives, Apalachin, Auburn, Aurora, Cato, Cortland, Dryden, Groton, Homer, McGraw, Ovid, Poplar Ridge, Seneca Falls, TCPL, Union Springs, Waterloo, Waverly, and Weedsport. Rex, Linda, Eric, Robert and Karen from FLLS.
Absent: Berkshire, Candor, Cincinnatus, Fair Haven, Interlaken, Lodi, Marathon, Moravia, Newark Valley, Newfield, Nichols, Owego, Port Byron, Spencer, and Trumansburg.
Announcements:
Old Business:
1) Cortland went on line June 26, 2006. The process went smoothly; Kay said that Jan Aguirre made all the difference. Now all the FLLS member libraries are on the same ILS. Cortland is preparing to begin accepting holds for their items.
2) FLLS has been approved for a Gates training grant. The details are being finalized but will include regional training for the NOVEL databases by Jennifer Schlossberg as well as other technology training. Please complete the survey at http://www.flls.org/cns/survey/traininggrantsurvey.htm so that we can determine the greatest training needs.
3) Robert reminded members to deal with their “lingering Fast Adds.” He referred them to material that he distributed at the meeting and the April 14 Cataloging Polaris Tip http://www.flls.org/cns/polarisdocuments/tips/cataloging.htm.
New Business:
1) FLLS has ordered double barcodes for new material; the top barcode will go on the item and the bottom barcode will go on the processing form sent to FLLS. This will alleviate the problem of incorrect barcode numbers on processing forms. The barcodes that should be placed on items are clearly marked. Continue using the single barcodes until the supple is depleted.
2) Rex distributed a draft of the 2007 FALCONS Budget. The proposal includes the new pricing structure; most members are contributing the base amount of $5,000 but the amounts contributed by AUB, CIN, CORT, TCPL, and TRU reflects the additional cost of $1,100 for each additional client.
3) Rex told members that registration for the Polaris Users’ Group (PUG) meeting on Oct. 5-7, 2006 in Syracuse is ongoing; member libraries are eligible for the reduced registration fee and can attend all or parts of the meetings. The sessions chaired by PUG members are especially helpful for networking and learning from other Polaris users.
4) There weren’t any problems mentioned about the Polaris address checks. Lois commented that it is always good to check email addresses. Rex reminded members to select Mail or email notification and not to use Telephone notification because we do not have the capability of doing automated telephone notices. Rex will create a Notification status report so that the notification field can be corrected.
5) Eric discussed data backup at the member libraries. He emphasized the importance of developing and following a backup procedure. His handout described several backup solutions, all of which require both software and hardware components. Each library should develop a procedure that meets their own needs, depending on the amount and kinds of information stored on their computers and how frequently the information is updated. FLLS will work individually with libraries to determine the best backup solution.
6) Rex reported that he will be requesting 2007-2008 LSTA funding for the Polaris Wireless Access Manager that will control access to the wireless network through use of the library card for authentication. Libraries would be able to turn wireless acesss off during certain time periods and specify websites that do not require authentication.
7) Member libraries need to make sure that their Internet Access policies include wireless access. Rex suggested that member libraries look at TCPL’s Internet Access Policies at http://www.tcpl.org/policies/rules.html#internetaccess as a model. Members may wish to have fewer restrictions on wireless users since people will be using their own equipment; however there should be a disclaimer about library responsibility if the patron’s computer is damaged during use at the library
8) FLLS has purchased two Polaris Inventory Managers (PIM) that are available to member libraries to conduct inventory on all or parts of their collection. It is a web based product that can be hooked up to a scanner. It was decided that each PIM would be loaned out for one month periods. Please contact FLLS if you would like to use the PIM. FLLS staff will work closely with the first users to guide them through the process.
9) Dell laptop owners can go to http://www.dellbatteryprogram.com/ to learn more about the Dell laptop battery recall and to compare their battery serial number to the recalled batteries.
Open Discussion:
Kay asked how others have dealt with patrons who are hesitant to give email addresses. Patrons should be assured that email addresses can not be harvested for anything other than due date reminders, overdue notices, card expirations, and hold notifications. These notices are very helpful. Patrons can also sign up for an RSS feed through http://www.libraryelf.com/ for more timely and frequent notices.
Sally asked FLLS to write up a brief explanation of RSS feeds.
Julia announced that NYLA would be sponsoring an Emergency/Disaster Planning workshop.
There is still space available at the Aug. 24th Rural Sustainability workshop intended to help libraries update their technology plans.
Cortland will be having an Open House on Sept. 16 to celebrate their automation.
Beverly asked about checking duplicate names screen when registering a new patron. If when you double-click the name, the record doesn’t open, the patron is not yours. This is slightly different for the Cayuga Connect libraries. This led to a discussion about levels of permission as it relates to the ability to view, create, modify, or delete Polaris information at different computer terminals. Permission can be altered within your library.
Meeting adjourned:
11:35 am
Next Meeting:
November 16, 9:30 – 11:30 am