Status Report for March 2000

Topics

1. AAL E-CAT
2. Development of the Virtual Catalog, Interlibrary Loan Linkages, Etc.
3. Training Information
4. Staff Competencies

AAL E-Cat – A Mascot And Logo For The Anywhere-Anytime Library Virtual Catalog

After trying out several alligators and getting comments like –"It looks like road kill" from ‘Gators and "It is too realistic" from ‘Noles. We decided to abandon AAL the Alligator. Now we are looking at a real live black and white cat who was once an alley cat and now makes her home in Pasco County with Diane Solomon or possibly a calico that hangs around the TBLC office. Watch the web site for pictures.

Development Of The Virtual Catalog, Interlibrary Loan Linkages, Etc

Epixtech is sending us daily progress reports. Late Wednesday, March 15 they reported

"Have finished adding 3 more catalogs to the original three. They are:

Palm Harbor (catalog code FYJ)

Pinellas Park Public (catalog code FYL)

Sarasota Library System (catalog code SARAC)

All three connect and return search results plus holdings/availability.

Have created library profiles for SUNLINE (SUNL), Tampa Hillsborough (THOR), Pasco County (PASC), Sarasota (SARAC), Palm Harbor (PALM), and Pinellas Park (PPPL) - along with staff logins. Have setup search strategies at each library for the (currently) 4 connecting catalogs (SUNL, FYL, FYJ, SARAC)

Have created one branch profile for each library to serve as pickup location.

The catalog, library and branch profiles are skeletal; with only the required information entered so that we can test and train. Circulation options, contact information and other admin stuff can be added/changed later."

Each day brings a new challenge and the contact people at the participating libraries can expect to hear from the epixtech staff.

Just as soon as there is solid staff access, we will send out the information so you can go in and look. This may start with visitor only status.

Training Information

Notices were mailed on March 15 to the people representing each Library Automation System who will be the designated "Expert/Trainer" for those libraries. Each library automation system participating in the Anywhere-Anytime Library will have a person who is designated as the URSA EXPERT/SUPER TRAINER. This person will be one of the 12 people who will be trained directly by epixtech on April 4, 2000. They need to be a person who can communicate what they have learned to the automation system administrator, interlibrary loan staff and customer service staff. First and foremost they will be a trainer and a communicator. They will be the primary troubleshooter for their library and will have TBLC Anywhere-Anytime Library staff to turn to when they are unable to answer a question or find a solution.

The 12 people includes one representative from Pasco County, Sarasota County, Manatee County, St. Petersburg, and Pinellas Park. There are two SUNLINE libraries (an academic and a public) included. Because Tampa-Hillsborough needs to train people in 20 branches plus Plant City, they have been allocated 2 slots. TBLC staff will fill three slots. TBLC staff will

1. Hold one, 4-6 hour, hands-on, session just for Automation Systems Administrators at TBLC – most likely on April 14;
2. Hold two, 2-3 hour, hands-on, sessions to accommodate the Primary Interlibrary Loan Librarian from each of the 20 participating libraries at TBLC most likely on Monday, April 17.
3. Hold two , 2-3 hour, hands-on, sessions to accommodate the Primary Public Service (Reference or Circulation) Librarian from each of the 20 participating libraries at TBLC most likely on Wednesday, April 19
4. Schedule training at one or more sites in Pinellas County to train additional staff of the SPIN and the SUNLINE libraries.
5. Work with the Experts from Hillsborough, Pasco, Manatee, Sarasota and St. Petersburg to plan training for at least one person from each branch library by May 15.
6. Create the training materials that the Experts will use. It is hoped that the Experts will observe TBLC staff once on their site or nearby and then the TBLC staff liaison will observe the Expert once. This will enable them to provide feedback to each other and enable both people to become even better trainers.

The plan is for Karen Wilber to be the liaison with St. Petersburg and the other SPIN libraries and Pasco County. Lauren will be the liaison with SUNLINE and Beth will be the liaison with Sarasota and Manatee. All three will work with Tampa-Hillsborough, although Lauren will be the primary liaison.

Staff Competencies

The following materials outline what we expect different people on the staff of each library will know after the training is completed.

Lauren will welcome e-mail at stokesl@tblc.org of your comments and suggestions. The Experts will have an opportunity to discuss this on April 4.

ANYWHERE-ANYTIME LIBRARY TRAINING COMPETENCIES TO BE MASTERED

Expert/Super Trainer

1. Be able to explain the Anywhere-Anytime Library project.
2. Explain how the Anywhere-Anytime Library benefits patrons and library staff.
3. Explain how to use the Anywhere-Anytime Library to patrons.
4. Provide library staff training on-site.
5. Train new library staff as needed.
6. Trouble shoot problems with the URSA software. Answer routine staff questions and refer unusual ones to TBLC staff.
7. Communicate problems to Anywhere-Anytime project manager at TBLC.
8. Be able to submit an interlibrary loan request to the URSA system.
9. Be able to review the status of a request in the URSA system.
10. Be able to complete an interlibrary loan request in mediated mode.
11. Provide "expert" knowledge of the URSA software to other staff members.
12. Perform administrative functions such as defining catalogs, libraries, branches, staff users, help screens and lending strings.
13. Generate reports.
14. Customizing templates found in the URSA system.

Automation System Administrator

1. Be able to explain the Anywhere-Anytime Library project.
2. Explain how the Anywhere-Anytime Library benefits patrons and library staff.
3. Communicate systems administration problems to library "expert" or Anywhere-Anytime project staff at TBLC.
4. Perform administrative functions such as defining catalogs, libraries, branches, staff users, help screens and lending strings.
5. Generate reports.
6. Customizing templates found in the URSA system.

Interlibrary Loan Librarian

1. Be able to explain the Anywhere-Anytime Library project.
2. Explain how the Anywhere-Anytime Library benefits patrons and library staff.
3. Communicate problems with mediated and un-mediated ILL to library "expert" or Anywhere-Anytime project staff at TBLC.
4. Be able to submit an interlibrary loan request to the URSA system.
5. Be able to review the status of a request in the URSA system.
6. Be able to complete an interlibrary loan request in mediated mode.

Public Service Staff

1. Be able to explain the Anywhere-Anytime Library project.
2. Explain how the Anywhere-Anytime Library benefits patrons.
3. Explain how to use the Anywhere-Anytime Library to patrons.
4. Be able to submit an interlibrary loan request to the URSA system.
5. Be able to review the status of a request in the URSA system.
6. Communicate problems to library "expert" or Anywhere-Anytime project staff at TBLC.

This has been a lot of information. Please share it with many people in your library.

The bottom line is: the Anywhere-Anytime Library is fast becoming a reality!!

One goal is to be able to give our colleagues from around the state a "Sneak Peek" during FLA, a second goal is to have staff start using mediated mode by the end of April, and the third goal is to cut the ribbon for the public to use AAL E-CAT in mid-May.

Who should be designated as Expert/Super Trainer?
Each library automation system participating in the Anywhere-Anytime Library needs to have a person who is designated as the URSA EXPERT/SUPER TRAINER. This person will be one of the 12 people who will be trained directly by epixtech on April 4, 2000. They need to be a person who can communicate what they have learned to the automation system administrator, interlibrary loan staff and customer service staff. First and foremost they should be a trainer and a communicator. They will be the primary troubleshooter for their library and will have TBLC Anywhere-Anytime Library staff to turn to when they are unable to answer a question or find a solution.

Responsibilities:
This person is responsible for URSA software management and training at their library site. Some libraries will have one person who is Library Contact, System Administrator and URSA Expert/Super Trainer. If two or three people are filling these roles, they will work as a team. They can also expect to assist in training staff of nearby libraries as part of a collaborative project.

Qualifications:
Teaching ability experience or skills. Good oral communication skills. Problem solving skills. Excellent customer service skills Ability to interact with multiple levels of library staff. Varied levels of interlibrary loan expertise; automation system expertise and searching skills will be encountered.

Desirable Knowledge and Abilities:
Working knowledge of: training and teaching techniques; interlibrary loan policies and procedures employed at the library; searching skills; automation system procedures in the basic modules of cataloging, circulation and searching.

Ability to:
plan, organize, schedule, communicate well, acquire expertise in interlibrary loan software; establish and maintain effective working relationships with others.

Training and Experience:
Experience in an interlibrary loan department and/or public service area of the library. Attendance at epixtech training session.

Expert/Super Trainer

1. Be able to explain the Anywhere-Anytime Library project.
2. Explain how the Anywhere-Anytime Library benefits patrons and library staff.
3. Explain how to use the Anywhere-Anytime Library to patrons
4. Provide library staff training on-site.
5. Train new library staff as needed.
6. Trouble shoot problems with the URSA software. Answer routine staff questions and refer unusual ones to TBLC staff.
7. Communicate problems to Anywhere-Anytime project manager at TBLC.
8. Be able to submit an interlibrary loan request to the URSA system.
9. Be able to review the status of a request in the URSA system.
10. Be able to complete an interlibrary loan request in mediated mode.
11. Provide "expert" knowledge of the URSA software to other staff members.
12. Perform administrative functions such as defining catalogs, libraries, branches, staff users, help screens and lending strings
13. Generate reports
14. Customizing templates found in the URSA system

Automation System Administrator

1. Be able to explain the Anywhere-Anytime Library project.
2. Explain how the Anywhere-Anytime Library benefits patrons and library staff.
3. Communicate systems administration problems to library "expert" or Anywhere-Anytime project staff at TBLC.
4. Perform administrative functions such as defining catalogs, libraries, branches, staff users, help screens and lending strings
5. Generate reports
6. Customizing templates found in the URSA system

Interlibrary Loan Librarian

1. Be able to explain the Anywhere-Anytime Library project.
2. Explain how the Anywhere-Anytime Library benefits patrons and library staff.
3. Communicate problems with mediated and un-mediated ILL to library "expert" or Anywhere-Anytime project staff at TBLC.
4. Be able to submit an interlibrary loan request to the URSA system.
5. Be able to review the status of a request in the URSA system.
6. Be able to complete an interlibrary loan request in mediated mode.

Public Service Staff

1. Be able to explain the Anywhere-Anytime Library project.
2. Explain how the Anywhere-Anytime Library benefits patrons
3. Explain how to use the Anywhere-Anytime Library to patrons
4. Be able to submit an interlibrary loan request to the URSA system.
5. Be able to review the status of a request in the URSA system.
6. Communicate problems to library "expert" or Anywhere-Anytime project staff at TBLC.

Monday, March 13, 2000 2:11 PM

Just a brief status report on your URSA installation. We have installed and configured both the Informix database and the URSA system. Our Provo, UT office is currently working on the circulation automation maps and library profiling. I expect that they will provide you with a status report on that as progress is made.

Regards,

Timothy P. Veerkamp
epixtech, inc