April 2009 Archives

Changes to the OWLSnet Directory

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If you're printing out the OWLSnet Directory, the following page has changed and should be updated:

*Page 14  LAK - Lakes Country Public Library  Updated Summer Hours.  Please see Note.
Update, Wednesday, April 29th
A Millennium update was installed this morning.  Logging in after this update will take longer than usual, as new files will be downloaded from the server. 

This update is expected to fix the problem where patrons are unable to change their hold pickup location.  If you continue to experience this problem, please contact the OWLS office.  If you experience any other problems with Millennium or InfoSoup, please contact the OWLS office.

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On Wednesday, April 29th, a minor update is scheduled to be installed on our Millennium server.  Logging in to the client after the update will take a little bit longer than usual, as new files needed to be downloaded from the server. 

This is a minor release update, and includes a number of small fixes.  Among those is a fix for the issue of patrons being unable to change their hold pickup locations, as reported in Network News on April 6th, 2009.

Changes to the OWLSnet Directory

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If you're printing out the OWLSnet Directory, the following page has changed and should be updated:

*Page 26  WEY - Weyauwega Public Library  Updated Wednesday Hours (Summer and Winter)
Update, April 23rd, 10:30 AM.  The barcode validity checking fix has been installed.  The next time you log in to Millennium, it will take a bit longer than usual, as new new files will be downloaded from the server to your computer.

If you experience any problems with Millennium, please contact the OWLS office. 

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UPDATE, April 21st.  Unfortunately, the update was not installed this morning.  Due to some last minute negotiations, the update has been re-scheduled for Thursday, April 23rd

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On March 13th, I reported that barcode validity checking is not working.  This means that the system is not warning you when a barcode mis-scans - even when you are creating a new record.

The fix is scheduled to be installed Tuesday morning, April 21st at 9:00 AM.  It should take about an hour.  The system will not be going down - the fix will be installed while the system is running. 

It is possible that new jar files will need to be downloaded after the installation, so it might take a bit longer to log in the first time you log in after the fix has been installed. 

Millennium new release announced

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On Thursday, April 16th, Innovative announced the latest release - 2009A.  Release 2009 will be split into two releases, with 2009A becoming available in May, and 2009B coming out in the fourth quarter of 2009.

Most of release 2009A is related to architectural changes, and maintenance and bug fixes.  Of the most interest to OWLSnet libraries will be the added feature to display the last four patrons who checked out an item.  Once we upgrade to 2009A, we will be able to turn on this new functionality. 

This release also includes a new interface for AirPac, which is a product that enhances the use of InfoSoup on mobile internet devices.  This product will be purchased as a result of an LSTA grant. 

At the next AAC meeting, we'll plan to discuss an implementation timeline for this latest release.

InfoSoup Searching fixed

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The InfoSoup searching problem has been fixed.  In an attempt to fix a previous problem (sorting options for keyword searches had disappeared a few weeks ago), Innovative made a change to our server which caused the searching problem. 

That change has been removed and author, title, subject and keyword searches should now all work (and sort) correctly.  If you do experience any further problems, please contact the OWLS office as soon as possible. 


InfoSoup searching problem

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We are experiencing problems with Author, Title and Subject searching in InfoSoup.  Any searches that result in multiple entries seem to be returning a blank page.  A call was placed to Innovative last night - we will keep you updated on the progress.

In the meantime, Keyword searching appears to be unaffected.  Also, as of this morning, sorting is now working on the main Keyword results page, so we'd encourage you to use keyword searching until this problem is resolved. 

(It does not appear that the broken title/author/subject searches are related to the fixes on the keyword search page.)

Patrons cannot change hold pickup locations

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Patrons are experiencing problems changing the hold pickup locations on their holds. The problem appears to be intermittent - it may be working for one patron while it isn't working for another.  We've placed a call with Innovative to work on the problem. 

In the meantime, we haven't experienced (or had reported) any problems with staff changing hold pickup locations in the Millennium client.  If a patron reports this problem, you should still be able to make this change for them in the client.

InfoSoup sorting problem

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We are having a sorting problem with InfoSoup. The sort by option no longer displays on keyword search results page.  For example, if you do a keyword search for Science and Dinosaurs, you cannot change from the default relevance sort to a date or title sort.  (The sorting options are available on the Full Record display - although they shouldn't be.)

We've opened a call with Innovative, and asked them to put a high priority on the call. In the meantime, to sort keyword word searches by date or title, click on the Modify Search button, which will take you to the Advanced Keyword search page.  The Sort By drop-down gives you the ability to sort by date, title or relevance.
Friday afternoon, April 3rd, InfoSoup started running very slowly.  We worked with Innovative to troubleshoot the problem.  For a while, cover art was turned off, as we tried to find out what was causing the problem.  Cover art has been restored, and the system now appears to be running at its normal speed. 

We will continue working with Innovative to come up with a permanent fix to the problem.  If you experience extreme slowness working with InfoSoup, please contact OWLS as soon as possible.