Minutes – Summit Borrowing Steering Team
January 26, 2007 (Phone Conference, 1-3)
In attendance: Cindy Cunningham-OHSU(Chair), Caroline Mann-UP, Pam Mofjeld-UW, Zippy Nickerson-CWU, Erin Petrequin-PCC (for Katherine Stevens), Lori Pagel-WOU, and Bahram Refaei-Linfield, John Helmer (Orbis Cascade Alliance), Michelle Williams (Orbis Cascade Alliance)
ACTION ITEMS:
- Recruit volunteers for a planning committee and suggestions for SBD. (SBST as liaisons)
- Send out a reminder to all Summit libraries that it is important to continue to use the green flags. (Cindy)
- Send out tips on paging slips for distance education students; develop link for Web page. (SBST, Michelle)
- Send out a SBST recommendation to remove examples from patron verification screen to address problems some libraries are experiencing. Use survey for “up or down” vote. (Cindy, Michelle)
- Check on having the map of Alliance libraries made more prominent and maybe a bit more detailed. (Cindy)
- Check into item #6 from agenda. Regarding ‘Check-in’ box highlighted versus ‘Do not check-in’ box. (Pam)
- Develop list of best practices for handling the US Mail tote issues with the courier – perhaps asking for examples of how members are managing via a survey. (Cindy and Michelle)
POSSIBLE TOPICS FOR SBD 2007:
- Auto-redirect do we want this new feature and how will it work for us.
- Discussion of suppressing patron data on paging slips
- When and how to sensitize materials going out on Summit.
The first order of business was to move agenda item #9 (Summit Borrowing Day planning) to the beginning of the meeting to be sure there was sufficient discussion time.
9. Planning for SBD—program planning committee, celebration of over a million summit requests:
We established that it would be advantageous to develop a SBD planning committee from all Summit Borrowing members to plan the program. We want to celebrate the very significant accomplishment of 1,000,000 transactions. Some quick suggestions were: having a banner, chocolates, travel cups, etc. The consensus was that last year’s program format worked very well and could be a pattern for this year.
John stated that the logistics such as location, catering, etc. are pretty well covered; the planning committee will focus on the program. He will ask Susie Scroggins to find out what is available for the suggested meeting dates which include July 19-20 and July 26-27. Based on the evaluations of last year’s SBD 62% of the respondents were happy with the WSU/Vancouver location.
Steering committee members will get in touch with their liaisons about the planning committee.
1. Green flag changes and usage
a) has the change in format made them easier to use?
b) original purpose vs. current use
The feedback from the green flags has been positive. Some places are using them as a model for other jobs in the library. The size and color make the need for special or specific treatment such as back dating to avoid unintended fines or the possibility an item needs to be forwarded to another location promptly for handling.
Bahram discussed the original intent of the flags and changes to the current use of the flags. Originally it was meant to return the item turned in with no identifying bookbands or labels to the owning library in a timely fashion. Frequently the green flags are now used to identify a need to back date returned materials.
2. New feature auto-redirect
a) to implement or not to implement, and
b) relationship with operating agreement on how long to hold onto a request before canceling with re-request
- is the # of days still the right #?
- are people following procedure?
- All sites have to be on release 2006. There is one site that is not yet on release 2006, but expects to be soon.
- Auto-redirect may supersede smart holds cancelling holds prematurely.
- There is a question whether patrons are being notified when holds are cancelled.
- Smart holds may need to go away.
- There would be some required system changes.
- Perhaps there should be a survey about whether we should move forward with auto-redirect.
It was suggested that this topic be postponed until summer for further discussion with the entire Summit Borrowing Committee. That will also allow those who go to IUG in May to gather more information.
3. Suppress patron data operating agreement for everyone to ask III to suppress patron data? Or leave to individual discretion?
There was a question of whether the addresses are now suppressed on paging slips at all sites, both regular and PUA. Should each site have local control over what is included on the paging slips. The main issues are confidentiality and identity theft. This topic is one recommended for further discussion at Summit Borrowing Committee Meeting.
4. Results of survey on the patron verification screen. Next steps
Some sites have had serious problems with the patron verification screen as it is now. After much discussion the steering committee decided that we recommend removing the universal examples above the boxes and use the space that can be edited for specific information by site. We have varied issues here, the size of member libraries can be one factor and ever changing methods for maintaining security and authenticating patrons is another. See http://www.orbiscascade.org/staffhome/patron_verif-survey.htm for the results from the patron verification survey.
5. Enhancement request: Create a "zip code finder" to locate nearby Alliance pick-up locations from within the Summit catalog similar to the feature in Open WorldCat. This feature would allow distance students to find the nearest library and then place requests for delivery to that location. Is this something Alliance can implement independently? What is expected demand?
- It was felt Distance Ed students would especially benefit from a “zip code finder” enhancement.
- John mentioned that there is already a map on the Summit help screen, but it is pretty deep. From the help button choose “Borrowing Materials from Member Libraries” and in the third bulleted item the words another location hyperlink to a map of general locations.
- Cindy was going to check into have the map made more prominent and maybe a bit more detailed.
6. Enhancement request: When checking in INN-Reach items, it would be more logical to have the ‘Check-in’ box highlighted instead of the ‘Do not check-in’ box.
This was probably a local issue at one of the sites that we may not be able to change. Pam said she would look into it.
7. Enhancement request: We would like to see a message pop up when one of our patrons requests a book that is available at our library. The patron could still request it if it was checked out or missing, but if we have it, they could either put a regular hold on it or go to the stacks and retrieve it themselves.
For this the site may need to turn on same site request. Appears that it may be a local problem.
8. Possible operating agreement on when and how to sensitize materials
It was decided this topic should be addressed at the Summit Borrowing Committee meeting on SBD.
9. Planning for SBD—program planning committee, celebration of over a million summit requests
Moved to the first topic for discussion.
10. Review of courier use of US Mail totes
On this topic, probably the best we can do is develop a list of ‘Best Practices’ perhaps through a survey. In the meantime do whatever we can to keep local operations running smoothly.
****At 3:00 pm our phone conference was over and there will be another meeting scheduled soon complete discussion of the remaining agenda items (#11 – 16).
11. Courier delivery on weekends
12. Misdirected packages/items: EWU examples and how new paging slip with Senvoy sort code working
13. Limiting the number of media requests (one member has been canceling Summit requests for media items when a patron has more than 3 checked out and/or in transit)
14. The short loan: one member reported not sufficient time to send to Distance Education students, even with the new 1-renewal period.
15. PUA:
a). PUA items returned to a library not involved in the PUA transaction
b). Returning non-PUA items in the PUA module
16. Brainstorm any issues the SBST or SBC should be working on
17. Other items?
Minutes prepared by: Zippy Nickerson (CWU)
approved: February 13, 2007