LINC Users Group Meeting Summary
March 21, 2002
The LINC Users Group met on March 21, 2002 at LTLS. Twenty-three attended the meeting. The agenda included:
•LINC Update
•Email Notices/Self Renewal
•Previewing videos and dvd’s
•Recall
Pat Boze gave a review of LINC activities since the October Users Group meeting, including new policies approved by LINC Poliy Council, implementation of email and self-renewal, purging of inactive patrons, authority control, batchloading, web-based resources nominations, and new online libraries.
Pat explained the basic configuration that had been set up for each library for these two functionalities, the use of the Ltnet bounced e-mail box, who gets notices, what kinds of notices are emailed, and how individual patrons can be set to receive email notices (particularly if a library is set to phone for holds notices).
Libraries that use the LTLS Cataloging Center have been asked to preview videos since 1998. Merdy Smith reviewed the process of previewing by using some real examples and showing what information should be included and what shouldn’t. A form has been used in the past that should accompany each piece. Merdy mentioned that this form is currently being revised and a separate one for videos and dvd’s is being developed.
Previewing each product is necessary because the containers for these formats are not necessarily accurate. The cataloging information must come from the product itself. The libraries are being asked to provide preliminary information that is used by the Cataloging Center staff to complete the cataloging record.
Pat Boze presented an overview of Recall, a query language that is used to extract data from Dynix that can be useful to libraries. Because recall is powerful, it can also do damage to data in Dynix – that is why recall is only done by LTLS staff.
Data is organized in Dynix in files and this data can be combined to give important information to libraries on such things as use of materials, when items were last checked out, a list of patrons who owe large amounts of money, the age of a collection, or the total value of all items owned by a library. Libraries interested in data such as this should contact Pat Boze, ext. 219, or the LTLS automation department to request a recall.