Author: Dale Poulter

LTDS October 7-13 2018

LTDS continued turn more attention towards various digital collections while still working to maintain Alma and make additional adjustments.  The team also spent time reviewing and planning to move forward on many projects that had been put on hold for the ILS migration.  The team also had a chance to hold an upgrade session to answer questions concerning recent activities.

  • Alma/Primo (Jamen, Nancy, Tao)
    • OCLC Holdings
    • Configuring automated invoicing
    • Alma user documentation
    • Work on the documentation website
  • Desktop/Application support (Judy, Matt, Nancy)
    • Developing an automated windows provisioning script
    • Resolving various desktop issues
    • Deployed new hardware
    • Added software to EBL laptops
  • Digital Collections (Nathan, Judy, Scott)
    • Setting up a new Exhibitions website
    • Continued to ingest items
    • Presented session on ingesting into Islandora
    • Scanning and ingesting  Nashville Voters
    • Changing MZO sort order
    • Working on issues with the ETDs
    • Working to re-brand DiscoverArchive
    • Continued to create Helguera pdfs
  • Web/Web applications (Jodie, Scott, Matt)
    • Adopt-a-book website
    • Applying patches to
  • Other (all):
    • ALA Committee work
    • Working on libchat
    • Resolving various inform issues

LTDS September 30-October 6th

LTDS continued to work on various issues in Alma but also prepared for the upgrade to Islandora and an informational session planned for October 9th.

 

Alma/Primo (Jamen, Nancy, Tao)

  • Revising letters and troubleshooting related issues
  • Documentation website
  • User management including Alumni

 

Desktop/Application support (Judy, All)

  • resolving various desktop related issues
  • preparing equipment for new staff
  • reviewing

 

Digital Collections (Nathan, Judy, Scott)

  • Working on methods to collect publish metrics from the lab
  • Continued scanning Owen Manager and Nashville Voter

Web/Web applications (Jodie, Scott, Matt)

  • Adobt a book website development
  • Documentation website
  • Touchscreen changes

Other (all):

  • SEM project work
  • Adding additional quality checks the the image lab scanners
  • updates to wordpress and drupal
  • Various INFORM tickets and INFORM cleanup

LTDS September 23-29 2018

The team continued to work on various issues related to systems including Alma.  In addition,  LTDS began planning for informational session in a couple of week.

 

Alma/Primo (Jamen, Nancy, Tao)

  • Continued work on documentation site
  • revising letters and troubleshooting
  • User management

Desktop/Application support (Judy, Matt, Nancy, Jamen)

  • Ordering new equipment
  • Updating/cleaning up the inventory.

 

Digital Collections (Nathan, Judy, Scott)

  • Continued to ingest  collections
  • Preparing servers for Islandora upgrade/migration

Web/Web applications (Jodie, Scott, Matt)

  • Work on the Adopt-a-book site
  • Updating wordpress

Other (all):

  • Troubleshooting bitmovin and filesystem issues
  • 3-D printing
  • Resolving various reported issues.

 

 

LTDS Sept16.-22nd

LTDS continues to work on known issues in Alma as well as new issues as they are discovered.  In addition,  LTDS worked on other projects and issues related to future migrations and current digital collections.

 

Alma/Primo (Jamen, Nancy, Tao)

  • Configured requests for Alma
  • Cleanup projects
  • Continued to work on documentation
  • Worked on access issues with some accounts

Desktop/Application support (Judy, Matt, Nancy, Jamen)

  • Beta testing new version of DeepFreeze on the Mac  (this will allow us to update the MacOS to the newest
  • Deployed new laptops to some staff

Digital Collections (Nathan, Judy, Scott)

  • Continued uploading items
  • Prepared several scanning requests for ingest
  • Reviewed needed changes for Islandora and started the process
  • Added images for the collection level folders

Web/Web applications (Jodie, Scott, Matt)

  • Meetings and continued work on the Adopt-a-book project
  • Working on placing events calendar into the library template.
  • Worked on Divinity exhibit

Other (all):

  • Started work on the SEM project
  • Continued review various projects  that have been delayed
  • Worked on various informs.

 

INFORMs resolved during the week

 

Communicating to groups via email.  What are the options?

Communicating to groups via email.  What are the options?

 

There are several ways to communicate to multiple people via email.  The simplest is to include everyone in the email TO: field but that is not always convenient. Other options include personal distribution lists, shared distribution lists, email lists, mail enable shared public folders, and shared exchange mailboxes.  A description of these options are below with a few of the pros and cons for each method.

 

Personal Distribution List: Created by an individual for their personal use by selecting “New Contact Group” in Outlook contacts.

 

 

 

 

Pros:

  • Can be created and edited by the creator at any time
  • Allows for all members to be seen by clicking on the “+” symbol near the list name in the email

 

 

 

 

Cons:

  • Only usable by the creator of the list
  • Needs to be maintained by the creator
  • Can have the same name as a shared distribution list

 

 

Shared Distribution List: Very similar to the personal distribution list but centrally maintained and is available to everyone with access to the library address book.

 

Pros:

  • Maintained centrally so everyone has access to the list
  • Allows the email addresses of the members to be seen

Cons:

  • Must be add the address book
  • Occasionally problematic from the web outlook client.

 

 

ListServ (email list) : email discussion list.  These have email addresses similar to your-list@list.vanderbilt.edu

Pros:

  • Allows users to send email to a single email address and have it send to many people
  • Provides an easy way to have discussions with a group of people without needing to remember everyone’s email address

 

Cons:

  • Cannot easily view who is on the list
  • Managed by a few people (not just LTDS)

 

Shared Public folders:  folder on the exchange server that can receive email and store other outlook items (calendars)

Pros:

  • Can be shared by multiple people
  • Can receive email

 

Cons:

  • Being phased out by VUIT and Microsoft
  • Unable to reply as the user
  • Unable to set auto-replies

Share Exchange Mailboxes (SEMs): a shared email address/mailbox

Pros:

  • Can be accessed by multiple people
  • Subfolders can be create maintain (same as personal mailbox)
  • Can create forwarding and auto-reply rules
  • Can be accessed directly via the web or through outlook client

 

Cons:

  • If accessing from Outlook client, the email address must be setup as a different account to allow the send as feature.

 

LTDS the September 9-14, 2018

This week LTDS spent a great deal of time working on Alma projects  and web cleanup projects.  In addition the team started to review non-Alma related projects and organizing a list of current Alma cleanup projects.

 

Alma/Primo (Jamen, Nancy, Tao)

  • Working on documentation and training materials for Analytics
  • Continue to work on cleanup projects,  since the sandbox is partially available additional tests are possible
  • Ongoing work to setup roles in Alma and standardize the workflow.

Desktop/Application support (Judy, Matt, Nancy, Jamen)

  • Deploy several new machines and reviewed hardware needs
  • Updated Mac OS in the Central Lobby
  • Investigated using the beta Mac deep freeze client

Digital Collections (Nathan, Judy, Scott)

  • Continued to add materials to both Digital Collections and Slave Societies
  • Work on the Adopt-a-book project
  • Added new Silas Clack collection.
  • Met with DGI to discuss next steps in the Islandora Audit

Web/Web applications (Jodie, Jamen, Matt)

  • Work on the Adopt-a-book project
  • Continued to work on interface accessibility improvements for the public site.
  • Worked on requested changes to the ArchivesSpace user interface,

Other (all):

  • Resolving various issues reported through INFORM
  • Reviewing outstanding projects

 

INFORMs resolved during the week

LTDS August 26 – August 30

LTDS continued to work on cleanup projects in Alma and finalize (for now) various configurations.  The team is also reviewing projects that have been tabled — including deploying additional laptops to staff and for circulation.

This week we also had our students return!!   Please welcome Jonah, Sam, Gabriel, Maya, and  Cindy!

A few of the items this week were:

Alma/Primo (Jamen, Nancy, Tao)

  • Revised several notices including Acquisitions notices
  • Removed XXX users (old staff accounts from Sirsi)
  • Continued to work on clean-up projects including the duplicate charges
  • Suppresses more that 65,000 items from display that were in the withdrawn location.

Desktop/Application support (Judy, Matt)

  • Deployed a few new workstations

Digital Collections (Nathan, Judy, Scott)

  • DIL got up to full speed with a working plan for scanning
  • Continued to upload items into the system

 

Web/Web applications  (Jodie, Matt)

  • Added error checking on the web site to prevent issues caused by other servers crashing
  • Started discussions and plans for the adopt-a-book site
  • Continued accessibility improvements.
  • Launch of the news desk

Other (all):

  • Students returned!  Work with them to alert them of changes,
  • triage inform tickets and feedback form
  • Alumni access issues

Inform tickets resolved through Thursday.

 

 

LTDS August 19 – 25, 2018

Although work on Alma issues continue in LTDS, the team was able to address a few other areas last week.  Please let us know if you have questions about other LTDS activities.

Alma/Primo (Jamen, Nancy, Tao)

  • Continued to address issues from migration including clean-up projects
  • Revised user letters/notices
  • Correct circulation transactions
  • Worked on EDI ordering/invoiceing

 

Desktop/Application support (Judy, Matt)

  • Setup Macs
  • Imaged and deployed additional machines

Digital Collections (Nathan, Judy, Scott)

  • Ingested ESSS and Commodore  collections
  • Worked on issues associated with displaying PDFS
  • Started rebuilding solr index
  • Shifted DIL workflow to Adobe
  • Scanned items for exhibit

Web/Web applications  (Jodie, Matt)

  • edited javascript
  • Addresses issues from the feedback form
  • Added to documentation

Other:

  • Upgraded archivesspace
  • continued work on AD cleanup
  • Worked with VUIT to hand-off A/V Support
  • Worked to revised the VURJ

 

LTDS August 12 – 19, 2018

The team continues to work on clean-up projects while balancing enhancements to Alma/Primo with other projects that were delayed due to implementation.

  • Alma/Primo (Jamen, Nancy, Tao)
    • Added users and refined roles
    • Loaded orders
    • Completed registration form and implemented
    • Continued work on clean-up projects (removing duplicate barcodes)
    • Discussed TOU changes
    • Prepared for changes to the letters
    • Working through migration issues
  • Desktop/Application support (Judy, Matt)
    • Replaced several smaller monitors
    • Configured a new mac mini for Central reference
    • Replaced and re-imaged several computers for staff
  • Digital Collections (Nathan, Judy, Scott)
    • Continued to add more items to Fedora
    • Re-calibrated scanner
    • Continued preparation for the Islandora audit
  • Web (Matt Jodie)
    • New WordPress site
    • Updated wording on TVNews website
    • Corrected errors resulting from migration
    • Tested accessibility improvements
  • Other (all)
    • Worked with VUIT to help hand-off classroom support (fall semester trial)
    • Continued to catch up on processing new and older ETDS
    • Upgraded Archives space

The team also resolved various issues reported through INFORM.

LTDS August 6th – 10th 2018

The team continued to review  INFORM requests and prioritize various tickets and began to work on reducing some of the back-log.  Beyond working on INFORM tickets and communicating various project status, the team also worked on many items including:

  • Alma/Primo (Nancy, Jamen, Tao)
    • Completed loading missing items
    • Started configuration of Proquest EDI
    • Continued to create/modify user roles as needed
  • Digital Collections (Nathan, Judy, Scott)
    • Continued to load ESSSS and Commodores to reduce back-log
    • Reviewing display changes in Archives Space
    • Scanned materials for Curator talk
  • Web (Jodie and Matt)
    • Continued to work on reported issues with areas of the new website
    • Adjust some text on the TVNews  website
    • Worked on Google Tag Manager configuration
  • Other items (All)
    • Caught up on ETDs
    • Met with Discover Garden to discuss audit process
    • Re-image and replace several older computers
    • Attended several meetings with others in the library and on campus.
    • Began preparing for migrating the library SharePoint environment to the new version
    • Started review of the Library Active Directory (AD) Organizational Unit (OU) in preparation for the new directory services (project Genesis)