Highlights from 2013.

We are winding up a great calendar year here at LibraryWorld and are looking forward to an even more impressive 2014.  We’d like to take a moment to thank our customers and review some of our achievements.

Many new features were added to LibraryWorld, but allowing PDF and JPEG digital documents to be attached to catalog records, and making one the default jacket image, was the highlight. Furthermore, there were various enhancements to make TEXTBOOK management faster and easier.  Lastly, there was the addition of our new ‘Standard’ library classification, allowing small libraries to be built and managed for free.  These were just some of the improvements in 2013 and we are looking forward to bigger accomplishments in 2014.

Over 300 new libraries started using LibraryWorld online service 2013. Our customer base now includes over 3,450 libraries from all over the world.  We have customers in every state of the United States and in 45 countries including Canada, Germany, Australia, Japan, Bhutan, and New Zealand to name a few.

Our customer base includes every type of library imaginable.  65% are K-12 school libraries, consisting of public, charter, and private organizations.  5% are public, 10% are academic, and 20% are special collections.  Special collections include a wide range such as business, medical, and law libraries.

Again, all of us at LibraryWorld would like to thank our fantastic customers, who through your continued support and feature suggestions have made LibraryWorld the best online library service.

Thank You!

The LibraryWorld Team

AASL Press Release

Contact: Fred Zaccheo

LibraryWorld, Inc.

800-852-2777 x 203

zaccheo@libraryworld.com

LibraryWorld Introduces a New Two Tier Pricing Model

A Terrific Opportunity for Those with Small Collections

AASL Conference--November 14, 2013, Hartford, CT.

During the next month, LibraryWorld will be announcing a new two tier pricing model. The new Standard service is the result of hundreds of requests to provide a small basic service for a variety of environments including: school classrooms, professional office centers, and academic collections. The new free ‘Standard’  service  will be available with limited storage and be supported by online ads.   The new Standard service will include a limit of 500 records per library and restrict sharing of book jacket images and permissions.  But generally, all management and OPAC features will be available to this free ‘Ad’ supported service.

The LibraryWorld current Standard service will be renamed “Premium”.  No other changes to this service will occur except for the name.   If you subscribe to the ‘Old’ Standard service, you’ll see the plan’s name change to ‘Premium’.   If you have needs for small collections to be managed outside of your ‘Premium’ library, you will be free to create those additional free Standard libraries.   Up to five Standard libraries can be created per user account.  The new Standard libraries cannot be shared with other user’s for management purposes.  Only the owner will be able to access a standard or free library; although an unlimited number of patrons can still search using the OPAC service.

“We are really excited to be able to offer this level of service not only for our existing users, but also for all small libraries, archives, and collections everywhere,” said LibraryWorld CEO Norm Kline.  “Cost is no longer an obstacle for teachers with classroom collections or other professionals who need to post their collections on the web.” added Kline.  

LibraryWorld has been offering quality Library Automation products since 1986.  Founder, Norman Kline, started the company (then named CASPR, Inc.) in his own garage while still developing the prototype for the Apple Computer Corporate Library in Cupertino, CA.  The LibraryWorld Online service is the result and culmination of more than 25 years of Library Automation software experience.  

For more, please go to www.libraryworld.com.  Or, call 800-852-2777 and press extension 203 for the LibraryWorld Sales and Information office.  

Circulation Policies

We often receive questions about how circulation works or why a certain due date is coming up. When creating a library the default circulation date is set to two weeks from checkout.   However, you can change that using three specific settings, temp due date, circulation policies and the global due date.  

The temp due date sets a due date for the specific items you are checking out and ignores the circulation policy settings. You can even set a temp due date in the past to force items overdue or to test your overdue fine policies. To set the temp due date go to the Circulation module and click on the ‘Temp Due Date’ button. A form will appear.  Enter the date and click the submit button.  Make sure you enter the date in the correct format:  YYYY-MM-DD.  You’ll see the date appear in the button bar at the top. All items checked out will now be set to be returned on that date. Remember to turn the temp due date off when you are done by clicking the ‘Clear Temp Due Date’ button.

Circulation policy settings provide many ways to set the due date based on a variety of variables including location, collection, patron and record types. To set circulation loan policies click on ‘Settings’ and then ‘Policies’ from the library home page. The Circulation Policies page will appear. There are three main sections.   

The first, Default Values, sets the defaults for loan period, fine amount, hold period, and maximum number of checkouts and overdues.  There are also options for displaying an alert page when checking in an overdue item, setting the fine amount to the price of the item and using a ‘beep’ sound when an overdue item is checked in.   The default circulation policies and fines are used when no matches are found in the ‘Patron Type Limits’ or ‘Loan and Fine Policies’ sections.

The second section deals with limits by patron type.  Here you can set the maximum number of loans and overdues for each type of patron. If a patron exceeds the maximum number of items, then circulation is no longer available to that patron.

The third main section allows for custom policies for loan length and fine amount for a variety of fields, such as a specific branch, location, collection, patron and record type within the library.

Under the ‘Settings’ link there is a calendar feature that allows you to set the days and dates that the library is closed. The program includes all days when calculating the due date – regardless of whether the library is open or closed on those days.  The dates entered on the Calendar page are used to prevent the program from charging fines for closed days or assigning a due date that falls on a closed day.  If, when calculating the due date, it lands on one of the closed days, then the due date will be moved to the next non-skipped day. Fines are NOT charged for days that the library is closed.

There is also a Global Due Date setting on the Calendar page.  If set, this determines the latest possible due date that can be assigned.  This is useful, for example, to make sure all of the items are returned before the end of the school year.  The global due date overrides all of the default policies and circulation policies.  When you check out an item, the program compares the calculated due date (from your policies) to the global due date and then assigns the earlier of the two.  

If, when you are checking out items, a due date is assigned that doesn’t seem correct, these are some recommended steps.  First see if there is a temp due date set.  If so, clear it and try again.  Check to see if there is a global due date set on the Calendar page.  Depending on what you find you may need to correct or remove it.  Next, look at the circulation policies.  Are the policies simple to understand and is there one that matched the checkout? If not, then look at the default settings.

At first glance, all of the circulation policy settings may seem confusing. However, once you understand how they work and interact together you can set them to insure that all items are being checked out for the correct number of days and any patrons with overdue items are being charged the correct fine amounts.  If you have any further questions about using the circulation policy features, please contact our Technical Support team at custserv@libraryworld.com.

Keeping Account Information Current

This is a good time of the year to review your online account information and make sure it is up to date.  If you are the owner of the library, your account information is used to send renewal notices.  If you need to update your account information you can do so by clicking on the account link in the upper left hand corner of the web page, then click on the profile link.  It is important to make sure all information is accurate and up to date.  If any changes were made, be sure to click the save button.  

Now is also a good time to review your password.  Passwords should contain both numbers and letters.  Please, no special punctuation.  If you wish to change your password you can do so by clicking the account link and then click on the password link.  

Please take the time to review your general settings as well. These can be located under the settings link.  To edit your general settings click on the settings link located on the left hand side of the screen.  Next you’ll want to click on the general link.  Here you’ll be able to edit general information associated with your library such as address, phone numbers, and days and hours that your library is open.  The library general settings are used for library specific reports, letters and notices.  For instance, the patron overdue letters will have the return address of the library general settings and not the address in the main user’s account.

New OPAC to be released on July 1, 2013.

LibraryWorld is excited to announce an enhanced online public access catalog (OPAC) to be released on July 1st to all customers.    

The aim of this upgrade is to make the service’s ‘look and feel’ more consistent with what your patrons may encounter when using online search engines as well as to provide a base for additional features in the future.

We have also added features to this release, including sorting by publication year and a default relevancy search.   The basic structure and use of the service will remain the same so there should be little learning curve necessary.

We understand any change in a busy library setting can cause disruptions if one is not prepared for them.  So we are providing this lead time to make any necessary adjustments.    You will not need to do anything to access the new program. On July 1st, we’ll be upgrading the existing service.

To allow you to see the service before it goes public, we’ve provided this link.    This is only for librarians to review the new user interface and not designed for public access.  

http://m5.libraryworld.com/opac/

If you have any feedback, please email to: custserv@libraryworld.com

The LibraryWorld Team

LibraryWorld.com…Quite a Catch

LibraryWorld.com is a powerful cloud based library solution used in thousands of school, public, college, and special libraries in the US and around the world.  With more than 3000 libraries and growing quickly, LibraryWorld has attracted users looking for a straight-forward, low cost solution that won’t break the budget, yet includes features generally associated with a much higher price tag.  At only $425 per library, LibraryWorld includes book jacket images, multiple Z39.50 servers to facilitate cataloging, digital document storage, a customizable OPAC, dozens of reports, an inventory module, and also a serials management module.     We guarantee there is “no catch”.  In fact, we are so confident that are going to love LibraryWorld that we provide a free 30 day trial so you can upload your current catalog and patron records and begin using circulation and running reports immediately.  Your $425 annual cost includes all upgrades, maintenance by our experienced technical staff, email and 800 number support as well. 

Take a moment to download our getting started guide, or call 800-852-2777 x 203 to speak with one of our knowledgeable support staff.  Also, email us at sales@libraryworld.com.  

Textbook and Inventory Enhancements

Although LibraryWorld.com wasn’t designed as a heavy hitting inventory control or textbook management system, many of our customers use the service for just those purposes.   The combination of ease of use, great circulation features and low cost makes the service attractive for tracking material well beyond traditional library holdings.

We’ve asked our customers how we could make these tasks easier and created a set of features to that end.  Most are minor improvements in the service’s display and reports, but two are worth highlighting. 

When adding holdings, it is often time consuming to save a holding and return back to the catalog page just to add another holding to the same record.  A new ‘Save and Add Another Copy’ button has been added in the holding page to allow you to quickly add multiple copies.  

A new command in the circulation module called ‘Location’ now allows you to change the location of one or more items quickly by scanning in their barcode numbers.   This is extremely handy if you want to move holdings from a Textbook storage area  room to individual classes without checking out to specific students.   By using both the change Location and Checkout features you can track textbooks or items in a two layered approach.  First moving a set to a classroom and then checking out to a particular student.  Of course this works just as well for moving and tracking equipment to different locations.  

If you have any questions on how to use LibraryWorld.com for textbook management or inventory control, please do not hesitate to call our sales office at 1-800-852-2777.   

The LibraryWorld Team

New Catalog Duplicate and Replace Features

When cataloging new records using the Z39.50 searching feature, the service will now check for duplicates when displaying the set of of found records.   Duplicate matching is done by ISBN values.

If you already have a catalog record that matches your search, then two additional commands are displayed: Edit Matched Record and Replace Matched Record.

You can do four actions at this point:

1. The matched record may not actually be something you are looking for so you can just ignore and move on.
2. You can edit your matched original record and simply add one or more holding records instead of adding a another catalog record.  Or, you may simply want to edit to view the record to see how complete it is.  After viewing the record you can click on  the 'Add a New Record' link to return to the 'Adding New Catalog Records page'.  There is a new link provided to redisplay the last search you performed. The matched record should be there.  You can decide now what is the best course of action.
3. You may decide that the original record was not up to your standards or was done with a brief record on purpose.  Use the Replace matched record link to replace your original record.   This will replace the ENTIRE original catalog record but will not touch the holding records or digital files attached to the record.   It will also provide a new control number value in field 001 and new date in field 005.   One warning.  Links to web pages are stored in 856 fields and they will be replaced along with other MARC fields.  
4. Lastly, you might decide, for various reasons, to add the matched catalog record again as a new record.  

We hope you enjoy the new duplicate checking and replacing features.   They should make it easier to catalog multiple copies of volumes and update MARC records that were briefly cataloged.

Sincerely,

The LibraryWorld Team

Changing the Ownership of a Library

There are occasions when you might want to transfer the ownership of a library to another user.  The owner of the library is responsible for paying the annual subscription service fee.   Sometimes larger organizations want one user to pay for all the libraries at once.   Transferring ownership to a single user makes this task much easier to manage.  There are other occasions when the original user who created the library would like to transfer the ownership to another user.  

A new feature in LibraryWorld allows this to be done quickly, easily and with full security.  To transfer ownership of a library from one user to another, access the library and click on the Settings link, then click on the Subscription link.  This will display the subscription information.  If you are the owner of the library, a link will display allowing you to transfer the ownership.   Next, click on the ‘Change Owner of the Library’ link to display a page that prompts for the new owners username.  Enter the new owner’s username and click on the Change Owner button.  A confirming page will appear displaying the new owner’s username, personal name and organization.  If this is correct, enter your own password to confirm the transfer and click on the ‘Confirm Change’ button.

If there are no errors the ownership of the library will be transferred and both you and the new owner will receive confirming emails.   

Once you transfer the ownership of the library, the library will not appear on your list of libraries.  If you continue to want access to the library, the new owner will need to setup permissions for your username and you will then have to join the library with the Join command on the My Home page. 

Only the user who owns the library subscription can transfer ownership to another user and that transfer must be confirmed with the correct password.   Emails are sent to each user and internal records are kept at LibraryWorld logging the change.

Using the Z39.50 Search Feature to Add Catalog Records

One way to add a new catalog record to your library is to search the Library of Congress z39.50 database of over 14 million records (or one of the other available z39.50 databases) and copy it into your collection.

Steps to search for a record:

1. On the Catalog page, click on the New Record link.
2. Select the database you want to search.
3. Enter an ISBN, or Title and Author last name and click the Search button.
   Note: If you have a bar code scanner, you may be able to scan in the ISBN bar code number usually found on the back cover of books.
4. If matching records are found, click on the divot to the left of each title to see the ISBN, author and publication information to make sure you select the correct record.
5. If you want to add a record to your collection, simply click on the title.
6. The record is added to your collection and displayed with other recently added records.
7. Click on the pencil icon to the right of the title to edit the record. You'll want to do this to add copies and other local holding information.
8. Click the Add a New Record link to return to the New Record page and continue adding records.

General Database Information

• The Library of Congress catalog does not include records for every book published – only those that they have added to their catalog.  Also, not all of their records contain an ISBN.  Sometimes you will get better results if you search by Title.

• Most books published before 1971 are not in the Library of Congress catalog.

• Many, if not most, of the books published by Scholastic are not included in the Library of Congress catalog.

• Many users have reported getting better results when searching the OhioLINK Central Catalog.  If you’re having trouble finding records in the Library of Congress catalog, try using the OhioLINK catalog for some searches to see if you get better results.

• Occasionally one of the databases may be unavailable (offline). This becomes evident when you do several searches and get no results.  When this happens, try searching one of the other databases for your titles and then you can try the original database again the next time you are adding records.

Searching Tips

• When searching by ISBN, do not include hyphens.
• You don’t have to enter the entire title or author when searching.
• If the title contains very common words, enter the title and the author’s last name.  This will speed up the search.
• Enter author names with last name then first name.  Punctuation is not necessary.
• It’s best not to search by author alone.  Searching by author and title will provide faster results.