LibraryWorld Mobile App

Now searching is easier than ever with the LibraryWorld app! One of the largest benefits a cloud-based library automation system offers library managers and patrons is mobility.  By using LibraryWord’s service your access to circulation records is not limited by the physical location of your library.  You can login at work, at home, and on your iPhone, iPad, or Android device using the LibraryWorld App, which is available free of charge to you and your patrons.

The App was designed to allow library patrons the ability to search their home library by authors name, title of the book, or keywords associated with the book.  Users can also view book jackets, check the status of circulation items, and access a clipboard feature allowing for search tracking.

Our most recent update added a new feature that allows a hold request to be sent.  The librarian will then place the appropriate book on hold for the patron.  In addition to this new feature,  we updated the user interface.

Managing your Inventory

Around this time of year, many of our libraries are beginning inventory control.  We have created a step-by-step guide to help ease this process.  Below you will find the steps needed to manage your inventory, print inventory reports, and reset your inventory, as well as some tips to help you through the process.  

The LibraryWorld Inventory module allows you to take inventory of your collection by entering the barcode number of each item that is on the shelf.  You may then print an inventory (missing items) report.

This process consists of four steps:

1. Enter the barcode numbers of items in a specific section of your library.

2. Run the inventory report for the section of barcodes you just entered.

3. Correct all errors for the inventoried section.

4. Press the reset Inventory button to clear the inventory flag from the items scanned.

There are two ways in which you can enter barcode numbers.  The first way is to scan/type them in one at a time.  

To enter one number at a time:

1. Open the library and select the Inventory module.

2. Type or scan in a barcode number.

3. If a number is not found in the library, an alert will appear.

4. Continue entering numbers for a location or logical call number section of your library.

The second option to enter barcode numbers is to scan large numbers of barcodes into a plain text file and upload them into the program all at once.

To upload a file:

1. Using a scanner, keyboard, or portable unit, enter multiple barcode numbers into a plain tex file.  The file must contain plain text characters with each bar code number separated by a carriage return.  For example:

6000

9523

3454

4476

2. Open the library and select the Inventory module.

3. Select the ‘Upload an Inventory File’ link.

4. Click the ‘Browse’ button, navigate to and select the rule containing the barcode numbers.

5. Click the Submit Query button to load the file.

6. If there are errors in the file, an alert will appear with a link to an error page.  Print the error page.

If you would like to print an inventory report:

1. Select the Inventory module.

2. Go to Step Two.

3. Enter the individual branch, location, or call number section for which you want an inventory report.  Branch, location, and/or call numbers must be entered to run a report.  If you don’t use the branch or location fields in your records, simply leave them blank.   

For example, if you just scanned all the books in the 300s, simply enter 3.  The program will create an inventory report for all missing items who call numbers begin with 3.

4. Click the submit button.

5. The inventory report will include those items that are missing— meaning they have the status ‘IN’ but were not scanned during the inventory process.

6. The inventory report is displayed in a separate window for easy printing.

Resetting the Inventory

After printing an inventory report, you can reset the inventory  number file, which clears the numbers that were entered.  If you have a small library, under 10,000 records, you may want to do a reset after the entire library has been inventoried.  In order to keep the performance at an acceptable level, larger libraries may want to do a reset after each major section of the collection has been inventoried.

To reset the inventory number file:

1. Select the Inventory module.

3. Select the ‘Reset Inventory’ link in step three.  The inventory rule will be reset.

Updating Your Account Information

It is always a good idea 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 to the 'save' button.

It is also a good idea to review your passwords.  Passwords should contain both letters and numbers.  Please, no special punctuation.  If you wish to change your password you may 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.  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, located in general settings,  and not the address in the main user's account. 

Temp Due Date Now Available for Renewal!

A second feature from our recent poll has been integrated into our service.  You can now set a Temp Due Date for renewals.  This new feature can be found in the circulation module using the Renew button.  Click on 'Temp Due Date' button to set a temporary due date.  Once set, the button will change to  'Clear Temp Due Date.'  The checkout temp due date and the renew temp due date are exactly the same.  Saving and clearing in one does the same for the other.  It is important to note that temp due date doesn't effect the Renew or the Renew All functions in the Patron module.

We're not counting but, two features down and three to go from the top 5 feature list.  Next up, report printing from the manage clipboard.

LibraryWorld Team

New Feature: Holds and Reserves by Patron Name

We are pleased to announce that one of the top feature requests in our recent poll has been implemented.  You can now place an item on hold or place a patron on a reserve list for an item by using the patron’s name instead of their barcode number.  This works in a similar fashion to the checkout procedure.  If there are multiple patrons with a similar name (it searches with right hand truncation so you can enter a partial name}, a list of names will appear.  Simply click the correct name and the process will continue.

Up next for development is allowing the temp due date to be used for renewing an item. 

Here are the results....

Thank you to everyone who took the LibraryWorld poll on new features. Close to a thousand customers participated in choosing and prioritizing over two dozen feature requests that were originally generated by LibraryWorld users.   The results are in.

The top five most requested new LibraryWorld features were:

1. Self checkout service so patrons can check items out themselves.

2. In OPAC provide spelling correction, “Did you mean.”

3. In circulation module place holds or reserves by patron name as option to patron number.

4. Allow use of Temp Due Date for renewals.

5. Add a 'print report' option to the Clipboard in Manage.

These five features are being implemented into our product development cycle for this year.  At the end of the year we will release a “report card,” which will let users know how each feature has performed and if any improvements are needed.

Many features that did not make it into the top five will be implemented during the normal development cycle.  One popular feature request was to allow the ability to circulate Ebooks to patrons.  Since Ebook circulation is something beyond a feature within the service, we will work with Ebook publishers to implement an industry standard solution.  

We are very excited for what’s to come here at LibraryWorld.  Thank you again for your continued support and feedback through this process.  

The LibraryWorld Team

New Feature Poll Suggestions

We want to thank all LibraryWorld members who submitted feature requests in the last few weeks. We have received several hundred entries. Thank you!

Many were small features or enhancements of current features.  They will all go into the process for future development opportunities.  A few were even implemented in the last week.

The major feature suggestions are now being organized for the formal poll.  Some of the feature requests include: spell checking or suggestions for searching, enhanced advanced Boolean search in Manage (similar to OPAC), a Z39.50 server to allow other systems to search your library collection, using that standard, more powerful and flexible reports, enhanced catalog editing, inventory and circulation using mobile devices, placing reserves and holds using patron names and titles, a dedicated self-check out service, acquisition module,
enhanced serials module, and ebook lending.

The formal poll will be limited to several dozen main features and members will be asked to pick their top five feature requests.  We'll announce the top features and put them into our development cycle.  This doesn't mean other feature suggestions will not be worked on.  On the contrary, many features may already be in the pipeline,
or easy enough to implement shortly.

We at LibraryWorld are looking forward to an exciting 2014 and the opportunity to continue to bring you a friendly, easy to use online integrated library service that is both powerful and affordable.

LibraryWorld Team