Technology Conference Draws Statewide Attention

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1 VOLUME 15, NO. 1 JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2005 LIBRARY INFORMATION NETWORK FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGES Technology Conference Draws Statewide Attention 1 Executive Director s Message 2 LINCC System Developments: LINCCWeb 3 LINCC System Developments: Library Management System (LMS) 3 CCLA Domain Transition 4 LINCC Reports Development 4 Annual LINCC User Forum 4 Ask a Librarian Tops 1,000 Sessions Per Month; Adds Major Florida School District and Metro Library System 5 LINCCLearn 6 Desire2Learn Platform Activated 6 Copyright Workshops 6 News from LINCC Libraries 6 CCLA Staff News 7 LINCCWeb Statistics 7 Calendar of Events Technology Conference Draws Statewide Attention More than 150 librarians, educators, administrators and staff from Florida s K-20 education system gathered in Orlando on January 26 for the first ever Portrait of the New Learner: Aligning Systems, Services, and Expectations conference. A preconference to the Florida Education Technology Corporation (FETC) annual conference, and co-hosted by CCLA and the Florida Distance Learning Consortium (FDLC), the conference delivered four featured sessions, each focused on today s digitally-influenced learner and many of the emerging trends that will impact the future of education in our state. The conference featured experts from Apple Computer, Inc., Gartner, Inc., the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC), and Florida s Department of Education, who walked Pictured, left to right, CCLA Executive Director Richard Madaus, Marti Harris, participants through Gartner, Inc., John Opper, Executive Director of the Florida Distance Learning Consortium, and Jay Pfeiffer, Florida Department of Education. the often daunting maze of new technology available to today s students and educators, and the unique opportunities that such technology can offer our state s education system in delivering information when and where students want it. Today s new generation of learners expects our education systems to keep pace with the high-tech, digital environment that they live in each day, said Barry Adams, Education Technology Consultant for Apple Computer, Inc., and one of the conference s featured speakers. As educators we must do everything we can to meet those expectations. We can t do that if we don t open ourselves up to that environment really embrace it and find new and innovative ways to incorporate that technology into our classrooms, our libraries, and at appropriate points along the path where students are served. DATA_LINCC A_LINCC is published bi-monthly as a service of the College Center for Library Automation. Editor: Mark Adams, [email protected] Marti Harris, Research Director for Gartner, Inc., pointed to a number of positive trends particularly among higher education communities that indicate many institutions ( Conference continued on page 4)

2 Executive Director s Message It doesn t happen often, but every now and then we reach a point when a number of very large-scale projects enter a brief anticipatory pattern all at once, each waiting for a key external event to occur before activities all return to their normal hectic pace. by J. Richard Madaus, Executive Director I mention this because I m observing such a phenomenon occurring at this moment with several LINCC- and CCLA-related development activities. For example, a key milestone that we have been diligently preparing for is the upgrade of LINCC s library management system (LMS) to Aleph v.17 software. We are currently near the head of the line with several other large-scale library systems all awaiting v.17 installation. Other activities in this temporary holding pattern include a final decision on whether community colleges will receive database funding in next year s legislative budget ($3.9 million has been requested by the Division of Community Colleges and Workforce Education on behalf of community college libraries), and the activation of a new version of Ex Libris Metalib software a core application used for database searching within LINCCWeb. And although this interim period is short-lived, it provides us an opportunity to temporarily refocus some of our efforts on the myriad of other must do s that sometimes take a back seat to larger, priority projects, but which serve to support LINCC libraries and their students. Several of the more notable items on that list include: LINCC Statistics This is an ongoing activity and one on which CCLA places a high priority. In December 2004 we released version 2 of our LINCC reports, adding new reports and enhancing others to help meet the needs of LINCC libraries. We anticipate releasing additional new or enhanced LINCC reports in early summer. We are also testing Ex Libris Aleph Reporting Center (ARC), which provides for enhanced statistical reporting that could potentially complement reports currently provided through the LINCC Reports Service (LRS). Reports development is an ongoing activity that draws upon the expertise of key CCLA staff who are also engaged in large-scale LMS and LINCCWeb development projects. For the moment, however, some of those individuals are available to devote more of their time to the enhancement of LINCC statistical reporting, assisting other staff in helping ensure this vital library need continues to be met. Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) An exciting piece of flexibility and customization that the new LINCC system offers but the legacy system did not, is electronic data interchange (EDI) the ability for libraries to use the LMS s acquisitions module to send and receive orders and invoices for materials directly with commercial book vendors. Without EDI, library staff must enter their orders into both the vendor s online system and into the LMS. We have received strong support from LINCC libraries for the implementation of EDI, and I am happy to report that we will prototype this new feature at one or more community colleges within the coming months. Circulation Self-Check We are currently working to implement Circulation Self Check capability into LINCC. Self check is a stand-alone workstation that enables library patrons to check out materials without staff intervention. Based on feedback we ve received from LINCC libraries we anticipate that circulation self check will quickly become a part of many libraries longer-range planning, but for the moment is also a feature that has immediate application for a number of community colleges across the state. In order to continue to grow LINCC and CCLA services to meet the varying needs of all its users, development activities such as those described above and a multitude of others that often go unmentioned but that are crucial components of a statewide library and information system are constantly underway and in various stages of completion. At this time, CCLA is currently developing its business plan for , which charts our course for the development and activation of these and other programs and services for the coming year. And it is momentary times like these when I stop to laud the hard work and growing accomplishments of the LINCC community and CCLA, and commend each of you for maintaining your support of the LINCC system and recognizing its value to the thousands of community college librarians and students that use it each day. Page 2

3 LINCC System Developments LINCCWeb CCLA continues its close collaboration with the Information Portal Committee to refine LINCCWeb based on the committee s recommendation and suggestions from the LINCC library community. CCLA is making good progress on the first of two software development phases that will enable students to use LINCCWeb s catalog to access all ebooks to which they are entitled. The first phase, now in testing, will cover the collection of ebooks purchased by the State of Florida for use by all community colleges. A second ebook development phase will provide access from LINCCWeb s catalog to locally-purchased ebooks. Nearly 50 percent of the state s community colleges currently purchase ebooks for use by their students. No date for general release of this enhanced LINCCWeb functionality has been set. In January, CCLA re-indexed the LINCC bibliographic database to provide students with enhanced search options when using the Browse Lists feature within LINCCWeb s catalog. CCLA has established NetLibrary administrative accounts for each institution. The accounts allow for local editing of ebook settings. Public Services contacts have been designated as local account administrators for their respective colleges. Tailoring of a new version of Metalib in CCLA s development environment continues. Anticipated for release in late summer, the enhanced Metalib will include a new interface capacity for LINCCWeb electronic resources, ranking of search results, and the improved ability for users to locate and search e-journals. CCLA is in the final stages of testing OPAC Course Reserves that will provide access from the LINCCWeb catalog to institution-level Course Reserves materials. When available, students will be able to search LINCCWeb by course name and number, instructor, title and author. Availability of this new functionality for LINCC libraries is anticipated by start of the summer term. Library Management System (LMS) Refinement and development of Ex Libris Aleph software remains an ongoing activity. That activity continues to benefit from close collaboration between CCLA, its advisory committees, LINCC libraries, and Ex Libris. Key CCLA staff continue to meet with members of Ex Libris senior and project management staff, working to refine and improve the operation of all Ex Libris products at CCLA. Development of LMS functionality that will allow for statewide request of books and other collection materials between LINCC libraries continues. The functionality remains a key development area for CCLA and Ex Libris, as it will restore similar functionality previously available with the legacy LMS. Following final installation of software by Ex Libris, CCLA will begin development, configuration and testing of request functionality within LINCC. CCLA continues its preparation for the upcoming development and testing of Aleph version 17. That preparation includes establishing module development and testing schedules that will precede release of the software to LINCC libraries. CCLA and Ex Libris are working closely together to identify a time period for installation of Aleph version 17 on CCLA s servers. Although a firm date has yet to be established, the installation is tentatively scheduled for early summer. A new Label-Print program for the LMS was introduced in January. Label-Print allows library staff to control a number of settings associated with printing spine labels, including the number of duplicate labels, margin size, and the insertion of collection and/or description information. CCLA is currently configuring LINCC s Acquisitions module to enable libraries to send orders electronically to materials vendor Yankee Book Peddler via Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). It is anticipated that Seminole Community College will begin prototyping the new functionality in May. Incorporation of EDI capability for other vendors used by LINCC libraries will follow. Based on interest from LINCC libraries, CCLA is moving forward with plans to implement Circulation Self Check capability into LINCC. Self Check is a stand-alone workstation that enables library patrons to check out ( LMS continued on page 4) Page 3

4 Conference (continued from page 1) are moving in the direction suggested by Adams. Implementation of advanced resource management systems that provide fast, convenient service to students, while also providing institutions with enhanced efficiencies were examples. Harris noted the new Aleph software-based LINCC library management system among that group. The conference attracted a strong turnout of community college and university librarians from across Florida. A featured speaker at the conference was Cathy De Rosa, OCLC s Vice President of Corporate Marketing, who drew stark contrasts between many traditional library practices and those emerging among today s libraries as a result of information availability. DeRosa painted a challenging, but encouraging, picture of today s changing library environments. The term library can t afford to be seen only as a place where people go to find books, DeRosa pointed out when fielding questions from the audience. Libraries must remain an integral part of the entire information marketplace. One of the strengths librarians offer is expertise, and the more we can extend that message into our communities, into our schools, to let people know that everything they find on the Web isn t necessarily reliable or correct, the more valuable a resource we ll remain. It s a challenge... one we have to constantly focus on. About the conference, Manatee Community College librarian Judy Born remarked, The speakers were great and gave us much food for thought. Plus, the conference proved to be a great opportunity to meet with and discuss these technology and learning issues with many of the university librarians in attendance. This was a great networking opportunity for us to share ideas for improving our library services. CCLA Domain Transition CCLA continues the incremental transition of its domainrelated services CCLA staff and organizational addresses were successfully transitioned in December and are now being followed by the transition of all CCLA/LINCC discussion lists. The domain transition will continue throughout the spring, culminating in a redesign and address change for CCLA s organizational Web site, anticipated later this year. Annual LINCC User Forum For those attending April s Florida Library Association (FLA) conference in Jacksonville, please make plans join other community college librarians and staff from around the state at CCLA s annual LINCC User Forum. This year s forum will be on Wednesday, April 13, from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. The annual event is a great opportunity to meet with other librarians and key CCLA staff to find out about new and planned CCLA/LINCC programs and services, and to discuss the continuing refinement of LINCCWeb and LINCC s library management system. It s also an opportunity to exchange news and information about your library with others from around the state. If you have questions about the LINCC User Forum, please contact CCLA s Service Desk. More information about the FLA conference is available at: LMS (continued from page 3) materials without staff intervention. CCLA s initial development supports the SIP2 protocol used by 3M products to interact with LINCC circulation software. An additional shelf-reading/collection maintenance capability, equivalent to what was commonly known as Inventory on the legacy system, was prototyped at South Florida Community College and at the Wolfson campus of Miami Dade Community College in January. A third prototype site, Okaloosa-Walton College, has also been selected to prototype the software. LINCC Reports Development The continued development of enhanced LMS and LINCCWeb statistical reporting using the LINCC Reports Service (LRS), native LMS clients and the Task Manager tops the list of CCLA priorities. CCLA has recently added 12 new or enhanced statistical reports to the Task Manager and LRS. As previously announced, CCLA has agreed to test Ex Libris Aleph Reporting Center (ARC). The ARC provides for enhanced statistical reporting that could potentially complement reports currently provided through the LINCC Reports Service. Key CCLA staff have completed introductory ARC training and are now engaged in an initial evaluation of the product. Page 4

5 Ask a Librarian Tops 1,000 Sessions Per Month; Adds Major Florida School District, Metro Library System The statewide Ask a Librarian virtual reference service surpassed 1,000 sessions in both January and February 2005 a first for the emerging service and a significant milestone that reflects the online resource s growing popularity. Ask a Librarian continues to enjoy steady and very notable increases both in the number of monthly sessions provided to patrons, and the number of new libraries joining the service commented Vince Mariner, Ask a Librarian s Statewide Coordinator. January s total sessions were in excess of 1,000 the first time we ve exceeded that number in a single month and then followed up that achievement with an even larger total for February! he added. New participants According to Mariner, the continued upward trend in Ask a Librarian s monthly reference sessions is largely attributable to the quality of service provided by libraries staffing the service, and the increased exposure that it receives from the 85 participating academic, public and special libraries throughout the state participation that now includes the Palm Beach County School District, the Broward County Library, Everglades University and the University of Tampa, all of which joined in January. Said Mariner, In particular, January s additions of the Broward County Library and the Palm Beach County School District serve to increase the visibility of Ask a Librarian in south Florida. With Miami Dade Public Library and Miami Dade Community College Library, participation and service was already quite strong in south Florida. January s additions will help solidify Ask a Librarian s presence among libraries in that region. What is Ask a Librarian? Ask a Librarian ( is a free online library reference service that provides Florida s residents with convenient, real-time access to a librarian who can answer their reference questions and assist them in locating information on the Web. Library professionals from 85 participating academic, public and special libraries throughout the state staff the service. Jointly administered by the College Center for Library Automation (CCLA) and the Tampa Bay Library Consortium (TBLC), Ask a Librarian is a key component of the Florida Electronic Library ( Ask a Librarian is a virtual service available online, staffed by librarians from across the state, and not tied to any single library or geographic location and because of that it doesn t matter where in Florida someone lives; he or she can access the online service and receive top quality reference help, he added. We ve noticed, however, that use of Ask a Librarian is higher in those geographic areas with more, or larger, libraries participating in the service. For that reason, the addition of major library systems from Broward and Palm Beach counties should help to push use of Ask a Librarian higher. To ask a question using Ask a Librarian, go to ww.askalibrarian.org. More information about the Ask a Librarian service, including a comprehensive list of participating libraries, is available at Look for Ask a Librarian at FLA! Ask a Librarian will exhibit as part of the Florida Electronic Library at April s Florida Library Association annual conference. Ask a Librarian will also host a panel session on April 12 as part of the conference. The panel session will run from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m., and will include discussion of the statewide service, implications of staffing a local reference desk, best practices, maximizing the service s benefit to patrons, and more. For more information contact Vince Mariner at [email protected]. Page 5

6 Desire2Learn Platform Activated CCLA completed the migration of its suite of LINCCLearn Webbased training (WBT) courses and library staff accounts from the Blackboard platform to Desire2Learn in January. This move is significant because it offers CCLA a host of new system-related benefits, such as an ability to more easily integrate WBT into other LINCC-related applications, and a more flexible environment for the development and enhancement of new Web-based courses, commented Wayne Hodges, CCLA Instructional Design Specialist. CCLA will continue to refine its LINCCLearn Web-based courses and the Desire2Learn functionality. We welcome your comments and suggestions regarding that refinement. CCLA, NEFLIN, SEFLIN Collaborate on Copyright Workshops The Northeast Florida Library Information Network (NEFLIN), Southeast Florida Library Information Network (SEFLIN) and CCLA collaborated to offer two copyright workshops in February. More than 70 library staff attended the workshops, presented by the Copyright Clearance Center. New Web-Based Serials Course Available A new Web-based Serials Check-in course was introduced in January. Available to all LINCC library staff from CCLA s LINCCLearn Web page, the new course is particularly valuable for training student assistants and other new staff who handle serials check-in functions. The course provides instruction on checking-in predicted and unexpected serial issues using the LINCC LMS s serials module, and checking-in predicted serial issues using Fast check-in. Track Your Service Desk Calls! LINCC library staff are reminded that a Web-based call tracking tool is available from CCLA s Web site. The userfriendly resource allows for tracking of calls and s placed with CCLA s Service Desk. Library staff can view the status of each call they ve placed, the call s history, check for updates, and view its resolution. The call tracking tool is available at or from CCLA s User Support Web page at usersupport.asp. News from LINCC Libraries Tallahassee Community College TCC Library celebrated ten years in its current building with an Open House celebration on January 18. Highlighting the event was the unveling of a wall bearing photographs of each of TCC s past library directors, along with a photo of its current director, Cherry Alexander. Also featured on the wall is a photograph of the first book in TCC s library collection (from 1965). The book remains on display in the library. As libraries continue to delve deeper into electronic reserves, archival collections, and other relatively new service areas, there is a growing need to know more about the implications of copyright on those resources, commented Linda McCarthy, CCLA Assistant Director for Library Services. These workshops were designed to provide participants the opportunity to learn more about the current copyright environment, gain valuable background knowledge, and ask questions about copyright issues. McCarthy noted that CCLA s collaboration with the multitype library cooperatives (MLCs) serves to reduce duplication of training and maximize opportunities for library staff participation at convenient regional locations. Four of six past and present TCC Library Directors pose in front of the library s new wall of directors photos. Pictured (l to r): Mabel Shaw ( ), Cherry Alexander (1999-present), Eloise Harbeson ( ), and Charlie Robertson ( ). Page 6

7 CCLA Staff News Conferences Key CCLA staff represented LINCC and CCLA at the following meetings and conferences during January and February: Community College Funding Formula Committee meeting, Community College Chief Information Officers meeting, American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter meeting, Florida Educational Technology Conference, Florida Association of Education Data Systems (FAEDS) Board meeting. Presentations CCLA s Executive Director presented, Technology: The Hurrieder We Go the Behinder We Get, to staff at the Florida Community College at Jacksonville in January, and also as the keynote address to the OCLC Members Council in February. LINCCWeb Statistics LINCCWeb Activity Online Searches January 2004 January 2005 YTD YTD LINCC Library Holdings 382, ,462 2,392,614 2,474,251 FirstSearch 15,353 15, , ,665 EBSCO 379, ,845 1,888,764 1,905,750 Gale Group 725, ,311 2,630,740 4,808,584 ProQuest 7,364 20, ,263 95,872 Wilson 223, ,621 N/A 2,981,368 TOTAL LINCCWeb Searches 1,733,347 1,547,393 7,852,376 12,389,490 TOTAL Terminal Library Holdings Searches * 6,238 N/A 173,730 N/A TOTAL User Searches 1,739,585 1,547,393 8,032,344 12,389,490 ** TOTAL Circulation 109, , , ,201 * Library holdings search statistics reflect activation of the new LINCCWeb online catalog on January 12, 2004, and deactivation of the legacy LINCC system s terminal-based access. ** As reported by supplying vendors. Increase partially due to vendor movement to the new international Counting Online Usage of NeTworked Electronic Resources (COUNTER) standardized reporting initiative. LINCC Database Statistics As of January 31, 2005 Item Records 3,931,147 MARC holdings records 3,111,009 MARC bibliographic records 1,179,681 MARC authority records 401,093 Circulation borrower records 793,484 Page 7

8 VOICE: SUNCOM FAX: SUNCOM JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2005 COLLEGE CENTER FOR LIBRARY AUTOMATION 1753 W. PAUL DIRAC DRIVE TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED Calendar March CCLA Executive Committee meeting, Tallahassee CCLA Information Portal Committee meeting, Tallahassee April 13 Annual LINCC User Forum, Jacksonville CCLA Library Management Systems Committee meeting, Tallahassee May CCLA Executive Committee meeting, Tallahassee 27 Ask a Librarian Advisory Committee meeting, Orlando 30 Memorial Day holiday, CCLA offices closed June CCLA Advisory Board meeting, Tallahassee July 4 Independence Day holiday, CCLA offices closed CCLA Library Programs and Services Committee meeting, Tallahassee