Relais: Updates, Reports, and Self-Registration

Some very positive movements in the development of the Relais ILL system this morning. Some of the developments include:

SOFTWARE UPDATE
We updated to v2006 P1 of Relais ILL, which went smoothly. We seem to have less lag time on the startup and the interface generally feels snappier.

REPORTS
I installed the new ILL reports module. The reports were suitably impressive to both the ILL staff and myself. The new module also includes a number of export features that will give us greater flexibility when analyzing data.

SELF-REGISTRATION
Relais was able to address our concerns and questions regarding the last version of the self-registration module. I made a few more tweaks to the code and we will try to create a couple of test accounts once the update has been posted to the test server.

I will be installing the Relais packages in the library classroom in anticipation of our training session next week. We should be ready to launch the service by the beginning of the Fall semester.

Go Simpsonize Yourself!

Have a little fun and get yourself Simpsonized! Go to: http://simpsonizeme.com/.

Here is what my image came out as:

Relais & News Feeds

We are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel for the Relais ILL self-registration project. The last version was the best yet, but it still needs a little refinement. I am still unsure of how (or if) the self-registration page “talks” to Relais’s Table Maintenance module. I am hoping that Relais can clarify this issue for me.

We are also set to receive training from Relais on the 29th of August. Our ILL staff have been working with the system, but have yet to refine their work flow. Hopefully the training will smooth out some of the rough edges that we have encountered.

I also distributed a handout that introduces “news feed” (a.k.a., RSS or Atom) technology to library staff members. It looks denser than it really is; the line spacing was condensed for the purpose of page/printing conservation. You can view a PDF of this document by clicking here.

Other time has been filled with an assortment of administrative-type duties – composing communications, interviews, meetings, etc.

General Update - Relais & Handouts

A few quick notes on a couple of my ongoing projects…

RELAIS. Our main technical contact from Relais is away on vacation and I have not heard from their support team regarding the last version of the patron self-registration pages that I sent. I hope to hear from them by the 15th – the never-ending project is starting to grate on me. I have also contacted Computer Services with regards to configuring the library classroom’s instructor station for the Relais training session on the 29th of August. This should be a relatively minor hurdle.

HANDOUTS. I am reasonably satisfied with the changes/updates that I have made to our main How-to-Guides. The guides that deal with writing and academic writing styles have been sent to the presses. You can see the latest updates by clicking here. Once our new display stand arrives, we will be able to host most of our current guides, as well as have more space for existing guides.

Assorted Computer Woes

As some of you are all too well aware of, we have been dealing with some minor computer related annoyances of late. The issues that I have collected and been given answers for are as follows:

OUTLOOK ACCOUNTS. *ONGOING*
Some of you have been getting a security warning from your Outlook e-mail accounts (the non-Web version). The issue regards the issuing of a security certificate. The certificate is for the webmail.mhc.ab.ca address, but the actual server name is accio.mhc.ab.ca. The warning is the consequence of the security certificate and the server having two different names. Computer Services (CS) is working on a solution, so do not be alarmed.

REFERENCE E-MAIL ACCOUNT. *RESOLVED*
The Outlook account at the Information Desk will not be moved to the Exchange server or updated to Outlook 2007. Reference e-mail will have to be accessed via Outlook Web Access (OWA; https://webmail.mhc.ab.ca/owa). At this time, however, the account cannot be accessed via OWA. A similar situation occurred for the Audiovisual and Interlibrary Loans accounts, but has been resolved. CS is looking into this issue.

RELAIS FOR INTERLIBRARY LOANS. *ONGOING*
The ILL department has been experiencing an issue with accessing their Relais ILL applications via the network folder. Every time they try to access the application, they are prompted with a security warning about an unknown publisher. The application can be accessed after acknowledging the warning prompt. It will, unfortunately, continue to annoy - it is a Windows XP issue, and CS cannot resolve this matter.

I think these are the major issues to date. Anne has made me aware of a problem with our shared catalogue with the U of L. I will be communicating the anomaly to them today. *RESOLVED*

As with most computer related annoyances, these are grin and bare it situations. Oddly enough, I am using Windows 200o and its related Office package (both of which are much older than anything that the rest of you are using) without any issue. Sucks to be the rest of you using Windows XP.

AAQ - Retrieving a Journal Article Online

Hello and thank you for using the “Ask A Question” service.

You are inquiring about how retrieve a journal article that is online from a Medicine Hat College Library Services database resource. There are several different methods to accomplishing this task. Despite this wordy explanation, it is a fairly intuitive process (though not without pitfalls) and there is assistance from the library’s Information Desk.

It should be noted that many of these functions are only available to registered patrons of the Vera Bracken or Brooks campus libraries. The resources are available to staff and students from on campus and at home, but the general public can only access the resources from on campus. You will have to check with Library Services (403-529-3867) to ensure that your privileges are up-to-date and applicable to your search needs.

Given your initial question, we are assuming that you have an article/citation in mind.

METHOD 1 – Article at Database Level

From the library’s main webpage (http://www.mhc.ab.ca/library):

1. Select the “Journal, Magazine, and Newspaper Articles” link.
2. Select the appropriate subject heading and the title of the database that you used that you used to perform your initial search. [NOTE: Select the appropriate “On Campus” or “At Home” link. The “At Home” link only works for staff and students – not community users.]
3. Locate the article that you initially found.
4. Once you have located the article, check to see if it says “Full Text”, “Full Text HTML”, “Full Text PDF”, or “Linked Full Text” – or anything else to that effect (in some cases icons might be present). If so, then the article is simply a click away – select either the HTML or PDF link to access the complete article.

METHOD 2 – Find It (in databases)

1. Perform the same steps that you did in METHOD 1 up to step 4.
2. If you do not see a link that says “Full Text”, then look for an icon that says “Find It” and click on it.
3. The Find It service tries to connect you from one database without the article to another database with the article (despite being from a different company).
4. A new window/tab will open and present you with a number of options. If the article is present in another database that the library subscribes to, it will present the name of the database under the “Find It Online” heading (all you have to do is click on the database name (opening another window/tab), login (applicable to staff and students off campus only), and read the article). Other wise, you will see under the “Find It at Another Library” heading, click on the “Request document via Interlibrary Loan Service” link and login. Hopefully the interlibrary loan request form will fill itself out – requiring you to login with a user name and campus ID combination. [NOTE: There is a cost of $.10/page for students and $.25/page for community users to order the article in – it usually takes 7-14 days to get article to the library via this method.]

METHOD 3 – Citation Linker (if you have a citation already)

From the library’s main webpage (http://www.mhc.ab.ca/library):

1. Select the “Journal, Magazine, and Newspaper Articles” link.
2. Select the “Citation Linker” link – under the “MHC Library Journal Holdings” heading near the top right-hand side of the page.
3. A new window (or tab) will open and then it is a matter of filling in the blanks. Provide as much detail as possible, noting that periodical title and ISSN (International Standard Serial Number) are among the most critical – capitalization does not matter. Once you have entered the data, click the “Find It” button.
4. If it is available online via our resources, it should present you with a list of online databases that have the article. Once you select a suitable database, click on its title.
5. Another window/tab will open that prompts you to login – again only staff/students can access this off campus will up-to-date accounts, community members will be denied access.
6. In perfect world, you should be taken directly to the article. If not, you might be taken to the journal’s online holdings. Locating the article should be a few clicks away – select the year, volume, and issue where available and select the article title from the list. [NOTE: This will differ depending on the database you enter, but they are all fairly similar to access at this level.]

METHOD 4 – Interlibrary Loan Request (ILL; if you have a citation already)

If you have exhausted all other methods of online access and still want the article, you will have to retrieve it via interlibrary loan (ILL). If you know what you want to order, navigate to: http://eureka.uleth.ca/screens/illreq_s2.html, and place your order. If you need more information about the service, go to: http://www.mhc.ab.ca/library/interlibraryloans.html. ILL is available to all patrons, but costs might be incurred – it depends on what type of patron you are (i.e., community member, staff, or student).

Though it might seem daunting at first glance, it really does get easier as you become more experienced with this type of online resource. Additionally, learning these services (their benefits and quirks) are necessary in the pursuit of modern academics. The contemporary online tools are still faster that using old print methods.

Thank you again for using the “Ask A Question” service. If you need more help, please use the service again or see the Information Desk in the Medicine Hat College Library (phone #: (403) 529-3867).

AAQ#:30632

Handouts & Self-Registration

This has been a relatively quiet week. My primary focus has been updating some of our handouts. Most are ready for press, but I will delay that until next week. An error of some fashion is always there to be found and nothing irritates me more than a little typo after printing 250 copies. When I return next Tuesday, I will review them again (hopefully with fresh eyes) and send them to the printers. The latest updates have been posted on the Web in the meantime at: http://www.mhc.ab.ca/library/howtoguides.html.

Jason and Valarie decided to run with the idea of creating a folded leaflet for issuing student identification cards in. The leaflet will deliver information on the functions of the ID card, but also promote library services. The idea was inspired by the type of leaflet you get with a pass card when you check into a hotel. They did a nifty job, and hopefully we will get fewer students saying, "I thought I got new card every semester." [Students tend not to like the $5 replacement fee.]

Finally, I continue to muck around with Relais's self-registration source code. I am 90% of the way there, but a few issues confound me on the actual registration page. A consultation with our Webmaster was informative, but he thinks that it would take him a couple of days to understand what all the Java scripts' functions are. In the meantime, I took a different approach and hopefully it will be successful.