May 9, 2008 -- A statistical summary of the FY 2008 workload analysis study is available.  During a two week period, SELCO staff recorded the time spent in ten focus areas based on operational structure and product lines.  The data is used by management and the Board to measure staff workloads, analyze specific tasks, and make informed staffing decisions.

May 8, 2008 -- Library staff members and one library trustee representing libraries from around the region experimented with a wide variety of emerging technologies to complete 23 Things on a Stick in the time frame from January 20 - April 16, 2008. In addition to the incentive of a 1 GIG flash drive, each participant was entered into a drawing for additional prizes. The winners of the additional prizes and their blogs are listed below. Congratulations!

May 06, 2008--The agenda for May's Technology Users Group meeting is now available.  Topics for discussion include Next-Generation Library Catalogs, WiFi troubleshooting, and a demonstration of ServiceDesk, SELCO's new Help Desk software.  See you on Tuesday!

May 02, 2008 --  Mary Rose Mataitis, Kasson Public Library Children's Librarian, retired this week after eight years of service.  Mary Rose was honored at an Open House at the Library on May 01.  SELCO joins Kasson Public Library in wishing Mary Rose all the best.

May 02, 2008 -- Our issues with Horizon have been resolved.  Please restart the client software.  If it does not work properly, please contact the SELCO Help Desk.

If you have PC Reliance files, please contact the Help Desk to have them processed.

Thank you for your patience.

May 02, 2008 -- Horizon is experiencing system performance issues.  These are characterized by slow response time by the Horizon client.  We are investigating and will post more information as it becomes available.

May 1, 2008 -- Didn’t have time to do 23 Things On a Stick the first time around? Got, oh, so close to finishing the 23 Things in the first round? This is your chance to participate in this individual online learning program focused on Web 2.0 tools in the context of libraries and media centers.

The Multitype Library Systems announce the opening of registration for a second round of 23 Things On a Stick beginning on May 15. The program, using the same content, will run through September 15, 2008. Library staff, Friends of Libraries, and Library Governing Board members are invited to sign up.  Those who participated in the first round can re-register, using their same blog, pick up where they left off, and complete the rest of the 23. Those who have never started, have a second chance to register and join in this round! 

Participants in the first round of 23 Things On a Stick were delighted with their experience. These are just a few of the hundreds of positive comments and reactions to the program:

April 30, 2008 -- Library staff members and one library trustee representing libraries from around the region experimented with a wide variety of emerging technologies to complete 23 Things on a Stick in the time frame from January 20 - April 16, 2008.

Round 1 of 23 Things was a self-discovery program that allowed participants to manage their own learning. Participants were encouraged to work together with others in their buildings and regions and to share their insights and discoveries with others through their blogs and in person.

The program was open to all staff in any Minnesota library— academic, public, school, or special—as well as members of their Governing Boards, their Friends groups, or Advisory Groups.  Each of these participants having completed the entire course will receive a completion incentive of a 1 GIG flash drive.  They are also eligible for additional prizes  from a random drawing.  Congratulations to all!

April 29, 2008 -- The first round of 23 Things on a Stick - A Library Learning 2.0 Program is complete.  Among the SELCO staff and SELCO/SELS Board we are celebrating these accomplishments.

From the SELCO/SELS Board:

• Chris Henderson appointed by the Plainview Public Library Board
  
• Gretchen Schade appointed by the Rushford Public Library Board

April 26, 2008 -- After 14 months of intense investigation, the Structures Study Committee shared a preliminary recommendation with the SELCO/SELS Board of Directors on April 22, 2008.  The report outlines possible changes (highlighted in yellow) in organizational structure, budget, membership and the Advisory Committee.  Board governance, with appointments by a large representation of library constituents, and the advisory role of the ILS Operations Committee will continue in present form.  Savings to the organization in real expenditures and staff time are estimated at $22,140. A timeline includes a four-month opportunity for dialogue and input from SELCO/SELS member libraries.  The Structure Blog includes all the materials reviewed by the Committee during its deliberations.

April 25, 2008 -- At their April 22 meeting, the SELCO/SELS Board of Directors approved a recommendation from the joint Technology Policy and ILS Operation Committee to initiate a serious study to identify options and a time line to move to the next generation catalog for SELCO's Integrated Library System (ILS).  SELCO staff have begun evaluating Endeca as a possible replacement to the current iPac catalog.  For more information on this project, see What is a Next-Generation Catalog and Why are We Looking at One? at SELCO Librarian.

April 24, 2008 -- The SELCO/SELS Board of Directors received the final report of the SELCO/SELS Services Priorities Survey for 2009 Budget Planning at its April 22nd meeting. Results of the member and board survey will be used in planning the SELCO and SELS FY 2009 budgets.  Full Report

April 23, 2008 -- The energy and creativity shared by library staff and board members during the SELCO/SELS Strategic Planning retreat inspired a new look, new words and new direction.  At last night’s quarterly board meeting, the SELCO/SELS Board of Directors approved a new strategic plan launching a new mission statement: We Connect Libraries, new guiding principles, and four goals.  The plan highlights strategic endeavors that will be undertaken as innovative or enhanced services. Programs and services ranked by the members as important or essential in the most recent and previous budget surveys (FY 2005, 2006 & 2007) and considered ongoing in SELCO’s service catalog (such as library automation, ILL, and delivery) are not itemized in the plan.  This greatly reduces the size to two very readable pages and will enable board members, library staff and SELCO staff to focus on the new strategic activities. 

April 16, 2008 -- SELCO is installing new license keys to the central Pharos server after 9:00 PM on Wednesday, April 16.  This process, which must be performed annually, will involve rebooting the server in the SELCO office.  No downtime for Pharos is expected and the system should be functioning normally the following morning (April 17) with one caveat:  each Pharos library will have to reboot their Signup server and all public PCs using the software before using the system on Thursday, April 17.  In the unlikely event that any servers or PCs fail to come up following this reboot, please contact the Help Desk.

April 15, 2008 -- The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library is pleased to announce the winners of the 20th annual Minnesota Book Awards. In addition to winners in eight categories, the Book Awards presented the Readers’ Choice Award, which was selected by over 7,000 voters from across Minnesota. More than 700 people attended the gala award ceremony on Saturday, April 12, hosted by Cathy Wurzer of Minnesota Public Radio and TPT.  Books written by a Minnesotan and first published in 2007 were eligible for consideration.  A total of 250 books were nominated and 32 books were selected as finalists. The winners were chosen by panels of judges from the list of finalists.

April 11, 2008  --  As the end of the school year approaches, SELCO encourages all of our school libraries to arrange for a final due date for their items as soon as possible. Summer contact information and a calendar for the next school year is also requested. To help organize the information, an End Of Term form is now available.

April 8, 2008 -- As evidenced by the increasing frequency of 23 Things on a Stick postings, the deadline is nearing to complete the 23 Things on a Stick program and receive an incentive. The deadline is April 16th, so get blogging!

April 03-2008 -- Orders for the Spring 2008 Cooperative PC Purchase have been collected and processed.  Eleven Online Libraries ordered a total of:

We have placed orders with various vendors for these items and will begin installations as they arrive.

March 31, 2008 -- Effective today, SELCO is no longer providing support for Windows NT, serial receipt printers, or certain models of thin clients.  The email reproduced below, originally sent out on March 19, 2007, includes further details.  If your library is still using any of these solutions, please contact the SELCO Help Desk for assistance identifying alternatives.

From: Donovan Lambright
Sent: Monday, March 19, 2007 2:41 PM
To: CONPUB; CONSCH; DIRPUB; DIRSCH
Subject: End of Life and Support for Several Products

As technologies evolve it is necessary to occasionally end support for products that are no longer sustainable. We have reached that point with several products in use at Online Libraries. Effective on 03-31-2008, one year from now, SELCO will no longer support the following:

1) Windows NT--Microsoft stopped supporting Windows NT in 2004. Here at SELCO, we have continued to support it on older PCs but are finding it more and more difficult as time passes. Antivirus and security products used to lock down public PCs are increasingly unavailable for Windows NT, which is what finally prompted us to take this action.

2) Serial Receipt Printers--Support for serial devices is waning in the marketplace; most new PCs and thin clients are no longer available with serial ports. Furthermore, software such as newer versions of Citrix MetaFrame often do not support serial printers. In the SELCO region, Star SP200, Citizen IDP3540, and Citizen IDP3550 are the most common serial receipt printers. Note, however, that these models also come with parallel connections so the model number alone cannot be used to identify them. One quick way to identify a serial connector is by counting the number of pins. A serial connector has nine pins. A parallel connector has 25.

3) Wyse WT3200LE and WT3360 Thin Clients--The new version of Citrix MetaFrame requires functionality that is not available with these thin client models.

If you are unsure about the presence of any of these devices/software on your network, please contact the SELCO Help Desk. The Help Desk can also help you identify replacements, which are available through the quarterly Cooperative PC Purchase. Thank you for your understanding.

Donovan

Donovan Lambright, Automation Librarian
SELCO
2600 19th St. NW
Rochester, MN 55901
507-288-5513
dlambright@selco.info