Alexandria v6 HOSTED Getting Started Guide PDF - Library

304 Pages·2014·9.62 MB·English

Alexandria Hosted Service v6.22.5
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AlexandriaHostedGettingStartedGuide
PrintedFebruary27,2014—v6.22.5
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmericaby
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OpenSSL—© 1998-2011 The OpenSSL Project. All rights reserved
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This software is based in part on the work of the Independent JPEG Group.
expat—© 1998, 1999, 2000 Thai Open Source Software Center Ltd.
libHaru—© 1999-2010 Takeshi Kanno
zlib—© 1995-2009 Jean-loup Gailly and Mark Adler
cURL & libcURL—© 1998 - 2010, Daniel Stenberg, <[email protected]>, et al.
libpng version—© 1998-2011Glenn Randers-Pehrson
Cairo via MPL / Pixman—© 2008-2011 Red Hat, Inc.
JsonCpp—© 2007-2010 Baptiste Lepilleur
libssh2—© 2004-2009 Sara Golemon, Mikhail Gusarov, The Written Word Inc, Eli Fant, Daniel Stenberg, and Simon Josefsso. All rights reserved.
Table of Contents
Welcome to Alexandria!.................................................................... 1
TheUnparalleledPowerofAlexandria!................................................. 10
CommunicationPorts&Protocols....................................................... 11
NotesandWarningAlerts..................................................................... 12
Preparing for Alexandria................................................................. 13
AutomatingYourLibraryOverview....................................................... 13
BarcodeYourCollection....................................................................... 14
Setting Up Hosted Service............................................................. 19
HardwareandOperatingSystemRecommendations.......................... 19
Alexandria Basics............................................................................ 25
Macintosh&WindowsCommandDifferences..................................... 25
AlexandriaOnlineHelp......................................................................... 26
HelpMenu............................................................................................. 26
FileMenu.............................................................................................. 27
EditMenu.............................................................................................. 29
ShowMenu........................................................................................... 30
ToolsMenu........................................................................................... 31
LinksMenu............................................................................................ 32
SitesMenu(DistrictLibrarianonly)....................................................... 33
WindowMenu....................................................................................... 33
LoggingInandActivatingSecurity....................................................... 35
WebServicesandOnlineModules....................................................... 37
AccessingAlexandria’sWebLibrarian................................................. 38
AdaptiveDates...................................................................................... 39
Site Management Window.............................................................. 41
WhatisSiteManagement?................................................................... 42
SiteRecordsListandAssociatedTools............................................... 46
CurrentRecordPane............................................................................ 47
CurrentRecordPane(Continued)......................................................... 48
Introduction to Preferences........................................................... 51
Administration Settings.................................................................. 57
Administration:StatusSettings............................................................ 59
Administration:EmailSettings.............................................................. 61
EmailSettings....................................................................................... 62
UsingGmailasYourSMTPServer....................................................... 64
AlexandriaHostedGettingStartedGuide–i
Table of Contents
Security Preferences........................................................................ 65
Address Book Preferences.............................................................. 73
AddressBooksSettings........................................................................ 75
AddressBooks:Adding,Removing,Editing,andDuplicating.............. 76
Addresses:Adding,Removing,Editing,andDuplicating...................... 81
Localization Preferences................................................................. 89
Dates&Currencytab............................................................................ 90
Terminologytab..................................................................................... 92
Languagetab......................................................................................... 94
Calendar Preferences...................................................................... 95
Policy Preferences........................................................................... 99
SettingPoliciestoAchieveMeaningfulStatistics................................ 101
UsingthePoliciesPreferences............................................................ 102
ExceptionsMode................................................................................. 103
Patrons Preferences...................................................................... 111
PatronRulestab.................................................................................. 112
PatronsDefaultstab............................................................................ 113
PatronPicturestab.............................................................................. 114
GradeTabletab................................................................................... 115
Items Preferences.......................................................................... 119
Catalogingtab..................................................................................... 123
SubjectSourcestab............................................................................ 125
CoverArttab....................................................................................... 127
LeadingArticlestab............................................................................. 129
Barcodes Preferences................................................................... 131
Barcodestab....................................................................................... 132
Circulation Preferences................................................................. 135
UserInteractiontab............................................................................. 136
CirculationRulestab........................................................................... 139
Receiptstab........................................................................................ 142
Letterstab........................................................................................... 145
CirculationSettingstab....................................................................... 146
Researcher Preferences................................................................ 149
ResearcherOverview........................................................................... 151
Researchertab.................................................................................... 153
Interfacetab......................................................................................... 156
ii–AlexandriaHostedGettingStartedGuide
Table of Contents
An Introduction to Importing........................................................ 159
Tab-DelimitedRecords....................................................................... 161
Importing Patrons & Operators.................................................... 163
PatronFieldsbyFieldNumber .......................................................... 168
Importing Items............................................................................. 171
ItemFieldsbyFieldNumber............................................................... 179
Getting Started With Reports....................................................... 183
TheReportsWindowInMoreDetail................................................... 183
ReportCategoriesPane...................................................................... 185
ReportsTools/SearchPane.............................................................. 186
ReportSelectionPane........................................................................ 189
SelectedReportPane......................................................................... 191
Overviewtab....................................................................................... 192
Selectiontab....................................................................................... 193
Sitestab(DistributedUnion)............................................................... 195
Scheduletab....................................................................................... 196
Locationstab...................................................................................... 198
InConclusion...................................................................................... 200
Getting Started With Utilities........................................................ 209
TheUtilitiesWindowInMoreDetail.................................................... 209
UtilityCategoryFilters......................................................................... 211
UtilitiesTools/SearchPane............................................................... 211
UtilitySelectionPane.......................................................................... 212
SelectedUtilityPane........................................................................... 212
PerformingUtilities.............................................................................. 213
InConclusion...................................................................................... 213
MovingPatronstoaNewPolicy......................................................... 214
MovingItemstoaNewPolicy............................................................ 216
Operation Management................................................................ 217
Circulation Window....................................................................... 223
Modes,CommandsandHelp............................................................. 224
CurrentPatronandCurrentItemInformation..................................... 225
CirculationWindowTabs.................................................................... 226
UsingtheCirculationWindow............................................................ 227
UsingtheActionsMenu...................................................................... 228
SystemPatrons................................................................................... 230
OfflineMode....................................................................................... 232
Circulation Commands................................................................. 235
CirculationCommandBasics:............................................................ 235
MakeanItemorPatronCurrent......................................................... 235
CheckOut(.)....................................................................................... 236
SetOverrideDueDates...................................................................... 238
BookdropMode(B)............................................................................. 239
AlexandriaHostedGettingStartedGuide–iii
Table of Contents
AdditionalCirculationCommands....................................................... 240
LocateaPatronbyLastName(L)....................................................... 240
LocateanItembyTitle(T)................................................................... 240
PlacingaHoldRequestonaTitle(H).................................................. 241
PlaceaForwardReservationonaSpecificCopy(G)......................... 242
RenewingAnItem(QE,R,orRA)........................................................ 244
RenewinganItem................................................................................ 245
RenewAllItems................................................................................... 245
SpecialCirculationCommands........................................................... 247
ChargingaFee(F)............................................................................... 247
DeclaringaCopyLost......................................................................... 248
CheckingItemsOutTotheDiscardedCopiesSystemPatron........... 249
Item Management.......................................................................... 251
AboutMARCrecords.......................................................................... 251
ItemManagementWindow.................................................................. 252
TheItemManagementWindowInMoreDetail................................... 253
CurrentItemRecordPane................................................................... 254
CurrentRecordTabsandSubtabs...................................................... 256
FindingItems....................................................................................... 257
AddingTitlesandCopies.................................................................... 258
DuplicatingTitlesorCopies................................................................. 261
ModifyingTitlesandCopies................................................................ 264
RemovingTitlesandCopies................................................................ 266
Title,Author,andSubjectMARCEditor.............................................. 268
Patron Management....................................................................... 271
PatronRecordsListandAssociatedTools......................................... 272
CurrentPatronRecordPane............................................................... 273
AlexandriaOperators........................................................................... 275
DuplicatingOperators.......................................................................... 280
ModifyingOperators............................................................................ 281
RemovingOperators........................................................................... 283
AlexandriaPatrons.............................................................................. 284
DuplicatingPatrons............................................................................. 286
ModifyingPatrons............................................................................... 287
RemovingPatrons............................................................................... 288
AddingPatronorOperatorPictures.................................................... 289
HowtoFindPatronsandOperators.................................................... 290
AccessingtheOnlinePatronManagementWindow........................... 292
BookmarkingOnlineInterfaces........................................................... 292
Shortcut Keys................................................................................. 293
AcceleratorandHotkeyCommands................................................... 293
WindowsShortcutKeys...................................................................... 293
WindowsCirculationShortcutCommands......................................... 294
MacintoshShortcutKeys.................................................................... 295
MacintoshCirculationShortcutCommands....................................... 296
iv–AlexandriaHostedGettingStartedGuide
Welcome to Alexandria!
ANoteAbouttheGettingStartedGuide:
Much effort was dedicated to produce a guide for a program that will unequivocally change
afterrelease.Atthetimethisguidewascompleted,alloftheinformationcontainedwithinwas
as accurate as possible. However, software such as Alexandria continuously evolves through
patchesandupdatesdesignedtoimprovetheexperienceforallusers.Thismeansthatsomeof
thedatacontainedinthisguidemaybeoutdatedatsomepointinthefuture,especiallywhereit
concernsonlinefeaturesandfunctionalityrelatingtoit.However,whenchangesdoinevitably
happen, we provide additional dynamic assistance through our technical support and online
helpchannels;www.companioncorp.com/mediawiki/index.php.
Welcome to the family!
CongratulationsonselectingAlexandriahostedserviceastheinformationmanagementsystem
for your library. Alexandria is a powerful application that helps you to manage your assets and
allowsyourpatronstofullyaccessyourlibrary’sresources.
TheAlexandriaGettingStartedGuideisdividedintosectionsthatcorrespondtothemajorareasof
the program, providing you with sequential, step-by-step instructions for configuring Alexan-
dria’spreferencesandbeyond.Ourgoalistotakeyoufromyourinitialsetuptotheeventualcir-
culationofitems,assistingyouintakingyourveryfirststepswithus.
Byreadingthisguideinitsentirety(noskimping!),youwillgaintheinsightrequiredtorunAlex-
andria, and thus, your library, more efficiently. You can also find an electronic version of this
guideontheinstallationCD-ROMorasadownloadable.pdffromourwebsite:
www.goalexandria.com.
AlexandriaHostedGettingStartedGuide–1
Welcome to Alexandria!
So, let’s begin!
TheAlexandrialibraryautomationsystemconsistsofamaininformationservercalledtheData
Station, hosted directly at one of our private, first-class, data network facilities.The Data Sta-
tionishometotheDatafolder,whereallyourcrucialpatron,item,andlibrarysysteminforma-
tion (data) is saved; it also processes all the activities and command requests from networked
clientWorkstations.
TheDataStationishostedonasecure,access-restrictedmachinesthatareprotectedbybattery
backup,housedinaclimate-controlledenvironment,andconnectedtotheinternetviaa100MB
(minimum) fiber-optic connection. All services are monitored electronically by certified profes-
sionals 24/7, so if a problem does occur, it can be addressed immediately. Equipment modifica-
tionandupgradesarecompletedswiftlyandscheduledduringoff-hoursandlow-useperiods—at
nocosttoyou!
COMPanionstoresandmaintainsyourdataonhardwarethatisconfiguredwithharddiskdrives
inarobustRAIDarray;intheeventofharddrivefailure,servicewillnotbeinterrupted.Alldata
is backed up daily and stored on COMPanion servers, with an additional daily backup stored
securelyoff-siteataseparatedatanetworkfacility.Dailybackupdataiskeptforseven(7)daysas
partofthededicatedHostingServiceAgreement.
Your Data folder cannot be accessed outside of COMPanion’s hosted services. However, for a
nominalfee,aDVD-basedhardcopyofyourdatamaybeobtainedforsafekeepingandisoffered
byCOMPanionasanadditionalmeasureofprotectionandpeaceofmind.
In the unlikely event that your data needsto be restored froma backup, COMPanion willper-
formthatserviceatnoadditionalchargeasquicklyaspossible.
COMPanionrespectsyourhosteddataasconfidentialandwillneverdistributeanyofyourdata’s
contents to a third party without prior written authorization. Any authorized third party with
whomCOMPaniondoesbusinesswouldguaranteethesameexpectationofconfidentiality.
IfyouwouldliketoorderaDVD-basedbackupofyourdata,contactyoursalesrepresentativeat
[phone]forinformationandpricing.
If you’ve already licensed use of COMPanion’s hosted service and have questions or problems
duringinstallation,contactCOMPanion’s24-hourTechnicalSupportServiceat(800)347-4942
orbyemail.
Alexandriaoffersavarietyofexpandedmodulesandclientprogramsthatcancommunicatewith
andaccesstheinformationonyourhostedDataStationtoperformspecificlibraryfunctions—
yourlicensedetermineswhichclientsandmodulesyoucanuse.Modulesandclientsareavailable
for both the Macintosh and Windows operating systems and are detailed on the subsequent
pages.
2–AlexandriaHostedGettingStartedGuide
Welcome to Alexandria!
Alexandria Configurations
(cid:129)Hosteddatabasesarehouseddirectlyatoneofourprivate,first-class,datanetworkfacilitieson
secure, access-restricted machines that are protected by battery backup, housed in a climate-
controlled environment, and connected to the internet via a 100MB (minimum) fiber-optic
connection.Hostedserversthatstorelibrarydataaremaintainedonhardwarethatisconfigured
with hard disk drives in a RAID array; in the event of hard drive failure, service will not be
interrupted.AlldataisbackedupdailyandstoredonCOMPanionservers,withanadditional
dailybackupstoredsecurelyoff-siteataseparatedatanetworkfacility.Allservicesaremonitored
electronically by certified professionals 24/7, so if a problem does occur, it can be addressed
quickly.Equipmentmodificationandupgradesarecompletedswiftlyandscheduledduringoff-
hoursandlow-useperiods.
(cid:129) Controller (MDS) allows you to house multiple Data Stations on a single, centralized server.
Essentially,whenyourdataishostedbyCOMPanion,it’salreadyrunningthroughaController,
whichsavesnotonlytime,butmoney.TheControllergivesadministratorsinagroupofsites
theabilitytoshareresourceswitheachother(i.e.otherAlexandrialibraries),yetstilldirectand
control their own collections independently. Alexandria Controller can update and archive all
ofthedatabasesatoncetoasinglelocation.Notonlydoesthisconfigurationmakelifeeasier
foryourinformationtechnology(IT)staff,itsavestraveltimeaswell,andgiveslibrariansthe
autonomytomanagetheirownrecordsandpolicies.Patronshavetheabilitytoeithersearchan
individual library, a group of libraries, or all libraries at once. Alexandria’s advanced search
capabilitiesallowlibrariestosimultaneouslyaccessallcollectionsinreal-time.Eachlibrarycan
choose an appropriate license level for their patron base and anticipated usage. Each library
maintainscontroloverpolicies,preferencesandcataloging.
(cid:129)CentralUnionhousesmanylibrarycollectionsinasingularDatafolderstoredonacentralData
Station.This gives management control to a sole administrator; all updates, upgrades, data
backups,andothermanagementproceduresareperformedfortheentiredistrictatacentralized
location.Eventhoughallyourdataiscentralizedonamainserver,patronshavetheabilityto
searchanindividuallibrary,agroupoflibraries,ortheentiredistrictatonce—inreal-time!Since
there is only one central patron database, Central Union allows the most convenient access to
inter-libraryloans(ILL).ThoseconsideringCentralUnionshouldplantoaddressoverlapping
barcode ranges, policies, preferences and cataloging. When considering add-on features, all
librariesmustsubscribetothesameservices.Formoreinformationon“CentralUnion”andwhat
isaffectedbyit,pleaseconsultAlexandria’sOn-LineHelp.
(cid:129)DistributedUnion(WAN)giveslibrariansinagroupofsitestheabilitytoshareresourceswith
each other, yet still manage and control their own collections independently. Data folders are
housed on separate Data Stations in each library, or at a “server farm” in a central location.
Patronshavetheabilitytoeithersearchanindividuallibrary,agroupoflibraries,ortheentire
district at once. Alexandria’s advanced search features allow libraries to simultaneously access
allcollectionsinreal-time.Eachlibrarycanchooseanappropriatelicenselevelfortheirpatron
base and anticipated usage. Each library maintains control over policies, preferences and
cataloging.
AlexandriaHostedGettingStartedGuide–3
Welcome to Alexandria!
Alexandria Options
The following are stand-alone features that allow you to accomplish anything from SIS automation, to
enhancingyourcollectionwithLexiles,oraddinganAlexandriasearchwidgettoanygivenwebpage.
(cid:129)SIFensuresthatK-12instructionalandadministrativesoftwareapplicationsworktogethermore
effectively. SIF is an industry-supported blueprint that enables diverse applications to interact
and share data seamlessly. SIF reduces the redundancy of data entry and allows data to be
efficientlyexchangedamongdifferentapplicationsusingastandardsetofspecifications.
(cid:129) SIP2 allows you to utilize SIP2 hardware (e.g. Checkpoint, 3M, etc.) by supporting the SIP2
protocol; this makes your library more efficient by enhancing your inventory and security
features. SIP2 also allows you to empower your patrons with self-service check-in and -out
modes, allowing you more time to focus on patron information needs. Although mainly
designed for self-service check-out stations, OverDrive, Axis 360, and MackinVIA all use a
subsetofSIP2inordertocommunicatewithAlexandriawhetheritberequestingpatronstatus
informationordownloadingMARCfilestoautomaticallyimportintoyourdatabase.
(cid:129)Lexileisascientifically-basedreadingmeasurementthatcanbeusedtomatchapatron’sreading
ability to the overall difficulty of a specified text. This module provides educators with a
standardizedsystemofmeasurement,allowingthemtobettermonitorthereadingprogressof
theirstudents.Lexileshavebecomethemostwidely-acceptedreadingmeasurementinusetoday;
renownasthemostaccuratewayofmatchingreaderstosuitabletext.
(cid:129) Advanced Bookings provide a valuable extension to the reservation capabilities that come
standardwithAlexandria.Thisusefulmodulestreamlinesthemanagementofcentralizedmedia
centersthatprocessnumerousrequestseachday.
(cid:129)SearchWidgetallowsyoutodrawattentiontoyourcatalogandinvitespatronstosearchyour
catalogdirectlyfromyourschoolorlibrary’smainhomepage.Dependingonyourneeds(and
preferences),youcanimplementaSimpleorAdvancedsearchwidget.
4–AlexandriaHostedGettingStartedGuide