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CUNY’s migration to a Library Services Platform
CUNY’s migration to a Library Services Platform (“LSP”) will provide unified services across the library. It will be a long journey, and we will be building up information for our roadmap as we reach different milestones.
To follow the journey, please consult the OLS Support Site: https://ols-support.cuny.edu/?q=systems/lsp
OneSearch account now more accurately displays renewal eligibility
Following a comment from a campus, we were able to improve functionality in OneSearch by increasing patron account checks for renewability.* What does this mean for you? Items on loan that are not renewable (because they are on hold for another patron) now say so in your patron account!
Prior to this fix, all active loans displayed as “Renewable,” even if they were currently on hold for other patrons (and, thus, not eligible for renewal). This is a minor improvement but one whose effects will be felt immediately by those who borrow library items and rely on OneSearch to provide accurate renewal statuses in order to renew them.
* Interested in the technical details? They are outlined in this Ex Libris Knowledge Center article: Primo-Aleph API: Items that are not renewable are displayed as status “renewable”.
Winning with OLS Support Requests
When requesting help from the Office of Library Services, please consider these tips to move the work forward more efficiently on your behalf.
Pro-tips
1. Open a work order by emailing the CUNY Service Desk at service.desk@cuny.edu. (It is fine—and, in some cases, encouraged—to directly ask OLS staff members preliminary email questions prior to opening a work order.)
The subject of your email should read:
Product: XX – Brief description of request
where “Product” is the service/system (e.g., Aleph, Primo, SFX, etc.), “XX” is your two-letter campus code, and “Brief description of request” succinctly explains your problem or request.
* For issues related to CUNY Academic Works, please contact Megan Wacha directly at megan.wacha@cuny.edu or 646-664-8213.
2. If you are so inclined, copy an OLS staff member on your initial email to the CUNY Service Desk. This is especially relevant for urgent requests that require immediate attention.
- Aleph: Kevin Collins, kevin.collins@cuny.edu
- Primo: Allie Verbovetskaya, alevtina.verbovetskaya@cuny.edu
- EZproxy: Roland Samieske, roland.samieske@cuny.edu
- SFX: Roland Samieske, roland.samieske@cuny.edu
- E-Resource/Licensing: Nancy Egan, nancy.egan@cuny.edu
* For issues related to CUNY Academic Works, please contact Megan Wacha directly at megan.wacha@cuny.edu or 646-664-8213.
3. Always include your phone number and email address in your initial request.
4. Be specific and provide examples. This helps us identify and replicate what you are seeing. For example: mention the specific patron, bib record, item, or database in question; include permalinks or search keywords to help replicate a search; provide mockups for requested display/UI changes; supply off-campus credentials when reporting a problem with an e-resource or one facing remote users; and so on.
5. Add screenshots! (After all, a picture is worth a thousand words.) If you’re not sure how, learn how to capture screenshots in Windows or take a screenshot on your Mac.
6. Please mention any and all relevant deadlines as they apply to your request.
7. When asked follow-up questions by OLS staff, include that staff member on your email response.
By following these 7 tips, you can be sure that your request will be handled properly and addressed quickly!
If you notice that a CUNY library system is down, please follow the directions outlined in an earlier blog post: What to Do When an OLS Managed Service is Not Available.
Changes to centrally-hosted EZproxy authentication
Recently, the Office of Library Services has made improvements to the way the centrally-hosted EZproxy servers handle authentication so that they restrict expired patrons from having access to electronic resources. This issue goes beyond a single group of patrons, such as high school students. This cuts across a variety of patron groups.
Centrally-hosted EZproxy authentication originally only checked whether a barcode was valid (i.e., the five-digit institution prefix). Subsequent improvements gave us the ability to check whether or not a patron had library privileges restricted due to overdue items or fines of $5 or more.
Until a couple of weeks ago, someone who graduated school or left their job at CUNY could have ongoing access to electronic resources for years. By remaining active in the Aleph catalog (e.g., with a minor fine), the patron’s barcode was deemed valid by the authentication process.
The recent changes to the way the centrally-hosted EZproxy servers authenticate users now allow us to also check the patron’s expiration date in his/her Aleph account.
Patrons that are loaded via the automated (CUNY-wide) batch loading process automatically receive global patron accounts. Barcode are needed for remote access to e-resources via the centrally-hosted EZproxy instances. Some libraries add them manually while others add them via a batch process.
Circulation staff are trained in-house about how to manually create local patron accounts. Depending on how staff set up these account, they can be given a variety of different privilege levels, including remote access to electronic resources.
For more details on new patron registration, please speak with your Access Services Librarian. If you have questions about patrons’ remote access to e-resources, please consult with your E-Resources Librarian.
Any remaining questions, please do not hesitate to contact OLS.
Aleph alerts that what once was lost now is found
Did you know? The Aleph GUI can notify Access Services staff when patrons check out an item with an incorrect item processing status (IPS). Let Aleph do more to help patrons have an accurate description of an item’s true status!
When a missing item is labeled as “Missing” or “Lost” (IPS = LO, MI, MT, or SE), it may later be found. The Aleph GUI can display an alert message during check out (or CLICs processing) that the IPS should be corrected. (Aleph will then remove the IPS.)
To enable this on-screen notification, please make a change to the following file on your desktop PC:
C:\Aleph21Prod\Circ\tab\circ.ini
In the “General” section, add the following lines:
[General]
DatesDefaultSubLibrary=[MAIN SUBLIBRARY, e.g., XX001]
UpdateDatesDefaultSubLibrary=Y
NotifyProcessStatus=Y
For more details, please see the OLS Support Site for the Aleph client installation instructions (see step 19-G).
