Category: Service Update

Adobe Connect now available for virtual meetings

Jenn Nolte

Earlier this year, Yale ITS acquired Adobe Connect, a video conferencing service. Over the fall 2014 semester, Library IT tested Adobe Connect with the equipment in several library conference rooms on campus (see blog announcements here and here).

We began this testing to ensure that library staff persons at every library location are able to maintain their meeting schedules easily, regardless of their physical location, particularly in advance of staff moving to 344 Winchester. We are pleased to announce that the testing was successful, and that Adobe Connect can be used effectively in these rooms for video conferencing.

Adobe Connect is supported centrally through Yale ITS; for help with Adobe Connect please visit this page or contact the central ITS Help Desk. 

Get started by logging in to Adobe Connect using your email address and NetId password:  http://greet.yale.edu
Detailed instructions are here.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: before using Adobe Connect for your virtual meeting, please do a 10-minute test of the setup in the room you are using. Contact Jenn Nolte and Reon Keller if you need help with the initial setup.

Always add 5-10 minutes for set up in advance of your virtual meeting!

Adobe Connect Features:

Audio and video

Text Chat

Screen sharing

Layouts for different meeting types, plus additional layout customization

File upload

Polling

Send invitations to a meeting in Outlook

Meeting recording (turned off by default)

Conference/meeting rooms tested:

  • Lewis Walpole
  • Sterling 315, 332, 409 and 511
  • BRBL conference rooms (check with Julie Dowe)
  • CSSSI
  • Medical
  • Divinity

Required equipment in conference rooms for Adobe Connect to work:

Video camera (most conference rooms will have this, contact Workstation Support if you don’t see this equipment)
Monitor

Microphone (built into the above; this is also available – contact Workstation Support for details)

Desktop computer

 

Please email Jenn Nolte and Reon Keller if you have any questions!

Feedback Requested – Service Disruption Notification System

Raymond Frohlich

Over the last three months Library IT has piloted a service disruption notification system which has provided the YULIB list with fully automated disruption and restoration notification of critical public services.  We would like to solicit feedback regarding the service to better gauge if it has been of value to the community.

Please take a minute and provide us with your feedback by completing this short survey by the close of business on Friday, March 6th.

If you have any questions or comments feel free to contact me.  For more information about the trial and the services currently monitored see here.  For information about the underlying solution see here.

 

Library IT to Update SML 315 with New Hardware

fcr7

Library IT’s Workstation & Technology Services group has upgraded the hardware in conference room 315 in Sterling Memorial Library.

Screen Shot 2015-02-17 at 10.55.52 AM

LIT staff installed an 80 inch monitor and will install a Logitech HD Pro C920 webcam with speakers, similar to what is already in use in SML 511.

After the camera upgrade, SML 315 will be better equipped for video conferencing. The upgrade replaced the projector in the room and will be completely finished by March 1st.

The upgrade to the new monitor and computer is in the room and available for use via Jason Helms.

For questions about the upgrades to SML 315 or other conference rooms in Sterling, please contact Frederick Rodriguez or Reon Keller.

Update on Office 2013 targeted deployment at YUL

Jenn Nolte

The IT Infrastructure & Client Services unit continues its work in automatically deploying Office 2013 to select Library workstations.

So far:

  • 648 machines are now on Office 2013 (24 are 64-bit installs and the rest are 32-bit)
  • 63 machines still require an upgrade

In summary, over 91% of staff systems have been successfully upgraded to Office 2013.

See posts on previous Office 2013 deployment work here and here.

Questions? Please contact Greg Blasko (gregory.blasko@yale.edu)

Update on Office 2013 targeted deployment at YUL

Jenn Nolte

The IT Infrastructure & Client Services unit is currently working with the Endpoint Engineering group at Yale ITS to begin automatically deploying Office 2013 to select Library workstations.

To date, about 60% of YUL staff systems have been upgraded to Office 2013. Overnight Monday Dec. 1st into Tuesday Dec. 2nd, we will be deploying to another large group, essentially everyone else except the Arts Library, Drama Library, LSF and OHAM. Those areas will be addressed later in December.

Next week systems in CSSSI, Divinity, Medical Library, the Music Library and various collection areas in SML will receive their upgrades.

Additionally, you can further prepare for the upgrade by viewing the lynda.com online videos available to the Yale community by visiting http://www.yale.edu/lynda and watching Office 2013 New Features. We also encourage you to check out the Office 2013 Quick Start Guides.

Click here for the previous announcement about the Office 2013 deployment.

Adobe Connect testing final phase

rmk28

In partial response to some library departments’ relocation to 344 Winchester, Jenn Nolte and Reon Keller from Library IT are began testing the Adobe Connect video conferencing and collaboration service in Library-operated conference rooms around campus this October. Library IT is also simultaneously testing Microsoft’s Lync service, which is a chatting, phone and video conferencing service.  See original post on this project here.

Testing has been completed for all targeted library conference rooms, including:

  • Lewis Walpole
  • Sterling 315, 332, 409 and 511
  • BRBL
  • CSSSI,
  • Medical
  • Divinity

Some of the equipment in these rooms may be upgraded eventually to optimize performance, but most are adequately equipped for use of Adobe Connect and/or Microsoft Lync. Cindy Greenspun recently pointed out the closed-captioning feature in Adobe Connect, which we will test in the coming month.

In Spring 2014, look for some web pages with set up information, video conferencing etiquette, best practices and a list of video conference enabled rooms. Library IT will also be conducting training on how to use Adobe Connect as well.

For questions, please contact reon.keller@yale.edu or jennifer.nolte@yale.edu

Hydra Repository Now 3-Lock Data Compliant

Raymond Frohlich

The underlying storage infrastructure in use by Yale University Library’s Hydra repository is now 3-Lock data compliant.  Data and information at Yale is classified into three different tiers to categorize data security (more here).  3-Lock data can include things like Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, trade secrets, medical records, tax records, grades for assignments and courses, passport numbers, Veterans Administration data, and bank account numbers.  This upgrade is intended to meet the needs of units across the Library depositing material, and in particular units that are interested in the storage of digital personal papers that may contain sensitive content.  Thanks to Steve DeGroat and John Coleman of the Design & Quality Assurance team within Yale ITS Infrastructure Services.

New Items Tool Update

yj33

 

New Item Tool Interface
New Item Tool Interface

Library IT is pleased to announce the completion of the second phase of development for the New Items Tool. This tool is a web-based, self-service reporting tool that will provide selectors the ability to search for newly acquired or newly received materials.

Until October of 2012, the process of reviewing new materials was a physical one, taking place in a designated space known as Review Plaza in the Acquisitions department. As a part of this process, selectors and the Order Support Team communicated with actual paper slips regarding newly acquired and received materials.

To automate this process, Library  IT developed the New Items Tool in phases. The first phase, now in production for the past 18 months, was the creation of a web-based tool for selectors to identify and review all newly acquired items received automatically (through the pre-determined criteria) in their approval plan profiles. Selectors can search by date, subject, selector, or fund. In this phase of development, the tool only returned results for items received on “approval” purchase orders.

The second phase has expanded the tool’s functionality to include firm orders, gift, exchange, and depository purchase types. With these enhancements, the New Items Tool is now capable of returning results for all purchase types except continuations. This enables selectors to review all new items received in the area(s) of their subject specialization, regardless of purchase order type. The tool can also be used by acquisitions and collection development staff as a way to identify items received on particular funds. The new phase 2 feature is currently in testing and will be rolled out soon. This tool can be accessed from Staff Front Door Orbis: Reports and Tools New Items Reporting Tool.

Special thanks to Debbie Catalano, Eric Friede, Melissa Wisner, and Bob Rice for all of their work on this tool!

For questions or comments about this service, please email Yue Ji.

MARC Self Service Update

yj33

 

MARC Self Service Tool Interface
MARC Self Service Tool Interface

MARC is the acronym for MAchine-Readable Cataloging. A MARC record  is the mechanism by which computers exchange, use, and interpret bibliographic information, and its data elements make up the foundation of most library online public access catalogs used today around the world.

The MARC Self Service Tool permits staff to request a file of MARC records as needed, without having to make a special request to Library IT. In production for ten months now, the MARC Self Service Tool is a web-based, self-service extracting tool that allows staff to type in, or upload, a text file of bibliographic record IDs or barcodes from Orbis. Submitting the record IDs to the tool results in an extract of the associated bibliographic records. The extracted records will be emailed to the staff person who placed the request in the tool. Staff may then take the file(s) of extracted bibliographic records and:

  • edit them via a batch processing tool such as MARCEdit or
  • ingest the bibliographic records into another local database or
  • convert the MARC to other formats or
  • in certain scenarios, share the records with a partner project site such as the Heritage of the Printed Book (formerly Hand Press Books), OCLC, or the Old Maps Online project.

Rich Richie from the Southeast Asia Collection has been using the tool and stated, “The MARC Self Service extract tool has been a great help in extracting preliminary Khmer language catalog records from Voyager. Sending these lists of extracted records to our outside vendor for Khmer records, provides us with a quick and easy way to build full level records in MARCEDIT and easily overlay the preliminary records based on the BibID. A useful and timesaving resource for this project.”

The MARC Self Service Tool  is an innovative approach to increasing the availability of Orbis bibliographic records and batch data manipulation workflow. We are currently developing a new feature of the MARC Self Service tool which allows staff to extract holding MARC records (MFHDs) along with their associated bibliographic MARC records.  Among other things, this new feature will allow the Catalog Management team to manipulate bibliographic records with their holdings records easily, for example deleting eBook cancelled titles with holdings. The new feature is currently in its testing phase and will be rolled out soon. This tool can be accessed from Staff Front Door Orbis: Reports and Tools Cataloging MARC Self Service.

Special thanks to Jenn Nolte and Bob Rice for all of their work on this tool!

For questions or comments about this service, please email Yue Ji.

ILLiad Successfully Migrated to Managed Yale ITS Infrastructure

Raymond Frohlich
"Library building details" by Anne is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
“Library building details” by Anne is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

ILLiad, the library’s interlibrary loan and scan and deliver management platform, has been successfully migrated to VMware infrastructure hosted by Yale ITS. The system is used to receive, track, and manage patron borrowing requests including physical delivery of items from libraries worldwide, scanned book chapters, and scanned articles from Yale University Library’s collections.  Yale ITS will now provide systems and database administrative support for the service. The Enterprise Systems group within Library IT will continue to act as the owner and primary point of contact for the service and Atlas Systems will continue to provide application support. ITS staff, including Robert Wolfe from the Windows systems administration team, Kathryn Dobbins from the database team, and John Lee from the information security group all worked closely with the library systems group and were instrumental in completing the transition on schedule.