Code4libBC Lightning Talk Notes: Day 1

Code4libBC Day 1 lightning talk notes!

Scraping index pages and VuFind implementation – Louise Brittain Boisvert

• Systems Librarian at Legislative
• collection development policy: support legislators and staff, receive or collect publications, many of them digital but also some digitized (mostly PDF, but others)
• accessible via link in MARC record
• previously, would create an index page for multi-part publications (e.g. serials), and might be 3 levels deep
• only top level titles are catalogued, full text search not available
• GALLOP Portal: one portal for full text searching for government docs, but only indexes the direct link, not nested links
• goal: make everything full text searchable
• solution: scrape index pages => VuFind (search engine, Apache Solr, PHP, MySQL)
• MARCalizer, written in PHP:
  • queries ILS for digital collection records,
  • exports,
  • analyzes 856 for multiple items
  • traverses through links, create copy of MARC record for each item
  • Scrape index pages editing fields as needed e.g. 245$b, 260$c
  • push into VuFind
• Results: https://vufind.llbc.leg.bc.ca
• next steps:
  • upgrading/updating OS/VuFind,
  • finessing Marcalizer,
  • incremental updates/deltions,
  • hoping to scrap index page and create database table,
  • long term: move to CM/IR?

Blended learning in libraries: Google IT Support Certificate Program at Surrey Libraries – Erol Olcay

• GIST created originally for new hires
• realized could sell to coursera
• skills/knowledge for entry level IT Support role
• started in April, finishing up December; second cohort starting soon
• 5 modules: fundamentals, networking, OS, sysadmin/infra, security. More at grow.google/intl/ALL_ca/programs/it_support
• grant for course and laptops for some if needed
• decided to blend online with in-person
• P2PU, learning circle model: adults taking same course to get together e.g. see others with same struggles
• facilitator role:
  • sending reminder emails,
  • encouragement,
  • learning facilitator bringing structure and discussion questions,
  • encourage others to bring their own experiences
  • online only has remote meetings, but attendance is much lower, something powerful about in-person learning
• community development and collaboration

Implementing an IT service desk – Tamarack Hockin / Jason Swan

• Collection Services Specialist; Systems Analyst at FVRL
• 8-9 people involved to migrate intranet
• but no support to launch because no confidence it was a good product
• decided to move to Atlassian May 2017
• followed similar process as before, with little traction
• finally hired a consultant to formalize commitment from the highest levels to provide format direction
• it began
  • 226 requirements for the system
  • new structure for team
  • content-first approach to managing template design and migration
  • user testing with library staff
  • IT service desk pilot
  • and more
• unified service desk for IT
  • transparent communication
  • issue tracking
  • changed workflows, which were documented
  • developing knowledge base
• only been 3 weeks, still working on adoption

Ditch Deep Freeze: Public computer administration for small libraries – Camille Ginnever

• Mackenzie Public Library
• motivation
  • replaced public stations summer 2019
  • DeepFreeze with previous machines was string on resources
  • wanted to explore feasibility of limiting changes without DeepFreeze
• redone computer area: separated adults and kids
  • laptops for kids from BC Technology for Learning Society
  • desktops for adults
• secured via
  1. elevated admin account
  2. modified user account
  3. prohibit user account from changing password
  4. clear Downloads, Documents, etc. daily using task scheduler
  5. force chrome to launch in guest mode (doesn’t save data)
  6. user-proof regular browsing via settings and extensions e.g. privacy badger, ad block, auto history wipe, disable extension install
  7. Disable internal speakers
  8. Edge hidden
• Conclusion
  • haven’t gone back to DeepFreeze yet
  • 30 – 2 hours on maintenance per week and are eager to
  • security: acceptable level of risk (low digital literacy users, small operation, have option to re-image drives)
  • local computer management, but no IT team, with little resource in town

Break

Authorities cleanup – Trevor Smith

• Monograph Collections and Metadata Librarian, Douglas College Library
• authorities: authors, subject headings, uniform titles, MESH (medical
• they get messy
  • authors die
  • subject heading descriptions change
  • new standards like RDA, 3XX tags replacing GMD in 245$h
  • ingesting new ebook/streaming collections with terrible data
• authorities vendor:
  • cleans metadata
  • updates subjects to current standards: LAC & LC
  • AACR2 to RDA
  • adding control numbers to linked data
• situation: not done cleanup 10+ years, budget $10k+ (charter), 2 years for approval, LAC+OCLC, prioritized renovations
• getting started
  • pick a vendor (MARCIVE & Backstage)
  • create profile
  • talk to team & vendor
  • clean data before hand e.g. coding errors, leader, local practices
  • save local authority files
• keep on track: Planner (Office 365)
• planned to complete August; 280k records, signed/approved July, finished end of Sept
• problems
  • 280k records sent
  • only 10% of data
  • 90k vendor records
  • data issues e.g. No URIs, some nuances were lost
  • doesn’t fix your data, incorrect data made bad “fixes” e.g. leader said fiction so changed subject heading to fiction version
• was it worth it?
  • good: clean records & subjects, form to current best practices
  • bad: still not sure what’s in there, don’t have MARC/ILS which can handle changes

Implementing values in practical ways – Cynthia Ng

• See full script.

Tell Your Story: Ebook creation for 11-14 – Patricia Lesku

• West Vancouver Memorial Library
• can turn their story into an ebook, which is then catalogued
• funded by foundation
• in OverDrive and BibliCommons
• week 1: project planning; what needs to be done at home
• week 2: beta readers; finished first draft, stations to take notes while reading others’ stories
• week 3: cover design in Canva; getting and giving feedback
• week 4: ebook creation; have to learn XML for the ebook format, and metadata
• what’s next? expand younger writers, partner with teachers, expand lower stakes offerings e.g. collaborative choose your own story slide deck

JavaScript, CSS and HTML elements in circulation notices: A dilettante’s perspective – Olga Kalachinskaya

• Systems and Access Services Librarian, Douglas College Library
• if can’t control it, could consider requesting from vendor
• notices were formatted for printing, not for email
• ILS introduced print templates. Provided ready-to-use default templates but recommended iReport/TIBCO Jaspersoft Studio for creating custom print templates
• reports are defined in XML file, JXML
• wanted to make some changes to default e.g. dates were inconsistently displayed, and wanted to include day of the week; address shouldn’t be included, name was last then first name, location/barcode not needed
• some things could be easily changed via the template, but not other pieces
• JavaScript needed for patron name greeting, removing lines, combination of two fields
• CSS for display e.g. consistent fonts

West Vancouver Memorial Library Ebook Ordering: How we expanded our collection with intentional ordering

• Advantage collection, limited resources, have to make choices
• previously was just trying to fulfill holds, didn’t know how much was spending on individual subject areas
• decided to do search stats analysis: 80% fiction, 59% ebook, nonfiction genres, fiction genres
• made a spreadsheet to ordering closer to what was being searched
• limited budget for specific genre based on analysis, with a set percentage for holds
• collection and circulation growth: 2016-2018
• had other titles to recommend that were available similar to those with holds
• future: no analysis since 2016, some genres are cheaper than others so categories don’t entirely work, more titles are now metered access (typically 24 months, 52 circs), too much work for acquisitions staff, pricing can change a lot between catalogue and cart

End of talks

That was a great set of talks. Thanks to all the presenters!