Does anyone know the procedure to install and use Books Systems from home- entering books etc.? There could be a younger mom out there in my church that would be able to do it that way. Do I just call Tech support or sales?
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Buford, the option I mentioned using the "Machine local next item ID" feature is when computers in the library are networked. Go to the "Help" menu in Concourse, choose "Help Topics", then "Contents" , then "Administration." Under Administration choose "Edit ItemID types." Within this explanation is the following statement:
"Important! If you are running Concourse over a network, entering a number in one of the top fields is a global change. In other words, every copy of Concourse is affected by the change. If you want to make a change for your machine only, type the new number in the Machine local next item ID field. To avoid a centralized number (one that is placed in a top field) overriding local ItemID numbers, every user on the network should use the Machine local next item ID field."
We have used this feature when two people were doing data entry and it helps a lot! :)
Your question was about adding to the catalog from home, but the posts following seemed to apply to having multiple computers doing simultaneous updates/additions.
If you wish to work from home one way is to do a backup to a flash drive. Install Concourse on the home system (check with Book Systems for permission) and restore the backup to the home system. Do your updates and additions followed by a back up. Then do a restore on the church system. Note that any changes done on the church system will be lost by the restore. Are you using the computer for circulation? This could work fine if you have a fixed work day at church, no circulation updates, and the home work is done on other days.
Very "Iffy" situation, don't you think, Buford? Would only work if one person was responsible for all computer entries, and didn't ever forget! ha!
I did, and I'm not going to go that route. Way too dangerous- you need to assign a range of numbers, and if somehow something gets fouled up- it could go over your work. Nope, not for me.
Well, I'm curious as to what Book Systems had to say. If you don't mind, and if you think it's OK with Book Systems, would you tell us what they suggested?
Linda did not suggest having multiple people working on it --at least not at the same time. She gave me one example. One librarian had called her and said that she had 3 people working in different stations on Concourse, and wondered why she couldn't find some of the books she had put in. She had not assigned a range of numbers to each worker, and so whoever saved first got the number. [It basically wiped out whatever everyone else put in. The only way I think it could work if you tag-teamed. One worker comes in and works on Mondays and saves their work- next worker comes in on Tuesday or Thursday and works. It has to be consecutive. Horror of horrors to put in 5700 pieces of media, and have part of it wiped out by careless planning. That's just my take. ] She also said that in our church's case, we have multiple licenses for Concourse, but only one for EZCAT so that wouldn't work well for pulling down records. Not the way in which I should walk.
There is a way that you can have more than one person doing data entry if you have multiple computers in the library, since you have multiple licenses. This works only If your computers are all on the same network.
Choose administration, then "add/edit item ID types." In the field labeled "Machine local next item ID" place the number you have chosen to be the number that this machine will use for the next item entered. Check the box labeled "Remember my local class settings" and "Save changes." Go to another machine and do the same, using a number a few hundred or even 1000 numbers apart. Do this with all machines on which data entry for your holdings will be performed. This sets a range for each machine, enabling more than one person to work at the same time.
I know; I know! Our item ID's have gaps . . . they are not in sequence, but. . . the computer keeps up with the number of items we have and . . . we are not going to run out of numbers! :>)
P. S. This is not for someone trying to work at home and bringing a backup to the church library computer to restore. That is something different and requires permission from Book Systems AND much diligence in keeping up with who is doing what and when!
Sandra, your reply seems to apply to multiple computers each with Concourse installed but not networked. True, there would be no duplicate bar codes, but It would seem to me that doing additions to the different systems would get the catalogs out of sync and I can't think of a way to get them in sync. One would have to be the master system with its backups used to restore the others.
Thanks. I will file your directions- We do not have a network where more than one person can work so I still think I will pass on this option. It was a thought.