One comment we received a couple of times on our last survey was why the SAILS staff can’t come out to libraries and do onsite training, since staff can’t easily get to our offices. Well we love coming to libraries to train! There are many benefits doing training at the library. The main one is that everyone at the library hears the same information. Procedures are done because “we’ve
always done it that way” and you may not know there are other ways of doing what is being tried. Maybe there’s a more efficient way of doing it or sometimes we hear of a frustration point at the circ desk, for example, and it turns out something isn’t working properly because the properties at the workstation need to be changed. Being onsite often brings out these
issues, since being at the place it happens triggers the memory of what’s happening. We can also help you change your properties if we’re there and can also see examples of what’s happening and better troubleshoot.
If having us come out and train your staff sounds good, we have a form online at:
https://sailsinc.org/training-request-form/
We will need the approval of the director to train onsite but the form is open to anyone and can possibly get a conversation going if you’re not quite ready to schedule the time. If you have any questions or concerns, please email support@sailsinc.org.
cataloging
cataloging pages
Changes to Discard Procedures
We have received requests from time to time for a list of titles that have been discarded by a library. Under our old procedures we often couldn't provide a full list because the system was removing discarded titles once a week with a few exceptions.
Starting July 1, 2018 we will be changing our process. This will not affect how your staff members set items to discard. Discarded items will be shadowed. The only change is that titles will remain in the system until the following month. You will receive a list of titles discarded in the previous month. It will be your responsibility to maintain a record of titles that have been discarded after you receive that list. Those titles will be permanently removed the week after the list is generated.
This will allow you to track the actual titles being discarded without burdening the system with storing too many titles no longer in the system.
Please note if you have already requested that we not remove your discarded titles until you request it we will continue following those directions.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Deborah K. Conrad, Executive Director
Problem Item Form
Thanks to Melissa Campbell for suggesting the use of this form for items being returned with a problem. You may use this customizable form for when you check in an item and you need to alert the library where the item is headed that there is something wrong with it. Maybe it has a part missing or damaged and the receiving library will know right away. It is in Word Format so you save the form with the name of your library in the space that has From **your** Library.
It is possible to use the check-in notes to achieve the same thing but that does require that the library staff member discharging the to item to read the note and sometimes you may not want to discharge the item until the problem has been solved.
The form is posted here https://sailsinc.org/circulation-desktop/circulation-forms/