15-Day "Last Patron" Information

Effective September 2010, the SJVLS Administrative Council of Library Directors voted to keep "last patron" data in Horizon for 15 days. This replaces the previous setting of 3 days. This makes it easier to contact the last person who checked out the item in case it was missing a piece or damaged - even if the item is in shipment for a while. System determined that 96% of the items in shipment would be delivered within 15 days so this time period would be sufficient for the vast majority of items.

My List Problems and High Number of Titles

Beginning in June 2010, we began receiving reports from customers regarding problems using the My List feature in ValleyCat. Their My List account indicates they had an excessively high number of titles (usually 200+), but no titles are actually displayed. We've seen as high as 415 titles as shown below. If this happens, the customer is unable to see any of the titles previously in My List or add any new ones.

You may also see this error regarding a problem with XSLT: 

We do not know what causes this to happen. The phenomenon has been reported to System and they are working with SirsiDynix to determine the cause/solution. Until the problem is resolved, here are a few things to keep in mind and tell the customer.

• Report the problem to Tech Support including the customer's name and library card number.
• In order to correct the problem, the customer's corrupted My List must be deleted. All titles that were on the list will be lost. There is no way to recover the titles.
• When multiple family members use the same computer to check My List, and one person has problems, the problem will spread to all the My List accounts of the people using that computer. Therefore, if one family member has My List problems, others should refrain from accessing their own My List accounts from that computer until the problem is fixed by the Library.
• This problem seems to afflict users who keep a very large number of titles in My List (i.e. 100+). It is advisable to use the Other Lists feature in My List to create smaller sub-lists.

Click the "My List" label below to see other postings with tips and tricks for using My List.

Sorting and Processing Items for Delivery

Fresno has changed how we mark and use our red and gray crates for sorting delivery materials. We used to mark crates for our rural branches with stripes and mark “FHQ” and “FRSN” for our metro branches. Starting now, we will mark all red crates “FHQ” and gray crates “FRSN.”

All materials for Central Circulation need to be in a “FRSN” crate. Those crates are not sorted and go straight to Central Circ. Even if you do not have enough materials for a full crate keep those items separated. Your driver will repack the materials if needed. If you have the room (and are not already doing it), make a specific space for the Central Circ crate in your shipping area.

For those items you do not separate, you can continue to put them in red crates or gray crates. These crates will be sorted at the delivery hub.

In an effort to save staff time and reduce repetitive motion injuries, staff should use only one (1) rubber band to attach the routing slip to an item in shipment as outlined below. Order number 33 rubber bands. This size is perfect to use on most standard, fiction-sized books, DVDs and CDs.

• Items in red, gray (non Central Circ) and yellow crates – 1 rubber band. Tuck the routing slip into the bottom of the item so the branch location is clearly visible on the front. Use one rubber band to secure it from top to bottom (vertically). These are crates that have a mix of branches and need to be resorted at the shipping/delivery hub.
• Items in blue, gray (Central Circ Only) and black crates - no rubber band just as usual. Tuck the routing slip inside the book/case with the HOLD/RETURN portion visible at the top. These are crates dedicated to a single branch and do not need to be resorted at the shipping/delivery hub.
• For A/V items in a case, do not insert the bottom of the slip inside the case. Simply wrap it around the bottom outside of the case with the rubber band. It is easier to remove the slip later and it saves your hands from opening yet another case.
• There may be some items that still need to have two (2) rubber bands to secure the routing slip so it does not fall off (i.e. an oversized paperback book). Use your own judgment.
• This applies to any and all materials we process at FCPL locations – even materials being sent to other System members. Other System member libraries may continue to use two rubber bands when they ship items to us. That is their prerogative.

Watch this short video for some Dos and Don'ts of attaching the routing slip to books, DVDs and audio books that need 1 rubber band. If you cannot see the imbedded video, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2GHOS4zKEw.