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Library Catalog Stations (Public Web Browser) update

At the last AAC meeting, it was agreed that all OWLSnet managed library catalog stations would have their home page set to the new catalog http://search.infosoup.org rather than the main infosoup landing page http://www.infosoup.org. We hope to begin making the change this week. OWLSnet staff will contact you when we are ready to update your catalog stations.

In response to some concerns about patrons not logging out on catalog stations, I have made some style changes that will make the patron name and logout link more prominent. This change will only affect library catalog stations and anyone using very old versions of Internet Explorer. 

If you come across any issues with Encore and PWB, please report them to OWLSnet owlsnethelp@mail.owls.lib.wi.us. Thanks,

Evan

Encore - Problem Viewing Holds: Another Update

We are still getting numerous reports of problems trying to view holds in Encore. When clicking on the holds tab, a "Loading" message will appear and the circle of dots will go round and round forever. Innovative was able to fix the problem with Checkout and Holds numbers not displaying correctly. We thought that might be related to the "Loading" issue, but it now appears that they were separate problems. Please continue to report problems with viewing holds. Until Innovative solves the problem, the two options are to close the browser and try again or close the browser and then login to the classic account to view holds.

I talked with Innovative support staff this morning. They don't really have an idea right now what is causing the problem but they are investigating. On first glance, it appears to be a connection or communication problem between the encore server and the patron database rather than a specific issue with patron accounts. Since we are not certain of this, however, if you get a report from a patron or staff about the problem please, if possible, pass along the library card # and the time of the problem. We are looking for any patterns, such as fines, items awaiting pickup, number of holds, expiration date etc. that could be a factor. With the patron number and time of day, it is also possible for Innovative to search log files for potential clues. Thanks,

Evan

Encore - Problem Viewing Holds: Update

We were able to observe, unintentionally, the holds problem in the OWLS office. When clicking on Holds, a "Loading" message pops up and the wheel just spins and spins and freezes your session. We were able to close the browser and then reopen the browser. In our case, the session was still active and the user still logged in. When clicking on the holds tab, the holds loaded without any problems. I have a call open with Innovative. Until this is fixed, please suggest closing and reopening the browser. In some cases, at least, that may work. If not, recommend using the classic My Account until the issue is resolved. Thanks.

Encore - Problem Viewing Holds

I have had a couple reports of problems viewing holds in Encore. The patron clicks/taps on the Holds tab and they get nothing but an hour glass or wheel. I will open a ticket with Innovative, but I would like to gather additional information first. If you get any reports about problems viewing holds please get as many details as you can, such as any error messages, what type of device, and browser. Also important is if the problem in reproducible. Ask if you can try to login to his or her account and see if you have the same problem, or ask if the patron can try on a different computer or device or logout and try again in a few minutes.

If a patron is having trouble viewing account details in Encore, you can offer them direction on viewing their account details in classic. At the bottom of the My Library menu in Encore is a link to the "Classic Catalog." I have also added a temporary link on the side bar of the main InfoSoup page under "I'm looking for..." This could help us determine if the problem is encore related or a problem with a particular account. Thanks for all your help and patience.

Evan

Encore Checkout Tab

In My Account, the Checkout tab display is always "Checkouts (0)" regardless of how many items a user may have checked out. The Holds tab is also initially displaying as "Holds (0)" and only updates after clicking on Holds. I have opened a ticket with Innovative and will report back when it is fixed. 

Encore Logout Problems

We are getting a number of reports of problems with patrons trying to logout of Encore. This seems to be primarily a problem on Library Catalog Stations. We are looking into it. If you notice this issue, please pass it along to owlsnethelp@mail.owls.lib.wi.us. Please note if the problem is on a catalog station, a different library computer, a mobile device, or home computer. Thanks!

Evan

Catalog Search Box on Library Web Sites

Now that we have moved to Encore, we need to update web site search boxes and links. I will start working on on OWLS web sites as soon as possible. For NFLS libraries, I have posted the necessary code at https://owlsnet.org/sites/default/files/owlsnet/encore_search_box.txt.

Any direct links to My Account should also be changed to: http://search.infosoup.org/iii/encore/myaccount?lang=eng&suite=def

Links to the New Materials database do not need to be updated. Please contact me with any questions about updating links.

Encore Live

The InfoSoup home page search box is now taking all users to Encore. Because of some issues with Library Catalog Stations using Public Web Browser, the InfoSoup home page has remained mostly the same with only some old pages removed. We hope to update the InfoSoup home page in a week or so.

Please note. On some Library Catalog Stations, the main menu on Encore may display collapsed, as if on a mobile device. The menu will still work, but the links will not display until the menu icon in the right had side of the menu is selected. This should not be too much of an issue as the catalog stations are used primarily to search the catalog. We are, however, working on a fix.

Good luck! If you notice any problems or issues with Encore, please email owlsnethelp@mail.owls.lib.wi.us

Thanks,

Evan

Encore is Coming

Just a reminder that Encore will become the official catalog on Monday September 14th. I have a rough FAQ started at https://www.infosoup.info/new-infosoup-faq. I will continue to update that as time permits. Please let me know if you have questions.

If all goes well, sometime before 9:00 am on Monday, I will update the main InfoSoup page. At minimum, the new page will have a new search box that will take users to Encore rather than the WebPac. The original plan was to introduce a new InfoSoup home page that matched the look and feel of Encore. We are running into some issues with how the new design is displaying in Public Web Broswer on the library catalog stations. We need to work through these issues before launching a new home page. 

A few other notes. Bookletters Book lists have been updated to send users to the new catalog. Either today or Monday I will update the New Materials Database to link to Encore. Over the next few days I will also update the InfoSoup reading blogs to link to Encore. Thanks!

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