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Best Practices

  • Frequently Asked BARD Questions

    Scrabble tiles spelling out F A Q

    Everything you wanted to know about BARD and KLAS... but if your question isn’t here yet, please don’t be afraid to ask!

    BARD itself is entirely within NLS’ purview and out of our control, but KLAS and BARD interact via PIMMS and the BARD Circ Load, with additional integrations likely in the future. If you aren’t sure who to contact about a problem with BARD and/or KLAS, you are welcome to copy both us and NLS, or start with us and we’ll refer you as needed. 

    Table of Contents

    • First and Last Name for an Institutional BARD Account
    • Shared email addresses
    • Setting which email is used for BARD
    • Uploading the BARD Circulation Statistics
    • BARD Circ load errors

    First and Last Name for an Institutional BARD Account

    How do I add the First and Last Name for an Institutional BARD Account?

    On the Patron record’s Contacttab, on the default email contact (“DefEM” contact preference), include the institutional user’s first and last name in the Note field. 

    Screenshot of an Email Contact record's data fields. Note is the third field, after Contact Type and Contact Sub Type, and just before Value. The screenshot also shows the Contact Preference browse, where the example email is set as the patron's DefEM Default Email.

    This can be entered as either “John Doe,” or as “Doe, John.” 

    If there is any additional text in the field (such as a middle name, job title, etc):

    • When there is a comma anywhere in the field, everything ahead of the comma is sent as the Last Name, and everything after the comma is the First Name. For example:
      “Smith Jones, Susan” would be First Name: Susan, Last Name: Smith Jones
      “Doe, John - Activity Director” would be First Name: John - Activity Director, Last Name: Doe
    • When there is no comma, the final word is the Last Name, and everything else is the First Name. For example:
      “Kelly Sue Jones” would be First Name: Kelly Sue, Last Name: Jones
      “John ‘Activity Dir’ Doe” would be First Name: John ‘Activity Dir’ Last Name: Doe

     

     

  • Navigating KLAS 101 Webinar

    "Navigating KLAS 101" webinar, an intro level webinar to help ALL users navigate KLAS more effectively & Efficiently. Topics include: standard toolbar functions, using browse tables, and comments.

    Learn the basics of KLAS in this introduction webinar for new users, or those looking to fill in a few gaps in their foundation. Topics  include standard toolbar functions, using browse tables, and comments. These fundamentals are useful throughout KLAS, for both Library for the Blind and Print Disabled (LBPD) and Instructional Resource / Materials Center (IRC/IMC) users.

    Resources & References

    Hands-on Practice Worksheet

    Session Recording

    Timestamps of Topics Discussed:

    • 2:30 Logging into the KLAS Training Database
    • 6:38 KLAS Header Info
    • 7:29 Using Find
    • 9:56 "Begins" Searching
    • 11:09 Searching for a phone number
    • 13:10 Recent list
    • 13:28 Comments function
    • 14:47 Browse Tables
    • 16:53 Sorting columns in a browse table
    • 17:59 Filtering a browse table
    • 19:00 Moving columns in a browse table
    • 20:00 Saving browse table column positions
    • 21:20 Exporting data to Excel from a browse table
    • 25:12 Resetting browse table column positions
    • 27:40 Transaction Buttons (Add, Update, Delete, Reset, Cancel)
    • 39:22 The Functions Menu
    • 43:50 Example function: How to erase Has-Hads
    • 50:35 About KLASusers.com 

  • Required fields for NLS Acknowledgements

    The patron Contact Tab with key fields highlighted, as discussed in the article.

    As NLS makes sure that the "I"s are dotted and the "T"s are crossed on all the open collection acknowledgements, here's a run-down of all the required fields:

    1. Patron Main

    On the Main tab, the relevant Patron Types are:

    • IP or IS for Institutions (make sure that Individual checkbox is blank)
    • For juveniles, any patron type that begins with P will be checked for for the age (make sure that Individual checkbox is marked)

    The patron main tab for Wayside School, with the Patron Type set to IP / School - Public or Private, and the Individual checkbox blank.

    2. Contact tab

    On the Contact tab, make sure the Alt Contact is present and complete:

    • Legal for Institutions
    • Parent or Guardian for juveniles
    • Title in Description field for Institutions
    • Full Name for either
    • Phone and email for Institutions (corrected 2/17/26. Phone and email are optional for juveniles.)

    The Contact Tab (alt-2) with an alternate contact record selected. The subtype Legal Representative is selected. The sample data is Desc: Principal, Name: Eric Kidswatter, e-mail kidswatter@WaysideSchool.edu, and a phone number.

    2b. Contact Preference

    If there is more than one Alt Contact of a relevant SubType (such as two Parents on a juvenile's account), you need to specify which one to sync to NLS as having provided the Acknowledgement Answer.

    Do this by setting a Contact Preference for the ParentalAck.

    The Add Contact Preference function is available from the Functions menu. The Type/Function combo-box is set to ParentalAck / Parental Acknowledgement, and the example alternate contact is selected in the browse table below. Buttons to Save Changes or Cancel Update are at the end of the screen.

    Finally, you need the Property record (aka Preference) recording the Answer and the Answer Date.

    • For Institutions, the Property Type is Legal Acknowledgement
    • For Juveniles, the Property Type is Parental Acknowledgement
    • Either way, the answers are likely worded as "Parent Does Acknowledge" etc.
    • Include the Date Answered

    The Preference Tab (alt-4) with the LegalAck property selected. The Ack Answer combo-box is set to Parent does Acknowledge. The example Answer Date is 12/19/2025.

    Questions & PIMMS Error Report

    If you aren't sure why an account is included in NLS' list of non-compliant records and/or in your PIMMS Error Report, please check each of the above fields, and let customer support know the Patron ID if you still need help! If the record was in your Error Report, please include the text of the error as well.

  • TBT Strategies

    A stack of old catalogs photographed from the side.

    The time has come: Talking Book Topics (TBT3 / TBT4) is being handed over to the network libraries for duplication.

    Per our previous article on the topic: you have two options for distribution.

    • The quickest, easiest, simplest option is to send it with your other NLS serials (usually as the DS medium). If many of your TBT subscribers also get other serials, they can travel on the same cartridge to save you some labor.
    • The option that will give you the most control and the best statistics is to give it a unique medium (such as TBT). This option allows you to send the TBT on a different day of the week from your other serials, and ensures that a patron already at cutoff for serials can still get the new TBT so long as they’ve returned the previous one.
    Let us know which medium you want to use, and we’ll get the Serial title set up for you. Either way, new issues will load automatically ready-to-duplicate just like all the former MOCs.

    The rest of this article discusses options for reviewing and weeding your subscribers list, sending a form letter, handling the TBT Order Form, and available support. 

    You have options for how to move forward depending on how hands-on you want to be: if you can invest some time and/or send an Opt-In form letter now, it can save you time duplicating TBT issues for patrons that won’t make use of them. 

    Reviewing your Subscribers

    As discussed in the previous article, we recommend reviewing your subscriber list to make sure that you are only duplicating the catalog for patrons that actually want it. 

    If you only subscribe patrons to TBT on request and are comfortable duplicating TBT for your current active subscriber count, we can copy that subscriber list to the new serial. On the other hand, if you have a high number of subscribers, and if you have previously subscribed people to TBT by default, you might want to send a form letter (discussed below), and / or do some review and weeding of your subscriber list. 

    But how to go about doing that?

    Patrons to Subscribe: 

    If you are going to send Talking Book Topics as a DS, you can leave anyone already getting other DS serials subscribed to it without any extra work. To find these patrons, Query in the Patron module for:

    Quick Search

    • Main Status | Equals | A
    • Pat Medium | Equals | DS
    • Medium Status | Equals | A
    • Last Served Date | Is Between | 12/01/2025 | 02/26/2026
      [optional parameter to narrow results to patrons that have gotten something in the past three months]

    Advanced Search

    • Subscription | KLAS ID | Equals | SER-TBT4
      [or may be SER-TBT3 in your database]
    • Subscription | End Date | Is blank

    Screenshot of Query ctrl-q with the first tab fields filled in as above.

    Query second tab alt-2 with the first two rows filled in as above. The last field in the second row is blank, since the "is blank" search type does not take a parameter.

    Additional “Patrons to Subscribe” query options:

    If your staff adds TBT requests to the Request list instead of directly to the Service Queue, requests can be queried (although the time elapsed since the last TBT makes these more likely to have all gone out by now):

    • Media | Pat Medium | Equals | DB
    • Media | # Requests | Does not Equal | 0

    The second tab, with the top two fields filled in as above.

    You could also try Querying for all subscribers with recent DB activity (just sub DB for DS in the first query in this article).

    Patrons to Review:

    Use Merge Queries to remove the above results from the full subscriber list to see who’s left. Start by running the above query and opening the Query Set by double-clicking any result.

    Then query for all active patrons with a subscription to TBT4:

    Quick Search

    • Main Status | Equals | A

    Advanced Search

    • Subscription | KLAS ID | Equals | SER-TBT4
      [or may be SER-TBT3 in your database]
    • Subscription | End Date | Is blank

    Again, make sure to open the Query Set instead of just exiting the results screen.

    Finally, use the Queries menu to select Merge Queries, and set the following:

    • Query A: your most recent Query, with all active subscribers
    • Query B: second most recent Query, subscribers that are already active in DS (or one of the other “patrons to subscribe” queries.
    • Merge: in A, not B

    The merge queries screen. There are two rows labeled Query A and Query B, each leading with a combo box with your recent queries as the options. Each query is listed with an id number followed by the parameters. Once a query is selected, the next field lists the search parameters of that query for easier review. Not shown is a third field in each row with the count of results. The third row is labeled merge, with the combo-box set here to In A Not B, with the combined parameters in the next field, again followed by the results count.

    Export this list to Excel with a high enough Max to include all the Merge results, Visible Fields only, for a list you can divvy between staff and/or make notes on.

    Double-click any result in the table below to open the Query Set to print Labels for a form letter, to do another merge to subtract another “patrons to subscribe” query from these results, or to start reviewing results in KLAS.

    If this still gets you an overwhelming number of results, feel free to get in touch with Customer support to talk through your options!

    What to Check For:

    Once you have a list of patrons to review, what are you looking for?

    Other than general activity and known patron preference, check for signs that the patron has actively been requesting titles. In addition to the Requests tab, you can look at the Items Tab “Selected By” column for QuickRequest or Web. If a patron has just been getting titles by preference, and particularly if they have been requesting titles via the WebOPAC, do they really need or want a recorded catalog? But if they’ve been getting a lot of titles from Quick Request, they got those numbers somewhere–and TBT is a likely source.

    You can also watch for BARD patrons. While just having a subscription to SER-DDB9 doesn’t mean the patron is comfortable using BARD, you can check for downloads on the patron’s Items tab as well. If you use a Serve Type of BARD or OB for your download-only patrons, they can easily be excluded from your subscriber list.

    Finally, watch for blocks. If a patron just has a temporary block to hold their books while they are on vacation, that doesn’t need to impact your decision. On the other hand, if they have a block for returned mail and no one has been able to contact the patron for over six months, you probably don’t need to duplicate the TBT for that patron just for it to be returned to sender.

    Form Letter

    You may wish to send notification to all TBT subscribers, or just those targeted for review, letting them know about the change in distribution and asking if they want to remain subscribed.

    Simply making the duplicated version of the TBT strictly Opt-In rather than trying to decide which subscribers to keep may be the best option for some libraries, although it does require a print cost for the mailing itself, and it places the burden on patrons who may not be able to easily read and reply to a letter or postcard.

    For sending a letter, you can filter the SER-TBT4 subscribers tab to only show Active patrons, and export to excel with All Fields for a mail merge. 

    Or you can use either the all Active Subscribers query above or the merged query set with the Patron labels function. While in the Query Set, use the Functions menu to select Labels. Switch the radio button to “Entire Query,” and contact us if you need a new Label Stock set up.

    About the Order Form

    Do you want to print and mail the order form to your patrons? Or only to patrons that request it?

    We can add a new Large Print serial for the TBT Order Form, allowing you to subscribe only the patrons that actively want the order form. The downsides of this approach:

    • Timing: the new issue of TBT will show up and start going into orders as soon as NLS distributes the file, even if the order form isn’t posted or printed yet.
    • Once the order form is available, you would need to manually add the new Issue as you would for a local serial. 

    Available Support

    We will be getting the serial record added for all KLAS libraries. If you want it as a new Medium, we are happy to do all of that set-up as well.

    Once you have the new record, you can start adding the subscribers you know you want to keep. If it’s an extensive list even after the review and curation above, we may be able to help.

    There’s no particular need to cancel or remove the subscriptions to the SER- version. As with the big MOC transition, I’d recommend leaving them for now so you have the information available to reference. If you want them cancelled for cleanliness sake later on, we can do so.

    Finally, remember that the forums are here to help you all help each other! If you create a form letter (or recorded announcement), have other ideas of criteria to check for (either for the “to subscribe” column or the “don’t subscribe” column), or have other strategies and ideas for serving your patrons better for this transition–please share in the comments below!