Today we're starting the first in a series of Key Notes blog posts called "The Stars of Keystone Systems' Staff". Each will include some basic info and insight into one of our staff members. We hope these posts will provide you a look into who makes up our diverse, supportive, and knowledgeable staff.

Basic Stats:

Name of Staff Member: Katy Patrick

Year Hired: 2017

Current Job Title: Technical Writer

Getting to Know You Q&A:

Q: What is your favorite part of your job?

A: I love the variety: I get to work on a wide variety of things from how-to documents and blog posts to pitching in to help test new releases. I always have a lot of different projects in the works, so I never get bored.

Q: What did you do before working for Keystone?

A: I worked as a Reader Adviser for Kansas' and then Illinois' Talking Books programs. That work meant a lot to me, so I'm glad that I have been able to stay connected to that community despite moving on to a new type of work.

Q: What are your hobbies outside of work?

A: Fiction writing, mostly fantasy novels. I haven't gotten anything polished and ready for publishing yet, but maybe someday! I also enjoy sewing, digital art, photography, and gardening.

Q: If you could go anywhere on vacation, where would you go?

A: I'd love to go to Machu Picchu. It looks like such an amazing window into another time and culture and set in an incredibly beautiful landscape.

Q: Do you have any pets? If so, what kind and what are their names?

A: I have a pair of finches: Terragon (a Spice Finch) and Wrenegade (a Society Finch). They love birdbaths and listening to the radio, and their favorite treat is carrots.

Ah, Summer. Time for swimming, barbeque... and Summer Reading Programs!

As Summer Reading Program season ramps into full gear, are you wishing you had a better way to target mailings or generate grade-appropriate reading lists?

Do you need an efficient way to promote your new book club or an author event?

You may have more options than you realize!

Queries are your best tool for generating a list of patrons matching certain criteria. For example, you can search for patrons based on their area, subject preference, or age range. Once you've successfully queried for a patron list, you can use it to print mailing labels or export it for a list of the patrons’ email or mailing addresses. And don't forget, you can query in the Catalogue module as well to generate book lists!

Here are a few examples to help you get started. Then, check out the forum post for more information or to share your own!

Example 1:

You can create a mailing list for individual patrons who have registered for service since your last book club, so they will be hearing about it for the first time.

On the Quick Search tab, query for...

• Patron Type : Begins : P
• Main Status : Begins : A
• Registration Date : Is Between : 06/01/2017 : 06/12/2018 (or today's date)

Example 2:

If you use a Preference Code to track your Reading Program or Book Club participation, you can query for a list of participants who have email addresses.

On the Advanced Search tab, query for...

• Preference : Type : Equals : BookClubCode
• Preference : Value : Matches : (the program name)
• Address : EMailAddr : Is Between : 0 : ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Example 3:

To promote a subject-oriented Book Club or an author event, you can find a list of patrons who live in the area and have a preference for that subject or author.

On the Quick Search tab...

• Patron Type : Begins : P
• Main Status : Begins : A

AND on the Advanced Search tab, query for...

• Preference : Type : Equals : Subject (or Author)
• Preference : Code : Equals : (the subject or author code, such as MYS for mysteries)
• Address : County Code : Equals : (use the LookUp button on the Contact tab to find the County UserCode)

Example 4:

You may want to create a reading list based on appropriate Grade Level, as well as making sure you have several copies of the book on hand.

In the Catalog Module query, on the Advanced Search tab, query for...

• BibRec : Grade : Equals : 3
• BibRec : Title Status : Equals : A
• Statistics : Copies Available : Not In : 0,1,2

I hope this gives you some ideas! As always, let us know if you have questions or need help, and don't forget to check out the forum post for more information or to share your own!

Easy access to all features and functions within KLAS has been integral to all phases of the design process since the first version of KLAS, and continues through our ongoing work developing the next generation of the program.

From our first library customer, North Carolina Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Keystone has had a commitment to develop library software and provide support services for all of our users. Now that KLAS is installed and being used by nearly 2/3 of the network libraries that are part of the Library of Congress' National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped as well as a number of Instructional Resource / Materials Centers, we have a multitude of staff (as well as public catalog users) performing a multitude of tasks and requiring varying levels and types of accessibility. To help support the needs of our users, Keystone offers some different support and services. Examples include:

• Keyboard shortcut access to KLAS
• Testing and troubleshooting of assistive technology software in conjunction with KLAS
• Customized accessibility training for the workflow and AT used by a specific staff member
• Keeping accessibility in the forefront of design as we move toward the next generation of KLAS

Keyboard Shortcuts

KLAS is fully navigable both by a mouse and by a keyboard. In fact, we have seen that it's faster to use a keyboard than a mouse when performing tasks such as entering a new patron or entering multiple subject codes to an item.

To help users learn KLAS-specific keyboard commands and shortcuts, we created a KLAS Keyboard Shortcuts Quick Reference Document which Katy recently updated. You can download it in either Word or .pdf format from the "KLAS Keyboard Shortcuts" article.

AT Testing and Troubleshooting

We do ongoing testing of various types of assistive technologies (AT) and their interaction with KLAS. For example, John C is currently trying to track down an issue with the new JAWS / Zoomtext Fusion software and KLAS. If you are using AT with KLAS and find you are having trouble, please contact both your IT as well as our customer support staff. We may have seen the problem before with another user and already have a solution, or we may be able to help you figure out what's going on at least from the KLAS side.

Accessibility Training

Another service we offer is assistive technology user training and workstation configuration. This service is for any staff member(s) that use assistive technology such as Jaws, ZoomText, WindowEyes, etc. It is a 5-day intensive one-on-one training session done at your staff person's workstation based on their job responsibilities and the adaptive technologies or software they use with KLAS. Please note, your staff member should already be familiar with and using the latest version of their preferred AT software, this training is specifically to configure it and KLAS to your users' specific workflow and needs. Please review the Keystone Training Pricing document for more information.

Designed for All from the Beginning

Accessibility is a core part of our design process. As we look toward creating the new web-based KLAS, our commitment to accessibility from the beginning continues. The consideration of how to make all of KLAS' screens easily navigable and all its features intuitively presented will benefit those both those who use AT as well as those who do not. We already began these discussions with the user interface testing of the new version of KLAS that took place at our 2018 Users' Conference. We will continue to provide feedback opportunities and focused user testing as we move forward.

How are you training your new staff to use KLAS—and how can we help?

We will continue to post Key Note blog posts and weekly tips, tricks, and questions on the discussion forum, and we hope these posts will be both a resource for you and a jumping-off point for you to share and collaborate on resources and methods with each other. But there’s more coming!

I have a lot of ideas about different materials and resources that I could create, but I want to make sure that I’m putting my time into the projects that will benefit you. A few of the possibilities are listed below, but I’m very interested to hear your ides as well! Have a look through the list, then please chime in on the forums.

How do you train your staff? What materials do you already use or what materials would you like to have? What are your needs or wants in terms of evaluation, continuing education, certification?

Idea 1: Video Series relaunch

KLAS staff have created instructional videos before, but there are a lot of challenges for this kind of project. It takes a lot of time and work to create even a short instructional video, and they aren’t easily customizable for different libraries the way a text How-to document is. Every library and other institution that uses KLAS is unique, and has unique settings, workflows, and standards—this is a strength of the software, but it makes it hard to provide generalized instruction.

Because of these challenges, a renewed effort to provide an instructional video series would probably keep a high-level view (i.e. “What is in this module” and “How to use the screen” but not step-by-step instructions for specific tasks or processes such as “How to check out a book”) meant to introduce staff to the different parts of KLAS and how to use basic controls standard throughout the system.

Idea 2: Assemble-your-own KLAS Scavenger Hunts

The KLAS Scavenger Hunt is a skill evaluation method we have used in the past. As context, the 2014 Scavenger Hunt and answers are available for download at the end of this post.

Because these are text documents, I could create various sections addressing different common set-ups and procedures. Then, from the “Master Test,” individual libraries could pick and choose the questions that apply to their situation. This would help to share the work of customization and would hopefully be flexible enough to meet many needs and remain sustainable through upgrades.

Idea 3: Online Evaluations

These would face many of the same challenges as the Video Series. Depending on what platform I find to help me create them, some customization would hopefully be possible, but a significant re-do for each interested library and IRC would be unlikely except as part of the subscription below.

These would essentially be an augmented, self-contained version of the Scavenger Hunt, though they would need to remain at least a little more general. They would facilitate evaluation of staff skills, and potentially even a certification if such a thing is of use, without needing a supervisor to grade the test themselves.

Idea 4: Training Subscription

Finally, this is an idea that Drea has been mulling over. A training subscription would be a paid, annual service which would allow us to provide customized training targeted directly to your needs. The subscription could potentially include a series of webinars (either quarterly or scheduled as needed), which would be recorded and available to your staff from then on, as well as one or more custom Online Evaluations.

Our current price list for our current training services is attached below; several of you have been taking advantage of these options, and they are still available. However, we recognize that training is often an ongoing need, rather than a one-time event. Our thinking is that an annual subscription could help you build training into your annual budget, while also helping us to plan out what we will need to provide through the year.

Wrap-up

Remembering that these are ideas for brainstorming and not formal offerings: which would you most like to see? Do you have your own ideas? Would you be interested in a paid training subscription, and if so, what would you like to be included?

We also want to hear what you are doing for training now—and we know your peers will be interested as well! So whatever your situation, drop on by the forum and join the conversation.

Please Note: The scavenger hunt questions and answers are included for context purposes, and are not considered "ready to use" at this time.

ASCLA / KLAS / NOD Award

Did you know that Keystone Systems has sponsored the ASCLA / KLAS / NOD Award annually since 2004?

Actually, your first question is probably, "What is the ASCLA / KLAS / NOD Award?"

In 2000 the Association for Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA) and the National Organization on Disability (NOD) began providing a $1000 award and certificate of recognition for a library organization that developed or expanded its services for patrons with disabilities, specifically through a specific project or change in physical and / or attitudinal barriers to an effort to make their library services more accessible and inclusive. Originally sponsored by Aetna Healthcare, Keystone Systems assumed sponsorship in 2004.

Each year a Keystone representative attends the ASCLA Awards reception at the ALA Annual Conference in support of the recipient and to help present the award. This year the Gwinnett County Public Library in Georgia will be honored for its Removing Barriers Project.

From the American Library Association's press release:

The Removing Barriers Project mission is to strategically identify and address issues that might cause a person to hesitate using their public library. Library staff were charged with identifying who was not currently coming through their doors and then reaching out to area organizations to understand their barriers and actively work to remove them. Project results include a thoroughly updated Accessibility Center, sensory storytimes in each branch, an early opening day and time for families with children on the autism spectrum, and dedicated programs offering a social and educational experience for community members who are developmentally disabled.

The Library’s Strategic Plan for 2015 through 2018 calls for engagement of all segments of Gwinnett’s population and set the organization on a course to actively remove barriers and expand partnerships with community-minded groups and organizations. A major activity to address this goal was the complete renovation of assistive technologies housed in the Lawrenceville Branch. Adjustable height tables, JAWS software, a Prodigi reader that allows a customer to select reading with magnification or listening, an Intel Reader that converts text to digital text, then reads it aloud, high contrast keyboards, and a braille reader highlight the equipment added to the Assistive Technology Center.

The Gwinnett County Public Library’s Removing Barriers Project will be honored at the ASCLA Achievement Awards Ceremony on Saturday, June 23, 2018 from 8:30-10:00am at the ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans.

Congratulations to the Gwinnett County Public Library! You can see a list of all award recipients on the ASCLA Achievement Awards Page.

Francis Joseph Campbell Award

While Keystone does not sponsor this award, we do feel we have a special connection to it. Our annual Julie Klauber Award is named after the 2002 honoree who was the Librarian at Talking Books Plus Outreach Services a part of the Suffolk Cooperative Library System in New York. The Francis Joseph Campbell Award is given annually to "a person or institution that has made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of library service for people with physical disabilities and/or physical impairments".

The 2018 recipient is Pat Herndon, Director of Georgia Library for Statewide Accessible Services (GLASS), who was selected for her leadership in library service for patrons who need accessible books and media. We are proud to say that GLASS is a KLAS library and was the local host of the 2017 KLAS Users' Conference.

From ALA's 2018 Francis Joseph Campbell Award press release:

“Patricia has led a reorganization of the GLASS’s statewide service and implemented a new strategic plan, but it is her leadership and vision in developing an innovative training event for library staff that has done the most to advance library service for the blind and physically handicapped in Georgia”, said nominator Julie Walker.

“While awards are often given for innovative and/or new projects that garner accolades and attention (and Pat has several of those to her credit), the dedicated professionals at the Center for the Visually Impaired (CVI) who serve and train individuals who are blind or visually impaired want to recognize Pat for her leadership, strategic vision, and hard work to make library services available to all who need them regardless of geographic location in the state”, said Fontaine M. Huey, President, Center for the Visually Impaired.

Pat will also be honored at the 2018 KLAS Achievement Awards Ceremony at ALA Annual on June 23.

Other past Francis Joseph Campbell Award recipients who were staff at KLAS libraries include:

• 2013 Jill Lewis, former director, Maryland State Library for the Blind and People with Physical Disabilities
• 2012 Carole Rose, Indiana Talking Book and Braille Library (retired)
• 2010 Daniel W. Boyd, former director of the South Dakota Braille and Talking Book Library
• 2002 Julie Klauber, librarian, Talking Books Plus, Outreach Services, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY
• 2001 Barbara Mates, head of the Library for the Blind and People with Physical Disabilities at the Cleveland Public Library

Below are the presentations and handouts our presenters and moderators have sent us to date from the 2018 KLAS Users' Conference. Please feel free to download, print, and / or electronically access these presentations and handouts at your convenience.

Whew! Are you all caught up from the Users’ Conference yet?

For those of you who were at the conference, make sure to fill out our feedback form! Every year, the conference planning committees comb through your responses to find out what worked, what didn’t, and what people want from the Users’ Conference. Every voice matters—so please share yours!

For our part, we’re very happy with how the conference went. We came back with a ton of great feedback about what we’ve been working on, and what you want to see from us in the future. I hope y'all were able to learn as much as we did!

We want to keep that energy up and the conversation going, so if you are new to the KLASusers’ website, or if there are others at your library that aren’t on board yet—go right ahead and Create an Account. This is also a great time to let us know if there's anyone at your library that needs to be added to the email list. You don't need to be an admin to participate! Reader Advisors, circulation staff, machine wranglers, records managers, and everyone else who uses KLAS is invited to join in.

If you didn’t get to join us in Boise, want to look over sessions you didn’t make it to, or have a look back at something you maybe, sorta, kinda, remember, Drea has put together an article linking to all of the presentations and handouts: Check it out!

It was wonderful to see so many of you; and we hope you will all be able to attend next year's conference! Read on for a few of my favorite highlights:

The 2018 KLAS Users' Conference finalized Agenda and Daily Schedule documents are now available for your planning convenience in MS Word and .pdf formats. Register online now for the 2018 KLAS Users' Conference and join us in Boise, ID May 8-10.

Also, don't forget to register for your choice of breakout sessions including birds-of-a-feather, seminar, workshop, and hands-on opportunities.

Note: You must be logged into klasusers.com to access these documents.

Finalized Conference Agenda Published: 4/30/18

• 2018 KLAS Users' Conference Agenda - MS Word
• 2018 KLAS Users' Conference Agenda - PDF

Finalized Conference Daily Schedule Published: 4/24/18

• 2018 KLAS Users' Conference Daily Schedule - MS Word
• 2018 KLAS Users' Conference Daily Schedule - PDF

You probably know that you can move and sort columns in basically any browse table in KLAS; however, did you know that it is also possible to add or remove columns as well?

When you export a browse table, you have the option of exporting either Visible or All Fields. As that suggests, each browse table includes many columns that are usually hidden. KLAS Customer Support can adjust your library’s configuration, hiding or revealing these columns. While simply moving columns is sufficient for most situations, it affects only the specific user that made the change. A customized browse, on the other hand, affects all users at that branch.

If there are columns that are never needed by your library, you could save the time and confusion of having every reader advisor move them to the far end of the table. For example, columns for the “local branch,” “main branch,” and “all branches” are useful for multi-branch systems, but single-branch systems only need one of the three.

Even better than removing columns is the option to add columns. If there is a column in the “export all fields” results which you would like to be included in the table (for all users at your branch), Customer Support can make it visible. A few columns that libraries have requested are:

Email Address in Patron Find

If you send your newsletter by email or want to alert all patrons in a certain city to an event, you can make exporting the email list faster and easier by including patrons’ Email contact in the Patron Find.

Title Status in Book Search

If your Reader Advisors want quicker access to whether a book is Active, In-Process, or BARD Only, the Title Status column can be added to the Book Search Results.

Have you noticed any columns in the “export all fields” results that your library would like to see in the visible fields? Have any visible columns been confusing your staff, and ought to be tucked away? Contact Ks7 to request a customized browse table—make sure to specify which browse you are working with, the column you need, and where you would like its default location to be. A screen cap is always helpful!

And if a customized browse table is too much commitment (or hasn’t been approved by your supervisor), brush up on how to move and sort columns to make the best of what’s already there.

Did you know we've been posting new Key Notes blog posts for 10 weeks straight? In celebration of this and in anticipation of the upcoming 2018 KLAS Users' Conference, Katy and I decided to share our Top Ten list of what we're looking forward to at the conference.

10. The once a year opportunity to see many of our customers / friends in person.

9. Hearing Gary Eller's program and music at the Tuesday evening Welcome Reception.

8. Getting together with our Instructional Resource Customers in IRC focused sessions to discuss their specialized workflows and features designed specifically for them.

7. Hearing the creative ways you use KLAS to help you provide the books, magazines, and equipment your patrons want / need.

6. Touring the Idaho Commission for Libraries, Talking Books Service on Wednesday evening.

5. Getting ideas and suggestions from users for better KLASusers content.

4. Listening to our Keynote Speaker, Ramona Walhof.

3. The chance to do in-person training, helping you use KLAS better!

2. Honoring Nancy Reese, this year's Julie Klauber Award Recipient, during our Opening General Session on Tuesday morning.

1. Unveiling all of the exciting things we've been working on for the future of KLAS -- from PCC to the Browser-based UI, and a few surprises too!

The Julie Klauber Award Committee and Keystone Systems are excited to announce Nancy Reese, Idaho Commission for Libraries, Talking Books Service, as our 2018 Julie Klauber Award Honoree. Congratulations Nancy! Your dedicated service to your patrons, staff, and community are an example of leadership and make you an incredible asset to your library. We look forward to honoring you and your work at the 2018 KLAS Users' Conference in Boise! On Tuesday, May 8, Nancy will be presented with the award during the Opening General Session of the conference. An official press release will be published prior to the conference on www.klas.com.

Sue Walker, Library Consultant, Idaho Commission for Libraries, Talking Books Service, nominated Nancy. This is the nomination Sue submitted:

Reason for Nomination

Nancy has been the KLAS administrator for almost ten years. During that time she has helped to implement several new KLAS services such as DOD and the PIMMS transition. Most recently, she was instrumental in implementing the most recent iteration of Patron Centric Cartridge (PCC) that allows staff to assign multiple titles to users' cartridges remotely. Nancy worked intensively with Keystone staff to troubleshoot the software and with staff to train them to successfully use it. As a result, Idaho is one of the few libraries who are using this version of PCC. During the summer of 2017, three of Idaho's four Reader's Advisors retired. Nancy provided training to the new staff as well as ongoing support to maintain quality customer service during the transition period. She routinely provides reader's advisory as a backup to staff. Nancy has been an active member of the KLAS conference planning committee and readily shares her knowledge at annual conferences and individually as requested. Recognizing the importance of having the conference available regionally Nancy advocated to host the conference in Boise for several years and is working on the logistics committee to make the 2018 conference a success.

Effect on Library

Quality customer service is one of the Idaho Talking Book Service’s highest priorities. As a result, remaining on the cutting edge of technology that will improve user access to resources is very important. Nancy’s willingness to learn the capabilities of new technology and work to successfully implement it ensures Idaho residents’ access to resources will increase. In addition, helping Keystone successfully pilot new technology in one library makes it easier to implement in other libraries.

Job Responsibilities

As the KLAS administrator, Nancy works daily with KLAS to troubleshoot any issues, train staff, maintain quality customer service, and access to resources.

For KLAS-to-KLAS patron transfers, a patron’s reading history (HasHads or HHs) automatically transfer with the rest of the record. Thanks to PIMMS, more and more libraries will be able to automatically transfer records, even if one of the libraries uses WebReads or another system. Eventually, even BARD HHs will be automatically imported into the system right away.

In the meantime, however, at least some out-of-system patron transfers will come with a paper or .pdf list of HHs to enter manually, and BARD HHs are only created when the BARD Circulation Stats are manually uploaded. So: should you spend valuable staff time adding these HHs?

Here’s some information to help you make that choice:

How to do it

For transfer patrons: In the Patron Module, open the patron record in question, then press Alt + H on your keyboard or use the menu to select Functions > Items > Add Has Had.

In the Add Has Had window, you will be able to enter KLAS IDs exactly as you do in Quick Requests.

For BARD downloads: Use the Administration page in BARD to download the statistics for your branch for each month. You will need to save the .cscv files; do not open them, as this will re-format the information and keep it from loading properly.

In the Patron Module, use the menu to select Tools > Load BARD Circs. Browse to find the saved stats file, and either Load Now or select Load via Batch Manager. Depending on the size of the file, it may take a while to load.

For help addressing BARD load errors, once the batch has loaded, use Export – Load Errors and save the file. Send it to Ks7 and we will help you identify patron errors and load missing catalog records.

What does it affect?

Nightly Autoselect: For most libraries, the Nightly processes are set up not to re-send HasHads based on author or subject. Generally, your patrons should only receive books they have had before if they specifically request them.

Series: If a patron requests a series, KLAS will prompt you to ask whether HHs in that series should be sent again or if they patron wants to pick up right where they’ve left off previously. If the HHs are on file, it puts this choice right in the patron’s hands (or in the hands of the contact person or RA helping them). If they were never added, the patron will receive “repeat” books whether they wanted them or not.

Book Search: When RAs use Book Search, the results page lists any exclusions the patron has against that title, including HHs. Again, having this information on-screen empowers your RAs and your Patrons.

Request List: If a patron downloads a title from BARD after it was added to their request list, KLAS will automatically remove the request or reserve. This is great for patrons who request a book, then change their minds and download it instead, or for patron who have a series preference, but download the latest book before your library gets a hardcopy.

The Bottom Line

HasHads are an important part of the Patron record and having an accurate history for a patron improves service.

It does take time to enter this information, especially if you are far behind on your BARD stats or if a patron comes in with an extensive reading history. That said, having full and accurate HasHad records improves automatic picks, provides valuable information to your RAs, and helps answer patron questions (What was that book I read three years ago? I think the love interest was a doctor. . . )

So, chime in: Do you enter all of your HasHads? What about just recent HasHads, that are otherwise more likely to be assigned by Nightly?
Has leaving them off ever caused trouble for you?

Head over to the Entering HasHads forum thread and let us know!

Hey Instructional Resource Centers: Do you keep on top of your Temp Titles?

WebOrder has the ability to create a Temp Title, allowing requestors to quickly add items to a Material Request even though it is not in your catalog. However, users may sometimes add Temp Titles for items that already have a record, or for items you are not able to provide.

We recommend that you routinely review the Temp Titles attached to incoming Material Requests. The attached document has a suggested workflow for doing so.

You'll note that it refers to a saved query. If you don't know about saved queries yet, get in touch--they're a great feature! Already know about saved queries and just need a little help setting up this one? We can do that, too.

Have a look through the How-To and email or call Ks7 if you need help.

Then, sound off on the Managing Temp Titles thread: how do you handle your Temp Titles?

Process Overview:

1. Open the Material Requests module and query for Temp Title lines.
2. Open the Temporary Title Maintenance tool from the Catalogue Module, and FIND the Temp Title using the ID from the Material Request.
3. Check for existing records for the requested item or an equivalent version.
4. For any titles that you want to add to your regular catalog or merge with an existing record, click the MAKE PERM button.

• • If applicable, enter the existing KLAS ID and check the Merge option.
  • If it is a new record, select the Record Type and Medium Code.
  • Complete the Title Record in the Catalogue.

5. For any titles that you cannot provide, update the KLAS ID prefix to reflect that.
6. Advance the Material Request line as appropriate.

Full Instructions:

Have a look through the How-To and email or call Ks7 if you need help.

Then, sound off on the Managing Temp Titles thread: how do you handle your Temp Titles?

A couple weeks ago, we took a look at the WebOrder Help page, so this week I’m putting the WebOPAC Browse page in the spotlight.

Anything that you can search for in the catalog can be listed on the Browse page as a pre-defined search, and while the Recent and Popular titles are a good start, there are a lot more options! These pre-defined searches can help patrons who aren’t sure what to search for or where to start, draw attention to lesser-used parts of your catalog, or host a “Staff Picks” search—allowing your reader advisors to easily share their favorite reads.

The Browse page is a great way to help your patrons any time day or night, without them needing to call for suggestions.

So have a look, and don’t forget to visit the WebOPAC Browse forum thread to share what your library uses, ask questions, or show off your OPAC!

A few pre-defined searches to consider:

• All Large Print Titles by Author
• All Print/Braille Titles
• Book Club Picks
• Described Videos and DVDs
• Local Recordings
• Newbery Award Winners
• Popular Nonfiction
• SHELF Titles
• Staff Picks
• Uncontracted Braille
• Young Adult Titles

If there’s something you want to see on your Browse page, email ks7 and let us know what to add, what order the different searches should appear in, and specifically what items should be included (such as DBs only, Adult Reading Level, or only recent titles).

Keystone Systems and the 2018 Julie Klauber Award Committee are pleased to announce the two finalists for this year's Julie Klauber Award:

• Janie Stanley, North Carolina Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
• Nancy Reese, Idaho Commission for Libraries, Talking Book Service

Congratulations to of each of you! You are a valuable asset to your library and your community. Also, thank you to everyone who took the time to submit a nomination.

The recipient of the 2018 Julie Klauber Award will be announced in the near future.

Ramona Walhof, Author and Advocate

Ramona Walhof’s life journey has been a full and varied one.

She grew up in Iowa during the 1950's when there was no regional library for the blind. In 1960 the regional library opened at the Iowa Commission for the Blind and quickly became the largest in the nation. She majored in Russian and minored in French at Georgetown University and later received a certificate in education from Boise State University.

Ramona worked in rehab from 1972-1984 and then went into business from 1984 through 2007. Employment included teaching Braille, sewing, and managing food service operations, including a bakery.

Civic activities include president of National Federation of the Blind Idaho for over a decade, beginning Idaho’s BELL (Braille Enrichment for Literacy and Learning) program, serving on the United Way of Boise Board, and travelling to many states speaking about challenges for the blind and advocating for blind services, especially the National Library Service. A true advocate for Braille, Ramona has written articles and books, including editing The Power of Love, How Kenneth Jernigan Changed the World for the Blind, a compilation of articles by those who knew and worked with Kenneth Jernigan.

Ramona is trying to slow down in order to spend more time with her children and four grandchildren and of course, reading.

Have you updated your WebOrder Help page lately?

When we set up WebOrder for an Instructional Resource / Materials Center, we also create a Help page with a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section and room for downloadable documents (such as a How-To). However, it’s easy for the information on this page to fall out of date as changes are made to your WebOrder setup. Plus, we usually don’t know what questions your users are asking!

You can contact Keystone anytime to request updates to your help page, and I will be happy to put them in for you. In addition to adding and / or updating FAQs, we can also host any documents you want to add to the Help page as downloads. Users must be logged in to access the page, so this may be a good way for you to share forms, tutorials, or other information with them.

Below is a list of questions for which we already have answers.

Have a look through, review your Help page, and then email ks7 or visit the WebOrder Help Page forum thread to let us know what you need added to your WebOrder FAQ!

Ready-to-Go FAQs

You can certainly request questions not on this list, or request updates/customizations to any answer, but these are fast, ready-to-go additions I can quickly drop into your FAQ:

• How do I change my password?
• How do I add a new student?
• How do I add an Order?
• How do I search the Catalog?
• I can't find the product I am looking for. How can I add it to my request?
• It's hard to tell my addresses apart. They all say Primary or School Address. How do I change an address description?
• What does a specific Action Code mean?
• How can I tell which Braille Code an item uses?

What questions are we missing? Is there anything else you’d like to see on your WebOrder Help page? Have you written any instructions for your users that you want to share?

Head over to the WebOrder Help Page forum thread to join the discussion.

And finally, don’t forget to call us or email ks7 to request changes to your Help page!

You have heard Keystone staff say it before, and you'll likely hear us say it again.

"It is the KLAS Users' Conference."

Today, I want to take the opportunity to recognize those users who have already contributed greatly to the logistical and programming for the 2018 KLAS Users' Conference. This conference is based on feedback and suggestions we receive from your survey responses, ideas brought up during conference calls, what you request and what you are willing to present and coordinate.

Thank you to those who have attended, will be attending, have sent us your thoughts and ideas, and who have stepped up to moderate a Birds-of-a-Feather discussion, present a general session, or help put together attendee welcome packets.

But, most especially, thank you to the Logistics and Program Committees and the KLAS Users' Group Officers. You participate in conference calls, send emails, give me honest feedback, and help shape the conference for each attendee, presenter, and member of the Keystone staff. This is my note of appreciation for all of your time and effort. You are wonderful to work with, and I could not do my job without each of you. Thank you.

KLAS Users' Group Officers:

• Craig Hayward, KLAS Users' Group President, North Carolina Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
• Chandra Thornton, KLAS Users' Group Vice President, Palm Beach County Library System Talking Books Library
• Erin Pawlus, KLAS Users' Group Secretary, Arizona Braille and Talking Book Library

2018 KLAS Users' Conference Logistics Committee:

• Craig Hayward, KLAS Users' Group President & Logistics Committee Chair, North Carolina Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
• Nancy Reese, KLAS UC 2018 Host, Idaho Commission for Libraries Talking Book Library
• Pat Herndon, KLAS UC 2017 Host, Georgia Library for Accessible Statewide Services
• Edith Gavino, KLAS UC 2016 Host, Braille Institute Library Services
• Andrew Shockley, KLAS UC 2015 Host, Oklahoma Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
• Debbie Martin, Brevard County Talking Books Library
• John Mugford, New Mexico Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
• Sarah Smedley, Palm Beach County Talking Books Library

2018 KLAS Users' Conference Program Committee:

• Chandra Thornton, Program Committee Chair, Palm Beach County Library System Talking Books Library
• Sue Walker, KLAS UC 2018 Host, Idaho Commission for Libraries Talking Book Service
• Erin Pawlus, Arizona Braille and Talking Book Library
• Teneka Williams, KLAS UC 2017 Host, Georgia Library for Accessible Statewide Services
• James Gleason, KLAS UC 2014 Host, Perkins Library
• Cyndi Hammonds, California Department of Education
• Amy Ravenholt, Washington Talking Book and Braille Library Katy Patrick, Keystone Systems

If you have the opportunity, please take a minute to express your gratitude to these people for their contributions.

Welcome to the Key Notes blog, where we will be bringing you weekly posts on conference planning, happenings at Keystone, or how better to put KLAS to work for you!

We’re kicking things off with a discussion on putting patrons “On Hold.” KLAS offers a number of different ways to halt or pause service to a patron, including:

• Main Status types
• Media Status types
• Blocks

Each of these options works a little differently, offers different benefits, and may work better for some situations than for others. Bear in mind—NONE of these will affect a patron’s BARD account, as there is currently no direct communication between KLAS and the NLS BARD servers.

Are there situations where you like to use one method over another?
How do you like to document the reasons or end dates for patron holds?
Do you have questions or need some help navigating the best workflow for a particular situation?

Review your options below, then visit the Patron Holds forum thread and join the discussion!

Options for putting patrons "On Hold"

Each library or system will develop their own standard procedures. This information is only intended to help you understand your options and to suggest possibilities.

1. Patron Main Status:

Change this status to ensure that nothing goes out to a patron until / unless the status is changed back to ACTIVE, and to facilitate the process of removing inactive records after a reasonable period.

• The lifecycle of a patron record should generally be:
  ACTIVE > SUSPENDED > WITHDRAWN > DELETED
• INACTIVE should not be used for the Patron Main Status.
• Once a patron is marked WITHDRAWN, all materials checked out to the patron are marked Lost (including equipment).

2. Patron Profile and Media Status:

Change one or more Patron Media Status to stop materials in that medium from going out to the patron, and / or update the Cir Status and Dir Status to stop magazines in that medium.

• Set the desired media to INACTIVE to block materials from being sent. The status can be set back to ACTIVE at any time to resume service.
• Dir Status is the status for Direct Magazines—magazines circulated by NLS directly to patrons. Update the subscriptions for these magazines from the Subscriptions tab so information can be sent through PIMMS.
• Cir Status is the status for Circulating Magazines. Update the status here to block magazines circulated by your library.
• Other profile adjustments can be made to the NSCutoff, Next Serve Date, or ServeCode, depending on the exact results you want.

3. Blocks:

Create a block to stop both books and circulating magazines from being sent from your library. Set an expiration date to make the block temporary without needing to go back and manually reverse changes to a patron’s account.

• Is not communicated to NLS and does not affect Direct Magazines.
• Some libraries allow new types of blocks to be created directly in the tab, or you can create a standard “Hold” block type to be used as-needed.

Read this “QuickTip” Tutorial for more information and instructions for each option:

Join the discussion in the Patron Holds forum thread!