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8/15/2011

patron loading Innovative Interfaces OPAC

Good reference source for all of these steps is in Getting Started Manual

To electronically upload patron records into an III library system, you need records in this format:




0000          -
u1234567
nSmith, John  
a1000 Cathedral Ave NW$Washington   DC   12345
t101/123-4567

The first line is 4 zeros, 10 spaces, then a dash.
Each following line starts the letter code (depends on your Innovative system) followed by the data.
(eg  U, N, H, T are tags that indicate the field,  they are Innovative variable-length field letters)


$ indicates line return

Source:  Page 107503 in manual,  http://csdirect.iii.com/manual/ 
 


I recommend putting patron data in Excel spreadsheet like this:



ID
First_Name
Last_Name
Address _1
City
phone
St
Postal
804123
James Brian
Smith
4500 South Four Mile
Arlington
202-123-4567
VA
22204
804125
Maria Jane
Doe
6318 20Th Avenue
Hyattsville
703-555-1212
MD
20782
804127
Fred
Miller
13235 Bregman Road
Silver Spring
301-444-6464
MD
20904



Then merging with a Word file template in this format, and doing a mail merge with the Excel data file:



0000          -
u«ID»
n«Last_Name», «First_Name»
h«Address_1»$«City»  «St»    «Postal»
t«phone»«Next Record»
0000          -
u«ID»
n«Last_Name», «First_Name»
h«Address_1»$«City»  «St»    «Postal»
t«phone»«Next Record»





Before bringing records into OPAC, make sure:


Set the expiration date of the DEFAULT PATRON record. 

All the new patrons you create will have this expiration date. 
To change select Admin menu, then Settings: 
Highlight _p Patron Default, and update the expiration date

 





7/15/2011

Google Search Operators

Need to search for text that is in URL, the operator is  INURL: 

Good Guide on search operators.

4/26/2011

How to install Google Chrome for all users on Windows?



Need to down load Google Pack  to install Chrome for all users.

As an administrator, you can install Google Chrome in Pack for all user accounts on a Windows computer (whereas the installer available at http://www.google.com/chrome only installs for the user account that you're logged into.) By doing so, you'll replace all other versions of Google Chrome that may already be installed on your computer for other user accounts.

4/10/2011

Creating/modifying MS Word Bibliographies

Here are the basics of modifying MS Word 2007 bibliographies.

Building a Bibliography Style

The Setup

Let's begin creating our own bibliography style. To do so, we'll create an XML Style sheet, i.e., an .xsl file called MyBookStyle.xsl using your favorite XML editor (e.g. notepad). As the name suggests, our example is going to be a style for a book source type.At the top of the file, add the following code:
<?xml version="1.0" ?>
<!-- List of the external resources that we are referencing -->
<xsl:stylesheet version="1.0" xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform" xmlns:b="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/officeDocument/2006/bibliography">
<!-- When the bibliography or citation is in your document, it's just HTML -->
<xsl:output method="html" encoding="us-ascii"/>
<!-- Match the root element, and dispatch to its children -->
<xsl:template match="/">
<xsl:apply-templates select="*" />
</xsl:template>

3/23/2011

How to embed Javascript on TWEN pages?

We recently subscribed to OCLC's QuestionPoint, and the service comes with a Qwidget feature (a chat widget) they we wanted to place on web pages & all the course TWEN pages in Westlaw.

Qwidget requires JavaScript, and at first glance, TWEN would not allow it, it just stripped it away.

But then I tried an IFRAME pointing to a page that just had the Qwidget, and TWEN was fine with it:

<iframe scrolling="auto" height="300" frameborder="0" width="200" src="http://lib.law.cua.edu/home/pages/qwidget1.html">

Make the frame a bit larger, so no scroll bars on horizonal or vertical.

Code box is from Tutzone 
TWEN is course management system from Westlaw

3/04/2011

How to get XML from Innovative Library catalog?

To get XML from Innovative library catalog:

http://columbo.law.cua.edu/xrecord=b1026723~S0

Generic form:

http://your-server.iii.edu/xrecord=record-number

1/23/2011

Form box to paste HTML Code

Want to make tool to help create code box:

Code box is from Tutzone.Wanted tool to easily add code box to blog entries.

1/13/2011

How to embed Blog posts into web pages?


Using  gfeedfetcher.js  from dynamic drive.  This takes RSS feed from a blog, and allows you to embed the content into a web page.


<script src="http://www.google.com/jsapi?key=Your-API-key" type="text/javascript">
</script>
<script src="http://your-server.com/gfeedfetcher.js" type="text/javascript">
</script>

<script type="text/javascript">
var cssfeed=new gfeedfetcher("example2", "test2class", "")
cssfeed.addFeed("CSS Drive", "URL of your ") //Specify "label" plus URL to RSS feed
cssfeed.displayoptions("description") //show the specified additional fields
cssfeed.setentrycontainer("p") //Display each entry as a list (li element)
cssfeed.filterfeed(5, "date") //Show 10 entries, sort by date
cssfeed.init() //Always call this last
</script>

1/02/2011

How to limit access to public PC? (Kiosk)

Our library has small number of Windows PCs totally open to public.  We want to limit them to *.edu and specific .com sites (databases, etc).  We had manually entered list of valid domains in each computer, but keeping updated was a pain.

Now we use an Automatic Configuration Script, basically its a javascript which says which domains are allowed.

  1. Samples of scripts & syntax.  (Can be used to block ads & porn, another)
  2. Place on webserver  (have to add .PAC extension to mime types)
  3. Then add to PC, we just use IE:  Configuring IE, Firefox, & other browsers
Dont forget to allow *.microsoft.com (updates), and your anti-virus update domain to PAC script.

Here is script we use:

//2011-Jan   List of allowed sites for CUA Law Library
//Len Davidson   x-6206
//
function FindProxyForURL(url, host)
{
if (isPlainHostName(host))
return "DIRECT";
else if (shExpMatch(url,"*cardinalmail*"))
return "DIRECT";
else if (shExpMatch(url,"*jsapi*"))
return "DIRECT";
else if (shExpMatch(url,"*google-analytics*"))
return "DIRECT";
else if (shExpMatch(host, "*.gov"))
return "DIRECT";
else if (shExpMatch(host, "*.us"))
return "DIRECT";
else if (shExpMatch(host, "*.org"))
return "DIRECT";
else if (shExpMatch(host, "*.edu"))
return "DIRECT";
else if (shExpMatch(host, "*.int"))
return "DIRECT";
else if (shExpMatch(host, "*.adobe.com"))
return "DIRECT";
else if (shExpMatch(host, "*.macromedia.com"))
return "DIRECT";
else if (shExpMatch(host, "*.microsoft.com"))
return "DIRECT";
else if (shExpMatch(host, "*.newsbank.com"))
return "DIRECT";
else if (shExpMatch(host, "*.bna.com"))
return "DIRECT";
else if (shExpMatch(host, "*.cch.com"))
return "DIRECT";
else if (shExpMatch(host, "*pf.com"))
return "DIRECT";
else if (shExpMatch(host, "*lexis-nexis.com"))
return "DIRECT";
else if (shExpMatch(host, "*.lexisnexis.com"))
return "DIRECT";
else if (shExpMatch(host, "*.lexis.com"))
return "DIRECT";
else if (shExpMatch(host, "*.silverplatter.com"))
return "DIRECT";
else if (shExpMatch(host, "*.odyssi.com"))
return "DIRECT";
else if (shExpMatch(host, "*.hwwilsonweb.com"))
return "DIRECT";
else if (shExpMatch(host, "*.indexmaster.com"))
return "DIRECT";
else if (shExpMatch(host, "*.irlweb.com"))
return "DIRECT";
else if (shExpMatch(host, "*.bvdep.com"))
return "DIRECT";
else if (shExpMatch(host, "*.galegroup.com"))
return "DIRECT";
else if (shExpMatch(host, "*.westlaw.com"))
return "DIRECT";
else if (shExpMatch(host, "*.loislawschool.com"))
return "DIRECT";
else if (shExpMatch(host, "*.paradigmpub.com"))
return "DIRECT";
else if (shExpMatch(host, "*.wrlc.org"))
return "DIRECT";
else if (shExpMatch(host, "*.wmata.com"))
return "DIRECT";
else if (shExpMatch(host, "*.googlesyndicatedsearch.com"))
return "DIRECT";
else if (shExpMatch(host, "*.windowsupdate.com"))
return "DIRECT";
else if (shExpMatch(host, "*.update.microsoft"))
return "DIRECT";
else if (shExpMatch(host, "windowsupdate.microsoft.com"))
return "DIRECT";
else if (shExpMatch(host, "*.symplicity.com"))
return "DIRECT";
else if (shExpMatch(host, "*.live.com"))
return "DIRECT";
// else if (shExpMatch(host, "*.com"))
//return "PROXY comproxy:80";
else
return "PROXY PROXY comproxy:80"; }



1/28/2004

Story published in Allentown paper, 1/28/2004

 From The Morning Call


Allentonian's long devotion to Flyers earns a call



January 28, 2004

Poor Ken Hitchcock. Nobody believes it when he calls.

Ken Hitchcock, the head coach of the Flyers, recently took a little time to call long-time Allentown resident Frank Fiala. And he had to work to convince Frank that he was for real.

What prompted the Sunday morning phone call?

I had written to the coach two weeks earlier and I described Frank's avid devotion to the Flyers and his admiration for the discipline and spirit that Ken Hitchcock has brought to the team. And I neglected to tell Frank about my letter on his behalf. Given that the Flyers are in the heart of their season, I just was not sure when and if he might get a response.

But I guess Ken Hitchcock was impressed by Frank's amazing life. At age 91, Frank has lived through so much. The oldest of five kids, he dropped out of school to get a job and help feed his siblings. He raised his two young daughters by himself after his wife died at early age. He spent over 45 years as a truck driver, in an era when there was no national highway system and drivers had to pack and unload their vehicles. And, he owned a home in South Whitehall Township until just a few years ago.

Frank always had a bit of a wild side: He fought as a middleweight boxer; he lived and worked in New York City as a teenager, and nearly lost his leg in a motorcycle accident. I was surprised to learn he had never served in the military. This is not a guy who would ever back down from a fight. But then I found out: He tried to enlist, but they turned him down since he was a single parent.

Frank goes around saying he was ''born with a weak mind and a strong back.'' But he was always very inquisitive and curious. Being so hard working, Frank would have been a success at any college or academic field he might have tried.

I met Frank a year ago, purely by accident: I wound up renting an apartment in the same building where he lives. And like most people, I grossly underestimated his age. That's one of his favorite games, having folks guess how old he is. While his leathery skin and wispy white hair mark him as a senior citizen, his strong voice and firm grip belie a 1912 birth year.

I was a little nervous when I moved to Allentown in the summer of 2002. Having grown up in New York City, and having spent the last 12 years in Washington, D.C., this would be smallest city I have ever lived in. But I have a great job as the systems librarian at DeSales University, and I love all the parks, events, and festivals in the Lehigh Valley. And when ever I crave a subway ride and a little more concrete, I visit Manhattan. My dad passed away six years ago, and I relocated here so it would be easier to visit mom, who still lives on the upper West Side.

And now I'm hooked on rooting for the Flyers. As an ex-athlete (besides boxing, he excelled at baseball and football), Frank likes to watch the local sports teams on TV. But the Flyers are his favorite. He has memorized all their names and numbers, a little tricky given all the injuries and recent trades. He knows who are the goal scorers and who are the hustlers who dig the puck out from the corners. He rails against Steve Coates, the local Flyers TV announcer, for talking too much, but then misses him whenever they have the national guys doing the telecast.

The physical nature of hockey appeals to Frank. With his crooked nose and missing front teeth, courtesy of his boxing career, Frank looks like a hockey player. When the Flyers' star Jeremy Roenick was hit with a stick to the mouth a few weeks ago, he was up yelling at the refs. He felt the league was so unfair, giving Roenick a suspension and fine for tossing a measly water bottle on the ice. And of course, Frank knows which players on the team are the best fighters.

When I got over the shock over hearing that Ken Hitchcock called Frank, I was curious as to what they talked about. Actually, they didn't talk about the Flyers. I thought Frank would at least tell him to make all the players get a shave and haircut. Frank is ''old school'' when it comes to player appearance. But Ken Hitchcock just asked a few questions about Frank and thanked him for his loyalty to the team.

The games do mean a lot to Frank. He can't get out much in the cold weather and he battles a growing list of infirmities. Hardly a week goes by without his visiting another specialist or the pharmacy. And since a pacemaker was installed next to his heart two years ago, even the short walk to the local park leaves him winded.

Given Frank's self-reliant nature, it's no surprise he still drives and does all of his shopping and cooking himself. But later this year, he plans to move to an assisted-living apartment. He is worried about how he will get along. But, I'm sure he will charm the residents and staff in no time.

And, I'm hoping this June, he and I will be sitting in front of the TV at his new place, watching the Flyers hoist the Stanley Cup.