Koha-US SIG - Acquisitions Special Interest Group, 15 Sep 2020

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From YouTube: Acquisitions Special Interest Group - 9/15/2020

Description

This month, Andrew from ByWater explains how to set up and use the asort statistical fields.

Chat logs:
00:21:04 Jason Robb, SEKLS: conference info http://koha-us.org/learn/conferences/onlinetogether2020/
00:44:27 Jason Robb, SEKLS: https://www.houchenbindery.com/
00:47:51 Valerie Darling: Thank you!

A

The chat for you.

B

A

um Welcome everybody- and um we have a few things that we want to go over and then we'll have time to for people to ask questions and um share great ideas that you've come across. So um the first thing is, I just wanted to keep in the forefront of everyone's mind. The um development that we worked on, you know submitted to the development team um still trying to get that up on the development on bywater's.

A

Dev uh page um still haven't gotten that quite worked out, but um just to let everybody know that that's going to be coming, and then you know if we can get just a bunch of libraries to put a little bit of money to support that. um That's kind of you know how we'll have to do it and the dev committee. The development committee is working on a different process um where we can have multiple developments uh supported at the same time. So that would be um you know, an option that we might be able to.

A

You know, get the development committee to finance part of it, and then we would get libraries to finance the rest of it. So I just wanted to make sure everybody was aware um that that's still out there and and we're still trying to get money for that um did anybody else have any other old business that they wanted to talk about um bring up again. I know we've got this um concept of um I've totally lost the uh I'm sorry blanket.

C

A

Blanket pos that's right, blanket all I could think of was open, but blanket pos um again. Something else that I think would really um enhance the functionality of acquisitions in koha. So.

A

Maybe maybe okay, so in uh what is it now 10 days or something like that? We've got the um the conference, the koha us conference and the last day I think that's right, jason um is okay, so we've got time for each of the sigs to meet, um and maybe that could be kind of uh you know time to just uh talk about.

A

Well, you know introduce new people to to our um group, but then also maybe we can do a little working session on um what what's going on there, but definitely um jason just put the link for um the conference in the chat so definitely register for that it's free and it's all online.

A

So you can look through the um the topics that will be discussed, the speakers and stuff and watch the ones that you find interesting or you know you think helpful, um and that would be a great support um you can. You can also you know, send in a donation and all the donations go toward either the conference or um developments is the other thing, the main thing that we do so um yeah. Well, that being said now, I asked I should actually stop talking and see if there's somebody that has some old business.

A

A

Okay, I'm gonna say no um so on to the main topic of what we're going to do today, I was wondering uh I've always noticed this, a sort one and a sort, two thing um in the acquisitions module. We don't use it at our library. I I've overheard people that do use it.

A

So I asked andrew to come and kind of show us some of the capabilities that you know different things that different libraries maybe do with it. You know how to set it up all that kind of stuff, so andrew has graciously agreed to join us and share um yeah um some of the the the functionality that we could maybe um come up with some cool ideas to use that so andrew I'm going to turn it over to you sure.

D

Thanks rhonda, uh let me share my screen.

D

uh This is just uh my cohort testing docker, so it's very blank and very uh dull, but I have a couple of funds, um so a sort one and a sort. Two. Let me jump over here to authorized values. They're default authorized values. They exist just in a blank cohai install.

D

All they are used for is acquisition acquisitions statistical purposes, as it says there and by default they're empty. The authorized value category is there, but there are no values in it. um They're intended to be used in acquisitions for the little statistical markers you can put on any given order so like. If I go to this is a feature that takes many tabs to show all the weird places it sticks together.

D

um If I go over to acquisitions yeah, let's put something in this basket sure this bruce springsteen book is bib number one in the default testing doctor data. So all the time with bruce springsteen, okay, we're adding this and every time you add an order way way down at the bottom.

D

You'll have the statistic, one and statistic two fields um so think of these kind of like if you spend any time with your patron records, your your borrower sort, one in sort, two fields: they're just sort of empty boxes, for whatever you want to put there um so not entirely, unlike the notes, except they really are intended to be tight hooked up to an authorized value so that you have a controlled list of values so that later, when you, if you want to go back and run reports for your acquisition stuff using these values, they're they're, uniform and reliable- and you can say, give me all the orders where statistic one is whatever, but in your sort of standard koha style that whatever is is entirely up to you, like, whatever might be useful to you all things.

D

You want to flag your orders with um so I've seen academic libraries that put department names in here to say, like we ordered these for to support such and such department um see plenty of libraries that put selector names in there. If you've got one person, that's entering all the orders and acquisitions, but really they're doing what a bunch of selectors say it could be useful to tag those orders with you know andrew margaret jason. So then later you can say: jason spent this much money and margaret spent that much money.

D

So really it's whatever you want those to be once upon a time I gather from looking at bugs from seven years ago, once upon a time, these only used a sort one and a sort two. So if you wanted values here, you had to define those in a sort, 1 and acer 2 and authorized values.

D

Now, instead, they default to a pretext field which is fine, but like kind of not great for reporting, because we're all going to miss type stuff.

D

Well, yeah they default to that free text field unless you hook them up to an authorized value, and that happens over here in admin in our fund setup.

D

So if I go in to edit this fund, one two.

D

The last question in here is statistic: one done on statistics statistic two done on, so this is asking me to pick an authorized value and I'll hook this up to I'm gonna. I only have one thing in acer, one, so I'm gonna go lost for no particular reason just because I know it's got values so that means back over here.

D

I'm gonna. I don't think I probably do need to reload this page. I've still got my free text fields, but if I say I'm using this fund, then it when once I've picked that fund it checks. What that fund is set to use for statistic, 1 and statistic 2.

D

and gives me that authorized value it's a little mad. Now, because I loaded this page before I made that change.

D

Now are you happy yeah so now, instead of giving me a free text, field statistic: one is giving me long overdue lost for all my lost values that doesn't make much sense to have lost up there.

D

I don't have a great sense right now, if most of our partners who are using those fields, are building the values they want in a sort one and a sort. Two or if they're, just making a whole new authorized value category.

D

It doesn't much matter the.

E

D

E

D

Just your list of values, whatever you want it to be um and yeah. So right now of my three funds, that's the only one, that's tied to anything!

D

So if I come back over here- and I say- oh we're going to do main fund instead, then my little statistical things, reload they're not tied up they're, not tied to lost anymore.

D

I don't know why they're giving me empty drop downs. I kind of feel like I'm about to go file a bug once this meeting's over we'll see what that's about, um but yeah, that's kind of it. It's not much of an explanation because it doesn't it's not that complicated a thing. It's just sort of uh open there for you to do whatever makes sense to you all. Whatever, like statistical information, you want in your acquisitions orders that doesn't already have like a a box for it.

D

Okay drew yeah.

C

I'm gonna put you on the spot. Even more. uh You say that the real value here is in reporting. So do you have any sql? You can show us that uses those fields.

D

Oh not off hand, but yeah. Let's see, let's actually make something here. You you sure you're in order. That's great have an item.

D

All right and then let's go over to reports.

D

So the first thing I'm going to look at is the database schema and.

D

Pack orders so in our act, orders table.

D

We've got fields four and just scroll past them sort one and sort two, so those are gonna save whatever value I uh I've put in as I enter my orders. So let's do it just real simple thing: select.

A

D

I just spell it wrong: did I forget how to spell number.

D

Four, no oh y'all! I think I I think I have to go home. That was some really bad sequel.

C

Okay, andrew: it's never right on the first save.

D

And this is the only order in my system, so it has saved for order number one, a two for sort for sort, one, because again I tied it to lost. So this is just like marking an item lost.

D

It writes that 2 in there I could make my report fancier. I could make my report grab this description value instead um and let me get back to my order here.

D

I used the wrong tab made my life harder.

D

You and if I put free text in there, then it's just.

D

The free text shows up in that field. So, if you wanted to say like.

D

Select sort one.

D

D

D

Number goodbye.

D

This is going to be very unexciting, but this would be for my on my big pile of orders. How many I have that have each of these sort, one values.

D

I I suspect there are things in the reports library using those I'll admit. I haven't spent a lot of time looking at the acquisitions reports over here.

D

Because acquisitions reports make my head hurt.

B

Yeah, let's do this.

D

And it's borrowers.

D

I don't see anything right off the bat.

C

Where are some other places? People could look for acquisitions related reports.

D

Not see and we split the reports wiki up and I never remember what's on what page anymore, it was a good split, but it confused me, um but they are on here right, yeah, they're positions, reports.

C

D

Probably I've not I've not gotten in the habit of checking mana for reports, which is bad because I keep telling people to do it and then I I just don't.

D

I have this bad habit of assuming that. If someone has asked me to write a report, it must not be on the wiki or in mana.

D

I still hooked up tamanna. This is a good question.

D

This is my really junky test site like it's just a total mess, but.

D

D

Oh yeah, there's a bunch of acquisitions reports in.

D

A

Does everybody know what mana is.

D

um Oh yeah, so backing up a little mono was new, a couple versions of kohago. It's a knowledge base, um bib lib, which is a french equivalent of bywater, wrote it and and maintains it. So they run this database. That is a collection of right now. Reports and uh serials prediction patterns that, if you hook your system up to mana, you can pull reports straight in from mana so like.

D

If I liked this report- and I wanted to run it- I would just say- import and there it is so just trying to be a little simpler than copy pasting stuff over from the wiki keeping it all in co-op, rather than making it go over to another site, blah blah.

D

I don't know, maybe it's just because I don't.

C

Libraries can contribute reports.

D

Right, yeah yep any of my reports here I could say: oh this report is great: let's share it to mana and then that uploads it so somebody else can download it.

D

C

Once you all go home and make acquisitions reports for yourselves remember to share them on mana, so everyone can benefit from them.

D

Yeah um and then the other thing mana does right now is serial prediction patterns. If you're using mana every time you go to set up a new subscription in serials it'll check the issn in the bib your subscription is tied to, and if it has a subscription in mana that matches that issn it'll just well it'll ask you but it'll download it for you and it'll save you having to like do all the thoughts of figuring out how your cereals work.

D

That's the part I get more excited about, because I find cereals much more confusing than sequel.

D

But do y'all want to know anything else about a sort, one and a sort. Two.

A

I'm curious to know if people use it and what they use it for anybody, that's using a sort, one and a sort. Two are we all here, because we want to figure out how we can use.

D

It trying to think of like real life examples where I have seen somebody with that all set up nothing's jumping to mind, but those aren't necessarily the sorts of things I get asked about.

A

So it's probably things that are like real. um You know, library specific. I would say you know the kinds of things that you think. Wouldn't it be nice if uh we could track this information on our orders, um that maybe you know other libraries wouldn't do so, probably be something that's you know your directors ask information your director is asking for, or um you know whatever.

A

So I I'm not, nothing is popping into my mind as a really good application for us, but I'm sure that now I now that I know how to do it, and I find it really interesting that it can be fund specific.

A

So I could you know: we've got a couple of funds that, like you mentioned, um have like four different collectors that use that fund, so that might be an application where we could say you know who's spending, what out of this fund and they could track. You know: okay, I've spent my allocation or whatever yeah.

A

That might be interesting.

A

Does anybody have any questions about this, a sort one any sort, two.

C

The chat's been awful quiet this meeting, oh dear.

D

Okay, well, okay, that's that and if y'all go home and without home, but back to work and fiddle around with this and find that it does something weird or unexpected feel free to. Let us know, but it's yeah, as I said before, it's a fairly simple tool meant to be just wide open for whatever sort of makes sense for you all.

D

A

So the challenge is: go back to work and see if you can come up with something.

D

A

As I know a couple times ago, we um talked about the tabs on suggestion, monitoring or whatever, and I set up tabs for each of the collection developers and, oh, my goodness, that has made that process so much easier cool the developers really like it too, because they just go that one they go to their tab and if their tab isn't there, they know they don't have anything um just saves time for everybody, so that was that was a good thing.

A

um Does anybody have anything that they wanted to ask questions that they've run into um anything that you've tried that you think? Oh, this is so cool um and I don't you know, make everybody's life easier or or maybe there's a function that you think we should work at you know. Obviously, we've got a few of those in the hopper already, but um we can definitely talk through some things.

A

We are, we are um state of texas, does um september is end of the fiscal year, so we are about to roll over our new year um using tools that koha has um for rolling over funds, and things like that. So we'll be doing that um and.

C

And I believe that was the topic of last month's uh tutorial right, so jason put the time stamps of what you're supposed to do and what you're not supposed to do in videos. So everyone can go back and re-watch that, yes, yes, I'm.

A

Gracefully demonstrated what not to do and uh and then what to do um yeah and um how is you know, I don't know how many people out there actually using edi. If that is working, um I know we use it with ingram and midwest tape and find a way and they all seem to have survived the coven. Well, we had a few glitches. I don't know what happened with midwest tape, but it's back something changed on their end and we had to fix that.

A

Is everybody's ordering, like our vendors, coming back now for people? Does anybody? Have um you know, vendors that that aren't coming back? I now that I'm talking. Does anybody use a bindery? um You know we, we tend to bind our um graphic novels, the paperback graphic novels, because they usually last about two checkouts. If we don't do that, um but the bindery that we are using has raised their prices astronomically.

A

Since covid, I was just curious if anybody else was using a bindery for anything that and would recommend them.

B

We use one called houchin bindery, I think they're out of nebraska and it's sort of like a a leftover because they used to be more local, so they would like pass through and pick up our stuff and things like that, um and I don't know that we've had any problems with them. I don't know, I don't deal with that side of things specifically, but um I know that's the one we use. I.

E

A

E

B

A

Okay, yeah thanks.

C

C

Okay, does anyone have a request, suggestions for other acquisitions tutorial topics for upcoming meetings, that'd be a good conversation to get going in um those serve. I think.

A

Yeah yeah definitely things that you want to know more about.

C

Or things that you're willing to demo and add to all of the acquisitions tutorials we're trying to build up on here, yep, so.

A

Yeah, so if over the next few weeks, you come you're doing something and you think hey this is you know this is maybe a process that you've kind of come up with in your library um or um you know uh what what's the phrase uh or you you take something: it's not really designed to work that way, but you can use it that way.

A

I don't know, there's a phrase that you can that describes that, but um macgyvering yeah there you go yes, macgyver uh koha to do something that maybe wasn't in the plans um share that with us. um We definitely want to figure out ways we can make.

A

Or you know I'm just sitting here thinking: um we need to figure out some way to get excitement around acquisitions, there's a number of libraries that have cohab but don't use the acquisitions module at all, and I don't know just kind of figuring out ways that we can promote that because I think once you do use it you're, you realize the benefits that you can gain from it. um So I don't know if there's not any more.

A

A

Okay, yeah we'll just call it then, um let's um thanks everybody for joining. I hope that you know understanding what that a sort, one and a sort two fields are at the bottom there. um Now you understand and know what you can do with them um and we'll keep trying to come up with ways to promote um promote acquisitions, but also you know ways to promote the developments that we want to see go through so um uh yeah everybody can have a good and don't forget to join us at the conference. That is very important.

B

Be sure and register if you want to um attend our bugapalooza on thursday, uh you will need to register to get the zoom link. So um it's free, so yeah.

A

Yeah, it's free.

B

A

Then find out education, you know, learn see you know, share with other people. um It's it's a good experience. So we'll we'll see you all in a couple weeks.

A