============================================================================ Novanet Acquisitions Committee Meeting 21 September 2000 at 1:00 p.m. University of Kings College Library Present: Linda Aiken (DalLaw), Karen Chandler (DalKil), Helen Blanchard (MSVU), Mary Macdonald (DalWKK), Peter Glenister (MSVU), Barbara Nelke (DalTech), David Manning (SMU), Elaine MacLean (SFX), Gail Fraser (DalWKK), Marilyn Foote (NSAC), Bev Neable (NSCC), Linda MacLeod (DalKil) (late) Regrets: Lloyd Melanson (AST). Absent: Nick Sobol (UCCB), Paulette Coolen (Kings) 1. GF volunteered to take minutes. PG asked that Impact Statements for 6.8 (questions & concerns) be discussed as part of item no. 3 on the agenda (Implementation). Agenda approved. 2. Minutes of previous meeting (3 August 2000) distributed. Item no. 4 renumbered (4.1, 4.2, etc) 2.1. EM said 4.2 the date for implementation has changed. Now looking at spring 2001, not Christmas 2000. PG queried number of people allowed for training (4.4) DM replied yes, still only 8 per client, with training planned for Nov. 2000. This will be "train the trainers" session; the committee will still have to develop in-depth training for Novanet Acquisitions & Serials staff. MF asked how training is disseminated. DM explained that the "trainers" take the session provided by Geac but it is usually quite brief so more detailed training is developed afterwards by "trainers". Then committee members get together to learn from the trainers and take the information back to their own library staff. Because NSCC has so many sites, it will be especially important that they have a member at the initial training (BN indicated it would undoubtedly be her). It was suggested that training might be split up into two sites: SFX, UCCB, NSAG and NSCC perhaps meeting together and the metro universities getting together somewhere in Halifax. DM stressed the importance of standardized practices within the modules. The minutes were then approved. 3.1 As EM noted earlier, the "live" date is now projected for May 2001 with a probable downtime of about ten days. EM/DM reported that at the Implementation Steering Committee(ISC) meeting(s), they have been looking at the Geac schedule and the equipment needs.( Schedule distributed by Wayne Paquet on Novanet-L 13/9/00). The database has already been copied from DEC to SUN and been tested by the ISC members. Their first attempt was unsuccessful because of software incompatibility. There now appears to be a problem with Novanet Express. The key conversions are: -Install Advance 6.7 on SUN platform and test -Install Geoweb 4.0 on SUN 6.7 and test -Load 6.8 on SUN and test a copy DM/EM - another meeting of ISC (Implementation Steering Committee) will be held in early October. DM will be on vacation at that time. 3.2 Questions/concerns (see item no. 2.1 for some questions) 3.2.1. KC asked whether serials staff would be expected to use GeoWeb for serials checkin and commented that it wasn=t working well. DM replied that our current contract with GEAC for the new "clients" does NOT include the Serials Client. Committee members expressed concern that every module was being "upgraded" except Serials and wondered when that Client might be ready. EM said the migration will go ahead in any case but we will still be using telnet for serials (telnet will also be used for running reports and adding money to funds, apparently). 3.2.2. TESTING: DM has been keeping track of what he tested so we can use it as a basis of what we want to develop for detailed testing. EM/DM stressed that we are testing DATA and FUNCTIONALITY and gave some examples: Data: vendor addresses, invoice information, etc ... Functionality: create an order, receive a book, send an order electronically, create claim & cancellation letters, run reports, etc. Re: testing. It will be done on a test database, not on our live Novanet database. None of the test items should have any effect on the actual database. It is crucial to test data and functionality after each upgrade so if something stops working or data is lost, we can pinpoint where it happened. LA asked what Committee members can do to help now? DM distributed copies of his Testing List and asked for comments, suggestions, additions to the list. Members suggested testing should include: summary holdings and serials checkin, notes added to summary holdings regarding unbound journal locations, publication pattern changes, links that travel across modules (eg, routing lists), full and brief ORD records, code tables, permission structure, both types of invoicing, user defaults. It was agreed to add to DM=s original Testing List via email. DM/EM think that as many committee members as possible should be doing testing, not just members of ISC. 3.2.3. TRAINING DM said we won=t be training our staff until spring 2001 just prior to going live. It is anticipated that ACQ, CAT and SER staff will all have to have training on the Holdings Client. PG asked why training from GEAC is scheduled for mid-November 2000 if the database is not live until end of May 2001? EM/DM replied that the conversion was originally scheduled for over Christmas 2000. DM suggested that after the Nov "train the trainers" session we can develop our own training materials from November to February, then prepare for year-end, then train staff. LA/KC asked who from the Committee might go to "Train the Trainers"? The number of spaces that will be available to us is uncertain, as we do not know who else will want to take it. DM emphasized that trainers should be willing to take an active role in training the rest of the committee members and in doing database testing. -Suggestions for ACQ client training from this committee: NSCC(BN), DM, EM, PG, GF, TW (Terri Winchcombe at DalTech, presently on maternity leave) -Suggestions for Holdings client training from this committee: NSCC(BN), PG, EM, KC -If there is room in the Training the Server & Systems Administrators session, DM would like to attend it. BN (NSCC) wondered if she should go the ACQ training. NSCC is not presently using the ACQ module or serials checkin, although she plans to begin this winter. DM=s opinion was that the ACQ training would be a useful introduction for NSCC. 3.3 Impact Statements for 6.8. DM suggested that everyone read all the impact statements, as some features from one module have an impact on other modules (eg, Holdings client shares links with CAT, ACQ, SER) 4. Novanet Reports. Law reports that Outstanding Order report not running reliably. DM questions whether Renewable order report working correctly. Other members question whether Outstanding Claims report working (some claims missing). Serials Reference report not working reliably when last checked (it often sorts by lcn # instead of by title). We need reports that are working properly now so that we can complete our Year End in the new year and so we can test reports before and after the upgrades and migration to check whether they are still functioning correctly. 5. Committee Membership. After a fruitless search of the Acquisitions Committee homepage for our Terms of Reference, they were found on the "About Novanet" page (http://novanet.ns.ca) under Governance and Terms of Reference. There was no restriction noted there on the number of members from each institution that are permitted to join the Committee. The members agreed that it is often necessary to have more than one representative from some institutions, since the Committee encompasses both Acquisitions and Serials modules. It was suggested that a meeting of Serials checkin staff to discuss their issues and problems from time to time would be useful. 6. Other 6.1. PG asked other members about the consequences of globally changing a vendor=s name when a library switches from one serials vendor to another. KC and others advised that if you overwrite the vendor record, it will change all the vendors in all the serials records attached to that vendor. Otherwise, you have to change each serial record, or else claims will go to the wrong vendor (do vndchg in each ACQ order record, then go to Serials module and change the vendor there, too) 6.2. LA handed out a copy of BOBST Library (NYU) website for their Tech Serv staff (http://www.nyu.edu/library/bobst/research/tsd/adv.htm) This is online training documentation for Advance 6.8 developed by NYU library staff and it might be useful for us as we develop our own training. Meeting adjourned 3:30 p.m.