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===== Conference Chairs Meeting, October 22, 2014 =====
Recorded by: Debbi MacLeod
NLS Staff Present:
Richard Smith, Chief, Network Division
Steve Prine, Assistant Chief, Network Division
Vickie Collins, Head, Network Services Section
Michael Martys, Automation Officer
Meredith Beckhardt, Head, Reference Section
Joy Bolluyt, Head, Production Control Section
Joel Phillips, Assistant Head, Production Control Section
Alice O’Reily, Assistant to the Chief, Materials Development Division
Neil Bernstein, Research and Development Officer
Network Chairs:
Sharon Ruda, Midlands Conference
Adam Szczepaniak, Northern Conference
Barbara Penegor, Southern Conference (for Craig Hayward)
Debbi MacLeod, Western Conference
NLS Updates: Wednesday night there was a music jazz concert in Jefferson building featuring a patron of the music service. Dignitaries were there and it was a good opportunity to feature the service.
NLS Reminders:
Survey for cartridges: 46 are completed so far and closes on Friday so please complete if you haven’t done so already.
Readership & Circulation stats due by Nov 6th.
New URL’s for PIC’s & network services database listed in the Op alert 14-73. https://nls.us.baesystems.com/pics.html
KY moved to Web READS on Friday and is now using PIMMS. If there are no problems, NLS will convert the next 2 READS libraries. NLS expressed appreciation to KY for the amount of work that they contributed to the effort.
Conference chairs question and issues:
West Question: When will mailcards for XESS be ready?
NLS Answer: Received a partial shipment of cards today so figuring out how each library will receive enough cards to get started. They are yellow.
West Question: Part of our request for replacement blue mailing containers was filled by Multistate Center East. When will blue boxes be available again from MSCW? Will there be a limit on how many can be requested?
NLS Answer: Will have firm answer next week. East is fulfilling all requests at the moment – limit is 50 per request. NLS will be getting more for the West.
West Question: Will mailing containers accompany (or be available separately) for peach-colored cartridges to be made available in the near future for network duplication use? Can these cartridges be used for the duplication of local as well as national productions?
NLS Answer: Yes, the blue ones will be available. There is not another color. The regional libraries can determine how they are used. There will be best practices issued on how these cartridges are being used by the network.
West Question: Does NLS provide guidelines for the cataloging (and circulation count) of cartridges holding multiple titles?
NLS Answer: NLS can’t provide this answer. Local decision based on library & ILS.
West Question: At the last telephone conference (September 24) Richard said that 2,700 new titles are being issued in 2014 of which 700 are commercially originated. Is this accurate? Also, in addition to most of the commercially originated titles not being rated, are their other characteristics (e.g. multiple voices, special effects, absence of bibliographies) that differentiate these books from standard NLS productions?
NLS Answer: ~1,000 commercial titles and ~ 2,000 NLS books. Only unrated aspect can be discovered in the annotation. All the other issues can’t be determined without listening to the book. BARD will list multiple narrators if there are some. What are the differences between NLS & commercial recordings – is this the question? NLS will work on the answer to this question and provide it to the network.
West Question: Why did NLS not match the color of the cartridges with the containers so it would be easier for the patrons? With so many colors & containers it is getting confusing.
NLS Answer: Good point on how NLS could have done it but no one anticipated the number of colors in the beginning. NLS was going for library ease in managing all the different colors and not patrons. Don’t want mint and peach cartridges coming back in recall.
West Question: The BARD Mobile app update was supposed to be released in September. Was it? How will it be updated for iOS8?
NLS Answer: Update is not available as there was unfortunate timing with FFY end and the software update to iOS8. The software changes for iOS7 are complete. NLS wants to include the bug fixes for iOS8. NLS is working with the developers to get update out quickly. They have the features list for the next update. Given that Apple releases new software in the fall at the FFY end, this has presented a problem. So the current plan is to provide a maintenance release in the fall and feature release during the spring. The good news with the bugs in accessibility features is that Apple is contacting NLS so they are now having a dialog.
Midlands Question: In regards to the cartridge survey that NLS sent out last week. Will NLS provide a steady supply of print/braille labels? This a major concern in the network with individual libraries going out on their own to purchase labels.
NLS Answer: No answer now – maybe next week – Good question and we need to figure this out.
Midlands Question: Is this a one-time cartridge supplement from NLS?
NLS Answer: Yes, a one-time deal. A remote possibility there may be another but don’t count on this.
Midlands Question: Would the permanent copies from the MSC program change?
NLS Answer: No.
Midlands Question: Is there warranty for defective cartridges received from NLS?
NLS Answer: If there is a problem, send it back to NLS. Probably can’t be replaced. More details next week.
Midlands Question: When will the recall numbers for 2015 be out?
NLS Answer: Digital recall numbers for 2015 will be available – will be the same as 2014 with a slight possibility they could be less. There is a contracting situation that may not require the same number.
North Question: Is Web Reads deployed and at what sites?
NLS Answer: KY is up and running.
North Question: Are they still in Test with PIMMS?
NLS Answer: Yes.
North Question: What commercial publishers is NLS getting material from?
NLS Answer: Hachette, Random House/Penguin, Scholastic & Westin Woods, Audible
North Question: Patron has issues with the music selections still being on cassette.
NLS Answer: Most selections in music are still on cassette as well as foreign language. They will be moved to digital – the long term goal is to move everything we can but there is no hard timeframe.
North Question: Going back to multiple titles on cartridges – many patrons are resistant to having more than one title on a cartridge. How did that transition work in MO?
NLS Answer: Richard said time. It is an issue of getting used to the bookshelf. MOC has helped this transition.
South Question: Periodically there have been delays with Potomac Talking Books adding titles to PICS for book delivery verification. Books can pile up for a week or so before they show up as even shipped. We are wondering what the workflow is for books at the recording studios who record the books, that they can mail it without it actually being marked as shipped.
NLS Answer: This is a known issue that Potomac is slow to ship material. NLS will review Potomac’s workflow with them to address the issues.