May issue of QuickFlash now available!

The May issue of QuickFlash, a newsletter with general and OCLC news for MLNC members, is available at http://www.mlnc.org/quickflash/.

In this issue:

– Registration is now open for the MLNC summer workshop schedule! You can view a complete list of workshops online at http://www.mlnc.org/workshops. Topics include: CatExpress; OCLC Authority File; OCLC Updates; Serials Cataloging; and WorldCat Resource Sharing.

– MLNC is pleased to offer our members a new NetLibrary eBook collection targeted towards community college students. The MLNC 2008 Community College eBook Collection will remain open for orders through June 10, 2008. All MLNC members are eligible to purchase this collection. For title lists, pricing, and ordering information, please visit http://www.mlnc.org/electronic/netlibrary/cccollection or contact Asia Gross at the MLNC office.

– MLNC is pleased to announce a partnership with Atlas Systems, Inc. (developers of ILLiad) to distribute Aeon, special collections circulation and workflow automation software. MLNC members are eligible for a 10% discount. For more information and pricing, visit http://www.mlnc.org/services/aeon.html or contact Elizabeth Madson at the MLNC office.

– Following an install in April, WorldCat Resource Sharing is happy to announce the redesigned two-per-page printing .PDF layout. A group of twenty librarians and nine network representatives worked closely with OCLC and helped them determine that left justifying all the information except the patron information would allow for easy reading and consistency of style between the one and two per-page.

– On April 1, a record for the 1950s publication from the U.S. Fisheries Laboratory, Miscellaneous Contributions, marked the 100 millionth bibliographic record entered into WorldCat. The record was part of a retrospective conversion project for the University of Washington Libraries. You can “Watch WorldCat Grow” online at http://www.oclc.org/worldcat/grow.htm.

Also in this issue: Facts on File demonstration; CONTENTdm updates; EZproxy 5.0 release; Blackstone eAudiobooks; copyright reports; and more!

MLNC partners with Atlas Systems for Aeon to serve Special Collection libraries

MLNC is pleased to announce a partnership with Atlas Systems, Inc. (developers of ILLiad) to distribute Aeon, special collections circulation and workflow automation software. MLNC members are eligible for a 10% discount. Aeon is a circulation management system that enables special collections libraries to provide better customer service in a more secure and controlled environment. Aeon improves customer service and staff efficiency while providing unparalleled item tracking, security and statistics.

 

For an overview of Aeon, please visit http://www.atlas-sys.com/products/aeon/.

April QuickFlash is now available

The April issue of QuickFlash, a newsletter with general and OCLC news for MLNC members, is available.In this issue:

• The election for positions on the MLNC Board of Directors concluded in March. Karen Hicklin, Library Director at Trails Regional Library in Warrensburg, will join the Board in July 2008. Waller McGuire, Executive Director, St. Louis Public Library, and Jim Cogswell, Director of Libraries, University of Missouri, were each re-elected. For a complete list of Board members see http://www.mlnc.org/board.html.
• MLNC is pleased announce a new partnership with Credo Reference (formerly Xrefer). MLNC members are now eligible for a 15% discount off this exciting new product. Credo Reference will also offer an introductory spring promotion: two free months of service for new subscribers! For more information, pricing, and trials, visit http://www.mlnc.org/electronic/credo/ or contact Asia Gross at the MLNC office. We’ve also just added some online demonstrations to our workshop schedule.
• From now until June 30, 2008, any library wishing to subscribe to CQ Press’ Researcher or Global Researcher products will receive a 15% discount off list price, an additional 5% savings for MLNC members. Those libraries wishing to renew their CQ Researcher or Global Researcher subscription this spring will also receive this discount. For more details visit http://www.mlnc.org/workshops/credo.html or contact Asia Gross at the MLNC office.
• OCLC has created new WorldCat Collection Analysis best practices scenarios. “Annual Collection Review” shows how to use WorldCat Collection Analysis to make and support informed decisions on which titles to retain, weed, and acquire as a result of an annual collection review. The “Introduction to Using Excel” is designed to help those who are unfamiliar with Excel gain familiarity with working with spreadsheets.

Also in this issue: NetLibrary subject set discounts; new Local Holdings and QuestionPoint documentation; RDA and FRBR information; Google APIs; and more!

Learn more about Automated Authority Control

Automated Authority Control, Tuesday, May 13, 11:00am - 12:30pm, offered online via WebExJoin MLNC and Backstage Library Works for a discussion of the advantages to outsourcing major automation projects and the benefits of automating your library’s authority control process. Objectives of the presentation are to highlight the benefits of an automated authority control process and bring the possibility of outsourcing certain tasks to light. We will cover:

• Benefits of authority control
• How authority control is automated
• How to plan for an authority control project

The presenter is John Reese, Vice President of Production for the Authority Control Product. John has been in this position since Backstage purchased the MARS Authority Control Product from OCLC in 2004. For more information and to register, visit http://www.mlnc.org/workshops/authority.html.

Show me MOBIUS!

The MOBIUS Annual Conference Planning Advisory Committee (MACPAC) and the MOBIUS Consortium Office (MCO) invite you to attend the 2008 MOBIUS Annual Conference: “Show Me MOBIUS: Celebrating 10 Years of Innovation and Service,”* June 3 through 5 at the Tan-Tar-A Resort in the Lake of the Ozarks!

Why should you attend? Beyond the networking opportunities, wide range of educational programs and sessions, and just downright fun of the conference, MACPAC is excited to announce:

• High caliber selection of programming covering a wide variety of library-related issues 
• Returning triumphantly this conference: Forums to promote the sharing of best practices, concerns, feedback, etc. among colleagues on issues important to all library staff
• Opportunities to learn about library products at vendor demonstrations and in the exhibits hall

Are you ready to celebrate? Visit the updated and expanded MACPAC website to get more information! Registration begins March 31.

March issue of QuickFlash now available

The March issue of QuickFlash, a newsletter with general and OCLC news for MLNC members, is now available.In this issue:

– MLNC is pleased to offer our members a 15% discount on subscriptions to Taylor & Francis reference titles. For more information, go to http://www.mlnc.org/electronic/taylorfrancis or contact Asia Gross at the MLNC office.

– MLNC is happy to announce we are now able to offer Britannica Online and several of their online resources directly to our members. MLNC member libraries receive up to a 25% discount off Britannica Online, Britannica School Edition, Enciclopedia Universal, World Data Analyst, Annals of American History, and Webster’s Third New International Dictionary. For more information visit http://www.mlnc.org/electronic/britannica and for a custom quote contact Asia Gross at the MLNC office.

– Going to the Public Library Association 12th National Conference March 25-29 in Minneapolis, Minnesota? Put OCLC on your schedule! A complete list of OCLC events is available online at https://www3.oclc.org/app/pla_registration/.

– Marshall Breeding, Director for Innovative Technology and Research at Vanderbilt University Library, was recently in Missouri as part of the MLNC Speakers Series. Despite radical weather, just over twenty hardy librarians showed up to hear about the “Current and Future State of Library Automation.”

– The end of life date for Connexion client version 1.70, 1.72, and 2.00 is April 1, 2008. Please upgrade to version 2.10 at your earliest convenience. For more information about installation and a link to download the software, please visit http://www.oclc.org/connexion/interface/client/enhancements/recent.htm.

Also in this issue: Missouri’s top ILL borrowers and lenders for 2007; WorldCat.org enhancements; new Collection Sets; RDA vocabularies; and more!

HW Wilson free trial

MLNC is pleased to announce a free trial to several of HW Wilson’s award winning databases. From now until March 31st visit www.hwwilson.com/mlnc.htm to access Wilson Business Full Text, Current Issues, Art Museum Image Gallery, Wilson Biographies, Book Review Digest, Applied Science & Technology, and Applied Science & Business. These databases are an excellent addition to any library and with an MLNC discount they are an affordable supplement to your reference collection. Additional discounts are also available to libraries that subscribe before March 25th.

For more information, including pricing and ordering, visit www.mlnc.org/electronic or email asia@mlnc.org.

Local Holdings Offline Product now available

The Local Holdings Offline Product is now available. Individual libraries can order a tab delimited file of all of the local holdings they currently have in WorldCat. Once produced the tab delimited file will be available for download from the Product Services Web and can be imported into a spreadsheet package. If your library has more than 20,000 local holdings records, multiple files will be provided with up to 20,000 records in each file. There is no charge for this report.

A Quick Reference guide is available and covers the order process, how to download the file, and information on how to import the file into Microsoft Office Excel.

February issue of QuickFlash now available

The February issue of QuickFlash is available. Highlights include:

• MLNC has a new blog! Visit us at http://pipeup.mlnc.org or subscribe to the RSS feed at http://feeds.feedburner.com/MLNCPipesUp.
• MLNC and Thieme Medical Publishers are pleased to offer our members a 5% discount on Thieme ElectronicBook Library. A full title list as well as forthcoming titles are available at http://www.thieme.com/dyn/ebooklibrary/index.php. MLNC will run a free trial of these resources in the early spring, more details will be forthcoming. For more information about Thieme ElectronicBook Library, visit http://www.mlnc.org/electronic/thieme.
• OCLC is presenting an online Local Holdings user group meeting on February 7, 2008 at 2 p.m. EST. This virtual meeting will present special guest speakers to discuss the many aspects of Local Holdings and how it can benefit you and your library. An update on OCLC Local Holdings will also be presented. Register at http://www.oclc.org/info/localholdings/.
• OCLC Custom Cataloging can increase the visibility of your scholarly documents. They are offering a 15% discount on the cataloging of theses and dissertations ordered by March 31, 2008. For more details, visit http://www.oclc.org/info/theses/.
• WorldCat Resource Sharing introduced a new print layout for one- and two-per-page printing in January. This layout will allow library staff an easier-to-read format for printed requests and will resolve issues with reading barcodes printed using Netscape and Firefox. Instructions for customizing your browser settings are in this issue of QuickFlash.

Also in this issue: new McGraw-Hill databases; new Springer WorldCat Collection Sets; updates on QuestionPoint; ALA presentations online; and more!

Welcome!

I’m happy to announce the arrival of the MLNC Blog.  You can expect to see postings replicated from the MLNC Announcements list about workshops, products and services and special events as well as thoughts and information from individual staff members.   Reposting items from our listserv in the blog will let our members set up a RSS feed, receiving information directly on their desktop.   Thanks to the prodding of Robin Hastings of Missouri River Regional Library and the patience of MLNC Librarian/Trainer Keri Cascio,  we now bring you MLNC Pipes Up!