Solution
During this unprecedented period, we want to assure you that Innovative is here to help. Innovative is operating normally and prepared to continue delivering our services. Our customer support and professional services teams are adept at working remotely and have video or teleconference tools we can use to meet with you.
We understand that many libraries are temporarily closing or changing their services. Innovative Customer Support has prepared a solution in order to help libraries answer questions around preparing for closures due natural disasters, Coronavirus (COVID-19) or other unplanned events.
Please contact Innovative if you need to postpone any scheduled project or service.
Access to Virtua systems for staff working remotely:
- Install the Virtua Client in the workstation/laptop that you have at home.
- Request your IT department to open Client port 1111 in the firewall (this is the default Virtua Client port, note that your library might use a different client connection port) for your IP.
- If you need access to Profiler, request your IT department to open firewall port 1521.
- If your system is hosted by Innovative, please contact support for any assistance in providing access to library systems for your staff.
- If your system is locally hosted, please work with your local IT regarding, VPN, firewall and limit network access set up to get remote access for staff. A VPN is the recommended method to connect.
How to Block Requests in Chamo:
1. Login to the Chamo admin with the admin user
2. Go to the Circulation Settings
3. Uncheck the 'enable requests' button
4. Uncheck the ‘Enable unit-level requests’ button
5. Select ‘never’ under the ‘Display bib-level request button’
NOTE: You may also consider disabling page requests in Chamo. This is done in the Page Requests section in the Chamo Admin interface. All the page requests types need to be removed.
NOTE: Many rules regarding requestability can be controlled from this panel of settings, so if you have different needs regarding requests you can take different paths to blocking certain types of requests.
6. If your library allows Item Level Requests you can also use the 'Request Buttons' settings to remove buttons and prevent requests. The simplest option is to uncheck the 'show button' checkbox for each configured request button. If you choose to do this please take note or a screenshot of your normal settings so that you will be able to re-enable them once the quarantine is over and your library is open normally again.
How to pause Circulation Reports for Review, Overdue, Bills, Etc:
If your library is not hosted the quickest way to pause reports it to edit the crontab and comment out all reports with ##.
If your library is hosted or you are uncomfortable making this edit you can edit/delete the scheduling settings for each notice generating report to pause or cancel notice generating reports until your library reopens.
To edit your reports schedule...
1. Login to InfoStation choosing Circulation reports
2. Scroll to the bottom of the reports list and choose Scheduled Jobs.
3. Option 1: Screenshot or take note of your scheduled reports and deleted all scheduled jobs
Option 2: Edit all scheduled jobs to not run until a scheduled month/day in the future. If you are unsure of when you library will open again we suggest editing your scheduled reports by setting the Month to January as that month has already passed and will prevent reports from running again until January 2021.
Updating Due Dates for Circulating Materials:
If your library is halting all circulation of physcial materials during the quarantine you can help mitigate some of the clean up processes you will have to do after reopening by mass updating currently circulating materials to have a new due date. There is a script available in the Virtua system to facilitate this due date modification. Details on the script can be found in the System Management: Circulation guide. The script is called UpdateDueDate.sh.
If your library is hosted please reach out to support with a new ticket and we will help apply any needed due date changes for your library. If you are not hosted please reference the System Management: Circulation document and if you have any questions on how to apply these changes contact support with a ticket.
Details:
The UpdateDueDate.sh script can either be used against all item records or with a file of item ids that should be modified according to the script parameters. The script will ask you for a due date range for which you would like to modify due dates. You can choose to update all items in your entire system or only items from a particular location. If you choose to limit to location you will need to provide the correct location code. There is a confirm (y or n) step after entering these settings.
How to backdate checkins in the Virtua Client:
In the Virtua Client, when you are ready to check in books that have been returned during and after quarantine procedures you can set a Selected Time and Date as the checkin time in your Virtua Client Checkin Window.
1. Open the Check in window in the Virtua Client
2. Check the box next to Select Time to enable the backdate features
3. Set the date/time that your library has agreed to backdate all materials too and check in all arrived items.
Note: There is also a setting in the Virtua Profiler for each location where you can choose the check in date for all Clients set to a particular location. If your library has one location or very few locations this setting may be a better way to handle mass checkins. There is also an 'Amnesty Flag' in each Location setting that will forgive all fines, one or the other option will achieve the same goal. Remember though, that you must set an amnesty or backdate setting for each location before you perform checkins and that you must reset it after your library returns to normal operations or you will continue to perform checkins 'in the past' or while forgiving fines.
When you are ready to reopen see the solution Considerations for Opening Physical Locations.