Volume 1, Number 2 (October 23, 2002)
The MassCat Mews, is a newsletter containing news and information of interest to the membership of MassCat. This newsletter is published via email on a monthly basis. Every issue of The MassCat Mews will also be published on the MassCat Website at the following address: http://www.masscat.org/links/masscatmews.htm
This issue features the following news items:
ILL email notification, a real time saver!
Did you know that you can receive an automatic email message notifying you when new ILL requests are received by your library? If you haven’t already set your library to receive an email notice each time a new ILL request is received by your library, follow the 9 easy steps outlined below:
1. Login to MassCat using your ILL username and password. Make sure the ILL button is highlighted before you click on the “Begin” button, otherwise you will get an error message.
2. Choose “ILL Administration” from the “Options” menu, or click on the “Staff/ILL” link below the “Options” menu.
3. A new browser window called: “ILL Administration” appears. Make the new window larger so you can easily read the form.
4. Click on the drop down menu from the box labeled “Options.”
5. Choose the “Maintain Participant Record” option.
6. You will be presented with a form called: “Maintain Participant Record.”
7. Scroll down to the bottom of the form. You see the question: “Do you want E-mail Notification?” Click the circle to the left of “Yes.” On the next line, “E-mail Notification Address,” fill in the email address you wish to have notices sent to.
8. Click the “Update” button at the top of the form.
9. Close the window.
If you have any questions or encounter any problems, please feel free to call me (toll free) at the MassCat office: 866-627-7228
MassCat System Downtime and Upgrade
As I have mentioned in an email message, the MassCat database will undergo a system upgrade, which will take place by the end of the year. The upgrade will be taking place in several stages. The first stage involves major system downtime. The entire MassCat database will be taken down during the weekend of November 9-10. During this downtime the database will be completely inaccessible, you will not be able to connect to the database to do searching, cataloging, ILL or anything else.
For those libraries that are open on the weekends, or that provide access to the MassCat database via your library's Website, you will need to warn your users that the database will be inaccessible on November 9-10.
Access to the database will be restored on November 11 and you will be able to resume normal database functions (searching, cataloging, ILL, etc.). On November 11, the database will look exactly the same as it does now, but this will only be for a short period of time.
The second stage of the upgrade will involve MANDATORY training sessions at your Regional Library office. The entire interface for the MassCat database will be changing, all the way down to the URL you use to access the MassCat database. These changes will affect your ability to use the database, so training sessions are being organized to introduce you all to the new interface BEFORE we actually begin to use that interface on a permanent basis.
Soon you will hear from your Regional Library System contact regarding available dates and times for these mandatory training sessions. Your Regional Library System contact will also provide you with registration information.
The final stage of the upgrade process will be the actual change over to the new system interface. We have not scheduled a date to make this change just yet. We are waiting to finish scheduling dates for the training sessions. Once all of the training sessions are complete, we will move to the new system interface. Our goal is to make this change by the end of December, if not sooner.
Here are the important issues for you to remember regarding MassCat's upcoming system upgrade:
| Nora Blake |
| MassCat Manager |
| P.O. Box 129 |
| Hatfield, MA 01038 |
| 866-627-7228 (866-MASSCAT) |
| nblake@masscat.org |