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When you loan a resource through Inmagic Genie's checkout or self-checkout features, the due date is calculated and displayed on the screen. However, there is no printed or emailed confirmation for the user. If the MyGenie feature is configured, the user may log in later to see a complete list of all the items they have borrowed and their due dates, but many users won’t want to do so.

For some libraries using Genie, the concept of a due date is only a suggestion of when to return the item, but for others, it's important that items be returned so they’re available for others.

Fortunately, it's easy to use the batch email feature added to Genie in version in version 3.3 to create an emailable checkout receipt.

Genie comes with an overdue email report that can be used to email an overdue notice to users with items out past their due date. It’s quite simple to copy and edit this report into a checkout receipt that can be emailed in a batch. The message might be something like "Thank you for visiting the library. Below is a list of items loaned to you recently, and their due dates. We appreciate you returning or renewing them before their due date."

A suggested workflow would be to search each morning for items signed out the day before, or over a weekend, and send this friendly, helpful notice straight to users in boxes. 

A similar report can also be created and emailed a few days before a due date, with just a slightly different message, such as "A reminder from the library. The items listed below are due on the dates shown. Please let us know if you wish to keep them longer."

The existing overdue loan reports are in the MyReports.config file. If you copy the LoanOverdueSelect and EmailLoanOverdue reports (used to select, then email overdue notices) and create 2 more sets, such as LoanReceiptSelect and EmailLoanReceipt, and LoanDueSoonSelect and EmailLoanDueSoon, you'll have a set you can tweak to use as a checkout receipt and a "due soon" reminder notice.

Be sure to add the LoanReceiptSelect and LoanDueSoonSelect reports to the list of available reports at the end of MyReports.config.

Although it's not possible to schedule these emails to be sent automatically, it's only a few minutes work to do this at the start of each work day, and a helpful service for users, better than only receiving the overdue notice after the due date.

As always, please contact us if you'd like our help setting these up for you.

In 2012, Andornot worked with the Thunder Bay District Health Unit to upgrade their DB/TextWorks library system from the older Inmagic Library Module kit to the much newer Genie Integrated Library System

This year, the Simcoe Muskoka Health Unit merged their MS Access library catalogue into this shared Genie system, providing both health units with a modern, up-to-date system for managing library holdings, serial subscriptions, orders, and more.

Amongst health care agencies in Canada, it is quite common to share library systems and resources – it makes good economic sense, and helps users and patients to more easily find resources with a single search point.

The public and patients may search the combined library holdings through http://ophc.andornot.com, a discovery interface powered by the VuFind open source software. 

VuFind includes features such as:

  • Spelling suggestions and corrections. 
  • Faceted browsing to allow users to refine searches by subject, date, collection, and other key fields. 
  • A mobile interface. 
  • Google Book covers for records with ISBNs. 
  • Permalinks to records to allow easy bookmarking and social sharing. 
  • User accounts to allow users to save searches and records to personal lists.
  • RSS feeds for user-created searches.

A custom request form developed by Andornot allows users to direct a request to borrow items to the appropriate health unit.

Data is automatically imported into the VuFind system nightly using the Andornot Data Extraction Utility, so there’s no additional work needed by library staff.

The shared Genie system is hosted by Andornot as part of our managed hosting service. Working with two separate groups on a joint system can be tricky, but in this case the cooperation between the library staff in the two health units allowed us to complete the project in a very tight time frame.

"Thanks very much for all of your hard work on this project. It is very much appreciated by us and will be by our clients." Amy Faulkner, Librarian, SMDHU

"You’ve done an exceptional job and we’re all quite appreciative of your hard work and discipline to get this through in such short time frames." Shant Alajajian, Librarian, TBDHU

Contact us to discuss upgrades to your library system and public search interface.

The University Health Network (UHN), consisting of Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto General Hospital, Toronto Western Hospital and Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, recently upgraded to Inmagic Genie.

Previously the patient and family library in each location managed its collection with separate DB/TextWorks databases and licenses. Only one database was available for searching through the intranet, with a simple interface.

Andornot merged data from these into a single shared, integrated Inmagic Genie system. Library staff in each location have web-based access to Genie, but continue to manage their own collections. UHN staff can now search across all the collections through the intranet. This merge reduces the effort to support library systems as there is now only a single system to maintain.

In addition to the search interfaces offered by Genie itself, Andornot also developed a separate interface specifically for volunteers in the libraries, to enable them to help patients and families with health resources in the libraries. This web interface is based on the Andornot Starter Kit and is available on computers in the libraries.

Public access to the collections is available as well, at http://www.theprincessmargaret.ca/en/PatientsFamilies/library/opac/Pages/search-pf-library.aspx

This interface is also based on the Andornot Starter Kit, with features such icons to indicate different types of materials, and book covers from Google to add visual appeal. To comply with UHN confidentiality and security policies, the public system runs on a separate server and instance of WebPublisher PRO. Only bibliographic information from the Genie Catalog is copied to the external server, ensuring patient information remains secure. The Andornot Data Extraction Utility and Inmagic Importer are used in this workflow, to move data from one server to the other automatically.

 

Contact us to take advantage of the efficiencies of a single, integrated library system such as Inmagic Genie.

Inmagic Genie includes a statistics page (usually found under Other in the left-side navigation menu) that provides a brief summary of important information about Genie. Out of the box, these statistics include:

  • Overdue Loans (total and by age: 1-7 days overdue, 8-14 days overdue, and more than 14 days overdue)
  • Overdue Serials 
  • Serials with Routing Lists
  • Catalog Records with Reserves

This is a good starting point, but we've found our clients want to know more about their collection and its usage. Some of the additional statistics we add to this page include:

  • Total Number of Catalog Records
  • Total Number of Item Records
  • Total Active Journal Subscriptions
  • Total Journal Issues (and other totals of specific types of materials)
  • Total Number of Borrowers
  • Total Loans per Calendar Year
  • Serials Not Received (differentiating between those marked Missing and those expected but not yet arrived)

It takes very little time to set these up, but they can then be accessed any time, by any authorized staff person.

These statistics are created by edited the MyStatistics.config Genie configuration file. Previously this required access to the server to edit this file. However, as of Genie version 3.5, you can enable access to all the configuration files through the Genie web interface. With this enabled, you would download the configuration file to your PC, edit it, and upload it again. 

Other statistical information can be obtained from Genie by searching the individual databases and selecting a pre-created statistical report. For example, while you can configure the Statistics page to give you a count of total loans for a calendar year, to get a breakdown by type of record (book, DVD, report, etc.) or by department, or by how long the item was kept out, you would search in Loans and select one of the statistical reports provided, such as Loan Statistics by Department. If the existing reports don't provide the statistic you need, it's easy to create a new report by editing the MyReports.config file. You can then include links to these reports in the Statistics page.

Andornot keeps a set of configuration files with many additional reports, search screens, pre-created statistics and similar "best practice" changes to the default configuration that ships with Genie. A list of many of this is available here. We can combine our set of configuration files with your existing ones to keep what you most like about yours, while adding new features and functionality from our experience with many Genie systems.

Contact us to review changes that might help you take better advantage of all the features in Genie.

 

All clients with a current Inmagic maintenance subscription for Genie (part of the Inmagic Library Suite) should soon be receiving an email from Inmagic with the download information for version 3.5.

If you have a current maintenance subscription but have not received a notification email in the next week, please email advantage@inmagic.com with your serial number and email address so it can be resent.  Please also remember to let us know if your contact information has changed so we can update our records and pass this on to Inmagic.

Here are a few highlights of the Inmagic Genie v3.5 release.  Please see the Genie v3.5 Readme and documentation for more detail;

  • Remember Search Criteria
  • Multiple Library Email Addresses Supported for Requests Sent from the Cart
  • View Book Covers on Summary or Detail Catalog Reports
  • Update Genie Configuration Files from a Remote Location

Please contact us if you would like assistance upgrading or would like to renew an expired maintenance subscription. We can also help you update your current interface to include the latest features available in the software itself, or with our add-on products.

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