Newsletter #17 June 2007

Jun. 1, 2007

RESOURCEMATE® NEWS The Official ResourceMate® Newsletter - June 2007, Vol. 17

Welcome to the seventeenth issue of the ResourceMate® newsletter. As always, we strive to keep you and your organization informed about new features and changes as well as offering you tips on using ResourceMate® more effectively.

MESSAGE FROM BRIAN WATSON
President, Jaywil Software

I am pleased to announce a number of exciting additions to ResourceMate®:

• Library Search integrates searching respected sources by title or author directly into ResourceMate®, to help you catalog your resources. This features expands the already popular ISBN Retrieval.
• Web search update as well as web search Inter-Library which allows you to search multiple libraries at once at $99 per library (one time fee).
• New Support Page at www.resourcemate.com. More information, easier to navigate! Click here to visit.
• Bundles - suggested ResourceMate bundles for your situation.
• Volume orders - order 10 or more copies of ResourceMate® for your group of organizations.
• Weekly tip of the week on our web site.

Read on to find out more about these exciting additions!

Are you using ResourceMate® for something other than books, cds, videos, cassettes, toys? If so let us know by sending an e-mail to notbooks@resourcemate.com .

As always, we thank you for your support of ResourceMate®.

- Brian

CONTENTS

WHAT'S NEW?
Library Search
Bundles
Volume Orders
Updates
What's Upcoming
Web Search
New Add-on Modules
ISBN 13
5500 Users

FEATURE
ResourceMate® Add-on Modules

RESOURCEMATE® TIPS & TRICKS
Tips & Tricks on the Web
Keep Your Program Up-to-date
How to Configure Your ISBN Retrieval
See/See Also

WINDOWS™ TIPS
Vista and ResourceMate®

REMINDERS
ResourceMate® Information Packs
Online Training
Training Dates 2007
Training Videos
Year-end Inventory Time Coming Up

IN CLOSING...

WHAT’S NEW?

Library Search

Library Search is a new feature used for cataloging in ResourceMate® 3.0 and is ideal for cataloging books and items when you don't know the ISBN Number. Library Search allows you to search libraries over the internet by fields other than ISBN number (ie. title, author, publisher) and retrieve cataloging information. In many ways it is an extension of ISBN Retrieval; it searches the same well-respected collections such as Library of Congress, Amazon and many more. To use Library Search you open the search window and conduct a search much like a patron would do when looking for an item in your library. Information that is found will be retrieved and can be edited or imported right into the library.

Library Search has some distinct advantages over regular cataloging:

• Saves you time and keystrokes as you can avoid entering all the data for an item just by inputting the necessary search terms and letting ResourceMate® do a quick search for you.
• It makes cataloging more enjoyable for volunteers.
• Helps find Dewey and subject information for non-libarians.
• Brings in professional data from well-respected sources.

You'll find Library Search as a standard feature in ResourceMate® 3.0 Regular, 3.0 Regular Multi, 3.0 Plus, or 3.0 Plus Multi. Library Search also requires your organization to register and have its technical support up-to-date. To search the various library sites you will also need internet access on the computer that runs ResourceMate®.

This is a great enhancement to ISBN Retrieval. You now have a better chance of finding not only cataloging data for your books, but for many other items as well. For more information, visit our Feature Spotlights Page.

Bundles

We have recently introduced ResourceMate® bundles to help you choose the best products for your library. These are suggestions only, based on common choices our existing customers make.

The bundles we have available are:

• Public Library Basic
• Public Library Advanced
• School Basic
• School Intermediate
• School Advanced
• Corporate
• Church/Synagogue Basic
• Church/Synagogue Intermediate
• Church/Synagogue Advanced
• Non-Profit and Association Basic
• Max

Volume Orders

The ResourceMate® 3.0 family of products has generated interest in volume orders (10 or more copies per order). Customers are recognizing the value of choosing ResourceMate® 3.0 for their multi location purchases.

Some advantages of having multiple locations with ResourceMate® in your organization are:

• Sharing of knowledge/resources with everyone using common software
• Consistency of technology helps your librarians and IT professionals
• Synergy with other libraries ( ie. using products like Web Search Inter-Library)
  
  To contact to a sales representative with questions, quote requests and any other assistance you may need on you volume purchase, contact sales@resourcemate.com or call 1-800-815-8370.

Updates

Our latest update to ResourceMate® brings us up to build version 3.0.0.33! Here’s what is included:

• Accession letter can include letters and numbers.
• Check in by patron now displays a count of the total number of items checked out by the chosen patron.
• In File, Items after you have typed in the ISBN number, you can press Enter instead of having to click on the ISBN Retrieval button. This improves flow when scanning ISBNs. Simply scan the ISBN and retrieval will begin.
• Additional parameters for call number sorting.
• Advanced Patron Search Add On - when creating web search file you can now "Exclude items that can not be searched."

To update your copy of ResourceMate feel free to read more.

What’s Upcoming

Here at ResourceMate® HQ, development and improvement never ends. The following are a few things to look forward to from ResourceMate®:

• Web Search Inter-Library: We've just finished a new version of Web Search for organizations with multiple libraries or groups of libraries. With it, librarians can combine their libraries online in one searchable web catalog. Patrons can then do one search and with their results see which library has the item they are looking for.
• Multi-Language Module: This add-on module will give libraries the ability to translate all program text to a different language. French and Spanish translations will be standard with this add-on module. Other languages can be translated by the user.
• Online Demos: Friday afternoons we will be hosting Online Demos of ResourceMate® products. These web based demos will be interactive with a live representative, so feel free to sign up and take a look at what ResourceMate® has to offer.

Web Search

Our popular module, Web Search, was recently enhanced. With our new Web Search, the following benefits have been included:

• There are more fields you can search from.
• You can choose to have some fields displayed (ex. Page #) but not searchable, or some that are searchable but not displayed (ex. keywords).
• Searches can be by “word starts with” or “word phrase.”

We have also included a service where we can install Web Search for you. Web Search is available for $99 or an upgrade from the older Web Search is available for $34. Installation service is $60. You can get more information about Web Search by clicking here.

Also ask about Web Search Inter-Library. Search more than one library at a time. Priced from $99 per library.

New Add-on Modules

In recent months, we have released four more ResourceMate® modules: Pamphlet Inventory, Soundex, Scheduler and Audit Trail. These are excellent additions to ResourceMate® that will add new levels of usability in searching, circulation and cataloging.

With ResourceMate® 3.0 we’ve included add-on modules to divide up the cost for our users. Unlike other software packages, we keep our price low by creating flexible module options that increase the functionality of your library. This way, you can get the basic package with the most universal features at an incredible price, and you can tailor your library automation by paying for only the additional features you want or need.

For more information on these add-on modules, including pricing, please continue reading this issue’s feature on modules or take a look at our Add-on Modules web page. And remember they’re easy to get either by email, download or CD, and they are available for purchase by any user of ResourceMate® 3.0.

ISBN 13

As of January 2007, 13-digit ISBN numbers have been released and ResourceMate® is well-equipped to handle this change. The ISBN field in ResourceMate 3.0 will hold twenty numbers/characters. You can enter anything you want into the ISBN field.

For the purposes of ISBN Retrieval and the creation of an ISBN file for EntryMate™ processing, numbers whose 13-digit equivalent starts with 978 should be entered as the standard 10 digit ISBN number. If you are using your bar code scanner to scan ISBN numbers that begin with 978 and they are not showing up as 10 digit numbers, your bar code scanner needs to be properly configured for BooklandEan, Ean, or ISBN. Scanners purchased from Jaywil Software are already configured properly for ISBN scanning.
13 digit numbers that begin with something other than 978 should be entered as the full 13-digit number. This is the number that will need to be used for ISBN retrieval and the creation of an ISBN file for EntryMate™ processing.

5500 Users

As of May 15, 2007, we have reached 5500 registered users worldwide. We’re still gaining new users at an incredible rate! We’d like to thank everyone who has registered their products as it helps us gain better insight into our customers.

As usual there are great benefits to registering: three months of technical support giving you off-site backup storage; program updates; phone, chat or email support; and best of all ISBN Retrieval/Library Search!

FEATURE

ResourceMate® Add-on Modules

This month’s feature is all about the new modules that have recently been released! These new modules are available to purchase and include: Pamphlet Inventory, Soundex, Audit Trail and Scheduler. This adds to the list of previously available modules including Extended Circulation, Advanced Patron Search, Serials and Spell Check. Modules are an excellent way to get more functionality out of ResourceMate® in the areas you need help with. Let’s go over these new modules.

PAMPHLET INVENTORY

Pamphlet Inventory is a great tool for circulating items (like pamphlets, flyers and brochures) that you don’t expect to receive back. The Pamphlet Inventory Module includes the following features:

• Track counts of pamphlets on the shelf.
• You can enter quantity added to your stock and enter quantity taken away (say at the end of the day).
• Generate re-stock reports based on limits set (ex. you only have 5 left on the shelf, time to add 10 more).

Pamphlet Inventory allows you to track quantities of particular items as they are added or removed. You can also generate a re-order/re-stock report. Pamphlet Inventory would not be used for items that are checked out and then returned. It’s meant as a re-order tool so you know when it is either time to re-stock quantities of an item on the shelf or when it is time to re-order. It is also not limited to a particular resource type. Any item in any resource type can be used with Pamphlet Inventory.

If you have purchased Pamphlet Inventory, to confirm that it is activated, click on the Help Menu and from there, About ResourceMate 3.0. You will see Pamphlet Inventory in the “Add On:” section.

Items you wish to use with Pamphlet Inventory can already be entered in ResourceMate®. From there, you will need to establish the current quantity on hand for items you want to track. To do so, click on the File Menu then Pamphlet Inventory. Choose the Resource Type of the item and then choose the item.

The cursor will jump to the Quantity field. Enter the current quantity on hand and a comment if you wish. Go up in the form and enter the Reorder Level (ie. the number you reach when you need to order more) and Reorder Quantity (ie. the number you need to order). Click on Save. This can also be done when you first enter an item into ResourceMate® by going into that particular item’s Additional Tab.

To track quantities as they are removed or added, we recommend that you go into the File Menu, and select Pamphlet Inventory to record these transactions. Click on Display items with Pamphlet info to reduce the list of items to choose from. Choose the item and then choose either Removed from Inventory or Added to Inventory. Enter the quantity and then click Save.

Pamphlet Inventory can also generate reports. Reports to show reorder needs, current list of pamphlets and inventory history are all available. To generate a Pamphlet Inventory Report, click on the Reports Menu then Reports Gallery and select Pamphlet Inventory Reports. From there choose the report you would like to generate.

Pamphlet Inventory is a wonderful resource for any library that has pamphlets and other handouts that need to be tracked. The cost is just $49 for more information and ordering, click here.

SOUNDEX

The Soundex Add On Module adds phonetic searching to your patron searches so that regardless of whether your patrons misspell a search term, Soundex will attempt to sound it out and get the correct results for your patron.

For example, if a patron is looking for an author by the name of “Lewis”, no matter if your patron enters:

• Lewis,
• Loowis,
• Louis, or
• Luwis,

your patron will find all authors whose last name sounds like Lewis.

If you have purchased Soundex, to confirm that it is activated, click on the Help Menu, and select About ResourceMate 3.0. You will see Soundex in the “Add On:” section.

Soundex works for all patron searches including title, author, subject and keyword. On your Patron Search Screen you’ll notice an additional check box for Soundex:

When this box is checked a phonetic search will be performed. Spelling will not be as critical.

Notes: The first letter needs to be correct but vowels are ignored when finding matches and the "Word starting with" searches will be performed as "Exact word".

Soundex is $99 and is clearly a great addition to any library especially for those with young patrons or those with difficult or technical terms to spell.

AUDIT TRAIL

The Audit Trail Add On Module is useful for tracking the changes and edits that have been made in your ResourceMate® program. The Audit Trail Add On Module includes the following features:

• See who made what changes, when, and to what fields.
• Revert back to a previous value if someone made a change by accident.
• Report changes made for a table, a field, or a person.

If you have purchased Audit Trail, to confirm that it is activated, click on the Help File and select About ResourceMate 3.0. You will see Audit Trail in the "Add On:" section.

With Audit Trail you can see every change across all files. To see this list, click on the Utilities Menu and select Audit Trail. You can also see changes made to any record in the Items, Patrons or Resource Types screens. Simply find the record you wish to see the changes for and click on the Audit Trail Tab. Also, like any grid in ResourceMate®, Audit Trail can be sorted, and the results can also be printed.

Audit Trail is $195 and overall it’s a very handy module for maintaining your database, and even more so when you have multiple people maintaining the database.

SCHEDULER

The Scheduler is a bit of a different module in that instead of focusing on your main library (ie. cataloging, circulating, etc.) Scheduler helps with the auxiliary tasks that many librarians are charged with, such as:

• Scheduling when your volunteers will be in.
• Tracking when A/V or other reservable items are scheduled to be out of the library.

If you have purchased Scheduler, to confirm that it is activated, click on the Help Menu and About ResourceMate 3.0. You will see Scheduler in the “Add On:” section.

To run Scheduler, click on the Utilities Menu and select Scheduler. You’ll notice that it runs very much like an independent program and looks like this:

We strongly recommend that you enter your volunteers and/or equipment as resources so the system can automatically check to make sure double-booking doesn't happen.

To add a resource (think of it as a person or thing that needs to be scheduled like a volunteer or a particular piece of equipment), click on the File Menu and Edit Resources …Choose the Resource Group on the left side and on the right side click on New.

Enter the Resource Name, an optional description and an optional image. Right click and choose Load to point to an image. Click OK and Close when done.

You can add an event (which is basically the date/time when a resource is in use). On the right side (Calendar Navigator) choose the correct date. You can also right click on the Day View calendar and choose Go to Date… In the Daily View calendar, right click on the starting time and choose New Event. Enter the subject (or event name), the start time and end time, then indicate whether you want a reminder prior to the start of this event. Click on the Resource drop-down menu and choose the resource(s) that this event applies to. By choosing the resource(s), the system will prevent double-booking. Click on Ok to Save.

You can then view your calendar of events. Click through the different views to see which one looks best for you. You can also print reports corresponding to your view. Press Ctrl-P or click on the File Menu and Print.

Scheduler is $99 and gives you the features of a full planning software right in your ResourceMate® program!

RESOURCEMATE® TIPS & TRICKS

Tips & Tricks on the Web

There is a new tips and tricks section on our website. Every Wednesday a new tip is posted on the home page of our website. Previous tips are archived here, so visit often! If you have a tip of your own, feel free to send it to sales@resourcemate.com. We’re happy to share them with everyone!

Keep Your Program Up-to-date

With new updates to the program being made available almost monthly, it's a real benefit to keep your ResourceMate® program up-to-date. In every update we add new features, program developments and performance enhancements. Updates are available to everyone who has active Support and has access to an Internet connection.

Three ways to update your program are:

1. Automatically when ResourceMate® opens - In ResourceMate®, go to the Utilities menu and click on Preferences. Then in the Preferences window, look in the System section underneath General Preferences. Make sure a check mark is in the box beside Check for Updates at Startup.
2. While using ResourceMate® - In ResourceMate®, go to the Help menu and click on "Check Internet for ResourceMate® Updates."
3. Using a web browser - Visit www.resourcemate.com and choose Update Product from the left menu. On the update page, enter in your Serial #, then click on the Submit button. You will then be prompted to download a file. If the computer you download with does not have ResourceMate® on it, save the file to your hard drive and burn it to a CD or USB memory stick, then take it to the computer with ResourceMate® on it and run the file. If ResourceMate® is installed on the same computer you're downloading with just save the file to your hard drive and run it from there.

Whether you're coming from an older version of ResourceMate® or a recent one, you'll be surprised at the advantages a little update can give.

How to Configure Your ISBN Retrieval

ISBN Retrieval has been enhanced to let librarians search multiple libraries for information on their ISBN number, but to use it effectively a little setup goes a long way.

There are two ways to configure the libraries that you wish ISBN Retrieval to search. By pressing the Setup... button beside the ISBN Retrieval button, or by going to Utilities and selecting ISBN Retrieval Library Configuration, the following window will appear:



In this window you can select which libraries will be searched by ISBN Retrieval and in which order you would like the libraries searched. Adding more libraries can slightly increase your search time, but can greatly increase your chances of items being found. A few seconds to manage this screen will create an ideal search condition that you can use for every ISBN Retrieval you do with the option of easily customizing it per search if necessary.


See/See Also

With ResourceMate® 3.0 Plus you can now enter associated search terms for Author or Subject. This can help patrons who have had trouble finding books by, for example, “Dr. Suess” when you have entered them as “Geisel, Theodor.” By setting up alternates with the See function, they’ll still be able to find the items they are looking for.

You can also use this to connect similar headings, such as in subjects. If a patron is searching for books on whales, and enters that as a subject search term they may find some items on whales, but you may also have useful information in books about marine mammals. A tag to tell those who search for whales to "see also" marine mammals would be very helpful.

To create a See/See Also entry, go to the Plus Menu and click on See/See Also Cards. Although this feature is often used to print See/See Also cards, even if you don't maintain a card catalog the entries in this file can help patrons find what they are looking for when they search. If you find that patrons are searching for different subject headings than you have established, create a See/See Also entry so their search term finds what they are looking for.

Note: On the patron search screen, the user will not actually see...

Suess, Dr.
See also
Geisel, Theodor

...but if they type in Dr. Suess, Patron Search will look for Geisel, Theodor.

Here is a bit of explanation about the various parts of the See/See Also Detail Tab:

Indicates whether this See/See Also entry relates to authors or subjects.

Enter the text that patrons are inclined to search for.

Indicates whether this is a See or a See Also entry.

Enter the way this author or subject heading has been cataloged in this library.

While See/See Also entries aren't necessary in any library, they are a nice touch to help your patrons find some of possibly hidden gems in your collection.

Windows™ TIPS

Vista and ResourceMate®

With the release of Microsoft’s new operating system, Vista, we’ve had many people asking if ResourceMate® is compatible. We can confidently say – yes!

Due to the security enhancements made in Vista, the only consideration that you will need to make is which folder to install your program into. We recommend that you install in c:\Users\Public\ResourceMate 3.0. If you install in this location there will not be any concerns about Virtualization (Vista creating files in your personal area because you do not have rights to create files in c:\Program Files).

If you want to install in c:\Program Files: After the Administrator has installed 3.0 in Vista they need to ensure that any Windows users that will be running ResourceMate® have full rights to the ResourceMate® 3.0 folder and all folders beneath. If this is not established, each logged in Windows user that runs ResourceMate® will activate Windows Vista Virtualization, which will create virtual copies of the files they modify. ResourceMate® 3.0 will warn if this is happening. Click here for more details. Jaywil Software can do this for you by using our Live Chat support tool. Contact Jaywil Software support if you have any questions about Vista.

Also, because the automatic update process within ResourceMate® 3.0 downloads files from our ftp site, Vista has determined that an Administrator will need to give permission to check for updates. Checking for updates every time ResourceMate® 3.0 runs can be disabled. The user can manually check www.resourcemate.com/rmupdate3.html on a monthly basis for program updates.

Note: We have not tested 2.0 with Vista. If you are moving to Vista we strongly suggest that you upgrade from 2.0 to 3.0.

REMINDERS

ResourceMate® Information Packs

Please let us know if you have an upcoming library show/seminar/workshop or association event that you are hosting or attending. We can send you (or the event organizer) ResourceMate® information packs or flyers to be handed out to the event delegates. This is a free service that helps us tell other libraries about ResourceMate®. For such events we can also send you a demonstration copy of our Training Video (you should send the video back to us after the event). Contact Steve at sneville@resourcemate.com.

Online Training

We are currently in the planning stages of implementing on-line training for ResourceMate®! We’ve had a lot of interest in it, but are looking for more feedback. Please take a look our training web page and send any comments you may have to sales@resourcemate.com.

Training Dates 2007

There are still three training course available from our 2007 schedule. If you’re interested in any ResourceMate® 3.0 training at our Guelph facilities keep these dates in mind:

• Friday, June 8– Level 2 ResourceMate®
• Friday, September 21– Level 1 ResourceMate® and Windows Basic
• Friday, October 19– Level 2 ResourceMate®

For more information visit our Training Page.

Training Videos

With ResourceMate® 3.0, we have a series of three videos (available in VHS and DVD) to help you learn about ResourceMate®. Each video can be purchased individually or in packages of any two videos or all three videos. The videos in the 3.0 Training Series are:

• Level 1 Fundamentals - a general view of the basic features of ResourceMate® and how to use it in your library.
• Level 2 Advanced/Plus - shows you how to use more advanced features of ResourceMate® as well as all the features of ResourceMate® Plus.
• Level 3 The Power Grid - demonstrates the incredibly useful and flexible grid that is one of the main features of ResourceMate® 3.0.

Visit our Training Video page for more details!

Year-end Inventory Time Coming Up - book your scanner early

ResourceMate® Plus users: if you are going to be doing year-end inventory and will be requiring the use of one of our portable bar code scanners, please remember to book early. We have several units for rent, but they get booked up fairly quickly. Click here to read more.

IN CLOSING...

We hope this issue of ResourceMate® News has been helpful and enjoyable. Let us know any topics you would like to see in future issues. As always, if you've got a great ResourceMate® tip, send it along! It could help others.

- ResourceMate® Customer Support and Sales & Marketing

TO UNSUBSCRIBE...

This mailing has been sent to all registered users of ResourceMate® and to those who may have contacted Jaywil Software with questions about library automation software. If you wish to be excluded from future mailings, please drop us a line at unsubscribe@resourcemate.com or call toll-free at 800-815-8370.

Jaywil Software Development Inc.
P.O. Box 25005
Guelph, ON, N1G 4T4 Canada

North American Sales 1-800-815-8370 Phone 519-837-8370 Fax 519-837-8656 sales@resourcemate.com

Developer of ResourceMate® - The Solution to Cataloging, Searching and Circulating, your Library or Collection - beginning at $195. Now with over 5,500 registered users across North America and around the world. Ask us about putting your library on the Web using ResourceMate® and about safe-guarding your data with our Off-Site Backup service.

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