What to do if TLC or Internet Fails

1. NOTIFICATIONS

a. COUNTY: the Circulation Supervisor, Director, and Assistant Director should be priority notifications. Internal memos/word of mouth should alert the rest of the staff.

b. BRANCHES: Calls should be made to each of the branches open for services at the time of the outage. The Circulation Supervisor will be responsible for the calls; followed by the Technology Services Coordinator should they not be available.

2. PUBLIC RELATIONS

In the event of software or equipment failure, it is important to maintain an attitude of calm competence when interacting with patrons in person or via telephone. Please be mindful of this and consider these phrases when serving patrons:

a. “We are having some network difficulties right now. I appreciate your patience.”

b. “I’m unable to do that for you right now because we are experiencing some technical difficulties. We are working to fix it. I’ll be happy to take care of it as soon as I am able.”

c. “I’m sorry that service is not available. We are working to fix it. I will notify you as soon as it is repaired.”

d. On the telephone:

  • Renewals: “I’m sorry but I can’t do that for you at this time, our system is experiencing some technical difficulties. I will take your information and renew your books as soon as I’m able. Please feel free to call back later if you’d like confirmation.”
  • Catalog inquiries: “I am sorry but our system is experiencing technical difficulties. I would be happy to perform a search for you as soon as I am able. I can take your information and call you back, or you are welcome to call back at a later time.”

3. PROCEDURE FOR CIRCULATION SOFTWARE OUTAGE

A. IF THE INTERNET IS STILL UP:

Access the web-based version of TLC: http://ls2staff.countylib.org

  • Username: Circ
  • Password: Monsoon
  • Override Password: Stoney (for renewing with fines, renewing more than twice, etc.)

WEB-BASED CIRCULATION TIPS (See screenshots below):

  • Messages that you are used to seeing “pop up” on check-outs/check-ins are not as noticeable. There is a triangle on the item’s line that indicates “action,” instead. You can click on this to find out what you need to do about that item (place in transit, print hold slip, etc.)
  • If you have further questions about how to use the software, you may click on “help” in the upper right hand corner or visit http://ls2staffhelp.tlcdelivers.com/1_7_0/en/LS2Staff.htm

PACS:

  • The public access catalog (PAC) computers may not display the catalog if the circulation software is down. It should be possible to pull up the CLASSIC VERSION of the catalog located at http://classic.countylib.org/ HOWEVER, it will have to be refreshed after searches are made to keep the PAC from defaulting to the current version.

B. IF THE INTERNET IS DOWN:

Workstation computers at the circulation desks are equipped with an offline circulation utility. Every effort will be made to have a shortcut on your desktop to this utility, but if you must pull it up without the shortcut, follow these steps:

  • Open Windows start menu
  • Search “all programs” for a folder labeled “Library.Solution”
  • Open folder and search for sub-folder “Circulation Utilities”
  • Locate “L.S. Offline Circulation.”
  • Click to open utility.

This is what will appear onscreen when you open the utility. This software stores simple circulation transactions (check-ins, check-outs) and saves them until they can be uploaded to the system when it is restored.


OFFLINE CIRCULATION UTILITY PROCEDURES

1. In the “BRANCH #” field, please enter the number that corresponds to your branch. The numbers are as follows:

  • County Library: 1
  • Basye: 2
  • Fort Valley: 3
  • Mount Jackson: 4
  • New Market: 5
  • Strasburg: 6

2. In the “Station Prefix” field, you will place the code for the computer at which you are working on the circulation desk. For branches with only one circulation computer station, this will be “ST1.” If you are working at a branch that has more than one computer station, please consult the label on your computer to determine if it is ST1 or ST2.

3. In the “USER” field, type “CIRC.”

4. To proceed, select the transaction type from the list in the middle field of the window (Check Out or Check In, In House Use is not relevant).

5. To CHECK OUT:

  • After selecting the checkout feature, you will move to the field labeled “For Checkout Transactions” and check the box adjacent to “Promised Due Date.”
  • Enter the due date for that day in the field.
  • Place your cursor in the “Borrower ID” field, and scan the patron’s card.
  • Place your cursor in the “Item ID” field, and scan the library materials. You will see each item ID show up in the list in the bottom field of the window. (SCREENSHOT BELOW)
  • NOTE: You do NOT need to select a “Promised Due Date” unless there is a specific reason to modify the standard two –week checkout for that item.

6. To CHECK IN:

  • Simply select the “Check In” feature, place your cursor in the ITEM ID field, and scan items. You will see them show up in the list in the bottom field of the window.

7. UPLOAD PROCEDURE FOR OFFLINE CIRC UTILITY(to be performed when internet becomes available again)

  • At the top of the Server Down Circulation window, click on “UTILITIES” (see step #1 in screenshot below).
  • Select “SYNC TRANSACTIONS” from the dropdown menu.
  • A small window will pop up labeled “Database Login.” Enter USERNAME: circ and PASSWORD: monsoon (Step #2 in screenshot below)
  • Click “LOGIN” button at bottom of window.
  • A window will appear (final screenshot) that says “Synchronization Complete.” Transactions that you performed in the Server Down Circulation utility should now be synced, and patron and item records updated to reflect new checkouts and check-ins.