OPAL Updates and Tips

OPAL Update April 30, 2021

Knowledge Justice: Disrupting Library and Information Studies through Critical Race Theory

Knowledge Justice is "the first book-length text that utilizes Critical Race Theory (CRT) in Library and Information Studies (LIS).  With contributions from 29 Black, Indigenous, and Peoples of Color scholars, educators and practitioners, the foundational principles, values, and beliefs of LIS in the U.S. nation-state are challenged, while also imagining possibilities for justice to be actualized in the now and beyond." [We Here_TM]. 

You can read Knowledge Justice via OA on MIT Press Direct.  

Notifying Patrons of Hold Cancellations

Hold pickup and cancellation notices are sent out automatically and you no longer need to manually print those. However, if prompted, with "Print hold cancel notice," it is necessary to select "yes" for the patron email notification to to be generated. That means selecting “yes” will write the cancellation notice to the queue of cancellations to go out the next time the auto-notices are run every two hours between 6:00 am and 10:00 p.m. Additional details are in the latest OPAL Tips blog post.

Sending Out Reminders for Checked-out Items

With all of the extensions and renewals granted for checked-out items during the Covid year, many of us are in the position of having to track down and send reminders for items that have been out for a long time. If you would like a list of all items your patrons have checked out for emailing, you might want to consider using the Sierra notices function and the Statement of Checked-out Items, rather than generating a list for export from the create lists function. Instead of sending the notices directly to patrons using the generic notice text, you can email the notice information to yourself and cut and paste checkout details into your own email messages. Detailed instructions with screenshots are in the circulation manual.

Hiram College Catalog Integration is Underway

Work on the integration project to add Hiram College to the shared OPAL catalog has begun. You will see new location codes appearing in Sierra as we work through the various steps in the process. We anticipate OhioLINK/SearchOhio lending for Hiram College items will be disabled on April 30 (today), and requesting for Hiram College patrons via the Hiram Sierra server will cease on June 25, 2021. The target OPAL go-live date for Hiram is around August 10. If everything goes according to plan, all exit work is scheduled to be completed by the end of August 2021.

Copyright in Action: Getting Permissions

Thursday, 6/10 from 2:30-4 p.m.

Sometimes it might be necessary to contact the copyright holder and seek written permission. Think it’s impossible? It doesn’t have to be. Presenter Carla Myers, Miami University Libraries, will walk you through the recommended steps you should take to pave the way for a “Yes!” to your request.  

More information and to register for the session

EBSCO eBook Upgrade Will Impact Some Workflows

During the week of May 5-12, 2021, EBSCO will be upgrading key pieces of their eBooks and Audiobooks systems, which are integral to ordering, fulfillment, DDA triggering, and user access.

During this timeframe, users will be able to read some eBooks online and download chapters, read previously downloaded eBooks and audiobooks, and customers will be able to place orders through GOBI, OASIS, Rialto, and Mackin. However, some workflows such as fulfillment DDA additions/removals and access to eBooks through the EDS, will be impacted. It's recommended that time-sensitive orders be placed in advance of the upgrade. Full details about the impact of the upgrade and how it will affect various EBSCO products and platforms, are on EBSCOConnect.

Is Your Hours Open/Days Closed Information Current?

As you transition from spring semester to summer hours, don't forget to send support@ohionet.org your updated hours open & days closed information. This ensures your circulation tables are current and the due dates generated reflect your actual library hours.  Instructions and a spreadsheet for filling in the hours can be found on the OPAL support webpage.

Save the Date - Upcoming Events around Ohio

• Register now for OpenCon Cleveland 2021, a virtual event celebrating open education, May 13-14, 2021.
• Workshop: An Antiracist Framework for Scholarly Communications, June 3, 2021, 12 pm EST Online - presented by ALAO's Scholarly Communications and STEM Interest Groups and MiALA
• The Ohio Valley Group of Technical Services Librarians (OVGTSL) conference will be held online, June 3-4, 2021.
• The Ohio LSTA Special Collections Conservation Class, virtual, self-directed program will take place between June 2-23, 2021. Registration opens the first week of May 2021 on the State Library's training calendar.
• Registration is open for the Great Lakes Science Boot Camp. This immersive conference for librarians will be held online, July 16-20. 

And of course, don't forget about the OPAL Conference August 6, 2021.

OPAL Member News

Welcome your new OPAL colleague!

Jaclyn Meyer
Access Services Assistant
Baldwin Wallace

Announcements

Antioch College is seeking applications for the position of director of the Olive Kettering Library to begin July 1, 2021. Details and the full posting are at: https://antiochcollege.edu/job/director-of-the-olive-kettering-library/