PrairieCat 101CONNECTING LIBRARIES TO STRENGTHEN COMMUNITIES

Our Mission and Core ValuesMission:

PrairieCat assists members in the successful sharing of resources and services, expanding the quality and quantity of information accessible to our library users.

Values:

Collaboration – We strive to share member resources as effectively and economically as possible.

Diversity – We value and respect the contributions of others who have talents and abilities, constraints and opportunities that are different than our own, and strive to provide equal footing for libraries of all types and sizes.

Responsiveness – We strive to provide excellent services by focusing on the needs and wants of our customers.

Engagement – We value collaborative members with involved, well-trained, competent staff.

Access – We strive for an effective, well-maintained catalog supporting strong member collections.

Innovation – We work to sustain a consortium that leverages our size to the benefit of the members, and provides the appropriate resources, leadership and services in pursuit of excellent library service.

A Brief History The PrairieCat consortium was legally formed in 2006.

The early membership was comprised of former members of HAL, NIC, NILSCatT and Quad-LINC, four consortia in the Prairie Area Library System. The predecessor consortia have early automation history dating back to the mid and late 1970s.

Originally, two membership levels were available: Fully Participating or Union List.

PrairieCat went live in April 2007 on a SirsiDynix integrated library system.

The PrairieCat consortium became an Illinois Intergovernmental Instrumentality in December 2010, a separate legal entity from the library system, to protect assets and ensure sustainability.

A Brief History (cont’d) PrairieCat signed a five year contract with Innovative Interfaces in March

2012 for a new integrated library system. The PrairieCat membership went live on the Innovative Sierra and Encore products on July 5, 2012.

A new Basic Online level of circulating membership was added in April 2013. Membership level eligibility requirements based on budget for public libraries, and student enrollment for school libraries, were also added.

RAILS (library system) began offering grants to libraries to join or upgrade their LLSAP membership in September 2014. Twenty-seven libraries have joined or upgraded their membership since 2013.

PrairieCat celebrated ten years as a consortium in 2016.

In 2017, PrairieCat signed a five year contract extension with Innovative through June 2022.

What Is the Difference Between PrairieCat and RAILS?

PrairieCat is a consortium of 125+ libraries that share an integrated library system (ILS).

The PrairieCat member libraries each have an intergovernmental agreement (legal contract) with the other PrairieCat members to share services and the ILS.

PrairieCat libraries pay PrairieCat membership fees which cover about 70% of the costs of operating the ILS.

PrairieCat has a contract with RAILS to provide support and services to the 127 member libraries. RAILS uses a grant from the Illinois State Library to cover the costs in its budget for supporting PrairieCat.

RAILS membership is required to be a PrairieCatmember.

The Reaching Across Illinois Library System (RAILS) is one of three state-funded regional library agencies in Illinois (the other two are Illinois Heartland Library System and the Chicago Public Library).

RAILS is primarily funded by a grant from the Illinois State Library, an office of Secretary of State and State Librarian, Jesse White.

RAILS has approximately 1,300 members, representing more than 4,200 individual library facilities, and has other shared consortia like PrairieCat.

RAILS not only supports resource-sharing and shared catalogs like PrairieCat, but also provides delivery, consulting, continuing education, grants and group purchasing and vendor discounts.

There are no membership fees to belong to RAILS, but all RAILS members must re-certify their membership each year via the Illinois State Library website.

Library Learning (L2) Library Learning is the Illinois statewide registration system for library meetings and

continuous learning events, which includes both PrairieCat and RAILS opportunities.

Visit http://www.librarylearning.info to sign up for a free account. Be sure to affiliate your account with your library to be able to access information restricted to PrairieCat member libraries on the PrairieCat website.

Your L2 login is powerful! It allows you to login to many resources, including the PrairieCatand RAILS websites, and the PrairieCat Help Desk.

Choose PrairieCat under Event Sponsors to limit L2 to just PrairieCat events:

PrairieCat / Library LingoLLSAP – local library system automation program – an Illinois term for a consortium that is partially supported by an Illinois library system (e.g., RAILS).

ILS – integrated library system – also known as a library management system (LMS) – a unified computer system for a library or group of libraries, used to track items owned, orders made, bills paid and patrons who have borrowed. An ILS usually comprises a relational database, software to interact with that database, and two graphical users interfaces – one for patrons, one for staff. Separate software functions within the ILS can be called modules.

Innovative – the vendor that supplies the software for PrairieCat’sintegrated library system, based in Emeryville, CA.

PrairieCat / Library Lingo (cont’d) Sierra – the name of the staff software that PrairieCat uses.

Encore – the name of the public catalog software that PrairieCat uses.

Novelist Select – reader’s advisory information available in Encore that provides series information, similar authors and titles, reviews and more.

TNS – stands for Telephone Notification System. PrairieCat uses TNS to make automated calls to patrons for holds pickup and overdues.

TRS – stands for Telephone Renewal System. Patrons can call in to renew materials via TRS at 888-542-7259.

eCommerce – the ability for patrons to pay fines and fees via My Account in Encore. Member libraries are reimbursed quarterly for eCommerce payments.

GoToTraining – the web meeting software tool that PrairieCat and RAILS use for remote access to meetings and training classes. Information on connecting to the GoTo event are found in the L2 listing for the event.

Zimbra – the email server software that PrairieCat uses to distribute member notices and reports.

PrairieCat Membership, September 2017

127 member libraries

72 Fully Participating

18 Basic Online

37 Union List

1 academic library

93 public libraries

31 school districts

2 corporate, medical or other special libraries

Find a list of PrairieCat member libraries on the support website: https://support.prairiecat.info/members/list

Membership Levels Fully Participating members may use all member functionality

within the PrairieCat software. Fully Participating members are voting members and may hold any office.

Basic Online members may use all basic circulating, cataloging and online catalog functionality within the PrairieCat software, but not all the modules available to Fully Participating members. Basic Online members are voting members and may hold any office.

Union Listing members contribute their holdings to the database for resource sharing activities only and have limited use of member functionality within the PrairieCat software. The UL members select four members to be the group’s representatives at governance meetings. Each of the four representatives have voting privileges at Delegates Assembly meetings, and may hold an At Large seat on the Administrative Council.

Sharing Resources Across 14,000 Square Miles

PrairieCat libraries are indicated in blue. This map is updated annually and provides information on the shared catalogs and standalone libraries within RAILS.

PrairieCat Fast FactsDatabase facts (July 1, 2017):1,058,857 bibliographic records

4,487,176 items

372,793 patrons

Resource Sharing Facts (FY2017)5,273,845 items circulated

628,963 interlibrary holds filled

776,272 reciprocal borrowing transactions between PrairieCat libraries

Training and Support Facts (FY2017)110 training events

105 member site visits

2,025 Help Desk tickets closed

PrairieCat GovernanceAdministrative Council – an eleven member board elected by the Delegates Assembly. The Council sets policy, receives and approves recommendations from standing groups, oversees fiscal operations, and makes recommendations to the Delegates Assembly for purchases over $20,000 outside the approved budget. The Council meets monthly.

Delegates Assembly – consists of a representative or their official alternate from each Fully Participating and Basic Online member, as well as four voting Union List representatives. The Delegates Assembly provides input to help shape Administrative Council decisions, and approves the budget, new members, the strategic plan, and major purchases outside the budget. Delegates vote for open seats on the Administrative Council. The Delegates Assembly meets quarterly, and participation is required of Fully Participating and Basic Online members.

PrairieCat CommitteesAdministrative Council Committees:

Finance Committee

Resource Sharing Committee

Sustainability Committee

Standing Committees:

Circulation Committee

Computer Keepers

Technical Services Committee

Training & Enhancements Committee

User Experience Committee

PrairieCat Committees (cont’d)All governance and committee meetings are open meetings and anyone interested is welcome

to attend.

Agendas, minutes and meeting briefs are posted on the PrairieCat support website under Meeting Documents. Login with your Library Learning (L2) login to access all materials.

Each committee has an email listserv. Additional agenda items or concerns can be sent to any committee member or to PrairieCat staff.

Find out more about each committee on the website under: https://support.prairiecat.info/gov/groups

PrairieCat Member UpdatesPrairieCat staff will host updates at member libraries in seven geographic based zones, twice a year, to share new information, provide demos, and provide a networking opportunity for members. Member library staff are welcome to attend wherever it is convenient.

The Fall 2017 PrairieCatMember Updates will be held the week of November 6. Register now in L2!

PrairieCat TrainingPrairieCat staff offer regular ongoing training, free of charge, for

PrairieCat members.

Many basic classes are offered via GoToTraining, web meeting software. Other more technical classes are offered on demand and in-person only.

The Sierra Essentials class is a prerequisite for all other Sierra classes.

Visit https://support.prairiecat.info/services/training for a list of all training classes and a link to a class overview document.

Visit https://support.prairiecat.info/forms/demand-training to request an On Demand training class.

All PrairieCat training events are listed in L2. Register in L2, or follow the link in L2 to register in GoToTraining. Upcoming events are also listed on the PrairieCat support website homepage.

Training, Policy & Procedural Resources

The PrairieCat Training Committee works hard to maintain training tools for member staff and end users. Find extensive code lists, training documents, technical bulletins, patron brochures, policy and procedural documents and more at https://support.prairiecat.info/documentation. Use the documentation filter in the upper left to refine the list to materials specific to your functional area (e.g., circulation or cataloging) or type of material.

The resources list indicates when a document was last updated.

Training, Policy & Procedural Resources (cont’d)

PrairieCat has three primary policy documents all available on the website:General Policy Manual (administrative policies)

https://support.prairiecat.info/sites/default/files/gov/Approved%20General_Policy_Manual%2020170203_0.pdf

Circulation Policy and Procedures Manual

https://support.prairiecat.info/system/files/Members%20Only/Circulation/PC%20Circulation%20Policy%20and%20Procedures%20Manual%20Approved%20Copy%20201708.pdf

Technical Services Policy and Procedures Manual

https://support.prairiecat.info/system/files/Members%20Only/Cataloging/PC%20TechServPolicy-ProceduresManual%20TSUG11122015.pdf

All member staff should familiarize themselves with these documents to follow approved PrairieCat policies and procedures.

Cataloging ServicesPrairieCat staff load new bibliographic records from OCLC within 48 hours of

member request, unless the file is submitted on the day before a holiday or submitted over the weekend. See Technical Bulletin #33 on the support website under Resources, Technical Bulletins, for procedures for submitting requests.

Each PrairieCat member receives an allotment of free original catalogings per fiscal year, to be able to add unique resources to the database where a record doesn’t currently exist in PrairieCat or OCLC. Visit https://support.prairiecat.info/services/cataloging to find your library’s allotment and for more information on how to submit items for original cataloging.

The PrairieCat Cataloging Services team and certified member catalogers regularly perform database cleanup including record merges and clean-up, adding content to bibliographic records, multi-volume clean-up and more. Visit the Forms section of the support website to find the forms to report duplicate records or needed bibliographic record clean-up. Please report issues you see, so we can keep our database as clean as possible!

Cataloging Services (cont’d)Barcode certification: PrairieCat requires any staff that add items to the

database to pass a certification test to demonstrate they can select the matching record and enter an item record correctly. This helps protect the accuracy of the PrairieCat database. New staff should complete basic Sierra and item entry training first, and then will be given a probationary login to allow them to add items to PrairieCat. The probationary login is valid for six months, giving new staff ample opportunity to build their item entry skills, then take and pass the barcode certification test which is offered monthly. More information about the barcode certification test is available at: https://support.prairiecat.info/services/barcode-testing

MARC and MARC-Lite Catalogers: PrairieCat also certifies member catalogers with more advanced cataloging skills to allow them to load bibliographic records on their own, and to assist with regular database clean-up. Visit https://support.prairiecat.info/services/marc for more information on getting started with advanced certification.

Circulation ServicesPlease open a Help Desk ticket if you need changes made to the circulation configuration in Sierra for your library. Examples of changes PrairieCat staff make regularly are:

Loan rules and fine rate changes.

Adjusting limits by format.

Customizing date due slips, receipts or hold pickup wrappers.

Adding self-checkout workstations.

Adding days closed for holidays or special closings.

Special projects such as remodeling or moving to a new building.

Circulation ServicesPrairieCat members have agreed to uniform circulation policies in a few areas. You can find the policies on the support website under Resources, Policy & Procedure:

https://support.prairiecat.info/system/files/Members%20Only/Circulation/Approved%20Uniform%20Circ%20Rules_0.pdf

PrairieCat also has standardized wording and frequency of patron notices. You can also find the notice policy document on the support website under Resources, Policy & Procedure:

https://support.prairiecat.info/system/files/Members%20Only/Circulation/Notice%20Frequency%20and%20Wording%20Policy_0.pdf

System ServicesPrairieCat staff produce basic monthly statistical reports and post them on

the support website under Statistics and Reports. A number of other reports are also posted for eCommerce transactions, items that have been too long in a certain status, new item conversions, withdrawn items and more.

Members can also run their own reports using Decision Center or Create List.

PrairieCat staff are also happy to run custom reports when requested, or to do bulk updates on a group of records such as a group of item or patron records. Please submit a Help Desk ticket if you have a report need or assistance with updating records.

If you are having any issues connecting to PrairieCat services, please contact us at helpmenow@prairiecat.info or 877-542-7257.

PrairieCat Contract StaffCall us at: 877-542-7257

Carolyn Coulter, Director, ext. 4176

Magda Bonny, Cataloging and Database Supervisor, ext. 4193

Mary Louise Brown, Cataloging and Database Coordinator, ext. 4319

Andrew Hettinger, System Supervisor, ext. 4197

Judy Hutchinson, Member Services Supervisor, ext. 4314

Jason Jensen, System Coordinator, ext. 4290

Kacy Kelly, Senior System Specialist, ext. 4318

Gail Lien, Member Services Coordinator, ext. 4001

John Slanicky, Member Services Coordinator, ext. 4195

Elizabeth Smith, Administrative Assistant, ext. 4236

Jeff Sullivan, System Coordinator, ext. 4307

Sandy Tedder, Cataloging and Database Coordinator, ext. 4198

Ed Zanelli, Senior Cataloging and Database Specialist, ext. 4194

or visit https://support.prairiecat.info/support/contacts for more contact information.

Need Help – Please Ask!!PrairieCat support by phone:

877-542-7257 and select 7◦ 8:30 am – 9:00 pm, Monday through Friday

◦ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm, Saturday

◦ 12:00 am – 5:00 pm, Sunday

Saturday and Sunday coverage is On Call only and may be somewhat slower than weekday coverage.

PrairieCat Help Desk:

http://helpdesk.prairiecat.info and login with your L2 login, or send an email to helpmenow@prairiecat.info to open a Help Desk ticket

Or, email or phone a PrairieCat staff member:

https://support.prairiecat.info/support/contacts

Stay Engaged and Informed!

Serve on a committee.

Follow governance and other meetings. Read meeting briefs and ask questions if something is unclear.

Login to the PrairieCat support site (http://support.prairiecat.info) regularly using your L2 login.

Subscribe to PrairieCat PING!, the monthly newsletter (http://eepurl.com/bW-ILD).

Subscribe to PrairieCat listservs at http://support.Prairiecat.info/members/email-lists.

Follow PrairieCat on Facebook and Twitter:

Facebook @PrairieCatLibraries

Twitter @PRCatLib

Important WebsitesPrairieCat specific:

Basic Encore Public Catalog:

http://search.prairiecat.info

Encore Splash Page Homepage:

http://www.prairiecat.info

Member Staff Support Website:

http://support.prairiecat.info

PrairieCat Help Desk:

http://helpdesk.prairiecat.info

Zimbra Mail Server (notices and reports)

http://webmail.prairiecat.info

Other:

RAILS Delivery Help Desk:

http://delivery.railslibraries.info/otrs/customer.pl

Upcoming RAILS Continuing Education events:

https://www.railslibraries.info/events/ce

Library Learning (L2):

http://www.librarylearning.info

RAILS:

http://www.railslibraries.info

Illinois State Library:

http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/library/home.html

Still have questions? Please contact any PrairieCat staff member and if we don’t have the answer, we’ll try to direct you where to find it! Or, email questions@prairiecat.info.

We also regularly make site visits to member libraries to welcome new directors, answer questions, provide more in-depth orientation, and more. Contact any PrairieCat staff member, or membership@prairiecat.info to schedule a site visit.