The Gordian Knot

Session title: “A New Server CPU for you?”

Presenters: Wes Osborn, Central Library Consortium

Originally presented: Wednesday 4 October 2006

Session description from the CODI 2006 conference program: “Looking to buy a new server? Learn the differences between three popular processor manufacturers: Intel, AMD, and Sun. Discover how MultiCore, HyperTransport, Front Side Bus speed, Performance per Watt and many other industry terms affect real world performance.”

Slides to accompany this presentation: PDF format

Additional accompanying materials and links: http://del.icio.us/wesochuck/codi06cpu

Update 2006-11-20 1848 UTC: This file has been taken down temporarily to correct a problem with the mp3 encoding that affected some players. We hope to have it posted again as soon as possible.

Update 2006-11-21 1157 UTC: Okay, let’s try this again.  I’m posting the repaired mp3 — please let me know if you find any problems with it.

 Wes Osborn - A New Server CPU for you?: Play Now | Play in Popup

Session title: “Getting Your Acq Together”

Presenters:

• Colleen Medling, Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System,
• Trish Pelletier, Apache Junction Public Library, and
• Jonathan Helmke, University of Dubuque

Originally presented: Friday 6 October 2006

Session description from the CODI 2006 conference program: “Delving into Horizon Acquisitions can be a challenge. Learn some great tips from these panelists on how to VIP your vendors and create magical HIP lists with ACQ records.”

Slides to accompany this presentation (these links may require CODI password):

• Helmke: DOC, PDF, PPT
• Medling: PDF, PPT
• Pelletier: PDF, PPT

 CODI panel - Getting Your Acq Together: Play Now | Play in Popup

Session title: “Java Without Java”

Presenter: Casey Durfee, Seattle Public Library

Originally presented: Wednesday 4 October 2006
Session description from the CODI 2006 conference program: “Horizon 8.0 provides Java-based APIs which give customers the power to adapt Horizon to their needs. If you know Java programming, this is exciting, but Java can be difficult to learn and tedious to program. Learn to use simple scripting languages like JRuby and Jython to extend HIP, Horizon and other Java-based software without having to know Java.”

Slides to accompany this presentation (these links may require CODI password): PDF format and PPT format

 Casey Durfee - Java Without Java: Play Now | Play in Popup

Finally, at long last, the first episode of our “Podcast” of sessions recorded at the 2006 CODI Conference that took place in Salt Lake City last month. More episodes will be coming soon!

To subscribe to our Podcast, add the following feed address to your podcatcher or podcast-compatible RSS reader:

http://www.gordian-knot.org/index.php/category/podcast/feed/

Our first episode was recorded at the “First-Timers’ Breakfast” on Wednesday 4 October 2006.

 First-Timers' Breakfast: Play Now | Play in Popup

At the risk of jeopardizing my relationship with some of the people who have bailed out my migration considerably in the last two to three weeks, I attended the “Time to Migrate” session in hopes of hearing a little good news. Sadly, the process for 8x libraries is still largely stuck in a 7x format, with no real evidence of any learning curve or modification of the migration project management structure for 8x issues, setup, or complexities.

The Project Managers are that: detail oriented people with project management skills who are not responsible for the state of the project, the code, the flaws, the delays. They are human beings doing their best to be messengers delivering, frequently, bad news.

I would encourage those who are in migration states at the moment to really press those project managers for a clearer understanding of the 8x process, which is just simply NOT 7x, only a little more complicated. The session was useful to understand how much more needs to be done before more libraries make the plunge off the deep end to 8x. If indeed “This is your system, your path to success”, as Judith Tigner said, it would be great if it felt a little better at the library end doing it. “The key is communication between the project team and the library”, as B rian Hutchins has said, is absolutely true, no argument from me about this. The missing piece appears to be the communication in the company to the migration teams as to what is possible and what is not. Even after working with 8+ betas and a few others now gearing up, the process for the 8x sites still seems very vague and trying to use a 7x model of “upgrade”. If 120 days is the typical timeline for an 8x site, I want to shake the hands of the first 8x site that achieves this.

Those currently in a migration state should demand significantly more accountability, including the ability to log their issues in logx and keep track of them in a mutually dynamic setting to see what both sides are achieving in a step-by-step process. We may drown in setup, but we do not want to drown in emails, notes, and spreadsheets.

Sites currently in stages of training and migration and setup should definitely download the “In Deck Sing” session handouts from Shelley Neville, the closest thing to documentation I have seen yet for understanding the complexity of indexing, filtering, and limiting. On initial blush, despite her expertise, I can see myself taking the whole six months of migration just fiddling with the marc mapping and indexing in order to get myself anywhere near her expertise and understanding. Some good things and bad things: no marc bib public view is ready for 8x yet (”Coming!”) ; Analytics (787 tag) have been demonstrated, so all is not lost in that category; and digital images (followed by enriched content — Coming!) are now pulling into the staff cat display for verification, and, well, color. Format icons can now be displayed in staff pac, and a fairly comprehensive tri-panel approach with fairly robust mouseover hovers is also coming for more complete title/summary/holdings displays. Synonyms and acronyms have been restored, and spell check, thesaurus, and phrase searches are in the plan but (coming!). Just watch out for those normalizers and processors! Rumor has it that some real, paper documentation on indexes is also in the works.

Great quotes from the session:

“This is being fixed… because it’s not very helpful.”
“The right click will become your friend.”
“For a lot of people it is fraught with peril [editing the query string in default limits]… including me…”
“We are reminded daily we need more documentation.” (all Shelley Neville)

and

“You have made many people happy… so long as we can wait two years…” — Kathy Crouse

OZDUG had reason to shine proud at yesterday’s CODI business meeting. The CODI Star Awards are presented annually to CODI members who have made outstanding contributions to the organization and to its members. Both of the CODI Star Awards for 2006 were awarded to some very remarkable and deserving individuals, who both happen to be OZDUGgers.

The first CODI Star went to Susan Johns-Smith of Pittsburg State University. Susan has been a longtime and active CODI member and former president, a dedicated participant in committee and the board, and tireless recruiter. Susan reminded all of us present that although we may be concerned about upcoming migrations and upgrades to Horizon 8.x, the real key to making those efforts successful is for all of us as customers to stick together and support each other.

The second CODI Star went to Jim Taylor of JTData. Jim has embodied that spirit of customers supporting each other, not only in his frequent expert guidance on the CODI email lists, but most of all in the series of excellent and free utility programs he has written for Dynix customers, including JTAcq, JTAutoEntry, JTRSS, JTURL, and many more.

Congratulations to both Susan and Jim, for these very well-deserved awards.

Good news for serials catalogers — an excellent session on Serials and Consortia Functionality held Wedneday afternoon by Matt Hensler, SirsiDynix — gives much needed hope and functionality to all serials folks, but especially to the large consortias. The issue of what to do to get pre-existing Horizon and Classic publication patterns OVER to 8.x is still murky…. but it is consoling andabsolutly exciting to see the state of the Serials module. We can rest assured that Matt Hensler is a lot younger than almost all of us, has more energy, and has a wonderful knowledge and understanding of both the module and our needs. Thank you, Matt, for a bright spot in the conference.

The missing face this year at CODI is Steve Nielsen, who has for many, many years been the heart and soul of the 8.x product. Many others will carry on in his spirit, but Steve, we miss ya. Best wishes from all of us in CODI and know that your expertise, passion, and great humor in times of uncertainty will be missed.

Based on a day of presentations, covering recalls, requests, and reservations, then finally academic faculty reserves, Ed Riding was in great form today as a presenter. Celebrating his 20th year with the company, he continues to advocate on behalf of the librarian-customer for software development and product development to meet our needs.

The absolutely good news for 8.x and faculty reserve is that the structure has gone from a bib-based reserve to an item-based reserve, mirroring what Classic sites have known for many years. Coupled with some functionality that I remember asking for in Release 140 from Randy Boecker and Brent Jensen, that is, use the patron database to populate your faculty address and phone information in reserve, which seems like a small and trivial thing, but is great to see that after 15 years of waiting for it. The hope, ever such a flicker, like a small candle in a very stiff breeze, that because reserve with 8.x is item-based, that maybe, maybe, maybe reserve migration of data from classic to 8x might be possible without taking everything off reserve and having to put it back on, well, we just hope Ed works the magic that he has over the years and pulls yet another rabbit out of the hat.

Congratulations to Ed on his 20th year anniversary. Thank you, from your loyal customers. Next to all the serials librarians, please know, Ed, that your reserve bookroom librarians are your biggest fan club.