This week we wanted to give you the opportunity to learn more about the woman who's usually the first voice you hear when you call our office, knows how to use the copier better than anyone else on staff, and can program the heck out of a barcode scanner. Hopefully, you know who I'm about by now...yup it's Tracey Fye!

Basic Stats:

Name of Staff Member: Tracey Fye

Year Hired: 2002

Current Job Title: Administrative Assistant

Getting to Know You Q&A:

Q: What is your favorite part of your job?

A: Talking to customers when they call and hearing about their families, etc.

Q: What did you do before working for Keystone?

A: I did title work at an Infiniti car dealership.

Q: What are your hobbies outside of work?

A: Scrapbooking, taking my dog for walks, and playing with my granddaughter.

Q: If you could go anywhere on vacation, where would you go?

A: Hawaii

Q: Do you have any pets? If so, what kind and what are their names?

A: I have a black lab mix named Deuce. He is 100 pounds and thinks he’s a lap dog. He’s about 11 years old. We just got a kitten named Cleopatra (Cleo). She is only 3 pounds and almost three months old. Her and Deuce have become best friends – they will curl up together and sleep. I also have a goldfish named Peaches. She has managed to kill her tank mates and prefers to be an only fish.

Deuce is wearing a purple harness and laying on the floor.

Cleo is asleep on the couch beside a throw pillow.

Have you been keeping up with the 7.7 Release Lists?

Our release schedule for v7.7 uses the Agile methodology to push out smaller but much more frequent releases. And of course, big changes (like some of the back-end improvements to v7.7, the transition to Duplication Service, and the implementation of e-commerce) always result in unforeseen ripple effects, usually in the form of lots of bugs to fix and additional improvements that are needed.

All of this is to say that v7.7 has already seen a ton of updates in its first 6 months.

If you have a lot of catching up to do, no problem! Here are some tips:

Download the Combined Release Lists, rather than one for each build.

In addition to posting a Release List for each individual release (called a “build”), I also post combined Release Lists. If you’re new to 7.7 or haven’t been reading Release Lists, you can get all of the bug fixes, improvements, and new features from builds 0 through 10 in a single download. The second download will be 11 through 20, and so forth.

Browse Highlights

I spotlight the most requested or highest-impact changes from each release. These highlights are listed at the top of the individual release list and the combined release list, and they’re a great way to get caught up on the big stuff.

Search for Keywords

Each issue has keywords for the “components” (essentially the module or section of KLAS impacted) and labels. If you want to browse through a certain set of relevant issues, you can use Ctrl + F to enter any of these keywords. Useful ones include Duplication (if have or are getting a Scribe or Gutenberg), MatRequest (for IRCs), or Patron Services (for Reader Advisors).

Recent Highlights

Finally, here are a few highlights from recent releases to whet your appetite...

For LBPH:

Batch Update Patron Medium

New Function on the Tools menu – Allows admin user to specify a set of values to apply to a given PatronMedium/Profile record for all patrons in the active query set. Ex. define a patron query and apply a new NSCutoff or NextServiceDate to the entire set, or create Service Queues to switch the entire set to Duplication service. Issue #KLAS-2025

Create Duplication Order from the Service Queue

Added an item on the Functions – Service Queue Menu that allows the user to create a Duplication Order from the top X titles on the patron's service queue. X defaults to the max titles on cartridge, but can be adjusted by the user if it makes sense to put a different number of titles on the cartridge (ex. the patron usually takes 5 titles on a cartridge but is requesting a 7-book series). Issue #KLAS-2043

For IRC* and Others:

*Version 7.7 is not yet available for most IRC/IMC customers, as we are finishing up the conversion needed for WebOrder to function with KLAS v7.7. However, we plan to get you on board starting very soon!

Patron Status Update - Validation to look for Pending MatRequests

Validation has been added to prevent a Patron Status change if that Patron has a Mat Request in a status of "Pending". Issue #KLAS-2000

Add Access to the Print Invoice function from the Materials Request

Added direct access to the Print Invoice function from the new invoice tab in MatRequests instead of requiring invoices to be printed from the Acquisitions module. Issue #KLAS-2004

Our developers have been very busy lately, implementing Gutenberg, ironing out eCommerce, and gearing up to start converting IRC / IMC customers to version 7.7, among other things.

But amidst all of that, we’re still listening for your feedback—and even relying on it more than ever!

So here are a few notes on how you are helping guide us forward.

1. KDAC (KLAS Development Advisory Committee

KDAC has some new members! A big welcome to Sam Lundberg of New Mexico Talking Book Library and Shawn Lemieux of New York State Talking Book & Braille Library, and thank you so much for lending us some of your time!

So, what goes on in a KDAC meeting? We spend a lot of the timesharing what we’ve been working on that month (making your KDAC representatives a great source of “insider information” about what we’ve been up to), as well as our plans and expectations about what’s coming up next. Through all of that, we’re listening to their feedback and taking notes about what they think of new features, what questions they think need to be addressed, and their suggestions on prioritization.

We also frequently have questions for them: should we pursue Option A or Option B to fix a specific issue? How can we make this or that easier? If we did things this way, would that cause any problems for you?

KDAC has been a big help in steering and refining our development, so I’m especially excited to find out what the new voices will bring to the table this year.

(Want to learn more about KDAC, view a list of all current members, or review the new guidelines? It’s all in the KDAC Article.)

2. Webinars & Other Non-Conference Stuff

I’ve been happy to do several Q&A webinars with the Users’ Group, and we’ve had a lot of positive feedback (thank you all so much!)... but I don’t want mine to be the only voice you hear.

Are there topics you want to hear about, or something you’d like to share? Whether it’s a new initiative at your library, your experiences implementing Duplication on Demand, or a discussion focused on a specific area of KLAS (like Serials or Accounts), we want to hear your topic ideas!

If you’d rather collaborate with another user or a Keystone expert, don’t hesitate to suggest it anyway; we’d be happy to help out or help you find someone who can.

A very easy way to weigh in on all this is to fill out the 2019 KLAS Users' Conference Follow-up Survey! Yes, even if you didn’t attend the 2019 conference!

If you’ve completed the survey and think of something new, or something that didn’t fit in the form, you are also very welcome to email us at Keystone or any of your Users’ Group officers, or you can post about it on the Discussion Forums.

However you go about it, thank you for helping guide us and making KLAS and your Users’ Group better and better!

Did you attend last year's KLAS Users' Conference? If so, please help us dream a little about the future while also sharing your experience from the 2019 conference in West Palm Beach.

Have you attended one of the Keystone hosted webinars in the past year but did not attend the conference or want to attend a webinar or suggest / attend other off-conference year content? If so, please take a few minutes to fill out the survey – we have questions for you too and the information you will provide is valuable! What will work for you as a means of connecting in the years without a conference?

We are in the early stages of planning online programming for 2020 and for our 2021 conference and sincerely appreciate your feedback about possible topics for each which…

…you can add to our 2019 KLAS Users’ Conference Follow-up Survey!

Keystone is offering a two-day in-depth training, round-table, and user feedback opportunity for KLAS Instructional Resource Center / Instructional Materials Center Users. An agenda with full details of each day's activities will be available soon.

Note: Keystone reserves the right to cancel or reschedule.

Prerequisites for attendance:

• Attendee must have a KLAS Administrator role in their local system
• Attendee has authority to change records and policies for their KLAS system

KLAS IRC Symposium Dates & Times:

• Tuesday, October 29 - Wednesday, October 30, 2019
• Each day's sessions will run from 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

KLAS IRC Symposium Agenda

IRC Symposium agenda updated as of October 14, 2019. Also, you must be logged-in to klasusers.com to access these documents.

• KLAS v7 IRC Symposium UPDATED Agenda - MS Word
• KLAS v7 IRC Symposium UPDATED Agenda - PDF

Cost:

• $300 for the two-day symposium
• Please make checks payable to Keystone Systems, Inc

Hotels & Airport Transportation Information:

• Travel Information - MS Word
• Travel Information - PDF

Transportation:

Please contact your hotel to arrange shuttle service to and from the airport.
Local transportation to and from the hotel to Keystone's offices will be provided.

Please contact Tracey Fye if you have any difficulty making reservations, or have any questions about accommodations.

Tracey Fye
Keystone Systems, Inc.
Email:
Phone: 1-919-782-1143 or 1-800-222-9711

Registration:

Please use the below Training Registration Form to indicate that you would like to attend.

To reserve your space please register before September 30, 2019.

Staff of Instructional Resource / Materials Centers using KLAS met on Thursday, October 10 at the American Printing House for the Blind's annual meeting in Louisville, Kentucky. Below is the PowerPoint presentation in both PPTX and PDF formats.

• 2019 APH KLAS Users Meeting - PowerPoint
• 2019 APH KLAS Users Meeting - PDF

We also recorded the screen sharing and audio portion of the meeting.

Whether you’re chomping at the bit or dragging your feet, sooner or later Duplication on Demand service will be coming to all NLS network libraries. As we get deeper into implementation processes at more and more libraries, we want to make sure we’re sharing what we learn with the rest of you, to help things go as smoothly as possible.

A big thing that we hope you’re hearing is that the time to work on your cataloging is now.

As you switch your patrons to Duplication service, they will very suddenly have access to your entire catalog of DB titles. That includes:

• Almost a decade of Retrospective titles, which you may not have done any cataloging for since no copies were ordered or expected.
• Anything and everything from Copy Allotment that you requested only 1 copy of, because it wasn’t a subject your patrons had much interest in.
• All of those titles you returned all of your copies of through the XESS process.

This can and will be a huge benefit to your patrons, as they will be able to receive their requests and reserves faster than ever, read series in order, and have access to all the classics and old favorites they may have had trouble getting before.

It can also have its pitfalls, especially if your catalog hasn’t been kept up. But don’t panic! You still have time to fix things.

Take a look at your catalog, and come up with a plan. If you have questions or need help strategizing, we’re here to help!

Some things to check on or try out:

• No Nightly Autoselect

Is this subject set up in your catalog and applied to titles that you don’t want circulating except on request?

• No Local Subjects

Make sure your back catalog can circulate (or be excluded!) appropriately. Run a “PDQ – Missing MARC Tags” to find titles with few or no 690s.

• Missing Exclusion Subjects

The Merge Queries feature in version 7.7 enables you to query for information that isn’t on a record, and this is a good time to use it! Run a query for books with “Strong Language” in the annotation, and select any result to get the search into your “recent queries list. Then, run a query for books with your strong language subject code or codes (likely SL). Use merge queries to subtract the second search from the first, and you’ve got a handy list of books that need their exclusion added! (Then, you can do the same for violence and sexual content.)

• Batch Add/Remove Headings

This version 7.7 feature will help you apply exclusion headings from the Rating Unrated Books project, or add new Local Subjects to appropriate titles quickly and easily.

• Series Info

As you add new books to those long, sprawling series... take that as a reminder to do a book search for the series and see if those older titles are cataloged as part of the series, or if its missing some of its lower numbers. Also take a look at the Link Titles screen: titles listed there will count as HasHads for the listed title.

• High Demand Requests

The “HD Titles – Requests” report can help you find titles with many outstanding requests. The listed titles (especially those with a high requests-to-copies ratio) are likely to see a big spike in circulation; make sure the cataloging is good so they can keep going even to patrons who didn’t think to ask for them.

• Outdated Requests

Do your patrons remember what they requested 3 years ago? 10 years ago? Think about how far back you want to serve request lists, and let us know if you want to clear out some of those ancient requests.

Next week, members of the Keystone Staff will attend the 2019 American Printing House for the Blind Annual Meeting. In support of our Instructional Resource Center / Instructional Materials Center KLAS users, we will host a KLAS Users' Group meeting at 8:00 AM Eastern on Thursday, October 10 in the Hialeah Room of the Hyatt Regency Louisville.

If you are an IRC / IMC KLAS user and plan to attend APH, we hope you will plan to join us for info about recent KLAS updates, an opportunity to meet with Keystone staff and fellow IRC KLAS users, and a chance to provide your feedback and thoughts on possible future development of KLAS. We are also excited to announce that if you are unable to be in Louisville, we are offering the option for you to join us live online via join.me, our online meeting platform.

We are offering the audio, PowerPoint, and KLAS demo online via join.me for KLAS IRC Users who cannot be at APH. Please email me (andreaATklasDOTcom) if you want me to send a personal invite with all the meeting access info and a calendar reminder. We also plan to record the meeting for later posting on klasusers.com.

To attend the online version of the 2019 APH KLAS Users' Meeting at Thursday, October 10, 2019, 8:00 AM Eastern Time (US & Canada), please use the following: join.me/622-044-032

To access the audio portion of the meeting by phone dial one of the following numbers and enter Conference ID: 622-044-032 # when requested:

• Boston, MA - +1.857.444.6500
• Camden, DE - +1.302.202.5900
• Denver, CO - +1.720.650.5050
• Los Angeles, CA - +1.213.226.1066
• New York, NY - +1.646.307.1990
• Salt Lake City, UT - +1.801.448.0006
• San Francisco, CA - +1.415.594.5500
• Seattle, WA - +1.206.636.0011
• Tampa, FL - +1.813.769.0500
• Washington, DC - +1.202.602.1295

Our meeting agenda currently includes:

• Welcome & Introductions
• Update on Keystone over the past year including news, new projects & customers, etc.
• Demonstration of new features in KLAS
• Q&A - open discussion of what you need / want from KLAS

We value your input and want to hear from you. Your shared experience helps guide future development of KLAS (especially for IRCs / IMCs). If there is anything, in particular, you want to ask about or to have us discuss, please let us know.

Also, we are offering four, hour-long one-on-one consultation meetings at APH on Thursday starting at 1:00 PM. To sign up for one of these time slots, please contact me and let me know your preferred time (Ex: 1:00-2:00 PM). Each meeting will be scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis.

Finally, please invite anyone you feel may be interested - whether they are familiar with KLAS or not. We look forward to meeting with you!

We’ve got some new information up for you this week! Let’s have a look...

1. Release Lists

As the v7.7 rollout continues, 7.7 itself has been under continuous improvement. I’ve just posted the most recent build, 7.7.14 (along with 12 and 13, which were very small builds targeted to fixing a few localized but important issues) to the 7.7 Release Lists page.

The new build has some great quality-of-life improvements, including some new options for your patron queries! For example, you can now query against patron subscriptions (including SER-DDB9 to find patrons with a BARD registration) and whether a patron is set up for Duplication service. A QuickRef with a list of all the new fields you can query against is also available on the Release Lists page. There are improvements for our IRC and other customers as well, so no worries--it's not all LBPH stuff.

2. Duplication Info

I’ve been sharing a lot of information about Duplication on this blog, to keep you all informed and up-to-date. But we know it can be a pain to have to go back and find something weeks or months later; especially if you aren’t sure if it was here, on the discussion forums, or somewhere else.

To address this, we’ve created a one-stop-shop for Duplication Info. You can access this page from the Main Menu, under Documents – Quick Reference (and it’s a static URL, so feel free to bookmark it if that works better for you).

From now on, all information having to do with Duplication that is posted to KLASusers will be added to the Info page to keep it easily accessible. I have a lot more planned for you (and would love to hear what you need most!) so I hope this Info page will be helpful for keeping it all organized.

3. Scribe Specs info sheet

A new document is available on the Duplication Info page--one that I think plenty of you will be interested in!

The Scribe Specs & Cost document briefly lays out all the specifics of the Scribe system. It covers what is included with a Scribe, the details for each component of the system, and how much it costs all in a streamlined front-and-back info sheet, perfect for your IT folks or funding agencies. Head over to the Info page to give it a download!

Interested in moving to a Duplication on Demand service model, but not sure how you’ll get enough cartridges and other supplies? There’s help available! NLS is offering supplies to all network libraries that are willing to transition to zero copy allotment--whether they plan to implement Gutenberg or Scribe.

Many of you have already heard about this and some have already put in their request, but please read on anyway—we’ve worked with NLS to make sure we’re accurately covering all the important details.

On top of that, we’ve developed a worksheet to help you plan your implementation process, including when you will need additional supplies.

Just the Facts

When you are ready, you can order from NLS:

• Up to half of your total need for cartridges and containers.

(Total need is calculated based on 5 cartridges per active audio patron, so half works out to 2.5 cartridges and cases per active patron.)

• Pre-printed cartridge and container labels with your library information

In return, you will need to work towards full duplication service. NLS expects libraries to zero out their copy allotment within 12 months of implementing duplication on demand.

Good Stuff to Know

Be aware that your supplies will arrive in one shipment on pallets. This is intended to be a lifetime supply, so please be prepared for a large shipment proportional to your patron base.

The cartridges will have the standard “white cartridge” passphrase, and will need to be reset to the peach passphrase using the NLS device, or using the Repurpose mode of the Gutenberg.

NLS encourages libraries to repurpose cartridges and containers from their existing collections to make up the other half of their need, and they can loan Scribe libraries a stand-alone device that will unlock white cartridges for re-use. The cartridge is then re-locked with the peach passphrase, so it will continue to be protected. (Check out our Thursday Tip on High-Capacity Cartridges for the trick to easily identify the best cartridges to keep for duplication.)

Timelines

NLS can only get so many supplies ordered and distributed per month. Currently, they are asking for two month’s lead time.

Being clear about your timeline and need will help NLS prioritize orders, as will holding off on requesting supplies if they will not be needed soon. NLS will also ask Keystone to confirm that we have an “authorized commitment” to proceed and a clear implementation schedule in place, so please coordinate with us before you make your request for duplication supplies to NLS.

To help you estimate when supplies will be needed, and in what amounts, we have developed the attached worksheet. Take advantage of our experience with several implementations, and have a look! Of course, we know you may still have questions or need more help making your estimates, so don’t hesitate to get in touch with us for assistance.

Worksheet

The attached questionnaire is intended to help guide you through planning your implementation of a Duplication service model using Scribe or Gutenberg, including generating estimates of supplies needed for the initial stages, specific goals, and action items.

It will be most useful before contacting NLS to order supplies.

• Duplication Questionnaire - Word
• Duplication Questionnaire - PDF

As more Talking Book libraries are considering which Duplication on Demand equipment and workflow to implement, we're working to help you make an informed choice about what will work best for your library, your staff, and your patrons. That means more resources and more opportunities to ask questions and get in-depth answers.

Two specific things we're working on are:

• Scribe Cartridge Recycling video
• Duplication on Demand Q&A webinar

Scribe Cartridge Recycling Video

For the past month or so, Katy and I have been working to create a video demonstrating the Cartridge Recycling workflow for Scribe. In the video, we show and describe using Scribe to duplicate cartridges that are not tied to a specific patron. It is in the final editing stages and should be ready for prime time in the next week or so. Until then, here's a couple of teaser pics and a promo version. 

Yes, Katy and I had a few laughs while making the video, but we hope it will provide you the info you need. Below is our Cartridge Recycling with Scribe Promo Video

Cartridge Recycling with Scribe Promo Video on Vimeo

Duplication on Demand Q&A Webinar

Next up, mark your calendars for 2:00 PM Eastern Time on Thursday, September 12 for our next webinar. Katy will be answering your questions about Duplication on Demand.

This will be a live webinar offered via Join.Me. We will record it for later viewing, but also encourage you to think about what questions you have and make plans to join us. Details about how to log in will be posted to the klasusers.com discussion forum a week before the webinar. The recording will be posted on klasusers.com as soon as it is available.

We're dedicated to supporting each type of organization that uses KLAS. Here are a few examples of our ongoing efforts to connect with and serve our IRC / IMC users:

• Keystone staff attends the American Printing House for the Blind Annual Meeting where we host the IRC KLAS Users' Meeting.
• The KLAS Users' Conference Program committee makes it a priority to seek out / provide KLAS content that appeals our talking book library, resource center, and association users as well as content specific to each.
• In late October, Keystone is hosting an IRC Symposium at our office in Raleigh.

I wanted to take a few minutes today to highlight two upcoming IRC / IMC KLAS user events.

KLAS IRC / IMC Users' at 2019 APH Annual Meeting

On October 10th, Nancy and I will host the KLAS IRC / IMC Users' Meeting at the 2019 APH Annual Meeting. We invite you to join us at 8 AM in the Hialeah Room of the Hyatt to hear the latest updates about Keystone and KLAS, see new features being demonstrated, and provide us feedback about possible future development. Please let us know if you plan to attend before September 30, so we can have enough breakfast and (most importantly) coffee available.

Current meeting agenda includes:

• Welcome & Introductions
• Update on Keystone over the past year - news, new projects & customers, etc.
• Demonstration of new features in KLAS
• Question & Answer session - open discussion of what you need / want from KLAS

If there is anything in particular you want to ask about or to have us cover, please let us know! Your shared experience helps guide future development of KLAS (especially for IRCs / IMCs), and we value your input.

We will also offer four one-hour one-on-one consultation meetings on Thursday, starting at 1:00 PM. To sign up for one of these time slots, please contact me and let me know your preferred time (Ex: 1:00-2:00 PM). Meetings will be scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis.

IRC Symposium

Want an opportunity for even more in-depth training, round-table discussions, user feedback opportunities, and networking with Keystone staff and other IRC / IMC staff? Then make plans to attend the two-day KLAS IRC Symposium on October 29-30 at our office in Raleigh, NC.

We ask that all attendees have a KLAS Administrator role in their local system and authority to change records and policies for their KLAS system.

Interested? 

Here's the planned agenda:

We're offering this specially focused training workshop for $300 / attendee. Check out the "KLAS IRC Symposium" article for further details including travel and accommodations and the link to register.

I sincerely hope to see you at one or both of these events.

As we’re getting close to a number of positions on our KLAS Users’ Group committees and Board of Officers, I wanted to take some time to say, “thank you.”

(Yes, we’ve done this before—but it’s important.)

I’ve been there! I was on the Officers Board and the Conference Programming Committee for several years while I was working for the Illinois Talking Book Outreach Center, and I remember what an inconvenience it could be to have committee work or board meetings on top of my regular Reader Advisor duties. Now that I’ve been on both sides, though, I can really see how important it was that I made time for it.

To all of our current (and exiting, and incoming) officers and committee members: I see you showing up for meetings even when it feels like your patrons are crawling out of the woodwork with requests. I hear you asking thoughtful questions and sharing your ideas even when you’re tired and not sure you’re on the right track. And I thank you for it, because I know how much you are bringing to the Users’ Conference, and through it, to your fellow users’ understanding of KLAS, their ability to serve their patrons, and their relationship with Keystone.

Even beyond the conference, our active community of users guides Keystone—including future development, where we allocate our time and resources, and how we communicate. That happens in planning and at the conference, but also when users take their questions and concerns to the Officers Board to share with us, in our discussions with KDAC, in survey responses, and more. We rely on you to make all of that happen, and you make us better and better, every year.

So one last, heartfelt, Thank You.

And to anyone out there who is considering getting involved: Your voice matters! We’d love to hear from you.

This is the final draft of the proposed bylaws changes for the KLAS Users' Group. Changes were made to allow for a smoother officer transition for the positions of President and Vice President, incorporate language relevant to elections and content planning in non-conference years and / or in addition to the conference, and to make the group more inclusive of all organizations that use KLAS. Go here to review the current KLAS Users' Group bylaws as approved on May 5, 2016.

A link will be sent to a designated representative of each KLAS library / organization to vote on these changes. Voting must be conducted within 30 days and a 2/3 majority is required to approve the changes.

Prior to the 2019 KLAS Users' Conference, Katy and I received a request to present about the different ways we send out communications and what platforms are available to users to share info with one another. On Thursday morning at the conference, we shared our "Connecting with KLASusers" presentation on this topic... and we decided to use the presentation as an opportunity to learn just what folks in the audience knew about our communications platforms and efforts.

The agenda of the presentation started with klasusers.com, including the Key Notes blog, various resources on the site, as well as some tips and tricks on navigating the discussion forums. We then took some time to discuss the KLASusers e-list and share info about Keystone's social media presence.

Also, during the course of the presentation, we had anyone who wished to participate answer questions in a live poll. It was very interesting to see how many folks were and were not aware of who usually writes our Key Notes blog post and what kind of content they wanted to see more of. (And of course, we couldn't help but have a little fun with it.)

This week we wanted to share the presentation for those who were not at the conference so they have the opportunity to learn about all the different ways we try to share tips, ask questions, and share the latest news about KLAS. Also, we want you to know what communications channels are available to you as a user and how to make sure you're not missing out on important info. You can access the PowerPoint via the below link.

• Connecting with KLASUsers.com - PowerPoint

Another great resource to learn about how to stay up to date with the latest blog posts, forum discussions, etc. is the "Tips for dealing with klasusers.com FOMO" Key Notes blog from March of 2018 which including how to subscribe to specific discussion forum threads or categories, "favorite" forum topics, and the best way to find the latest Key Notes blog post and forum posts.

Please be sure to let us know if you have questions about these resources and / or how to use them.

An updated version of the KLAS User Group bylaws was presented to the KLAS Users' Group on at the annual business meeting on June 6, 2019. The members of the Users' Group then proceeded to vote online to accept the bylaws with all suggested revisions effective July 1, 2019.

About a month and a half ago, we began offering Version 7.7 preview databases to Keystone-hosted and Linux-based self-hosted LBPH customers. Since then, we’ve been hard at work—so I wanted to give you all a look into the process.

Creating a Preview Database:

Each preview database requires a conversion (from the 7.6 data structure to 7.7), followed by a whole checklist of other tasks, including basic duplication setup (to allow you to test new duplication features), testing, and loading the XPrint license (so you can print from KLAS without requiring a separate XPrint installation).

Status: Right now, I see 12 customers on our “Active Setup” list, most of which have almost finished checklists. That means we should be getting quite a few more of you on to the next steps very soon!

What Happens Next?

Once a preview database is ready, the Activation Key and a “Welcome Packet” of documentation go out to the library. This includes a task list of activities that we recommend the library completes to familiarize themselves with new features and to test the conversion and set-up more in depth. As they go through this list, the preview customer notifies us of whatever bugs or errors they come across.

For example, one thing our previewers just notified us of is that the latest version of Progress (the software we use to build the KLAS user interface) changed the highlighting it uses in browse tables.

Since the new style of highlighting is so much harder to see, the next build of 7.7 will include a fix to revert to the classic highlighting. (If you do like the new style better, it is possible for you to enable it as a customization to your klas.ini file—contact us for help.) Thanks, previewers!

Status: We have 5 customers who have their preview databases and are testing and reviewing them now, with the most recent getting their preview just this morning!

Going Live:

Once a preview customer has gone through the task list and is satisfied with the conversion, they are welcome to schedule their Live upgrade.

Congrats to Oregon and Arizona, our first customers to go Live on 7.7 (after North Carolina, who were our guinea pigs—ahem—I mean “Beta Testers”)!

What about Windows-based and IRC Customers?

For our IRC users, we have a little bit of development work left to do to get WebOrder fully compatible with version 7.7. Once that is complete, we’ll be getting you up and running as well.

For Windows-based self-hosted users, we continue to work on getting the version 7.7 server installation and upgrade process sorted out, and expect to be able to get preview databases set up for you starting in August.

For all of you: while we are sorry for the delay, the bright side is that we should have the process fully ironed out and bug fixes in place once we bring you up on 7.7. Please know that we are keeping the line moving as quickly as we can, while still meeting the other development and customer service needs that may come up in the meantime.

At 8:30 AM on Saturday, June 22 the Association of Specialized Government and Cooperative Libraries held their annual Achievement Awards Breakfast at the Grand Hyatt Washington as part of the American Library Association Annual Conference. Keystone is a proud sponsor of the breakfast and the ASGCLA / KLAS / NOD (National Organization on Disability) Award. This year two members of the KLAS Users' Community were honored at the breakfast, and I was excited to be there to see them recognized for their hard work to promote accessible libraries and inclusive library services.

Kim Charlson, Executive Director, Perkins Library, received the 2019 Francis Joseph Campbell Award citation and medal for "her strong commitment to inclusion and empowerment, her tireless efforts on the passage of the Marrakesh Treaty for the Visually Impaired, and her life-long passion for bringing the joy of reading to all."

• ASGCLA 2019 Francis Joseph Campbell Award Press Release

South Carolina State Library Talking Book Services received the 2019 ASGCLA / KLAS / NOD Award for its Assistive Technology Petting Zoo. "The Zoo was developed as a new outreach initiative in 2015 to raise awareness for Assistive Technology and its ability to make public libraries more accessible and inclusive. ... One of the most significant contributions the Zoo has made has been allowing South Carolina’s public librarians hands-on experience with Assistive Technology, creating a desire for the library to offer these tools on a daily basis."

• 2019 ASGCLA / KLAS / NOD Award Press Release

Below are a few photos I took during Saturday morning's Award Breakfast. You can see all of them in an album on Keystone's Facebook Page.

Kim Charlson poses for photos with 2 ASGCLA representatives after being recognized as the 2019 Francis Joseph Campbell Award Winner.

Kim shows off the citation she received as the 2019 Francis Joseph Campbell Award Recipient.

 Members of the South Carolina State Library staff gather around a table before the ASGCLA Awards Breakfast begins.

 ASGCLA representatives and South Carolina State Library staff pose with me for a photo after being presented with the 2019 ASGCLA / KLAS / NOD Award.

The certificate presented to the South Carolina State Library Talking Books Services as part of the 2019 ASGCLA / KLAS / NOD Award. They also receive $1000 from Keystone Systems as part of their recognition.

You can see the rest of the photos I took in the 2019 ASGCLA Awards Breakfast album on Keystone's Facebook page.

Hello, KLAS users! If you were able to join us for the 2019 KLAS Users’ Conference earlier this month, you heard a very exciting announcement from James Burts, Executive Vice President of Keystone Systems, Inc.

Now that we’re back in the office and the Version 7.7 rollout is fully underway, here he is with the news for all NLS Network libraries using KLAS:

We are here to support you, and we fully understand the need to move to a duplication service model. Over the past year, we have put the browser-based KLAS Version 8 on hold to revamp the duplication process, to build in full integration with NLS’ Gutenberg Bespoke device, and to further develop the Scribe appliance debuted at UC2018.

Now, KLAS Version 7.7 is ready for full-fledged duplication service using the hardware of your choice. There has been a lot of excitement for Gutenberg—and understandably so—but NLS’ deployment schedule cannot support getting everyone who wants one of their devices up and running right away. Additionally, we have a lot of confidence in Scribe’s optimized workflow (whether you choose PCC mode, exclusive to Scribe, or Cartridge-recycle mode, now available on either hardware) and other features.

We want to make sure that all of our users who are moving to a duplication service model have the opportunity to implement the hardware that is the best fit for their library, on a schedule that works for them.

To achieve this goal, we have optimized the components used for the Scribe, crunched the numbers, and determined that we can provide one Scribe appliance per KLAS contract at no additional cost.

We pledge to work with you to ensure that you can get up to speed with duplication on the hardware of your choice, whether that means getting you a place in line for a Gutenberg, or getting a Scribe unit heading your way ASAP.

There you have it!

To help you determine whether a Gutenberg Bespoke device or the Scribe appliance is a better fit for you, we will be posting more information about Scribe's cartridge recycle mode and what each hardware option has to offer over the coming weeks. We will also be hosting a duplication-focused Q&A webinar in a few months (date to be announced soon). In the meantime, if you have questions about this exciting news, KLAS version 7.7, or moving to a duplication service model, give us a call or email

For questions about the Gutenberg device itself or NLS’ deployment schedule, please contact NLS directly.

Note: KLAS Version 7.7 for self-hosted Windows Server users should be available in August, and for IRC customers soon. All other users can request a preview database whenever they choose and, once they have gone through the preview checklist, schedule their conversion whenever they are ready. If you have requested a preview database and have not yet gotten your welcome packet and authorization key: keep an eye out! We’re working through the list and we’ll be getting to your library soon!

This brand-new feature for KLAS version 7.7 was debuted at the uc2019 pre-conference as part of the hands-on Effective Search Strategies session.

Queries in KLAS make it easy to find records that meet certain criteria. Unfortunately, it can be harder to search by what isn't there. Computer logic is just not very good at that kind of thinking... but now, there is a way to combine two queries in KLAS, allowing you to:

• Combine the lists of records that meet two different sets of criteria (i.e. match X and/or Y)
• Find records that are included in two different query sets (i.e. match X and Y)
• Subtract one Query from another (i.e. match X but do not match Y)

This feature is available in the Patron module in the version 7.7.8 preview databases, and will be available in the Catalog module later this week when the preview databases are updated to build 7.7.9

So... what's this about "subtracting" a query?

Queries have the option to search for fields that “do not equal” a certain value. However, this will only function correctly if that field can only occur once in the record, otherwise, it will find any occurrence where the field does not equal that value.

For example, you can query for Patrons whose “Main Status does not equal Active,” because patron records can only have one Main Status. On the other hand, if you query for “Patron Medium does not equal DB,” it will return all records that have another medium in addition to DB, because that medium does not equal DB. Furthermore, it will not return records without any Patron Mediums, because there is nothing for it to compare to the search value.

This is a matter of computer logic not working quite like human logic. To get the computer to understand what you’re looking for, break it down a little further to “find Active Patrons, then subtract all patrons with an Active DB Medium.”

Other times you may wish to use this tool include:

• Checking for Patron records with an Active Cassette medium but no Active DB medium.
• Checking for Catalog records by a certain narrator that do not have the “Foreign Accent” subject heading.

Ready to learn more?

Download this How-to document for step-by-step instructions, more information, and more examples. As always, if you have questions or need additional help, just let us know.

(And remember, this feature is available in version 7.7 only, so if you have not yet requested a preview database, be sure to get in touch! If you have requested a preview, you should be receiving a welcome packet and activation key shortly--we are quickly moving through the list of requests.)

• HowTo MergeQueries - docx
• HowTo MergeQueries - pdf

Last week the Palm Beach County Talking Books Service and the Friends of the Palm Beach County Library hosted the 2019 KLAS Users' Conference in West Palm Beach, FL. Attendees were offered hands-on training during the one-day pre-conference and then participated in three days of general and breakout sessions including workshops, seminars, and informal birds-of-a-feather discussions. Opportunities for networking with Keystone staff and other KLAS library staff beyond the official conference sessions occurred during breaks, lunches, the Welcome Reception, and our Thursday afternoon excursion to the Morkiami Japanese Gardens and Museum. Here are some of our favorite photos from the conference. To see more, you can check out our 2019 KLAS Users' Conference Photo Album on Keystone's Facebook page. If you want to share your own conference photos, feel free to upload them to this album on Keystone's Google Drive.

Below is the welcome slide we used throughout the conference. Drea took this photo from the second-floor balcony of the hotel on Sunday before the conference started--the rainbow seemed like a very lucky way to start the conference!

Keynote Speaker Carmencita Mitchell talks about the Waves of Change in inclusive library service.

Katy shares Tips & Tricks for Readers Advisors during a workshop on Tuesday.

Attendees loved the view from the balcony of the Lake Worth Casino during Tuesday evening's Welcome Reception.

We offered a choice of a seafood or a vegetarian paella option for attendees of Tuesday evening's Welcome Reception.

The cooks add shrimp to the paella just before it is served.

Drea and Chandra enjoying the Welcome Reception.

Nancy and Mitake answer the accumulated "Parking Lot Questions" attendees posted throughout the conference.

James and Chandra got the same wardrobe memo on Thursday. Like minds and such...

Excited attendees waiting on the Molley Trolley to head to the Morikami Japanese Gardens & Museum for an afternoon of networking with Keystone staff and other KLAS Users.

To see more, you can check out our 2019 KLAS Users' Conference Photo Album on Keystone's Facebook page. If you want to share your own conference photos, feel free to upload them to this album on Keystone's Google Drive.

Thank you for to all our attendees, speakers, and local hosts, and we look forward to seeing more photos and sharing more info from last week's conference in the near future.