Thursday, February 12, 2009

Millennium's First Birthday


It is hard to believe that we've been using Millennium for a year already, but today we celebrated the first birthday of our Millennium system with cake and prize drawings at Cook Park and Evergreen. There were a lot of happy winners all over the library.


Everyone wins because we recently joined LINKin, which allows patrons to directly request material from 5 Innovative libraries in our area. We also upgraded to Encore 2.0, which has a lot of great features, including Community tags, fewer logins, and reviews, summaries, and tables of contents.
There was also a special appearance by Ms. Millennium, Deb Lindahl. She really lit up the room with her special presence and left with a lovely corsage--the sugar flowers from the cake.
Read below for a list of people's favorite Millennium features, least favorite things, and Millennium wishes. We also asked people for their favorite shortcuts.


What is your favorite Millennium feature?
  • fines paid, change due date, # in hold list, ++++

  • Ease of checking patrons out.

  • It is very easy to use and it was easy to learn.

  • easy patron name lookup in circ

  • ease of cancelling holds

  • It is easy for new people to learn!

  • looking up patron name & item title/not barcode

  • placing holds

  • looking up patron library card numbers

  • Millennium Collection Module & Fines Paid

  • You can see what number you are in the hold list.

  • I can see what # I am in a hold list.

  • Ease in which one can place & modify holds.

  • CREATE LISTS, a very powerful tool

  • The custom hold slip!

  • The ability to create lists and do global changes.

What is your least favorite Millennium feature?

  • only being able to check current and last patron

  • Bibliographic information is inadequate.

  • The "Account in use" messages blocking accounts

  • title searching & scrolling down to barcode

  • length of time to load

  • The statistics. They are too rigid.

  • waiting time for login

  • back-up procedure

  • trying to find a title for a hold

  • Can't checkin patron's items on more than 1 computer

  • You can not tell when an item is at bill stage

  • Two computers can't have same info up at same time

  • That items are not listed in chronological order.

  • Printouts leave a lot to be desired.

  • The locking of patron records.

  • System allows barcodes to be used more than once.

What do you wish Millennium would include?

  • Lock on Bib Inq drop down menu, so it won't change

  • Better checkout history of an item.

  • Not having to use the beginning of barcodes

  • deeper access to last patron & last status on item

  • glossary (and there is probably one there)

  • A report writer for statistics.

  • Starbuck's French Vanilla Capuchino

  • simpler acquisitions

  • Only put in the last #s of patron & item barcode

  • When you are checking in mode,it includes a number

  • Fries and a diet coke.

  • Ability to limit CDs to an artist as main entry

  • Better ways to find the "right" topic in the IGR.

  • Just type the last 7 digits of patron barcode

  • Nothing that I can think of now.

What is your favorite Millennium Shortcut?

  • F11 & F12, Alt Q

  • predefined card templates

  • F1 and F2

  • alt-q

  • F11 and F12

  • The space bar to activate the selected option.

  • is there one? too many mouse clicks now.

  • none

  • F1 checkout F2 check in

  • Katie's F1, F2, F3 function

  • Checking in in Circ Desk mode!!!!!

  • spacebar to override alerts

  • I have 2:Ctrl-] next bib rec; Ctrl-. next item rec

  • Recent patrons

  • None that I can think of now.