Haven't thought about a schedule yet. This is a learning exercise for me, to be squeezed in between a part-time job and two on-line classes (Library Mgmt and Legal Bib). But I think the initial requirements could be nailed down by the end of the month.
On 9/5/07, Deb Bergeron <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Sharon, > > Thank you. While our application may be different, I am interested in what > you develop. Are looking at starting development immediately? > > Please let me know your progress or if I can help in any way. > > Deb > > > Sharon Foster wrote: > Gotcha! My library is in a consortium as well, and there is a courier > service, although since we are such a small state, it is actually a > state-wide service, not just for our consortium. > > My initial reaction is that the application I have in mind *could* be > used to set up a courier schedule, but instead of one desk and several > people staffing it over the course of a day, you have one person > moving to different "desks" (libraries) over the course of a day. I > think that's a different enough pattern, along with the "is it on > time?" requirement, to warrant its own application. > > The question I was asking was directed to public and academic library > systems with more than one location or branch. Do you ever move people > around among the branches? If so, then I want the scheduler to > incorporate that. > > > On 9/5/07, Deb Bergeron <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Sharon, > > I think I need to clarify. We are an academic consortium of 14 completely > different libraries who share a common ILS, consequently we have no > 'branches;' each library is independent. Some of the libraries have their > own branches or locations, however, and could use your scheduler application > in their own library. So your question about staff being assigned to > another branch does not apply in our case. What does apply is knowing the > library hours and academic calendar. > > Our office manages the ILS and all of its components. One of those > components is the courier. The courier picks up and delivers items to all > of the consortial libraries as well as our state-wide ILL system (MINITEX). > The courier schedule changes throughout the year and sometimes daily (i.e. > storm, accident, traffic, etc.). It would be great to have an online > application indicating: > > > Courier's schedule > Is he on time? > Issues > If a library requests an additional pick-up Our goal is 24 hour turn-around > and often-times it's less than that. > > For both applications, it would be fabulous to have an online tool that > provides all the information I've described. > > I hope this clarifies the lay of our land for you. > > > Thanks, > > Deb > > > > Sharon Foster wrote: > Indeed! I hadn't even thought of multiple libraries in a system, since > I haven't yet worked in a system with branch libraries. > > Is it ever the case that staff may be temporarily assigned to another > branch, not their "home" branch? > > Are couriers thought of as assigned to a particular library, or are > they part of the larger system? > > Thanks for your input! > > On 9/5/07, Deb Bergeron <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Sharon, > > Kudos to you for taking this on! > > In looking at your wiki and your requirements list, we could use this in a > completely different way. We're an academic consortium with 14 libraries. > I can see this type of application working for us in two ways: > > 1. Manage our courier schedule. > 2. Manage library hours. With so many libraries, hours vary greatly. > > Is this the type of 'unique requirements' you're looking for from other > libraries? > > Thanks, > > Deb > > > Sharon Foster wrote: > I've set up a wiki to collect software requirements for a Library > Staff Scheduler. Initially it's intended for use by public libraries, > because that's what I'm most familiar with, but I'd also like to > incorporate any unique requirements from other kinds of libraries. > > I know there is at least one implementation of this type of > application at > http://sourceforge.net/projects/empscheduler/, and I > fully expect to use that project as the starting point for the > implementation of this one, but the demo page is missing or broken, > the project itself hasn't been updated since 12/2004, and it doesn't > particularly address the special requirements of library staffing. > > The wiki is at http://libstaff.pbwiki.com/ and the password is librarygeek. > > (aside: I started it with WetPaint, but there are so many ads on each > page that I thought it was too distracting. Free PBWiki may not have > the variety of themes that WetPaint has, but it also doesn't have all > those annoying ads.) > > > > -- > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Remember: Choose nutritious edible weeds for snacks! > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Deb Bergeron > System Administrator User Support > CLIC > 1619 Dayton Ave. Suite 204A > Saint Paul, MN 55104 > > T: 651.644.3878 > C:651-487-7609 > F:651.644.6258 > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > www.clic.edu > > > > > > > > > -- > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Remember: Choose nutritious edible weeds for snacks! > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Deb Bergeron > System Administrator User Support > CLIC > 1619 Dayton Ave. Suite 204A > Saint Paul, MN 55104 > > T: 651.644.3878 > C:651-487-7609 > F:651.644.6258 > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > www.clic.edu > > > > > > > > > -- > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Remember: Choose nutritious edible weeds for snacks! > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Deb Bergeron > System Administrator User Support > CLIC > 1619 Dayton Ave. Suite 204A > Saint Paul, MN 55104 > > T: 651.644.3878 > C:651-487-7609 > F:651.644.6258 > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > www.clic.edu > > > -- Sharon M. Foster, B.S., J.D., 0.58 * (MLS) F/OSS Evangelist Cheshire Public Library 104 Main Street Cheshire, CT 06410 http://www.cheshirelibrary.org My library school portfolio: http://home.southernct.edu/~fosters4/ My final project for ILS655, Digital Libraries: http://www.vsa-software.com/ils655 Any opinions expressed here are entirely my own.