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Dear Colleagues,
Beginning 4/1/2020, I will offer an informal, non-recorded Zoom meeting for any interested library staff to connect each week on Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. This is intended to support library teleworkers during the current COVID-19 disruption, and provide an opportunity to talk, listen, compare notes, ask questions, and connect across colleges with colleagues who are finding their way.
Join Zoom Meeting - Library Staff Drop-in
Time: Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. beginning 4/1/2020
Meeting URL: https://vccs.zoom.us/j/362402069
Meeting ID: 362 402 069
Dial: US: +1 646 558 8656 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 669 900 9128 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 346 248 7799
I will share any helpful information that comes from these discussions here.
-Tara
Tara Cassidy
Director of Library Services
Virginia's Community Colleges - System Office
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Discussion Notes
4/1/2020
Many colleges are closed to faculty, staff, and students; a few colleges are allowing staff to use the buildings with social distancing. Library operating status summary at http://library.vccs.edu/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=118
More recommendations for online professional development opportunities:
Computer Security for Teleworkers and Online Learners - Zoom security concerns summarized at LincSite Forums › General › Library Instruction > Zoom Security Recommendations: http://library.vccs.edu/forum/showthread.php?tid=3773
- More info on using Zoom background images:https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/210707503-Virtual-Background You can use one of the default images or upload your own.
- The EU Agency for Cybersecurity shares its top tips for teleworking in times of Covid-19:https://www.enisa.europa.eu/tips-for-cybersecurity-when-working-from-home
Article: What will attendance at museums, concerts, movies, etc. look like post-Coronavirus recovery?
https://www.colleendilen.com/2020/03/25/...EPVr2Sm078
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04-20-2020, 12:43 PM
(This post was last modified: 04-20-2020, 12:45 PM by tcassidy.)
Discussion notes
4/8/2020
VIVA has a new support page: https://vivalib.org/va/covid19-telework
Group consensus was that college communication to staff on on closings, remote work, leave policies was very poor. Guidance on the Public Health Emergency Leave (PHEL), etc. and procedures for using that leave were very uneven:
Question from JSRCC: I'm trying to order item barcodes and I don't know what to answer about what kind of mod we use (10, 43?) and check digit. Any clues? I can't get the online catalogs to let me set up orders for quotes unless I fill out those blanks. I know we have 14-digit barcodes and they all start with 3 7219.
Answer from TCC: It doesn't matter anymore, since Alma will read it no matter what, but if you want to maintain the structure it is - Dense code 39 with a mod 10 check digit
JTCC reports an access problem with the Factiva linker, SO will investigate. Access from Primo functions normally, the problem is specific to the linker URL:
http://library.vccs.edu/license-bin/linker.plx?factiva
SWCC reports local problems with remote access to Gale products, SO will investigate.
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Discussion notes
4/15/2020
If you need IPEDS staff salary and benefits expense data, check with the college VP of Finance.
Question: There is increased interest in the VCCS Overdrive collection, how can colleges add new titles to that service?
Answer: Most of the titles in Overdrive are chosen and paid for by the individual institutions. Please contact Tara for access to the admin module to view available titles, cost info, and create a list of titles to purchase. Tara will work with this vendor to help them understand who is making the purchase, and invoice correctly.
The VIVA ILL Forum is virtual this year, please register: https://vivalib.libcal.com/calendar/events/ILLForum2020
VIVA's ILL page: https://vivalib.org/c.php?g=836990&p=6058644
Resources and Best Practices page https://vivalib.org/c.php?g=836990&p=5978051
4/14 message from the Chancellor:
"These extraordinary times require us to ensure that our community colleges are doing all that they can to help as many Virginians as possible. To that end, I am announcing a task force today, made up of leaders from across our colleges, to make recommendations for the fall semester and beyond. You’ll be hearing more about their work as they move through it, and many of you will have the opportunity to contribute to it through many of our statewide peer groups. Thank you for all that you are doing to ensure that your community college is the partner so many of our friends and neighbors need right now."
Task Force Members (Dale Dulaney is a librarian at VWCC and will be our official representative.):
Anne Kress Northern Virginia Community College co-chair
Sharon Morrissey VCCS System Office co-chair
Tom Canupp Danville Community College
Cynthia Deutsch Central Virginia Community College
Dale Dulaney Virginia Western Community College
Michelle Edmonds Southside Virginia Community College
Shashuna Gray Germanna Community College
Joe Hagy Dabney S. Lancaster Community College
Adam Hutchison Virginia Highlands Community College
Perry Hughes Wytheville Community College
Quentin Johnson Southside Virginia Community College
Chris Lee The College of William & Mary
Corry McRae Tidewater Community College
Terricita Sass Reynolds Community College
Fred Taylor John Tyler Community College
Ian Taylor Thomas Nelson Community College
LibAnswers training is scheduled for this week, and the go-live date is still 5/29 since we are not sure how quickly we can update all Canvas links/college web sites. - Wednesday, 4/15: LibAnswers College-level Admin Training For college librarians who (or aspire to) actively administer their LibAnswers service. Time: 03:00 PM (90 minutes)
- Thursday, 4/16: LibAnswers Chat Training for All Staff (part 1) Time: 10:00 AM (60 minutes)
- Friday, 4/17: LibAnswers Tickets Training for All Staff (part 2) Time: 10:00 AM (60 minutes)
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Discussion notes
4/22/2020
- Question from JTCC: Does any college offer 'GeniusBar'-style tech support as a standard student service? JTCC finds that they cannot always fully help the students using a college-owned laptop, since they don't have administrative rights. Windows Quick Assist and Zoom Remote Control are effective but not a great fit for the type of support students really need. Consensus answer is not much beyond basic support for reset password, security, wifi conection, software installation, Canvas tech help is available.
- Discussion of popular reading ebook providers Hoopla and Overdrive. Hoopla charges are based entirely on usage;Hoopla may not work with VCCS authentication. The VCCS Overdrive collection is strictly owned audiobook titles, all with one copy/one user license. Colleges are welcome to puchase additional audiobooks to add, just get in touch with Tara to get started.
- Statement from CARLI about the importance of a library director: https://www.carli.illinois.edu/sites/fil...rector.pdf “the task force documented at a minimum seven institutions where a director was formerly in charge of a CARLI Governing Member Library and has been replaced by another campus employee with an already-full portfolio, or the library was given to a library staff member without alteration of title or compensation.” This brought to mind the situation at several CCs, where they operate without a library director. Just an FYI - I know this is a topic of discussion at the VIVA level.
- RCC shared a report from the Chesterfield County Public Library director about how they are continuing operations during the pandemic. They are apparently the only library in the Richmond metro area still offering curbside pickup: https://library.chesterfield.gov/418/CCP...9-Response - On the other hand, they have already furloughed 172 part-time staff (they are a huge system with 9 or 10 branch libraries), as Chesterfield County government has furloughed over 500 employees https://www.nbc12.com/2020/03/31/more-th...urloughed/
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Thanks for posting these, Tara!
-KC
KC Frankenburger
Reynolds Community College
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Discussion notes
4/29/2020
Question on hours for college staff to cover VCCS Academic Cooperative: We generally follow a schedule during business hours, but if folks want to sign on and monitor, by all means they should!
Libraries and planning for re-opening
ILL Processing
Colleges generally are not processing returns of any materials, including ILL, they will sit until we return to campus.
Tips on disinfecting laptops: wear gloves when handling and use disinfectant to wipe them down. You can wipe the screens, for example, with rubbing alcohol, wipe them down with Lysol wipes.
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Discussion notes
5/06/2020
Question about the rollout of LibAnswers and Canvas - The course blueprints and shells created by a college will not be affected. LibChat is completely outside of this. Integrating your college LibAnswers service with Canvas courses is a local conversation.
Further discussion on colleges opening in the fall: - Colleges are planning for online in the fall, some face to face with lower class sizes.
- from The Chronicle of Higher Learning:"As for career- and technical-training programs, many of which require hands-on learning, [Sheri] Prupis says that, like other colleges, the Virginia system is talking about front-loading the lecture portion of courses and, if restrictions are lifted, creating, say, two weeks of intensive lab work near the end of the term. But her team is also considering virtual simulations, kits that can be sent to students so they can perform experiments at home, and other strategies."
- Electronic reserves are going to become more important - consider closing stacks and retrieve items upon request; scan chapters from reserve books for students.
- If fewer/no classes are being held on campus, there may be spaces that are more conducive to distancing and cleaning than library spaces; remove mice, keyboards, and chairs to force distance.
- Offer appointments with assigned computers, with doors locked except for someone with an appointment in the library.
Please also refer to
What are eSports?
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05-14-2020, 03:03 PM
(This post was last modified: 05-14-2020, 03:10 PM by tcassidy.)
Discussion notes
5/13/2020
VIVA Spotlight Your Library volunteers wanted:
https://vivalib.org/c.php?g=836990&p=6762344
VIVA wants to know - how did you respond to the current COVID19 interruption? No photos required, but before and after photos, especially if you must rearrange to reopen, would be nice for the VIVA spotlight when we get to that point. Contact our VIVA Outreach Committee rep Ms. Cirrus Gundlach (P.D. Camp CC) for more info at
cgundlach@pdc.edu
ALA/ACRL have interesting articles focusing on reopening all types of libraries, national and international: https://acrl.libguides.com/pandemic/repoening
Discussion of ideas on how to manage this locally: - Create a phased library opening plan with your 'wish list' procedures and supplies.
- Request book drops to protect the staff from handling returned materials all the time.
- Close the stacks and have staff retrieve print materials on demand.
- The Chancellor's Task Force released their recommendations last week with two mentions of libraries: remote access especially in Canvas and physical plan for social distancing in library spaces. Since it appears that not everyone got a copy of these recs, Tara has emailed the document to all library lead contacts so they can share as needed. If you've already developed a plan, please share with Tara and she will make them available for all to refer to.
Discussion of ideas to highlight library presence in Canvas courses: work with local Canvas admins to add a library link to local navigation, course shells, or in Announcements or some other common tab in Canvas.
Several colleges are moving most if not all periodicals online. TCC actively markets electronic resources for program accreditation since it makes it more accessible to the students than a print subscription, and gets requests from faculty for the e-version. Fulfilling accreditation requirements is a good reason to maintain print subscriptions, but we can't always anticipate what different agencies require. It's good practice to check in with program heads before cancelling print journals in their subject area.
FYI - ProQuest just gave all customers free access to a Coronavirus Database. You should now see it listed on the PQ platform menu. Ongoing access will be decided by the publishers and influenced by the continuing situation globally. Currently PQ has clearance to offer it free through 31 August. This may be useful to you for planning purposes, but there are no plans to link it in the shared collection.
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Discussion notes
5/20/2020
SCHEV press release announcing the Commonwealth’s COVID-19 Education Work Group:
OTN has announced the dates for their annual Summit, which will be held online this year across two weeks, each Monday through Thursday between June 15-25, 2020. Registration is free and open to any interested participant this year, details at https://open.umn.edu/otn/open-textbook-network-summit/
Reynolds and MECC draft recommendations for continued operations are posted at http://library.vccs.edu/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=119 in case those examples are helpful. Feel free to share your own!
CDC guidelines now say that surfaces are not the main way the virus is transmitted, rather it is person to person.
From VIVA: In normal times, VIVA members are required to provide free and open access to all VIVA resources for all users of their libraries, including members of the public. During the pandemic, it is recognized that institutions may need to limit access to their own students, faculty, and staff. If you have any questions about this, please write to viva@gmu.edu.
Recent ExLibris training session recordings are at https://page.exlibrisgroup.com/knowledge-days-2020
Several colleges are investigating wearable face shields for employees, or installing plexiglass shielding at service desk areas.
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Discussion notes
5/27/2020
Discussion of the difficulty of enforcing any state indoor face covering requirement:
https://www.governor.virginia.gov/newsro...20-en.html
EPA-approved disinfectants: https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-registrati...sars-cov-2
For hardware and surfaces, electrostatic cleaning is another option to explore.
ALA offers a free set of note and coloring pages:
https://www.alastore.ala.org/sites/defau...spired.pdf
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06-18-2020, 11:45 AM
(This post was last modified: 06-18-2020, 11:46 AM by tcassidy.)
Discussion notes
6/03/2020
The Governor has announced that Virginia will move to phase 2 on Friday, June 5.
https://www.governor.virginia.gov/media/...se-Two.pdf
See also https://controlleddigitallending.org/whitepaper
Series of webinars on fair use, notably 'Educational fair use in the COVID-19 emergency: yes you can scan (and more) for colleges and universities'
https://www.wcl.american.edu/impact/init...resources/
Examples of college library re-opening plans are at http://library.vccs.edu/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=119
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Discussion notes
6/10/2020
Some colleges are now offering curbside laptop loans and permitting contactless returns, but no library spaces are open to the public, returning ILLs, or circulating print items. Some locations now permit limited staff to work on campus.
Discussion on Virginia's new requirement for adults to wear masks in public places as a public health safeguard. No one is sure how library staff are expected to enforce this should their library space re-open.
"Curb Side, Baby" | What You Need to Know about NPL's Curbside Service: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnk4qeu9...e=youtu.be
No notes available from 6/17
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06-24-2020, 09:23 AM
(This post was last modified: 08-21-2020, 04:42 PM by tcassidy.)
Morning! Here is the link for today's VCCS Drop In. If you have any issues, just email me at dbeltran@nvcc.edu. Just remember to use Tara's again next week 
Topic: VCCS Drop In
Time: Jun 24, 2020 10:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
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One tap mobile
+13017158592,,95400512958#,,,,0#,,821755# US (Germantown)
+13126266799,,95400512958#,,,,0#,,821755# US (Chicago)
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Hello everyone,
Based on the responses to this week's poll, we'll keep going weekly each Wednesday at 10 a.m. Thanks!
-Tara
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