Author: backstage

This author has written 41 articles

New “Content Controls” Coming to Libby!

The next major release of Libby will introduce a new feature called Content Controls. Content Controls allow users to configure what library content appears in Libby, for themselves or for their family, based on the intended audience for each book, audiobook, and magazine in the library collection.

🦸 Libby for Everyone works just like Libby does today, with no restrictions by audience except those users manually choose to apply.
🧒 Libby for Kids shows only titles for “juvenile” and “young adult” audiences when searching and browsing in Libby. Users can apply deep-search, sample, and circulation restrictions to young adult titles if they wish.
🧟 Libby for Grown-ups is for people who borrow “general content” and “mature content” titles only. It prevents kids’ titles from appearing at their libraries in Libby. Users who enjoy young adult titles can re-enable that content using a toggle within the preset.

Users can also choose to lock Content Controls with a passkey. To access these options, visit Content Controls in the Settings section of the Menu. The update with these new features is expected the week of June 23!

– Heather Auman, Western Allegheny Community Library

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New Novelist user experience incoming!

Starting June 16, Novelist will transition to an updated user interface. The new design will furnish patrons with an improved experience while still providing library staff with the same in-depth richness we depend on for our work.

Please click here to read an overview of what this is going to look like, as well as learn more about what you can do to manage your own Novelist account ahead of the transition. 

One big change for staff that I’d like to highlight is how folders will be reconfigured. The folders function in Novelist is useful for managing book groups, outreach, lists, special projects, and so much more, so it’s important to make sure your folders and data are ready for the transition before the 16th. 

If you have books, lists, and articles saved to the “My Folders” option, that material should migrate automatically and be stored under the new title “My Dashboard.” 

However, if you have Search Alerts set up, those will not migrate, and you will have to re-create them in the new My Dashboard section. Take note of what Search Alerts you have and be ready to set those back up after the transition. 

Additionally, if you have any folders under the “My Custom” function, you will have to download that data and add it manually after the transition.  Have this done before June 15th, otherwise you may lose the data. 🙁

You can click here for detailed instructions on how to manage both Search Alerts and My Custom folders for the transition.

Novelist is also providing training sessions on June 17 from 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM, and on June 26 from 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM. If you can’t make either of those times, register anyway, and you’ll be sent a recording of the session to watch when your schedule allows.  

Click here to register for the June 17 session. 

Click here to register for the June 26 session. 

You can also take a look through the user guide for the New Novelist Experience below.

This is a lot! Let Mary P. know if you have any questions. Onward, Novelist!

-Mary Phillips – Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

NoveList-NavigatingTheNewExperience-TutorialDownload
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RAD Pass: Summer Staycation

Summer is almost here, which means graduation season and the end of the school year. If your library is like mine, this is when the phone starts ringing with questions like: “What’s this RAD Pass thing?” 

Here’s what you need to know to help your patrons: 

What is RAD Pass? 

RAD Pass (found at radpass.org) offers free and discounted tickets to a variety of regional attractions, thanks to support from the Allegheny Regional Asset District. It’s available to any Allegheny County resident with a valid library card and PIN. 

How Does It Work? 

Patrons can log in using their card number and PIN. Once logged in, they’ll see a list of available attractions. Venues and tickets change periodically, so encourage patrons to check back often. 

If tickets are available for an attraction, a message on the right side will say “Show first available offer.” If not, it will display “All reservations have been reserved at this time.” 

To reserve a pass, click “Show first available offer.” The pass details and requirements (e.g., mobile or printed format) will be listed. If the patron prefers a different date than the default, they can scroll to the bottom and click “Reserve a different date” to choose from the available options. 

Important Notes for Patrons: 

  • Patrons may only reserve a pass to the same attraction once per calendar year.
  • Each library card may hold up to two active reservations at a time. Once the date of the earliest reservation passes, a new reservation can be made.
  • Ticket availability refreshes often, so checking back regularly is a good idea.

-Erin, Bridgeville Public Library

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Libby Hold Updates Galore

Libby has made some new changes to help clarify what is going on with your holds – and that is great news!

You will now be able to see when a hold is expired or weeded from the collection and give you the option to clean up that hold. Examples of what that will look like are shown below.

The “Clean up hold?” option in red allows you to quickly cancel and clean away those holds.

The next great hold related news is related to those of us who have more than one library card listed on our Libby app. If you have more than one card with more than one library system this one is for you!

Now when you borrow a book but you have it on hold on another card with another system Libby provides the option to cancel that other hold. This is great news as it could free up space on the wait list for other patrons. Now we are all being a part of the solution and isn’t that a great feeling.

We know you like a tidy bookshelf (and hold shelf) just as much as we do so use these helpful new additions to Libby whenever you come across them!

Happy Reading,

~Adrianne, Northland Library

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