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OpenRS Updates

OpenRS Updates

Hello and Welcome to your OpenRS Update!

OpenRS Update for August 16, 2024

Hello and Welcome to your OpenRS Update!

Testing, Testing, Testing...

Work this week with our testing sites continued as additional refinements have been made and deployed.

Development has installed a new release that will fix an OAI-PMHissue for ingesting instances into the OpenRS catalog. The fix will address reports by numerous MOBIUS libraries about instances missing from the union catalog. This is being tested and if needed, refinements will be made. Once this work is completed other, minor system adjustments will be made as necessary.

System Update Reminders (Too Important Not To List)

The MOBIUS office is working with EBSCO and K-INT to provide a list of all OpenRS requests each day. Those can be found here. This is being done until such time as this information can be output from the system by each member library as needed. The MOBIUS office is working on a way to breakout this data per library in a more usable format. Stay tuned!

A list of OpenRS issues is now available. This will be updated multiple times per week as we meet with EBSCO and K-INT staff and as issues are added/removed/addressed in detail. Keep in mind this is not the Road Map, which is a separate document. As we make our way through the list of issues, we'll turn more fully to the Road Map as many of our MOBIUS issues are also on the Road Map.

If a library returns a book that was expired off of the holdshelf or if the patron simply does not want the item and was not checked out, well, here's an idea. The item should be returned with"Unwanted" written on the bookband or the label to the library that sent the material to you. The book will still have a hold on it at the owning library. On arrival at the owning library the staff should note the "Unwanted" text. That should be their sign to look for the virtual patron that has a hold on the book and check it out to the patron and then back in, this will clear the hold and allow it to be put back on the shelf.

There is a document you should bookmark if you would like a better understand of the criteria for contribution, suppression and requesting items in the OpenRS DCB union catalog, right here.


OpenRS Update for August 9, 2024

The Work Continues...

Additional insights & work on duplicate handling took place this week and plans were finalized to make software changes in the next sprint. This should result in another noticeable drop in the error rate.

While all requesting and circulation issues are still priority #1, another group is working on the union catalog related reports. The primary areas include unexpected clustering, missing holdings, indexing and search issues. As the requesting and circulation rate of errors decreases, additional attention will be spent on union catalog related reports.

OpenRS Workaround

If a library returns a book that was expired off of the holdshelf or if the patron simply does not want the item and was not checked out, well, here's an idea. The item should be returned with"Unwanted" written on the bookband or the label to the library that sent the material to you. The book will still have a hold on it at the owning library. On arrival at the owning library the staff should note the "Unwanted" text. That should be their sign to look for the virtual patron that has a hold on the book and check it out to the patron and then back in, this will clear the hold and allow it to be put back on the shelf.

System Updates

The MOBIUS office is working with EBSCO and K-INT to provide a list of all OpenRS requests each day. Those can be found here. This is being done until such time as this information can be output from the system by each member library as needed.

A list of OpenRS issues is now available. This will be updated multiple times per week as we meet with EBSCO and K-INT staff and as issues are added/removed/addressed in detail. Keep in mind this is not the Road Map, which is a separate document. As we make our way through the list of issues, we'll turn more fully to the Road Map as many of our MOBIUS issues are also on the Road Map.


OpenRS Update for August 2, 2024

Continued Progress...

The numbers reflected in the chart above reflect an uptick in errors over last weekend heading into the first part of the week, but like many things in life, we need to look deeper. Some of these errors are the same patrons repeatedly attempting to place the same request after the first one doesn't go through, so while we can applaud their persistence, the actual number of folks who are encountering error messages are fewer than what they may seem on first glance.

The development teams are working at creating new ways in which requests may succeed, building in additional flexibility into the system. As those issues are resolved and messaging to patrons are refined, errors in the short term may go up but should go back down as additional fixes are deployed.

We have been working with two standalone sites that continue to have configuration issues. We had a breakthrough with one of them this week as we resolved an issue of new virtual records on their Sierra system creating new items that were suppressed. This has been resolved on the local system. Second, we're working with another site on their Single Sign-On issues and we hope to resolve those early next week.

The error rate continues to trend downward.

System Updates

The EBSCO / K-INT teams deployed updates this week including:

  • Supplier-side cancellation - The first part is now working - this capability allows detection of the supplier cancellation so that OpenRS can cancel the request in the borrowing library. The second phase of this work is being tested now - which is to perform what is commonly known as “re-request”, in other words, automatically place the request on other holdings libraries.

Updated Road Map (Ahead)

An updated OpenRS Road Map is coming and once we have that we will make it available on the OpenRS wiki.


OpenRS Update for July 26, 2024

Trending Down...

Since the beginning of July, the error rate has dropped 5x with the overall trend continuing downward to about a 2.5% error rate over the last week. We have also seen a corresponding drop in the variation of the types of errors allowing for increased focus on the thorniest issues.

A large percentage of issues continue to be related to configuration. The development team is working with individual libraries to understand the cases and advise on solutions. As the configuration issues get resolved, the error rate will continue to drop.

In addition to the primary focus of identifying root causes for errors and resolving them, the development teams are working on feature development.

System Updates

The EBSCO / K-INT teams deployed updates this week including:

  • Supplier-side cancellation – The first part of this capability allows detection of the supplier cancellation so that OpenRS can cancel the request in the borrowing library. The second phase of this work is up next in the roadmap which is to perform what is commonly known as “re-request”, in other words, automatically place the request on other holdings libraries.

  • Polaris multi-part response handling within OpenRS.

Updated Road Map (Ahead)

An updated OpenRS Road Map is coming and once we have that we will make it available on the OpenRS wiki.

MCO Open Hours - if you have OpenRS Questions, come and ask!

The MCO Open Hours session from Monday, July 22nd is available for your review.

The MCO Open Hours session from Thursday, July 25th is available for your review as well.

The links above require the infamous MOBIUS password you all should know about by now. If you need it, of course, get in touch!

Upcoming Open Hours sessions are scheduled for:

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Your Friendly Reminder Section

If We Have It, It Is On The Wiki

As you know, you should, you really, really should bookmark this page on the OpenRS wiki. What you should look for this week on the wiki:

Check these out and watch that wiki space for more updates as we move forward.


OpenRS Troubleshooting Document

Click to check out the Google Doc.

Created by MOBIUS on July 25, 2024


MOBIUS Life Cycle of a Request

Click to check out the Google Doc.

Created by MOBIUS on June 11, 2024

Updated by MOBIUS on July 25, 2024


OpenRS Update for July 19, 2024

Fine Tuning & More

Since the last update, we seen a steady drop in the overall number of errors per day and more relief is in sight as we’ve made progress on the underlying root causes of the errors we have been seeing.

System Updates

We've had issues with holds going through without a virtual patron record (as brief as they are). After further analysis, EBSCO and K-INT are designing on a solution that will address what is believed to be the root cause of this issue, specifically, the time it takes for each system to communicate successfully with one another. Currently, OpenRS is receiving the record number back but not all of the data. That will be changing shortly.

Following up on the outstanding issue of checking material out to the supplying library failing in Sierra, a solution was arrived at that does not require a change in Sierra. The OpenRS coding change should be available by the time you read this or on Monday.

Testing the manual selection of items as part of the requesting process has begun. Depending on how this evolves this this change should roll out to the production environment by the time you read this or very early next week.

Patron cancellations has been tested in staging this week and should be available shortly . This will result in a drop in the overall error rate.

We are continuing to investigate other areas of failures with a bit more focus on Polaris issues.

All of this work should result in a drop in the overall error rate.

Also expected soon is a document that identifies steps to resolve specific OpenRS errors. These will be collected and refined into a set of procedures for how to resolve these specific cases. Given the rapid pace of change here this document will be an ongoing, evolving set of instructions for the time being.

Updated Road Map (Ahead)

An updated OpenRS Road Map is coming and once we have that we will make it available on the OpenRS wiki.

MCO Open Hours - if you have OpenRS Questions, come and ask!

The MCO Open Hours session from Monday, July 15th is available for your review.

The MCO Open Hours session from Thursday, July 18th is available for your review as well.

Upcoming Open Hours sessions (the links below contain the Zoom info you need) are scheduled for:

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Your Friendly Reminder Section

If We Have It, It Is On The Wiki

As you know, you should, you really, really should bookmark this page on the OpenRS wiki. What you should look for this week on the wiki:

Check these out and watch that wiki space for more updates as we move forward.


OpenRS Update for June 28, 2024

Things Change Daily!

Work continues and troubleshooting is happening at a rapid pace with OpenRS., Right now we have 71 libraries who are setup for borrowing and 71 libraries who are setup for lending via OpenRS.

From "Contribution To Selectable" On All Systems

If you would like to see a document that highlights what happens on the local system to allow things to be viewed as well as requested in OpenRS, well, we have the document for you for you to bookmark!

Coming Up

It is a bit of a repeat from last week, but it is still true that the OpenRS folks are working on the following right now (this list is NOT comprehensive), but these are due in the near term. The developers are updating the OpenRS software multiple times per week right now:

OpenRS Working Group..."Numquam Obliviscar"

UPDATE, June 25th: The OpenRS Working Group has been retired. In its place the OpenRS Beta Development Group will soon be forming. Stay tuned for those details in a future newsletter update.

All Things Wiki

As you know, you should, you really, really should bookmark this page on the OpenRS wiki. What you should look for this week on the wiki:

Check these out and watch that wiki space for more updates as we move forward.

OpenRS Road Map Is On The Wiki!

At the MOBIUS Conference earlier this month there was a presentation on the OpenRS Roadmap. And while we know many of you were in attendance for that presentation on Tuesday, we know you might like to refer to it again. So, without further ado, click here to download the PDF version of the presentation. Of course, check out the wiki for all-things related to OpenRS and MOBIUS.

Day 1 OpenRS Functionality PowerPoint is on the Wiki

We have a document from EBSCO and K-INT on Day 1 Functionality and what we can expect to go live with on June 12th. This is the same PowerPoint that was shown at the OpenRS session on April 25th. That can be found on the wiki. If you can't download the PowerPoint,please get in touch and we will send it to you.

The Second OpenRS Training Video

Earlier this month we saw the release of the second OpenRS training video highlighting resource sharing between the University of Missouri (FOLIO) and St. Louis County Library (Polaris). That video can be found here (on Dropbox) and here (Vimeo). For the Vimeo link you will need to use the "MOBIUS password" that we use for just about everything. If you need help, please reach out to the Help Desk.

OpenRS Training Video (aka OpenRS Training Video #1)

We have the training video for the standalone libraries (those remaining on Sierra andPolaris) who will be the first to connect with and test OpenRS. As this rolls out, we'll connect all of the Polaris and Sierra standalone libraries and then work with FOLIO.

So, if you are a standalone library (or, even if you're not), you can checkout the videofeaturing our friends at West Des Moines Public Library (Sierra) and St. Louis County Library (Polaris).

Please note that if you are a Polaris or Sierra standalone library, as you watch the video you may have questions or feedback. We have a form for that, so if you need it, get in touch and we'll get it to you.

Created by MOBIUS on 6/28/24.


OpenRS Update for June 21, 2024

OpenRS & The TO-DO List

Just because a goal has been met doesn't mean that the thing is done. So even though OpenRS is now available, the work behind the scenes to refine, enhance, build out, and keep developing continues unabated. Right now (with more on the way) we have 68 libraries who are setup for borrowing and 71 libraries who are setup for lending via OpenRS.

So, What's Next? Like Right Around The Corner, Next?

The OpenRS folks are working on the following right now (this list is NOT comprehensive), but these are due in the near term. The developers are updating the OpenRS software multiple times per week right now:

  • The Author Index is being enhanced and it will be rebuilt. However, there will be no downtime since it will be built in parallel and then "swapped" into place when it is ready.

  • Patron side request cancellation (followed by Supplier side cancellation).

  • Additional enhancements to the OpenRS' Admin console so configurations of each library can be evaluated and modified as needed. It

  • Customization of labels for credential prompts

  • Further development to more efficiently "On Board" and "Off Board" libraries.

OpenRS Working Group...

The OpenRS Working Group is being retired. In its place the OpenRS Beta Development Group will soon be forming. Stay tuned for those details in a future newsletter update.

All Things Wiki

As you know, you should, you really, really should bookmark this page on the OpenRS wiki. What you should look for this week on the wiki:

Check these out and watch that wiki space for more updates as we move forward.

Hey Hey See Our Too! (aka AACR2)

We're trending (in the world or library automation).

OpenRS Road Map Is On The Wiki!

At the MOBIUS Conference earlier this month there was a presentation on the OpenRS Roadmap. And while we know many of you were in attendance for that presentation on Tuesday, we know you might like to refer to it again. So, without further ado, click here to download the PDF version of the presentation. Of course, check out the wiki for all-things related to OpenRS and MOBIUS.

Day 1 OpenRS Functionality PowerPoint is on the Wiki

We have a document from EBSCO and K-INT on Day 1 Functionality and what we can expect to go live with on June 12th. This is the same PowerPoint that was shown at the OpenRS session on April 25th. That can be found on the wiki. If you can't download the PowerPoint,please get in touch and we will send it to you.

The Second OpenRS Training Video

Earlier this month we saw the release of the second OpenRS training video highlighting resource sharing between the University of Missouri (FOLIO) and St. Louis County Library (Polaris). That video can be found here (on Dropbox) and here (Vimeo). For the Vimeo link you will need to use the "MOBIUS password" that we use for just about everything. If you need help, please reach out to the Help Desk.

OpenRS Training Video (aka OpenRS Training Video #1)

We have the training video for the standalone libraries (those remaining on Sierra andPolaris) who will be the first to connect with and test OpenRS. As this rolls out, we'll connect all of the Polaris and Sierra standalone libraries and then work with FOLIO.

So, if you are a standalone library (or, even if you're not), you can checkout the videofeaturing our friends at West Des Moines Public Library (Sierra) and St. Louis County Library (Polaris).

Please note that if you are a Polaris or Sierra standalone library, as you watch the video you may have questions or feedback. We have a form for that, so if you need it, get in touch and we'll get it to you.

Created by MOBIUS on June 21, 2024


OpenRS Update for June 14, 2024

OpenRS is...ALIVE!

Let's take a moment and acknowledge that Mel Brooks is a national treasure. He is a certifiable genius. Check out hisWikipedia page. It is an embarrassment of riches. He's helped define comedy in the last half of the 20th century and at 97 years old, he is still working hard and making his mark today. I couldn't help but think of the famous scenein "Young Frankenstein" earlier this week You know the one. You know why. Of course you do. Even if you haven't seen the movie, you know the scene. Gene Wilder at his zenith. The man had range. Utterly brilliant.

And so, OpenRS went live on Wednesday and it's..ALIVE!Considering that ours was the WORLD PREMIER of a new multi-platform, public-facing product that works with three different systems on Day 1. Well, that's something. In fact, you might even say it is close to Brooksian. One Day 1 we had close to 500 requests come in and double that on Day 2. Some errors are showing up and those are being analyzed in the Admin Console and adjustments are being made to individual configurations and Circulation Rules. We're all learning a lot, fine tuning, and improving the patron experience. Meanwhile, development continues. Things will be a little crazy for awhile but rest assured, it's alive.

Important Programming Note

The issues of preventing libraries who are not participating with OpenRS on Day 1 from requesting materials via the OpenRS catalog has been resolved. Going forward, patrons from these libraries should be prevented from placing requests in the system until they are ready to "go live" with OpenRS.

All Things Wiki

As you know, you should, you really, really should bookmark this page on the OpenRS wiki. What you should look for this week on the wiki:

Check these out and watch that wiki space for more updates as we move forward.

Hey Hey See Our Too! (aka AACR2)

We're trending (in the world or library automation).

The Week That Was & Continues To Be

  • Friday, June 7th, all testing of OpenRS (placing requests and processing them in the local system) will stop at the end of the day

  • Monday, June 10th, the OpenRS team will work with the libraries to close outstanding test requests and remove any and all virtual records in preparation for Wednesday's go live

  • Monday, June 10th, the OpenRS team will finalize the list of libraries going live on Wednesday

  • Tuesday, June 11th, the final update to OpenRS (before go live) will be deployed

  • Tuesday, June 11th, the notification on the OpenRS Locate catalog will be removed

  • Tuesday, June 11th, the team will verify and amend as needed the ingest status of all libraries going live on Wednesday

  • Tuesday, June 11th, the MOBIUS office will release a document for workflow handling and materials management with regard to OpenRS

  • Tuesday, June 11th, the MOBIUS office will begin using the OpenRS administrative console to monitor system performance and troubleshoot any potential issues beginning on Wednesday

  • Wednesday, June 12th, the pass-through search will be enabled as part of go live

  • Wednesday, June 12th, the team will triage any issues that arise and provide feedback to the development team on any necessary adjustments that will be required going forward

  • Wednesday, June 12th - Friday, June 14th, the OpenRS team and the MOBIUS office will be monitoring system performance and providing any and all support as necessary

OpenRS Road Map Is On The Wiki!

At the MOBIUS Conference earlier this month there was a presentation on the OpenRS Roadmap. And while we know many of you were in attendance for that presentation on Tuesday, we know you might like to refer to it again. So, without further ado, click here to download the PDF version of the presentation. Of course, check out the wiki for all-things related to OpenRS and MOBIUS.

Day 1 OpenRS Functionality PowerPoint is on the Wiki

We have a document from EBSCO and K-INT on Day 1 Functionality and what we can expect to go live with on June 12th. This is the same PowerPoint that was shown at the OpenRS session on April 25th. That can be found on the wiki. If you can't download the PowerPoint,please get in touch and we will send it to you.

The Second OpenRS Training Video

Earlier this month we saw the release of the second OpenRS training video highlighting resource sharing between the University of Missouri (FOLIO) and St. Louis County Library (Polaris). That