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Whitney Miller
Facebook hashtags help facilitate conversation
Is your library using Facebook’s new hashtags? Facebook announced last week that it has implemented clickable hashtags to increase social dialogue. Hashtags facilitate conversations by making it easier to view, compare, and participate in what everyone else is talking about.
Most libraries use Facebook to engage and establish relationships with their users. The new hashtag functionality will make it easier to target the right followers and help them join the literary community.
Facebook users can be encouraged to visit #storytime, leave a #bookreview, or to check out this week’s #bestsellers. It is a great way to interact with the community and to promote library events. Make sure to use hashtags for the unique or well-known services your library provides to the community. If you have a #universitybookexchange or #townfilmnight at your library, you can highlight them with your community or library name to ensure your users can find the information they need.
A 2012 report of the American Library Association entitled The 2012 State of America’s Libraries explained how the use of social networking is advantageous to libraries:
Social networking is used to publicize library events such as gaming nights; to alert users to additions to collections; to provide links to articles, videos, or Web content that might prove relevant or helpful to patrons; and to provide a conduit for community information. Social media also play an important role in fostering relationships with the community by allowing patrons to ask questions or provide feedback about library services.
If you want to increase your library’s profile in your community, consider SirsiDynix’s Social Library tool which enables your users to search, place holds, view, and discuss library materials without ever leaving Facebook. Social Library gives you an opportunity to increase registration and circulation by encouraging and simplifying participation—meet your users where they are.
Whitney Miller
Utah Healthy Worksite Award
The Utah Council for Worksite Health Promotion (UCWHP) recently recognized SirsiDynix for its efforts to advocate health and wellness in the work place. We received a Silver Award for taking good care of our employees! 
Why is it so important that the people who work here are happy and healthy? Because happy, healthy employees help us provide the “Best Library User Experience” for every person associated with our company.
We are especially proud of this achievement because SirsiDynix is the only software company recognized by UCWHP this year. Among the list of the 37 recognized companies, 14 are government agencies and an additional 15 are in the health and wellness industry.
“Providing a healthy environment for our employees is one of our highest priorities,” said Carolyn Campbell, our Global Human Resources Manager. “We really work hard to help them feel good about coming to work each day.”
Here are just a few of our BLUE health initiatives:
- Club BLUE – Our Club BLUE break room isn’t just a regular break room. Rather than using a third party to provide vending machines filled with sugary snacks, SirsiDynix’s refrigerators are stocked with company-subsidized healthy food options.
- Monthly contests – We have fun at work. Employees can recharge in Club BLUE with pool tables, dart boards, Ping-Pong tables and gaming systems. SirsiDynix also hosts monthly contests focused on one of these activities.
- Zen room – Stress is a natural part of the work environment, but SirsiDynix employees have access to a Zen room of relaxation. There is a massage chair, soft music, and dimmed lights. We only ask that they don’t fall asleep! This room also serves as a refuge for nursing mothers and for those who are not feeling well.
- Wellness program – The wellness program was put in place to support a healthy social and physical lifestyle. Employees are provided with a health coach that helps them set goals and receive personalized guidance.
- Club and teams – Every day at noon, employees in the walking/running club can lace up their tennis shoes and join others for a 30-minute walk or jog. They may also participate in the after-work golf club and soccer team. These clubs help keep our employees active and provide social opportunities.
- On-site fitness center – There is a fitness center located in our building that is available 24 hours a day for SirsiDynix employees. It is equipped with showers and lockers to complete the package.
- Commuter assistance programs – SirsiDynix supports environmental health by encouraging employees to car pool or to use mass-transit. These efforts help keep the air clean for everyone!
Ben Siler
Horizon 7.5.2 Service Pack 1, HIP 3.23, and HWS 1.4 deliver staff-focused features
We’re pleased to announce the release of Service Pack 1 for Horizon 7.5.2. Service Pack 1 features enhancements and fixes our Horizon libraries have identified as especially important; each enhancement or fix was designed to make work easier for Horizon library staff (we know that many of you will be especially excited about the HIP PIN Reset). We'd like to thank each of the librarians and library staff members who contributed their insights and experience to this release.
For a full list of enhancements and fixes, see the Horizon 7.5.2 Service Pack 1 release notes in the SirsiDynix Support Center. For an overview of some of the most notable enhancements, see below:
- Spanish support in Horizon client installer – The Horizon client installer now includes Spanish as an install language. This enhancement allows libraries to set up Spanish language versions of the Horizon client without performing technical customizations of language files.
- Canadian French translation updates – The Canadian French translations throughout Horizon have been updated with feedback from Horizon libraries in Canada.
- PIN Reset feature for HIP – Libraries can allow library users to reset their PINs through HIP. This feature is available for each library profile, and libraries can specify different PIN reset email templates based on profile and locale. In addition, the text for buttons and messages associated with this feature can be customized through interface variables.
- Generating hold notices – Horizon now checks the hold notice type when a requested item is checked in. If the library user who placed the hold has changed his or her preferred notification method since the request was created, the hold notice type is updated to reflect this change.
- SMS product fixes – Several issues related to generating SMS text message notices and editing patron SMS phone numbers have been resolved.
- Deleting patron records with blocks – Previous to Horizon 7.5.2, libraries could delete patron records as long as the patrons did not have a “claims returned”, “lost block”, or “amount owed” tag attached to their records. A change was made in part of Horizon that made it impossible to delete a patron record if that record had any blocks at all. This has been fixed so that deleting a patron record works as it did previously.
In conjunction with Service Pack 1 for Horizon 7.5.2, we’re releasing Horizon Web Services 1.4. This version of Horizon Web Services contains enhancements and updates designed to support the new features in Service Pack 1. See the Horizon Web Services 1.4 release notes or the updated Horizon Web Services Reference Guide on the SirsiDynix Support Portal for more info, or see the summary of new features below:
- PIN Reset – Horizon Web Services includes new web services, allowing external clients to generate and service PIN reset requests from library users.
- Due Date for itemInfo – The ItemInfo response includes the due date and time for a checked out item. Sometimes, however, due time values are not supplied. When a due time value is not supplied, the itemInfo response will include 23:59:59 as the default due time to indicate the item is due by the end of the due date.
Horizon Web Services 1.4 can be installed on any system running HIP 3.23 and Horizon 7.5.2 Service Pack 1 or later.
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