To search the FAQ, press Ctrl-F and type a keyword.
|
Q: Are there restrictions on what can be cataloged in Destiny? |
|
|
A: The implementation of a district-wide library
catalog has also forced us to develop some
district-wide guidelines for what should and
should not be added to the catalog. Destiny is a
shared system for managing library media
materials, and for the good of everyone who uses
it, we must limit its use to that function
alone. (It is not to be used for inventory
control of textbooks, general school assets, or
other non-library media items). In order to
clarify the distinction between what are library
media materials and what are not, the Library
Media Education Department and Media Leadership
Team have developed a
Definition of Library Media Materials.
Items that don't fit the definition of library
media center materials will need to be stored
and distributed in a different way, usually
through the subject-area coordinator or textbook
manager at the school. If you need additional
clarification, please contact the Library Media
Education department.
|
|
|
Q: Why are cataloging rights not enabled for parapros? |
|
|
A: Destiny is a union catalog with the title
information/MARC record shared by all schools in
the district. During the Destiny automation
project all school records were converted and
additional "cleaned-up/enhancements" were
purchased in order to have quality records in
our district database. The need for correct,
standardized cataloging is crucial and at this
time only media specialists have been training
on the correct CCSD protocols to use for
creating records in Destiny. Since this is a
change from every previous library automation
software package, and most parapros do not have
professional training in cataloging, and (more
importantly) because the media specialist should
be in charge of any catalog additions or
changes, we do not plan to enable cataloging
rights for parapros.
In Destiny, access levels control the abilities to complete tasks for cataloging, circulation, and other functions. There are five main access levels currently supported for all schools:
We can add or remove certain rights from each of these levels/groups as a whole, however, we cannot assign special rights for individual users (if we change an access right for parapros, it changes for all parapros.) If there is a specific task that you feel all parapros should be able to do but are currently not able to do, please let us know.
|
|
|
Q: What's the deal with interlibrary loan? |
|
|
A: There is currently no district policy or
procedure in place for interlibrary loan. That
does not mean interlibrary loans are not
allowed, it simply means that an official set of
instructions for managing them has yet to be
established. There has been a longstanding
tradition of "informal" interlibrary loan: media
specialists, at their discretion, choosing to
lend things out to folks at other schools. We
hope this will continue, but each media
specialist can decide what items to loan out to
whom. Most media specialists will lend items
generously, but only when it does not interfere
with their own patrons access. (For example,
many media specialists will gladly lend their
video on Explorers to a teacher at another
school, but not if they are planning to co-teach
a lesson on Explorers the following week.)
As media specialists, you can choose to circulate materials to patrons at other schools by deselecting "only my patrons" in circulation and locate the patron (or media specialist) who needs the item. You can then check out your item to them and even change the due date to suit your school's needs. Destiny also makes it very easy to search for titles across the district by allowing you to choose the option to "Look in" all Cobb Media Centers and identify the schools who own copies. You can then just email the media specialist at one of those schools to request it. In certain cases, you may still need to use the DLs for a "do you have the book" purpose. For example, if you have a book challenge, you may need to collect numerous copies very quickly. However, we encourage you to only send a message to the DLs when appropriate.
Finally, know that you are on your own when it comes to getting the materials to and from schools. Usually, the courier does not balk at transporting one book or video in a normal envelope, but it could happen. Also, there is no established system for handling "overdue" items. We encourage everyone to include items owed to other schools in their overdue reports so they can manage those for their patrons. There is no "system" for handling fines or paying for lost items and no means for resolving disputes should any arise. We hope media specialists will continue to loan items, but realize that you do so at your own risk.
|
|