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Catch up on the latest news from SWAN, as well as upcoming events.
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April 6, 2021    Vol. 4, Issue 3

SWAN Board Election: 2 Representatives

The SWAN Board will have 2 open seats on July 1st and we are seeking library directors/administrators interested in participating in SWAN's governance.

The self-nomination form is on SWAN Support; look under the About > Information for Board Members. From there you can read about board responsibilities, committees, and policies.

If you have questions about the serving on the SWAN Board, feel free to reach out to current representatives listed using the Information for Board Members web-page. The representatives Stacy Wittmann from Eisenhower Public Library District, and Julie Milavec from Downers Grove Public Library have reached the end of their second terms. We thank them both for serving!

SWAN Budget Approved & Good News for EBSCO Database Group-Purchase!


The SWAN Membership approved the budget via electronic ballot. There were 69 approval votes, 0 no votes, and 1 vote to abstain. 

The good news for libraries participating in the EBSCO database deal is that the total negotiated price for the database package is $429,006 for the 84 participating public libraries, which is $21,578 lower than we had anticipated. The pricing for the libraries participating has been updated and is posted with the approved SWAN budget and membership fees for the July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022 year.

Libraries participating in the EBSCO database subscription will have an opportunity to confirm their database selection or make changes. Look for details to be shared at the Tuesday, April 27th Fireside chat and an announcement. Database selections will run from May 3rd through May 16th.

You can access the updated EBSCO pricing on SWAN Support, along with next year's membership fees, under the About > Budget & Fees. Look for the "Upcoming fiscal year - July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022" section for the updated EBSCO year-2 pricing, along with the membership fees and budget.

Illinois State Library Annual Certification Now in Progress


All SWAN members must complete the annual online certification process by May 15 to continue to receive RAILS services and Illinois State Library (ISL) grants. This year, members use L2 to complete certification, and libraries will no longer need a separate login to certify. Complete the FY2020 ILLINET ILL Statistical Survey before starting the certification form. See detailed instructions and reporting data for SWAN libraries on the ILLINET Traffic Survey page of our support site. 

See the RAILS website for more information. Deadline to complete is May 15 2021.
 

SWAN Aspen Discovery Update

SWAN is hosting an update on the Aspen pilot project for SWAN member libraries. We'll cover what has been happening during the Aspen pilot, new features that SWAN has added, and most importantly -- your questions!

Submit your questions in advance. 

Questions submitted in advance through the survey will get priority. Register within our GoToMeeting system and you will be sent a meeting link via email, along with reminders of the online event.
Register for April 14th Meeting

Online Consulting Hours


More opportunities to connect, share, and learn have been added to the SWAN calendar. Register on L2. By registering in advance on L2, we can reach out before the sessions to target specific questions and topics of interest. 

Office Hours
Open office hours are informal and intended to provide an opportunity for members to bring questions and work on problem-solving together. Staff will share their favorite tips and tricks during these sessions and will incorporate questions/suggestions received in advance. Special Sessions, Training, & Consultation
  • ILL Boot Camp (1 hr) - this 4-part series covers managing non-SWAN interlibrary loan borrowing and lending
  • BLUEcloud Analytics for Directors (1 hr) - this 3-part series is targeted for Directors who want to better assess their collection and review circulation activity and trends
  • Academic & Special Library Consultation (2 hr) - offered in May, August, and November. These sessions provide training and specific workflow processes that are unique to academic and special libraries. SWAN staff supporting cataloging, circulation, electronic resources, and policies will be available.
Be sure to check out all SWAN user groups, tutorials & training, and gatherings on the SWAN Support Site, and on L2. If you are not able to attend, meeting agenda, supplemental material, and recordings are posted online. 

New! Interactive Training: Circulation Basics & Cataloging Serials 

Two additional online courses designed for self-paced learning with interactive exercises have been launched. These are great introductory courses for new staff, as well as reminders and reinforcement for anyone involved in cataloging and circulation.
Thanks to Claudia Nickson, Bibliographic Services Consultant, and Crystal Vela, User Experience Consultant, for their continued commitment to learning - and making it fun along the way.

Cataloging and Serials

Circulation

Each course includes a course companion guide which captures the core content. The online courses present this core content, along with - embedded videos, simulations, and reinforcement exercises. 

All SWAN training and tutorial resources are available under Meetings & Trainings > Tutorials & Training Resources on the SWAN Support Site. Be sure to log in with your L2 account to access all SWAN member content, including these training resources.

SWAN Board Meeting Recap


The March 19th SWAN Board meeting ratified the membership approval of the FY22 SWAN budget. As noted above, the membership fees and EBSCO fees are posted for libraries.

SWAN took an important step of approving a 3-year agreement with ByWater Solutions for the Aspen Discovery catalog. Previously, SWAN had contracted for the one-time setup and training on Aspen, which included software development of a number of features. SWAN is now under an official support contract with ByWater Solutions and a fixed annual price for Aspen Discovery support.

You can watch a recording of the SWAN Board meeting online from the Support page Meetings & Documents listed for the March 19th date.

How to Get in Touch with SWAN

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When to Call 844-792-6542 (844-SWAN-LIB)
  • A service is down
  • Circulation is impacted
  • Unable to perform key job functions
When to Open a Ticket
  • Questions and troubleshooting
  • Report request
  • Enterprise changes
  • Integrating new services
Known Issues
SWAN Staff Contact Details
Copyright © 2017 SWAN - System Wide Automated Network, All rights reserved.

We're located at 
800 Quail Ridge
Westmont, IL 60559

Our staff support website is
http://support.swanlibraries.net

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This email is edited and published by SWAN staff.
Call SWAN at (630)326-7122 with questions or for more information.