Agenda
2003 Polaris Users Group Conference
September 18 - 21, 2003
Wyndham - Syracuse
6302 Route 298
East Syracuse, NY 13057
315/432-0200

 Wednesday, September 17, 2003 

9:30 - 2:30

Firewalls & Security - GIS Headquarters

 NOTE: This class is sponsored by GIS Information Systems. Contact your Site Manager to register.

3:00 - 4:30

GIS Open House - GIS Headquarters

Thursday, September 18, 2003

7:30 - 8:30

Breakfast (provided) - Michigan Room

8:30 - 9:00

Welcome - Sylvia Lee, Polaris Users Group Chair - Huron/Ontario Rooms 

9:00 - 9:30

Welcome - Bill Schickling, President, GIS Information Systems - Huron/Ontario Rooms 

9:30 - 10:15

Libraries as Iinnovative Creators of Technology - David Lankes, Director, Information Institute of Syracuse - Syracuse University - Huron/Ontario Rooms

 Librarians are in a unique position to be innovative creators of technology, not just consumers. Working with each other and with their vendors, and by being aware of advances in other fields, librarians can define and design new uses for technology in their communities. Dr. Lankes will challenge us to think in new ways about our role as technologists.

10:15 - 10:45

Break (provided) - Michigan Room

10:45 - 11:45

General Session - The Polaris Product Analysts Show and Tell - The Polaris Product Design Team, with Candy Zemon, GIS Senior Product Strategist, moderating - Huron/Ontario Rooms

What is Polaris 3.0, PowerPAC Children’s Version, etc. all about?

12:00 - 1:00

Lunch (provided) - Michigan Room

1:00 - 2:00

Product Management Update - Candy Zemon, GIS Senior Product Strategist - Huron/Ontario Rooms

Latest news on future releases and Polaris product planning.

2:00 - 2:30

Break (provided) - Michigan Room

2:30 - 4:00

Status of Enhancement Process - Maryam Phillips, Vice Chair of Polaris Users Group - Huron/Ontario Rooms

4:00 - 5:00

What’s Up With Polaris Customer Operations? - Brad Rogers, Director Polaris Customer Operations - Huron/Ontario Rooms

I-net, Extranet, and use of the listservs

5:30 - 7:00 p.m.

Vendor reception at the hotel - Michigan/Ontario Rooms

Come and meet Polaris partners in their booths.  Learn about how they can enhance your Polaris installation, improve your customer service and make life easier for your staff.

Friday, September 19, 2003

7:30 - 8:45

Breakfast (provided) - Michigan Room

8:00 - 8:45

PUG Closed Session I - Sylvia Lee - Michigan Room

9:00 - 10:15

Cataloging Tips & Tricks - Susan Leigh, Lower Merion Library System - Huron Room

Participate in a discussion on how to “do it good”.  Come prepared to share and ask questions.  Learn from customer experts!

The Pros and Cons of using thin client and terminals servers - Dana Hines, CLAN - Ontario Room

Are thin clients really a return to the old "dumb terminal" model, or are they smart way of taming and centralizing all of those unruly PCs? Understand the benefits and disadvantages of the two approaches as well as how to estimate the life cycle costs associated with each.

Technology Showcase - Anita Wagner, GIS - Erie Room

Hear up-to-date information on new industry trends for library professionals about current products or what vendors envision for the future.  Two vendors will make half-hour presentations.

10:15 - 10:30

Break (provided) - Michigan Room

10:30 - 11:45

Circulation Tips & Tricks - Carrie Herrmann, Boone County Public Library - Huron Room

Facilitated by one of our Circulation Champions, this open discussion is your opportunity to share favorite tips and tricks with other Polaris Customers. 

10 Ways to Make Your Polaris System More Secure - Larry Neal, Clinton-Macomb Public Library - Ontario Room

Firewalls, placement within your library, passwording, etc.  Find the perfect balance for easy appropriate access, while keeping the hackers out.

Technology Showcase - Anita Wagner, GIS - Erie Room

Hear up-to-date information on new industry trends for library professionals about current products or what vendors envision for the future.  Two vendors will make half-hour presentations.

Out with Dial-up, In with EDI - Jennifer Chandler, Lexington Public Library - Superior Room

Vendors have been urging librarians to order materials on-line for several years, using everything from dial-up programs to shopping carts on web sites.  Take a look at how Polaris Acquisitions uses EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) to replace those vendor-specific methods with an integrated ordering process.

12:15 - 1:45

Lunch (provided) - GIS Update - Bill Schickling, President, GIS Information Systems - Michigan Room 

2:00 - 3:15

System Administration Tips & Tricks - Brad Westmoreland, St. Tammany Parish Library - Huron Room

Join other system administrators to talk about best practices for managing your Polaris system.  From routine backups, upgrades, hardware, software, share ideas with your colleagues on how to they divide up system administration duties.

Z39.50/NCIP/Zing: Cataloging and Connecting to Your Neighbors - Joanne Langston, St. Tammany Parish Library - Ontario Room

Learn how you can participate in reciprocal borrowing with Polaris and non-Polaris libraries.  Find out how NCIP will impact resource sharing in the near future.

PACs Tips & Tricks  - Mary Martin, County College of Morris - Erie Room

This facilitated discussion will focus on how Polaris customers have linked the Polaris PowerPAC to their library web site and have customized their PACs.  Hear about how libraries have used enriched content to make PAC more user-friendly and appealing.

You’re Not the Authority in Authority Control - Sherry Knight, Euless Public Library - Superior Room

With the ability to import records, how can you maintain the integrity of your bibliographic database?  Hear how authority control works and the implications to your database if you don’t pay attention.

3:15 - 3:45

Break (provided) - Michigan Room

3:45 - 5:00

Keeping Staff in the Knowledge Loop - Maryam Phillips, MCLINC - Huron Room

How do you keep staff informed about changes, updates and glitches?  Hear how other Polaris customers communicate with staff.

Smart Cards - Vicki Terbovich, Maricopa County Library District - Ontario Room

Library cards are good for more than just checking out library materials. Hear how smart card technology can help you schedule and control Internet stations; and function as a debit card system for printing, photocopying and fine payments.

Reference 'round the Clock - Juliane Morian, Clinton-Macomb Public Library - Erie Room

With 24/7 business activity becoming more common, libraries are looking for ways to serve their customers around the clock.  Using the library’s web site and LSSI software and staff you can offer live reference help twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week.  Come hear about one Polaris customer’s experience.

Self Check - Margaret Hazel, Eugene Public Library - Superior Room

See how Polaris customers are using self-check.  With decreasing budgets and increasing circulation many libraries are using self-check to reduce staff costs.  Customers used to a “do-it-yourself” work environment enjoy checking out their own library materials as well as the privacy self-check offers.

6:30 p.m.

GIS President’s Reception (buffet dinner at the hotel)

Saturday, September 20, 2003 

7:30 - 8:30

Breakfast (provided) - Michigan Room

8:45 - 10:00

PUG Closed Session II - Michigan Room

10:00 - 10:30

Break (provided) - Michigan Room

10:30 - 11:45

Tips & Tricks for Medium Sized Libraries - Deb Mitchell, Warren County-Vicksburg Public Library, Facilitator - Huron Room

Customer Service and Notification - Christine Lind Hage, Clinton-Macomb Public Library - Ontario Room

Empowered customers enjoy placing holds, electronic notification, and self-service hold pick-ups.  Dead beats are less thrilled about contacts from the collection agency.  Hear how one library streamlines the delivery of holds and notifications.

Tips & Tricks for Large Libraries - Sylvia Lee, Southern Oregon Library Information System, Facilitator - Erie Room

Tips & Tricks for Small Libraries - Susan Hill, Paulding County Carnegie Library, Facilitator - Superior Room

12:00 - 1:00

Lunch (provided) - Michigan Room

1:00 - 2:15

Acquisitions/Serials Tips & Tricks - Joanne Langston, St. Tammany Parish Library, Facilitator - Huron Room

Even if you aren’t using acquisitions this is an opportunity to hear about how other Polaris customers are using it.  This informal discussion is your opportunity to ask questions and get practical help.

Upgrade Tips & Tricks - Maryam Phillips, MCLINC, Facilitator - Ontario Room

Preparing for an upgrade is crucial.  Hear from GIS migration experts and customers on what you need to consider before making a move.

Brainstorm with Polaris Product Analysts - Erie/Superior Rooms

PUG will be submitting a formal enhancement list to GIS, but here is an opportunity to brainstorm with Polaris Product Analysts about where library integrated systems are or should be going.   Put your thinking/dreaming hats on and dream of the library of the future.  Where should we be going?  What should we be doing?  What will our customers want?  No answers promised.  Don’t focus on nitty gritty.  Bring sample questions for consideration.

2:15 - 2:45

Break (provided)

2:45 - 3:45

Dashboard Tips & Tricks - Glennys Button, Hershey Public Library, Facilitator - Huron Room

Meet with fellow customers to talk about how other Polaris customers are using their dashboards.  Bring screen prints of your dashboards.

Training - Lesta Sue Hardee and Cindy Harrington, Chapin Memorial Library - Ontario Room

Training is never done.  From the moment you finish your initial training, you must begin to plan on how to train your entire current staff as well as future staff.  Printed training manuals, train the trainer programs, on the job/desk training or video training, all are viable methods.  Here is an opportunity to see how others are managing training.

Tin Cans, No String!!....One Case for Using Wireless High speed Mobile Internet Services for Staff and Customer Use, with Bookmobile Services at Maricopa County Library District - Vicki Terbovich, Maricopa County Library District - Erie/Superior Rooms

This presentation will cover the use of Wireless both for WAN and LAN, linking staff in real time to customer information from the library automation database, and allowing the same suite of resources for Maricopa County's Outreach.

3:45 - 4:45

Ask Bill - Erie/Superior Rooms

Here’s your chance to talk with President Bill Schickling

Questions submitted in advance to the Polaris Users Group website will be answered at this time.

4:45 - 5:00

Closing Remarks from Steering Committee - Sylvia Lee - Erie/Superior Rooms

** Election results announced **

5:00 - 7:00

Free Time 

7:00 p.m.

Dinner with your Site Manager (Dutch Treat)