Update OPAC Choices Report

This report is in the Gateway group of reports.

On SirsiDynix Symphony K12 systems, this report is named ”Update Visual Searches.”

The Update OPAC Choices (Updateopac) report contains the following tabs.

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Basic Tab: Reports

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Gateway Search Utility Tab

The SirsiDynix Symphony Workstation server needs to be running to schedule and run this report, or the report will fail. Do not halt the SirsiDynix Symphony Workstation server until the report displays on the finished list.

This report is password protected. If you do not know the password, see your supervisor. This report should only be run after a full system backup.

The Update OPAC Choices report is used to manage the display of gateway element icons. This report runs the gateway element’s search on the current catalog database and marks each of the selected gateway elements for the particular gateway as AVAILABLE or NOT AVAILABLE depending on the number of bibliographic records retrieved by the search. Searches that return a number of catalog hits within the range specified in the report set the status of their corresponding gateway elements to AVAILABLE. Searches returning a number of hits below the minimum or above the maximum thresholds set the status of their corresponding gateway elements to NOT AVAILABLE. Any search which generates an error also sets its corresponding gateway element to NOT AVAILABLE.

The Gateway and Minimum Hit Threshold Selections are required. This report should be scheduled to run periodically if you use the affected gateway element types.

The display of icons for two types of gateway elements are regulated by this report.

Bulletins

Bulletin List Elements are Bulletin type gateway elements that search a single entry ID of the catalog record. The Information Desk entry (598) contains a list name that will be retrieved by the Information Desk gateway element that corresponds to the list name when it is selected by a user. A bulletin list typically contains a list of catalog records which make up a specialized list of information, or a bibliography. The 598 may be used for any type of information that is maintained in a bibliographic record, whether it is for memos, announcements, library hours, or book lists. The 598 bibliographic record entries for book list bibliographies may be updated in batch using the Add Items to Item List report. The Update OPAC Choices report activates or inactivates any selected bulletin type of gateway element based on the number of records retrieved in relation to the Minimum Hit Threshold in the report.

For example, the NEWBOOKS bulletin list contains titles that were cataloged in the previous two weeks. The Add Items to Item List, which is scheduled weekly, first removes all NEWBOOKS on records that currently have the NEWBOOKS 598 entry, then adds the NEWBOOKS Information Desk policy name to titles in the catalog that meet the Date Cataloged selection in this report. If the library’s only cataloger had taken a month of vacation, the Add Items to Item List report would eventually remove all of the NEWBOOKS 598 entries, without adding new ones. The Update OPAC Choices report is also run weekly. When there are no longer any bibliographic records with a NEWBOOKS 598 entry, and the Update OPAC Choices report was run with a Minimum Hit Threshold of 1, the NEWBOOKS gateway element would be set to NOT AVAILABLE, preventing it from displaying to any user whose gateway is defined to display the NEWBOOKS search icon. When the cataloger returned and new books were again added to the list, the Minimum Hit Threshold would be met and the NEWBOOKS element would be changed to AVAILABLE again.

Catalog Access Pre-defined Searches

Pre-defined Catalog Search Elements are gateway elements that search the catalog based on actual searches that are performed dynamically on the complete bibliographic record at the time the pre-defined gateway element is selected. Pre-defined searches may be created for any Catalog Access type of gateway element. When run, the Update OPAC Choices report tests elements of type Search and Term Search from a selected gateway against the catalog. The report is used to activate or inactivate pre-defined OPAC search choices based on the number of records retrieved in relation to the Minimum Hit Threshold in the report.

For example, the library has created numerous pre-defined searches in areas of social work. The Social Work collection is being actively developed because of a recent grant. Since the collection was originally quite small, not many icons would be displayed, but as the new titles were added, more and more of the pre-defined searches should display. The Update OPAC Choices report is run weekly as the collection is added. If Pre-defined Catalog Searches were selected when the report was run with a Minimum Hit Threshold of 1, each of the previously pre-defined search elements would be set to AVAILABLE whenever a new title meeting the specified search criteria could be retrieved by the search.

In SirsiDynix Symphony and SirsiDynix Symphony K12

This report is called Modify Available OPAC Choices in these SirsiDynix Symphony environments. Pre-defined searches are delivered with SirsiDynix Symphony when the ReferenceLIBRARIAN product is purchased in public (Oasis) and school (Ecole) libraries. Searches are organized into standard SirsiDynix Symphony gateway element groups and gateway elements. Hundreds of searches are delivered as gateway elements. The Update OPAC Choices report is particularly useful to customers with ReferenceLIBRARIAN, who use the report to activate or inactivate pre-delivered OPAC search choices to display according to contents and composition of the library’s own catalog collection.

For example, ReferenceLIBRARIAN includes FIND IT FAST gateway categories that contain multiple Pre-defined search strategies and associated icons. If Update OPAC Choices is run, and there are no records in the library’s catalog for a topic, such as Anthropology, then the icon that represents Anthropology does not display. If four was entered as the Minimum hit threshold and only two items were found, then the icon doesn’t display. If items on Anthropology are subsequently added to the collection with bibliographic entries that match the FIND IT FAST Pre-defined search strategy for Anthropology, running this report would then cause that icon to display.