Archive
SpringyCamp is Almost Here!
We are so excited that SpringyCamp is SO CLOSE, but the most exciting bit of info is for you:
There are still a few seats available!
Thursday’s Springovation program has a few seats left, as does Friday’s Techie Talk track.
So join us for awesome presentations, great company, and maybe some campfire songs / ghost stories before we tuck in for the night. 
Register here:
- Springovation: Innovation with Springshare Products
Thursday, May 16th, from 1pm – 4pm U.S. Eastern time - Track C: Techie Talk
Friday, May 17th
LibAnswers Update: June 27th
We’ve been working on some awesome new LibAnswers features that are going to be rolled out Wednesday, June 27, 2012. There will be no system downtime during this code update.
What’s so fabulously awesome about this update?
- Answer Page Redesign: The Answer page has been redesigned & more closely mimics the answering workflow. You’ll *love* the new interface.
- Replies for Public Answers: You asked for it & we heard ya! You can now reply to public answers.
- Email Templates: You’ve wanted to customize the emails that come from your system – now you can!
- Reference Email Management: LibAnswers has a fabulous new email management tool! Set up your email address(es) & the system will pull in any emails sent to those addresses. Patrons ask via email, librarians answer via LibAnswers, and patrons can reply via email.
Emails saved & searchable in your system. One place. All questions. *swoon*Ensure your patrons receive emails from your LibAnswers system by asking your IT department to whitelist 184.173.105.143. Note: This IP changed with this update.
- Improved Dashboard Notifications: See how many unanswered questions await you in your queue right from the Dashboard, queues, or “Add a Transaction” pages.
We created a LibAnswers Update guide so you can get some sneak peeks at everything listed above & check out the list of other enhancements!
Also, did you know that LibChat fully integrates with LibAnswers? Check it out: http://springshare.com/libanswers/
Bet you can’t wait for June 27th now… We can’t either. 
Meebo going away, LibChat coming your way…see it at ALA!
By now you’ve probably heard that Meebo is discontinuing its chat service on July 11, 2012. The good news is that LibChat will be ready before then. The even better news is that is it so super awesome that even if Meebo wasn’t cancelling their chat, you’d still switch to LibChat in a heartbeat!
We know what you’re thinking: “So Springy friends, 1) what can it do and 2) when can we get our hands on it?!”
Well, LibChat’s awesomesauce is made of:
Say hello to LibChat!
- full integration into the LibAnswers reference workflow (including new question / SMS notifications right in the LibChat window!);
- 1-click integration into LibGuides / CampusGuides (embed chat on every public page; embed individual chat in your profile);
- simple integration into any webpage – put your chat at point of need;
- several widget types – easy to use & not Flash based, so they work on non-Flash supported devices (we’re lookin’ at you, Apple);
- multiple queues – create as many as you need (individual & department based);
- chat transfer: transfer in-process chats from one librarian to another (making referrals easy peasy!);
- customizable canned messages;
- transcripts: all chat transcripts are saved & can be analyzed; patrons can also email the transcript to themselves with one click;
- full statistics, including patron ratings;
- …and more!
Of course, one of the prime ingredients in Springshare’s awesomesauce is our outstanding support. Anyone caught by the Meebo chat shut-down can certainly appreciate the full value of having a library-focused company develop & support a library-centric reference solution.
True, it’s not free like Meebo was, but remember that you get what you pay for with free. With real-time reference being an important piece of the library’s mission, we feel it is very important to offer not only a great product, but also incredible service & support and continued product development.
This is where Springshare excels, and we are proud of the fact that we have built a sterling reputation for support & service in the library market. LibChat is no exception, and our clients – new and old – can expect the same awesome service / product / developments from us. We will never abandon you or let you down.
Excited yet? Want to see it in action? Alrighty then – let’s do it!
- Are you going to ALA? Stop by booth 712 and chat with us! Check out all of the awesome features and get your library signed up.
- Not going to ALA? No problem! Email sales@springshare.com and ask for a demo for your library.
LibChat will launch in early July – before Meebo shuts down. Chat with you soon! 
Mobile Site Builder: Now in Multiples!
Things that are good on their own but better in multiples:
- Winning Lottery Numbers
- Ice Cream Scoops
- Vacation Days
- Donuts
- Roses
- When your hometown wins the Superbowl, Stanley Cup, World Series and NBA Finals all in the same year (Not this year Boston!)
- …. and Springshare’s Multiple Mobile Sites Builder!
If you’ve been looking for a way to create multiple mobile sites for your institution, here’s your opportunity: subscribe to Springshare’s multiple Mobile Site Builder sites! Now other departments within, or outside, of your library can create a mobile presence as easy as 1, 2, 3.
What else is new? We’ve integrated all mobile aspects of LibGuides and CampusGuides, so all of your mobile functionality can be found in one place: Admin Stuff > Mobile Settings:
Our Admin Stuff menu has changed a bit - Mobile Settings are now located under the "Customize" heading.
Once there, you’ll be able to modify your mobile settings for your LibGuides/CampusGuides site as well as create/modify your hierarchies for your Mobile Site Builder sites.
LibAnalytics: Customization Galore!
Last week we introduced you to our awesomesauce Cross Tab reports.
This week we’re all about bringing you the cherry on top: customization…and more customization!
1. Custom Ordering of Fields
You’re psyched you have so many options and can really record any data you want – we hear ya, it’s pretty darn sweet. But you also want to put them on the page in any order you want? Done.
For example, if you want to have a multiple choice field of “Location” and want one of the options to be “Other”, now you can put a free text field just under it and have people record what “Other” actually is.
Just think of the options…the freedom! Now go have fun rearranging your instances…
2. Custom Head Section For Each Instance
What to the what now?! Each instance in LibAnalytics now has a custom Head section where you can insert your own custom CSS or JavaScript. Use this field to customize the look and feel of each instance like hiding some fields or labels or creating a different layout. Awesomesauce? Indeed!
A-Z Import Now Pulls in Custom Database Names
This past weekend our friends at Serials Solutions announced that custom database names are available via their API, so we are now able to import those custom values into LibGuides!
The way it works is as follows – if your resource has been assigned a custom name in the Serials Solutions interface, we will import the resource into LibGuides using that custom name. For any resources that do not have a custom name assigned, we will use the default resource name provided by Serials Solutions as we have done in the past.
If you have already imported your resource list and would like to update your existing links to use the custom names, just run the A-Z import tool from within LibGuides and be sure to check the box for all links you wish to update. Any links that were previously imported using the default name will be updated to use your local, custom name – it couldn’t be easier!
If you’d like to learn more about this tool, check out our guide: A-Z Resource List Management
