Don’t worry, we have your back, but we take security very seriously, even for your library catalog. The first step to take when you cannot log into an Alexandria website is to try using the password reset option. Alexandria can send a link to the user email so long as an email has been entered for the login account. The second alternative is to ask if anyone else has credentials or access. This may even be someone at the district level. There is usually a person in charge that has access to your school site(s) and can help you get started by creating an administrative account!

If neither of the above are options then we can provide access, but we will need to make sure that the person requesting access should have access to the site. We will require that any applicant include a notarized identity verification which we will keep on file. This process may take up to 48 hours so patience is a must. See Password Management Best Practices.

We have written up a best practices support page that outlines the steps that should be taken to ensure that all users of our programs have access from trusted sources and also access to backup methods in case passwords are forgotten or staff changes are necessary. See Password Management Best Practices.

Start by exporting the necessary data from your student information system (SIS) in a tab-delimited text format. This file can be imported into Alexandria Librarian to add new patron records and update any existing patron records simultaneously.

You'll need to create a saved import. Go to the import you want and click Create Saved Import at the bottom of the window. Then you'll need to enter a name and fill out the Settings tab with your preferences. Lastly, go to the File Source tab and select FTP or FTPS from the Protocol dropdown. Enter your FTP/FTPS server's information. (If you don't have your own server, COMPanion offers secure and private folders on our FTP server!) Want to check if it works? Click Test FTP Connection. From there, you can run the import whenever necessary.

 If you have used Alexandria or Textbook Tracker to catalog non-book items such as laptops, chargers and other technology it is a good idea to use a specific item policy or policies to manage them. In most cases you will want a title record for something like a Chromebook to include all of the copies instead of 1/1 with titles/copies. If you are using an import file, you will need to create a title record with an ISBN first so the import setting “Title update matching” works for title and ISBN/LCCN. Read HERE about how to catalog equipment in Alexandria. If you have any questions please call Customer Support at 1-800-347-4942 to get help with importing files.

You should consider advancing patron grades even if you update the students each year with an import file. Advancing your last grade to “Graduated” will allow you to remove students who have moved on to bright futures. Don’t worry, you will be able to keep records for any who have outstanding material or account balances. Read about End-of -Year procedures HERE and call Customer Support at 1-800-347-4942 if you need help with your Patron Grade Table or running utilities.

Of course you want to run reports on loaned or overdue items, and before you close the library for the summer you should consider cleaning out any lost and discarded copies. Run reports for lost and discarded material first before using utilities to remove them. One great feature of the Remove Lost/Discarded Copies utilities is that you can control which copies specifically to remove. This means you can retain copies from a specific date range, and choose between material that is lost or discarded from inventory, weeding or patrons. Read about best practices for lost and discarded copies HERE and as always, contact Customer Support if you have any questions or need assistance.

There isn’t a defined time limit for the revert option as yet, but we recommend getting used to the new interface as quickly as possible. The revert option will be available through the end of this school year for sure, but don’t be surprised if the option is gone in the fall.

Yes, if you are comfortable with the program and don’t want to see so many of the guides and messages this feature can be turned off in  User Settings. In the upper right corner where you see “Hi, Username” click on the icon to open the user menu and select User Settings. Set the Tutorials to off and click Save.