Getting Started
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We are thrilled to announce our Alexandria and Textbook Tracker Dream Makeover! Yep, that's right. We're giving the programs a new look while adding various improvements, such as responsive design and exciting features.
We know change can be tough, especially when you run a busy library. Our goal is to make this a smooth, stress-free transition for you and your library. How? We're planning on offering a free webinar, new videos, expanded in-app help, and more—in addition to a gradual timeline.
Keep an eye on your email and check this page every now and then for updates!
Timeline
Betas for Circulation, Patrons Management, and Items Management will be released fall/winter 2020. This means you can switch between using the new interfaces and the old interfaces in your own Alexandria library. This will be a great time to give it a try and take a look at all of the cool new features! We will still be fine tuning things, so if you notice anything amiss, let our Support team know at 1-800-347-4942 or support@goalexandria.com. More betas for Operations, Tools, Preferences, and Message Center will follow.
Once everyone has had the chance to get comfortable and familiar with the new interfaces, they will become the default interfaces during winter/spring 2020–2021. Don't worry! You'll still have the option of using the old interfaces, but by then, we're hoping you'll love the Makeover as much as we do.
Eventually, the entire program will be updated.
Email Sign Up
Want to receive special Makeover announcements and beta access? Sign up for the email list!
Top 5 Features
- Quick and advanced searching. In Patrons and Items, use either a quick search bar at the top of the record list or Advanced Search, which lets you search by just about any field!
- Accessible and easy navigation. A new side navigation will let you access anywhere in Alexandria from anywhere else in Alexandria. Also, a new top navigation will allow universal access to recent operations, license information, help, and the site you're currently logged into.
- New Patron Details. We appreciated your feedback on our Patron Details survey and used your suggestions to make the design and organization even better!
- Homeroom tab patron pictures. See pictures of patrons in Circulation while looking up homerooms.
- More in-app help. A new help icon in the top navigation—which will be accessible from anywhere in the program—will give you access to more relevant Support Center pages, the option to create a Support ticket, and a brand new guided tour for users.
Important Changes to Know
- A help icon in the new top navigation bar is where you'll go to send support tickets, access the Support Center, and view license information.
- In Items Management, the Copies tab will become a tab within the title record.
- Each interface will be updated with a modern, standardized color scheme.
- The keyboard shortcuts for the modules in the side navigation will change. Watch for a new keyboard shortcut guide!
Sneak Peek
Click on the images to view larger versions!
New Patrons Management | Old Patrons Management |
Changes
Curious about what's to come? Here are detailed lists outlining what we're doing to make Alexandria and Textbook Tracker easier and faster to use. Check out the Changed columns to see which changes have occurred already.
All Interfaces
Here are some things you can look forward to across the whole program:
- Responsive design (resized for a better experience across all devices, including iPads and mobile phones)
- New interface and new icons
- Click on patron pictures and cover art to view larger versions
- New top navigation that allows you to see your site and operator; log out; and access help, messages, and operations from anywhere
- New help icon in the top navigation that will give you universal access to viewing the Support Center, sending a Support ticket, and checking license information
- New side navigation that allows you access to anywhere in Alexandria from anywhere in Alexandria
- Various tips regarding the current interface will appear at the bottom of the side navigation
- Organizational and textual changes to tabs and dialogs to improve flow and clarity
- In-line errors to let you know when a data entry mistake is made (including character limits)
- Confirmations show in "snackbars" instead of dialogs, which means less clicking
- Indication for required fields and Authority Controlled fields
- Visible keyboard shortcuts
Circulation
Changed
Renewals tab renamed "Items out" (7.19.10)
- Charges History tab renamed "Payments" (7.19.10)
Moved the Notes button out of the Current Patron and Current Item pane footers (access via command shortcuts and Actions menus) (7.19.10)
- Added visible shortcuts to some tabs (7.19.10)
- Moved the Command Help tab to the rightmost end (7.19.10)
- First iteration of the new Patron Details (20.1)
Upcoming
Completely new Item Details (also available in Textbook Tracker)
- Completely new Copy List, accessible from Circulation (also available in Textbook Tracker)
See patron pictures and today's checkouts in the Homeroom tab
Checkout dates displayed in the Items out (Renewals) tab
- Sort by due date in the Items out (Renewals) tab
Forgive Charge button added to Charges tab
Support and Special tabs removed; access these features and information in the new help icon
- Repeated buttons have been removed from the Actions menu in both the Current Patron and the Current Item panes
- New and improved charges tabs and dialogs
- Cover art shows for Lost items in Patron Details
Patrons Management
- New Nickname field (7.19.11)
- Updated the “module entry” (0 results) view to include four helpful links: Add a patron, Search for patrons, View recently added, and View recently modified (7.19.11)
- Moved Site Access, Security Group selection, and Username/Password fields to the new Access tab (7.19.11)
- Removed some sorting options: sequence #, username, and creation date (7.19.11)
- Removed some quick search options: Modified Today, Created Today, Modified in the Last Week, and Created in the Last Week (essentially Recently Created and Recently Modified, which we still have) (7.19.11)
- Renamed the Personal Info tab to Personal (7.19.11)
- Renamed the Lexile tab to Programs, which now has two sub-tabs: Study Programs and Lexile (7.19.11)
- Moved the Email field to the Contact tab (7.19.12)
- Split the email field into two: Primary Email and Other Emails (20.1)
Upcoming
- Important patron information is always visible at the top of the record, and additional information is organized into tabs
- Split searching into basic searches and Advanced Search (and you can search just about every field!)
- Select multiple records at once
- Split up Librarian and Textbooks statistics into subtabs
- Return 500 records by default instead of 200
- The ability to remove patrons even if they have items checked out—the confirmation dialog will list the results of the removal: the items that will be declared lost, charges that will be forgiven, and credits that will be removed
- Statistics no longer shows Last Modified or Current Policy because of redundancy
- Record list displays the sort field in addition to patron names (for example, if you sort by barcode, each patron's barcode will show above their name in the record list)
- Patron statistics will be easier to read
- Ascending and descending sort order
Items Management
Changed
- Copy notes are with the rest of Copy Information instead of in a separate tab (7.19.10)
- Renamed the Study Programs tab "Programs" (7.19.10)
- Updated the “module entry” (0 results) view to include four helpful links: Add a title, Search for items, View recently added, and View recently modified (7.19.11)
- MARC View is a quick-access toggle (Alexandria only) (7.19.11)
Upcoming
- Copies as a tab under the title record (so you can always see which title you are looking at)
- Split searching into basic searches and Advanced Search (search just about every field)
- Select multiple records at once
- Removed Copy ID
- Manually queue cover art for automatic updates or turn it off
- New Copy List; and Copy List available in Textbook Management
- Icons to indicate medium (Library only)
- Alert notes for Textbook copies
Message Center
Changed
- Better message storage so Message Center loads faster (7.19.9)
Upcoming
- Special sections for highlighted messages
- Easier-to-read messages
Operations Management
Changed
- Added a new dropdown that sorts operations by My operations or All operations (20.1)
Upcoming
- More noticeable filters
- Links directly to different interfaces that run operations
- Ability to save or edit an operation
- Access your report PDFs from anywhere in Alexandria (via the topnav) and always be notified when operations are complete
Preferences
Changed
- Rename "Extras" to "Services" (they aren't just 'extra', they're essential!) (20.2)
Upcoming
- More control—toggle each registered service On or Off
- Easier Overdrive setup with validation
- Security, Policies, and Calendars moved to Tools
- z39.50 requires confirmation to reset to defaults
- LDAP and Checkpoint ILS moved to Preferences (from Admin)
- Email and Web settings moved to Preferences (from Admin)
- New Setup area with less-common settings (keep them tidied up out of the way)
- New date/time settings with time zone and less complicated date formats
- Essential settings reorganized to be more understandable
- Researcher settings moved to the Builder
Builder
Changed
- -
Upcoming
- Brand new Builder to customize all of your patron settings
- Access to Bulletin Board Builder, Explore Builder, Maps, and Reviews
- Default Style (so you can set the same style across all patron interfaces)
- Easier to see global vs local Explore Panes when setting your Researcher panes
- Set all search preferences at once for all interfaces (e.g. whether or not to show study program)
- Easier to preview Slideshows and grab your customized URL
- New Kiosks area that includes Activity preferences
This page is updated frequently, so check back for more!