September 11, 2023
We talked about Password management: best practices a few weeks ago, but this week we are diving deeper into passwords and how to keep your data secure.
Here are some generally accepted password rules:
- It is not safe to use the same password on more than one site. If your password is hacked for one site, then it could be used to get into multiple sites. Reusing passwords is not secure.
- Create a password that is hard to guess, and doesn't contain personal information like your birthdate or phone number. A strong password should be easy for you to remember, but hard for anyone to guess or associate with you. Avoid using simple phrases, words, or patterns that are easy to guess.
- Remember that the longer a password is, the harder it is to hack.
When adding a patron, in the Patron > Access tab, if another password isn't set, it will default to the patron's last name. Patrons with special characters or accents in their last name will be prompted to create a new password when logging in, as diacritical letters are not supported in the password field. For security reasons, passwords are never shown anywhere in Alexandria.
When set, patron passwords must meet the following requirements according to the Password Strength setting of their Security group:
- Weak: At least 6 characters.
- Regular: At least 8 characters, including at least one letter (a-z) and one number (0-9).
- Strong: At least 10 characters, including at least one letter (a-z), one number (0-9), and one symbol (!@#$%^&*-=+.,).
Passwords are not case sensitive.
To modify a username or password from Patrons Management:
- Unlock the record.
- On the Access tab, update the Username, Password, and Confirm Password fields.
- Click Save.
To modify multiple usernames and/or passwords at once using the Reset Patron Accounts utility:
- Go to Utilities > Patrons > General > Reset Patron Accounts.
- On the Selections tab, select which patrons need to have their usernames and/or passwords updated.
On the Options tab, choose to which format you want to change patron usernames and/or passwords.
See Reset Patron Accounts utility for more information on each option.
- Click Run.
- Check the Summary File to make sure no patrons were skipped.
If they are allowed, a patron may modify their username and password from Patron Status in Researcher. By changing both, patrons have more control over the security of their information.
To change your username and password as a patron:
- From Search, click Log In.
- Enter your username and password and click Log In.
- Go to Patron Status.
- Go to the Account tab.
- Unlock your account information by clicking the padlock icon and entering your password.
- Modify the Username and/or New Password fields.
- When you're done, click Save.
Review our Password Management Best Practices page for more information, and as always, feel free to reach out to our stellar support team at (800) 347-4942 · support@companioncorp.com.
Looking for a Single-Sign-On solution? Alexandria now offers Google SSO! Google SSO is perfect for schools and districts already using Google. Contact our Sales Team if you're interested in adding it to your library! |
September 5, 2023
It's a new school year, and that means new homerooms, new teachers, or other changes that might not be reflected in your Alexandria. Don't worry! We've got you.
"Homeroom" could also be a different terminology, such as Location or Teacher, depending on your organization.
Read on for common problems (and solutions) to make sure your homeroom info is accurate and up-to-date.
Problem: homerooms are showing up that I no longer need
The Homeroom tab in Circulation lists homerooms that are currently in use, which means listed in at least one patron record. So, the best way to ensure your homerooms are up to date is by cleaning up your patron records and using Patron Imports or the Change Patron Location utility to batch modify patrons into the correct homerooms. Then the updated list will show up in Circulation!
Want easier patron management? Ask us about GG4L at sales@goalexandria.com.
Problem: misspelled homeroom
When adding patron homeroom information, there is a list that pulls from Authority Control. Authority Control tracks every homeroom entry, even if it is no longer in use. To update the list, navigate to Tools > Authority Control > Patrons > Homeroom. Use the actions menu at the top of the screen and select Remove Unused Homeroom Terms.
For any remaining terms you want to modify, select the homeroom and click "edit," enter any corrections, and confirm.
When making changes in Authority Control, Alexandria will queue a utility to apply the removal of unused terms and/or any edits to the terms. Once you’re done making the necessary changes, be sure to refresh any Alexandria screens that are open to see the updated term.
Have you done your Beginning-of-Year Procedures? Start the school year off on the right foot. |
August 28, 2023
There is nothing worse than forgetting your password and being locked out–especially when it's the start of the school year and you have to get right back to work ASAP! We've created the Password Management Best Practices page to help with all your password needs.
We recommend going over the whole page carefully–but here are a few important highlights.
Login redundancies
- We recommend having two distinct highest level operators (District Administrator) for redundancies, in case one operator leaves.
- Consider giving a backup, full-admin rights login to a person who is always onsite, like your principal IT technician. Even if they don't use Alexandria regularly, if you ever get locked out, someone can help.
Emails
- ALWAYS add a valid and current email to an operator patron record so that the operator can recover their password if needed.
- Make sure to whitelist noreply@goalexandria.com, which is the email address any password reset emails will come from. This might need to be done by a district or facility IT team.
- Password recovery when there is no email associated with the user account is a long process, so make sure that all your operator accounts are attached to a valid email address.
Clean up operators
- COMPanion suggests regular audits of who has operator access to Alexandria, and if old operators should be removed. There are multiple security group levels; all may need to be cleaned up. See the associated section on Password Management Best Practices for more details.
We encourage you and your team to make a plan for password management, and feel free to reach out to customer support with any questions at (800) 347-4942 · support@companioncorp.com.
Looking for a Single-Sign-On solution? Alexandria now offers Google SSO! Google SSO is perfect for schools and districts already using Google. Contact our Sales Team if you're interested in adding it to your library! |
August 7, 2023
It's that time again–back to school! Start your school year off right and go through our recommended Beginning-of-Year Procedures.
Are you still getting used to the makeover interface? Be sure to check out our Youtube playlists to watch the makeover training videos.
You can also sign up for free webinars at goalexandria.com/training, and purchase a personalized training—email sales@goalexandria.com or give us a call to arrange it!
Looking for a Single-Sign-On solution? Alexandria now offers Google SSO! Google SSO is perfect for schools and districts already using Google. Contact our Sales Team if you're interested in adding it to your library! |
July 17, 2023
Summer is in full swing, and even though most of the school libraries are closed, public libraries are going strong with summer reading programs and more! So this week, we're going over how to print library cards in Alexandria.
Pick your paper
First, what type of paper should you use? We recommend Business Cards 250 count: Avery 5371, 2” x 3 ½”. These are standard card stock business cards, which is what the Library Card report is designed for. You can also use Mailing labels 250 count: Avery 8163, 2” x 4”. These are stickers, if you want to place the library cards on a blank card, folder, or student book.
Print the library cards
- To print, open the PDF in your browser or application (like Adobe Reader).
- Make sure the view is set to "Actual Size," and then hold your paper up to see how the format looks, and make any adjustments as needed.
- Place your paper in the printer (usually, you want the "front" of the labels facing down in the tray, but this varies depending on your printer).
- In the PDF, choose a print option and make sure the scaling is set to 100%. We recommend printing a single page first, to make sure everything looks good.
Did you know that our makeover is for Alexandria and Textbook Tracker? We've got some new training videos for the brand new interface. Check out our youtube playlist to watch the new videos, and don't forget to subscribe to your channel so you see all our exciting new videos and updates! |
May 23, 2023
Well, we made it to the end of another school year! Here's our send-off (for a little while, at least) with links to our favorite EOY tips.
End-of-year tips: Inventory : A list of resources to help with your end-of-year inventory.
Exports—Move and modify data : Exports make moving and modifying data easy! (Remember that Exports are now in Operations after the Alexandria Makeover.)
Summer is here–let's keep in touch! : Sign up for emails, follow us on social media, and more to stay up-to-date with all things Alexandria.
Need any help with your EOY tasks, or still open for the summer? Call our 24/7 support team at 1-800-347-4942.
We want to hear from you! How do YOU use Reports? Take our short Report Survey to give us your input on upcoming improvements. |
May 15, 2023
The end of the school year is a busy time, and we know that things can stack up fast! Don't worry, we have some reports to help.
EOY Reports
Copy Information - Enter the dates of the school year in the "Copies Added" section of the selections for a list of everything added this year.
Title Information - Similar to the Copy Information report, enter the dates to get a report of new titles only. (New copies added to existing titles won't show on this report.)
Super Summary by Call Number - Generate a detailed collection analysis of distribution, age, and usage by call number.
Weeding List by Copy - Use the Selections tab to specify how your library weeds items. If no selections are added, the report will show all copies in Alexandria. Then, use Discard Mode in Circulation to quickly discard the items selected for weeding..
We want to hear from you! How do YOU use Reports? Take our short Report Survey to give us your input on upcoming improvements. |
May 8, 2023
Believe it or not, it's that time of year to review your End-of-Year Procedures. As you run all of these EOY operations, are you utilizing the message drawer?
We want to hear from you! How do YOU use Reports? Take our short Report Survey to give us your input on upcoming improvements. |
May 1, 2023
It's coming on the end of the school year, and a great time to start reviewing the End-of-Year Procedures. Today, we're going over how to clean up your grades before you advance grade levels.
Register for our Training Webinar to learn more about using Alexandria in the new Makeover interface! |
April 24, 2023
They say a picture is worth a thousand words–and while we don't agree with that, we DO love our new Makeover Training Videos.
You can view all the makeover videos on our Video Directory, or go to our Youtube channel. More new videos are coming! Subscribe so you don't miss them.
Register for our Training Webinar to learn more about using Alexandria in the new Makeover interface! |
April 17, 2023
We're going through four of our favorite features in Items this week that we think you might be missing out on.
What are your favorite features in Items? Tell us in the comments!
Register for our Training Webinar to learn more about using Alexandria in the new Makeover interface! |
April 10, 2023
In this week's tip, we're highlighting some of our favorite features in Patrons that you may not be utilizing. Let's dive in!
Register for our Training Webinar to learn more about using Alexandria in the new Makeover interface! |
April 3, 2023
You're scanning weeded/discarded items in Alexandria, and you see each item in the current item pane with a status of "discarded." So, why does Alexandria keep discarded copy records rather than completely removing them? Let's get into it.
While we recommend keeping record of the discarded copies, you don't want your patrons to see titles you are getting rid of. To hide these titles in Researcher, go to Builder > Auto-hide, turn on auto-hide, select Discarded (and any other statuses you want to hide) and Save the changes.
Read more about discarded items: Feeling lost?–Handling lost and discarded items
Have questions? No problem! Reach out to our 24/7 support team at 1-800-347-4942.
Register for our Training Webinar to learn more about using Alexandria in the new Makeover interface! |
March 27, 2023
The next stop on our favorite features tour is the Items Out Tab in Circulation.
Register for our Training Webinar to learn more about using Alexandria in the new Makeover interface! |
March 20, 2023
The tour of some of our favorite features continues with another great highlight: the Homeroom Subtab.
Register for our Training Webinar to learn more about using Alexandria in the new Makeover interface! |