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Innopac List Etiquette

The INNOPAC mailing list is an unmoderated forum open to anyone interested in discussing the automation of library services with INNOPAC/INNOVACQ/Millennium systems and products.

Topics discussed focus on implementation issues, hardware platforms, telecommunications, system management, the online catalog and related services, and library staff functions --- cataloging, circulation, acquisitions and serials control. Use of the list for a variety of purposes is encouraged including asking questions, conducting surveys, posting minutes, announcing news of local projects, exchanging opinions. Job postings for Innovative Libraries are also welcome.

In addition, the IUG Steering Committee and its designees use the list to communicate information regarding IUG programs and services

The IUG list is open to anyone who wishes to subscribe (e.g., Innovative customers and staff, non-Innovative customers, and Innovative's competitors). Because of the open nature of the list, please be mindful subscribers have a responsibility to help maintain the confidentiality of III's proprietary information concerning the system. The IUG Steering Committee reserves the right to moderate the list should conditions warrant [e.g. continuance of inappropriate threads, security concerns, etc.]. The Steering Committee will send notice to the listserv whenever the list becomes moderated and when it returns to open access.

Subscribers who send inappropriate messages to the list will be contacted by the list manager and/or Steering Committee and asked to halt the offending behavior. Further infractions will cause the subscriber to be either unsubscribed or otherwise blocked from further posting.

The list includes over 3000 subscribers from around the world. Please be considerate of posters for whom English is a second language. A number of Regional Users Groups exist to serve the needs of IUG members outside of North America and may be in a better position to assist members who are not conversant in English.

Below are some do's and don'ts" of the IUG mailing list. If in doubt regarding the appropriateness of a particular message, consult the list manager and/or the IUG Steering Committee.

  1. It is recommended that you contact the Innovative Help Desk or your local INNOPAC/Millennium system administrator with problems or questions about your system before you post to the list. The Help Desk is staffed with many qualified individuals who are trained to troubleshoot system problems. They have detailed information about your system (software version, hardware used) and are trained to solve your problems.

    You may also post problems to the list but keep in mind that what works in one library may not necessarily work in another due to slight software and hardware variations. Always include your software version in your message.

  2. Treat private e-mail from Innovative staff as confidential information as you would any other publication from the company. It is okay to summarize key points from the message or to simply say that the help desk staff helped you solve a similar problem without mentioning specific staff member names. It is also okay to refer to your call tracking number so that other sites may use that information when contacting Innovative. Innovative staff work in teams and singling out one member of the staff in a public forum inhibits their ability to work as a team.

  3. Do not post Innovative's "private e-mail list" messages to the User's Group e-mail list. These include Innovative's Load Profile, WebBridge, MetaFind, and Beta testers'  listservs. Innovative set up the private e-mail lists in response to requests from the user community to be more proactive in notifying customers of updates and news from Innovative. When you signed up for their e-mail list, you agreed not to distribute messages outside your library staff. Please help us continue to foster the open communication paths between Innovative and us, their customers, and respect the terms of the information distributed via Innovative's private e-mail list.

  4. Don't quote sections of the User Manual to the list. If you found something useful in the manual that you want to share, simply give the release number of the manual you are using and the page number in your message. The page number appears in the upper right corner of the screen. The page number can be plugged in to the Search ID box to go directly to a section of the manual.

  5. Be careful when explaining where to make system changes. It may be enough to simply say "make the change in the Systems Options table for Circulation" rather than giving a road map to the systems options area from the main menu. This may cause a system security breach if passwords are compromised on your system.

  6. Check to whom your message is being sent. If you are replying to a message posted on the list, think before replying to the whole list. Replying to the list is certainly encouraged when the information is part of a discussion. Check your e-mail program's settings to see what is the "Reply" address default. You may want to change it from "Reply-to" to "From" if possible. Reply off-list if your response falls into one of these categories:
    • Your response is personal in nature.

    • Your response falls into the "Me too" category.

    • Your response reflects personalized features of your system. If you are using specific features of the system in a way that is different than the majority of users, you may confuse the issue more than help it.
  7. Advertisements are inappropriate, although comments on various software and hardware used by Innovative Users within the context of the discussion is allowed. Vendors may discuss their products in the same context.

  8. The IUG listserv is not a forum for the discussion of individuals opinions on cultural, political, religious, or social matters. There are many other online communities to which these type of discussions should be redirected.

  9. You may discuss enhancements in general terms of things you would like to see the system do. However, do not post specific enhancements from the IUG ballot or Innovative's Preliminary Release Enhancements on the list. Treat these as confidential information for customers of Innovative only.

    If you have a question about a specific enhancement on the ballot, contact the Enhancements Coordinator or the Functional Expert of the module in question. Contact Innovative for questions about items on the Preliminary Release lists.

  10. Do not repost messages you have received via another source [listserv, individuals, etc.] unless you have obtained the permission of both the poster of the original message and the IUG List Manager.

  11. A STRIPMIME program is in place to strip off formatting and forward messages in plain text to all list members. Attachments will be stripped from any messages. Please do not send attachments to the list, as they will be lost. If you'd like to share local documentation, codes, scripts, etc. please considering doing so via the IUG Clearinghouse.

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