Accessing EL Commons

EL Commons Enhancements

EL Commons is a wiki where Ex Libris customers are able to share information. It is also the gathering place for enhancement ideas among the user community.

To access EL Commons, go to http://exlibrisgroup.org/display/wiki/Home. To enter the site, you must Log in.

After clicking ‘Log in’ you are prompted for a username and password. If you have previously accessed the site, enter your account credentials and click Log In. If you have not previously accessed the site, log in with the Documentation Portal credentials (please contact ODIN if you do not know what they are) and you will be prompted to create an account.

When logging in with the Doc Portal credentials, you are prompted to create an account. Enter your name, your desired username and email address. Select the domain portion of your email from the drop-down menu provided.

Enter your name, your desired username and email address. Select the domain portion of your email from the drop-down menu provided. Click Signup to continue.

An email will be sent to you at the address you provided which will contain your password. You are now able to log into the site with your personal username and password. After logging into the site, you are presented with the suite of Ex Libris products, as well as an option to go into ‘My Area’ where you can set up your preferences, set up pages you are ‘watching’ (i.e. receive email notices when particular pages have been altered), as well change your password. Alternatively, you can click on ‘Aleph’ to enter that section of the wiki.

To alter any of your preferences, go to the appropriate tab in ‘My Area’ and make changes.

After clicking ‘Aleph,’ you will be presented with a break-down of the Aleph pages within the wiki. You can view information in any of the various modules listed, see minutes of the Product Group (PLG) or see enhancements to the software that are being proposed.

Within the enhancements page (here we are viewing ELUNA 2010 enhancements) the proposals are broken down by module/area. Additionally, there are options to see information regarding the enhancement process or the ELUNA enhancements that will be in future versions.

Within a module area (in this example, we are viewing Circulation, Course Reserve and Booking 2010), proposed enhancements are listed as ‘Child’ pages. Click on the enhancement you are interested in viewing.

After selecting an enhancement, you are able to view the proposal, as well as leave comments or feedback regarding the idea. When you comment on a page, your name and a time-stamp will automatically be added to the comment.

It is easy to navigate to other pages using the ‘You are here’ hotlink options found at the top of each page. To go to a different section of the wiki, click on the appropriate link to take you back to the page. For example, if I wished to go back to the general 2010 enhancements page, I would click on ‘ELUNA 2010 enhancements’ link. The Enhancement Process

Each year the ELUNA organization is allowed 120 development points to use toward enhancing the ALEPH product. The enhancements are all user-driven, and give us an opportunity to enact changes within the software.

ELUNA gathers enhancement ideas year round, with a special push at the beginning of the calendar year. Module coordinators then worth with their groups to select put forth their top five enhancements shortly after the ELUNA conference in May. These enhancements are then sent to Ex Libris, where they are assigned a number of points required based on the amount of development time needed for their implementation. After the pointed enhancements are received, the ELUNA membership votes on the enhancements, with the top enhancements being sent to Ex Libris for inclusion into a future version.

ODIN Enhancement Submission

Enhancement ideas should be submitted to the ODIN office via a remedy ticket (http://remedy.nodak.edu/odin). The ODIN office will assure that the functionality is not available in a future version, and will be responsible for entering the enhancement into the EL Commons wiki. All enhancements must follow the same format:  Module – list the module for the desired enhancement  Description of problem – concisely describe the problem that is currently being experienced, which the enhancement would solve.  Description of desired functionality – concisely describe what functionality is being asked for. It is important to keep in mind the ‘big picture’ – what other functions could be impacted and how other library system set-ups will be impacted. Additionally, Ex Libris has a reputation for doing ONLY what is asked for within the enhancement, so it is important to be as complete as possible.  Rationalization of request – describe how the request will be beneficial and enhance the overall ALEPH product. Does it improve efficiency? Does it offer value-added service?

Please use the enhancement format when putting the initial request into Remedy. If it is submitted early enough in the process, there will be time for editing based on comments within ODIN.