The New Books List

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The New Books List

• Michael Doran, Systems Librarian

Ex Libris Southwest Users Group February 6, 2008
Santa Ana College
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An unofficial WebVoyáge add-on
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The New Books tab
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New Books search results
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Link into WebVoyáge record
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New Books search results
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Why implement it?

• Provides a useful service
• Easy to install
• Fully automated
• Maintenance-free after initial setup
• Integrates into WebVoyáge
• Many built-in configuration options
• Open source software, so its customizable
• Its free

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Cant beat free
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Can you implement it?

• Why not?
• Over 300 current users, many of them small and/or
  special libraries
• Extensive documentation
• Detailed installation instructions
• Helpful commenting in Perl scripts
• Website with About pages
• (Limited) support from developer

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Can you implement it?

• Why not?
• Over 300 current users, many of them small and/or
  special libraries
• Extensive documentation
• Detailed installation instructions
• Helpful commenting in Perl scripts
• Website with About pages
• (Limited) support from developer

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Installation in a nutshell

• Download tarball and put on server
• Uncompress/extract files
• Copy files to proper locations
• Test newbooks.cgi
• works out of the box
• Configure newbooks.pl
• To generate your own newbooks.txt
• Edit configuration parameters in
• newbooks.ini
• newbooks.English
• Set up a cron job to run newbooks.pl
• (or a Scheduled Task on Windows)
• Add New Books tab via opac.ini

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Download
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Download the tarball
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Uncompress/extract files (on server)
rocky /tmp gt gzip -d -c newbooks-6.1.tar.gz
tar xvf - x newbooks-6.1, 0 bytes, 0 tape
blocks x newbooks-6.1/CHANGES, 18390 bytes, 36
tape blocks x newbooks-6.1/English-alt.gif, 855
bytes, 2 tape blocks x newbooks-6.1/English.gif,
889 bytes, 2 tape blocks x newbooks-6.1/Finnish.gi
f, 551 bytes, 2 tape blocks x newbooks-6.1/INSTALL
, 14795 bytes, 29 tape blocks x
newbooks-6.1/dope.sh, 3512 bytes, 7 tape blocks x
newbooks-6.1/README.unicode, 2202 bytes, 5 tape
blocks x newbooks-6.1/Swedish.gif, 898 bytes, 2
tape blocks x newbooks-6.1/Welsh.gif, 967 bytes,
2 tape blocks x newbooks-6.1/newbooks.English,
10210 bytes, 20 tape blocks x newbooks-6.1/newbook
s.Finnish, 10391 bytes, 21 tape blocks x
newbooks-6.1/newbooks.Language, 9350 bytes, 19
tape blocks x newbooks-6.1/newbooks.Swedish,
10280 bytes, 21 tape blocks x newbooks-6.1/newbook
s.Welsh, 10465 bytes, 21 tape blocks x
newbooks-6.1/newbooks.cgi, 45364 bytes, 89 tape
blocks x newbooks-6.1/newbooks.ini, 13972 bytes,
28 tape blocks x newbooks-6.1/newbooks.pl, 27142
bytes, 54 tape blocks x newbooks-6.1/newbooks.txt,
126550 bytes, 248 tape blocks rocky /tmp gt
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Uncompress/extract files (on server)
rocky /tmp gt gzip -d -c newbooks-6.1.tar.gz
tar xvf - x newbooks-6.1, 0 bytes, 0 tape
blocks x newbooks-6.1/CHANGES, 18390 bytes, 36
tape blocks x newbooks-6.1/English-alt.gif, 855
bytes, 2 tape blocks x newbooks-6.1/English.gif,
889 bytes, 2 tape blocks x newbooks-6.1/Finnish.gi
f, 551 bytes, 2 tape blocks x newbooks-6.1/INSTALL
, 14795 bytes, 29 tape blocks x
newbooks-6.1/dope.sh, 3512 bytes, 7 tape blocks x
newbooks-6.1/README.unicode, 2202 bytes, 5 tape
blocks x newbooks-6.1/Swedish.gif, 898 bytes, 2
tape blocks x newbooks-6.1/Welsh.gif, 967 bytes,
2 tape blocks x newbooks-6.1/newbooks.English,
10210 bytes, 20 tape blocks x newbooks-6.1/newbook
s.Finnish, 10391 bytes, 21 tape blocks x
newbooks-6.1/newbooks.Language, 9350 bytes, 19
tape blocks x newbooks-6.1/newbooks.Swedish,
10280 bytes, 21 tape blocks x newbooks-6.1/newbook
s.Welsh, 10465 bytes, 21 tape blocks x
newbooks-6.1/newbooks.cgi, 45364 bytes, 89 tape
blocks x newbooks-6.1/newbooks.ini, 13972 bytes,
28 tape blocks x newbooks-6.1/newbooks.pl, 27142
bytes, 54 tape blocks x newbooks-6.1/newbooks.txt,
126550 bytes, 248 tape blocks rocky /tmp gt
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Perl scripts a database

• Main programs (Perl scripts)
• newbooks.pl gt extraction program
• newbooks.cgi gt web interface
• Configuration files (also Perl scripts)
• newbooks.ini
• newbooks.English (etc)
• Flat-file database
• newbooks.txt
• Installation instructions and other help files

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Version 6.1
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A quick test of newbooks.cgi
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Version 6.1
Copy these files to this directory on your
WebVoyáge server /m1/voyager/xxxdb/webvoyage/cgi-
bin/
(your db name, natch)
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Type New Books URL into browser
http//your-server.univ.edu/cgi-bin/newbooks.cgi
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Version 6.1
Copy newbooks.pl to this directory on your
Voyager database server /m1/voyager/xxxdb/sbin/
(your db name, natch)
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Edit the newbooks.pl script

• Required
• Your Oracle read-only username password
• Your xxxdb database name
• Optional
• Intervals (weeks or months)
• Lag time
• File transfer
• etc

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Version 6.1
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Configure search interface
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Configure search interface, cont.
For examples, see http//rocky.uta.edu/doran/auto
list/configexamples.html
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Version 6.1
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The New Books tab
http//your-server.univ.edu/cgi-bin/newbooks.cgi
http//your-server.univ.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi
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Add extra HTML code to Tab_TextCourse
Reserves in the Course_Reserve_Search_Page stanza
Version 6.1
A tip o the hat to Alan Keely
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Common installation pitfalls

• newbooks.pl script
• Finding the DBI/DBD modules
• Solution using the right Perl path
• Run the dope.sh script to troubleshoot
• Transfer of newbooks.txt file
• Small libraries usually dont have this problem
  because they have a single Voyager server
• Not (really) a New Books List script issue
• newbooks.ini configuration file
• Location matching fragments
• Look at how others have done it (view source)

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Prerequisites

• On Voyager database server
• Perl
• Perl DBI module
• Perl DBDOracle module
• On WebVoyáge server
• Perl
• This stuff is already on your system!

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Whats a new book?
SQL query 1 (in newbooks.pl) retrieves physical
items
item.create_date between (sysdate - 35) and
(sysdate - 7) and (mfhd_master.create_date
between (sysdate - 35) and (sysdate - 7) or
mfhd_master.update_date between (sysdate - 35)
and (sysdate - 7))
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Whats a new book?
SQL query 2 (in newbooks.pl) retrieves
electronic-only items
mfhd_master.create_date between (sysdate - 35)
and (sysdate - 7) and elink_index.record_type in
('M') and elink_index.link is not null
For more info see http//rocky.uta.edu/doran/auto
list/secure/sql.htm
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Installation best practices

• Read the documentation
• Make copies of files before editing

Known issues

• Dupe 856s gt dupe new book listings

For more information...

• Go to the New Books List website
• http//rocky.uta.edu/doran/autolist/

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Questions?