We’re starting the month with updates to the Create module as well as adding another ILS to our list of providers supported via API.
We would also like to publicly welcome our new VP of Product, Siobhan Myles. Shiv brings 15 years of experience to the role and has been an incredible addition to the team so far. We're thrilled to have her! Going forward, she will be writing the Product Update emails and blog posts. Though you won't hear from me here, I'll be working closely with her behind the scenes and will still be leading our training webinars.
MEET SIOBHAN
Hi, I'm Shiv!
I’m delighted to have joined the Communico team as your new VP of Product.
I bring 15 years of product and innovation experience and am excited to help you get the most out of Communico.
The six weeks I’ve been here have been fantastic. I’ve found a company of people totally dedicated to making the Patron and Customer experience the best it can be, and a platform bursting with functionality and potential.
We’ve already made a few changes to the way we do things, starting with our development release process. We’re an agile team who are committed to getting things resolved and built fast. We’ll now be releasing features and fixes every three weeks.
Over the next few months I'll be working with our CEO and founder, Paul Quelch, to update and expand the product roadmap. This will include putting together a plan for how and when we can bring you additional functionality and new modules, so watch this space!
We’re also exploring ways to better engage with you. You are what powers Communico, and I’m looking forward to hearing about your experiences with and hopes for the platform.
CREATE
Site Map Support
Communico now supports automatically generated sitemap.xml and custom robots.txt files. This gives you greater control over how search engines see your site. Individual pages can be excluded from the search index and sitemap to keep them hidden until you are ready for them to be discovered.
To enable this feature simply turn on the option in your site settings:
Once enabled, individual pages may be removed from the sitemap marking them as non-indexable in the page options:
Additionally, you will now find a new tab has been added to sites that allows you to make additions to the robots.txt. These are appended to the default settings used to manage your site in Communico.
Recommended Reads Widget
Customers using other supported ILS' are used to a quick load tome for their Recommended Reads carousels. We have made improvements to our Recommended Reads widget that will allow Symphony and Horizon customers to experience the same speed. What was once an 8-second wait is now a 500ms flash before your eyes. If you are a Symphony or Horizon user that already has one of these widgets on your site and/or your mobile app, you will see the changes straight away.
More information about all our widgets including Recommended Reads may be found on our Communico College page. If you would like to add a Recommended Reads widget to your Engage mobile app please reach out to our support team.
ILS
OCLC Wise
We have added another ILS to our growing number of supported providers! Communico now supports the OCLC Wise API within our Attend, Reserve, and Engage modules. Please reach out to your Customer Success Manager if you are a Wise user and would like to switch your Communico integration from SIP2 to an API connection.
REMINDER
Reserve features to support reopening
With restrictions easing, more and more of our libraries are beginning to allow in-person room reservations. We know you're excited to welcome patrons back, but the policies you had originally set up for your rooms may need to be tweaked to accommodate modified workflows.
Here are updates you may want to consider:
- Additional setup and breakdown time to allow for cleaning in between room reservations.
- Changes to booking limitations such as allowing for fewer room reservations
- Additional custom questions on a room-by-room basis
- Changes to how close to the time of a booking someone can make a reservation, such as no longer allowing same-day room reservations
If you'd like to make changes to your policies, please add the updates details on this worksheet. Once complete, please submit a support ticket by simply emailing the worksheet to support and a ticket will automatically be generated for you. Please note, we will only make updates to your Reserve details if they have been requested by your library's implementation contact.
HOLIDAY OPENING HOURS
Communico HQ will be closed Monday, May 31st in observance of Memorial Day in the US. Should you need assistance on either of these days, please submit a support ticket and we will get back to you on our return to the office. Please be assured that our engineers will still be monitoring the platform on these days.
Have a time sensitive issue? Please check out Communico College which has how-to guides and videos to assist you.
EVENTS
Team Communico is exhibiting at a number of virtual conferences over the coming weeks. Stop by our virtual booths to say hi!
Florida Library Association | May 19 - May 20
Utah Library Association | May 19 - May 21
New Jersey Library Association | June 3 - 4
ALA Annual Conference | June 23 - 29
STAY IN TOUCH!
