Month: August 2017

KCKCC gets new library management system

by Kelly Rogge, KCKCC

As Kansas City Kansas Community students return to campus this week, there will be a different way to check out materials from Library Services.

The Alma/Primo system is a library resource management system created by Ex Libris. It officially launched Aug. 15. The new library management system replaces the old and antiquated circulation platform that no longer fits the strategic objectives of the college.

“Our goal is to transform and amplify the positive learning and teaching experiences for our students and faculty when they use the services offered in the Learning Commons,” said Baz Abouelenein, KCKCC chief unformation officer.

KCKCC needed a more robust system to handle the growing number of digital resource assets. Debra Newton, building liaison for the Learning Commons, said one of the best parts of Primo/Alma is that users can now see what resources they have checked out, when those resources are due, renew items and see what fines and fees they may owe from the same webpage that they conduct searches.

“It will cut down on the time it takes the library staff to perform various tasks such as cataloging, analytics and maintenance of records,” Newton said. “We are one of the first educational institutions to go from EOS (the older management system) to Alma.”

Newton said another benefit of Primo/Alma will be the ability for users to go to one page to find a variety of resources. This includes streaming videos, searching for electronic magazine articles, E-Books and traditional books all from one page. In addition, Primo will save the user’s searches.

“With our past ILS and Link Resolver (library computer system), patrons had to go to multiple web pages in order to do research. This is so much more user-friendly,” Newton said. “While it was a very complex system to set up (Primo/Alma), it will be a simple program for employees and students to use.”

A team of KCKCC employees has been involved with the Primo/Alma implementation, a process that started in January 2017. This team includes Barbara Stransky, Dottie Hill, Clara Bolton, Teresa Bennett and Debra Newton, all from Library Services; Matthew Fowler, web designer; Peter Gabriel, director of network services and Ruben Noguera, database administrator.

In addition, four individuals went through the process to become certified in Alma: Peter Gabriel, Dottie Hill, Matthew Fowler and Debra Newton. This certification requires more than 20 hours of videos, weekly meetings, practice and note taking to complete. Ex Libris requires certification to make sure an institution can operate the system. KCKCC opted to have several people certified since they all deal with different aspects of the management system.

Newton said all KCKCC faculty members that have library resources in their online courses are requested to check the links to ensure they are working properly. If the links are not operating correctly, they should contact Library Services at 913-288-7389 or contact Newton by email at [email protected].

Bats and bullpen help derail Railroaders

After a heavy dose of rain in the metro area the last 24 hours all it took was “chamber of commerce weather” and the normal Kansas City T-Bones recipe for success to help end a two-game losing streak.

The T-Bones beat the Cleburne Railroaders 9-4 Tuesday night at CommunityAmerica Ballpark in Kansas City, Kansas.

The first part of that recipe was the long ball. Kevin Keyes launched his league-leading 24th home run in the bottom of the first off Dylan Mouzakes, a two-run shot to right, to make it 2-0 Kansas City. Keyes added a pair of RBIs to his team-leading 77 total, good for second in the American Association.

Cleburne got a solo shot of its own in the top of the third from Maikol Gonzalez off Billy Waltrip to cut the lead to 2-1. Cedric Hunter answered on the first pitch of the home half of the third with a solo blast to right, and it was 3-1 Kansas City.

Billy Waltrip continued to struggle for Kansas City in his third start since being acquired from Texas in a trade on Aug. 11. In the fourth he gave up a single to Pichi Balet and a one-out walk to Blake Grant-Parks. Waltrip got the second out on a strikeout of Hunter Courson but Cleburne did not waste the opportunity.

Alex Polston doubled to right to get one run home to cut the lead to 3-2. Jackson Lowery came into the game and issued a pair of wild pitches to tie it up and eventually give Cleburne the 4-3 lead.

The T-Bones then came back and took the lead in the bottom of the inning. Zane Chavez and Jordan Edgerton each got on base with a single, then Chantz Mack tied the game with an RBI single at 4-4. With runners at the corners, Cedric Hunter then hit a sacrifice fly to left to give the T-Bones the lead.

In the fifth Cedric Hunter had a big two-out single to center to score a pair and give Kansas City some breathing room at 8-4. Chantz Mack had a single in the sixth to make it 9-4 in favor of Kansas City but that was as close as the Railroaders would get.

The bullpen, which has been the other big constant this season, retired 10 straight and was in lockdown mode once Kansas City got the lead. The pen allowed just two hits and held the Railroaders in check, getting the win.

Dylan Mouzakes (6-7) was charged with the loss while Jackson Lowery (2-1) got the win for Kansas City.

The win ended a two-game losing streak for Kansas City and kept the team a half-game back in the American Association Wild Card race. Gary still has the lead followed by Kansas City and Fargo-Moorhead.

The two teams play game two of the three game series at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday night at CommunityAmerica Ballpark. Right-handed pitcher Patrick Mincey (8-7, 3.33) will take the mound for Cleburne while right-handed pitcher Alex Blackford (0-1, 4.50) will go for Kansas City.

Tickets are available online, by calling 913-328-5618 or by visiting in person the Providence Medical Center Box Office.
– Story from T-Bones

Yoder strikes bipartisan tone but defends Trump at Olathe Town Hall meeting

by Jim McLean, Kansas News Service

Facing what could be a tough race for re-election, Kansas Congressman Kevin Yoder appeared determined to strike a bipartisan tone Tuesday night in his first in-person town hall meeting since last year’s election.

He stressed the importance of civility and working across the aisle several times during the meeting sponsored by the Kansas City Star, touting his work with Democrats to expand child-care tax credits and strengthen privacy laws.

But the four-term Republican held to the party line when responding to repeated questions about his vote for a controversial GOP health care bill and President Donald Trump’s fitness for office.

Yoder repeated his criticism of the president for not “clearly and directly” repudiating white nationalists and neo-Nazis for the recent violence in Charlottesville, Va., but praised his “strong leadership” on the economy and national security.

Noting that during his first six years in office he regularly received calls from people urging President Barack Obama’s impeachment, Yoder said he saw no reason to take calls for Trump’s ouster more seriously.

“The president has been duly elected,” Yoder said. “He deserves the right and chance to lead this country.”

Many in the audience of approximately 100 at Olathe City Hall booed Yoder when he responded to a question about the Trump’s documented propensity for lying by saying: “I don’t know who lies in this country. But I will say the president — I believe — gets up every day with the best interests of this country at heart.”

Yoder defended his vote for a controversial Obamacare replacement bill that would have increased the numbered of uninsured Americans by 22 million, insisting the bill included protections not accounted for in the Congressional Budget Office estimate.

He said he’s willing to consider a bipartisan approach to stabilizing the Obamacare marketplace while Congress continues to debate long-term health policy.

“I’m not one of these people who says, ‘You know, we ought to just let it fall apart,’” Yoder said. “I’m committed to doing what we need to do to stabilize and bring insurers into the market while we fix the broken parts of Obamacare.”

Yoder’s bid for a fifth term is expected to be his toughest. He’s running in a district that Trump narrowly lost to Hillary Clinton that Democrats have targeted in their effort to regain the majority in the U.S. House.

Sensing opportunity in a potential anti-Trump wave, several Democrats are competing for the right to challenge Yoder in Kansas’ 3rd District. In addition to 2016 nominee Jay Sidie, they include Andrea Ramsey, a retired corporate attorney and former president of a nonprofit health care clinic, Tom Niermann, a high school history teacher, and Brent Welder, a labor attorney who rose to prominence in the party as a supporter of Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign.

Several of Yoder’s opponents have criticized him for ducking town hall meetings. They were also critical of Tuesday’s event because of limited seating and the process the Star’s editorial board used to select participants.

Jim McLean is managing director of the Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio and KMUW covering health, education and politics. You can reach him on Twitter @jmcleanks. Kansas News Service stories and photos may be republished at no cost with proper attribution and a link back to kcur.org.

See more at http://kcur.org/post/yoder-strikes-bipartisan-tone-defends-trump-olathe-town-hall-meeting.