The Registration Process
-- Traveler
New (academic, public, special) Update (academic, public, special)
School (re-registration, do not use the other forms) School Update (update for re-registered schools)
Re-registered schools are on this list: http://www.asl.lib.ar.us/traveler/SchoolMaster.htm
The Traveler Project has a mediated registration through the Office of Library Network Services.
Step 1. Libraries must fill out an online form; all elementary and secondary school need to fill out the School link
Click on New or Update or School above to go to the Online Form.
The information loads automatically into an Access database on the ASL server.
Registration deadlines are usually 4-5 weeks apart, with the dates posted on the main Traveler page
Step 2. On the registration date, the new information is compared and added to the Master Database.
None of the information is retyped, simply loaded into the database.
Changes or new information are forwarded to the vendor representatives by the Office of Library Network Services.
Most registrations are processed the next work day by the vendor representative.
Step 3. An e-mail is sent from ASL to the library contact that is indicated on the registration information.
If there is a problem with an individual registration, an e-mail is sent directly to that library.
Due to the large membership in Traveler, 99% of all communication is now done by e-mail.
This saves on the expense of postage as well as time since there is no clerical staff in the Office of Library Network Services.
Why is it done this way?
This is done to help the vendors. Instead of receiving update phone calls daily or every other day on minor changes, the representative can work with a group of changes at one time. Most representatives are dealing with multiple states for data entry, not just Arkansas. This also help ASL assist individual libraries with major problems, since each library's registration information is on hand in the Master Database.
Masterdata
When Traveler began in 1997 members sent in paper forms. The paper forms were assigned to a secretary in another section of the library to fill into the database. This process took about a week to prepare since early registrations had over 200 forms each time. The completed list was sent to the vendor for data entry, which took several days as well. There were 4 major registration lists.
During the summer of 2001 all the registration lists from July 1998 to July 2001 were used to create a master database in MS Access. The master listing was sent to the vendor's to renew the subscriptions for FY2001-2002. Since 2001 the changes are added to the master list and the roster is updated. The information in the database is exactly what the member libraries supplied on their registration forms.
In November/ December 2007 the Traveler master list was checked against the ADE's official public school directory. There were over 150 school library locations that needed clarification -- 1. individual schools have been updated as school districts; 2. the name of the school doesn't match; or 3. the school name does not exist on the ADE list in any form. Individual librarians will be contacted for assistance, and ASL will work with DIS/ASPCN and ADE to fix the problem location listings.
Registration Lists . . . Academic & Special Public Schools State Agencies
Next deadline? See Traveler Dates