While we can’t help with things like computer use counts and programming numbers, there ARE quite a few stats RSA can help you with. Find that information here:
And here’s a handy direct link to monthly statistics for circulation, including Palace Project/eRead Illinois and ADML/Overdrive: https://support.librariesofrsa.org/project/monthly-reports/
Find your library in the list and grab your stats!
RSA staff will be off on Monday the 25th for the Memorial Day holiday.
If you happen to be in the office and can’t connect to Workflows, please call the help desk and leave a message with the after-hours support voice message and we’ll get back to you when we return on Tuesday the 26th.
See the full list of RSA hours and holiday closures.
The RSA Team enjoyed spending the day in Macomb with members on April 8th!
A recap of this year’s events along with links to presentation materials may be found here: RSA Day | RSA Support .
Reminder for schools, please review the dates and actions outlined in the emails sent to the school email forum by Antony. The subject was RSA School Staff: REMINDER: Dates and Reminders for the End of the 2025/2026 School Year and was last sent on Wednesday the 22nd. Contact the RSA Help Desk if you didn’t receive these emails.
In short, those important dates are:
Friday, May 8th – No new holds can be placed for pickup at school libraries.
Friday, May 15th – Outstanding holds for pickup at school libraries will be removed. Contact the RSA Help Desk if your library will be providing services after Friday, May 15th and needs to continue to place/receive holds.
Friday, May 15th – The default End of Semester (EOS) dates for ALL school libraries who use them are set to May 15th. Checkouts with due dates later than the EOS date will have their due date shortened to the EOS date. If you need a different date and haven’t already contacted us, please email the RSA Help Desk or give us a call.
Friday, May 15th – Outstanding holds for pickup at school libraries will be canceled and removed. Contact the RSA Help Desk to set up exceptions to these dates.
Friday, May 29th – Last delivery day to school libraries by RAILS delivery. Please email the RAILS Delivery Helpdesk at if you need service after this date.
Prior to the end of the school year – Backup your WorkFlows Configuration Folder onto a USB/flash drive. Instructions are here: https://support.librariesofrsa.org/project/setup-config-backup/#Backup_and_Restore . PLEASE ENSURE YOU DO THIS! If your computer is cleaned or replaced by IT over the summer, having a backup of your settings will save you about 30 to 40 minutes of work setting WorkFlows up from scratch.
Prior to the end of the school year – Submit your closure dates for the 2026/2027 school year via an email to the RSA Help Desk.
Starting May 1st until delivery resumes this fall – RSA’s Cataloging Department will not place holds on school items cataloged on brief records. We will resume upgrading these records to OCLC records in the fall.
Whether you are reading historical fiction, fantasy, or biography, RSA best practices for book clubs shouldn’t be a mystery. Let’s take a look!
✅ BKCLUB-NRC
BKCLUB-NRC is the recommended profile for book clubs. Check to make sure you’re using BKCLUB-NRC (and not BOOKCLUB*) Check the books out to your book club card first. Then check the items out to the individual patrons.
*Why is there a BOOKCLUB profile if we are supposed to use BKCLUB-NRC?
BOOKCLUB is a legacy profile that was set up to be recirculating. Recirculating allows books to be checked out twice (once to the book club profile, and then a second time to a patron.) In theory, this sounds convenient. But in real life, it didn’t work out to have a recirculating profile where you must check out a book twice AND return it twice (recirculating = too many ways to make mistakes!). Nowadays we don’t recommend using BOOKCLUB. Use BKCLUB-NRC instead!
First, check WorkFlows to make sure there are enough copies in the system to fill all your club’s holds. Second, make sure it’s not a new book or an especially popular book, because high demand may prevent you from being able to fill all the holds.
Finally, check to see if another library is using the same book club selection in the same month. Two or more libraries placing holds on the same book in the same month might mean there’s not enough to go around.
Luckily, there is a member-made tool for seeing what other RSA libraries are doing for their bookclubs: the RSA Book Groups wiki board, which was founded and is administered by RSA member Beth Duttlinger. We highly recommend joining the wiki if you haven’t already and updating it with your own book club information.
By using the wiki, you can ensure your own book club always has enough copies of your chosen book and be a good citizen to other RSA libraries, so they know what book your library has selected as well.
Yes!!! There is a faster and easier way than making each hold individually. Did you know you can make blanket holds? Learn the procedures here: Placing-Book-Club-Classroom-or-Research-Holds-Guide-2024-12-02.pdf
In preparation for launching RSA’s new firewall we are asking that staff at libraries update
their WorkFlows IP address configuration using the instructions in this cheat sheet: Updating
the WorkFlows IP Address Configuration. If you update the IP address configuration to
workflows.librariesofrsa.org now you will have seamless access to WorkFlows once RSA
launches its new firewall. If you do not update the configuration, you may temporarily lose
access to WorkFlows once we change the firewall as the new firewall will have a new IP
address.
In addition, if you have self-check outs or other devices that have connections to SIP you
should update the IP address setting to sip.librariesofrsa.org
Third party vendors such as Hoopla, Palace Project, Overdrive, Find More Illinois and Freegal
have already been contacted by RSA and have already updated their settings.
If you have any questions about changing these settings, contact the RSA Help Desk at 866-
940-4083 and ask for James.
Location: Prairie Creek Public Library District
Time: Thursday, April 30, 2026 | 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
This workshop is helpful for new catalogers or existing catalogers in need of a refresher. Through hands-on practice, learn how to use WorkFlows to catalog items in a variety of formats. Create brief records for items that lack matching bibliographic records already in WorkFlows. Discover how to perform global item edits and use the discard account.
For full information and to register for Basic WorkFlows Cataloging Workshop, visit L2.
Location: Online (Microsoft Teams)
Time: Wednesday, May 13, 2026 | 9:30 am – 12:00 pm
The Bibload Workshop focuses on how to use OCLC Connexion Client to make bibliographic records usable for RSA, including how to add library-specific call number/item information to the records, export them from the Client in the correct format, and load them into WorkFlows so they are visible in the RSAcat. Any registrant not already using an individually named WorkFlows account to catalog at the OCLC level will receive one at the time of the workshop.
For full information and to register for Online Bibload Workshop Workshop, visit L2.
Location: Online (Microsoft Teams)
Time: Friday, May 22, 2026 | 9:00 am – 1:00 pm
This workshop is helpful for new catalogers or existing catalogers in need of a refresher. Through hands-on practice, learn how to use WorkFlows to catalog items in a variety of formats. Create brief records for items that lack matching bibliographic records already in WorkFlows. Discover how to perform global item edits and use the discard account.
For full information and to register for Basic WorkFlows Cataloging Workshop, visit L2.
Location: In-person at Chenoa Public Library District and Online (Microsoft Teams)
Time: Friday, May 29, 2026 | 10:30 am – 12:30 pm
Learn what’s new with the Cataloging Maintenance Center, RAILS Cataloging Services, and the RSA Bibliographic Services Department.
For full information and to register for Cataloging Chat, visit L2.
The May newsletter will be featuring stories from member libraries about their outreach services: this can include stories about bookmobile teams, home delivery programs, and any other outreach service programs you want to share with us. We want to hear how you stay connected to your communities!
Email Laura with your stories!
Date: 4/8/2026 from 9:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Event Location: Spoon River College Outreach Center, 2500 E. Jackson, Macomb, IL 61455
Event day schedule:
9:30-10:00 Registration
10:00-11:00 Keynote Speaker, Renee Grassi
11:05-12:05 Breakout 1
12:10-12:55 LUNCH
1:00-2:00 Breakout 2
2:00-3:00 Breakout 3
Breakout session 1 programs: IMRF; Book Clubs & More; Accessible Library Programs; All Your Art Gallery Questions Answered; Sirsi-Dynix: Future Products; Crafty Catalogers; and Reinventing Reports.
Breakout session 2 programs: IMRF; Finding Free Programming; A Million Illinoisans Without Libraries? Let’s Change That!; Help! My Customer Wants to Research Family History; Sirsi-Dynix: Future Products; AI and the Library World; and Delivery Q & A.
Breakout session 3 programs: IMRF; Roundtable Topics; A Million Illinoisans Without Libraries? Let’s Change That!; Senior Programming Panel; Sirsi-Dynix: Future Products; and Introduction to RSA Standards.
Please note that RSA is changing our Help Desk email address to help@librariesofrsa.org.
The RSA Help Desk phone number is staying the same as before: 866-940-4083.
Happy New Year!
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