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 .
Important Dates for School Libraries
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.
Book Club FAQs
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!
What profile should I use for my book club in WorkFlows?
✅ 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!
How can I make sure there are enough books in the system, and at the right time, for all my book club members?
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.
I’ve been putting each book on hold individually for my book club. Is there a faster way?
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
Check your IP address to keep services running seamlessly
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.
Spring Cataloging Training & Events
RSA In-Person Basic WorkFlows Cataloging Workshop
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.
RSA Online Bibload Workshop
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.
RSA Online Basic WorkFlows Cataloging Workshop
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.
RSA Cataloging Chat (In-person and Online)
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.
May Newsletter Request: Share your outreach stories with us!
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!
RSA Day 4/8/2026
We’re excited to see you at RSA Day!
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.
New Help Desk Email Address
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!
WorkFlows Upgrade Dialog Box – Upgrade or Ignore?
The Bottom Line
The next time you log into WorkFlows you may be presented with an upgrade dialog box.
- Let’s assume you log into WorkFlows and you still get the box below: you could choose to ignore this message until we do another upgrade but this message will then always display when you open WorkFlows. This current upgrade is minor and you will not see a difference at all other than the annoying popup if you choose not to do it.
- If you choose to do the Upgrade then close WorkFlows and then you will need to Right Click the mouse button on the icon of WorkFlows and then click on Run as Administrator.
- Then you will click on Yes for allow this app to make changes
- WorkFlows will then open and ask you login and when you login the box below will appear and you will click on Yes.
- WorkFlows will start the Update Staff Client and then have you click on Install Now and do the Installation. When it is finished it will open and then you are finished.
- If you have multiple computers and want to download the file from our website and upgrade WorkFlows then go here on the website https://support.librariesofrsa.org/project/downloads-setup/. Choose the Filename: upd_jwf.exe option shown in the image below:
- For New Computers or if you do not have WorkFlows on a computer you will want the Full Installation that is lower down on the same page as above. The full install filename is Workflows.msi as shown in the image:
Why?
Normally we’d tell you never to skip a WorkFlows upgrade. However, we didn’t expect there would be an upgrade at all. SirsiDynix just installed a small patch to fix a minor bug in naming of picklist email subjects. Unbeknownst to us and the SirsiDynix support person who installed that patch, that resulted in updating the system’s assumption of the correct version of WorkFlows. This is why you’ll start seeing the upgrade notifications on login.
This was a very minor upgrade and you will not notice any difference if you skip this WorkFlows upgrade but without it you will keep seeing the pop up box when you log in to WorkFlows.
Background
We are waiting to upgrade the system to the newest version of WorkFlows later this year or early next year. That version will bring various useful updates and features. At that time you will need to upgrade all WorkFlows installation.
Sorry for the inconvenience. We were not expecting this.
Update to the Utilizing RSA’s Seed Library Broad Category Enhanced Brief Records Guide Document
Hello!
Back in April the RSA Cataloging Department—after feedback from our membership—launched the new (and optional) broad category enhanced brief records in WorkFlows to help libraries more easily catalog items from their seed libraries. The idea was that use of these enhanced brief records could increase seed library visibility to patrons in the RSAcat and allow for more detailed statistics.
To help members utilize these enhanced brief records, RSA also created the Utilizing RSA’s Seed Library Broad Category Enhanced Brief Records Guide to walk catalogers through how to use these enhanced brief records, provide details for how to track usage through use of the Ephemeral wizard, and more. After sending that initial listserv, we received a great question about barcoding items in a seed library, plus encountered additional interesting ideas for managing seed library items. Therefore, we decided to revise the procedure document, and RSA wanted to let you know that an updated version is now available!
This revised version has expanded the “how to catalog” section with more guidance for creating Call Numbers and possible ways to barcode seed library items (bottom of page 2 to the top of page 4). Further, we have added a few more ideas to the “Does RSA have ideas for how to accurately track seed usage or other practical suggestions?” section.
The guide can be found here on the RSA Support website. We’re excited to be able to provide you all with this optional method of cataloging your seed library items! If you have an idea for an enhanced brief record, or any questions, please reach out to the RSA Help Desk at or 866-940-4083.