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Digby® app FAQ

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Created for libraries with WorldShare Management Services (WMS), the Digby mobile application is for use by your student workers, library staff, and volunteers and provides clear instructions for handling pull lists, reshelving, inventory tasks, and more.

1. What is Digby?

Digby is a mobile app that is available as part of your library’s WorldShare Management Services (WMS) subscription. The Digby app is for use by your student workers, volunteers, and staff and provides clear instructions for handling a range of common library tasks from reshelving items to basic inventory, and more. To see the full list of Digby functionality, see the response to Question #6.

Digby combines simplified workflows with an intuitive interface to accomplish common library tasks more efficiently and with greater accuracy. It also enables library workers to use their Digby-activated smartphone or tablet to scan library materials right in the stacks—saving them time and reducing their reliance on paper.

2. How much does Digby cost?

Digby is included with your library’s WMS subscription at no additional charge.

3. What languages does Digby support?

Digby supports English, French, German, and Spanish. Digby uses the language setting from your device's operating system.

4. How do I get started using Digby?

Activate Digby by completing and submitting the Digby Activation Form.

  1. Download the app from the Apple or Google Play app store by either searching for "Digby by OCLC" in the app store or using a link below.
  2. Log in to Digby from your mobile device (smartphone or tablet) and enter:
    • Your library's OCLC symbol
    • WMS Circulation credentials (username/password)

5. Why does OCLC need to activate Digby for my library?

Since anyone can download the Digby app, the activation step keeps your library in control of the process. 
This way, your library turns on access to Digby only when it is ready to do so. Without the activation step, your library’s workers conceivably could download Digby to their own device and start using it immediately with or without your awareness or consent.

Activate Digby by completing and submitting the Digby Activation Form.

6. What library workflows does Digby support?

The Digby app helps your library’s student workers, volunteers and staff accomplish these common library tasks more efficiently:

  • Manage Pull List: Access circulation pull lists from the app. With dynamic updates, easily refresh the pull list before leaving the stacks to check if new items have been added. Sort or filter the pull list to easily locate items in a specific shelving location, items requested on/for a specific date, and more. Items scanned in Digby are marked as pulled in WMS and staff are told where the item needs to be routed for pickup. Use Digby to manage the pull list to reduce the need for paper pull slips, to increase efficiency and speed of fulfillment.
  • Check In Items: Scan item barcodes to check in those items, clear an item’s status (e.g., Missing, Lost, On Loan), and to be alerted if the item requires additional processing. View a list of items recently checked-in using your device. You may sort the list by scanning order or shelving location. Use Digby to check in items returned in a book drop, delivered to your library from another location, or wherever your workflows may benefit from mobile check in.
  • Check Out Items: Loan items to patrons using a mobile device by scanning the patron and item barcode(s). Share a due date receipt with the patron by email or by printing a copy.  Use Digby’s streamlined, staff-mediated checkout feature to assist patrons wherever they are in your library, reduce the time staff spend at shared workstations, and more.
  • Reshelve Items: Scan items using the reshelving feature to process a non-loan return and update the item’s soft-issued statistics. Use Digby to scan items that patrons leave on tables or carts and to help staff determine where the item needs to be reshelved or if the item requires additional processing.
  • Inventory Items: Scan item barcodes to inventory your library’s collection. As you work, Digby will update the item’s inventory statistics in WMS (visit oc.lc/WMSinventory to learn more) and alert you if the item was missing, is at the wrong branch, is needed to fulfil an open hold, or requires additional processing. At the end of a session, instantly share a report with other library staff that includes an activity summary and a detailed list of scanned items, including item barcodes not found by WMS. Each Digby-enabled device will remember the last item inventoried so that you no longer need to maintain paper logs or rely on placeholders in the stacks. To learn about inventory reports, see Question 11 below.
  • Change Item Location: Change the shelving location of monographs by selecting a location and scanning the items you wish to move. Select a new permanent location or add, update, or clear a temporary shelving location in the item’s LHR. Use Digby to move items from your collection to a new location, to remove items from a discontinued location, to manage items that are added and/or removed from location for course reserves, new materials, and more.
  • Search WorldCat Discovery: Search your library’s instance of WorldCat Discovery by item barcode or other criteria. Use Digby to find detailed bibliographic information for an item while in the stacks, to assist a patron who may need help locating an item, to check the availability of a title, and more.

  • Read Shelf: Verify that materials on the shelf are in call number order and track materials that are missing, misshelved, damaged, or have outdated cataloging information. Scan an item to view a shelf list of the next 1,000 local holdings records (LHRs) in call number order. Add notes about a material’s condition, cataloging details, etc. Scan an unexpected, potentially misshelved item to determine if it should be returned to the desk or can be conveniently reshelved. Share a shelf reading report with other library staff that includes a list of items found, problem items, and your notes.

7. When should we Inventory Items and when should we Read Shelf?

Use Inventory Items to:

  • Scan each item in the collection to build an inventory list.
  • Inventory any barcoded temporary items, container items, and individual LHR items from single-part, multi-part, and serial holdings.
  • Update item statistics in WMS in real-time.
  • Share a report from Digby of all items inventoried in a session.
    • Find missing items by consulting the weekly FTP item inventory report.
  • Recognize items owned by other libraries in your circulation group. Library staff will be told to return the item to the desk for the next steps.

Use Read Shelf to:

  • Scan one item to browse a list of the following 1,000 materials in shelf order according to your local Dewey Decimal or Library of Congress call numbers.
  • Verify that LHR copies are on the shelf. 
    • Individual volumes in serial or multi-part holdings are not listed in Digby shelf reading.
  • Staff actions and notes do not update WMS.
    • Senior library staff can choose when to update item data in WMS
  • Share a report from Digby of all items that were found and/or had problems discovered during shelf reading.
  • Have library staff return items owned by other libraries in your circulation group to the desk for the next steps. Items owned by other libraries in your circulation group will not be recognized. 

8. Can we use handheld Bluetooth laser scanners with Digby?

Yes, for use with Digby, it is possible to pair a Bluetooth laser scanner, as a keyboard, and an iOS or Android device. First, you need a Bluetooth scanner that supports an HID interface.

As an example, the Inateck BCST-70 Barcode Scanner’s instruction sheet is typical of portable scanners available on the market. 

The Inateck BCST-70 offers complete instructions for connecting to either iOS or Android devices in the Inateck User Manual.

A useful BCST-70 feature is that if you hold the scanner button down for 3 seconds, it disables the scanner and then enables the device keyboard, which is necessary when signing in to Digby. If you hold it down for 3 seconds again, the scanner again takes over as the device keyboard. There are many HID Bluetooth laser scanner manufacturers, but make sure this keyboard on/off feature is included in the one you choose since not all of them offer it.

Using the laser scanner with Digby is simple. Just place the cursor in the text input box above the camera scanner on the Pull List, Reshelve, or Inventory screens. Scan the barcode with the laser scanner and it will type the barcode into Digby with a carriage return at the end. Digby will process the request, and then return the cursor to the input text field for the next scan. You’ll have to clear any pop-ups that occur on the mobile device before proceeding, just like when the camera is used.
 

9. What policies should my library have for using the Digby app?

We recommend that your library set the policy around staff use of mobile apps –if you don’t have one already– that addresses whether Digby is to be downloaded to library-owned devices only, or if they will allow student workers to download the app to their own personal devices. Whatever policy a library may have around mobile apps, it’s important to note that Digby can’t enforce the policy – only your library can.

10. How does Digby work with my library group? Will it show all results for my group or is it limited to my library only?

Digby works with groups that have WMS group functionality, which means that the Digby pull list will include hold requests from patrons of other institutions in your group. Also, when doing inventory and reshelving (non-loan return), Digby will recognize group items. Here are some examples: If a patron requests an item from another group member, Digby will inform the library worker when it is pulled to bring it to the circulation desk for routing to that other institution. Or if an item owned by another institution is found during inventory scanning, the worker will be notified to return it to the desk for routing back to that other institution.

11. Are there any Digby statistics or reports?

For pull lists and reshelving, Digby feeds existing WorldShare Circulation reports. It records the same type of transactions but allows library workers to scan the titles in the stacks instead of at the circulation desk. However, to minimize costs of providing Digby, we elected not to create a new category of statistics that are specific to Digby itself. 

For basic inventory, once your library’s workers complete an inventory session in Digby, they can send an Inventory Items Report to you via email or to your preferred cloud storage solution. Delivered as a Microsoft Excel file, Digby’s report provides a summary of their activity as well as a detailed list of exceptions and successfully inventoried items with metadata such as title, author, call number, etc.

  • “Last Inventoried” date in WMS. Additionally, as library workers conduct inventory using Digby, WMS automatically updates the “Last Inventoried” date and “Inventoried Count” in real time, keeping your library’s statistics current (visit oc.lc/WMSinventory to learn more). 
  • FTP Item Inventories Report. In addition to Digby’s Inventory Items Report, and for a complete listing of your library's barcoded items, you can access the existing, weekly FTP Item Inventories Report. Reviewing these reports together may be useful when undertaking inventory, weeding, and collection assessment projects.

For shelf reading, once your library’s workers complete a shelf reading session in Digby, they can send a Shelf Reading Report to you via email or to your preferred cloud storage solution. Delivered as a Microsoft Excel file, Digby’s report provides a summary of their activity as well as a detailed list of items that were found or were discovered to be missing, damaged, misshelved, etc.

12. Will Digby work with our library's authentication method?

Digby will work with CAS, OCLC Identity Management Infrastructure (IDM), LDAP third-party authentication, and Shibboleth. With Digby version 1.0.8 (released September 14, 2017), we’ve improved support for libraries that use CAS, Shibboleth and an LDAP third-party authentication form.

To use the Digby mobile app, your institution’s Identity Provider (IdP) must accept the ForceAuthn flag. Support of ‘ForceAuthn=true’ is required so that Digby can properly manage user authentication. ForceAuthn is supported for basic WorldShare authentication. If your library uses a CAS or a SAML-based IdP (e.g., Azure, Shibboleth, etc.), you may ask your local IT department for assistance to confirm or update your institution’s IdP configuration.

13. What are Digby's technical specifications?

View the OCLC accessibility statement for information on OCLC's accessibility assessments and for instructions on how to request an Accessibility Conformance Report.

App size

Operating Systems/Versions

  • Android 13 or greater
  • iOS 16 or greater
  • iPadOS 16 or greater

Supported devices

  • Android Phones or Tablets
    • Devices must have the default browser set to the latest version of Chrome
    • Devices must have a minimum 1280 x 720 resolution camera to use Digby's in-app scanner
  • Apple iPhone 8 or greater
  • iPad 5th generation or greater
  • iPad mini 5th generation or greater
  • iPad Air 3rd generation or greater
  • iPad Pro

Supported barcode types

  • CODE 128
  • CODE 39
  • Codabar
  • EAN UPC - European Article Number, Universal Product Code

14. What if I have a question about logging in to or using Digby?

If you have any questions, please contact OCLC Support.