Hi All,
The interior Bio-Medical Library elevator in Diehl Hall will be OUT OF SERVICE on Monday-Wednesday next week for repairs to the hydraulic jack. This is the next level of the service plan for the elevator, the morning bleed off of air from the jack tube was not working as a long-term solution. There is no truth to the rumor that Toyota parts were used last time the jack was serviced, but the manufacturer has reported that they have seen similar service problems to what we are experiencing with this model of jack. So, the service plan has changed to the major overhaul of the jack next week. As always, please direct customers to the exterior Diehl Hall elevator for access to the 2nd & 3rd floors, and to the Service Desk if they need assistance retrieving materials from the 4th floor.

--
Steve Llewellyn
Head of Public Services & Facilities
Health Sciences Libraries
University of Minnesota
278A Diehl Hall/505 Essex St SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455
612-625-7940

Hello All,

There will be two mandatory Spring meeting next week:

We will be having a mandatory Spring Circulation Meeting. It will be paid. You have two choices of times:

Wed Feb 10 at 3-4 (Room 555)
Thur Feb 11 at 4-5 (Room 350a)

You MUST attend one of these two meeting.

Both meetings will run about 1 hour.

Please send me an email with what time you are planning on attending and post to the blog.

Thanks,
Melissa

I think most of you are aware that the internal elevator is on the fritz (if you haven't heard yet, well, now you know).

Repairs will take place first thing each morning. (Repair people will be coming in to bleed air out of a valve, but this process is going to take a while.) So, until further notice, please place caution tape over the elevator doors on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th floors when you close the library to prevent our patrons from using the elevator until repairs have taken place.

Questions? Let me know. Comments? Yes, indeed, please post your initials.

Thanks,
Emily

There have been a few instances where non-affiliated patrons need documentation of purchasing a copy card in order to get reimbursed by their company.

Here are the steps for obtaining an online receipt:

1. http://www1.umn.edu/ucard/umtc08/index.html
2. Click on "Gopher Gold Page" on the left hand side
3. Then "Make a Deposit to your Gopher GOLD account"
4. Then "View my Gopher GOLD account balance and history"
5. The patron can then print a copy of the screen to use as a receipt.
6. If this isn't an acceptable solution, the patron can visit the U Card Office in Coffman Union for additional assistance.

Please post to the blog! Thanks!

Periodic Hourly Counts are BACK!!!

Periodic Hourly Counts will run all week -- Sunday, January 31 - Saturday, February 6. Remember to check the gate count at both gates and record it on the sheet every hour on the hour, open to close!

Please post your initials in a comment to indicate you've read this post.

Do you have questions, comments, feedback? Let me know :)

Thanks,
Melissa

Hi all,

There was a troubling set of incidents last night in our area. A student was shot outside of Centennial Hall at 11:00pm. Fortunately, he is expected to survive, but prior to that incident two other students were accosted near Moos Tower. Obviously, this is way too close in proximity and to closing time for comfort.

As a result, at least for a while, we're going to direct you to take a security escort when you leave the building at closing. As you know, campus security's number is 4-WALK, and you can call them in advance to let them know what time you will be leaving.

For more info: http://kstp.com/news/stories/S1384315.shtml?cat=1. Please post to the blog so that we know you've read this.

Take care,
Emily

Hi all,

ScienceDirect and Scopus will be unavailable due to scheduled maintenance for approximately 12 hours from 7:00am-7:00pm Saturday, 23 January.

For information on the upgrades that will be occurring during this time follow these links:

• Scopus
• ScienceDirect

This means that electronic access to journals will likely be compromised during this time. Please apologize for the inconvenience and explain that the vendor is upgrading their user platforms to increase the usability of their products.

Thanks,
Emily

Hi all -

Here's the UPDATED order for computer help:

Tom (4-5937, Server Room)
Steve I. (6-6452, Room 203B)
David (6-3375, Room 203)
Peter (6-4185, Room 281)
Chacko (4-9921, Room 314)

Thanks,
Emily

Hello,

We've had quite a few calls for virus and malware problems on staff computers and we're sad to report that there is a nasty Trojan running around disguising itself as "Extra Malware Protection" or some such thing.... and "Do you want to scan your computer?" Problem is, closing this particular pop-up window the way you would close any window can actually launch the Trojan.

Safely Closing Pop-Up Ads

To avoid accidentally infecting your computer, some security experts recommend that you click on the "X" in the upper right-hand corner of the pop-up window rather than using the buttons within the pop-up. However, some of the more malicious pop-ups may even have disguised a malware download to mimic that "X", and again, you might actually be initiating a download, rather than closing the pop-up ad. It may be safer to not click at all within the box. Below are a couple of ways you can close these sorts of pop-ups, without touching the pop-up window itself.

To really play it safe, you should right-click the pop-up ad in your taskbar and select "Close" from the menu. Or, with the pop-up window in the foreground, click on the Alt + F4 buttons to close window.

As always, please report virus/malware activity immediately after you suspect your computer may be infected to autosys.
Thanks very much,
-Autosys

Folks,

Here is Tom's schedule starting next week:

Monday & Wednesday 8:00am - 1:30pm
Tuesday & Thursday 8:00am - 2:15pm
Friday 8:00am - 3:00pm

We'll have this posted on the 203A door as well. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Peter
--

Here's the go-to computer help plan (in this order):

Tom (4-5937, Server Room)
Steve I. (6-6452, Room 203B)
David (6-3375, Room 203)
Peter (6-4185, Room 281)
Chacko (4-9921, Room 314)

Please post to the blog that you know and understand and love this information! :)

Do you need more work hours for spring semester? I need help in inter-library loans at various times. Please see me in ILL if you are interested.

Randy

The library was recently involved in an Ebrary pilot purchase project where e-books that we did not yet own were entered into the catalog. When a patron clicked on the book a certain number of times, it triggered the automatic purchase of that item.

We blew through our funding much more quickly than we expected, and as a result the pilot was shut down. This may result in some patron confusion for patrons who accessed a book once or twice online, but are no longer able to find the book in the catalog. (Books that were purchased will continue to appear.)

Please note that this only applies to Ebrary books. If this comes up, please refer the patron to the Reference Desk for additional assistance.

Add your New Year's resolution (or just "Happy New Year" if you don't have one) to the blog so that I know you've read this post.

Thanks & have a wonderful and safe New Year!
Emily