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Periodic Hourly Counts will run all week -- Sunday, April 6 - Saturday, April 12. Remember to check the gate count at both desks and record it on the sheet every hour on the hour, open to close!
Please put sheets in Melissa's box when they are filled.
Please post your initials in a comment to indicate you've read this post.
Thanks,
Melissa
On Thursday, March 20, RefWorks activated the Attachments option for all University of Minnesota RefWorks accounts. The attachment feature enables users to attach files to their references in their personal database, much like attaching files to an email message. The incorporation of this feature allows users to upload files to existing references stored within their RefWorks database. With the availability of this feature RefWorks users can instantly save and retrieve all forms of data within their database including BMP, TIF, JPG, PNG, GIF, PDF, and much more.
RefWorks is now providing unlimited storage space for attachments for subscribing organizations. Although RefWorks will provide unlimited storage space at the organization level, some limitations have been set at the user account level.
* Default storage space setting is 100MB, per account.
* Additional space can be allocated on an account-by-account basis up to a maximum of 200MB per account.
* No limitation on the number of attachments allowed per account or per record.
* A current maximum of 5MB limit per attachment is set, although we are working with RefWorks to address this limitation.
JOURNAL TITLE COUNTING ON FOR March 30-April 19
Please, ALL READ, Pages AND Deskers:
For the next three weeks (Sunday, March 30-Saturday, April 19) we will be recording the number of volumes and issues of journals that we handle in shelving by title in an online database. For one or two of you this may be new, and perhaps a little review doesn’t hurt any of us--so I will put the bulk of this memo below the cut, where desk students needn't follow, but any pages who need a refresher should read.
All pages should be inputting each journal volume (and any unbound issues with the library barcodes--there are a few, mostly copy 2's) into the in-house use window before the volumes get shelved for this week and the following 2 weeks. Each volume must be scanned and recorded in the database on one of the computers at one of the service desks. Here are the steps to follow, subject to clarification over the next few days.
When starting a new truck of journals for shelving, put an “uncounted” (red) indicator in the pocket on the end of the truck. (If there are two pockets, two labels may be used—but mainly make sure that we don’t have two conflicting messages). Put journals on the truck as usual, whether you’re collecting them from tables in the stacks areas or by the copy machines, and then take them to a counting station at the 2nd or 3rd level desk.
Read each barcode (on the bound volumes, and any unbound copy 2s with barcodes) into the "in-house use" window in the Aleph client at the circulation desks.
Once the FileMaker counting database, 2008 March Journal Statistics, is up and running, look up each unbound issue title and record the number of issues that you’re shelving. Then:
When the truck is finished, change the “uncounted” red indicator to a green “counted” tab, and the truck is ready for shelving as usual. After emptying a counted truck, change the indicators back to uncounted.
• Obviously, do NOT pick up any loose journals along the way to shelving and add them on to the green-labeled "counted" truck—these must be counted first.
• All journals should be counted before they are shelved.
• Books with call numbers are NOT included in this process, so just handle them as usual--Bri will take care of inputting them.
If the FileMaker database is not up, you may need to sign in: use the pull-down menu command “Open Remote,” and choose the listed file, "2008 March JOURNAL STATISTICS"---Do NOT use the old “JOURNAL_STATISTICS” file, further down the list. Like most FileMaker files, put in the usual password, and the user name should be "Circstaff." The password should appear in the place where we keep the passwords, known to all desk staff.
I’m not going to try to fully discuss using the database to record these counts, but if no one has gone over this with you, please stop and ask to review this with either one of the desks students who is familiar with the process, or preferably with me (if I’m available) or Melissa or Steve. If there are particular points that you think should be highlighted, please add them in the comments that you can attach to this memo.
This process obviously adds a bit to the time it takes to pickup, sort and put away the journals. As I’ve previously discussed, this work can and ought to be shared between the pages & the desk staff.
Thanks for your help with this project. --David
Hi All,
Customer surveys for the IADS Customer Service Training Project are being distributed at Bio-Medical, Magrath, Walter, and Wilson service points. The survey will run over a 7 day period beginning Monday, March 24, 2008.
Purpose of the survey:
* Gather data regarding current user perceptions of service. The goal is to provide current data against which progress can be measured from baseline data collected in April 2006 & 2007.
Dates administered:
* Monday, March 24 through Sunday, March 30, 2008
Where distributed:
* Bio-Medical Library - (2 locations) 2nd floor Circulation desk; 3rd floor Circulation/Copy Center desk
How to distribute:
* When assisting users at one of the listed service points, staff should ask if the person is willing to fill out a survey. If they decline to fill out a survey, that is okay. There is no limit to the number of surveys users can return. If the person is in the Libraries for multiple purposes, they can fill in more than one survey. A stack of surveys should also be left at the service point for customers to fill out without prompting.
If more surveys are needed:
* Let a supervisor know if the supply is running low.
* Jerrie or Steve will collect the surveys and boxes on March 31.
--
Steven Llewellyn
Head, Access Services
Bio-Medical Library
University of Minnesota
(p) 612.625.7940
(f) 612.626.2454
Breaks
Employees may take one fifteen minute break during any continuous four-hour shift. A staff member who is scheduled for eight hours or more is entitled to two breaks that may be combined into one thirty minute paid lunch break. When scheduled for eight or more continuous hours, employees may also punch out for a thirty minute unpaid lunch break. Desk workers must coordinate breaks amongst themselves and with supervisors so that the Circulation Desks are covered at all times.
Respond to the blog with your initials.
Thanks,
Melissa
In late January, some changes were made to the authentication method for MNCAT. As a result, you may get questions from off-campus users who are unable to access the catalog. It seems to be limited only to users who are behind a firewall - hospitals and corporations are likely candidates for this situation.
IT is quite sure this is a port issue, and is continuing to work for a permanent fix. In the meantime, users should request that their local IT staff open port 8991 on prime6.oit.umn.edu. LEO believe this will resolve the problem. A more permanent fix is in the works, but that's the work-around for now.
Now please read on to the next post..... Thanks! Emily
| Working at Bio-Med means being part of an organization that is committed to great customer service. Though we are already doing a good job, it's doesn't hurt to review some basic expectations:
- Make eye contact and smile when users approach the service desk. |
Your efforts have made our library known for its helpfulness -- keep up the good work!
Post your initials to the blog to confirm you've read and understand this post. Bonus: If you post a reason why customer service in the library is critical, you'll get a surprise treat!
Thanks,
Emily