State Of Minnesota Too Polite To Ask For Federal Funding]]>
For the next three weeks-plus (Sunday, Nov. 29-Monday, Dec. 21) we will be recording the number of volumes and issues of journals that we handle in shelving by title in online databases. Except for three of you, we've done this before--but everyone, including the desk staff, should understand this process and desk staff may need to help out, especially now that we have fewer pages --so I will put the bulk of this memo below the cut, where anyone who needs a refresher should read.
Please record your initials as an indication that you've read and understand this memo. (IF you're not sure how to do that, come and ask me or another staff member to show you how to do so. Any of the desk students probably knows how to do this as well). This is also a good opportunity to record any questions or comments you have about this process.
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 Public Service 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.
For unbound journal issues, look up each unbound issue title and record the number of issues that you're shelving in the 2009 November Journal Statistics FileMaker database [Yes, December data will be included in the same database]. This can be done at the same computer or on the eMac, where we often record the Pagelog info.
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--Asanka and PJ 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, "2009 November 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 desk 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.
Here are a couple of points that should be noted:
1. When we count the journal titles, we would prefer not to count the items being reshelved from Technical Services, for instance, items returned from the bindery. These don't represent actual usage in the library, so place a "counted" slip in any trucks from Tech Services (but not trucks of materials returned to the back area of technical services in the daily deliveries as these do require counting). Similarly, materials from the interlibrary and document delivery services require counting, but InfoNOW staff do their own counting, in-house. So, trucks from InfoNOW should be given "counted" tabs, and NOT counted again.
This is not true for our own Interlibrary Loan and Document delivery materials or for the materials from Minitex (the people in room 279). Their trucks SHOULD be counted in the same stream as the regular materials. And correspondingly, materials used by Reference or Circ staff are mostly employed in the process of helping the public, so these should normally go into the counting stream, unlike the new arrivals from Tech Services.
2. If you can't find an unbound journal issue in the FIleMaker database, it may need to be added to the database. Leave it with David or put it on his chair.
3. If things won't work (you can't get the FileMaker database to start, Aleph just freezes and won't take the barcode input, whatever), please do NOT just skip the process. Talk to David or Steve or someone about getting help. Likewise, if you're not sure, or something isn't explained fully enough in this memo, please stop and ask for clarification. This is an important process or we wouldn't be spending time on it in the first place.
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
]]>We going to start a temporary log of wireless connection failures. As you know, we've been having difficulty with access for several weeks now and need to be able to provide a paper trail. We'll keep the log just to the right of the main Reference Desk.
Post to the blog!
Thanks,
Emily
There seems to be a developing problem with one of the wireless access points on the second floor. Being located on the pillar next to the row of Macs in the public computing area, you could draw a line from Room 274 to the service desk and then head toward the glass wall and stairway to the 3rd floor to indicate the general area it's affecting.
Mac laptop users have been primarily affected, some Windows users also have had problems. We will be addressing this with NTS, but I have no ETA in terms of resolution. My suggestion would be for laptop users to head for the 3rd floor, or the tables closest to the private study room entrance. If you have any questions, give me a call.
Peter
Peter Weinhold
IT Manager
Health Sciences Libraries
We had another Interlibrary Loan that was supposed to be put on the hold shelf end up getting immediately returned to Wilson (and then its originating library) instead. Please be diligent and attentive when checking in or out materials of all kinds, but pay special attention to ILLs. It takes a fair amount of works on many people's part to provide this service, and it's disheartening to see it all go down the drain... :( Let's not let this happen again.
If you have any questions - at all - about when or how to process materials, please don't hesitate to ask a supervisor. Post to the blog so I know you've read and understood this message.
Thanks,
Emily
Systems unavailable from 5am - 9am:
Systems that will have limited functionality:
Notes are being posted in all systems affected by this work, on the System Status page at http://systemstatus.umn.edu and on a special downtime message on the TC Libraries web site at https://www.lib.umn.edu/downtime.phtml. Thank you for your support while OIT makes improvements to their infrastructure.
Heather and Shane
]]>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
This week we (Emily and I) will be reviewing the Emergency Procedures with everyone!
Melissa
]]>PubMed, the web interface to the MEDLINE database, has unveiled a new redesign of the site today (10-27-2009). While we don't generally expect you to use PubMed, you may get questions about the redesign during hours when Reference staff isn't available.
Here's a short video tutorial from the University of Manitoba outlining the differences between the two interfaces: http://davidrothman.net/2009/10/23/new-pubmed-video-u-of-manitoba/
Please refer patrons with questions to medref@umn.edu or 612-626-3260 during M-F, 8am-5pm and S, 12-5pm.
Coupons
Have you ever wondered what to do when our equipment messes up when a patron is using a U Card or copy card to pay for prints or copies? The answer is - give them a coupon! Please use common sense when issuing coupons and make sure to fill out the coupon form completely. Coupons can be found in the Forms Binder.
Also, please review the forms in the binder. If you don't know what a form is for, it's your responsibility to find out from a supervisor, a co-worker, or by reading the Student Guide.
Questions? Concerns? Let us know! Please post a comment so that we know you've read this post.
Thanks,
Emily
Here are some key points:
*Beginning Saturday morning, check out library materials using the Offline Circulation module.
*Load the module ONLY on HSL-Circdsk-1 (the leftmost computer).
*Do NOT check library materials in using the module.
**Exception: Reserve materials should be returned using the Offline Circulation module.
*Put regular returns on a truck clearly labeled, "Items to be checked in." Leave the items for a library supervisor to return once Aleph is back online.
*Continue using the offline module until given the all-clear by a supervisor on Monday morning.
Please read Melissa's blog post of Oct. 19 for information on additional systems that will be unavailable.
Questions or concerns? Please let us know!
Thanks,
Emily
Starting Friday please expect Aleph and other computer database issues. We will be using Aleph offline circulation until Monday.
Here is what is happening:
- Access to all Aleph modules and OPACs will be terminated at 4pm on
Friday afternoon, October 23. We expect that this downtime will last
approximately 3 hours. Primo (MNCAT Plus and QuickSearch) will be
available for searching during this time, although the links into Aleph
will not be functional while Aleph is down. We anticipate that the Aleph
"search-only" OPAC environment will become available around 7pm on Friday.
- Find It / E-Journals A-Z / Citation Finder (SFX) will be unavailable
for a brief period between 7pm and 8pm on Friday, October 23.
- Libraries OneSearch / article search box will be taken down for the
weekend beginning at 7pm, Friday, October 23.
- MNCAT Plus (Primo, QuickSearch in Duluth) will be taken down no
earlier than 7pm, Friday, October 23, and only after the Aleph
"search-only" OPAC system is functional.
- UThink blogs may experience a short downtime of 2-5 minutes the
afternoon of Friday, October 23, but we expect the service to remain up
and functional during the entirety of the downtime.
- The Twin Cities University Libraries main web site (www.lib.umn.edu)
will change late afternoon, Friday, October 23 and will be a minimized
version of the site presenting only the most frequently used links.
These links will include MNCAT Classic, Indexes A-Z, and E-Journals, as
well as other services not affected by the downtime.
We are anticipating a fairly seamless return to our production systems
early on Sunday morning, October 25. However, staff should continue to
use Aleph offline circulation until they receive communication on Monday
morning asking them to switch back to the regular circulation system.
Please post to the blog!
Melissa
You will have noticed that the Hold shelf is growing! We are now up to 5 shelves! This is the first time ever. So please make sure that you are looking on all the shelves when looking for books.
Melissa
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1. Office delivery requests that do not have a UM Office address in the address field. I think we do a good job of noticing this and faxing the request back to the Get It Office per Sue's instructions.
2. Office delivery requests without a 4-digit campus mail code in the address field. We should be looking up the delivery code in the online UM Directory and writing it in on the mailing label. I'm less sure that we do this all the time. Please pass along the word to make sure to do so, tell them to ask if you they don't know how to look up.
Steven Llewellyn
Head, Public Services & Facilities
Bio-Medical Library
University of Minnesota
(p) 612.625.7940
(f) 612.626.2454
________________________________________________________________
Please post that you've read and understood this post. Questions? Please ask!
Thanks,
Emily