Sci/Eng Library Reference Staff Blog

Update on Public Copying and Printing
From Library Monday Memo 8/25/08

All University Libraries public copying and printing equipment have been upgraded to the new CBORD debiting system. The Health Science Library will be upgrading soon. We continue to experience some transition issues which we hope the U Card office will be able to help us resolve soon. Thanks for your patience as the Libraries make this transition and for your dedication to helping the users get what they need while we are changing system platforms.

The Libraries are no longer selling Library Copy Cards. Faculty and staff that need to purchase a copy card with an EFS budget string should request a card through their departmental accounting office. The copy service has purchased a limited number of $3 courtesy cards and distributed them to public service desks to help users who are struggling in this transition.

Patrons should be directed to the new Value Port to add money to their UCard account or to purchase a new Gopher Gold card for $1 and then add value to that. Value Ports are located in Wilson, Walter, Magrath, Law, and HSL. They are also located in the University dormitories.

The UCard office anticipates that the web interface for adding value with a credit or debit card will be available to the public October 1st. There will be a $2 fee for this service. If University faculty, staff, or students have value stored on their UCard that was deposited via the cash to card machines prior to August 15, 2008, that value must be converted to the new system at the UCard office. Old Library Copy Cards (non-CUFS purchased with cash or a check) or Gopher Gold cards purchased in the cash to cards machines will no longer work in the equipment and must be converted at the UCard Office in Coffman to the new system.

Copy Cards with CUFS printed on them should be returned to their departmental accounting office for a refund. Exception: Library units that have old CUFS copy cards should return them to Amy Boemer, 125 Magrath, with their name and unit. Return any old library courtesy cards with value on them to Amy Boemer, 125 Magrath. The library will get credit for these cards which will then convert to new value.

- Amy Boemer

Posted by Tony Ihrig at 3:36 PM | Permalink

Amy Lewis has sent us the following cheat sheet for LRC policies and procedures;

LRC Cheat Sheet

Posted by Maria Stracke at 7:39 PM | Permalink

The microform scanner in 206 is now set up for email, instructions and training will be provided to staff soon. Please read the following important points taken from an email from Eric Forbis:

- All email sent from the scanner PC will have "sciref@umn.edu" as the return address, and mail sent to a mistyped or nonexistent address will return to the sciref account.

-There is one minor 'gotcha' when emailing images. After scanning the image, adding it to the folder, and selecting 'email', a window will pop up asking for an email address (can be anything), and which format you prefer (pdf, jpg, or tiff). Immediately after entering the info, a second window pops up, warning the user that a program is trying to automatically send email (the program is ESP.net). The window looks rather alarming-- it has a large yellow exclamation point on the left side, and it forces you to wait for a progress bar to completely finish before making the "Yes" (send) button available. The notification is generated by MS Outlook, and I've not yet found a way to disable it. Please advise patrons to ignore the notice, and to click on the "Yes" button after it's available.

Posted by Tony Ihrig at 9:27 PM | Permalink

The liaison's business cards have been moved from the wooden tray in the top ref desk drawer to a business card holder on the main desk (located at arms reach, next to the scratch paper and handouts). Please keep an eye on your cards and make sure they are stocked.

Posted by Meghan Lafferty at 3:22 PM | Permalink

Sat 3/17 DTC Monitor works 10-3 (Library Monitor works 3-6)
Sun 3/18 DTC Monitor works 12-6 (Library Monitor works 6-12mid)

Regular Semester Weekend Hours:
Saturday's - DTC Monitor works 10-6 (Library Monitor works 6-9)
Sunday's - DTC Monitor works 12-6 (Library Monitor works 6-12mid)

Posted by Tony Ihrig at 5:13 PM | Permalink

Hello Reference Staff,

I have now met with Carissa Lenzmeier, the Gamma Phi Beta Scholarship
Chairwoman and the one in charge of their study binder that they would like
to keep at our reference desk.

We have agreed on the location their binder will be kept:

If you are facing the reference desk, it is located on the the top, left-hand
shelf of the "desk" bookshelf. It is just to the right of where the reference
room book cart is normally parked. In this location it is visible from a
distance (it is freestanding, sandwiched between two bookends) and the group
members do not need to (technically) walk behind the ref desk to get at it.

It is a white binder and its spine is clearly labeled "Gamma Phi Beta -
Walter Library." Also, just in case circ students find it laying around
somewhere, I have also labeled the spine with stickers indicating its
location as "Sci/Eng Reference" and "Desk."

This binder will be self-serve and we are not responsible for keeping track
of it. If it is not on the shelf, then most likely another group member is
currently using it in the building somewhere.

If they have any questions about it, you can just tell them to ask "Carissa,"
who will contact me if need be.

Thanks,

-Tony

Posted by Tony Ihrig at 7:56 PM | Permalink

Hi everyone,
Just a heads up that my students have a properties assignment due this week. You may see some at the reference desk. The assignment is at http://sciweb.lib.umn.edu/chem/PropertiesS07.pdf
Meghan

Posted by U of M Lib Science and Engineering Lib at 8:33 PM | Permalink

Hello Reference Staff,

It has come to my attention that a group of young women belonging to Gamma Phi Beta, have started a library study group at Walter. Their organization gives scholarships based partly on "study time" that the students log into a binder. They have created one of these study-log binders that they would like to keep here in Walter, so the various members of their group could use it anytime they are here. I have a agreed to let them keep it on a shelf behind the ref desk on the condition that it would be self-serve and we are not responsible for it in any way. I have asked one of their members to meet me here this week so we can come up with a specific location for the binder. I will let you know once we determine where it will be held.

In the meantime, if any of the girls come to the desk looking for the "Gamma Phi Beta Study Hours Binder," tell them we are in the process of finding it a home and that they need to contact one of their members, Carissa Lenzmeier (Gamma Phi Beta Scholarship Chairwoman) for details about its location.

Thanks,

-Tony

Posted by U of M Lib Science and Engineering Lib at 3:19 PM | Permalink

Hello everyone,

In case anyone accidentally leaves their new name badge at home or misplaces it, we have some extra ones that just say "Library Staff." I have attached them (magnetically) to the top of the mail bookshelf in room 329. If you do use one please remember to put it back when you are done using it. Thanks!

-Tony

Posted by U of M Lib Science and Engineering Lib at 2:30 PM | Permalink

Hello Everyone,

Two bits of ref room MS Office news:

1) Steve Irons has updated the public workstations in 206 and in the LRC that have the full MS Office Suite installed with an add-in that will allow them to open Office 2007 files (in the ref room this would just be the computers to the right of the desk). Apparently there is not a "reader" version of 2007 yet (for the read-only machines), but I’ll let you know when that comes along.

2) Also, the ref desk computer finally has Office 2003 installed!

-Tony

Posted by U of M Lib Science and Engineering Lib at 4:15 PM | Permalink