Magrath Reference

Tinkering with the Blog

Hi all,
Just an FYI -- over the next few weeks you may see a handful of odd postings coming over the Magrath reference blog. Our new graduate assistant, Prahlad Kilambi, is going to be tinkering with the interface to try to accomplish a couple different things. He'll likely be doing some tests in the process. If things pan out, one result might be an ability for us to cross-post items between the Bio-Med and Magrath blogs (since some life science news applies to both staffs).

-Kevin

St. Paul reference blog notification list updated

I just added a handful of people to the email notification list for the Magrath/St. Paul public services blog -- which is why you're getting this email.

There are only a few posts per month to this blog, so it's not a flood of mail, certainly. However, if you do not want to get notifications like this when someone posts an entry to the blog, please just drop me a line (DON'T respond to this email; it comes from magrath@umn.edu, so I won't get the response.) See http://blog.lib.umn.edu/staff/magrath/ if you aren't familiar with the blog already.

Also, if there is someone who should be getting these emails but is not, please let me know that as well. Current addressees are:

flana008@umn.edu 2004.02.04
herol008@umn.edu 2004.01.30
huntx047@umn.edu 2004.09.15
j-devr@umn.edu 2004.09.15
j-mouc@umn.edu 2004.09.15
jkelly@umn.edu 2004.09.15
kallen@umn.edu 2004.09.15
l-kerr@umn.edu 2004.02.05
lle@umn.edu 2004.01.29
lwiegand@umn.edu 2004.01.30
m-berg@umn.edu 2004.09.15
m-mcgu@umn.edu 2004.01.29
m-mort@umn.edu 2004.09.15
marsa001@umn.edu 2004.01.21
messn006@umn.edu 2004.02.06
p-pope@umn.edu 2004.09.15
peter051@umn.edu 2004.09.15
s-koeh@umn.edu 2004.09.15
t-gare@umn.edu 2004.09.15

Remember, if you post an entry to the blog and you want to send a notification, after you publish the entry you must scroll down to the bottom of the screen and choose to send either an excerpt or the entire entry body, then press "Send."

- Kevin (messn006@umn.edu)

Magrath circ to begin using blog

After talking with Joan and Steve about this blog last week, we've decided that it makes sense for Magrath circ to make use of it as well. (They get the same questions reference does about computer problems and the like, and they of course serve as de facto reference when the ref desk is unmanned.) So you can expect to see posts from the circ staff showing up here periodically. Welcome to them!

marking up your blog entry

Just made a minor discovery. In our "Movable Type" blog interface, there should be a set of buttons, for making text bold, etc., or adding a hypertext link, that appear above the text entry box where you make a new entry. That works just fine if you're using Internet Explorer. If you're in the habit (like me) of using Mozilla, though, these buttons don't show.

Banged away at the configuration for way too long, before I just thought to just try a different broswer...

-Kevin

Telling blog software to send notifications

From my experiments just now, it seems that the Blog software only sends notifications if you tell it to do so when you make an entry.

So, after imputing your entry, scroll down to the bottom of the screen and follow the instructions there for sending the notification.

--Scott

Getting Email Notifications of New Entries

OK, Scott is correct, setting the Reference blog to notify you when a new entry is added is quite easy. Simply go to the add/edit entry page and login.

Then, on the left hand side, under "Manage", select "Notifications".

Enter your email and your name will be added to the notification email list at the bottom of the page.

This "Magrath Reference" Blog

To follow up on Shane's welcome (which is now buried down at the bottom of our list of entries) -- welcome! It is my hope that this reference desk blog will largely replace the thin red folder at the Magrath desk that has been used for writing notes to each other at the reference desk (though like everywhere else, I’m sure paper will still have its fans). Exchanging information via this blog has a couple of advantages I hope we'll take advantage of:

• Since much of the information we exchange is of long-lasting value, the search function of this blog will likely come very much in handy.


• For those of us working in the branch libraries, or who occasionally find ourselves at Bio-Med, Walter, etc. it may prove useful to be able to log in to the blog from locations other than the Magrath desk to read or create entries. For the St. Paul libraries, this may (?) be a step towards coordinating reference services (though remember that people are not going to be constantly watching the blog, so don't post a message here saying someone will be coming to your library in five minutes.....)

I'd encourage everyone to read the blog at the beginning of their reference shift, and keep the "post an entry" web page open throughout the shift in case you want to post something. The URL for the post entry page, along with our username/password will be sent out by email to you all, and posted at the Magrath desk.

Any reference info or questions (e.g., using indexes, or "why do people keep asking about tomatoes?") or public computer issues that you come across, and think would be of general interest, are fair game for entries. Don't be shy about posting!

I've entered the backfile of our reference notes (from the Word file that had been accumulating on one of the reference terminals at Magrath). Effectively, this includes all the notes from 2003 that made it into that file, so there are already several URLs, explanations of performing various functions on our public terminals, etc., on this blog.

Below (that is, my previous post) are some instructions for creating a blog entry.

- Kevin

Blog Instructions

Here are some quick, hopefully painless, instructions fro creating a blog entry on this blog:

1. Log into the blog (URL, username/password for this will be sent by e-mail)


2. Click on "New Entry".


3. Type a title in that field - preferably something that will enhance later searching


4. Enter your message in the "Entry Body" field. Please sign your message here at the end, so others know who wrote it and can respond if warranted.


5. Scroll down to the post status. You should change the post status to publish, as your message won't show on the blog page until you do.


6. You can preview (and either Edit or Save on the next screen) or go ahead and Save on this screen. You can always go back and edit later (or delete entirely) if need be.


7. After saving, you'll be taken to the entry page again, where you can edit your message. Please note that if you want to enter a second message, you should click the "New Entry" button, not type over your current message, as your current message will be lost.

- Kevin