Tuesday, April 17, 2007

"Ask a Librarian" form -- Revised

Please notice that I've eliminated most of the verbiage on the "Ask a Librarian" form. It's not nearly as officious as it was.

Monday, April 16, 2007

Ref Weeding -- Literature

I have begun weeding the literary Reference Books. Some have been moved to the weeding shelf next to the music listening station, but none have been sent upstairs. If any student asks about any literary title that should be in Reference but isn't, please remember that this is the case.

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Leaving messages when getting the after hours message

Both Barry and Bridget phoned in before 7:30 and was unable to leave a message. I talked to Barry Lyons, our phone guy, and he has fixed that. The directions to access the after hours mailbox are under the clear desk blotter. The mail box # is 15491. The password is also 15491. Should be easy to remember, huh?

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Westlaw Campus Research changes -- April 14

On April 14, Westlaw will launch a revamp of the web interface for Westlaw Campus Research. You may want look again at the search interface sometime next week after the change occurs.

Tom

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Trial Access for Granger's World of Poetry

We have a trial through April for this.
This one is really worth looking at, I think.

http://www.columbiagrangers.org/grangers/

Monday, April 9, 2007

Workstudy Appreciation Week!

Just a reminder that tomorrow is our designated day to bring snacks for Workstudy Appreciation Week! There is a sign at the student desk with all the info. But could you please mention it to them as they are signing in. Either point out the sign or tell them to get a snack in the staff lounge or both.

Thanks!

Friday, April 6, 2007

Messages left on the Reference Desk V-Mail

After checking a v-mail message Julie was prompted to listen to a skipped message. Since the person didn't leave a date and time of message she didn't know how long the message had been there. We need to remember to delete messages after we have taken care of the patron's needs. Does anyone remember calling a patron back about helping with course reserves?

Wednesday, April 4, 2007

Chronicle of Higher Education

There has been a change in the terms of our subscription to the Chronicle of Higher Education. Previously, in conjunction with our print subscription, we had a password that we could give out to faculty and staff who wanted access to articles on the web site. We may no longer distribute such a password. If a faculty member calls the Reference Desk asking why the old password no longer works you can explain the situation to them. You should mention that we anticipate having funding to open up campuswide access some time over the summer. And you can refer them to me if they have any further questions.

What they do allow is a password which can only be used by reference staff at the Reference Desk. This fact is probably not worth mentioning if you are talking to someone who is upset about not being able to get in. But if you find that you need to have access in order to answer a question, then the password is given below. We have an excellent chance of securing the funding for the site license, so this inconvenience should only last for several months.

Tom

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Chronicle of Higher Education
Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2007 11:44:24 -0400
From: Mykie Howard
To: 'Tom Kmetz'
Tom,

Here’s the new info. I’ve also included a reminder of the rules. Please make sure all of the Reference staff members are aware of this.

Your username is: myho9432
Your password is: hetabarY

“Please note that the publisher offers free single user access to Libraries. However, the password may not be shared and access is available to reference librarians only. ”

Tuesday, April 3, 2007

Service Committee Portfolio Reviews

The University's Service Committee will be in the library (through Monday, April 9) to review Distinguished Service portfolios. Commitee members were sent the following instructions:
Go to the front desk of the Library on the FIRST floor. Ask for the key to the SERVICE COMMITTEE CARREL that is on reserve. Follow the directions on the package or ask the staff to point you in the right direction. The carrel is located
on the THIRD FLOOR of the LIBRARY TOWER just outside of the elevator (and is near the windows). It is clearly labeled, but ask for help if you can't find it.
I am the chair of this committee, so if there are problems, please let me know ASAP. Thanks!

Sunday, April 1, 2007

Seminar Room A Projector

When you go up to lock Seminar Room A after each use, please check to make sure the projector is turned off. Also check when you are closing the library.

If you need the remote to turn the projector off, or for any other reason, it is available at the Circulation Desk.

Ray