Tag Archives: Media Collection

Jack Maher: April’s Student Employee of the Month & DVD/CD Display Center

This note is so everyone is aware of this month’s student employee award, which went to Jack.  He has worked at the Circ Desk since starting as a first-year at Midd, longer than some supervisors.  It was unanimous that Jack had earned this accolade and we are proud of him. Jack’s participation at the circ desk has been memorable and fun. He will not be forgotten at Circ. So far, our circ employees of the month featured Jun Chen as our first, Chad Sonn, Cynthia Wang and Jack. Way to go!

Additionally, Jack selected several DVDs, featuring Ryan Gosling and acclaimed TV series, The Wire for the display area, and we have found that all of his choices have been checked out!  (R. Gosling is a huge draw, so that couldn’t hurt). Our previous student Christian Schoning made his selections before Jack’s picks, and they were also popular checkouts. It is obvious the display center is successful, so we appreciate your input. Brittany Gendron had a fabulous run as our first student recommending films and TV shows. Her picks did well too. This is a great way for faculty, staff members and other students to have easy access to our collection. We have had a lot of feedback from those checking the displayed DVDs and CDS, with comments like, “Wow. I didn’t know you had “The Ides of March,” or “I haven’t heard “The Smiths” in a long time!
So, don’t keep your favorite picks to yourself!  Keep them coming our way so we can share your recommendations. This is your chance to practice your music and movie criticism skills!
Ciao for now ~~

DVD repair machine

Since we are not using it as much lately, the DVD repair machine will need to have the solution prepped and reversed before and after use. If this isn’t done, the solution clogs the tube and results in the mess you see here. If you are not sure how to prep or reverse the solution, let me know, or consult the directions next to the machine.

Restricted DVDs

We have set aside the collection of DVDs that has been designated as “Restricted” and will stay behind the circ desk even when all the other DVDs have gone out to the stacks. Currently, these DVDs are on the three carts outside Dan’s office. They are somewhat (but mostly not) in order, so just scan for titles. Once we have room on the shelves, these will be put in order on a shelf.

The DVDs have a status of “restricted” in the catalog. You will be asked if you want to clear this status upon check in or out. Please say no. (Though if you do accidentally change it, I can periodically run a report to have them all changed.) This will not affect their circulation – it serves only to alert the patron (or you, if you are trying to find it) that it is not on the shelf where it would normally be. They also have a message that pops up when you check in and out that says “Restricted DVD”, which will serve as a reminder to put it back on the cart when it gets checked in. These will circulate as usual – 4 hours for students and staff, 3 days for faculty.

Let me know if there are any questions.

Laser Discs

Laser Discs (LDs) now live in Special Collections with the oversize VHS (Umatic) and LPs. None of these formats are heavily used, but they are sometimes the only version of a title, and may be requested. Here’s how a borrower can request materials from storage in Special Collections:
*Materials shelved in closed areas will display in the catalog with an email link
*Most materials can be retrieved within a day, but please allow extra time for closed periods
Staff procedures for processing storage requests can be found here.

Reserve and film screening shelf locations

I’ve placed all LS Reserves in a more consolidated spot for the summer. Both books and media will be shelved where we normally shelve only books during the academic year. Since there are fewer items on Reserve during summer term, it’ll be nice to have fewer places to look for Reserve items.

Also, I’ve relocated the film screening shelf (where media/rental films sit with their booking slips attached) for the summer only. It will live at the end of the LS reserves area. Please let me know if you need a brief tour of where things are.

If you have comments or concerns about any of this, please let me know!

Please be careful with returns!

We’ve had a slew of returned items this week that haven’t been properly checked in, including a batch of five (yes, 5!) media items all returned by a faculty member that were reshelved without being checked in first. There have also been a number of Reserve items that haven’t been checked in properly. This causes a good amount of added stress and work for both the borrower and Circ staff.

Please check in all returns immediately at the check-in station and reshelve promptly. This is the best way to prevent confusion and missed check-ins.

As always, please alert a supervisor if you have any questions about a returned item. Thank you!

Reminder re: media needed for screenings

This is a reminder that on the day of a scheduled screening, films may not be borrowed prior to the screening. Students may borrow films immediately after a screening, or on any day prior to the day of the scheduled screening, and regular reserve loan guidelines apply.

This policy is in place so we can guarantee that the media needed for a screening is accounted for, clean, and ready to go for a screening.

This policy has been in place for over a year, so students and faculty should already be aware of this policy and the need to plan accordingly. Please refer any questions to a supervisor — we’re happy to help explain our policies to our borrowers.