Managers meeting notes, August 8, 2013

Present: Carrie, Joe A, Mike, Joseph, Ian B, Terry (notes), Pij, Joe D, Peggy, Mary, Dan, Jim

Mike will soon send out requests for volunteers to form two groups:

  • one to investigate teams;
  • another to look at possible LIS benchmark/performance indicators.

We focused the rest of the meeting on discussing preparations for the upcoming start of the Fall semester, along with other activities that are occupying folks during the waning days of summer.

Joseph:

  • Dealing with an outbreak of mold at Davison Library
  • Now working part-time in Special Collections
  • With staff, undertaking a review of periodicals at Armstrong

Terry:

  • MISO prep – request to share questions that are required so they are not needlessly debated.  Mike mentioned that the results of the MISO survey would likely be considered one of our key performance indicators;
  • Work with the communications task force is continuing;
  • liaisons and systems folks are working diligently on migrating our SubsPlus subject guides to a new platform called LibGuides;
  • we are now providing access to Middlebury journals/databases for a select group of MIIS center directors and department heads

Ian Burke:

  • Shifting College point-of-sale systems to a new area of the network;
  • Planning for “cyber awareness month” in October.

Mike:

  • planning for a data center is beginning;
  • Mike, Jim, Chris, Mike, and Mary participated in a conference call with a few other area schools to discuss a joint IT security assessment;
  • Bill Burger in Communications has received funding for TV studio “in a box”; implemented first at MIIS and then, eventually, at Midd.  Location at Midd still TBD;
  • Jim Ralph is here and involved with CTLR.  Beginning conversations about the possibility of applying for grants in the area of digital humanities projects;
  • Jim and Mike seeking approval, funding, etc. for a biweekly luncheon series to highlight innovations around technology and pedagogy;
  • discussing LIS Info Lit efforts and how that might align with CTLR’s new role;
  • Met with COO of Middlebury Interactive Languages (MIL); may try to have semi-regular conversations between their tech staff and ours for professional development purposes.

Pij:

  • Education & Training Team is in the process of collecting feedback on the new LIS help site.  Will probably roll out after Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference.
  • Preparing wiki documentation for cut-over to MiddCloud.

Joe Durante

  • Working on hiring/returning Helpdesk students;
  • Returning student assistants will need training to use WebHelpDesk;
  • SLAs up and running; alerts are now sent whenever something is unduly delayed.

Peggy

  • Print management group is talking with SymQuest about changing our primary printer model from Canon to Kyocera.  Kyocera fully supports PaperCut and we’ve also been experiencing problems with the Canon Mac drivers;
  • Looking at alternate billing methods

Mary

  • Working with MIIS to implement Web Help Desk, using a shared database.  Tickets will be divided by location;
  • Planning public announcements of the self-service feature of WHD (September) and of the SLAs (October;
  • Something involving first-year registration (possibly registration system training, or possibly just people having trouble registering – conflicting reports…) will be happening in the Libraryon the afternoon of Sept. 4.

Dan

  • Asset inventory piece of WHD still not working with KeyServer; may need to re-import computer data into the new database system;
  • circulation/reserves staff are preparing to wrap up BL School of English and are also preparing for beginning of BL Writers Conference;
  • 18,000 more people visited Davis in July 2013 than in 2012;
  • planning for more equitable carrel distribution to those who have greatest need for them.

Jim

  • Final prep for Middfiles cutover, scheduled for Aug 18, will take 6 hours to cut-over;
  • CSNS is engaged in a complete network overhaul of MIIS campus; the core is being built here at Middlebury, and the first components installed at MIIS probably by mid-September;
  • Network improvements happening at Washington DC office of MIIS’ Center for Non-Proliferation Studies (CNS). Also preparing for a new Internet connection;
  • Undertaking a wireless assessment to determine coverage gaps; have identified some spaces, such as Gifford, where we need to upgrade;
  • Upgrading Computer Science lab, integrating authentication into our main system.  Moving storage for CS students and faculty to MiddFiles from a separate system;
  • Next windows upgrade to 8.1 will only support one specific VPN protocol; may impact some home users.

Carrie

  • Incoming students will be getting a USB guide of helpful information rather than a packet of printed materials;
  • Marketing efforts:
    • LIS book marks for new students;
    • Post-cards to market/advertise the most useful/helpful of our services;
  • Doing a targeted survey for some first-year seminars; planning for pre- and post-instruction tests to assess how well we are teaching info lit skills.  Joe Antonioli is helping with KeySurvey for this.

Joe Antonioli

  • Digital Media Tutors had a total of 66 project proposals.  40 are complete; 5 more starting soon due to returning faculty schedules; 14-15 projects to complete before academic year;
  • CourseHub for MIIS;
  • Changes to CurrTech site, making sure it is up-to-date and the information is correct.  This will not be a full overhaul this year, however;
  • Undertaking a side-by-side comparison of Midd and UNC Chinese placement exams for LS and UG department;
  • We need to make a decision on our SANSSpace by the start of the academic year;
  • Honor Code tutorial – new site, integration with CourseHub;
  • LS review every year, so will want to meet with folks involved in that support.

Thanks for reading,
Terry