Just a reminder for Circ Supervisors at Main: there are instructions for checking in digital cameras, flash HD camcorders, and mini-DV camcorders on the large equipment drawers near the entrance to Circulation. Among the exciting topics covered are deleting images, checking for all pieces, and recharging!
Author Archives: Steven Bertolino
Additional procedure for PC faculty/staff laptops
Hi all. A small addition to the procedure for checking out Dell PC laptops to faculty and staff. Remember how, with the faculty/staff Macbooks, we require patrons to log in using their own ID and password at the far-left part of the Circ Desk? Well, now we’re doing that for faculty/staff PCs as well. When you check out a Dell laptop to a faculty or staff member, please direct them to go to the far left part of the Circ Desk, plug into the Ethernet cable there, and log in the laptop using their own username and password. The purpose of this is for assured functionality so they can access personal files once they leave campus. If a problem occurs, refer them to a Circ Supervisor – we can troubleshoot, ask Helpdesk to step in, or exchange their faculty/staff laptop for another one. Students working in the evenings at the branches can call Main if a supervisor is needed. Thanks!
Spring Thesis Carrels @ Main
Hey everyone. Students are asking about how carrel signups will work this Spring, so I wanted to make sure staff and student workers knew what to tell them. There’s a couple of major changes, but we think people will like them.
Carrels will still be available first-come first-served only to seniors currently writing a thesis or independent project, and will still be available starting on the second Monday of classes (February 15). Seniors will still need to fill out a thesis application and pick the carrel they want from our master carrel map.
However, instead of early morning, carrels will start being handed out at 12 noon. We got some complaints about waiting in line before the building even opens, so we’re going to try 12 noon as a start time instead.
Also, students wanting carrels no longer need a Bannerweb printout! Dan has worked out a way, through Banner’s regular updates of Millennium, for all students who are registered for a thesis or independent project to show as a new patron-type: 6 – Thesis student. So instead of needing a printout from Bannerweb to confirm that a senior is enrolled in a thesis or project, their p-type will automatically update in Millennium. We simply need to swipe their ID card to confirm that they can get a carrel.
Hopefully these changes will make the process of getting a carrel easier for students and easier for us as well. If you have any questions, please ask!
Equipment: give camcorders to supervisors for check-in!
A reminder for student workers at Main: when any piece of equipment that comes in a bag is returned, student workers should NOT check in the equipment but give the bag to the supervisor on duty. This includes firewire drives, fac/staff laptops, iPods, digital cameras, LCD projectors, the conference phone, the digital presenter, memory card readers, and most importantly, camcorders. Currently there are 3 flash HD camcorders which checked in without all of their pieces. In all 3, the power adapter, which is the only way to charge the battery, was missing. These power adapters cost $82 each and put the whole camcorder out of circulation until they can be ordered and delivered.
So please don’t check-in any returned equipment in bags. Instead, hand it over to the supervisor on duty. They will check throroughly to make sure all the pieces have been returned, and contact the borrower if pieces are missing. Thanks!
Change to (some) Equipment check-ins
Hey everyone. This is moderately big news. Effectively immediately, Circ supervisors will be taking over the role of checking in all equipment which contains more than one piece. As you all know, there’s one barcode per item of equipment, but an item may have multiple pieces (e.g. power adapters and firewire cables with the firewire drives). What does this mean for you? Read on.
for students: when equipment gets returned to the Circ Desk and has more than one piece to it (e.g. a camcorder but not a digital voice recorder), bring the equipment over to the media drawers, to the right of Steve’s desk. Leave the equipment piled on top of the drawers. That’s it. For things with one piece, like the digital voice recorders, check them in and put them away as usual.
for supervisors: periodically, at least twice during your shift at Main, go to the media drawers and use the PC there to check-in the equipment. If it’s something that runs on rechargeable batteries, plug in the recharger. Pack it away at the end of your shift – don’t leave charging batteries for the next supervisor. A handy collection of laminated green cards will show you how many pieces belong to each item of equipment. If an item doesn’t include all the pieces that should be there, don’t check it in, but email the patron who didn’t return all the pieces (copy Lib Circ) and leave the equipment on Steve’s desk with a note of what’s missing. For camcorders, digital cameras, firewire drives, and Mac faculty/staff laptops, remember to access and delete all data before reshelving.
Why are we doing this? 1, there are concerns about our error rate at checking in equipment. 2, it’s unlikely that in this economic climate we’ll be able to increase our equipment or replace everything that goes missing, so we need to take better care of the equipment we have. 3, our committment to patrons’ privacy means that we need to make sure personal files are getting deleted from our equipment. Our track record so far is spotty at best.
Any questions, post a comment or talk with me directly. Thanks for your help with this.
Empty Book Carts @ Main
Hi all. Small thing. When you have empty book carts (the smaller grey variety) at Main, please park them under the counter where the reshelving carts & blue courier bins live. When you have empty big blue Cataloging carts, please park them under the world map. Please do not park any carts under the lighting panel near the door in and out of Circ. Thanks.
No cell phone conversations at Circ
Just a reminder to everyone: no cell phone conversations at Circ. Please mute your cell when you show up for work. Between conversations in person at the desk, emails, instant messaging, and text messaging (on your phone is fine), there’s plenty of ways to keep in touch with people during your shift. It’s not too much to ask that you not make or take personal phone calls. Thanks.
Thesis Carrels!
Carrel sign-up will start tomorrow, Monday September 14, when we open at 7:30am. Students can arrive early and queue in the lobby if they want. Thesis carrels are open to SENIORS who are currently (ie. for the fall) enrolled in a 500, 600, or 700-level thesis or independent project. Senior seminars do not count. Juniors writing theses don’t count. A Bannerweb printout confirming enrollment is required. Carrels are first-come, first-served. Questions can be directed to me.
After Monday the 14th, the carrel map of available carrels will be on my desk – before checking out a carrel to anyone, confirm via their Bannerweb prinout that they are a senior and currently enrolled in a 500, 600, or 700-level thesis or independent study. Make sure to cross out the location on the map, and check the key out until the end of the relevant semester: Fall = 12/12/09, Winter = 1/29/10, Spring = 5/18/10
Fall Thesis Carrels!
It’s that time again, when Circ gets lots of questions about thesis carrels. Carrel sign-up will be the second Monday of classes, September 14, when we open at 7:30am. Students can arrive early and queue in the lobby if they want. Thesis carrels are open to SENIORS who are currently (ie. for the fall) enrolled in a 500, 600, or 700-level thesis or independent project. Senior seminars do not count. Juniors writing theses don’t count. A Bannerweb printout confirming enrollment is required. Carrels are first-come, first-served. No carrels will be given out ahead of September 14 at 7:30am. Questions can be directed to me, Steve Bertolino. I will be out of the office until September 6, and will reply to questions when I return.
If anyone is looking for a map of the carrels, there’s a paper copy on my desk, and the web link is here.