Tag Archives: lis staff

Two new staff in Central Systems & Network Services

Please welcome two new staff members in CSNS:

  • Ian Burke started November 29th as our new Network Security Administrator; he is also on the LIS Security Team.  Ian comes most recently from Amherst, NH and was a Security Engineer for TJX in Framingham MA.
  • Jim Stuart started December 8th as System Programmer/Administrator.  Jim was Chief Technology Officer for Qvault, Inc. here in Vermont.   He previously worked here at Middlebury from 1993-1999 in various positions in ITS, prior to the merger which created LIS.

Changes at the Helpdesk

There have been some changes in the Helpdesk structure that I would like to make you aware of. First, after managing the Helpdesk for over two years, Jim Beauchemin is taking a break from management and stepping into a Senior Technology Specialist role. Jim will join the team of Nate Burt, Mack Roark, Brian Foley, Lisa Terrier and Chris Tangora (who will join LIS in January). Each of the Senior Technology Specialists takes a leadership role at the Helpdesk and shares the duties of working with users in Service Requests, or second tier support. This is the group that takes on the issues that cannot be resolved during the initial phone call, walk in visit or email. In addition, each has unique projects for which they are responsible. Jim has had a tremendous impact on our complex equipment inventory and distribution process, and he will continue to shepherd those important functions, as well as continuing as a system administrator for Heat. Jim will continue to bring leadership and his excellent process management skills to the Helpdesk.

I will be assuming the management of the Senior Technology Specialist group and Service Requests, in addition to my role as Area Director for User Services.

Joe Durante, who joined LIS last year, has been supervising the Student Consultants who work at the Helpdesk. I am delighted to announce that Joe has been promoted to Helpdesk Manager – Call Center and Walk-in. Joe will manage the staff who receive initial Helpdesk calls, emails and walk in visits and resolve as many as possible during that initial contact. Joe will also continue to lead and build our Student Consultant team. Joe brings strong management experience to the management team of User Services, and I am so happy to have him in that group.

We are currently recruiting applications for the open Senior Technology Specialist position recently vacated by Dennis Hadley, and so will continue to see the team grow and evolve.
Please join me in congratulating Jim and Joe on their new roles.

Google Analytics Workshops

Beginning in December, Chris Norris will be offering a series of Google Analytics workshops for LIS staff. These workshops will cover the basics of how Google Analytics works and how this data can be used to better understand (and help improve) the online services that we provide to the community. The first workshop will be held on Thursday, December 9th, 2010 in Davis Family Library 105 from 1:30p to 2:30p. If you are interested in attending, please email Chris at cnorris@middlebury.edu.

Discuss! (at Liaison Discussion Section)

You’re invited!  (Who?  All LIS liaisons and others who might be interested. What’s an LIS Liaison?  Find out at http://go.middlebury.edu/liaisons.)

Liaison Discussion Section
Thursday 11/18,  10-11 am in Lib 145
Topic:  Support for curricular technology
We will talk about the ways in which we have provided support for curricular technology on behalf of LIS. What questions have we received about Segue, WordPress, MediaWiki, etc.? How have we answered? Have we been asked to recommend one platform over another? What was the scenario and how did we respond?

Pre-assignment:  If you’re among those in LIS who have provided support for curricular technology then please be ready to share 2 questions or challenges that you’d like to discuss.

RSVP:  Liaisons have received and responded to an Outlook invite.  All others don’t need to respond.  Just come if you’re interested!

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What is “Liaison Discussion Section”?  It’s a revival of librarians’ “Reference Training and Review” sessions. “Liaison Discussion Section” meetings will address topics of interest to liaisons: research and/or technology. They can be conversations, or presentations, or both. They take place most often on the third Wednesday of the month.  In order to allow people who work different hours to attend, they’ll occasionally be scheduled for different days/times (for example, this one is on a Thursday!).  Anyone in LIS is welcome.

Marcy moving to Enterprise Applications

Danna Gianforte and I (Area Directors for Enterprise Applications and Central Systems & Network Services, respectively) recently agreed to a staffing change.  Marcy Smith is now a member of the Enterprise Applications area.  We believe that having the soon-to-be-hired Database Administrator (DBA) and the Enterprise Systems Administrator (aka Marcy) reporting to the same Area Director will:

  • streamline communications
  • remove roadblocks in the workflow
  • improve service to the functional areas

Central Systems & Network Services will continue to work closely with Marcy, as we do with all of Enterprise Applications staff.  Marcy will be moving to the Davis Family Library at some point, but the details of that move have not been finalized.

I enjoyed having Marcy in my area and certainly learned a lot about Banner and just how complicated it all is from her!  All of us in CS & NS look forward to continuing to work with Marcy.  In fact, the looming upgrade to Oracle 11G will give us plenty of opportunity.  But that’s a subject for another post…

Special Collections spotlight

Watch this for a lovely feature by the Addison Independent on Middlebury College Special Collections and Andy Wentink’s journey to his current place as Curator!

Also of local/Middlebury College interest: the music on the video is by Middlebury alumna Anaïs Mitchell from her recent “folk-opera”, Hadestown.

Run, Don’t Walk…

If you don’t have one yet, run to purchase a ticket to WIND IN THE WILLOWS put on by the Little City Players at the Vergennes Opera House.   Arabella Holzapfel, Mike Lynch and Mack Roark are superb in this production.  I saw it on Sunday afternoon and will try and go again.  It’s absolutley magical.

October 22 & 23  at 8:00pm; October 24 at 2:00pm.  Tickets are $12 general admission, $6 children 8 & under. Available at the Vergennes Opera House, Classic Stitching & www.brownpapertickets.com.

Summary of Staffing Changes within LIS

In the past 18 months, LIS has gone through a set of major staffing changes.  25 people  have left LIS, seven have been promoted within LIS,   four have jointed LIS from other parts of the College, and three have joined us from elsewhere. In addition, there are 5 positions that are still open.   Collectively, we have lost over five hundred years of experience!  Our FTE level has dropped from an all-time high of 104 to 83.5. For those who are interested in how we are now organized, you can find an organizational chart at http://www.middlebury.edu/offices/technology/lis/about/organization . We’ve also listed below the names and titles of the promotions and new hires.

Promotions
Kellam Ayres to Circulation Services Coordinator, Reserves
Steve Bertolino to Reference & Instruction Librarian
Charlie Conway to Media Services Specialist 2
Dan Frostman to Circulation Services Manager
Jess Isler to Reference & Instruction Librarian
Mike Lynch to Area Director, Central Systems & Network Services
Carrie Macfarlane to Head of Reference & Instruction
Petar Mitrevski  to Tech Media/Services Manager
Scott Witt to Media Services Specialist 2

New Hires from within Middlebury
Joe Durante, Technology Specialist,  from Dining
Kim Gurney, Circulation Services Specialist, from Facilities
Danielle Madison, Media Specialist,  from Facilities
Janine McDonald , Circulation Services Specialist, from Career Services

New Hires from elsewhere
Danna Gianforte – Area Director, Enterprise Applications
Dennis Hadley – Senior Technology Specialist
Matt LaFrance – Web Programmer
Positions Still to be Filled
Collection Development Acquisitions and Cataloging Manager
Database Administrator
Senior Technology Specialist
Network/Security Administrator
System Programmer Administrator