Tag Archives: eNewsletter

Tibetan Peace Flag-Making at Middlebury College Library, Oct. 1-14

 

Students and the whole Middlebury community are invited to the Davis Family Library to make Tibetan Peace Flags that will decorate the building for the visit of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. This is a chance to share your message of peace, thanksgiving and good will with the Dalai Lama and our whole community. Come and write your wishes, thoughts and prayers, or express your feelings by drawing or decorating your flag.

Tables with flag-making supplies will be set up in the library lobby from Oct. 1-14.  Flags will be on display in the library throughout October.

Top Tech Tips for a Successful Event

Middlebury College hosts hundreds of events each year. A successful event is the result of careful and timely planning. To assist you with planning your event, LIS has outlined these tips for a successful event:

  • Plan ahead: For all events that require tech support, we ask that you give us at least 5 business days notice. This deadline ensures that we have enough time to coordinate support with other departments (that have similar deadlines) and ensures that we can support more events and produce higher quality events.
  • Give the Master Location Schedule a spin: This tool can help you get a list of spaces that have the features you need: visit go/mls, open the Locations tab, click More Search Options and under Features select the feature you are looking for (e.g. Computer installed at the podium). This can be very helpful in the early planning stages.
  • The right room for the job: Keep in mind that some spaces are better suited for specific purposes. The event location is especially important if:
    • you are planning a videoconference,
    • you would like to have the event recorded
    • you plan to use microphones

Not all spaces are well suited for the above purposes (due to acoustics, lighting, capacity, etc.) Thus, to ensure a successful event, LIS has selected specific locations (see list below) that are best designed for these types of events. The Scheduling Office will work with you and LIS to find the best location for your event.

  • Tech options: Consider whether you will need additional equipment or tech support (projector, microphones, show a DVD, record the event, etc.):

    • Many event venues already have the most popular equipment (projection, speakers, etc.), as well as an easy to use control panel and a set of printed instructions. With a brief orientation session, you’ll operate the equipment with ease. Contact the Helpdesk if you would like to schedule an orientation session.
    • If the location you are hoping to use does not have the equipment you need, LIS offers several options for getting equipment on loan.
    • If you’re sure you’ll need tech support, make sure to indicate that when filling out your event reservation request.
  • The Scheduling Office is your ally. Submit your reservation request to the scheduling office as soon as possible, keeping in mind that LIS and other service departments require a 5-7 day notice. If you do require equipment or tech support, please ensure you select the appropriate option on the form. If the correct option is selected, the Scheduling Office will notify the Helpdesk of your event in a timely manner and we will contact you if more information is needed. Again, it is imperative that you respond to our requests for information at least 5 business days in advance of the event.
  • Useful forms: To help you prepare for some types of events, and to ensure we get all the information necessary to give you our best service, we may ask you to complete a simple form. See the list of useful forms below.
  • Guest speakers: If you are bringing a guest speaker on-campus, send them our Technology Checklist for Visiting Speakers.
  • Use a podium computer or bring your own: A lot of classrooms have a built-in computer at the podium, reducing the need to bring your own computer. Again, the Master Location Schedule can help you get a list of these locations. If you prefer to use your own laptop for the presentation, make sure to test your computer and your presentation in the event location. Please feel free to contact the Helpdesk if you would like us to help out with the test!
  • PowerPoint Tips: Using PowerPoint to enhance a talk, Tips for including media – pictures, videos, audio (& ensuring it all works!)
  • Microphone Tips: Effective Microphone Techniques

Supported Locations

Due to acoustics, lighting, capacity and other factors, not all spaces are well suited for special events such as recordings, videoconferencing, etc. Thus, to ensure a successful event, LIS has selected specific locations that are best designed for these types of events. The Scheduling Office will work with you and LIS to find the best location for your event but you can plan ahead and review the potential venue options:

Every year we renovate selected spaces, so the options will continue to grow. You can always check the above links for the most up-to-date information.

Useful Forms

To help you prepare for some types of events, and to ensure we get all the information necessary to give you our best service, we’ve prepared a few forms:

  • For recordings:

    • You will need to have the speaker(s) fill out the recording consent form (go/consent). We need to receive this form 2 business days (48 hours) before the event or we will not be able to record. This is a legal document that ensures the speaker is aware of your intent and, at the same time, protects you and the College in the case of a lawsuit. For more information, visit go/consent.
    • Complete the recording request form (go/recording). We need to receive this form 5 business days before the event or we will not be able to record. This form collects information that we need to prepare for the recording, create a high quality recording that is accessible and reliable, and properly catalog the recording so that you or the College may reuse it in the future. For more information visit go/recording.
  • For film screenings:
    • Complete the screening request form (go/screening). We need to receive this form 5 business days before the event or we cannot guarantee that we can staff the screening. Screening any media requires sufficient time to purchase (or confirm) that we have the screening rights and that we have the working physical media. Even if you plan to bring your own media, screening rights need to be confirmed and the media itself needs to be tested. For more information, visit go/screening.

Note: We will continue to update this list, as our services and event venues change. Please check the page Top Tech Tips for a Successful Event for the latest version. In addition, visit the Media Services homepage for more information on our services.

Welcome (back) (new) faculty and students!

Sunday’s convocation marked the beginning of the new academic year, and on Monday began the first classes for our over 600 new students and over 30 new faculty. With the rush of settling in now complete, I want to welcome our newest members of the Middlebury community, and at the same time, remind returning faculty and students of key guides to the major resources LIS makes available for our academic community.

One obvious place to start, for both faculty and students, is the Ten things students should know page, which describes the top services for students (labs, wireless, reference services, etc.) From this page, you can find links to the key resources that will allow you to make the most of the network and the library.

Both new and veteran faculty might also do well to review the page LIS4Faculty which describes many of the same resources, but from the perspective of a faculty member.

And for those who want to help shape our agenda for the year, we have two main advisory groups: the Student LIS Advisory Group and the Faculty LIS Advisory Group. These groups provide critical perspective for us as we navigate the complexities of bringing new technology and new forms of information to a campus already bursting at the seams with technology and information.

I wish you all the best as you begin your semester. If you have any questions, concerns, ideas, or thoughts about any and all things having to do with LIS, please feel free to contact me. I’m reachable via mdroy@middlebury.edu .

LIS web presence – marketing project

The LIS Web team – Dan Frostman, Jess Isler, Richard Jenkins, Matt La France, & Barbara Merz – has been conducting a publicity blitz for chosen features of the LIS web presence. The selection was done in consultation with other LIS staff, with the aim of drawing attention to underutilized good stuff available to the Middlebury community. The features we advertised were:

  • Searching: the Midd Google search & special Helpdesk Google search
  • Training: Lynda
  • Drupal: documentation and new editing interface
  • Self-service PIN and password updating
  • Media services Event Recording & Film Screening forms
  • Middmedia

The tools we used were chosen with the target audience in mind:

  • an LIS eNewsletter to reach faculty, staff, & students who actually read e-mail
  • advertisements in “The Campus” to reach students as well as faculty & staff
  • posters to reach students
  • creation of more “go” links for easy access
  • use of QR codes to attract the attention of mobile device enthusiasts

We’ve also been trying to assess the effectiveness of our marketing efforts – here’s a summary of our metrics:

eNewsletter – special edition. Sent 10/5/11.
Caused a small peak in blog hits – normal background approx 30 per day, peak 196. Some of the eNews links weren’t to blog posts & as you can see below, there were spikes in the stats for featured wiki & web page URLs too.
Top posts on 10/5 – all featured in enews:
Home page 71
All About MiddMedia 16
Lynda in the Limelight 12
What is GO? 12
Searching is new and improved! 11

Unique pageviews /wiki/LIS/Main_Page (Sent Oct 5th, blue)
Wed Sept 21st: 21, Wed Sept 28th: 15, Wed Oct 5th: 26, Wed Oct 12th: 15

Unique pageviews /offices/technology/help/ (Sent Oct 5th, blue)
Wed Sept 21st: 84, Wed Sept 28th: 50, Wed Oct 5th: 140, Wed Oct 12th: 75

Unique pageviews /offices/technology/help/mediaserv/Recordingrequest (Sent Oct 5th, blue)
Wed Sept 21st: 1, Wed Sept 28th: 1, Wed Oct 5th: 10, Wed Oct 12th: 2

QR codes

Perhaps it was the content, or perhaps people in general aren’t following QR codes around here, but the codes we included in our posters & “Campus” advertisements weren’t used much! 3 hits on MiddMedia posters and 1 hit on a “Search” poster.

Changes in use of advertised features

  • Self-service PIN and password updating.
    Frequency of Helpdesk HEAT tickets for PIN reset. The decrease in HEAT tickets after the marketing effort indicates a possible, though transitory, effect!

Nov 7 – 13 23, Oct 31 – Nov 6 15, Oct 24 – 30 (inc. break) 10, Oct 17 – 23 6, Oct 10 – 16 9, Oct 3 – 9 (eNews sent Oct 5) 14, Sep 26 – Oct 2 11, Sep 19 – 25 14, Sep 12 – 18 15, Sep 5 – 11 14, Aug 29 – Sep 4 16

  • Training: Lynda.com
    lynda logoWith the help of Pij Slater, we were able to gather statistics about lynda.com use, but it was difficult to assess for sure whether our advertising caused any spikes in new-user accounts (posters around campus, bookmarks, LISblog posts, and an ad in The Campus on Nov. 3.) However, we can chart the number of new users from the time the service was officially rolled out in July,and we see that at least word is getting out:
    • July: 30
    • August: 103
    • September: 107
    • October: 80
    • Nov. (as of the15th): 46

Overall, it seems as though the strongest tool in our marketing kit is still the LIS eNewsletter, in addition to the MiddPoints News & Announcements blog (also shared as an email digest).

Special Collections sponsors new exhibit : The Two Pointers of Dead Creek — A Tradition of Trapping and Boat Building in Addison County

In collaboration with Vergennes boat builder Douglas Brooks, Special Collections is offering a new short-term exhibit The Two Pointers of Dead Creek : A Tradition of Trapping and Boat Building in Addison County.  Assistant Curator Danielle Rougeau is working with Douglas Brooks on mounting the exhibit on the Lower Level of the Davis Family Library. The exhibit officially opens on Wednesday, September 1, 2010, and will be on view through Friday, October 1.

During the 2009-2010 academic year, Brooks and three Middlebury College students, Renee Igo ’11, Christian Woodard ’11 and Ben Meader ’10.5, interviewed trappers and their descendants in an effort to document the culture of muskrat trapping in Addison County, with an emphasis on the “two pointers”, the double-ended boats that trappers built.

After a training program with the Vermont Folklife Center, the researchers began recording interviews and examining historic boats. Over twenty historic trapping boats were identified in the region.  Eventually several boats were carefully measured and one was chosen for replication. The students displayed an historic boat at the 2010 Middlebury College Student Research Symposium.

In the 2010 spring semester, Igo, Woodard, and Meader, guided by Brooks, built this trapping boat in studio space at Middlebury’s Old Stone Mill. The boat was launched on Commencement day, May 27, 2010.    

Update on Evaluation of Google Apps for Higher Ed

Our evaluation of Google Apps for Higher Education continues. In preparation for a campus-wide conversation this fall, we are doing in-depth comparison of Google Apps with Microsoft Exchange 2010.  This work will culminate in a set of public presentations in late August and early September, which in turn will be the materials we use for the campus-wide conversation.

The comparison between Google Apps and Microsoft Exchange is organized into the following ten topics. In the chart below, you will find the topic, a link to the draft outline of the presentation, and the date, time, and place for each presentation.

Topic (with link to outline) Date, Time, and Location
calendar August 31, 2:00-3:00 LIB105
email August 31, 1:00-2:00 LIB105
groups/mailing lists September 1, 2:00-3:00 LIB145
tasks/ to do lists September 2, 11:00-12:00 LIB145
costs September 1, 3:00-4:00 LIB145
privacy September 3, 10:00-11:00 LIB145
security September 2, 10:00-11:00 LIB145
administration September 3, 9:00-10:00 LIB145
other features: sites, docs, chat, etc. September 3 – 11:00-12:00
support Aug 31 – 3:00 – 4:00

The outlines are available on the Google Apps Evaluation blog, where we are also posting additional readings and thoughts.  We encourage you to make comments and suggestions on them in order that the comparison be as complete as possible. In addition, we will post a written version of the presentation a week in advance of the presentation in order to allow for questions and comments from those who can not attend the presentation, and in order to allow the time at the presentation to focus on discussion.

Do you consume reports?

Since moving in to the Davis Family Library six years ago, we who keep track of print periodicals have received some good news and some bad news.  The good news: print periodicals get used a lot more in this Library than they did in our previous building.  The bad news: print periodicals get used a lot more in this Library than they did in our previous building.

In particular, it has come to my attention a number of times in recent weeks that print issues of Consumer Reports seem to vanish from the shelf, more or less forever.  We try to keep the current year’s issues on the shelf.  However, a week or so ago, there were two “current” issues, one from February 2010 and the most recent one, dated August 2010.  As I write this, there are none – neither on the shelf nor in the ‘usual’ reshelving areas.

I’m posting this to specifically ask anyone who sees or knows of Library copies of Consumer Reports to please see that they get returned to the Current Periodicals area on the Lower Level of the Davis Family Library.

I will also take this opportunity to point out that, for many of our titles, the issues we have in Current Periodicals are the very same issues that we send to be bound and then house in Bound Periodicals.  (I am surprised how many people think we buy bound volumes separately.)  We have some gaps in our bound holdings because the print issues we received, apparently, grew legs and vanished.

Anyone who comes in to the Davis Family Library is more than welcome to take an issue of any of our print titles and sit down anywhere in the building they find comfortable to peruse or study that issue.  If you do, though, when you are finished, please leave it in plain sight so we can gather them and put them back on the shelf.

On behalf of everyone who still likes to read things on paper sometimes – thank you!