On Tuesday May 31st we’re going to change the categories on this blog, so if by any chance you’re using a feed of a specific category, that’s going to break. We suggest subscribing to the whole blog for maximum enjoyment! If you’re not a LIS staff member & would like to filter out the more staff related posts, you can subscribe to the new “Middlebury Community Interest” category after May 31st. The other categories will be “LIS Staff Interest”, and “Post for MiddPoints” which will cause the post to be added to the MiddPoints blog too. All the old categories except “The Essentials” will be converted to tags for easy searching.
The LIS Web team developed this new scheme, following recommendations that came out of the open meeting about the future of the LIS Blog (including a call for simplified categories). The AD Team reviewed and approved these changes. We welcome your comments.
Tag Archives: Space
Upcoming Projects in Davis Library: shifting collections and installing more shelves.
It was announced last fall that the Music Library will be moving from the Mahaney Center for the Arts into Davis Family Library as soon as the semester ends in May. (For more details see http://sites.middlebury.edu/acrosscampus/2010/11/08/music-library-to-davis ) There’s a lot of preparation already under way and continuing in the coming weeks, and some of it may be noticeable to those working and studying in Davis Family Library.
The print collections from the Music Library will be placed on the upper level adjacent to the Panther Reading Room, overlooking Old Chapel. The CD collection will be placed behind the Circulation Desk. In order to make room for these collections in Davis, we’re adding a section of compact shelving in the SE corner of the lower level and shifting collections within the library.
A moving company will be arriving on Monday, March 14th to shift collections in the stacks and empty the shelves where the new shelving units are being installed. On Thursday, March 24th a library shelving company will arrive, dismantle the fixed shelving, and then proceed with the installation of the compact shelving on the lower level. Some of this work will be very noisy, but we have timed the worst of it to take place during Spring Break. Once the shelving is installed, the moving company will return on Monday, April 24th and continue shifting the collections. The moving crews are accustomed to working in libraries where people are studying and will do their best to minimize the disruption; however there may be times when activity and noise is distracting. Unfortunately, because we must be moved out of the CFA by June 1st, working during the semester is unavoidable. The crews will routinely be working during the day, Mon-Fri, although there are a few times they’ll be working during the day on the weekend. You should be able to count on the library being quiet after 5pm, and we have avoided having the movers here at all during exams. Generally speaking, only those nearby the collections being shifted will notice the activity, and there will still be plenty of quiet study space available in the library. Remember that the Music Library in the Mahaney Center for the Arts, The Armstrong Library in McCardell Bicentennial Hall, and the Axinn Center all have quiet study areas too.
If you need a book in an area where the movers are actively working, place a request at the Circulation Desk in person or by emailing library_circulation@middlebury.edu and it will be retrieved and held for you to pick up at the desk.
Both Facilities Services and Library & Information Services regret any inconvenience these projects may cause those studying in the library, and we thank you in advance for your patience with us, and your tolerance of any potential disruption.
Below please see an overview of the schedule.
Thanks!
Joseph
Joseph Watson,Preservation & Processing Manger, LIS Facilities Coor.
Monday, March 14th: moving crew arrives -
- Backshift bound Periodicals
- Move PT2623-Z into vacated compact shelving for temporary storage
- Shifts G & H books on the upper level to make room for GV class books from CFA
- Shift Oversize Collection to make room for GV oversize
- Shift Reference Collection to compact
- Move VHS collection to vacated compact shelving east of Government Documents
Thursday, March 24th: shelving installer arrives –
- Knock down vacated fixed shelving in SE corner of lower level, staging components in the Harman Periodicals Reading Area
- Install new compact shelving section in the SE corner of the lower level. This is expected to take about 25 days.
Monday, April 24th: moving company returns and continues collection shifts –
- Move Arabic, Chinese, and Japanese collections to new compact shelving
- Shift Vermont Collection
- Shift lower level monographs
- Shift main level monographs
(Scheduled to complete this portion of work Tuesday, May 3rd)
On Wednesday, May 18th: moving company returns to complete the collections shifts and move Music Library –
- Adjust shelving on main level to accept N class books and move N class books from upper level to main level
- Adjust the shelving on the upper level to accept music print collections
- Move Music Library from Mahaney to Davis.
Area 51 notes – July 29, 2010
Present: Mike Lynch, Carol Peddie, Shel Sax, Mike Roy, Mary Backus, Terry Simpkins (notes)
Guest: Rick James
Rick James joined us to discuss how we will support the Distributed File System (DFS) for Mac users. There is no native DFS support in MacOS 10.6, so we need to look at 3rd-party solutions. One such solution that seems promising is a filer solution from NetApp. We have a quote from them, but that does not include the Quota software, nor does it include ongoing maintenance costs. Another question, as yet unresolved, involves whether we should target just DFS or support other systems (Muskrat, Crux, etc.) via NetApp (or whatever 3rd-party system we use) as well.
Mary shared a document relating to support for the various departmental Filemaker Pro databases being used. There are essentially three options for supporting these: remain as is, move the database to Banner or another existing system currently being support, or possibly outsource support to a 3rd party. LIS should work with the technical lead for the functional office that owns the database to make the decision.
ACTION: Mike Roy will send out a note about this to owners of FMP databases discussing the options.
Princeton is discontinuing their support of UChannel. Terry confirmed that the Middlebury lectures posted there are also safely ensconced in the Digital Lecture Archive, as well as on physical media in the archives. The Rohatyn Center page, which previously listed all of their lectures in the UChannel, is currently empty.
ACTION: Shel will redirect the Rohatyn go/link to redirect to DLA.
Brief discussion on how the various new procedures relating to projects that LIS has recently implemented — the project directory, change management process, etc. — interact, and also reminded everyone on the AD team to follow these new procedures. ADs have discretion as to when a change management form needs to be filled out. All new project proposals should be entered into the proj. directory.
Carol brought a few questions from the Space Team to the group. The first dealt with their charge to consolidate server rooms. Some of this has already been done – is it still a priority for the team? The ADs asked the Space Team to focus on the Music move and looking at consolidating service points (ref/HD/circ) as their first priorities. Consolidating and/or reviewing server room spaces can be part of phase 2 of the group, possibly with different composition of team if necessary. The 2nd question had to do with responsibility for assigning office spaces in the short term for new hires. The ADs asked the Space Team to make recommendations about office space for new hires. Actual decisions rest with ADs, but this will keep everyone informed and is especially useful for the ADs since the Space Team has a big picture view about space needs and use in the building.
Shel volunteered to serve in a liaison-type role for the Schools Abroad, with a focus on providing consistent information to them and clarifying current software licensing information. This will also have implication as the LMS project moves forward. The ADs agreed and gratefully accepted Shel’s offer.
We discussed the status of the “printer reduction project,” which is on hold. The idea is that LIS provides networked, shared departmental printers, not personal printers, but we are repeatedly pressed to provide personal printers for one reason or another. Handbook policy does affirm LIS’s position on providing departmental printers only. We also discussed the idea of having a mechanism for faculty/staff to request and exception to the policy, rather than making ad hoc decisions about this.
ACTION: Mike Roy will take the issue to President’s Staff, since the policy needs to be reaffirmed at that level. No decision was made on mechanism for exceptions.
Mike Roy will be away for a couple of weeks – other ADs will be here.
Thanks for reading,
Terry
