University Library Reference

Message from Mary Jane
Folks, While University and Science Libraries are relying on the
ITS Help Desk for tech assistance this summer, Dewey still has
some hours of ITS Consultants. I checked with ITS, and they are
fine with librarians and staff from University and Science Libraries
calling the Dewey ITS Consultant when the ITS Help Desk is
closed.

Hours that Dewey ITS Consultant is on duty and ITS Help Desk
is closed:
Sundays 2-6pm
Monday-Thursday 5-8pm
To reach Dewey Consultant, call Dewey Circulation Desk 2-3693.

Thanks to Cathy for suggesting this. -- Mary Jane

Posted by Jean McLaughlin at 12:18 PM | Permalink

1) Wireless Printing!!! Folks will be able to print from laptops (including apple). They need to download a client for each printer they want to use (if they print at Science black and white and ULIB black white they need two clients). Once this is downloaded they select print and are prompted for their netid and a document name. This is how they will identify the job in the print queue on the uniprint. If they do not assign a name the document will be called “document 1.” Documents stay in the queue for 2 hours (the same as the IC pcs) and costs 10cents per page to print. Win will take care of getting the software loaded on library laptops. The service is live now and you can tell patrons about it. But it will not be formally promoted until after the break. ITS consultants are prepared to assist with the service.
More information is here http://www.albany.edu/its/wp.htm
2) Virtual IC. The information commons page and ITS image will now be available virtually. They are referring to this as a virtual room with 15 seats available (15 simultaneous users basically). Using broadband (dial up does not work) users will launch a webpage window that will contain the ITS image. This page will have a secondary start button at the bottom and clicking that will open the IC programs. Users CANNOT access their own drives thru this page. If they started a paper in Word and saved it onto a flashdrive or their C: drive they CANNOT open that information in the virtual IC image. They must use the S: drive to save and access documents. Documents may be printed to local printers. They will be converted to .pdf format. Documents may be emailed.
Documents saved in mydocuments on the virtual IC page will be wiped out when the page is logged off. If you do not actually log off (e.g. users who get dropped from the wireless) information is retained for 15 minutes to give you time to log back on and retrieve it. Your seat in the Virtual IC is also retained for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes your documents are lost and your seat is open.
The service is live now and you can tell patrons about it. But it will not be formally promoted until after the break. ITS consultants are prepared to assist with the service.
More information on the Virtual IC is available here http://www.albany.edu/its/virtic.htm

Posted by Jane Kessler at 10:03 AM | Permalink

Hi all,
Just a heads up on a few things concerning the ITS consultant at the ULIB reference desk. :
1) We are trying to get everything in place for the consultant. They will have their own PC and Peter has a chair on order for them. I have cleared a temporary drawer in the low side of the desk for them to use but that may change. They will share the reference desk phones for business calls. The word reference has been removed from the block sign over the desk and will be replaced with “reference & technical assistance”

2)There will still be a consultant in the far wing (LI103). And when there is enough help also someone in LI-137. Priority for available ITS consultants in ulib should be a) the reference desk b) LI103 and c) LI137

3)Hours for the ITS consultants will be posted on the library hours page along with the usual reference desk/meebo hours information.

There is an information commons meeting on Tuesday so I may have further updates at the reference alliance meeting.
Let me know if you have questions.
Thanks
cathy

Posted by Jean McLaughlin at 10:53 AM | Permalink

Here are the hours that we have been promised Tech help for Fall 08

Tech Consultant Schedule for the Information Commons

When a Tech Consultant is not available, call 442-3700 x2 (Mon-Fri 8:30a-5p) or submit a Help Request.

========================================================

Fall 2008 Semester: Monday August 25, 2008 - Monday December 8, 2008

When classes are in session, Tech Consultants are available in the Information Commons -

IC @University Library: Mon-Thurs 10am-11pm, Fri 10am-5pm, Sat 12noon-5pm, Sun 12noon-8pm

IC @Science Library: Mon-Thurs 11am-11pm, Fri 11am-5pm, Sat 1pm-5pm, Sun 12noon-8pm

IC @Dewey Graduate Library: Mon-Thurs 2pm-8pm, Fri 2pm-5pm, Sun 2pm-6pm

Exceptions: Tech Help hours may change on holidays and when classes are suspended.

E-mail from Barbara Via on 8/13/08

Posted by Jean McLaughlin at 09:30 AM | Permalink

Hi all,

Barbara and I met with Lynn Mayer today about the ITS Student Consultants. Here is the latest:
ITS has hired 20 students who will work interchangeably in ULIB, Science and LC 27(the helpdesk). If there are multiple consultants available LI-137 will also be staffed.

Consultants will undergo a 2 day training beginning Thursday August 23. On Friday they will have an orientation to the libraries and our services. Consultants should be able to provide assistance with software provided by ITS (see list here http://www.albany.edu/its/software_userrooms_classrooms.htm). For departmental or faculty provided software available on the ITS image, users need to go back to the department or the faculty member. There is NO assistance with these packages from ITS. Consultants will be able to do basic hardware troubleshooting (checking cables and plugs) and printer troubleshooting (dealing with paper jams). They will also receive training on wireless access, Blackboard/WebCT, Office 2007 and VISTA. They will not be expected to answer questions on reference/research or library policies. They should be able to provide directions to locations in the libraries and refer folks to reference or circulation.

Consultant hours in ULIB will be as follows:
Mon – Thurs 11am-11pm (same for Science)
Friday 11am-7pm (Science 11am-5pm)

Saturday 10am-6pm (Science 12:00pm-6:00pm)

Sunday 12pm-8pm (same for Science)

Consultants will be working during LibraryPalooza and their regular schedule will start the first day of classes. I will provide more information as available. Please let me know if you have questions.

Cathy

Posted by Jane Kessler at 12:06 PM | Permalink

Hi all – Karina reminds me that the S drive is available to users of the information commons….and indeed, the station I logged onto had it right there!

More information on the S Drive http://www.albany.edu/its/using_your_s_drive.htm

Carol

Posted by Jane Kessler at 02:29 PM | Permalink

Hi,

As you may have noticed, ITS is installing the new PCs in the University Library Information Commons. I do not have an eta for when they will be up and going but here is what I do know:

They will all have the ITS image and students/staff/faculty will have to login with their netid and unix password. I have guest logins. Guests will have to ask at the reference desk and we will give them a slip with the login. They can log themselves in. For the time being I have placed the login slips in the drawer with our business cards. We can move them if this is inconvenient. Students/staff/faculty should be strongly encouraged to use their own netid and not the guest login. Guest logins will change periodically and we will have new cards made up. Guests only have access to the internet and Microsoft Office – they do not have access to the image that students/staff/faculty see.

The PCs in front of the reference desk will also have this image.

PCs in the rest of the University Library, including the ones by govdocs, PCs in the basement and on the 2nd and 3rd floor belong to the libraries and have the library image. Students/staff/faculty will have to login with their netid and unix password. They will have access to the S drive from these PCs as they do from the Information Commons machines. Due to some technical glitches it is not possible to print from these machines with the guest login. Therefore we will NOT make the guest login available on these machines. Guests must use the machines in the reference area or in the new information commons. Guests may also use information commons PCs in the Science Library.

Let me know if you have questions.

Thanks

Cathy

Posted by Jane Kessler at 02:50 PM | Permalink