Feedback to the Library, January 2006

NOTE: Comments are edited to remove names of specific employees or users. Comments with names go to "Askref" for response or are forwarded to the appropriate person for a reply.

The location is only identified as "Library", "Campus" or "Off-Campus" to protect the anonymity of users. Comments received on paper forms may be entered several days after they were submitted.

Date/time   Location

Sun Jan 1 19:07:32 2006 Off-campus

I am writing in reference to the following item: Call No.:Micro- fiche E9791 1988 22 Title: Yaman and the Hardramawt [microform] : translations from medieval Arabic geographers and analysis Author: Bevens, Walter Bascom, 1939- This author was my dad, and passed away last year. He received a BA, MA, and PhD from the UofA. I don't know if it is too much trouble to update your records with the following: Author: Bevens, Walter Bascom, 1939-2005. Thank you for your consideration.
Library response: I updated the catalog record for your father's publication. It is absolutely no trouble to make this change. Often, our concern is that the record may be overlaid with a purchased record, and our updates will disappear. This will not happen in this case, and I am pleased that we can make the record appear more accurately for you and others who will use his work in their research. Thanks for letting us know. Liz Bezanson, Technical Services & Archival Processing Team

Tue Jan 3 16:42:17 2006 Campus

Dear Library Administrators, I realize that you are strapped with a tight budget and are doing your best to preserve and maintain, if not even expand our library's holdings. However, in the few days that the Main Library's circulation desk has been closed down, I have found that the current solution is seriously flawed. Even before the spring semester begins, the one person staffing the information desk at the Main Library's entrance seems overtaxed. Despite your efforts to "simplify" the reserve section, it seems necessary to have at least two people, if not more, available to help patrons with the sundry things that a mute computer cannot do. At the various points I stopped by the desk in hopes of getting a receipt for recalled books, there were several people waiting for help from the single staffer at that desk at other points that person was occupied on the phone, and yet another time, that person wandered off for more than five minutes with a patron, presumably to help him locate a resource in the stacks. Since I've had problems with the library losing books that I've returned, I've been instructed to get receipts for returned books. This is but one of the many services that those front desk workers provide. The excellent holdings of this Research I library were among the reasons that I chose to pursue my doctorate work here however, just as people wrote those books and shepherded them into publication, it is vital to keep more than just a few living, breathing, helpful people around to ensure that these books circulate efficiently. I would imagine that you've already anticipated the need to provide at least 1-2 backup staffers for that front desk as the Spring semester begins. If not, I strongly suggest that you do so. Thanks for you time
Library response: I appreciate your taking the time to express your concerns about the staffing at the Main Library. We are still in the process of training the students who normally work behind the desk checking-in books to come out and assist people waiting for service throughout the day. These students should be ready to provide additional assistance by the beginning of the Spring 2006 Semester.

Also, after looking at our usage data, we found that we are busiest at the Main Library desk from 11AM-1PM Monday-Friday. During these hours, there will be two staff members scheduled to help customers.

To further reduced lines at the desk, we have a new "check-in" machine on back order with our vendor. This machine will allow library users to get a receipt for any items they return without waiting to speak to a staff member.

As we want to continue to provide high-quality service, it would be helpful if you can provide us with exact date(s)/time(s) so that we can follow up with the staff member(s) working at the desk to find out the nature of the transactions they are handling. This information will allow us to provide the best staffing and training possible.

Again, thank you for taking the time to provide us feedback. Travis S Teetor, Materials Access Team

Tue Jan 3 23:42:50 2006 Off-campus

I wonder if we can get a subscription to this journal. If so, how quickly might I have access online to its articles? Global Media and Communication I am particularly, but not uniquely, interested in the following article: Website Review: Iraqi websites Alexander Global Media and Communication.2005 1: 226-230.
Library response: We do not have a subscription to Global Media and Communication , because unfortunately, we do not subscribe to Sage online journals due to their high prices and our budgetary situation. However, we will continue to monitor these subscription packages, if our budget situation improves, perhaps we can get these titles in the future. For right now, I have asked our Interlibrary Loan staff to get this specific article for you. They will be contacting you shortly. Atifa Rawan, Social Sciences Team

Wed Jan 4 14:06:13 2006 Library

Re. PN1997 .A8 1992 pt.1 It seems that the library has part 1 but not part 2 of this movie. I looked but can't seem to find it...has it gone missing or am I experiencing a system problem? Thanks and have a great day!
Library response: It looks as if the second part of this movie was lost or stolen at some point.  I'll put in an order for it. Thanks for letting us know about this. Michael Brewer, Special Collections, Fine Arts & Humanities Team

Thu Jan 5 14:58:03 2006 Campus

I've been meaning to ask where something has moved to after the redesign of your site. I no longer see the "web search engines" link that used to provide users with a variety of different search engines. As an independent researcher who occasionally makes presentations to business professionals about Advanced Internet Searching for Business purposes and market research, I cite studies that talk about how search engine results sometimes have only 30% overlap and that they certainly should become familiar with different engines (OTHER THAN Google!) and learn how to use the advanced search capabilities on these, to really do justice to their search. It seems that if you don't provide that set of alternative options of other search tools, you're doing the student a disservice as we all know that 90% or more will just go to Google. Can you tell me where you moved these links to or whether you have eliminated that resource entirely? Thanks so much.
Library response: The internet search engine page was removed under the assumption that customers do not go to a library website to get access to the web--that is something that the vast majority of them already know how to do. We have received comments similar to yours since the page disappeared so you are not the only one who misses it. We plan to do usability testing this spring to test a number of assumptions and that will be one of them. Until something changes (and at this point I can't guarantee anything either way) you might find this website from the State University of New York at Albany to be useful: http://library.albany.edu/internet/engines.html. Tom Marshall, Technical Services & Archival Processing Team

Fri Jan 6 11:04:52 2006 Library

Hi, Somebody should fix the sign of the third floor at the main library. It's really confusing. First of all, there is no sign at the entrance to tell you where to go on the right (the left now is marked Arabic collection). Then, at the end of the right wall where the copy machines are, a blue sign of Call# DA-GV are not where the call numbers marked as they are. It took me 15 minutes to find GN section which is on the other side of the room.
Library response: I apologize for the inconvenience our signage might have caused you. I took the time to go to the third floor and looked at all the signs we have and I can see where it might be a little confusing. However, the call number guide by the elevators in yellow as well as the standing direction finder board by the entrance doors to the third floor (as in other floors) is correct in their directional signs. The blue sign at the end of 3B also shows where the DA-GV's are in the white paper next to the arrows that shows where those call numbers are shelved.
Nevertheless, I am going to go ahead and see if we can make these signs more user friendly. I also would like to remind you that everyone that works at the library would be more than happy to show you the correct area for any call number. Please come to the Main Info Desk to get one of us to expedite your research in our Library. Thanks, Hayri T. Yildirim, Materials Access Team

Sat Jan 7 11:35:20 2006 Library

Computer on the third floor of the main library (mneml304 150 135 48 38) is having problems with the screen. Periodically, the screen image is distorted (vertically stretched) and it flickers. Not sure if the problem is caused by the LCD monitor/ cable / display card.
Library response: Thanks for letting us know about this problem. Your message has been forwarded to the Library's Systems staff and they will look into the problem. Vicki Mills, Undergraduate Services Team

Fri Jan 13 12:31:14 2006 Off-campus

Have tried to locate the book...Intermission by Anne Baxter at our local Pima Co. library. They do not seem to have it...is there anyway your copy can be loaned and sent to the Mission branch? Do not know if this is possible, but would love to be able to read it.
Library response: We do lend our books to all branches of the Tucson-Pima Public Library system.  Just speak to the Mission branch about how to acquire an interlibrary loan; they will be able to submit the request to us and we would then send it to that library. Thanks! Victoria Reider, Document Delivery Team

Sat Jan 14 12:19:27 2006 Campus

Greetings: This is the second installment, after my successfull attempt to bring MS-Visio into the ILC, to persuade yourselves, or your software purchasing gurus, to please consider obtaining a (limited) site licence for MS-Project. I have used MS-Project as a document scheduling tool. Now as a Preceptor in ENGL 308, Technical Writing, I need to demonstrate project time management. I am certain this is NOT the only instance of using this very powerfull tool. There must be a need elsewhere on campus as well. (No, CCIT does not have it.) I am obtaining my lecturer's (Stephanie Vie) request and I will have her forward it to yourselves. Like VISIO, which I feel responsible for helping obtain, I see numerous students around the ILC using this tool. I am certain MS-Project will have the same effect. Should you need further info for motivating for MS-Project I am adept at using it and am able persuade most of the potential of this software. I agreed that should you bring VISIO aboard, as you did last year, then there would be only one more issue I could bug you lot on - and that would be Project. Many students will be most gratefull to you for this piece of software. As a technical writer, I feel you could cut MS-Publisher it is USELESS and maybe Producer (I've never used Producer) in exchange for MS-Project. Thanking you for reading this far

Library response: Thank you for your suggestion about MS-Project. You are not the first person to suggest this software. We get a great many suggestions for software products to add to the IC. We do give priority to software that is required for use in classes and that is requested by faculty. So if you need MS Project for class assignments, ask your faculty member to request that the library purchase this software. All suggestions for purchase are shared with the staff in the library who decide what we purchase and who maintain the hardware and software. Your message was forwarded to that group. Vicki Mills

Wed Jan 18 19:50:17 2006 Campus

Hi, I was using SABIO journal search to look up Journal of Geophysical Research. It appears there is an error in some the links on the library's page. I clicked "Search and Find", then "Search the Library Catalog", then "journal title" then typed "journal of geophysical research". There are about 6 flavors -- JGR Atmospheres, JGR Earth Surface, JGR Oceans, JGR PLanets, JGR Solid Earth, and JGR Space Physics. When I click on the link for, say, "JGR Oceans", it brings me to a page with a link to "Full-text available from American geophysical Union". Clicking on THAT link, however, takes me not to JGR Oceans but to JGR Atmospheres. Same thing when I click on "JGR Solid Earth" or "JGR Space Physics" -- the links to the American Geophysical Union pages all bring me, incorrectly, to JGR Atmospheres rather than JGR Solid Earth or Space Physics. JGR Planets appears to be correct. The other links appear to be incorrect in the library's HTML. The fix should be fairly easy. All the urls have the form www.agu.org/journals/jd/ where "jd" refers to atmospheres. It should be "jc" for oceans, "jb" for solid earth, and "ja" for space physics. So, I imagine that if you make those alterations in the appropriate places in your library website html files, then it should work correctly.
Library response: Thanks for letting us know about the problems you encountered with the Journal of Geophysical Research journals. It was caused by mismatches between the links and the titles, and once we discovered where the problem was occurring, it was a quick fix. We'll continue to check these titles to ensure correct matches each time we import their records into our catalog. Fortunately, it does not affect our E-Journals list. The JGR titles are used by many researchers, so we really appreciate your taking the time to report the problem. Liz Bezanson

Mon Jan 23 14:38:59 2006 Library

How come your catalog says the Chinese books are at the Main Library when they're at the Science Library? This wastes a lot of time.
Library response: We apologize for any convenience this may have caused you, but we are in the process of moving the Chinese Collection as well as Japanese and Middle East Collections over to Main. We know it is confusing that the catalog records say one location and not all the books have been moved. Our Call Number Guides, in our catalog states that they are being moved over. We are behind schedule with the move, because due to space constraints, we are having to deselect some of the Chinese collection at Science before we move them over. Hayri T. Yildirim, Materials Access Team

Mon Jan 23 18:20:39 2006 Library

Thank you for making Crossfire Commander and SciFinder functional! It is a great help. It would also be very helpful to have either ChemDraw or IsisDraw available on these computers. Thanks!
Library response: The ChemDraw "ChemOffice Net 2005 9.0.1 Plug-in" is installed on all our public computers which only works within web browsers so there is some ChemDraw functionality available. It is true that IsisDraw is not installed but the "Draw Structure" feature is available within the MDL Crossfire Commander program itself. It can be found on the toolbar of Crossfire Commander under the "Draw Structure" button.

There are no icons to start ChemDraw because it is not really a program you can run separate but only a free web browser plug-in that runs only if a website requires it. It is possible this is not what you are looking for. As it stands right now we do not have the full version of the ChemDraw software which would probably require a purchase by the library. As far as the IsisDraw, we do not have it, but only the Crossfire Commander's built in Draw Structure feature. I do not know how it compares to the separate IsisDraw program. Mike Birdwell, Digital Library & Information Systems Team

Sun Jan 29 12:29:31 2006 Off-campus

I have never had so much trouble trying to get an actual person on the phone. I believe I may have lost an item at the library. I simply wished to call and ask if it had been turned in. I have now tried 5 different phone numbers, either from the website or your recorded message. The last one that was finally suggested was busy for over a half an hour. That was the most ridiculous process I have ever went through to attempt to speak with someone. It would be wonderful if you could provide simpler customer service.
Library response: I apologize for the fact that you had so much difficulty getting in touch with the library. Many of our service points are staffed to assist in-person library users as well as respond to incoming calls. During particularly busy periods we are not able to respond to the volume of calls we may receive.

Regarding the specific request for a number to call to see if a missing item has been found, you can contact the Main Library Express Document Center which is our central repository for all found items. Their number is (520) 621-4863. Travis S Teetor

Sun Jan 29 14:13:03 2006 Library

The ornithological collection QL671 needs organization. Several of the journals are out of order.
Library response: This information has been passed on to the shelving maintenance staff. Thanks for notifying us about it. Vicki Mills