Feedback to the Library, September 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.

Sat Sep 2 17:09:32 2006 Off-campus

This was a silly waste of my time: I tried online chat, and entered my query per below, and the first question is "how can I help you?", well I just told you that! So when I say "you can help me by answering my query." I'm logged out with a message saying "the librarian has gone off duty. This is not a useful interchange. Ron Wright: I am a faculty member and have been for 11 years, trying to use the resource it asks for authorization and I put in as I always have my last name and cat card number. I made sure cookies were turned on. No error message is generated but it keeps kicking me back to the "You must be authorized" screen. Help! Information Commons 1 ,: Hello Ron Wright. Welcome to VRL, what can I do for you?
Library response: One of Systems staff is looking into the problem with getting into the database.

About Chat Reference -- the first reply "how can I help you?" is just programmed into the software. So it can look like we are just asking you to repeat your question. We do chat while we are doing in person and phone reference help from the Info Commons reference desk. I think the automatic response is there in case we accept your question, but then can't get to you immediately. It's to let you know that we have taken your question. I don't know why you got dropped from the session. Our chat software is running almost not stop all week, and it sometimes times out without notifying us or there could have been a computer glitch -- I imagine whatever caused you to be dropped wasn't done on purpose by the person working at the desk.

We do 100's of chat sessions each semester and most of them run very smoothly and we have satisfied customers. But with any application that depends on a computer -- there can be problems.

I'm sorry that you got dropped from the chat session and that you had trouble getting into the database. Are you now able to get in? If not please contact Gene Spesard (spesardl@u.library.arizona.edu). Vicki Mills, Undergraduate Services Librarian

Mon Sep 4 10:12:58 2006 Off-campus

Hello, Good Morning. I am a student from the Autonomous University of Baja California, in the Institute of Investigations in Veterinary Science in Mexicali City, I am studying the Master Degree in this institute, and I want to know if exist the possibility to Buy a Subscription and could download the Articles that I need for my Thesis. This is because I cannot travel to USA, at the present time. I wait for your answer. Thank you very much.
Library response: I am sorry but there is no way that you can buy a subscription to our electronic resources. Legally, we can only make them available to current students, faculty or staff of our university.  Also does your own university have any of these databases? Have you asked your university library/librarians for help? If you can identify articles, your university could possibly interlibrary loan them from other libraries in Mexico or the United States. Vicki Mills, Undergraduate Services Librarian

Thu Sep 7 10:19:31 2006 Campus

The 40-50 students in my MAS319 class were assigned a reading through NetLibrary. Fellow classmates and I were unable to view the required reading because an electronic copy was already "checked out". Had the main copy not been checked, we potentially could have viewed a "preview", which would be available for only 20 minutes. This is nowhere near enough time to read the assigned 48 pages. My suggestion is to inform the faculty that it is pointless to assign a reading through Netlibrary. The only case appropriate for a class to use Netlibrary, would be in a classroom of 1 student.
Library response: Who is the faculty teaching your class? I will contact that person. I will share your message with all the librarians who work with faculty -- but you have to understand that there is no way we can 1. communicate with all faculty effectively (not that we don't try, but we know that we don't get through to all of them) and 2. control what they are doing and assigning to students. But I would be glad to contact your current faculty member to explain the problem and I will ask other librarians to tell faculty. Vicki Mills, Undergraduate Services Librarian

Fri Sep 8 13:33:39 2006 Library

The library staff, as always, does a wonderful job! They are professional and friendly, willing to "go the extra mile" to help a patron. I have one request, though. I'm sure that the staff has recycle bins full of printed items, where the back of the paper hasn't been written on, and could be utilized. Would it be possible for a student worker on downtime to cut these pieces of paper into small squares, construct makeshift boxes, and put paper next to each catalog searching station? A couple of the computers DO have paper, but not all. I've had to write on my hand several times, as I wanted to locate an item without having to fish for a notebook to write on. It would be easy enough for a shelver to have these squares of paper with them and do a "quick check" to make sure there is paper available on their rounds through the library. Just paper would be fine--most people have writing utensils. Better yet, what if the library could have a motel-style "chained to the desk" pen available?
Library response: Thanks for your compliments about the library. Also thank you for your suggestion. We do have the students cut up some paper and place some of it around. We can look into more of those paper boxes, but we probably won't do a box by each computer -- I'm afraid it would get really junky around the computers (junkier than it already is). Your idea of using the recycled paper is a good one. Vicki Mills , Undergraduate Services Librarian

Thu Sep 14 00:02:49 2006 Library

dvd, -r's, and compact shelving avoidance Apparently the 1970-80-etc.'s vintage films now on the shelf in dvd-r format are not in such a format to save space, are not copied from vhs we used to own hopefully, although that might be legal and it should be just as backing up dvd's itself should be done regardless of it's present legality in terms of actually using the backups. However at some point the amount of space devoted to dvd's in the psuedo large vhs cases containg jewel boxes will obviously be unaffordable as it should now. We after all refuse to keep many optical media 'donated' despite the quality for that reason-- but instead dozens of times as much volume is used to house these discs? And we lack the budget to identify what a dvd is about on the outside of the casing as well? Has it not occured to anyone that not putting more then a serial number on the outside will cause the wrong disc inside to be unnoticed much more routinely? I just discussed the shifting of vhs titles that shoould be circulating routinely onto compact shelving at ahsl. There the online archives are being saved to closeted cd's after three years since earlier this year despite no copy of recent recordings being physically in the stacks at all. Our celluloid collection should be being archived to dvd and with the space saved a noncirculating collection of every dvd we can possibly get our hands on could be afforded. Special software too allow the virtual borrowing of such titles is legal possibly and should be explored (creating a copy athat will be playable only for a certain noumber of hours from 'checkout' and the original disc not being available for such use until such time has passed would not trespass nor would paying a fee for multiple users at particular times exceed the cost of lost and damaged discs from continuing to allow them to circulate and/or be handled at all by patrons. Finally the most precious discs we own usually have the blessing of the creators of any and all use and only funds prevents them from being watchable online to all who wish. These should only be available for copying. Did your remove yet another workstation from this area? Restricting browsing is one thing but allowing that to excuse only having one terminal another......
Library response: Thank you for your comments. They will be forwarded to the appropriate staff. Vicki Mills, Undergraduate Services Team

Thu Sep 14 5:03 2006 Off-campus

The book- Designing and Conducting Survey Research: A Comprehensive Guide (Louis M. Rea and Richard A. Parker) which I checked out has been damaged and I will need to pay for a replacement.

Library response: Thank you for your message.  Our Fines Staff will be emailing you about your options for replacement.  I will forward this to the appropriate Fines Staff for further follow-up.  If you have questions, please contact them at 626-4836, M-F from 10 am to 2 pm, or email askfines@u.library.arizona.edu.

Please let me know if you require further assistance. Laura Lee Earles, Library Operations Supervisor

Sun Sep 17 4:46 2006 Off-campus

Very nice site!

Library response: Thank you -- a great deal of thought and work went into our library site.

Wed Sep 20 04:07:48 2006 Off-campus

Can I access old newspaper articles in your archives online?
Library response: There are few newspaper titles that go back a long way online. They are the Times of London, New York Times, Atlanta Constitution, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post and Chicago Tribune. To get to these titles online, use Article & Database Searching > A-Z List, select H (for historical) -- this will lead to all the links for the historical newspapers. If you are a current catcard holder, you can access these from off campus. If not, you can come into the library to search these titles. Vicki Mills, Undergraduate Services Team

Thu Sep 21 15:31:18 2006 Campus

I just wanted to thank the library for this new document delivery service. I am a PhD student writing my dissertation, and I can't tell you how helpful it is to have these articles/chapters delivered electronically. Leaves more time for thinking and analysis! Just wanted to express my appreciation.
Library response: Thank you for your compliment. We are constantly striving to improve our services.

Fri Sep 22 12:55:54 2006 Library

Sorry if this has been asked before... The library receives two newspapers written in Chinese, plus one from Taipei, yet nothing from Japan? Is the Mainichi Shinbun possible? Please, not a business publication like nikkei weekly, but a regular newspaper. Even editions cast off from other libraries would be appreciated.
Library response: We had to cancel subscription to current Japanese newspapers several years ago, due to a budget shortage. Subscription to Japanese current newspapers is expensive and it was identified that a current Japanese newspaper title was not heavily used by campus users for their research and teaching. We also felt that Japanese newspapers’ web sites would provide sufficient current awareness, if not the entire content of the newspapers. However, we do subscribe to back issues of “Asahi Shinbun” in the Main Library Japanese Collection. Hitoshi Kamada, Associate Librarian East Asian and Japanese Studies

Sun Sep 24 13:37:59 2006 Library

I'm delighted with the waterless urinals in the ground-floor men's room in the SEL. However, would it be possible to install a shelf above them so that there's a place to put books, packs, etc? Thanks.
Library response: Thank you very much for the kind words about the waterless urinals. We have not had a single incident with these waterless urinals and we are very happy with them as well. We will install these in all the bathrooms at Science on all floors. I also agree that some kind of shelving would be good and I have asked Facilities Department of the University to look into it. Hayri T. Yildirim, Partners, Interim Assistant Facilities Director

Sun Sep 24 22:38:09 2006 Campus

I am not a student here (a graduate of UW-Milwaukee, visiting). I truly like the library here a lot. Yet, today, while looking in the Dostoevskii section on the fourth floor, I noticed that you have few (possibly none) of David Margashack's translations [Penguin]. Arguably, this is a huge oversight. The reason behind Penguin's recent replacement of Margashack with McDuff was a dubious one. And many (older) people and scholars believe wholeheartedly (and I think correctly) that no one has or ever will surpass the greatness of these translations. They completely re-create the tone and spirit and fantastic flaws of the originals. (Granted, I am not the best authority, knowing no Russian, only possessing faith in my several comparisons with other translations & past professors' praises . . . But shouldn't your students be allowed the ability to make similar inquiries?) These books are getting harder and harder to obtain. It may take some effort, but it will be of great future importance. All libraries should have every Margashack translation to each of Dostoevskii's novels! Today, a unique reading experience has been lost.
Library response: Thanks for your feedback.  I agree that for Dostoyevsky, we should have as many different translations of his works as possible, as they have evolved over time (for better or worse) and can be important not only for the casual reader, but also for the scholar and cultural critic or historian.  We do, in fact, own Magarshack's translations of Brothers Karamazov [Brat'ia Karamazovy], Crime and Punishment [Prestuplenie i nakazanie] and the Idiot (as well as an anthology of journalistic/publicistic writings by Dostoeyevsky also translated by Magarshack).  We do not own his translations of the Devils/Possessed [Besy], Poor People [Bednye liudi], or his anthology of short stories and novellas by Dostoyevsky.  If you like, I can see if we can purchase those, as they would certainly be of use to our customers.    Michael Brewer, Slavic Librarian

Mon Sep 25 20:52:49 2006 Off-campus

Hi, I tried importing references from google scholar into refworks from home. I could not tell the that word "google" above the alert message was the link to the google database. Would it be possible to change the page so that the word google looks more visually like a link?
Library response: Thanks for this feedback. You are correct that this page, and ones like it, are a real problem and we are discussing what to do to make that link more prominent -- it needs to look like a link. Vicki Mills, Undergraduate Services Team

Fri Sep 29 11:59:25 2006 Campus

It is freezing down in the information commons.
Library response: Thank you for bringing the freezing temperatures in the library to our attention. I agree with you that sometimes the library seems to be very cold. The reasoning behind the temperature variance is the way the HVAC system is setup. The HVAC system takes one third air form outside and mixes it with the two-thirds inside air and blows it in to the Library. Sometimes when the weather outside gets cooler, our temperature control mechanism takes a day to adjust itself and sometimes this makes it cold inside. I apologize for any inconvenience this might have caused you. I will speak with the Facilities Department of the University to see if we can do something about it. Please take a note of the area and the time and we will try to troubleshoot it for you.
Hayri T. Yildirim, Partners, Interim Assistant Facilities Director

Fri Sep 29 21:49:09 2006 Off-campus

I am in need of information conserning the daily life of nuns and their charges in the Venetian girl's orphanage called the Hospidale della Pieta, circa 1713. It was here that Vivaldi, the music master, taught the chosen girls to play their instruments and wrote the music for the orchestra they performed in. I found a book in your catalogue that would have answered perfectly, "Nun's Chronicles and Convent Culture in Renaissance and Counter-Culture Italy" by K J P Lowe, but it is out, due March next year! Have had NO luck finding anything else at all. My novel, two years in the writing, depends now on its grande finale in that orphanage, and I hope you can help me, since all my references leave out this essential information daily life in an Italian Convent, ideally a Venetian Convent.
Library response: One thing you can do is recall the perfect book, if you have a UA catcard. A recall can take up to 10 days. The other thing you can do, if you aren't affiliated with the university is have the public library get the book for you through interlibrary loan. We are probably not the only library to own this book and they can try to find a copy for you from another library. This is a free service. Vicki Mills, Undergraduate Services Librarian