ERI/Learning Commons Nov Update

The New Auraria Library!

The Learning Commons and ERI Services Marketing/Information Campaign task force(1), with help from many others, has begun to reach out to our campus constituents. As Catherine announced earlier in an email, we now have a brochure that describes the Learning Commons and the ERI service area changes. A short marketing video is being produced. A webpage will describe the changes. We are working on a “what’s new” exhibit that will be displayed in the lobby area. Email and newsletter communications in various venues with the campus community are commencing.

(1) Jeffrey, chair; Eric, Karen, Meg and others as needed

Here is an update of our current status that is largely pulled from our Timeline and the work of several committees/task forces:

1.Ask Us desk:
The combined services at the Ask Us desk,formerly Circ Desk, will include circulation; first level of information delivery (2); media check out; interlibrary loan; holds pickup; reserves. The collections currently housed in Reserves/ILL/Media will move to the space behind the Ask Us desk -- and the Circulation staff will eventually move to the Reserves/ILL/Media area (I will refer to this as the Information Delivery Services or IDS staff/processing area in this correspondence). Temporarily, the Circ staff will move to rm 129 while the IDS staff/processing area is being prepared.

Reconstruction of the area behind the Ask Us desk will begin in the middle of December. The office furniture will be removed. The old cubicle walls will be removed. Improved overhead lighting will be examined. The wall between 109B and Nicole and Supak’s old office areas will be opened up to accommodate the media collections. The book drop, PA systems, electrical systems, and other infrastructure won’t be changed. Walls will be painted as needed. (Asbestos abatement is a possibility)

The computer setup for the Ask Us desk will be improved by adding one more workstation and adding dual swing-arm monitors and dual keyboards. Equipment is in the building. AHEC has been contacted about mounting the swing-arm posts into the granite counter-tops

(2) First level of information delivery includes working with the customer in:
•Identifying the information need (that is, doing a reference interview)

•Navigating the Library website – finding wealth of information on the library’s website

•Directing to the subject guides, general guides, online tutorials such as Navigating Library Research, other online learning objects to proceed with their research

•Suggesting and demonstrating the use of Skyline and/or WorldCat at Auraria

•Suggesting and demonstrating use of the ADI page and the top used databases

•Answering directional questions

•Referring to Research Help if the information need cannot be met especially for in-depth questions

•Referring to the Tech Help desk if question concern printing, scanner, library computer software, microform machines

2.Research Help service area:
Last week, IT ran into a snafu with moving the public PCs from the alcove area to the column beside the Reference Desk. Niraj is working on that. The furniture for Research Help will be pulled from existing furniture (tables and chairs). The equipment (4 monitors, 4 keyboards, 2 cpu’s) is in the building.

3.IDS processing/staffing area:
IDS staff are working on what this redesigned area will look like. It will include new office areas for the circ staff and reconfigured processing areas for the work of circulation, reserves, and inter-library loan. There will be a new perimeter wall around the area where the old Reserves/Media service desk is and where the old LP shelving wall is. These modular walls apparently take some time to construct, so AHEC is recommending we allow for approximately 3 months at a maximum for delivery and set-up.

4.Learning Commons:
New furniture and equipment has been added to the Learning Commons. Come take a look. We are working on an “information wall” that will show what new things are happening in the LC. That wall will be where the Computer Help Desk is currently located. Meg is working on demos for ERI of the equipment.

The assessment of the electrical engineer continues as we determine our current electrical capacity and our future needs.

5.Communications:
The Marketing/Information Campaign task force and others are hard at work as described above.

Engaging the community through the surveys and the Architecture class project are continuing.

Cindy H

*****AS ALWAYS, FEEL FREE TO ASK QUESTIONS OR COMMENT ON OUR BLOG *****

H1N1 Response Guidelines

We have drafts of 2 H1N1 response documents on the intranet. The first is a draft of departmental responses if staffing is greatly impacted due to flu-related illness. The second is a guideline for staff at public service desks that was drawn up with the aid of UCD legal counsel. Here is the draft of this document as it appears on the intranet under ERI:

We have consulted UCD legal counsel on the question of serving library patrons exhibiting possible flu symptoms.

->Working Directly with a Customer

If you encounter a patron who is coughing/sneezing excessively and not exercising proper hygiene (not covering cough, not using tissues), you

* may express your concern about possible exposure to flu-like symptoms,
* may suggest alternative methods of helping the patron complete his/her informational/research needs such as by phone, internet, email. Give handout describing how to access services and resources remotely. The main concern here is providing equal resources and services in any alternatives suggested,
* may ask the person to use recommended hygiene, and offer tissues, literature
* may wish to wear a mask and/or gloves yourself,
* may wish to take the recommended precautions of washing your hands and hard surfaces after completing the interview

->Receiving Complaints from other Customers

If library patrons complain about another customer who is coughing/sneezing excessively and they think is causing a disturbance, you may
* approach the person and let them know of complaints from another patron
* give them a handout suggesting alternative methods of doing their research and describing how to access services and resources remotely
* suggest that they self-isolate in the library
* let them know that they cannot cause a disturbance and will be asked to leave if they cannot self-isolate nor control the noise level

It may help to read this quote excerpted from an email from our legal counsel:

"...our advice is that the person indicate that they are concerned about possible exposure, and indicate there are other methods to receive reference/advice/service via internet or phone. Further, the library always has the authority to exclude someone who is disturbing or disrupting patrons or staff. This disturbance may include complaints about H1N1 symptoms that are disruptive. For example, if a student is in the library who is coughing and sneezing excessively without proper hygiene and there are complaints or it is obvious that the disturbance is causing patrons to avoid portions or sections of the library, that would be a reason to ask the person to leave....We don't want to suggest that you can't take reasonable actions to protect yourself, your patrons, or your employees."

RSS feeds

We've all thought of getting feeds from our favorite resources (from New Yorker to Web of Science).

CM started a wiki page describing how to do this as part of the the 23 things progam. http://intranet.auraria.edu/wiki/index.php/Setting_up_RSS_Feeds_in_Outlook_2007

I just added a procedure to that wiki page for moving the RSS feed to another email box because some of you asked for this information.


PS - a search on - rss outlook - in the intranet wiki will get you to the page above

ERI Services Monthly Meetings

Starting in November, the ERI Services monthly meeting will be in Room 245.

We will continue to meet the first Thursday of the month from 1-2:30pm. So, see you Nov 5 in rm 245. You may begin adding agenda items on the intranet for this meeting at any time.

Thanks to Mary D for posting our Oct 1 minutes on the intranet at


Cindy H

The FLC

The Faculty Learning Community conversations are an interesting way to connect with a variety of teachers.

Joni Dunlap, Jenna Ream and Brian Yunke for a next virtual meeting to talk about teaching on Fridays from 10:30- 12. You can join the live conversation on Friday by going to http://connect.cuonline.edu/flc/ any time between 10:30- 12, and typing your name and selecting "Enter as Guest". There are people from all over, not just UCD and not only faculty, who attend as the conversations are open.

Because not everyone can make it they created a blog to augment the weekly virtual online discussions. To get to the blog, go to http://theflc.blogspot.com/. There are two pretty interesting sites listed in the last two posts, one creates an anaimated presentation of your script and the other is a place to share voice recordings.

An easy way to report WCL problems

If you find a problem when using WorldCat Local, one easy way to report a problem is to click on the 'feedback' link in the 'Home' dropdown in the upper right hand corner of the WCL screens as below. It reports the problem to WCL as well as to us and sends along environmental info that can help solve the problem.

Reporting 360 Link problems

If you find a problem when using the 360 Link resolver, simply click on the “report an error” link in the lower right hand corner of the results screen, as in this example…in the email that comes up, jot down a brief description of the problem above the very-long URL that I will need to reproduce the problem.

for EJ