We now have at the Reference Desk some forms for reporting errors people get when accessing databases from off campus. This will help collect all the information we need to be able to troubleshoot the problems.
These forms are also available in Library on BUFiles, under Departments-Library, Reference, Forms. If you use our library databases from home at all, please feel free to print some of these forms out and take them home, so you can report if there are any problems.
Thanks!
Scott
Just wanted
to let you all know that there’s a new webpage on our library website that has
instructions for faculty about using the quizzes that are associated with the
tutorials that we have online.
It’s under “Faculty Services” under “Library Info.”
If any
faculty have questions about getting or using the quizzes, this is a good place
to send them.
Thanks.
Scott
The Reference Department now has a public scanner available. It’s connected to the same computer that runs CHOICES III (and is also wheelchair accessible).
The scanner is very easy to use. Just put your document on the glass (in the top right corner like the pictures show), and hit the button in the front of the scanner that shows a picture of the flatbed scanner. When it’s done, it opens the program for you to save the document wherever you like. And that’s it! Of course, there are advanced features, but for a basic scan of a document, that’s all there is.
As you may know, we have expanded our computer lab in the Reference Dept. in Irwin, with a total of 25 computers right in the lab.
Along with these new computers has come a new image for the computers. There is now additional software available on them (like Photoshop) to make them more like the computers in the dorms and other labs on campus. Two other changes have also been made:
- The computers will automatically log off after 20 minutes being idle. This offers plenty of time if a student leaves the computer to go find a book and then come back, but still offers SOME modicum of security if people forget to log off by themselves. The norm in the labs is 15 minutes, but we wanted to make sure they had time if they were writing a paper and needed to go look something up, so we increased it to 20 minutes.
- Internet Explorer is now starting up automatically upon login. The two main programs that students use are MS Word and Internet Explorer. Since there has been some confusion about the extra programs available on the desktop, we are trying having IE start automatically, which will, of course, take them to the Library Website automatically. An informal poll I’ve done says that students use IE for email, my.butler.edu, Blackboard, MySpace, research, and other functions, so most have been glad because it saved them the time of clicking and opening it themselves. As I’ve watched students, when the computer boots up, they automatically click on Internet Explorer anyway. If you are in a position to listen and gather feedback from students about this change, I would welcome that information.
Thanks very much.
Scott
It is our policy that the general public does not have access to our computers. This includes “Special Borrowers” who have paid the $50 to be able to borrow books for a year. The public membership is only for checking out books.
The Reference Department is also going to be removing the “Public Access Terminal” that has been available among the other computers. That computer’s typical use is by students who bypass the catalog-based startup and then use it like any other lab computer.
Instead, to accommodate people from the general public who want to search our catalog, the person at the Reference Desk must either do the search for them (if it’s only one or two), or else log them onto a computer whose screen is visible from the desk, just to make sure they stay using the catalog instead of the Internet or subscription databases.
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