tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41765034802246007322012-02-16T18:03:22.770-05:00The Eclectic Muse of a Library Technician.Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2891100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-72663530704535394502010-07-29T08:51:00.005-04:002010-07-29T09:02:01.061-04:00

The latest edition of Associates: the Electronic Library Support Staff Journal is now available.Check it out.ttyl

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-84370431908521108202010-05-10T15:35:00.002-04:002010-05-10T15:38:15.774-04:00

Student Video about what they like about the library.ttfn

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-62241387154367456522010-04-27T08:04:00.004-04:002010-04-30T14:06:58.942-04:00

Two years ago on Valentine's Day, I posted my first blog post. Back then, my blog was daily posts about what I was doing at work or what was going on at work on any given day. Later, my posts evolved from daily rantings to infrequent reports about the goings-on at work. This past Valentine's Day celebrated two years. Unfortunately, it was also the day I experienced my heart attack. I'm doing

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-62579562173624715462010-04-14T11:51:00.002-04:002010-04-14T12:10:39.843-04:00

The semester is almost over! The last day of day classes is April 30; evening and graduate classes end May 1. Finals begin May 3 and end May 8. It seems like just yesterday the semester began and we were swamped in snow storms.This semester, the technology end of things held up until recently. Problems with the databases and proxy server began cropping up. Blackboard has had some outages and

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-54771686487411773902010-04-06T10:30:00.005-04:002010-04-06T11:00:00.125-04:00

The library recently conducted a survey: Student Library Survey: Win a Flip Camcorder! The results were quite interesting.I'm not sure if the results of the survey will ever be released for public consumption, but I'm sure that the brief impression I leave here will give you some idea of the comprehensive nature of the survey. The respondents of the survey included freshmen through seniors, as

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-55335497407418823832010-04-01T09:42:00.008-04:002010-04-01T09:52:50.372-04:00

In a surprise statement, Better World Books announced it's expanding its operations to Mars with its Introducing Better Mars Books initiative.The literacy rate for the red planet is expected to rise as a result.ttyl

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-33995787591624886612010-03-28T09:06:00.009-04:002010-04-08T11:53:26.074-04:00

One of my readers, and a good friend, sent me the URL to the Learning Commons her library has.Not only are there pages and host of links dedicated to it and its purpose, there's a live Webcam in the commons. You can actually peek in and take a look at what's going in.The day I took a look, the place was BUSY.If you're curious about what a Learning Commons is or your library is thinking of adding

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-7976041928335576232010-03-25T09:00:00.002-04:002010-03-25T09:00:09.664-04:00

Yesterday, I linked to a site that explains what a learning commons is. Today, I'm linking to York University in Canada. They dedicate an entire Web page to what a learning commons is and they briefly touch on the interchangeable term Information Commons.Learning Commons.ttyl

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-57263142110207499352010-03-24T09:13:00.007-04:002010-03-24T09:42:10.526-04:00

Now that there is definite talk of constructing a new addition to the existing library building, and it looks like the funding allocated for it will not be yanked from us this time, I've been wondering what exactly is a learning commons.A lot of library's have "learning commons," and "digital commons," and "library commons," but very few explain just what they are. They describe what they do,

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-36835746235015453422010-03-17T16:18:00.004-04:002010-03-17T16:27:07.713-04:00

We're all going through the annual evaluations process and it's taking up a lot of time. Before we actually go in behind closed doors to discuss things with our supervisors, we are given a self-evaluation form to fill out.We're asked to compare our goals from last year with our goals for this year. What goals we have for the upcoming year. What we think our strengths and weaknesses are and

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-62151803671802624442010-03-15T13:24:00.006-04:002010-03-24T09:26:28.431-04:00

For those of you who read the ejournal: Associates: The Electronic Library Support Staff Journal, the March issue is now available.For those you you who have never read this entertaining and informative publication, the March issue is full of great stuff.Enjoy.ttyl

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-54710154422859616232010-03-08T20:26:00.005-05:002010-03-24T09:28:01.381-04:00

No, it's not the new title of an obscure Alfred Hitchcock movie. It's the number of steps I have to climb from the parking lot I normally use to get to my building. There are actually two routes that contain steps. The second route has only forty-five and a half steps. Did I mention the incline?I climbed the steps today from the main parking lot thinking that the parking lot I've been recently

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-45840006607281588682010-02-25T13:36:00.003-05:002010-02-25T13:54:43.610-05:00

Well, I went to work yesterday and spent half a day there. It was quite uplifting. I got a lot of "glad-to-have-you-backs," hugs ( I almost cried with a couple of them), "sorry-but-there-are-some-rush-books," and "glad-you're-okays."It felt good to be back. I also learned a couple of things.I never realized just how stressful driving can be. I drove in earlier and slower with no problem, but

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-17520217707340924872010-02-23T08:55:00.002-05:002010-02-23T09:10:27.619-05:00

No family is without its problems and conflicts, but it says a lot about people when someone in the family experiences some misfortune and the problems are put aside for later. The folks I work with are just such people. When someone on staff is in need of a little help or comfort, we all chip in. In the thirteen plus years I've been at the university, I've done my share, but when you're on

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-31570712771341282482010-02-10T17:11:00.002-05:002010-02-10T17:31:56.347-05:00

We've been hit with the third snow storm of the season and the university finally had the presence of mind to close. In fact, the entire city and most of the region is shut down or closed. The snow has been falling since yesterday evening and hasn't stopped yet.Last Friday, we were hit with the third snow storm of the season. When we got to work on Monday, students and staff were greeted by

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-7130996307490498062010-02-04T13:04:00.005-05:002010-02-04T13:18:40.510-05:00

This month's meeting was relatively short. Fearless Leader did give us an update on the plans for the Library Commons. Having had the rug pulled out from under us before, I'm taking the wait-and-see approach. Hopefully, when/if things get started and rolling, we don't end up like the poor library at Lincoln University.The following article was forwarded to the staff. I thought I'd share it

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-44479127953320083352010-01-31T21:32:00.002-05:002010-01-31T21:50:11.157-05:00

It was a relatively quiet week for most of the staff. The librarians and department heads had a few meetings with fearless leader. Speculation is the meetings are related to the university's new effort toward building a library commons now that the sports complex is now complete and there is no other construction on campusThere has been one significant development since the start of the spring

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-9297729636788350932010-01-24T18:16:00.004-05:002010-01-24T18:41:50.643-05:00

Yes, it's been a while since I said anything on this blog. Through a combination of unforeseen events (life), a lack of nothing of substance to say, a dash of complacency, and a modicum of sheer lackadaisicalness (I think that's a word), I'm back.Happy New Year!Between the last time I logged in until now, the library staff had a week off for the Christmas vacation the last week of December. The

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-45944059328608055252009-12-21T11:03:00.003-05:002009-12-21T11:17:16.881-05:00

Friday night and Saturday morning a state of emergency was declared.The region got walloped with it's second largest snowfall ever on Saturday. People are still shoveling out. Where I live, I was lucky. One of the neighbors had an F-150 with a plow on it. He plowed the entire driveway. Otherwise, I might not have made it in to work today. We have a virtual skeleton crew at work today.

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-71686736912758123572009-12-14T13:43:00.002-05:002009-12-14T13:52:26.852-05:00

Thank goodness.Classes ended last week. We are now beginning the week of finals, and I'm seeing much more selfishness than ever before.There was the "me Generation." Now there's the "Selfish Generation." A lot of these kids seem to think about nothing but themselves. It's like they consider themselves entitled to things and to hell with everyone else.Already today, I've witnessed a student

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-37063489477390429502009-12-03T11:29:00.005-05:002009-12-03T11:54:50.788-05:00

It's coming down to the wire for the semester. The last day of classes is Friday, December 11th. The last day of finals is Saturday, December 19th.The library is packed. Students are using all the workstations, study rooms, the café, and the Presentation Practice room. We are doing our best to keep up with requests and technology issues.There's been a surge in ILL requests and we've begun

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-50587365822107254122009-12-02T15:56:00.004-05:002010-02-04T13:15:38.265-05:00

The following exhibit is currently on display at the library.The link comes from our Facebook page and blog.ttyl

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-87421571226237744722009-11-28T08:13:00.001-05:002009-11-28T08:16:05.128-05:00

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-39499009662819939582009-11-26T14:10:00.003-05:002009-11-26T14:13:21.615-05:00

I hope everyone has an enjoyable and safe Thanksgiving.To help put you in the mood, I've included a link to online Christmas songs in the sidebar. So when I don't have that much to say, stop by to listen to some holiday tunes.Enjoy.ttyl

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-35877699529808856562009-11-20T08:52:00.002-05:002009-11-20T09:12:02.930-05:00

You know how you can set up your browser to load your favorite homepage when you start your browser? Well, guess what? You can have your browser start up more than one homepage.I discovered, quite by accident that all you have to do is use the pipe command; it's the vertical symbol on your keyboard: |. By using this symbol, you can have your browser open several pages at once. I don't know

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-56615268932674823102009-11-11T09:18:00.004-05:002009-11-11T09:29:33.747-05:00

In a recent post on our blog, Library Lifelines, an interesting site from the History Channel was highlighted: This Day in History.If you're interested in what happened on a particular day in history, this site has interesting factoids and videos about major events that took place on those days.If you're the slightest bit curious (and you know you are), check it out.Ah-ha! You thought this post

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-21207374701815266282009-11-04T09:34:00.002-05:002009-11-04T09:46:30.561-05:00

The university has been installing hand sanitizers all around campus. Sanitizers were also installed in the library. The only problem: they don't conform to the Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines for wheelchair reach.All of the other stations are stand-alone units; the ones that were installed in the library were drilled into the walls and pillars. Now they've got to be repositioned.

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-76169163595023680952009-10-26T12:36:00.008-04:002009-10-26T12:54:11.038-04:00

Geeze, another company has changed it's name again for the umpteenth time. One particular company, which will go unnamed, has changed its name back to what they were calling themselves thirteen years ago.Does someone get paid to think these things up? Because if they do, sign me up. Reminds me of when I worked in periodicals. Title changes were a pain in the sit-down. Especially those titles

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-77942531478148223752009-10-20T11:14:00.002-04:002009-10-20T11:26:53.678-04:00

Semester break is here. All two days of it. The students will be back tomorrow and so will everything else--including the heat, I hope.It's friggin cold in this building!!!!!!!!It's difficult to concentrate when cold air is blowing through the vents overhead.Presumably, when the students return tomorrow, the heat will too. Can't have them complaining about the cold in the building.Fat lot of

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-9295933820030765342009-10-16T10:54:00.003-04:002009-10-16T11:23:22.819-04:00

The past two days have been full of challenges to our ability to remain calm. The Uniprint system has been (once again) down more than it's been up, the portal went down, email went down, and our patience has been pushed to the limit. But that's not all.This morning, a faculty member from the Philosophy Department (a guy who used to be a student here and still looks like one) came into the

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-47777679975686104442009-10-12T13:06:00.003-04:002009-10-12T13:15:02.446-04:00

One of my colleagues is celebrating 20 years of working in the library. Naturally, we had the inevitable meet-and-eat. Yum. The morning was spent reminiscing about the changes that have taken place in the library and on campus over the past twenty years.We're talking about a time when the library still had card catalog drawers. Remember those? When she first started, the library only had

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-63698469857093518942009-10-08T09:51:00.003-04:002009-10-08T09:57:38.447-04:00

Here's a new one for you. The Serials/Electronic Resources Librarian sent a ticket to IT asking how often the trash in Zimbra is emptied because she doesn't know how to manually empty it herself.Get this: IT's response? Zimbra trash is not automatically emptied. She'll have to empty it herself manually.Well, duh. She already told them that she didn't know how to do it manually. Instead of

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-22169697909513033002009-10-07T10:57:00.003-04:002009-10-07T11:14:56.291-04:00

Sniff, sniff. The marketing team has disbanded. Although the team is no more, the marketing goals of the library remain the same. We will continue to market the library as best we can, but instead of having a specific team of people to do it, everyone in the library will now participate in the marketing effort. We have decided to be more inclusive allowing anyone who wishes to get

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-13286510107873709662009-10-01T08:50:00.003-04:002009-10-01T09:04:36.148-04:00

We should have known it was too good to be true. After a few days of uninterrupted access to the University Portal, guess what? Yesterday we had problems. And that was after an article appeared in the student paper reporting the problems had been pretty much resolved.A few of us have been discussing our Banned Books Exhibit--if that's what you can call it. It's been bothering me that after

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-65474802586026736902009-09-29T11:39:00.004-04:002009-09-29T11:58:48.013-04:00

Believe it or not, but things have quieted down on the technology front. Printing has been going smoothly and student complaints about other technology matters have been manageable. So far, so good.In the meantime, the library has been participating in the Banned Books Week observance. The poster and the timeline I worked on came out nice. The poster and a display of books is on display at

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-61899571887085524792009-09-25T06:54:00.002-04:002009-09-25T06:59:14.335-04:00

The University Web Portal is still unreliable. However, the students are now expressing their displeasure.In the latest issue of the student paper, there are two not-so-flattering articles about the portal. Students are not able to complete their homework assignments or are not getting their email. This is proving not only frustrating to the students, but to the faculty as well.Gee, if they

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-88383051928230372332009-09-22T10:22:00.007-04:002009-09-22T10:32:29.097-04:00

Better World Books Video Interview with CEO, David Murphy.David Murphy, President & CEO - Better World Books from Producer Celia Dyer-TechDrawl on Vimeo.ttyl

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-9953316496337555092009-09-18T15:21:00.002-04:002009-09-18T15:31:11.455-04:00

After 40 years, the library finally got hot water before the steam system was officially turned on.It took the H1N1 pandemic scare to finally get us some hot water. We always have hot water in the winter months when the heating system is turned on. But we never have it when the heating system is turned off for the summer months. On Wednesday, we started getting hot water in the building.

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-63920516541207034262009-09-17T15:29:00.008-04:002009-09-17T16:08:59.338-04:00

Today, during free period, the library held its Information Fair. The University Librarian (Director / Fearless Leader), the Web Resources / Reference Librarian, the Associate Director for Public Services and Programming, the Library Instruction and Outreach Specialist, and I sat at tables for an hour and a half trying to get students to stop by and learn more about the services we have to

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-30292198327990412412009-09-16T09:51:00.004-04:002009-09-16T10:26:47.766-04:00

We almost had a blemish-free day. Uniprint had problems, but they weren't reported. I guess the students have now come to expect the printing system to crash all the time. We certainly have. The systems librarian discovered stuck jobs in the cue when he logged into the print server himself and took a look.I did discover that the student help computer lab has been experiencing printing crashes

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-72334153981938463572009-09-15T09:01:00.003-04:002009-09-15T09:11:33.774-04:00

"Why not just tell us when we're not having a printing problem." That was the lament of a coworker when Uniprint went down yet again. The printing system seems to go down more than it's up.Between the new Zimbra email client, the university Web portal, and Uniprint, patience is running thin. IT ran some maintenance on Zimbra and that seems to have improved (somewhat), but the portal (and most

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-40670769943097731232009-09-10T08:59:00.007-04:002009-09-10T11:27:48.544-04:00

Well, yesterday, after I posted here, guess what? Yep. Uniprint started having problems. And the Web portal went down. And the new email application was running incredibly slow. If you want an exercise in frustration, just try to print, log into the portal and get your mail. You'll have a better appreciation of what Job went through! (I don't even want to go there when it comes to the

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-28644800666474848692009-09-09T10:03:00.010-04:002009-09-09T14:45:13.333-04:00

Today was the first day I didn't get any reports about Uniprint going down. Whoo-hoo! However, the Web Portal went down and was down most of the day. If it isn't one thing, it's another.The cafe finally opened and students seemed satisfied with that.This new email system is trying people's patience though. It's slow as molasses in the winter time and really frustrating. Yesterday I went to

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-51349504655161434952009-09-06T14:12:00.003-04:002009-09-06T15:01:00.909-04:00

Man, what a week we had.I think the biggest problem/headache was the uniprint printing stations. All week the printing system was up and down. It seemed like it was down more times that it was up. We had students who were printing their class schedules, syllabi, and and their assignments. When the printing was working, it was slow. Unfortunately, it will continue to be slow for the rest of

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-38873784236126092412009-08-31T09:08:00.006-04:002009-08-31T10:52:03.280-04:00

The students are back. And you know what that means. All of the problems we had during the summer will now be compounded.Yesterday, the printing system was doing its typical acting up. We're bracing for the complaints from students who will be printing out their class schedules.Students are logging into public computers and walking away from them without logging out. I fail to understand how

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-53455542326873276222009-08-28T08:30:00.001-04:002009-09-09T10:17:10.183-04:00

Better World Books has a newsletter called BookmarksWant to know more about them and what they're all about? The Summer 2009 edition of the newsletter will fill in those gaps.Take a peek.ttyl

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-75105128661792064552009-08-27T08:30:00.003-04:002009-08-27T08:30:00.701-04:00

Better World Books asked it's Facebook fans what their favorite book was growing up. The resulting list of responses is as varied as its fans.It's always interesting to find out what other people read, but it's fun to find out just what others read and liked when they were kids, too.For those who are part of Facebook, just click this link to get to see how people responded to the question:

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-46420765996240654462009-08-26T09:51:00.008-04:002009-08-26T10:36:42.380-04:00

Yesterday, the Marketing Team met to finalize plans for the first newsletter of the academic year. This newsletter will be the first one we publish exclusively online. Because of cost considerations (as well as an effort to go green), the newsletter will be published in PDF.Also, yesterday, the library's new Web page went live: Francis A. Drexel Library. The page now conforms to the stylistic

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-10381666643329426552009-08-23T15:12:00.005-04:002009-08-26T10:06:55.849-04:00

If Thursday and Friday were indicators of the upcoming semester, then what I'm about to say will make me sound like a broken record.We were having printing and network problems again. So what else is new? It's gotten to the point where I don't even talk about it with my brother-in-law anymore because the mere mention of our issues causes him to laugh hysterically. Bummer.The most disturbing

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-44885214725749511932009-08-19T08:30:00.002-04:002009-08-19T10:51:01.156-04:00

Yesterday, some of the librarians came in dressed to get down and dirty. Well, not that dirty. Some of them were weeding books in the stacks.They corralled a few book trucks and ventured into the stacks to begin pulling books that we don't want/need anymore. The cataloging technician and I are bracing for a new bumper crop of books for recycling or Better World Books.Apparently, this event had

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-85639974534835706462009-08-18T09:05:00.003-04:002009-08-18T09:17:48.536-04:00

Well, there's no better sign that the Fall semester will soon be upon us than the annual New Faculty Reception the library holds around this time each year.It's usually nothing more than a Wine and Cheese Meet-and-Greet between the new faculty and the librarians, but it's enough to remind everyone that the summer is winding down.Classes begin August 31. Bummer. :-(ttyl

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-89417741587077819012009-08-13T10:04:00.008-04:002009-08-13T10:43:51.187-04:00

I'm quite surprised at myself. I never would have thought I'd become a toolbar geek, but I have. I just discovered another Firefox add-on. It's a toolbar for Facebook. Since the library is on Facebook and other university organizations and departments are also on it, I decided to check it out.As with most toolbars, there are options you can take advantage of. Of course, they're only

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-35696476273385601362009-08-11T08:30:00.001-04:002009-08-11T08:30:00.377-04:00

I've discovered another Firefox add-on: Download Status Bar. What's so cool about this add-on is it sticks your downloads in a status bar on your browser window. All you have to do is click the icon on the status bar to begin your installation. So you don't have to go hunting to find out where they ended up. Sweet!ttyl

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-75862193044567276722009-08-10T13:27:00.006-04:002009-08-10T14:34:26.106-04:00

I'm not kidding when I say I've been busy. I think I'm about halfway through with receiving all of the books that have come in so far. I'm not sure if I'm seeing the end of the ordering, but there has been a welcome break in the process. The number of books being delivered has slowed down!!!!! Woo-hoo!!!!ttyl

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-57114555517931416512009-08-06T08:59:00.006-04:002009-08-06T15:15:06.949-04:00

I'm so busy I don't time for myself anymore. How busy am I? Let's just say that the books my supervisor ordered seem like they are arriving in truckloads. And don't forget the gift books.These are boxes about ready to go to Better World Books.These are some of the gift books that the English professor who is retiring gave us. Some of them date back to the 1700s.The rest of these books and

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-50308172301574498712009-07-31T09:33:00.002-04:002009-07-31T09:45:36.876-04:00

The UniPrint server was up and down most of the day yesterday. We were getting all kinds of complaints from students about printing issues. I called the IT help desk three times and sent in a ticket once. I can't even tell you how many times the circulation desk and the reference desk called me to report about printing issues.The systems librarian is tracking how many times the printing system

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-55042410588009161122009-07-30T08:30:00.000-04:002009-07-30T08:30:00.107-04:00

As regular readers of this blog already know, Propaganda Tours is what I affectionately refer to the orientation groups of parents and students who visit the university and see all the school has to offer as. And there's nothing wrong with that. It's great, but not so great for the library when the student guides pass along faulty information, misinformation, or irrelevant information. Instead

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-58839574379133846732009-07-29T08:58:00.008-04:002009-07-29T09:49:31.146-04:00

Well, it was inevitable. All those books that my supervisor started ordering once the fiscal year budget was in place have finally started arriving. They're not coming in dribs or drabs but in torrents. It's a flood! I don't keep statistics on new acquisitions, but I've got to say that in the past two weeks alone, I've received close to fifty books.That number may not seem like a lot to some

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-42611312906322765492009-07-22T11:54:00.004-04:002009-07-22T12:14:55.246-04:00

One of our English Professors is retiring after 41 years. Today, he gave us a few boxes of books from his collection. Not all of them are English related, but nearly all are at least fifty years old. There's a bunch that date back to the 1800s. One goes as far back as 1770! Wow!These very old books have been separated from the old books so the university's resident classic art / antiquarian

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-54149880909004174732009-07-21T08:31:00.000-04:002009-07-21T08:31:00.997-04:00

With all of the buzz in the news about the first moon landing, I realized that there many people today who weren't around on that historic day and may be a little curious to understand what the hoopla was about.NASA has a site for kids (although you don't have to be a kid to enjoy and learn from it). It's a very educational site and just might be helpful the next time there's a question on

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-1582506948098989252009-07-20T09:51:00.004-04:002009-07-20T10:21:43.548-04:00

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the historic landing on the moon. And where was I? Laying on my parent's living room floor glued to the TV watching live black and white images on a black and white TV! As Mr. Spock would say, "Fascinating."For one brief moment, it was a welcome break from all the news about the war in Vietnam and all the other turmoil in the world.Now fast forward forty

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-41050898659471867302009-07-17T10:18:00.015-04:002009-07-17T11:12:18.859-04:00

Sixty-five years ago, the world was at warMany a battle is remembered, atrocities debated, defeats memorialized, and victories celebrated, but one disastrous event occurred that history seems to have forgotten. A group of American naval personnel, and civilians from an adjoining town, were victims of the worst state-side naval disaster in American history: The Port Chicago Disaster.For those who

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-42048396928896477772009-07-15T11:19:00.004-04:002009-07-15T11:38:22.470-04:00

Attached are some photos of the library before some of the walls and pillars were painted with accent colors. The entire library did not get a paint job. Just certain walls and pillars.Before:After: If I'd thought about it sooner, I'd have taken more before pics, but this is the best I could do on afterthought. Believe me when I say, it really looks nicer now than before.ttyl

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-9484263321629415162009-07-13T14:28:00.006-04:002009-07-13T14:37:01.315-04:00

In our on-going effort to get the word out and enlighten tomorrow's leaders today, the library commissioned an orientation video for freshmen to use so that they can become familiar with the resources the library offers.Take a look and enjoy.Library Promotion Video(We're hoping the freshmen are as enthusiastic as those portrayed in the video!)ttyl

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-39929475402623708292009-07-10T16:55:00.003-04:002009-07-13T14:41:34.052-04:00

We had a chemical spill at work yesterday. It was serious enough to bring in HAZMAT crews, shut down a highway, and evacuate a building. But get this: the residents of the city and surrounding suburbs knew about it, but the library staff knew nothing about it--and our building is connected to the building that had the spill.Shortly before one o'clock pm, I got a phone call from my wife who

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-37526210726263828182009-07-08T09:04:00.002-04:002009-07-08T09:37:19.336-04:00

This morning I left my house earlier than normal to get a jump on the traffic. It's approximately nine miles from my house to work and depending on traffic conditions, I can traverse the distance anywhere from twenty minutes to an hour. More often than not, it's closer to the sixty minutes.Anyway, this morning I decided to see just how long it would take me. Traffic was light so it took me

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-53489251797630358112009-07-07T09:16:00.005-04:002009-07-07T09:42:34.969-04:00

The Library's page on Facebook is looking good. We have a steady (albeit slow progression of fans), but that should change when the Fall semester begins: Francis A. Drexel LibraryMy favorite part of the site is the Boxes page. From here, there's access to the catalog, live online help, the blog, and many of our databases. Most of this basic information will remain, but will be subject to

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-14231015600970883082009-07-01T08:56:00.008-04:002009-07-01T09:23:50.501-04:00

One of my Facebook friends posted a notice that the Library of Congress is now on iTunes U.The announcement appeared on the Library of Congress blog. For those of you not a part of Facebook, I've posted the link to the blog announcing the service here: Library of Congress BlogI'd never heard of iTunes U before today, but there is an explanation in the blog article describing the service. You

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-55236386741071978102009-06-29T13:17:00.008-04:002009-06-29T13:35:29.290-04:00

The Library is getting spruced up--somewhat. The bland gray walls that surround us are finally getting some accent colors!The school's official colors are crimson and gray. The library somehow missed out when crimson was dolled out. But not anymore. Some of the walls and pillars are being painted with the new approved secondary colors, and believe you me, it sure makes a difference.For most

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-317528899942389222009-06-25T12:19:00.007-04:002009-06-25T12:35:09.420-04:00

Yesterday, a query was posted on the Library Support Staff Listserv asking if anyone wanted some d-skins that were being offered by a library. My initial reaction was huh? Fortunately, someone did ask the inevitable question. I still wasn't quite certain I fully understood so I Googled the term. When I saw the images of what they are, I finally comprehended.D-skins are basically a custom made

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-44270459862814020962009-06-24T09:12:00.005-04:002009-06-24T09:26:41.429-04:00

Thanks to one of our staunchest supporters, one of our favorite history professors (yes, he's the resilient professor who bounced back following his unfortunate encounter with a car), we will now be acquiring the Times of London Digital Archives.The history department was interested in purchasing this product once before, but the price was prohibitive. Fortunately, the vendor has been able to

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-35168139239349918122009-06-22T12:08:00.005-04:002009-06-22T12:31:47.286-04:00

Nice alliteration, eh?Last week, we got through the long-standing group of gift books that had accumulated. We sent a ton of them to Better World Books. There were several shipments of books in boxes numbering the required minimum of six to a couple numbering eight and nine. We were hauling you-know-what to get those things done and delivered.I maintain statistics on the numeric count of gift

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-82729308607747600602009-06-16T11:04:00.004-04:002009-06-16T11:22:29.565-04:00

Last June, Library Journal.com interviewed our Business Librarian, Cynthia Slater. The interview, which appeared in the Student Affairs blog, was insightful, and informative. The following link is to that interview: Business First: Cynthia Slater It's in interesting snapshot of an academic business librarian who happens to work in my library.ttyl

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-12664324522063524712009-06-15T09:12:00.011-04:002009-06-15T09:50:30.311-04:00

The Francis A. Drexel Library's Facebook page is looking great.Screen Shot of latest page updates:A quick click on the boxes tab on the page gets you a lot of access to the catalog, live online reference help, the blog, and One Search (my favorite) right from this page. Check it out and try everything. Let us know what you like and don't. And let us know what works and what doesn't.ttyl

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-20167858580125578652009-06-09T08:00:00.001-04:002009-06-08T15:40:04.986-04:00

The Francis A. Drexel Library now has a presence on Facebook! Whoo-Hoo!Check us out and become a fan.The Francis A. Drexel Library.ttyl

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-83745654937678532412009-06-08T09:58:00.005-04:002009-06-08T10:15:24.044-04:00

I'm still poking around the Web discovering what I can find out. Steven Cohen and Nicole Engard made a really significant impression on me. When I'm not preoccupied with life (that is working, taking care of things at home, or doing something that the real world needs done), I'm immersed in the virtual world.I've been finding so many sites that I started bookmarking them at home and at work or

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-25091056734279733312009-06-04T12:13:00.003-04:002009-07-01T12:55:20.989-04:00

One of the Add-ons I've included with my Firefox browser is an RSS feed ticker called RSS Ticker. Basically what it does is take any live bookmarks you may have that have RSS feeds and puts them in a ticker that scrolls along the bottom of your browser. So anytime you work with your browser, as the newsfeeds are updated, they are updated in the ticker as well.It really saves time clicking on

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-29894465675105473312009-06-03T15:38:00.001-04:002009-06-03T15:40:14.280-04:00

Someone from IT stopped by the library and let us know that they will be working remotely with our workstations. Hmmm. I wonder what prompted them to finally let us know?ttyl

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-890083771522268392009-06-03T08:54:00.002-04:002009-06-03T09:14:24.139-04:00

IT has done it again: Not said anything to us about what they're doing regarding the library's Weblab PCs. They have been apparently running programs and updating remotely software on our PCs. However, they neglected to tell us that they were doing this. So whenever anyone on staff noticed that the workstations were locked, we simply unlocked the workstations and restarted them. Effectively

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-62606191777470000622009-06-02T08:54:00.003-04:002009-06-02T09:05:05.979-04:00

I've been busy trying out some of the sites and resources I learned about at last week's seminar. So far, I've been spending my time running through the list of Websites Steven Cohen has on his Library Stuff page.One thing I did do is install the Firefox add-on Ad Block Plus. I love it. I'm not bombarded with those incessantly pesky pop-up ads.As I run through the list (and I'm in no hurry to

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-27616028903768912612009-05-28T09:03:00.010-04:002009-05-28T10:59:48.745-04:00

Yesterday's seminar was billed as: What the Hack?!? Essential Library & Life Hacks. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised that it was both entertaining and informative.The guest speakers, Nicole Engard and Steven Cohen, are quite knowledgeable in how to make things easier in both your work life and personal life.Nicole Engard's presentation focused primarily on how to improve services in

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-53097109779208556732009-05-27T08:56:00.001-04:002009-05-27T08:59:54.781-04:00

The history professor who was hit by the car is now doing fine. He's been released from the hospital and is home. He has to be visited by a caretaker to check on him and he needs to use a walker and cane, but, otherwise, he's okay.* * * *Today I'm going to be attending a training seminar being hosted here at the university. I'll report on what I experience and learn.ttyl

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-57651996500791875512009-05-22T12:18:00.005-04:002009-05-22T12:32:28.786-04:00

Memorial Day is not just a weekend of backyard barbecues and splashing around at the shore. It's a time to remember and reflect on the sacrifices made by those who serve their country--especially those who have given the ultimate sacrifice:Military personnelLaw Enforcement personnelEmergency Response personnelAnd all those who ensure we enjoy and have access to those things we take for

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-89743160179337226832009-05-21T16:25:00.000-04:002009-05-21T16:25:47.526-04:00

Just an update about the professor I mentioned. Yes, he was hit by a car at an intersection of a major thoroughfare that divides the campus. Yes, he refused hospitalization at the time of the accident. Yes, he administered his exams and graded papers. He was finally admitted to the hospital on Monday when he came to the the history department to turn in his students' grades. The

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-89290083139518197172009-05-21T09:32:00.004-04:002009-05-21T09:49:58.875-04:00

VENT ALERT!!!!There is nothing more annoying than receiving a letter from a publisher informing us that a subscription or membership we never had is coming due or has expired. (Well, there are more annoying things, but this one is the most recent.) What? Do they think we won't check our records to determine that they have sent us nothing more than a slickly written sales ploy? Either that or

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-11755491111349346752009-05-20T11:02:00.003-04:002009-05-20T11:16:04.785-04:00

I'm back from the last of my use-'em-or-lose-'em days.The commencement ceremony, I understand, was nice. I went to my son's commencement on Sunday. One of the circulation technicians graduated from here. We threw her a congratulations get-together this morning.As far as the 24/7 exam study hours go, it went well. Aside from the theft of a few Ethernet cables and the theft of a dvi-vga

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-54626748082733537242009-05-14T10:57:00.002-04:002009-05-14T11:06:58.056-04:00

Sorry for not keeping up with my posts, but I've been essentially chillin' out at home taking advantage of my last five vacation days. A concerned reader sent me an email expressing concern over the lapse in posts. I'm still here, just not at work. And when I'm not at work, I don't think about work--most times.I've also been getting ready to begin taking my final class this summer. Once I

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-52903546996269568002009-05-07T15:15:00.004-04:002009-05-07T15:21:54.931-04:00

The price of soft pretzels did not go up. Whew! Apparently, the student working the cash register punched in the wrong button. For some unexplained reason, the powers that be have decided not to include a button on the register for soft pretzels so whoever is working the register will not know which button to push if they're not familiar with the the cost of the pretzels--which weren't

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-86667047124689233322009-05-06T11:57:00.006-04:002009-05-06T12:21:34.626-04:00

I'm taking one of my remaining vacation days before the end of the fiscal year, but I just wanted to update you on the 24/7 study hours in the library. THE PLACE IS PACKED! The students, for the most part are behaving themselves. As for the computers and printers . . . well, let's just say that the PCs and Macs are hanging in there. The printers, on the other hand, are taking a wallop. The

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-53749516912320151772009-05-05T12:38:00.003-04:002009-05-05T12:50:19.858-04:00

Back in February, I was on the phone with one of our vendors attempting to get a correction in the Bill to / Ship to address. (Sound familiar?) Anyway, we just got a statement from them with the incorrect addressee in the address. Not only that, but two invoices are referenced as paid on the statement. They're saying we have a credit balance. Not bad, however, I can only trace one of the two

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-24594751155627593082009-05-04T12:21:00.006-04:002009-05-05T12:50:53.459-04:00

In the words of one of my favorite characters from one of my favorite cartoon TV series, Futurama, "I'm back, baby."The thing about being out a week is not that there's a lot of work waiting for you, but that you have to hit the ground running as soon as you return--which is what I'm doing. Even though I checked on my email during my vacation, I still have over 300 email messages to sift

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-47705884620335942162009-05-03T13:40:00.003-04:002009-05-04T12:37:51.618-04:00

In my last post, I said that I'd check in from time-to-time as things crossed my mind. Well, obviously nothing crossed my mind. Actually, things did cross my mind but nothing worth posting.I mostly spent the time enjoying my birthday and my week off. I spent a good part of it playing my favorite online game: World of Warcraft or WOW. I have my brother-in-law to thank for getting me hooked on

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-22531515480184800002009-04-23T13:34:00.008-04:002009-04-23T14:05:53.527-04:00

Next week is the last week of classes for the semester and things are picking up in the library.The students are coming in and using all of the computers. We're doing our best to keep them working, as well as the printers. One of our faculty is giving a talk on her latest book. The latest blog post has all of the information about it: Library Lifelines.The blog post also announces a new

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-22916361026378632042009-04-22T14:58:00.004-04:002009-04-22T15:16:42.451-04:00

Last year I lamented on at least two occasions that the library was being treated like the Rodney Dangerfield of the University. Well, guess what? I'm beginning to believe that. (For those of you not old enough to remember, Rodney Dangerfield was a comedian whose claim to fame was not getting any respect.) Yesterday we had pretzels delivered to the library, but today there were no pretzels

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-15910312862312443082009-04-21T09:29:00.011-04:002009-04-21T09:48:25.556-04:00

It rained all day yesterday, and it was chilly. Bummer. I'm also jealous. Yesterday I found out that one of my friends who works at the North Carolina State University Libraries was touting the fact that her library sells ice cream. Can you believe that? Ice Cream. And not just any old ice cream, but hand-dipped!We're struggling to get and keep the foods we already have, and she gets to

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-71070515163902326302009-04-16T15:51:00.002-04:002009-04-16T16:15:44.208-04:00

Spring is in the air, the campus is beginning to blossom with students shedding their winter apparel, tax day has passed, and exam week looms on the horizon. Today was the first good day in quite a few days. The hustle and bustle of the end of the semester is also apparent.The Library is hopping. We've already had a printer issue, which was promptly handled by the company that services it.

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-48661299382247681572009-04-15T12:02:00.002-04:002009-04-15T12:13:54.395-04:00

Our director brought in goodies to eat! Woo-hoo!To find out more, check out: National Library Workers Day.ttyl

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-7256567307872650682009-04-13T17:11:00.000-04:002009-04-13T17:22:16.686-04:00

Our beloved candy cat, Snacks, has lost his head (literally). He was the victim of an unfortunate *mishap* and used up all of his nine ceramic lives.The staff has been desperately searching for a suitable successor but so far no one has been able to find anything. So I'm turning to you for help. If anyone knows where we can get a replacement, please let us know.

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-89341947398175196332009-04-13T11:38:00.004-04:002009-04-13T15:19:03.485-04:00

Today has been one of those days where it just seems strange to be here at work since most people took the day off. The day students are not here because they had Easter Monday off. The evening students however do not get Easter Monday off. Most of the staff took off today as well. It's just a skeleton crew here today.Unfortunately, because the day students aren't here, the café is closed.

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176503480224600732.post-52219164854229593022009-04-08T13:08:00.004-04:002009-04-08T13:21:16.164-04:00

My supervisor handed me a statement we received that was addressed to the Library but included the name of an instructor in the sociology department. (I guess we can count ourselves lucky it made it to the library. Some invoices/statements just get sent to the official university mailing address.) This is getting old. My super has been in contact with this particular company about this very

Michael D. Brooksnoreply@blogger.com0