Newsletter for Reference Student Assistants

It's registration time! Which means soon I will need your schedule for the fall semester.

Click here to download the form, and please return it to Kelci by May 5, 2012.

We'll have some limited shifts open over the summer. If you want to work in the library over the summer, provide me the following details by May 5 as well: what dates you are available and what time of the day you prefer to work (morning, afternoon, etc.).



Lastly, I will hire about 3 students for the fall, so if you have friends who want to work in the library, send them my way.

To those who work closing shifts:

Public Safety and the OneCard office have launched a new pilot program called Follow Me, which is a "virtual safety escort service" -- an app you download for your iPhone or Android, then activate on your walk home, to let Public Safety know you're out and about.

Check out the web site for more info.

Every year I "assign" a "fun quiz" to ya'll. It's that time of year!



Directions: While you are at work, answer these hypothetical questions to the best of your ability. Describe the steps you take and the specific databases you use to answer the questions--don't just say you would search Link+... actually tell me what you found when you searched Link+.

Use any resources you usually have while you’re at work (but don’t ask the librarian! that would be cheating in this case).

Once you are done, please email your answers to me (Kelci) by March 28, 2012. You will not be graded but we will meet to discuss your answers and do training after you’ve turned it in. Thanks!

( Click here for the fun quiz )

Hi everyone!

I've got some arsenal we can use against those annoying PDFs that block up the printer, courtesy of Periodicals librarian Debbie Malone:

How to compress or reconfigure a PDF print job

Mac: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.5/en/9021.html

Windows (& sometimes Mac): http://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/kb/quick-fix-print-pdf-image.html

Additional troubleshooting:

http://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/kb/troubleshoot-pdf-printing-acrobat-reader.html

http://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/kb/printing-complex-pdfs-acrobat.html

Please read these over, and comment with what you think is most useful to the scenarios you most commonly encounter.

On the lighter side... from the web comic, The Oatmeal: "Why I Believe Printers Were Sent from Hell"


an excerpt:

Come pick up your free Fusion t-shirt... you can get them in Randy's office... wear with pride, promote with integrity, represent Gleeson Library!

Great news! If you haven't heard yet, peeps can now scan documents here in the library! Check out the Gleeson Gleanings blog post for the full scoop.

A tardy welcome & kick off for Spring 2012 here!

Let's see... what's new in the Reference Dept?

- As you all probably know, Kelci hired three new student assistants this semester: Mario, Noelene, and Conor. Welcome!
- Printer #2 has seen some rough times lately. Another part is on its way, and hopefully the technician will be able to get it up and running by tomorrow (2/1/2012)
- All the iMacs in the Reference Room will soon be replaced by new Mac Minis and new 22" Lenovo monitors. ITS is imaging the new computers and will deliver them soon. This will certainly change the look of the room, but the new machines will run faster and have less errors. The new Mac Minis will come with Mac OSX Lion, which is similar to the operating system that is on the iMacs. Let Kelci know if you want some special training with Lion.
- The mailboxes have moved! They are now located in Access Services (behind the main Circulation Desk).
- We launched a new service at the Reference Desk -- Text a Librarian! Save our number--66476--in your phone and tell your friends, too! Your first text to us has to start with the word gleeson. After that, text away.


What's new or noteworthy this semester to you? Anything you've noticed at work that you would like to share with your coworkers?

Hello everyone,

This post is about troubleshooting printing from the Windows PCs in Reference. This is a new solution.

When a patron tries to print and the job doesn't show up in GoPrint, check the status of the printer:

- From the Windows start button, go to Devices and Printers (beneath Control Panel)
- Double click on the problem printer (usually gl_ref_2)
- Check the status of the printer. Does it say "Ready"? Or does it say "Error"?



It will usually say "Error" and that means that some document stopped up the print queue and Kelci will have to log in as an administrator and delete the jobs -- notify her if this is the case. Your work around is to send the print job to a printer that says "Ready," which is usually gl_ref_3.

If it says "Ready" and the job is still not showing up in GoPrint, it's probably a more complicated issue. Again, try gl_ref_3, or tell the patron to use a different computer, then report the problem to Kelci.

Our past solution to this problem has been to manually install the printer by going to Run then \\goprint. Do not do this anymore. The printers have been reconfigured to fix that old problem, so when you encounter an error now, it is a different problem with a different solution.

Earlier this week Public Safety announced they will be conducting fire drills over the course of the next few weeks. Please read over these instructions on how to deal with a fire alarm emergency when you're at work in the library.

Please read this message and look at the Emergency Management Areas document linked in the highlighted paragraph below. This is different than the procedures for a power outage and is very important.

If you are working on the day of the drill, please make sure to do the following:
• tell anyone in the public area around the Reference service desk to "please evacuate the building now" but do not stop to wait for them;
• you can grab any of your personal belongings that are nearby but do not stop to unlock the storage room and get what you left in there.
• do not leave the reference area to pass along this message -- Public Safety will come through to check for stragglers;
• leave through any emergency door (it does not have to be the front door) but make sure to gather on the plaza on the other side of the wolf sculpture (away from the library doors):
this location is the equivalent of the Gleeson Lawn (now Gleeson plaza) and is the designated spot for library staff;
• look for your supervisor or other library staff so that you can be "accounted for";
wait with library staff until the all-clear to return to the building is given by Public Safety.

While this will be a managed drill, the same procedures need to be followed any time the emergency evacuation system activates -- no occupant of the building should try to second guess whether it is a real or false alarm.

Additional Info:
Please take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with USF's Emergency Management Areas (EMA) and locate your building's EMA:
http://www.usfca.edu/uploadedFiles/Destinations/Offices_and_Services/Public_Safety/files/EVACUATION5B15D.pdf

STUDENTS/EMPLOYEES REQUIRING SPECIAL ASSISTANCE: If you have difficulty walking down the stairs or need any special assistance, please contact your Building Marshal so that alternate accommodations can be made for you to participate.
https://www.usfca.edu/uploadedFiles/Destinations/Offices_and_Services/Public_Safety/files/Building%20Marshal%202011.pdf

If you have any questions please contact Public Safety at 415-422-4321 or visit our website at www.usfca.edu/public_safety.

You are invited...
Student Assistant & Staff Appreciation Party

Thursday, December 8, 2011
12 noon - 2 pm
Rare Book Room
Gleeson Library



Stop by for pizza, sweet goodies, student raffle prizes, and the presentation of the honorary name plates for graduating student workers (Kathleen & Lupita!). Hope to see you there!

Whoa... that was pretty weird, typing '2012'... it will be here before we know it!

Anyway, for you newbies, we do a new work schedule every semester based on your class schedule.

Registration is going on right now; once you've registered for your classes, please fill out THIS FORM and send it to Kelci by Dec. 1, 2011.

In January I will check in and see if you have any changes to your schedule (I know these things are in flux) and we'll tinker with the schedule as needed.

We will probably have some shifts open over Winter intercession if you want to work. So let me know your interest.



ALSO, sidenote: I will be hiring 2-3 new people for the Spring, so if you have any friends that want to work in the library, send them my way!

To get in the Halloween spirit, here's a picture circa 2004.



When I worked in the library in undergrad, I always worked Sundays with Penny. In 2004 Halloween fell on a Sunday so we did the best we could to celebrate! Penny was a "kitty for Kerry" (the 2004 election was 2 days later) and I was a Hello Kitty Bic lighter... odd costume, yes. I love decorating lighters with stickers and I had this awesome purple Hello Kitty one, so I made a costume out of cardboard of it. A really impractical costume -- I couldn't walk! Good thing we got a photo at least.

This Halloween feel free to wear your costume to the library! And have a fun and safe night.

Hey everyone! The Meet & Greet went very well! We met each other, learned a little about Fusion, RefWorks, and Scopus... and most importantly, we chowed down on some cookies & pizza!

For those of you who missed it, it's recorded here. Please take time when it is slow at work to review the video. Do "rich media" then "high speed connection." Skip to 35 minutes -- we didn't start on time so skipping ahead will spare you the small talk and dance party :)

Click this image to connect to the video.

The Fall 2011 Meet & Greet is finally confirmed!

Tuesday October 11, 2011
3:30 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Electronic Classroom of Gleeson Library

Agenda:
Introductions
Fun ice breakers
Reminder of rules and practices
Presentation on Fusion, RefWorks, and Scopus
Chow down! Pizza etc.





See you there!

Hello everyone! Today Alison and I inaugurated a new stapler. It's a handheld type that can do 2-20 pages. It's a little weird in some respects... the first time a patron used it, it jammed :( so let me know how you like it.

Hi everyone,

I am trying to schedule a time we can all get together for our Reference Student Assistant Meet and Greet. Please take the survey linked below and indicate ALL the times that work for you. Please leave any relevant information in the comments section. Thanks!

Click on this image to enter the survey...

Please accept my tardy welcome back to USF! We're gonna rock this semester at the Reference Desk.



A few things...

1) Kelci is back in her old spot in Government Documents, so swing by her cube if you need to chat.

2) Please welcome our two new student assistants, TJ and Alison! Welcome, we're really happy you're on board.

3) We've added some cool stuff over the summer: this thing called Fusion (to test drive it, click here), RefWorks, and Scopus. We'll talk about these new databases/services at our annual Meet-n-Greet...

4) The annual Meet-n-Greet, where we re-acquaint ourselves, have some fun, and learn a couple things, will be held mid-September after the library launches Fusion... so stay tuned!

5) Over the summer we did a bit of a shift in the Reference Collection, so you may notice that some books are in different places than they used to be. Soon Kelci will update the markers on the end of each row to reflect the accurate call number ranges.

6) We have a new way of collecting statistics on questions we get at the Reference Desk. Remember our old tally sheet? Well we're going digital! The new way to record these statistics is through a website called Gimlet. You can access it with this URL: https://usfca.gimlet.us/users/login Please let Kelci know if you need a login for Gimlet still.

7) Last but not least... our favorite task... shelf reading! With a new semester comes a fresh start on shelf reading. Today Vicki started at the beginning of the Reference Collection. Everyone except TJ and Alison should be doing shelf reading for 15-30 minutes per shift as time allows. So please take the initiative and shelf read some books!

Thanks guys!

Please join us for the student assistant appreciation party!

Friday May 13, 2011
12 noon - 2 pm
Rare Book Room of Gleeson Library

You've worked hard and now it's time to celebrate!

Hello!

To all you who are returning in the fall, I need you to download the availability form and email it back to me by May 15, 2011. Of course schedules will change, but this will give me an idea of what the fall schedule will look like and will help me when it's time to hire some new student assistants. Thanks!

Click this image to download the form:

Hi everyone! It's that time of year again... time for the fun quiz!

Instructions: Access the fun quiz by clicking on the image below. You will be taken to Google Docs; click "Download" in the top left corner, answer the questions in MS Word, save it, and email it to Kelci as an attachment.



While you are at work, answer these hypothetical questions to the best of your ability. Describe the steps you take to answer the questions. It’s as much about process as it is product.

Please treat them like you would a real life question – use any resources you usually have while you’re at
work (but don’t ask the librarian! that would be “cheating” in this case).

It’s due by April 20, 2011 (Wednesday) at the latest. You will not be graded but we will meet to discuss your answers and do training after you’ve turned it in.