Feedback to the Library, May 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.

Date/time Location

Mon May 1 14:13:13 2006 Library

The AC is very loud (4th floor main library study carrel). Is there any way to make it quieter? Thanks a lot!
Library response: Thank you for notifying us about this problem. Your comment was sent to our building manager and he will look into seeing if there is anything we can do about the AC noise. Vicki Mills, Undergraduate Services Team

Mon May 1 17:21:50 2006 Campus

I would like to express my deep gratitude for one of the many positive experiences I have had, in terms of finding assistance with research problems and doubts about formatting documents during my first year as a graduate student in SIRLS. One of the libarians who was particularly helpful and patient with me was Carrie Larson. She would always find the time to walk me through databases and assist me on a search, if I was getting frustrated. When I needed to fill out an application and the format was impossible, she knew helped me scan it in such a way as to do write ins on it. When my formatting on my flash drive suddenly refused to let me copy a document, she figured out how to get around that. While doing a complex table and suddenly it got scrambled up,she knew how to help me find the order again. In short, she was always very encouraging.
Library response: Thank you for taking the time to share your positive experience in the Library. Your comment was shared first with Carrie and then the rest of the library staff. Vicki Mills, Undergraduate Services Team

Wed May 3 11:16:24 2006 Library

I was trying to look up information about my hometown - Lansing, Michigan. When I went to the "Lansing Sucks" website there was a message that said I was not authorized to view this page. Is this some kind of filter? There is no profanity on this page - it has a calender that lists LBGT/progressive events peace marches slam poetry events and the like. It's a very good page and I'm frustrated that I'm no longer able to view it. I could view it last fall but I can't get news from back home anymore
Library response: It looks like the site is down. It has nothing to with a filter or the library, the site is just not available. If you search Google for "lansing sucks" you can also find that it was available at www.ironfeather.com/lansing/ and that is now redirecting to http://www.lansingsucks.com/ and also giving the 403 error. You can find old versions on archive.org (http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.lansingsucks.com/). There's an email address there, WEBMASTER@LANSINGSUCKS.COM which I probably wouldn't expect to work if the web site doesn't, but it might be worth trying. Leo Eugene Spesard, Digital Library & Information Systems Team

Fri May 5 11:15:07 2006 Off-campus

"How to gather actionable data" Whoever: I was looking on the web for a definition of, "actionable," and found the information shown in this email's heading. I am amazed that educated people could use so many words to say nothing. This use of language is what I have come to call, "educationeze," which means lots of wonderful words are connected together to make a poetic impressive and important looking document that says nothing. You can look in the dictionary to find a real meaning for quantitative (having to do with amount or quantity) and qualitative (having to do with how well something is done or quality). It saddens me to see so much kindergarten style, simplistic stuff masquerading as good information. Please let's return to using real explanations for our ideas.
Library response: This comment is referring to a site on the library's old website, which is no longer accessible and which was created by a librarian who is no longer working at the library. When I did a Google search on the words "actionable data," I got over 73,000 hits, so this site is not the only one to use these terms. I don't really know what this person is even talking about. Vicki Mills, Undergraduate Services Team

Sun May 7 07:43:07 2006 Off-campus

i would like to recommend a purchase for the library : title La fin de la representation et les formes contemporaines de la democratie. thuot, jean-francois. 1998 published by editions nota bene no usa locations.
Library response: Thank you for your recommendation. Vicki Mills, Undergraduate Services Team

Sun May 7 20:10:00 2006 Campus

I recently had a very rude ILC worker ask me to leave a study room because a group of three needed to use it. While I am fully aware that a group of three takes precedence, I feel that the way I was treated by this person was completely uncalled for. I am a graduating senior at this university and never once have I encountered and employee here to be so impolite. As a student with ADHD it is difficult for me to find a place in the ILC/Library that meets my needs. In this case, I needed an extremely quite place with wireless capabilities, an outlet for my laptop and a large work area. This is why I opted for a study room. While I realize that one person is not a group, there were other rooms with one or two people in them who were not using computers. When she asked me to leave she was very disrespectful and discourteous, she even laughed at me a couple of times when I asked why others would not be asked to leave and if she could find me another space where I could work. I have been at the library since 11am (it is now 8:00pm) studying for finals. I had to leave the area I was originally in because of the weak wireless connection. Since then, I have had to move 3 different times, causing many distractions. I did not need someone to be so rude and to be very unhelpful. Another employee (Ginger) was called over to help and she was extremely helpful in accommodating me.
Library response: We are sorry you had such a bad experience in the library, but glad that Ginger was able to help you find another spot. Finals can be a very stressful time and we, in the library, never want to add to that stress. The person who asked you to move was fairly new to the desk, but she is a very friendly and kind person. So I don’t believe that she intentionally meant to be rude to you. We will make sure that everyone working at the desk understands that it is better to try to move single people working in study rooms who are not using laptops or the whiteboards before we ask single people in study rooms who are using laptops or whiteboards. But since our policy is that groups of 3 or more have priority in study rooms, there will always be times when some people will be asked to move out of study rooms.

Vicki Mills, Undergraduate Services Team

P.S. Our email system got backed up and did not deliver emails for several days. I did not receive this comment in my email, but it was automatically added to the website. When it is added to the site, any personal email information is stripped. So if the person who sent this comment wanted a personal reply, I am unable to do that because I don't have your email address.

Sun May 7 22:08:53 2006 Library

the ap photo archiev isn't working says userid expired contact you
Library response: Thank you for notifying us about this problem, it has been fixed. Vicki Mills, Undergraduate Services Team

Mon May 8 14:08:46 2006 Off-campus

why was the old. 70+ years old Better Homes and Gardens deselected from the library? These historical documents are precious.
Library response: These volumes were taken off the shelf by accident and they have now been put back. We realize the historical value of this title and we are glad that our customers do too. Vicki Mills, Undergraduate Services Team

Wed May 10 09:34:48 2006 Campus

Hello. I recently got a new cat card. I brought it to the reference desk, and the librarian there said my old account (with some books checked out) and the new would be merged. However, several days later, I still cannot see my books checked out on the library website. How can I resolve this? Thank you
Library response: When I accessed your account, it indicated that two records were indeed merged on Sunday 5/7/06. To verify that you can view the items which are checked out to you through the library website, I logged in and was able to view your current record. Please contact me directly if you have any additional questions about this. Travis S Teetor, Library Supervisor

Tue May 16 13:46:56 2006 Off-campus

The link to Oxford UP for Classical Quarterly no longer works. (Oxford has apprently transfered it to Cambridge.) The record doesn't indicate a current hard copy, which would seem to mean there's no access to it.
Library response: Thank you for notifying us about the problem with this title. We are working on getting the links in the catalog and in the E-Journals list corrected. Vicki Mills, Undergraduate Services Team

Tue May 16 17:52:20 2006 Library

The 4th floor - especially the section close to Highland - is very dirty. It appears teh area is not vacuumed even onc eper month. Also the single female restroom has had a foul smell for months.
Library response: Thank you for bringing these problems to our attention. I have initiated a work order to the University Facilities Maintenance Shop to check the ventilation in the 4A restrooms. I asked the custodial team to get 4A vacuumed as soon as possible. Jim Fromm, Director of Facilities Management, Main Library

Thu May 18 12:54:19 2006 Library

Patron was confused about where to go after he searched for author's name. only knew where to go after someone told him to click on the link of the name. suggested instructions on webpage
Library response: Thank you for this feedback about our online catalog. We don't have a much leeway in how our catalog works, but we will keep this suggestion in mind for the future. Vicki Mills, Undergraduate Services Team

Thu May 18 16:21:12 2006 Off-campus

Hello, This is a request for help, and I hope I am writing to the right place. I am a summer session student, not normally enrolled at UA. I just got my Cat Card today. I have been unable to login to my library account. The library website instructions say that student info is downloaded weekly from SIS. Is there any way to find out when this will happen? I have a project due for a pre-session class, and I am hoping to get started tomorrow. In order to do so, I will need online library access. Pre-session is so short, I would hate to have to wait a week for my online access to be activated. Any suggestions yo ucan offer would be much appreciated.
Library response: Thank you for your message. We are working on getting you in the system today. I will update you with information as I get it. Hopefully you won't have to wait too long. Laura Lee Earles, Library Operations Supervisor

Fri May 19 14:02:46 2006 Campus

Dear Sir, Madam, for over 24 hours, the journal Nature and its derivatives have been unaccessible. I was wondering when this will be restored. However, I can access Nature at home, using the Campus Licence. Mybe it is just the Life Sciences South Building?
Library response: We've reported the problem and received a reply that they are working on it. Currently it's working from the library, so hopefully the publisher has fixed it. Please let us know if you continue to have problems. Gene Spesard, Support Systems Analyst, Senior

Sat May 20 14:16:29 2006 Library

please don't paint the stairwell
Library response: We are in fact painting the stairwells in SEL to satisfy customer requests for more lighting in the stairwells. Jim Fromm, Facilities Planning and Management

Tue May 23 17:43:58 2006 Library

Your webpage is broken. I keep trying to do a keyword search and it just brings me back to the start page. I'm searching for "devil wore prada". I've tried multiple things but it seems like if I have more than two keywords, then it doesn't work. Please fix this. Thanks.
Library response: I don't think the webpage was broken, I just think we don't have this title, which is actually The Devil Wears Prada. When you do a keyword search on the catalog keyword page, if we don't have any entries that match the keywords that are typed in, the same page comes back with the words No Entries Found added above the search boxes. The screen looks very similar to the way it looked before you hit the search button. But there is a subtle change -- the message No Entries Found has been added and the keywords you typed in the search boxes have been removed. So, while on quick examination, it may look like the catalog didn't do the search, it did do the search. If you look carefully, you will see the No Entries Found message. Vicki Mills, Undergraduate Services Team

Thu May 25 10:27:56 2006 Library

The compact shelving never works. Please fix it.
Library response: We have more and more compact shelving in the libraries. A statement like this is less than helpful without specific details -- which compact shelving -- in what library, on what floor or what call number range. If we are having consistent problems with some of compact shelving, we need to know which sections are the problem. Most of the shelving works well, so we need details to be able to follow up and fix those parts that are causing problems. Vicki Mills, Undergraduate Services Team

Thu May 25 11:01:24 2006 Library

Firefox 1.5.0.3 download it for all to use
Library response: It will be installed in the IC and branch public computers in August. Mike Birdwell, DLIST

Thu May 25 11:08:44 2006 Off-campus

I'm actually writing for some help. When I log into the Health Sciences library from home (Portland, OR) & am trying to use the feature called "Article Finder," I'm asked for my last name & cat card #. When I enter the that information I'm informed that it is the wrong cat card # & access is denied. I have tried to cut & paste as well as type in each digit. I'm having no trouble logging in to use OVID, so I'm confused as to what the issue may be. Can you help? Thanks.
Library response: Are you a current UA student? We don't have any record of you or your catcard number in our patron records. But I see you have a UA email through Nursing. So you might want to contact the Arizona Health Sciences Library and see if you are in their user database. They are a separate library from ours. You can contact them either by Chat, if it's open, or by email at:

http://ahsl.cb.docutek.com/vrlplus/vrl_entry.asp

Their phone number is also listed on this page. Vicki Mills, Undergraduate Services Team

Thu May 25 13:00:37 2006 Off-campus

How do I pay a library fine if I am out of town for the summer?
Library response: Upon review of your Fines Appeal, I have removed your fees; however, please note that you will be held responsible for any future late fees accrued on your account.

Please review the University of Arizona Libraries’ policies found at the following website:

http://www.library.arizona.edu/services/borrowing/index.html
Thanks, Patricia Ballesteros Azar, Materials Access Team

Sat May 27 14:50:47 2006 Library

Sandra Joy and Alou, the best hardworking people in the information desk they are professional. Thank you.
Library response: Thank you for your nice compliment! Vicki Mills, Undergraduate Services Team

Mon May 29 21:34:57 2006 Off-campus

Economies beyond agriculture in the classical world [electronic resource] / edited by David J. The link doesn't take you to this.
Library response: Thanks for telling us about this problem -- you are good at finding problems for us to fix!! I will notify the catalog people about this link. Vicki Mills, Undergraduate Services Team