Microform Reader Tips

The Microform Readers have all kinds of problems, as you are probably aware now. Here are some strategies for fixing things when they go wrong:

Problem: The printer is not printing what is shown on the screen.
Solution: Turn off the Masking button. The Microform Reader sometimes decides to automatically format the page, and it usually messes things up. The lights next to the masking button should be off. Also, you can try turning the reader off and then turning it back on. Then turn off the masking button again.

Problem: The printer won't print.
Solution: There are a few solutions to this problem. First, check the display on the reader. It will probably have an error code. The key for these codes is located on the side of the reader. Often, the error will say that the printer is out of paper. Most likely, it is not. Pull the tray that holds the paper out of the printer and then push it back in. Turn off the reader and turn it back on. Try again.

Problem: No matter what you try, the thing just won't work.
Solution: Find a supervisor. Harvey, David or Mark can take a look. If no supervisor is available, try a different reader. If printing does not work, suggest scanning to a .pdf. Offer to scan the article to .pdf for the user, if it falls within the parameters of what we are able to scan. Try not to let the user go away frustrated.

Scanning rules

When we scan microform materials for patrons, there are a few guidelines we need to follow:

1. A copyright guideline - we can only scan two articles from any one periodical issue. Please do not accept requests for more than two articles from any one periodical issue. If a patron has questions about copyright guidelines, feel free to refer them to a supervisor.

2. We will only scan articles or documents that are less than fifty pages. Anything more than fifty pages should be referred to a supervisor.

3. We will only scan five articles a day for any one person.

4. We will not scan articles that are available in print or online. Before scanning any ERIC document, you will need to check the ERIC database (via OVID) (the link can be found under ERIC (Education) via OVID in the list of databases) to see if it is available there.

If you have any question about whether you should accept a request to scan periodicals, please ask Harvey or David or Mark.

Scanning Microform for Patrons

Starting immediately, we will be offering a new service to patrons. They will be able to request that we scan microfilm or microfiche for them. We will then scan the article for them and put it in their MyALADIN accounts. Basically, here's how it works:

1. A patron requests something on microform.

You say, "We can scan that for you and send it to your ALADIN account."

They say, "Really?"

You say, "Yes, really."

2. Have them fill out a request form. These forms are new, and they are located in the box with the pencils and the current periodicals request forms.

3. The e-mail address on the form must match the e-mail address in that corresponds to their ALADIN account. If they do not know which e-mail address corresponds to their ALADIN account, have them look it up. We can only forward them .pdfs if we have that specific e-mail address.

4. Make sure we don't have the article in print or online. If have it at AU online or in print, direct them to use that before requesting that we scan microform.

5. Once they fill out the form, your job is to find the article on microfilm or microfiche. Make the article into a .pdf by scanning it with a microform machine.

6. Once you create the .pdf, save it on to the usb drive that is hanging from the bulletin board on the right side of the periodicals desk. You will need to name the file correctly. Here is the format you will use:

AUMF_name@emailaddress.com_author.pdf

The file must be in this format. The patron's e-mail address must correspond to the one in their ALADIN account. Where it says author, you put the last name of the author of the article. So, if I wanted to save a pdf. for a patron with the e-mail address bobsmith@yahoo.com, and the author of the article is Harvey Baine, you would save the file as follows:

AUMF_bobsmith@yahoo.com_Baine.pdf

7. Once you save the .pdf to the usb drive, give the form that the patron filled out to either Harvey, David or Mark. If none of us are here, give it to whoever is coming in the next day. If the next day is a weekend day, put the form on Harvey's keyboard. If the next day is a Monday or Tuesday, put the form on David or Mark's keyboard. We're all here Wed-Fri.

And that's it. Ideally we will have a 24 hour turnaround time for scanning and sending these .pdfs. If someone requests more than 5 .pdfs, tell them that we may not be able to get them within 24 hours, and let a supervisor know. We don't expect anyone to abuse our service, but you never know. You will all be personally trained on how to scan and save the .pdfs. Me or Harvey will talk to each of you about it. I will post the instructions on the bulletin board for the time being. If you have any questions, feel free to ask any of us. Thanks!

Requests for new journals

A patron recently wanted to request that the library purchase some magazines that we do not currently subscribe to. Fortunately, we have a form for that! It's under "Online Forms" on the library website. The form is called "Serials - Journal Subscription." Just direct them to fill out the form. If they have any more questions, please refer them to a supervisor.

Click here to see the form.

Periodicals inside periodicals

I keep seeing periodicals that have not been put away neatly. In some cases I'll find one magazine stuck inside another. If you see any periodicals in folders that don't look neat, please fix them. If they have to be bent in order to be neat, make sure they are all bent in the same direction.

Cambridge Journals

Cambridge Journals will be inaccessible online from 7:00PM on Saturday until 5:00PM on Sunday. These are e-journals that are offered directly through Cambridge. So, for example, if someone wants the journal Sociology, you'll find the following in the e-journal search:

Sociology [0038-0385]
Cambridge University Press
Available from 1998 v.: 32 issue: 3 until 2001 v.: 35 issue: 4.
Sage Publications
Available from 1999 volume: 33 issue: 1.

You would want to choose the Sage Publications portal instead of Cambridge.

You probably won't get any requests for these journals, but I just wanted to make a point. If you don't succeed in finding someone a journal through one method, try another. If they can't access it online, see if it's in print. If they can't get it in print, see if it's online. Never leave them hanging with no options. If you can't find anything anywhere, recommend CLS or Interlibrary loan.

Just a few things

I looked at the daily assignment sheets that you have been filling out. As it turns out, it is a good way to find out who is doing most of the reshelving. Just make sure you write it down so I don't think that you are slacking. If there is no reshelving to do, make a note.

We also expect you to do pickups each time you come in for a shift. There might be nothing out there, but you should check anyways. If periodicals are off the shelf for too long, they get lonely. Periodicals don't like to be away from their friends for too long.

What else? Oh yeah, as part of our new microform responsibilities, we are also charged with reshelving the microfilm and microfiche. This means when you do reshelving, you should check to see if there is any microform to be reshelved (or redrawered as the case may be). We will start taking statistics on microform usage soon, so STAY TUNED.

Dissertations and Theses

We are now in charge of a few thousand dissertations and theses. There are a couple of ways to access them.

1. Dissertations and Theses (Proquest) - Many of our dissertations and theses have been scanned and put online. They are kept in a database called Dissertations and Theses. Here is a link to an A-Z list of databases that can be accessed from the library's homepage. Scroll down to Dissertations and Theses and click the link to see what it looks like.

http://bender.library.american.edu:8083/php/databases_a_z.php

This is the first and best place to look for a dissertation or thesis. Usually patrons will have the title or the author, so you can do a search by either title or author. Not every dissertation or thesis is online. If you don't find a full-text version in the database, you'll need to move on to option 2...

2. Theses and Dissertations that you don't find online can be found on microform, and you can find them in the back with the other microform materials. How do you know where to find them? Dissertations and theses are identified by a four digit number in the catalog. You'll have to either get that four-digit number from the patron or look up the thesis or dissertation in the catalog. They are catalogued much like books, so they each one has its own record. Holdings information in the catalog will look something like this:

Location: AU: LIB Microform Thesis (Non-Circulating)
Call Number: Thesis 4044
Number of Items: 1
Status: Available

Once you find the four digit number, (I.E. 4044), you can show the patron where to get the microform for the thesis. Take note, You'll need a key to open the thesis cabinets. The key is on the same chain as the compact storage keys hanging on the bulletin board. Please be careful not to lose the key. We keep the theses locked up because they are often the only copies in existence. If you have any questions about theses, don't hesitate to ask us.

Periodicals Have Feelings Too

When you put current periodicals away, you have a couple of options. You can just throw them in the folder so that they look disheveled and disorganized. Or, you can put them away NEATLY. We obviously prefer the latter option. We don’t want to see periodicals all bent out of shape and warped because they weren’t put away neatly. We’d rather you take your time and get it right. Don’t make the periodicals angry.

Binding

As you know, when folders are ripe and juicy and full of journals, they are harvested and sent to the bindery. This process takes about two weeks. How do you know something is at the bindery? Check the catalog. Look for a note in the “Recent issues” section to tell whether the issue you’re looking for is at the bindery. The note will tell you when that issue is expected to return.

Sometimes, if we don’t have a complete volume of something, we’ll hold it in the back until we can order the missing issue. If that is the case, you may not be able to find the issue you are looking for. Don’t hesitate to ask David or Mark if there is a recent issue or whole volume that is missing. Chances are we know where to find it.

Daily Assignment Sheets

Please make sure you fill out the daily assignment sheets in this booklet in their entirety. This is your chance to let us know how you are a contributing member of the Periodicals team. Did you do reshelving? Write it down! Did you check the search slips? Write it down! Did something weird happen during your shift? Write it down!

Also, if you do any special projects for us, write that down too. These can include shifting, pulling old newspapers, cleaning, or any project you might think of on your own. If you have any ideas about how to improve service, let David or Harvey know.

Periodicals Daily News

Take note! The newspapers have moved. They are now located on the far right wall of Periodicals. The Washington Post, New York Times, Financial Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal are located on one side. On the other side, along the wall, you will find domestic papers typically devoted to a specific subject. Foreign and U.S. regional papers are still located in folders out on the floor.

The large magazine section has grown! Glossy magazine-type publications that were previously filed with newspapers are now part of the large magazine section. So if you’re looking for Advertising Age, Rolling Stone, or Variety, look in the large magazine section. Makes sense, right? When in doubt, check the catalog. Records have been updated to reflect the changes.

Bindery changes

You will no longer need to refer to the bindery list to see if an issue is at the bindery. Instead, you should look the title up on the catalog and look at the "Recent Issues" field. If there are issues at the bindery, there will be an entry under recent issues that looks similar to this:

v. 295 (2006 Jan.-Feb.) at bindery, due back 5/16/06

It tells you what issues are gone and when they're going to come back. Isn't that easy?

Recently ordered titles

I got a question today from two members of our staff:

"A guy came to the desk looking for the Jan. 2006 copy of Addiction. In ALADIN, it gives no info on our holdings and says we have 1 copy ordered as of 8-10-05. What's up with that?"

If you look up Addiction in the catalog, it shows you this:

Title: Addiction
Publisher/Date: Blackwell
ISSN: 0965-2140
Primary Material: Periodical
--------------------------------------
Location: AU: LIB Periodical Stacks
Call Number: No call number available
Order Information: 1 Copy Ordered as of 08-10-05
Number of Items:
Status: No information available

Addiction is a new title. It has been ordered, but we have not received any issues yet. Had we received any issues, the catalog would have shown some holdings. There was a problem with this order, which is why it hasn't arrived. You can tell the patron that it is on order but has not arrived yet.

Don't forget to do an e-journal search if we do not have something in print. In this case, the Jan. 2006 issue of Addiction is not available, but we do have older issues of the journal.

Never be hesitant to ask your supervisors these kinds of questions. If we are not around, just send us an e-mail.

Shifting!

We will be shifting the entire periodicals collection soon! Stay tuned.

You will need to see how the compact storage unit works. If you have not already done so, ask David or Harvey and we will show you how it works.

Desk Statistics Part II

We will be collecting additional statistics at the desk for the next two weeks. There is a separate form for these statistics. There are two columns in the form. The first column, People Helped, corresponds to the Total Patrons column in the original statistics sheet. The People Who Required Desk Specific Services column should be a count of all of the patrons who require services that are only provided at the Periodicals Desk. This is a count of people, not checkouts. Ask if you have any questions.

Desk Statistics

We have started recording additional statistics at the Desk. Harvey and I will give you individual instruction on how to update the statistics. It is important that you are diligent about recording statistics so that we have accurate data. Here's an explanation of the categories for which you will be recordings stats.

Total Patrons- This is the total number of actual people that come to the desk. It doesn't matter why they come to the desk. We just want a total headcount for this column.

Directional- This is for direction questions. When someone asks for directions, put a mark in this column. IE - the bathroom, the copiers, the copy card machine, the reference section.

Current Periodicals Checkouts- When someone checks something out from behind the desk, mark either "Newspaper" or "Non-newspaper." Put a mark for each periodical taken out. If one person takes out five periodicals, put five marks.

Periodicals Questions- This column is for when someone asks you where to find a certain periodical. If you refer them to a print title in the stacks, put a mark in the print column. If you refer them to an electronic version of the title, put a mark in the electronic column. If you refer them to microform, put a mark in the microform column.

Referrals to Other Desks- This is for when you get a question innapropriate for the Periodicals Desk. Put a mark in the column corresponding to the desk to which you refer the patron.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask me or Harvey. We would rather you ask us than take a guess as to where a mark goes on the sheet.

Blog Quiz #1 Answers

Thanks to those who answered the Blog Quiz questions. You showed that you are committed to learning all that you can about your job, and that is a good thing. Any future quizzes given by Harvey or myself will be mandatory, and you will be expected to answer them promptly (within a week). The purpose of these quizzes is to get you thinking about questions you might get at the desk. We want you to have a thorough knowledge of the workings of the library - that is, we want you to know more than enough to perform your jobs. This way, we can be sure that we're providing the best service possible to our patrons.

So, without further ado, here are the answers to the quiz.

A patron asks for Jane's Defence Weekly, v. 42, no. 46 (2005 November 16). What do you tell him?

When I first published the blog quiz, this issue had not yet arrived. If you see that an issue is missing from the folder and it should be there, please let me know about it. I claimed this particular issue twice before it finally arrived last week. Always mention the options of Consortium Loan or Inter-library Loan. Make sure the patron knows to put a note in their request saying that the issue is missing.

A patron is looking for an article from 2001 by George Gilboy. She knows we have it because she has read the article before, but she doesn't remember where the article appears. It deals with China. What do you tell her?

You can use Article First or Google Scholar to find this. If the patron has a relatively simple request like this one, feel free to try to find the answer before sending them to the reference desk. There is an article from 2001 called "China's Coming Transformation" in Foreign Affairs.


On what date did the Times (of London) first mention Abraham Lincoln? To which political party did the paper say he belonged?
[update] This question is flawed. Don't worry about finding the FIRST reference - just find a reference to Abraham Lincoln from the 1860s.

This question ended up being harder than I first thought. There are any number of references to "Lincoln" in the Times of London. But the point of this question was to make you aware of the Times Digital Archive. This is a full-text database covering the Times of London from 1785-1985. You can access it from the list of databases on the library website. You need not do the patrons' research for them. But you should be able to tell them that we have this resource in addition to print and microfilm.

Stay tuned for the next quiz.

Spring Break Schedule

Here is the Spring Break schedule.

Friday, 3/10 - 8AM-6PM
Saturday, 3/11 - 11AM-6PM
Sunday, 3/12 - CLOSED
Monday, 3/13 - Thursday, 3/16 - 9AM-8PM
Friday, 3/17 - 9AM-6PM
Saturday, 3/18 - 11AM-6PM

If you'd like to work, let us know.

BLOGQUIZ #1

See if you can answer the following questions:

A patron asks for Jane's Defence Weekly, v. 42, no. 46 (2005 November 16). What do you tell him?

A patron is looking for an article from 2001 by George Gilboy. She knows we have it because she has read the article before, but she doesn't remember where the article appears. It deals with China. What do you tell her?

On what date did the Times (of London) first mention Abraham Lincoln? To which political party did the paper say he belonged?
[update] This question is flawed. Don't worry about finding the FIRST reference - just find a reference to Abraham Lincoln from the 1860s.

These might take some thought. You can utilize ANY resource in answering these questions, so keep that in mind. The quickest to answer all three questions will win exciting prizes*. Don't post the answers in the comments section - instead e-mail them to me and Harvey. If you need clarification on any question, let me know. I'll announce the winners next week, after everyone gets a chance to try the questions. Have fun.






*Ok, not really. But give it a try anyway.

New staff

Please welcome Katie Lampadarios to the periodicals desk staff. She starts on Monday, 2/13, and she'll be working Monday and Wednesday mornings from 8AM-noon.

Taxes

I sent you an e-mail, but I figured I would clarify here - if you wish to be exempt from federal or state taxes for 2006, you have to re-submit tax forms. If you do not resubmit tax forms, you could be taxed at the highest rate. You can get the federal W-4 form here. Visit your home state's tax website for state forms. These should be turned in to Tara Lemerise in Personnel. If you have any questions you can contact her at x3299, or just ask me.

LP Shelving

FYI - LP shelving is going in today (against the wall where the newspapers used to be). This will soon house LPs that can be played in Media Services.

Folders

I am in the process of slowly going through the folders behind the desk and pulling old folders and binding things. Today I found something from 1992! If you happen to see something that is out of place or out of date, let me or Harvey know so that we can bind it or throw it away.

Desktop Icon

The blog now has an icon on the desktops of the periodicals desk computers. Click the icon and it will take you directly to the blog.

Want to add anything to the blog?

This is our(the periodicals desk staff) blog, and we can do whatever we want with it. If anyone else wants to post anything on the blog, let me know and I'll give you access. We might have to set a few ground rules - it goes without saying that you would have to be respectful to your fellow staff and patrons alike.

Things you could post:

-Interesting or difficult questions you get from patrons.

-Introduce yourselves to your fellow staff. Some of you never work together, but it would be good for you to know a little about each other.

-School related events that fellow staff might be interested in.

-Anything else (within reason) that you might think of.

Again, this is voluntary, but I figure I'd throw the option out there. Send me an e-mail and I will invite you to join the blog.

Statistics

Please keep on top of the statistics. Particularly in the evening - if you are closing and you see that statistics have not been recorded for the day, please record them. We want to make sure we keep these stay updated.

Contacting your supervisors

FYI - From now on, if you want to contact a supervisor, please send your e-mail both to Harvey and to me. That way we both stay updated.

harvey at american dot edu
davida at american dot edu

The life of a periodical: from the mail room to the bindery

Every day, periodicals magically arrive at the Periodicals Desk. You stamp them with the date and put them away. But have you ever wondered how they got there? Well, I will tell you.

The Life of a Periodical

First, a librarian selects the periodical. Then Mark orders the periodical. We get most of our periodicals through one major vendor - EBSCO. EBSCO acts as a liaison between us and the publishers of the periodicals. Instead of dealing with hundreds of publishers, we just have to deal with one vendor - it makes things much easier. We also get a few periodicals from Swets. We order some periodicals directly from their publishers because they are not available through EBSCO or Swets.

Periodicals arrive daily in the mail. I retrieve them from the mail room on a cart, and I unpack them and check them in. Much of my time is spent checking in periodicals. Once I check in a periodical, it shows up in the ALADIN record under "Recent Issues" (See Journal of Bacteriology for an example). After check-in, I bring it up to the periodicals desk to be put away in a folder.

Sometimes a periodical does not arrive on time. When this happens, I claim the issue. Using MS Access, I generate a list of issues that have not arrived on time. I claim EBSCO and Swets journals once every two weeks. In the last month I have probably claimed nearly 200 issues. Sometimes I have to claim issues three or four times before a publisher will decide I'm serious and send them. If we are missing a current periodical that we should have, it is likely that I have claimed it. If you ever need to know, I can tell you whether a periodical has arrived or not. Please use me as a resource.

Some periodicals are sent to Reference. They are shelved in the reference section.

A few periodicals are routed to various library staff. Most of these titles relate to library science in some way. These titles sometimes take a while to circulate to various library staff. Some examples are Publisher's Weekly, Booklist, and Library Hotline. Each has it's own list of staff who want to read it. Once all of the staff have seen the issue, it is sent back to me. Often routed titles will be delayed in reaching the Periodicals Desk. If a title relates to library science, it is probably routed, so you may not have the latest issues.

Once we accumulate enough issues of a periodical, it is usually bound. Mark and I generate lists of periodicals that need to go to the bindery, and Doug pulls them from the folders and prepares them for the bindery. When they return from the bindery, you take them out to the shelves.

So there you have it. The life of a periodical.

Welcome

Welcome to the AU Periodicals Desk blog. The purpose of this blog is to provide you, the Periodicals Desk staff, with reference tips and other information regarding the Periodicals Desk and Serials Unit. Our goal in this is to provide better service for our patrons. I will be sending you e-mails periodically with links to the blog. Please read the blog entries and try to take in as much as possible.