7-day laptop loans, lab manuals and Dprint

You wrote:

Please implement the 7-day laptop loan. It is high time. Please also make lab manuals available for more that 3 hours. Our lab sessions are 4 hours long so what is the point of loaning it for 3 hours (if you want to photocopy it, that takes 10 min, of course if the INFAMOUS D-print system happens to be working, if not it might take you 3 hours…). Why did you outsource the printing service? Yes, the system had to be updated but did it have to be outsourced? Did students, for whom this whole library construct is put into place, even have a say in this?

On March 19, the Vanier Library introduced 7-day loans on ten laptops.  For now, the libraries do not have enough laptops to expand this service.

As for extending the loan period for “lab manuals”, it is the first time that anyone has brought up this concern.  I have forwarded your request to Circulation Services.

Regarding Dprint; Dprint is managed by the University. It is not outsourced. Photocopying has always fallen under the jurisdiction of the University. Since modern photocopiers can scan, print and email, the University decided to keep all printing functions under one umbrella.  Most people would agree that having one universal system across the University is preferable to having two concurrent printing systems.

Thank you for your comments.

I will be away from the Suggestion Box until March 11. If you would like to make any suggestions or comments, please continue to do so. I look forward to reading them all upon my return!

If you need any immediate assistance, please do not hesitate to use one of our “Ask a Librarian” services!

“Chat with a librarian” — popular option

You wrote:

I love the chat-option with librarians- it’s a quick, convenient way to get assistance, and it has been really helpful. However- there needs to be more than one librarian on it at a time. There have been times when I’ve been told they are ‘with a student and will be right back’, leaving me to wonder where are all the other librarians? Must this system shut down because one librarian is occupied with a student? A bit silly, don’t you think? Particularly if this is a used service, shouldn’t more be placed on the chatting option to accommodate the demand?

Thank you for your suggestion. It’s great to hear that our “chat with a librarian” service is well received.

We are aware that sometimes users have to wait to be served on chat …. and sometimes they have to wait in line to be served at the reference desk in the library …. or at almost every other kind of service point in their everyday lives. Although it would be nice to provide instantaneous service, everywhere, at all times, it simply cannot be. The benefit of chat is that at least the user is comfortably sitting somewhere and can continue to do their work while waiting.

Chat is only one way that students may communicate with a librarian: we also provide help by email, by telephone and, yes,  in person! All of our Ask-a-Librarian services are well-used and although the popularity of the chat service has been increasing steadily over the years, it only counts for about 5% of the total number of questions we get.

As for “where are all the other librarians”?  In addition to helping students at the reference desk or on chat reference, reference librarians are often teaching, providing in-depth assistance to students and professors, selecting library materials, and working on special projects to constantly improve our services and collections.  Librarians also participate in various library and university committees and research projects.

We are always looking for ways to improve and we definitely will keep in  mind your comments when scheduling for all these service points.  Thank you for taking the time to write to us.

Electronic InterLibrary Loans

You wrote:

Hello,

I would like to suggest (not for the first time) that Concordia  begin to adopt a more forward-thinking approach with regards to document  delivery. For the
library to print out paper copies of articles requested  as interlibrary loans is a waste of paper and of the library user’s time.   Many of us work off campus, and should not have to physically go to the library in order to pick up an article.

When I inquired of a librarian today why ILLs are only available for physical pickup as paper copies, I was told that this was a necessity due to copyright law.  At this time, as you must be aware, most journal articles are accessed through the internet in pdf form. To download such an article is not a breach of copyright. There is no reason that an ILL should be treated any differently. …..

In addition, my own personal library (and this would appear to be common among my colleagues) of articles is kept in pdf form – so any article that I am
forced to pick up as paper, I must then scan in order to keep with other files of the same type – thus frustrating Concordia’s effort to maintain a paper-only system.  Concordia library cannot control the medium of these articles after pickup. This policy only forces users to work more slowly; it has no effect on the wider accessibility of the articles. If we wanted to share them (which frankly we don’t), we certainly have the technology to do so.

Moving to pdfs for ILLs would seem to be an inevitability – when can we expect this change at Concordia?

Andréa Harland, Head, Interlibrary Loans & Media Services, Webster Library replied:

Thank you for your email. Your sentiments are shared by many if not by most of Concordia Libraries Interlibrary Loans (ILL) users and library staff. We are currently looking into employing a system that would provide articles electronically via ILL, and hopefully it might be possible to have it in place by the beginning of the coming year.

Copyright is unfortunately not an easy topic to navigate. Mixed in with it are questions about database licensing (many of the articles you get online are only available to you because Concordia Libraries pays for a subscription to a database; some databases have licenses that put restrictions on how their digital contents can be disseminated). Here in Quebec we have been tentative about testing the law, but I am very aware this is not the case elsewhere. Quebec university libraries are part of the CREPUQ consortia (http://www.crepuq.qc.ca/spip.php?article31&lang=en)  and we share the system that makes ILL possible, i.e. Colombo. Just recently has a method for providing articles electronically via Colombo been available to us. In the province of Quebec only one university now provides article requests via ILL electronically (Université de Sherbrooke), and only as of this summer. With the new Copyright Act providing more favourable provisions for providing ILL electronically I think that many in Quebec will soon follow.

Your letter and others I have received show the need for this change and it is in part due to your input that we are considering moving forward with providing articles electronically via ILL. But as it is a matter that has legal ramifications we want to make sure we get it right the first time.

Thank you again for your feedback.

 

Reserve book

You wrote:

It would be great to be able to sign this book out,
with out the hold. thanks

Call Number ND 196.2 P33 2011
Title Painting / edited by Terry R. Myers
Publisher London : Whitechapel Gallery ; Cambridge,
Mass. : MIT Press, 2011

Thanks for your comment.  This book is currently in the Webster Library Course Reserve Room.  It has been put there for the students of ARTT 399a.  Students can borrow it for three hours at a time.  This is so that all the students for that class have an equal chance to borrow the book.  If it was in the regular collection, one student could have it for at least two weeks and that would not be fair for everyone else in that class.

InterLibrary Loans notices not in MyCLUES

You wrote: 

Hi -

It’s been brought to my attention (in a rather expensive way) that Inter-Library Loan items do not appear in the MyClues list of items I have checked out. I log into MyClues frequently every day so it was a bit of a shock to get an email from InterLibrary Loans saying I have an item that is “very overdue.” My fault for forgetting, yes, but it could have been avoided by including InterLibrary Loans items in MyClues alongside my other checked out items. That seems entirely sensible, does it not?

Thanks!

Thank you for your email.  Our InterLibrary Loans (ILL) system, Colombo, does not run on CLUES.  It runs on another system that is shared with our sister institutions across  Quebec. Because of the nature of the InterLibrary Loans service, it makes sense that we should be able to communicate seamlessly with other libraries.  However, this means that Colombo is not connected to CLUES.  InterLibrary Loans staff email users with overdue ILL items.  They keep track of unreturned items and re-send overdue notices, as needed.  Although users are blocked from InterLibrary Loans as well as from borrowing from our collection until the item is returned, there are no overdue fines for InterLibrary Loans items.

E-reserve material slow to download

You wrote:

DART 491 course reserve electronic copy of item Bennett, Jane does not  download in either Firefox or IE
other items work OK

When something like this happens, it is best to use one of our “Ask a librarian” services, available at:  http://library.concordia.ca/help/questions/ .  The librarian on duty will be able to help you in a more timely fashion.

BTW, we checked that particular reserved reading and we found that the pdf downloaded very slowly, probably because it is a large file, but it did download after a few minutes.  Thanks to your email, we have fixed it and it is now loading quickly.  We appreciate you writing to us.

Freda Otchere Staff Recognition Award

As editors of the Libraries’ Suggestion Box, we get to read many comments, including critical, constructive and encouraging. While we never include information about individual staff members on the blog, we often receive positive comments about great service and jobs well done. Here is your chance to offer your thanks or congratulations to someone in particular:

Freda Otchere Staff Recognition Award

The Freda Otchere Staff Recognition Award is established “to encourage and reward staff currently working for Concordia Libraries whose commitment and professionalism reflect the values exemplified by Freda Otchere”.

This award is made possible through the generous gift of Dr. Dan Otchere, Associate Professor of Economics at Concordia University, who created the Freda Otchere Endowment Fund in 2010 in honour of his wife. From 1970 to 2004, Freda Otchere served the Concordia University Libraries as cataloguer and Head of Database Maintenance. Her exemplary service to the Concordia community is warmly remembered, and provides the model by which nominees are identified.

The award is made to any current employee (full-time or part-time, permanent or temporary) who, in the course of the previous year, performed an outstanding service that bears witness to individual honesty, courage, perseverance and integrity. The first recipient will be announced in January 2012.  Nominations are now being sought.

Anyone may nominate a library employee for this award. Further details are provided on the nomination form, available at this link: Library Staff Award Nomination Form.

Completed nomination forms must be submitted by November 15, 2011, to:
David Thirlwall
Associate University Librarian, Personnel & Communications
David.Thirlwall@concordia.ca or by mail S-LB 209-5

Library Entrance: What do YOU think?

We are actively seeking your ideas about the Webster Library entrance area. In case you missed the What’s New announcement about this topic, we’re posting it again here to make sure you get a chance to respond:

We need your feedback! Share your thoughts about the Webster library entrance area (along the atrium on LB2). Suggestions may be about functions (picking up books, new book display, information desk, study space, furniture), aesthetics (signage or display panels, artwork, plants, etc.) and any other idea you would like to share with us.

Please send your ideas through our suggestion box form or fill the blue sheet consultation form you will find at any service desk in the Webster Library.

Thank you for taking the time to write a few sentences to help us to create a warm and inviting entrance area in your library! Your ideas will be considered and discussed in a focus group session, as well as by library staff and administration.

If you are interested in participating in a focus group later on during the fall semester please let us know, and provide your name and email in your message.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Course Reserve Room: Dropping Off Returns

You wrote:

The new course reserved book room is a really great idea, however when we return books, even if they are on time and the staff decide that they would like to leave early, how are we sure we will not get fined for the books we returned in the drop off box? Perhaps there should be a check in system for when we need to return the books in the drop off box.

Thank you for your question.  You are the first student to write to us about our new Course Reserve Room at Webster Library, and we’re glad that you like the idea.  The Book Return Box in this room is constantly monitored and items are checked in almost immediately. This is to ensure not only that unmerited late fines are not applied, but also that returned course items become available to the next students without delay.

The room opens during regular circulation service hours and staff working there will definitely not leave early. And if your books happen to be due after the Reserve Room opening hours, you actually benefit from some extra borrowing time as our check-in system does not apply fines for any of the hours during which the room is closed. Just be sure to return your items in the box before the room opens again in the morning!  We look forward to hearing more from all of you about this new venture.