card readers and color printing

You said:  We need more than one card reader and color printer.

Irma says:  The card reader was placed in the Libraries by the SpartanCard Center.  Any requests for more machines will need to go to them.

Color printing is available in the SuperLab in Jackson Library which is administered by Information Technology Services.  Color print is also also available from Spartan Printing.

DVD requests

You all are great about submitting film requests!  Remember to check the Libraries' catalog (the red box on the home page) to see if we have them.  You can click on "DVDs" and it will only search and display films. 

Filtered water dispenser

You asked: Can we have a filtered water dispenser in the Library like they have in the EUC and other buildings on campus?

Irma says:  We will look into it -- stay tuned!  

Group study room on quiet floors

You asked:  There is a lot of noise from the large group room on floors 7 and 9 which are quiet floors

Irma says:  Thanks for this suggestion.  We'll place signs reminding groups using those rooms to close the door and keep it down!  

Color Printing

You asked: Is there a place to print in color in the library?

Irma says: Yes! Color printing is available to UNCG users in the Superlab located in Jackson Library. Color printing charges are twenty cents ($0.20) for a single-sided page, or thirty-eight cents ($0.38) for a double-sided page.

To print you must have SpartanCash on your Spartan Card. There are fill stations in Jackson Library near the Check Out Desk. Don't forget about your 75 free pages ($3.00) a semester and 40 pages ($1.60) in the summer in ITS sponsored labs, including the Superlab in Jackson Library!

Overdue notices

You said: Please send overdue notices earlier than the day they're due.

Irma says:  Thank-you for this suggestion!  For 7-day loans (mostly DVDs) we were waiting until the due date to send a notice.  We have changed it so that  reminders will be sent two days before the due date. 

Textbooks

You asked:  Please put all textbooks on reserve.

Irma says:  We know that textbook costs are a big problem for students and we sure sympathize.  The main reason we don't buy a lot of textbooks is that they go out of date quickly and have to be replaced often. So we focus our collection money on books with more lasting value.

Another thing to keep in mind is that when textbooks are on reserve for a large class it's in very high demand and could be hard to get it in time to read the assignments. 

We continue to work on finding solutions to the high cost of textbooks, in particular finding good electronic textbooks.  In the meantime here is a web site with suggestions for finding lower cost copies:

 http://lifehacker.com/5613591/the-complete-guide-to-getting-cheap-textbooks

Holding DVDs at the Check Out Desk

You asked:  Can we please request DVDs that are checked out and have them held at the Check Out Desk like we can for books? 

Irma says: We wish we could offer this service.  However, processing a hold takes a fair amount of staff time.  As you can imagine the DVD collection is very popular and we would get many requests!  So, we need to devote staff resources to holds for materials needed for classes. 
 

Quiet floors

You asked:  Can we please make the quiet floors more quiet?

Irma says:  Floors 6 - 9 are quiet floors.  We've posted new signs (see the picture) that provide a better visual cue.  If you're having problems with noise on a quiet floor please use the Ask Us button on the Libraries home page (also available via mobile) to IM or text a staff member.  We're glad to come to the floor and address the problem for you.

Clearning computers

You asked:  Please clean the computers more often!
Irma says:  We do have students employees who clean the computers.  However, it's hard to get access to them since they're used so much!  We'll see about getting wipes on each floor.

Library literacy classes

You asked:  We need library literacy classes -- it's not just for freshmen!

Irma says:  We're delighted you're interested in such classes!  There are several ways to get help:

We work with many upper level classes as well as freshmen.  If you'd like instruction for your class please suggest it to your professor.  He or she may contact Amy Harris Houk at a_harris2@uncg.edu

Whenever you need help finding information or locating something in the Libraries be sure to ask at the desks in Jackson or Schiffman Libraries.  Our staff will be glad to help you!  And, there's online help available by chat or phone.

There are also several tutorials available 24/7 that you may use to help learn how to find great information. 

There are also online research guides available for every major and program at UNCG.  And there's a subject specialist for your major whose contact information is on these pages and will be glad to meet with you.

We look forward to working with you! 

The Libraries want to hear from you!

Welcome to new and returning students!  We'd love your suggestions about the University Libraries services and resources and recommendations for books or DVDs. You may leave a note in the suggestion box across from the Check Out Desk in Jackson.  Anonymous responses are posted on this blog.

Or, you may provide an online suggestion on this form.  We look forward to hearing from you!

New Libraries' catalog

You asked:  There are several things I liked about the old catalog that aren't  in the new one:

1.  Our own collections should be the default for searches.
Irma says:  There are two ways you can limit your search to the UNCG Libraries.  One is to click on "catalog" in the red box on the Libraries home page before entering a search.  Another is to go to the advanced search and limit your search to UNCG Libraries.

2. Searching  for a specific title can bring up too many hits.
Irma says:  Probably the best way to do this is to use the advanced search and use the drop down menus to limit to a title search. Putting quotes ("") around the title helps, too.

3.  It doesn't show the floor where the book is shelved.
Irma says:  That was a great feature in the old catalog. We hope we can add that later.  But take a look in the upper left hand corner of the catalog page that says "UNCG University Libraries."  There's a drop down menu that includes a "locations of materials" page that has a floor guide.

4.  We can't request holds for items checked out.
Irma says:  This feature should be added back very soon.  Look for publicity!  You may also request an Interlibrary Loan for any item that's checked out. 

More from Irma: 
We decided to move to this new system  in order to provide broader and deeper discoverability of information.  It provides "Google" like searching of books, articles, archives and much more from libraries across the globe so that  researchers  may find a variety of materials in one place.    Another driver for our decision was the fact that our old catalog was very outdated and no longer supported by the vendor.  We will continue to make improvements in the system.  This guide provides lots of helpful information for using the new catalog and our staff is available by phone, text, chat or in person. 

Journal Finder

You asked:  Can we please return to Journal Finder?  It was a great database!

Irma says: We appreciate your compliment about Journal Finder.  It was developed and maintained here at the University Libraries before being sold to WT Cox.  Over the past year we've been transitioning to a new integrated system, OCLC's Worldshare Management System (WMS) and, unfortunately, Journal Finder is not compatible with it so we had to replace it with WMS's journal tool. 

We decided to move to WMS in order to provide broader and deeper discoverability of information.  It can  provide "Google" like searching so that researchers may find a variety of materials (books, articles, archives and much more) in one place.   Another driver for our decision was the fact that our old system was very outdated and no longer supported by the vendor. 

To help you use the new system, including the journal tool, we have a Lib Guide.  



Also please don't ever hesitate to contact us for additional help with the journal tool or any other information need.

Checked out items

You asked:  Please bring back sending notifications for checked out items when someone else needs them. 

Irma says:  If you see a book is checked out you may now request an Interlibrary Loan (ILL) instead of  a hold or recall.  We will obtain the book from another library.  We found that this provides faster service to you than recalling the item from whoever has it checked out.  If you need any assistance with ILL please Ask Us.

Book lover

You said:  "I love the library!! Thanks for the books!!"

Irma says:  Thank-you for the kind words.  We are delighted to provide you with the resources you need! 

Group study booths

You asked:  Please have more booths for group study that aren't in reserved rooms

Irma says:  We have booths like the one you see in this picture on a first come first served basis on floors 2-5 and the basement of the Tower.  They have plugs for laptops and other electronics.  We also have a variety of open group seating on floor 2-5 and several areas on the first floor.  Check it out along with a cool video on this page.

24/5 Space

You asked:  Can the whole library be open overnight?  The Reading Room and Reference are such nice places to study. 

Irma says:  Those are great study spaces and we'd love to be able to keep them open. But, if we did, we'd need to keep the College Avenue entrance open due to fire and safety regulations. That would require more staff and unfortunately, we don't have the funding to cover it. 

Digital sign

You asked:  May we advertise our oganization's programs on the Libraries' rotating digital sign?

Irma says:  Many groups ask about this.  Our policy is that this sign is for Libraries sponsored events and services only.  Irma hopes that you understand that we would get overwhelmed if we opened it up to all campus offices and organizations.  As an alternative we do have a bulletin board on the first floor across from the Check Out Desk where any student organization may post flyers and notices.  It's in a very visible location!

New DVDs in the Library

You asked: Please make a "new DVDs" list on the home page.

Irma says:  As you can imagine "real estate" on our home page is premium. We do have a blog you can follow that lists our new DVDs that's updated frequently.  So follow it and beat the crowd to check them out!

http://irmasworldatuncg.blogspot.com/2013/03/new-dvds.html

Calculators

You asked:  Please get some non-graphic calculators.

Irma says:  We've ordered some so look for them soon at the Check Out Desk! 

Express computers

You asked:  I'm tired of the express computers popping up a million windows!

Irma says:  We're sorry this is happening.  We are aware of this issue but, at this time, we have been unable to find a satisfactory solution that both insures user privacy and maintains required functionality.  We will continue to investigate possible resolutions to the issue and will implement them as soon as possible. 

In the mean time any station that is displaying this behavior can be temporarily fixed by re-booting the system.

Quiet floors

You asked:  The quiet floors are not very quiet.

Irma says:  We realize this is an ongoing problem.  

The 6th floor has now been designated as "silent" with the policies:  

• No Talking
• Cell phones turned off
• No headphones

Floors 7-9 are quiet floors with the policies:

•  No group study or loud conversation
• Cell phones turned off
• Head phones turned down

We’ve placed new signs on these floors with these policies and will be adding additional signage.

Please contact the Check Out Desk at 4-5304 if there are problems.

Floors 2-5 remain group floors.

CD checkout

You asked:  Do the Libraries have CDs to check out?

Irma says:  We sure do!  The Schiffman Music Library has a large collection of CDs that all UNCG students, faculty and staff may check out for 3 weeks at a time.

The collection primarily supports the School of Music, Theater and Dance curriculum so you will find a great selection of classical, jazz and musical theater as well as a broad range of ethnic music.

CD's are listed in the Libraries Catalog.  (Hint: do an advanced search and limit to "sound recording" under format.)

In addition, a wide range of streaming recordings are available 24/7 from anywhere.  Check out this guide for more information.

Cameras

You asked:  We'd like some "regular" cameras for checkout

Irma says:  It's true we don't have cameras but our technology checkout in Jackson and Schiffman includes camcorders that can also take still shots and iPad3s that include a camera. 

Express computers

You asked:  We need more of the stand-up 15-minute computers.
Irma says:  We heard you!  Over the break we added four new machines on the first floor. 

Ecology books

You asked:  The ecology books are out of date.

Irma says:  Thank-you for this suggestion.  It's been referred to the librarian who works with that subject and she will look for current books.  Please check back for them!