Phone Chargers are back!

  All, 

Access Services has made the decision to bring back phone chargers. There are several portable chargers that charge both Android and iPhone phones, about three regular iPhone chargers, and a plethora of Android chargers available for use. 

Since it's been a while, here is a refreshers on how students can use our chargers. We need their student ID to give them a charger. We need to be able to identify them and contact them if they choose to not to return our chargers. If they say they need their ID to print, for example, kindly inform them that they can still manually type in their information on the printer to print. 

You are not allowed to take anything else of "value" instead of the ID. If there are any issues, grab a staff member. 

Check the battery levels of portable chargers before you hand them out. If they are low or dying, please plug them in to charge. 

If there are any other questions, please ask. 

Neena

Updated Alma Training Information

  All, 

I've updated the Alma Training on the Student Assistant Website to reflect some updated processes you all will be doing at the front desk: checking out to I-Share patrons again as well as returning items. 

Currently, we will be allowing I-Share patrons to check out material again by appointment only. This may change to allowing walk ins once keycard access ends. The process to checking out to I-Share patrons is not completely different, but requires some different steps. Please look over the training on the website to familiarize yourself with the steps. 

Secondly, since we are not quarantining books anymore, you will start accepting returns again at the front desk. The process to return items is also in the Alma Training section. Please read this carefully, as you will not be using the 'Return Items' page to return any items. 

If you have any questions on these processes, please let me know immediately so we can walk through them together. I will check in on you to see how you are doing with the processes either way. 

New Access Services Assistant for Resources!

 All, 

Please join me in welcoming Olivia Mullenax to the Access Services Team! She joined us July 29th as the new Access Services Assistant for Resources. Let's all give her a warm welcome and help her ease into her new role on the Oesterle team!

Welcome Olivia! 

End of Term Due Date Stamps

 Hi All, 

As we are coming upon the end of the semester, I have some updates in regard to our due date stamps. 

Firstly, all materials will continue to be due for students on May 7th. Please use the End of Term due date stamp for these sorts of materials. 

Alternatively, faculty and staff will now have their due dates returning to the four-week due dates. That means their due dates will be changing every day instead of the static May 7th date that we've had all semester. Belinda and I have put out the 4 Week due date stamp back out at the front desk. Please use this stamp when it comes to these materials. 

Make sure to check the due dates on materials when checking them out to patrons so you can be sure of which stamp to use!

It has been some time since we used more than one due date stamp out at the desk, and we have gotten new student assistants since then! If there are any questions at all about how/when to use the appropriate due date stamps, do not hesitate to ask me or grab the available staff member when you are in the building. 

Neena

New Reference Services Librarian!

 Please join me in welcoming our new Reference Services Librarian - Lori Koetters! 

Lori previously worked at the Moraine Valley Community College library and has spoken excitedly about working with college students. She is joining our team on 11/16 and we are so happy for her to be here. She will be here for Monday and Wednesday evenings. 

Welcome, Lori!

Archives Access

 At this time the Archives is available by appointment only. If you receive questions at the desk about using materials in the Archives, please give the patron one of Rebecca's business cards (which are available at the desk). Let the patron know that they will need to email Rebecca for an appointment, and that 24 hour notice is requested.

Extended Due Dates and Bookmarks

As libraries and library users continue to deal with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the CARLI consortium has extended due dates for all I-Share materials until February 1, 2021! Oesterle Library staff have decided to extended due dates for materials checked out from our collection as well. Any items already charged to a current North Central College student, faculty or staff member have now been given a February 1^st due date. Any items we check out to our patrons between now and February will receive the February 1^st due date. There is just one date due stamp available at the desk right now, and it is set for February 1. Please do not change that date! 

Neena has prepared some bookmarks to let patrons know that items are due on February 1^st. These bookmarks also suggest that once a patron is done with the item, they should go ahead and return it so that they don’t forget about it and lose it by February! Please include one bookmark per patron when you check items out to them and let them know the new due date.  

Please note that “white band” (interlibrary loan) books have not been given this extended due date. Please be sure to point out the due date to these patrons when you give them white band materials. 

Please let Neena or me know if you have questions! 

Thanks, 

Belinda 

Emotional Support and Service Animals in the library

Desk staff have been made aware that a student who regularly uses the library has been bringing her emotional support animal (a puppy) with her. According to Mindy Diaz, the college's Student Disability Services Director:

Emotional Support Animals are not covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act, they are only covered under the Fair Housing Act. ESAs are allowed in the residence halls, but they are not allowed outside of the students living space. Service animals are allowed anywhere on campus.

 

There are only two questions a person with an animal can be asked: 1) is the dog a service animal required because of a disability? and (2) what work or task has the dog been trained to perform?

 

Comfort is not a task.

Mindy is working with Campus Safety to develop policies and procedures for how to address the presence of emotional support animals outside of their approved spaces. For the moment, she is asking the campus community to note and observe if the puppy makes any more appearances. Please contact me (enicholson@noctrl.edu) if you have any additional sightings (or hearings - the puppy is a barker).   

Thanks, 

Elizabeth

Printing issues from Personal Devices

The issues many students are experiencing with printing from their own devices are due to an ITS update that has not been completed.

ITS has suggested that until they complete this update, students that are having printing issues will need to login to a networked computer for their printing needs.

Puzzle Table

Hello!

There is now a permanent puzzle table at the East end of the Reference Room! Please go take a look at it so you know what it looks like and where to find it.

The puzzles for this table are small - 300 pieces or less. 

There are 13 puzzles total and 2 will fit on the table at a time. That leaves 11 stored at the ISD. They are found beneath the holds shelves.

When the puzzles that are out on the table are completed (or if students simply want a different pattern), they are encouraged to trade it out for one at the desk. 

The expectation is that these will remain in the library and they cannot be checked out.

If you have any questions about this, please talk to Melissa!

Have fun!

Heidi

Schedules

Hello,

With the new semesters we have different schedules from when we are closed and when you are expected to work.  We are trying out that everyone will be responsible for their current schedules through October 11th and then starts back up October 16th.  Also, for Thanksgiving, you will not be expected to work November 27th to November 30th.  You will be responsible for your schedule starting back up on Sunday, December 1st.  Everyone's schedules should reflect this, so let me know if you feel like something is wrong.

Thanks!
Heidi

Errors while charging and discharging

Hello,

There have been errors while charging and discharging items mostly due to people going too fast and not looking at the screen after scanning each book.  Please be sure to scan the book and look at the screen before moving on to the next item.

Thanks!
Heidi

Cell Phone Policy

Hello,

We have noticed over the past year that we have had some issues with cell phone usage at the desks.  In order to improve on this we are now banning phones from the desks.  When you are at any of the desks your phone should not be visible.  It should be put away and should not be used unless you have a special circumstance that you communicate with the staff member beforehand.  Student Coordinators cannot have their phones out at all as well, even in the back area, unless they are using them for work related reasons. 

Students who violate this rule will go through the disciplinary warning process.

Thanks!
Heidi

Cardinal Directions

Hello,

We have a good amount of books on reserve for our new Cardinal Directions classes (CARD-101, CARD-102 and CARD-200).  This is a brand new program that will require both faculty and students to use these items.  They wanted the program to have a bit of a display so that people would feel welcome to use the items.  I have made the right side of the reserve shelves entirely this program.

Because they wanted these items to be very attractive I did not put the usual reserve bands on the items.  Instead I made a temporary thin band that is on the back cover so you know that it is different than a regular collection book or a regular reserve book.

You can find the list of books in the reserve listing searching by the course.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Heidi

Do not pull books for people

This was found on the I-Share shelves this morning

We do not pull our items for people unless there are very special reasons that Access services has granted.

DO NOT PULL ITEMS FOR PEOPLE!

Please be respectful

Hello,

I noticed that Neena's heater was out at the front desk.  Please do not take items from people's area unless you really need them.  And if you do use them, put them back where they belong.

Please be respectful.

Heidi

Printer...

Hello,

The black and white/color printer in the reference room is now leaving spots of black toner on paper. I have placed an example of it on the printer itself so people can decide if they still want to print.  Let me know if it gets worse.  There is a call into the service provider.

Heidi

I-Share Books

Hello,

We have noticed that some I-Share books are being discharged and placed on the shelf without receipts, YOU NEED A RECEIPT!  When you discharge I-Share items a receipt should print out automatically.  If you are not getting a receipt please ask the person at the other side of the desk or myself for help because you may have some setting problems.

GET A RECEIPT!!!!

Heidi

Schedules are up!

Hello,

The schedules for the rest of the term are up on the website.  Please let us know if you have any conflict, which you shouldn't because you just gave us your schedule.

Heidi

MUS-408

You are going to get people coming in to use the article Physical metaphor in choral rehearsal for their MUS-408 class.  It is on reserve, not in archives. https://vufind.carli.illinois.edu/vf-ncc/Search/Reserves?course=353&inst=93&dept=&submit=Find.  You will find it in a binder on the shelf.

Thanks!
Heidi