ProQuest® will be performing infrastructure maintenance on June 4, 2011. A twelve (12) hour maintenance window will be required for this maintenance. The window will take place from Saturday, June 4, 2011, at 22:00 EDT to Sunday, June 5, 2011 at 10:00 EDT. See below for a more complete list of times and time zones. The following products will be unavailable during these windows: * Products on the new ProQuest platform will be unavailable. Maintenance window schedule, by time zone: * Pacific Daylight Time: Saturday, June 4, 2011 at 19:00 (7pm) for twelve (12) hours.
Month: May 2011
Gale In Context Interface Enhancements
Navigation Improvements: We designed, launched and now enhanced In Context based on user input from librarians, patrons, faculty and students, which have led to improvements such as:
- An “On this page” box that “jumps” to the content a user wants first (no scrolling required)
- Multimedia selections are positioned higher on the page
- “Featured Viewpoints” or “Featured Content” deliver selected articles from leading voices in the subject
- Improved search assist helps users quickly identify portal pages by displaying those listings first
Content Updates: Because timely information is critical to successful results for researchers,In Context is updated regularly with new topic overviews, portal pages, images and articles to keep pace with user needs. Here are just a few of the most recent updates based on current events:
- Death of Osama bin Laden (content integrated within 48 hours of the breaking news)
- 2011 Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan (new portal, Global Issues in Context)
- The Egyptian Protests (new portal, Opposing Viewpoints in Context)
EBSCO Adjusts Subject Browsing
Dear EBSCO Customer,
We’d like to inform you of a change that we will be making over the coming weeks and months, pertaining to the Subject Browsing functionality available for many of our databases.
As part of an ongoing effort to improve our products and make our processes more efficient, we studied the use of Subject Browsing among our user communities. It was noted that public library patrons are the least likely to make use of this option, while among our academic, medical and corporate communities, the use of this functionality continues at a steady level.
Interestingly, we have a slightly different functionality on the public library databases (more of a simple list rather than a true thesaurus type of approach). We have therefore decided to standardize all of our Subject Browsing functionality, to follow the same Thesaurus browse-type of functionality that has been so well-received by other types of libraries. This change to many of our databases will be rolled out on a gradual basis, beginning at the end of this month and continuing over the following several weeks until completion. Note: We apologize in advance if you receive more than one copy of this message, since we will be applying the updated functionality to specific databases on a tiered basis.
Information Request Form
The Information Request Form in its current online configuration is about to become obsolete. The Reference Services Committee began to implement this change in March, when the Whidbey Island libraries beta-tested a new referral system using our Ask-a-Librarian Email form. It’s shorter, less cumbersome, and it’s always available from the Ask a Librarian page, including from the catalog only workstations.
Library staff or customers can fill in this form, and it’s especially great if library staff instruct customers on how to fill out the form so they can continue to use it inside or outside the library in the future to get help 24/7. Of course, we’re always here to help, but this is a great way to streamline things on our end and enhance service on the customer’s end.
Here’s why we’re trying it:
- Using the email web form option is a shorter form than the Information Request form.
- This process streamlines workflow and allows for great customer service.
- The question goes through the same process, gets the same amount of attention, research, and follow-up as all other questions.
- The answer will be entered into our Knowledge Base and we will be able to retrieve that answer again in the future, rather than repeating all of the work.
A few other details:
- Though the “E-mail address” and “Confirm e-mail address” fields are mandatory, you can use a dummy email (noone@nowhere.com) as long as you enter the same string of characters in both fields. We will use the library card number or phone field to follow up with the customer.
- Questions submitted via this form will be reviewed by SRV staff and answered, or assigned to a large regional library or subject reference center and answered. Typically the question is answered or the customer contacted for more information within 2 business days.
HelpNow has a New Interface
Just a reminder that HelpNow has updated their interface and changed much of their jargon/language.
It’s a good time to go in and reacquaint yourself with this service:
Free Job & Career Accelerator Webinar 5/18, 11am
Job Hunting Secrets for Recent College Graduates” with Heather Huhman
We invite you to sign up for “Job Hunting Secrets for Recent College Graduates” with career expert, Heather Huhman.
Looking for a job can be especially challenging for recent college graduates or those who have been out of the workforce for an extended time period.
Determining what steps to take can be overwhelming. In this presentation Heather will advise how to find positions that will utilize strengths and skills, and align with job seekers personal interests.
This webinar is valuable for anyone who is seeking a job or is helping job seekers! Career professionals in libraries and colleges – career center directors, and others, who work with and counsel job seekers – will find this information useful.
Following Heather will be a special presentation of Job & Career Accelerator™.
Heather Huhman is a career expert, experienced hiring manager, and founder & president of Come Recommended, a content marketing consultancy for organizations with products that target job seekers and employers. She is also the author of #ENTRYLEVELtweet: Taking Your Career from Classroom to Cubicle (2010) and writes career and recruiting advice for numerous outlets.
Reserve your seat now. Register here: http://bit.ly/ijWsBs
*After registering you will receive a confirmation email from gotowebinar@citrixonline.com containing information about joining the Webinar.
Ann Arbor Library Signs Digital Music Deal
Thanks to Kara for sharing this article about how another district library system is approaching sharing/distributing digital content and working to increase transparency/access to the administration of the public library:
http://annarborchronicle.com/2011/04/28/ann-arbor-library-signs-digital-music-deal/
New reference items–what to do with the older editions
When you receive the new edition of a reference item (like World Almanac), please remove the old edition and send it to SRV for review or if you would like it to circulate. We’ll review the item and send it through Cataloging to have the call number changed (removing the REF prefix) and the Polaris Collection designation changed and then to Materials Processing to have the REF label covered.
We checked with Barbara Hart and learned that staff are only allowed to change the circ status and shelf location, not collection designation or call number.
Top Ten GVRL Titles in April
I love #1:
- Dutch Oven Cooking: For Outdoor Enthusiasts
- American Revolution Reference Library: Biographies,
- Madrid
- Pollution A to Z
- Mythology
- Classical Music
- Novels for Students, vol. 13
- Gale Encyclopedia of American Law
- Scholarships, Fellowships and Loans : A Guide to Education-Related Financial Aid Programs for Students and Professionals
- Encyclopedia of the Solar System
Legal Information Reference Center Webinars
Sno-Isle Libraries now subscribes to the Legal Information Reference Center, EBSCO’s legal reference database as part of our package deal. This database offers everyday users the necessary tools and detailed How To instructions to independently address a wide range of legal issues.
Are your staff members and end users taking full advantage of the exclusive content in Legal Information Reference Center? Do you or others on your team need a refresher on how to use this valuable resource?
EBSCO offers free online training regarding Legal Information Reference Center. All you need to sign up and attend is access to a computer.
Click on the corresponding URL to register for the most convenient date/time below:
May 10, 2011 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. – Click here to register.
June 1, 2011 from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – Click here to register.
July 15, 2011 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. – Click here to register.
To view other free online courses offered by EBSCO, visit http://training.ebsco.com.
Information Services @ Sno-Isle 