It's been quiet around here for a long time, but I thought I would share this short documentary.
Internet Archive from Deepspeed media on Vimeo.
This film, directed by Jonathan Minard, is "focused on the future of long-term digital storage, the history of the Internet and attempts to preserve its contents on a massive scale."
It includes "a tour of the Internet Archive's headquarters in San Francisco, the book scanning center, and the book storage facilities in Richmond, California."
And boy does it ever pose some interesting and big questions about libraries, access, and preservation! Environmental sustainability, too: the headquarters heats itself with energy from the servers! That is awesome.
Showing posts with label knowledge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label knowledge. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Knowledge Exchange: The Results Are In!
We've tallied up the scores from the post-assessment questionnaire for Knowledge Exchange and here's how we compare:
Before Knowledge Exchange
The questionnaire was taken by 34 staff and supervisors from Access Services.
Circulation, 6.12 familiarity rating, 47.6% correct
Delivery Services, 3.97 familiarity rating, 16.5% correct
Interlibrary Loan, 4.21 familiarity rating, 44.1% correct
Library Privileges, 5.79 familiarity rating, 84.7% correct
Reserves, 5.38 familiarity rating, 63.5% correct
Stacks, 5.81 familiarity rating, 67.6% correct
Fun Facts:
The questionnaire was taken by 36 staff and supervisors from Access Services.
Circulation, 6.97 familiarity rating, 43.8% correct
Delivery Services, 5.5 familiarity rating, 30.4% correct
Interlibrary Loan, 5.86 familiarity rating, 37.3% correct
Library Privileges, 7.2 familiarity rating, 83.3% correct
Reserves, 6.7 familiarity rating, 71.1% correct
Stacks, 6.8 familiarity rating, 31.2% correct
Fun Facts:
"What is the shortest length of time for which someone can rent a locker?"
Conclusions
Familiarity went up across the board. This shows people are more aware of what goes on in Access Services departments.
Familiarity Rating Chart
Delivery Services had the biggest gains in correct answers and Reserves also had a small increase. The percentages of correct answers for other departments curiously went down. This may have been due to the large number of post-assessments that were left blank (no answer was given for many questions).
% Correct Answers Chart
Leave a comment: What do you think of the results?
Questions and Correct Answers
Circulation
How many days does a patron have to return a recalled item before being charged a fine?
Fourteen (or two weeks)
What is the fine limit that will block a patron from borrowing materials?
$5.00
What is the fine limit that will cause a patron to have a University Registration hold?
$60.00
(A University Registration hold is a block on a patron's account that prevents them from registering for classes and from graduating)
How many searches are conducted for a Claim Returned book?
Five
How many days after a Quick Search is placed will the Circulation Department conduct a check of the stacks for the missing item?
The following day (or one day)
Delivery Services
Who can request materials to be paged and/or scanned?
NYU Faculty
NYU Abu Dhabi Staff
NYU Abu Dhabi Students
NYU Abu Dhabi Faculty
NEW! Since the post-assessment, NYU PhDs and NYU TAs have been granted privileges
Also, any NYU patron abroad (regardless of status) can request scans of NYU Bobst material if they use the Delivery Services options on the ILL request forms on the web.
To which libraries can paged materials be physically delivered?
Bobst
Courant
ISAW (Institute for the Study of the Ancient World)
IFA (Institute of Fine Arts)
Jack Brause (formerly Real Estate Institute)
Abu Dhabi
What types of items can be requested through Delivery Services?
Regularly circulating Bobst books
Regularly circulating Bobst Offsite books
Regularly circulating Courant books
Media from the Avery Fisher Center
Book chapter/journal article scans
On average, how long does it take to ship items to Abu Dhabi?
Three days
To which libraries can Bobst and Courant items be returned?
Bobst
Courant
ISAW (Institute for the Study of the Ancient World)
IFA (Institute of Fine Arts)
Jack Brause (formerly Real Estate Institute)
Abu Dhabi
Interlibrary Loan
What is the maximum number of times an Interlibrary Loan item can be renewed?
Unless the item indicates NO RENEWALS, a patron can request a renewal online one time. They must contact the ILL office for subsequent renewals. All renewals are granted at the discretion of the lending library.
True or False, Interlibrary Loan books can be renewed through the patron's BobCat account.
False, patrons must go through their ILL account to renew ILL books.
From the list below, please select the patron types that can use the ILL service at Bobst Library:
a. NYU Employee Family
b. NYU Polytech Students & Faculty
c. NYU Medical or Dental Students & Faculty
d. New School Students & Faculty
e. NYU Law Students & Faculty
f. NYU Abu Dhabi Students & Faculty
NYU Polytech, NYU Medical, NYU Dental, and NYU Law all have ILL services through their home libraries, not Bobst.
True or False, All Interlibrary Loan items are available for patrons to pick up at the Circulation Desk.
False. "Library use only" items are kept at Avery Fisher Center, Reserves, and Fales.
Which of the following is NOT a method that patrons can use to request Interlibrary Loan items?
a. Through the library's website
b. At the Circulation desk
c. Through the BobCat catalog
d. Through the Arch
(The Arch is what the "Articles & Databases" section of the website is called.)
Patrons cannot request Interlibrary Loan items at the Circulation Desk. Thttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifhey can pick up ILL items there, but they cannot make requests there.
Library Privileges
Yes or No, Can a NYU student who has forgotten their ID come into the library?
Yes
Yes or No, Can anyone purchase a membership to the library?
Yes, unless they are on the "PNG" (persona non grata) list
Yes or No, Can the general public gain access to Bobst with a referral from the New York Public Library?
Yes, with a METRO Title Referral Card
What is the only kind of personal storage available in the library to undergraduates?
Lockers
What is the shortest length of time for which someone can rent a locker?
One semester
Reserves
Which of the following is the correct list of current loan periods for materials held on reserve?
a. 2-hour, 4-hour, 1-day
b. 2-hour, 4-hour, 3-day
c. 2-hour, 1-day, 3-day
d. 4-hour, 1-day, 2-day
True or False, Patrons can email scanned microfilms and fiche to themselves directly from the scanning machines.
True
True or False, The Reserved Department is responsible for the processing and re-shelving of the Leisure Reading collection located on Lower Level 2?
True
True or False, The Reserves Department loans out white board markers to patrons.
True
Which of the following does the Reserves Department NOT house:
a. Offsite "Library Use Only" materials
b. Interlibrary Loan "Library Use Only" materials
c. Avery Fisher Center Reserves materials
d. NYU Bookstore Course Packs
Stacks
What roles do the full-time staff play in the stacks?
Oversee assigned floor
monitor work of part-time staff
delegate tasks to part-time staff
What are the responsibilities of the stacks in general?
Shelve books
Straighten and shelf-read
Floor pick-ups
Help patrons
Shifting
Who should be notified about problems in the stacks? For example: loud disruptive staff, books out of order, patron needing help.
Ted or Pablo
What are Ted's and Pablo's responsibilities?
Ted: leads department projects, manages full-time staff
Pablo: manages part-time staff, deputy department leader
From where are stacks part-time staff recruited?
Local high schools and NYU
Before Knowledge Exchange
The questionnaire was taken by 34 staff and supervisors from Access Services.
Circulation, 6.12 familiarity rating, 47.6% correct
Delivery Services, 3.97 familiarity rating, 16.5% correct
Interlibrary Loan, 4.21 familiarity rating, 44.1% correct
Library Privileges, 5.79 familiarity rating, 84.7% correct
Reserves, 5.38 familiarity rating, 63.5% correct
Stacks, 5.81 familiarity rating, 67.6% correct
Fun Facts:
- The question most people answered correctly was “What is the shortest length of time someone can rent a locker for?”
- The question most people did not answer correctly was “What type of items can be requested through Delivery Services?”
The questionnaire was taken by 36 staff and supervisors from Access Services.
Circulation, 6.97 familiarity rating, 43.8% correct
Delivery Services, 5.5 familiarity rating, 30.4% correct
Interlibrary Loan, 5.86 familiarity rating, 37.3% correct
Library Privileges, 7.2 familiarity rating, 83.3% correct
Reserves, 6.7 familiarity rating, 71.1% correct
Stacks, 6.8 familiarity rating, 31.2% correct
Fun Facts:
- The question most people answered correctly was a tie between two questions:
"What is the shortest length of time for which someone can rent a locker?"
- The question most people did not answer correctly was:
Conclusions
Familiarity went up across the board. This shows people are more aware of what goes on in Access Services departments.
Familiarity Rating Chart
Delivery Services had the biggest gains in correct answers and Reserves also had a small increase. The percentages of correct answers for other departments curiously went down. This may have been due to the large number of post-assessments that were left blank (no answer was given for many questions).
% Correct Answers Chart
Leave a comment: What do you think of the results?Questions and Correct Answers
Circulation
How many days does a patron have to return a recalled item before being charged a fine?
Fourteen (or two weeks)
What is the fine limit that will block a patron from borrowing materials?
$5.00
What is the fine limit that will cause a patron to have a University Registration hold?
$60.00
(A University Registration hold is a block on a patron's account that prevents them from registering for classes and from graduating)
How many searches are conducted for a Claim Returned book?
Five
How many days after a Quick Search is placed will the Circulation Department conduct a check of the stacks for the missing item?
The following day (or one day)
Delivery Services
Who can request materials to be paged and/or scanned?
NYU Faculty
NYU Abu Dhabi Staff
NYU Abu Dhabi Students
NYU Abu Dhabi Faculty
NEW! Since the post-assessment, NYU PhDs and NYU TAs have been granted privileges
Also, any NYU patron abroad (regardless of status) can request scans of NYU Bobst material if they use the Delivery Services options on the ILL request forms on the web.
To which libraries can paged materials be physically delivered?
Bobst
Courant
ISAW (Institute for the Study of the Ancient World)
IFA (Institute of Fine Arts)
Jack Brause (formerly Real Estate Institute)
Abu Dhabi
What types of items can be requested through Delivery Services?
Regularly circulating Bobst books
Regularly circulating Bobst Offsite books
Regularly circulating Courant books
Media from the Avery Fisher Center
Book chapter/journal article scans
On average, how long does it take to ship items to Abu Dhabi?
Three days
To which libraries can Bobst and Courant items be returned?
Bobst
Courant
ISAW (Institute for the Study of the Ancient World)
IFA (Institute of Fine Arts)
Jack Brause (formerly Real Estate Institute)
Abu Dhabi
Interlibrary Loan
What is the maximum number of times an Interlibrary Loan item can be renewed?
Unless the item indicates NO RENEWALS, a patron can request a renewal online one time. They must contact the ILL office for subsequent renewals. All renewals are granted at the discretion of the lending library.
True or False, Interlibrary Loan books can be renewed through the patron's BobCat account.
False, patrons must go through their ILL account to renew ILL books.
From the list below, please select the patron types that can use the ILL service at Bobst Library:
a. NYU Employee Family
b. NYU Polytech Students & Faculty
c. NYU Medical or Dental Students & Faculty
d. New School Students & Faculty
e. NYU Law Students & Faculty
f. NYU Abu Dhabi Students & Faculty
NYU Polytech, NYU Medical, NYU Dental, and NYU Law all have ILL services through their home libraries, not Bobst.
True or False, All Interlibrary Loan items are available for patrons to pick up at the Circulation Desk.
False. "Library use only" items are kept at Avery Fisher Center, Reserves, and Fales.
Which of the following is NOT a method that patrons can use to request Interlibrary Loan items?
a. Through the library's website
b. At the Circulation desk
c. Through the BobCat catalog
d. Through the Arch
(The Arch is what the "Articles & Databases" section of the website is called.)
Patrons cannot request Interlibrary Loan items at the Circulation Desk. Thttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifhey can pick up ILL items there, but they cannot make requests there.
Library Privileges
Yes or No, Can a NYU student who has forgotten their ID come into the library?
Yes
Yes or No, Can anyone purchase a membership to the library?
Yes, unless they are on the "PNG" (persona non grata) list
Yes or No, Can the general public gain access to Bobst with a referral from the New York Public Library?
Yes, with a METRO Title Referral Card
What is the only kind of personal storage available in the library to undergraduates?
Lockers
What is the shortest length of time for which someone can rent a locker?
One semester
Reserves
Which of the following is the correct list of current loan periods for materials held on reserve?
a. 2-hour, 4-hour, 1-day
b. 2-hour, 4-hour, 3-day
c. 2-hour, 1-day, 3-day
d. 4-hour, 1-day, 2-day
True or False, Patrons can email scanned microfilms and fiche to themselves directly from the scanning machines.
True
True or False, The Reserved Department is responsible for the processing and re-shelving of the Leisure Reading collection located on Lower Level 2?
True
True or False, The Reserves Department loans out white board markers to patrons.
True
Which of the following does the Reserves Department NOT house:
a. Offsite "Library Use Only" materials
b. Interlibrary Loan "Library Use Only" materials
c. Avery Fisher Center Reserves materials
d. NYU Bookstore Course Packs
Stacks
What roles do the full-time staff play in the stacks?
Oversee assigned floor
monitor work of part-time staff
delegate tasks to part-time staff
What are the responsibilities of the stacks in general?
Shelve books
Straighten and shelf-read
Floor pick-ups
Help patrons
Shifting
Who should be notified about problems in the stacks? For example: loud disruptive staff, books out of order, patron needing help.
Ted or Pablo
What are Ted's and Pablo's responsibilities?
Ted: leads department projects, manages full-time staff
Pablo: manages part-time staff, deputy department leader
From where are stacks part-time staff recruited?
Local high schools and NYU
Friday, June 18, 2010
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?
I don’t know many people that would say ‘not me’ to that question. The harder question is what are you willing to do to get it? This past week I took a step outside my regular routine and explored my options. Specifically, I had an ‘audition’ to be on the day-time TV game show with the above name.
It was a very simple process and anyone who feels they know a decent amount of trivia ought to give it a try. I simply went online and visited the Millionaire web site, filed out a quick form, and selected my preferred days to attend an audition. The next day I was notified by email when my scheduled appointment would be and where I should go.
On the day of the audition I went to ABC’s studio on 66th street and checked in with the cheerful intern waiting out front to greet people. After standing in line for a short while we were let into what looked like a cafeteria, handed a closed envelope containing a test, and directed to take a seat along with all the other participants in the room. Then, as a group, we were given 10 minutes to answer 30 multiple choice questions. Once the time had passed tests were collected and taken to be corrected. Those who ‘passed’ would be asked to stay for an interview. Those who did not would be asked to leave.
While waiting for our tests to be corrected a number of people asked questions about how the process worked of the intern overseeing the testing. Listening to her cheerful response to every questions, a ubiquitous “that information is on the web site”, I started thinking about how we have all become so reliant on the internet. Not just using it for our own information needs but also using it as a tool to provide information to our patrons.
As I watched the eye rolling around me at the lack of knowledge displayed by using this generic answer I wondered if I rely too much on the “check web site” answer. Have I allowed myself to take a knowledge short cut because the information is easy to access online? Is my staff undertrained because the information is available online? The short answer to that is no simply because I have a very knowledgeable staff. But there is a small piece of me who sees this as a cautionary tale about how we provide information to patrons and making sure we don’t assume that because information is available online people don’t still want good answers provided in person by well trained staff.
We are Library Professionals: we know stuff. Let’s remember to share what we know in all the ways that patrons want to receive the information.
The critical question for this blog though is am I going to be on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? For now I will say maybe… someday…
It is easy enough to try out if you are interested. All the information about how is available online at:
http://www.dadt.com/millionaire/
It was a very simple process and anyone who feels they know a decent amount of trivia ought to give it a try. I simply went online and visited the Millionaire web site, filed out a quick form, and selected my preferred days to attend an audition. The next day I was notified by email when my scheduled appointment would be and where I should go.
On the day of the audition I went to ABC’s studio on 66th street and checked in with the cheerful intern waiting out front to greet people. After standing in line for a short while we were let into what looked like a cafeteria, handed a closed envelope containing a test, and directed to take a seat along with all the other participants in the room. Then, as a group, we were given 10 minutes to answer 30 multiple choice questions. Once the time had passed tests were collected and taken to be corrected. Those who ‘passed’ would be asked to stay for an interview. Those who did not would be asked to leave.
While waiting for our tests to be corrected a number of people asked questions about how the process worked of the intern overseeing the testing. Listening to her cheerful response to every questions, a ubiquitous “that information is on the web site”, I started thinking about how we have all become so reliant on the internet. Not just using it for our own information needs but also using it as a tool to provide information to our patrons.
As I watched the eye rolling around me at the lack of knowledge displayed by using this generic answer I wondered if I rely too much on the “check web site” answer. Have I allowed myself to take a knowledge short cut because the information is easy to access online? Is my staff undertrained because the information is available online? The short answer to that is no simply because I have a very knowledgeable staff. But there is a small piece of me who sees this as a cautionary tale about how we provide information to patrons and making sure we don’t assume that because information is available online people don’t still want good answers provided in person by well trained staff.
We are Library Professionals: we know stuff. Let’s remember to share what we know in all the ways that patrons want to receive the information.
The critical question for this blog though is am I going to be on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? For now I will say maybe… someday…
It is easy enough to try out if you are interested. All the information about how is available online at:
http://www.dadt.com/millionaire/
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