Reference Questions 4/20/2011

Most of the computers here in the reference area are taken, and the librarian who was on the previous shift told me that it's been very busy. And on a side note, I will never get used to seeing students walk around the library in slippers.

1. Wanted to know which printer was the color printer
2. (Chat) Wanted to know how to create an in-text citation for a web page in MLA
3. (Chat) Had a question about in-text citations in APA; was using 2 quotes from the same page in 2 consecutive sentences
4. (Chat) Had a question about citing and image in APA
5. Wanted to know if she could print in color
6. Needed help using the scanner

Now I get to go to lunch. Yay!

Reference Questions, 4/19/2011

It's Tuesday night here at the reference desk. I have the final two hours that the desk is open tonight. The library is fairly full, let's see if this translates to questions.

1. Wanted to know where the front door was
2. Needed help printing a pamphlet. We played with the settings. When she was printing from the BW printers you just had to make it flip on the short edge. The color printer was more complicated. I turned it over to the Front Desk. The Front Desk had no answers so I changed the binding setting to top instead of auto. That worked and the student now thinks I'm a super star. :)

This was an insanely slow shift. At least I got some reading done, and I was able to make one student's day. :)

AFBL Weeding

I have finished weeding the AFBL (accounting, finance and business law) section of the reference collection. There were 188 titles in this collection. I weeded 69 titles, and I moved 105 titles to the main collection. This left a total of 14 titles in reference. I made these decisions by looking at usage statistics and examining the collection to see if there was a newer edition or an alternate source for the information somewhere else in the collection. The oldest book I found was from 1924. As I have said before, it was evident that this section had NEVER been weeded.

If my calculations are correct I removed approximately 91.5% of the AFBL titles from the reference collection. That left 7.4% of the titles in reference. 36.7% of the titles were weeded from the collection and 55.9% were moved to the main collection.

I am now moving on to the DATH (dance and theater) section of the reference collection.

Reference Questions, 4/18/2011

I'm at the reference desk first thing this morning.The library is fairly empty. I expect a slow 2 hours.

1. (Email) Student was having trouble accessing databases off campus; she didn't know you had to login using your RU username and password to access them
2. Student was having trouble printing; anytime he selected a printer to use, the computer was telling him that there were none installed. I told him to go to another computer.
3. The scanner was scanning in black and white, not color. The default is B&W so I showed him how to change it to color.
4. Wanted to borrow a pen
5. (Email) Follow-up from previous email: She was still having trouble. She said she was trying to access the database from her My RU page, which she can't do. I walked her through how she should go to the database.
6. (Phone) Someone looking for another librarian that does not come in until 1:00 p.m.
7. (Email) Still can't get into LRC. I sent an email to our electronic resources librarian
8. Looking for a book on wetlands
9. Having trouble with WebCT. I can't help with that. That's the DoIT.

It's always fun when the databases do not want to cooperate.

Reference Questions, 4/13/2010

The semester is entering the final stretch. The last instruction classes are being taught this week. Students are working on finishing up their final projects and papers. We are live at the reference desk.

1. Wanted to borrow a highlighter
2. Wanted to borrow a highlighter
3. Wanted to borrow a pen and some scrap paper
4. Found a flash drive
5. Having trouble scanning a check to a website
6. Needed help finding a book in the stacks
7. Looking for Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult
8. Looking for an atlas of North America
9. Needed help finding a book in the stacks
10. Needed help using the scanner
11. Looking for an article on presidential power
12. Looking for a plastic bag and tape
13. Wanted to print something, but she's not a student here

I will return to the desk at 5:00 p.m. EDST.

It's reference time! I'm only here for an hour and then I get to go home. Yay! ;) I had some M & M's and a caramel frappuccino so I am ready for this.

1. Looking for scholarly articles on UNICEF
2. Wanted to know what floor we are on
3. Having trouble printing; her printing account was empty and she wasn't switching over to her RU Express

Time to head home. Netflix is waiting for me.

Reference Questions, 4/12/2011

The library is abuzz with students. Let's see if this translates to questions on this Tuesday night.

1. Needed help scanning a picture
2. Needed to copy a graph out of an article for her research paper; print screen and paint to the rescue
3. Needed help printing one-sided
4. Wanted to know what floor we were on
5. Wanted to know where the group study rooms are; second floor
6. Had some questions about using Word; wanted to know how to add a border to the page, how to center a photograph on a page and how to view the print preview
7. Wanted to know what printer was the color printer
8. Looking for specific books and DVDs on Appalachia
9. Looking for the Dead Poets Society and specific books on homophobia in the classroom
10. Looking for course reserves
11. Wanted to know which criminal justice databases to use when looking for info about human trafficking
12. Was having trouble printing; didn't have enough money in her account

A steady reference desk makes the two hours move quickly. :)

Reference Questions, 4/11/2011

It's supposed to be in the lower 80s here today, and it is warm in the library. I can't wait til they cut the air on in here. I loathe being hot.

1. Looking for the book Fight Club; we did not have it
2. Needed help attaching a file to an email
3. (Chat) Needed to find scholarly articles on Henric Ibsen; referred them to JSTOR
4. (Chat)  Needed to find scholarly articles on Henric Ibsen; JSTOR was a bust referred them to Literature Resource Center

I never complain about a slow shift. :) Now off to the BI meeting.