Piping Up

Q. Your new catalogue system makes it much faster and easier to find what I’m looking for. I’m sure the upgrade was a lot of work, but it’ll really pay off for your users. Thanks for all of your hard work!

There’s a problem you might look into, though. Right now, users of the catalogue search PCs in the library need to enter a username and password just to search the catalogue. This bogs down searching, makes an unwelcoming entry, and disables search entirely for people without library cards.

A. Thanks for your kind words on the new Fast Search service. It does provide a way to find a much wider range of library materials. However, as you point out it has some implications for our catalogue search workstations. If you perform a search at one of these workstations using the new Fast Search option on the home page it does require you to enter your ID and password. The reason for this is that Fast Search is not just searching the Library’s catalogue but also many of our licensed electronic resources. Only authorized users, i.e. students, staff, and faculty at SFU, are permitted to access these databases hence an ID and password is required.

Brian
—
G.W. Brian Owen
Associate Univ. Libn. Processing & Systems

Library Systems is still looking at a more elegant solution to support catalogue searches at these workstations without requiring an ID and password. However, there are two current solutions that should work for you:

1. We just added a Catalogue only search option to the searchbox on the Library’s home page. If you select the Catalogue tab instead of the Fast Search tab you can search the local catalogue without being required to enter an ID and password.

2. Walk-in, or guest, users can also obtain a temporary guest ID from one of our service points. This will allow you to access all of our resources from any workstation in the Library during your visit. More information is available at:

http://www.lib.sfu.ca/faqs/i-dont-have-an-sfu-id-or-password-how-can-i-use-the-library-computers

I hope this helps. And thanks again for the feedback!

Author: Eileen Joy & Myra Seaman (eds.)
Title: Postmedieval Journal
Publisher & where & when published: Palgrave Macmillan, England, 2010 -
Where you saw this item mentioned: Recommendation of colleague
Acquire for which library?: Bennett (Burnaby Mountain)
Your affiliation: SFU Graduate Student

A. Hi,

Sincerely,
Rebecca Dowson
—
Rebecca Dowson
Liaison Librarian: English and History

Author: Jonas Löwgren and Erik Stolterman
Title: Thoughtful Interaction Design: A Design Perspective On Information Technology
Publisher & where & when published: ISBN-10:0-262-62209-2
Where you saw this item mentioned: Internet, one chapter recommended for reading
Acquire for which library?: Bennett (Burnaby Mountain)
Your affiliation: SFU Graduate Student

A. Thank you for your book suggestion. I am pleased to let you know we have this title in our collection http://troy.lib.sfu.ca/record=b3860804~S1a. I notice both copies are currently out to other patrons. I suggest you place a hold on one of the copies.

Regards,
Leslie
–
Leslie Rimmer
Collections Librarian
Liaison Librarian for Biological Sciences

Q. Are there any free magazines to take? As in, the non-current Times, Newsweeks etc offered? What happens to the old ones once they are not current?

A. Thank-you for your question.

Sincerely,
Patty
—
Patty Gallilee
Head, Acquisitions and Serials Division

Author: Éric Toussaint and Damien Millet
Title: Debt, the IMF, and the World Bank: Sixty Questions, Sixty Answers
Publisher & where & when published: Monthly Review Press (September 30, 2010)
Where you saw this item mentioned: Professor Recommendation
Acquire for which library?: Bennett (Burnaby Mountain)
Your affiliation: SFU Undergraduate Student

A. Hi,

Your suggestion that the library purchase ‘Debt, the IMF, and the World Bank: Sixty Questions, Sixty Answers’ was forwarded to me in my capacity as Economics Liaison Librarian.

Thank you very much for taking the time to make this suggestion. We try to ensure our collection meets the needs of SFU Students, Faculty and Staff. I have ordered this book and requested you be notified when it arrives.

Best wishes,

Carla Graebner
—
Carla Graebner
Liaison Librarian:
Archaeology, Economics and Government Information

Q. Hello,

I need to watch a documentary for my anthropology class, but my prof said the only available copy is at UBC, and that I could somehow get in through our library. Would you be able to help me do this? I don’t understand how that works. I am looking for the documentary called “Chore Wars”. Please let me know!

A. Hi,
Actually, there is no way to get the film in through the library, as libraries to do not send audiovisual materials out on interlibrary loan. The reason for this is the short time period for loans of these materials and the increased risk of damage to the materials. The post-secondary libraries do have a system for lending materials for classroom viewing of films, but this is available only for the showing of a film to an entire class and the videos are shipped by courier. This not a regular service and is therefore not available to library patrons.

Best regards,
Don Taylor
—
Donald Taylor
Assistant Head, Access Services

I like the new Fast Search system – I’m finding all sorts of things that I wouldn’t have otherwise. It’s so much easier to find journal articles!

Author: mccarthy, tom
Title: c
Publisher & where & when published: knopf 2010
Where you saw this item mentioned: 2010 booker shortlist
Acquire for which library?: Bennett (Burnaby Mountain)

Author: josipovici, gabriel
Title: what ever happened to modernism?
Publisher & where & when published: yale university press, 2010
Where you saw this item mentioned:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/sep/04/gabriel-josipovici-modernism-tom-mccarthy

Acquire for which library?: Bennett (Burnaby Mountain)
Your affiliation: SFU Staff

A. David,

Cheers,
Rebecca
—
Rebecca Dowson
Liaison Librarian: English and History

Author: Tak Wing Chan
Title: Social Status and Cultural Consumption
Publisher & where & when published: Cambridge University Press, 2010
Where you saw this item mentioned: University of Oxford Sociology reading list
Acquire for which library?: Bennett (Burnaby Mountain)
Your affiliation: SFU Graduate Student

A. Hi,

Thanks
Moninder
—
Liaison areas:
Sociology/Anthropology, First Nations Student Centre (FNSC)
Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies (GSWS)
Resource and Environmental Management (REM)
Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute (SICI)

Author: Bill Bryson
Title: A Brief History of Nearly Everything
Publisher & where & when published: Broadway
Where you saw this item mentioned: I read this book for a Methodology course
Acquire for which library?: Bennett (Burnaby Mountain)
Your affiliation: SFU Graduate Student

A. Hi,

Best regards,
Leslie
—
Leslie Rimmer
Collections Librarian
Liaison Librarian for Biological Sciences