The time has come for us to make the move to our new Library
system. During a two-week transition period, there will be substantial changes that
will affect our users. PLEASE refer to
this announcement for help in knowing what to expect.
MONDAY OCT 3 –
Library Catalog Goes “Read-Only”
On this date, the Library’s current catalog will become
“read-only.” This means that you will not be able to access your own personal
account in our online catalog, to check for due dates, renew items, etc. If you need to renew an item or consult your transaction history, please contact
the Circulation Desk and ask for their assistance.
You will still be able to look up call numbers and other information in our catalog,
but it will not include updated,
real-time data. So you won’t be
able to tell whether an item is currently on the shelf by looking at its
catalog record.
We
will be able to check out items as needed, EXCEPT for Course Reserves. During this
two-week period, there will be no overnight lending of course reserve
materials. Please be prepared to
photocopy materials you may need after open hours.
If
you need to return items, we can
accept them, but there will be no item check-ins during this period. No fines will be assessed against you for
unprocessed returns.
In
Richmond, we will continue to request Interlibrary
Loans from other institutions as needed.
You may continue to use the ILL Request Form found in our current
catalog. To borrow or return an ILL
item, please go to Jay McNeal’s office in the Instructional Resource Center.
WEDNESDAY OCT 5 –
New Library Website Begins
On
this date, the redesigned and updated Library website will become active. The site you have relied upon as the portal
for Library information, library.upsem.edu,
will have a new appearance and organization.
We
think you will find the new structure easy to navigate. For access to the catalog and the online databases, use
the links found under RESEARCH & RESOURCES.
On
this date, the Charlotte Library Facebook page will be shut down and all social
media posts will be consolidated in our combined Instagram (@upsemlibrary) and
Facebook page (http://facebook.com/UPSemLibrary).
WEDNESDAY OCT 12 –
Catalog Stop
This
date will be the last on which we will be using our old catalog. The Charlotte campus library transactions
will end at 4:00 pm, and at 6:00 pm the William Smith Morton Library will stop
all transactions. The Richmond building
will remain open for study but there will be no Circulation available.
THURSDAY OCT 13 –
New Catalog Comes Online
Beginning
on this date, we will be testing and finalizing all operations in the new
Library system. All functions will
become active as they are checked and cleared.
We expect some wrinkles and surprises on this day and possibly the
next. Please have patience as any
problems are addressed and corrected.
AFTER OCT 13
Even
after our “go live” date, there will be many improvements and refinements to
come. The main issue that will affect
users is off-campus access to our electronic resources. At first, we will carry on very much like we
do now, with your network user ID and password for access to the online
databases and other electronic tools, and your barcode/PIN login
for your Library account.
But our ultimate goal is a “single sign-on” system, which will enable
you to login just once to our system and move seamlessly to all of our
applicable resources.
TRAINING
OPPORTUNITIES – Oct 17-Nov 28
In
Richmond, Ann Knox is organizing a series of training events in the Digital
Learning Lab, beginning on Oct 17. These
will be informal 45-minute briefings on the use of the new systems, answering
your questions, etc. Because there are
only 10 places in the DLL, it will be necessary for you to sign up in
advance. Please stay alert for more
information about these sessions as it becomes available.
In
Charlotte, David Mayo will be training an OT class and introducing them to the
new system on Oct 15. There will also be
a short open class on Oct 22, and on other Saturdays during November.
We
wish to express our thanks to the “Hal Todd Library
Without Walls” initiative that is making this new system possible. Once everything is in place, we think users
will be delighted. You’ll wonder how we
ever managed without it!
We
do apologize for any awkwardness, confusion and inconvenience that may
accompany this transition. Thank you for
your patience!
