Thanksgiving Break?

Today began quite briskly with both weather and students, the latter working to finish last minute assignments before break and the former causing definite annoyance. As the day progressed patron traffic slowed dramatically, the printer rested, and computers became available; unfortunately the snow has not followed this trend. I have just returned to my office to resume work on a LibGuide! (and eat lunch)after sending a grateful student worker home early and covering the end of her afternoon shift in the IRC. A quick conversation with my GA, granting her permission to leave early if weather conditions worsen and IRC traffic remains non-existent, completes the last of my administrative tasks.

Thanksgiving break begins today after night classes or a student's last class, whichever comes first. It has been a long arduous stretch between Labor Day and Thanksgiving, break gives us all an opportunity to be thankful for an abundance of things and recharge for the last week of classes and finals. The library has already prepared to do its part by offering extended hours (the library as a place) and a holiday open house with music, fellowship, and food. And of course, there will be special holiday treats for my student workers.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Synchronized, it's more than swimming

Last Monday, a week later than posted previously (I jumped the gun a bit prematurely), the new Ashland University Library and Instructional Resource Center web sites went live shortly before noon. Thanks to the seemingly endless hard work by the Ashland University web master Shelly Shaver, the site roll-over itself went seamlessly. That said, network server changes combined with script oddities and other technology related gremlins, soon proved the actual launch may have been the easiest part of the process.

During the week that followed I learned, among other things, some scripts can overpower inherent LibGuides scripts and render the content management system useless (oops), style sheets can be applied to many different things, my computer is capable of hopping IP addresses, and web sites can, and probably should, be synchronized ... without the flowery swimming caps (it was cool). Luckily most of my lessons were learned behind the scenes and user web site service was not interrupted.

For the things we could not correct in-house (library), the IT department was able to manage for us by the end of the week - and - our new blog provided a communication tool to update users on progress. A few outstanding tasks remain, including a non-invasive header for LibGuides and updating the ERes page, but overall the project is completed. Yes!

I am so excited!

This week, barring any unforeseen complications, Ashland University Library and the Instructional Resource Center will both have new web sites! Even better, both are part of the University template and help with the branding and marketing of the sites. After a year of hard work, web committee meetings, and collaboration with the fabulous Ashland University web master who tweaked our template again and again to make it feasible for the library, I can not even begin to describe my enthusiasm for the end products.

Keeping my fingers crossed, actually and metaphorically, for a problem free launch later this week (I still have a couple of pages to finish).