Fall Technolgy Preview

As years progress, so does technology. Past years have introduced new online features, and technology services that are designed to empower students and make their access to resources easier. Some of the past technologies and services that were introduced, include: Blackboard, Campus Connect, Student Webmail, and Wi-Fi access in the college's café and the Vera Bracken Library.

This Fall Semester will introduce a number exciting new technological innovations. Some of the things that you can expect to see include:

• UNIQUE STUDENT USER NAMES AND PASSWORDS. Students will no longer use generic terminal IDs and passwords to access computers. This user name/password set gives you access to your print privileges and the next feature, which is...
  
  
• NETWORK DRIVE SPACE. You will no longer have to worry about forgetting you flash drive or [YUCK!] floppy disk and not being able save your work. Students will be allocated space on the network drive system, and they will be able to store information on the drive and access it from any other machine that they can login to on campus.
  
  
• NEW E-MAIL SYSTEM. A new e-mail system has been implemented on campus and students will get broader and more reliable service from the new system than the previous system. All critical communications from the college will be delivered to this e-mail address.

In all cases, stay tuned as more details are released.

Fall Semester Services Preview

People often say to library staff, “Really, you’re still open? In the Summer?!” We simply respond, “Yes. Yes, we are.” Despite the slower Summer Semester at the college, there are many things that need to be taken care of, especially as the Fall Semester approaches. New materials and services are always being developed, in addition to maintaining our current high level of resources and services.

Some of the active projects that we are currently engaged in are:

• Development of a new interlibrary loans (ILL) software package. The vendor we selected is Relais International. Once the system is in place, all patrons will have greater control over their accounts (you will create and manage your own ILL accounts now) and submitting loans will be easier and more reliable than ever – either manually or through the online databases.
  
  
• Updating of the online catalogue public access catalogue (OPAC). The revised OPAC is the most significant update that we have made in the last 7 years. A host of new features have been added that include: news feeds via our blog, easier navigation (all features are accessible from any page), spell check added to Advanced and Basic keyword searches, and cover preview/additional publication information in records. In the latter case, a user might see the cover image of the book they are interested in. If you click on the image, you can get more information on the title that might include: author notes, larger cover image, reviews, summary, and table of contents. A prime example can be found by clicking here.
  
  
• A new instant messenger system will be used so that patrons will have another means to communicate with the library’s information team. You can use the instant messenger client of your choosing (AIM/iChat, Google Talk, ICQ, MSN Messenger, or Yahoo! Messenger) or the built-in Meebo widget to “talk” to us. Stay tuned and keep an eye open for the launch in September.
  
  
• We also continue to develop and maintain both our print and online collections. This is a never-ending task to bring our patrons the best possible resources we can.

As you can see, we are busy this summer. The library staff is hard at work expanding our services and your access to information. Despite all the development, we are never too busy to help our patrons and look forward to serving the faculty, public, students, and staff throughout August and the months that follow.

New Materials Lists Updated - July 2007

Library Services has posted its new materials lists for the month of July 2007. The lists can be found at: http://www.mhc.ab.ca/library/newmaterials.html.

Employment Opportunities

Medicine Hat College Library Services has a number of positions available. These job postings are for either the Brooks or Medicine Hat campuses.

Click on the job title to view the complete profile and requirements of each position:

• Library Clerk II - Circulation [Medicine Hat; Closes: 24 August 2007]
  
  
• Library Clerk II - Audio Visual [Medicine Hat; Closes: 24 August 2007]
  
  
• Library Clerk II [Brooks; Closes: 17 August 2007]

For directions on how to apply, click here.

August Hours

The Vera Bracken Library will be closed on Monday the 6th for the annual Civic Holiday, and on Wednesday the 22nd for College Day.

The Brooks Campus Library will also be closed on Monday the 6th for the Civic Holiday.

For more information about the libraries' hours of operation, click here.

New Materials Lists Updated - June 2007

Library Services has posted its new materials lists for the month of June 2007. The lists can be found at: http://www.mhc.ab.ca/library/newmaterials.html.

Services Disruption *UPDATED*

UPDATE #4 - 19 July 2007

Our online services have returned to normal operation. All online functions are now available - this includes the online catalogue, interlibrary loan, and database access from home.

Many Web-based services will still be unavailable or have intermittent access over the upcoming weekend. You can expect the services disruption to begin as early as 4:30 p.m. on Friday, July 20th.

We anticipate that all services to be available Monday, July 23rd.

UPDATE #3 - 18 July 2007

We are now in the 5th day of having most of our online services being off-line, and still no known end in sight.

To compound this, a clerical error led to us being notified that the previous weekend was scheduled for a campus-wide power outage. This was not the case. The annual power outage will occur this weekend - 20-22 July 2007.

You can expect all electronic services to be inaccessible over the course of the upcoming weekend. In addition to Library Services being unavailable, other college services that are expected to be disrupted include: BlackBerry, Blackboard, the college website, e-mail, ListServ, and Campus Connect services.

All services are anticipated to return to normal on Monday, July 23rd.

Again, we are sorry for any inconveniences and thank you for you patience and understanding.

UPDATE #2 - 17 July 2007

Unfortunately many of our online services continue to be down. University of Lethbridge technicians continue to work on resolving the issues. They hope that all services will be operational sometime in the next day or two. At present, no formal time for resumption of normal operations has been given.

UPDATE #1 - 16 July 2007

Due to unforeseen hardware and software issues many of our online services (interlibrary loan (ILL), online catalogue, home access to databases, etc.) have remained off-line. Our partners at the University of Lethbridge continue to work on solutions to resolving these issues. All parties hope for a final resolution by Tuesday, July 17th - though no specific time has been set.

Access to online databases is still available, but only on campus. Related services, such as Find It and ILL, remain off-line - even on campus.

No other college service is affected. Blackboard, Campus Connect, Student Webmail, etc. are all available as normal.

We appreciate your patience in this matter.

ORIGINAL POST

During the weekend of July 14th and 15th, Library Services will experience a disruption of online services. This will affect all aspects of online services - including access to the databases, interlibrary loan services, and online catalogue. Some services could be down as early as 4:30 p.m. on Friday, July 13th. Services could be up sooner than the 15th, but expect to encounter intermittent disruptions throughout the weekend.

Other college services that are expected to be disrupted include: BlackBerry, Blackboard, college website, e-mail, ListServ, Campus Connect services.

The disruption of services is the result of the college's annual maintenance and upgrading of electrical services.

We apologize for the inconvenience that this might cause for some patrons.