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October 27, 2005

CD Intermittent Availability

Brian Schoolar sent the following to the RIS list on October 10, 2005:

Woody has informed me that the CD-ROMs are acting up again. They seem to be working and not working at random. Apparently, the software running the CD-ROM tower needs upgraded, but the hardware is so old it's unclear whether the firmware upgrade will have any affect. So, until further notice there is no guarantee that any of the CD-ROMs will work at any given time.

The last firmware update we could apply did not have any effect and the hardware will not accept the final update. The situation is still as it was.

The cause of the problem is known and relatively simple. The CD server hardware was designed in 1998 to work with then current PC operating systems. The Windows operating system has undergone three major revisions since Windows 98, state-of-the-art at the time the server was built, but development on the server stopped with the December 18, 2000 firmware release. That's nine months before the October 2001 release of Windows XP, and nearly four years before the August 2004 release or Service Pack 2, which radically changed the underlying structure of XP.

In short, the desktop OS of our public workstations is incompatible with the CD server.

The ideal solution is to replace the CDs with web versions where possible. This is possible for five of the seven CD titles that remain networked: Film Index International, Index to American Periodicals of the 1700's & 1800's, Mediamark Reporter, Music Index, and World Development Indicators. Other accommodations would have to be made for Black Literature 1827-1940 and ComIndex.

We hope to have a resolution to this unfortunate situation in the near future.

Posted by bcmayes at 09:57 AM | Comments (0)

October 26, 2005

Review Files Purge Friday, 10/28

Pursuant to the Diamond Review File Procedures [PDF], review files will be purged when fewer than 20% of the available files -- that's 32 out of 160 files -- are empty. Currently fifteen review files are empty, and we missed the regular October 1 purge, so we're due.

The review files will be purged this Friday, October 28, 2005, per the guidelines for the regular October 1 purge:

If you have created review files that you no longer need, please take a few minutes to empty those files so that your colleagues can use them.

If you absolutely must keep a file, see the document referenced above for guidelines on how to ensure your file does not get deleted.

Posted by bcmayes at 04:26 PM | Comments (0)

October 19, 2005

New Systems Status Page Coming, Too

The hours pages aren't the only ones changing. To better facilitate delivery of services information to our users, the Library Systems Status & Alerts page will get a version upgrade in the next few days, as well. The new page can be previewed here.

As you may have guessed, it's running on the same weblog server and software as the TALON and Library Blog. The current page -- a static page on Athene, a SnapServer NAS device -- can be difficult to update in a timely manner: something we can't afford during an unplanned event. Additionally, the server itself is an integral part of our Business Continuation plan, so it needs to be as flexible as possible.

The weblog software will allow us to quickly enter and update information about the state of our local server-delivered services. At the same time, it will free up Athene to better serve its principal purpose.

As usual, feel free to contact anyone in LS&T with comments (or post one using the form below).

Posted by bcmayes at 03:38 PM | Comments (0)

New Hours Web Pages Coming Soon

Within a few days, a new version of our hours pages will go live on our website. Click here for a preview.

As with all new things, this is still a work in progress. For example, all the hours for January 2006 through the end of the 2005/06 academic year are now being updated. And as our patrons and staff begin using the new pages, we'll learn what needs to be done to make them better.

I'd like to acknowledge Chris Doyle's work on creating these new pages, and the patience of Marcia Woodruff, our temp in the VPL office, who has revised the hours in each and every calendar date-box.

Please feel free to send me your comments via email.

--Carol Lang

Posted by bcmayes at 09:38 AM | Comments (0)

October 18, 2005

Got Pics?

The Libraries have several pieces of digital imaging equipment available for use by Library staff. Digital cameras, scanners, and peripherals can be scheduled from the Digital Technologies Unit in Paley Library room 6.

We have the following digital cameras available:

You can also borrow these scanners:

...or schedule these scanners:

Full specs will be available on the Staff Intranet (Snowy) soon.

To sign-out, all we ask is that you give your colleagues the courtesy of advance notice before you need it (a day is preferred), and prompt return when you're done; and, if you've never checked out an item, that you get a brief orientation prior to first use.

Posted by bcmayes at 09:57 AM | Comments (0)

October 17, 2005

Welcome Keith Savage!

We are pleased to welcome Keith Savage, Server and Security Administrator, who began with Library Systems and Technology today. Keith will be responsible for all of the Libraries' servers in the Library and Wachman Eight Data Centers and will assist in development of Library security procedures.

Keith comes to us from California Microwave of Northrop Grumman in Belcamp, Maryland where he was responsible fo the integration and maintenance of the Unix base, and served with the United States Marine Corps as a Communications Specialist. He brings to the staff a significant knowledge of Unix and Linux operating sysstems.

Keith lives in North Philadelphia with his wife, Tierney, and their four children. We're glad he chose to make the Libraries and LS&T his work family.

Posted by bcmayes at 04:32 PM | Comments (0)

October 13, 2005

Opera Browser Now Free

On September 20, 2005, Opera Software permanently removed the ad banner and licensing fee from its web browser. The ad-free, full-featured Opera browser version 8.5 is now available for download - completely free of charge – at http://www.opera.com/.

The Opera browser comes with many of the features users have come to expect from browser such as tabbed browsing, download management, integrated searching, and pop-up blocking, as well as such extras as a built-in email client, RSS feed reader, and IRC client. Various customization, web development, security, and accessibility features along with full-screen and kiosk modes make it a viable option for nearly all web surfing. It's available for all major platforms, including many hand-held devices.

The Libraries' home page doesn't currently display as desired in Opera, and this will be resolved presently (timing dependent upon the University's web guidelines goals). All other local pages work just fine, including Snowy (Intranet), WINGSS, and the blog and exhibitions servers. Ask a Librarian and Web Document Delivery services seem to work, too. TUportal2 is not currently compatible with Opera, though Blackboard, TUmail, and the current TUportal are.

If you want to try Opera, just poit your browser to the Opera web site. LS&T will be learning it along with you, but we'll surely help as we can.

Happy surfing!

Posted by bcmayes at 11:59 PM | Comments (0)

WINGSS Self-Service Web Back

The problem with WINGSS Self-Service Web has been resolved. Thank you for your patience.

Posted by bcmayes at 05:49 PM | Comments (0)

Symantec Antivirus Updated

Symantec Antivirus Corporate Edition, the anti-virus software licensed by Temple University, has been updated. New in version 10 are several enhancements including protection from spyware and malicious adware that obviates the need for the much-despised Ad-Aware/Ad-Watch software. The upgrade is not automatic, so LS&T will rollout the new version via WINGSS Deploy in the coming week.

Any computer that gets extensive attention in the interim will have the new version installed as part of the work. Otherwise, we will let all staff know when the deploy action is to take place. If you don't want to wait and wish to install the new version yourself, you may do so by going to the Computer Services Antivirus Distribution Site and following the instructions. If you aren't comfortable doing this, don't fret. The old version is still receiving updates and will keep you just as safe.

As usual, feel free to approach anyone in the Library Enterprise Systems unit with questions in this regard.

Posted by bcmayes at 04:51 PM | Comments (0)

WINGSS Self-Service Web Down

We're currently experiencing a problem with WINGSS Self-Service Web. Attempts to login are met with an error message. We are investigating the problem and hope to have a resolution soon.

Please use email -- to helpdesk@library.temple.edu -- to submit requests for service that you would normally place through the web. They will be collected and auto-logged by WINGSS Agent, which is functioning properly.

Posted by bcmayes at 04:34 PM | Comments (0)

October 06, 2005

Linking Problem Delays Contibute 3 Rollout

The rollout of Contribute 3 will be taking a temporary hiatus due to a problem in the newer version that is resulting in bad links. This issue has been reported to Macromedia through Computer Services, who have sole problem reporting responsibilities under the University's support plan for Contribute. We are currently awaiting their response.

The problem occurs when someone attempts to enter the new, prefixed URLs for subscription resources into the "Insert Link" dialog box. This action results in the conversion of certain characters to their ASCII character code values, expressed in hexadecimal. Specifically, the colon after the "http" in the resource's URL is expressed as "%3A" and sometimes the question mark after the word "login" converts to "%3F." Attempts to correct this in Contribute and save the change fail, and the corrected characters revert to the same codes, making production of an accurate link impossible from within Contribute.

Posted by tendril at 04:09 PM | Comments (0)

October 03, 2005

Contribute 3 Rollout

Contribute 3, the latest version of Macromedia’s graphical Web-editor, has been purchased by the Libraries and will be installed over the next two weeks. Arrangements will be made with individual content updaters currently using Contribute 2 to have that program uninstalled and replaced by the newer version.

One immediate and welcome benefit of the upgrade will be the end of the layering effect that caused page elements to display on top of each other when first entering page edit mode. Current users of Contribute 2 can prepare for the switch by locating their latest connection key provided by LS&T and making sure it’s available on their desktop.

Posted by tendril at 10:34 AM | Comments (0)