Self Service

I have attempted to check books in and out when there has been no one else at the desk and been told that the staff have been told that they can not help. You said the system was to ease queuse if no one else is about what is the problem?

If you have items for issue or return staff can show you how to do this by demonstrating the self service equipment. The University has invested a great deal of time and money in up skilling staff to help with any query raised at the Customer Service desk. Issuing books is one level of enquiry. The response is to show the customer how to use the self service equipment. This is expected practice in the majority of HE and Public libraries in the UK. Our staff are trained to help with every stage of your academic journey and ensuring that you can issue, return, renew and reserve any items required for your research - not matter how tiny - is the first step.

Self Service

why can the librarians behind the desk no longer check books in and out I find this very flustrating. Is this a longer term project by the university to cut the number of librrians employed?

Thank you for your comment. No it isn't a project to cut staff. Staff do not issue, return, reserve or renew items for you but they are expressly there to show you how. If you have been refused help with this please tell me when it was and I will follow it up.Taking routine, mundane tasks away from skilled staff frees them up to deal with more complex enquiries. Lots of businesses now have a self service element to manage queues and make staff available for the more in depth, skilled and difficult to solve questions from students. It started with atms in banks and now even supermarkets have self check outs.

At Polhill particularly it means you can return your loan items at any time. You are not tied to library opening times. You don't need to queue

Library staff do not not need to be stamping books, the value of skilled staff is in dealing with specific problems and facilitating early stages of academic research.

Wifi Connection

Wifi connection isn't good... any websites.. after some time says not responding

Thank you for your comment regarding the wifi signal 22.11.11 at Park Square

If you experience problems accessing the wifi network may I suggest 2 courses of action

1 please tell staff at the Customer Service desk so they can help you and/or log the issue

2 at lunchtimes and other periods of peak usage connectivity is patchy. It is worth moving to other areas of the LRC or indeed the University to find the best connection spot eg Costas or the Campus Centre.Alternatively you could log on to one of the LRC desktop pcs and use your network space for your assignment.

SPSS

Do you have an up to date authorisation code for SPSS 17.0. The one that you supplied to me has expired according to IBM.

By the way do you have SPSS for a mac?

SPSS 17 is no longer supported. You can buy a dvd of SPSS v 19 (£2) from any LRC it is retrospectively compatible for v 17. The file is too big to be downloadable and so we are not offering a download code.

We do not have SPSS for MACs. A way around this is to use or download Boot Camp from the Apple site. Then install Windows (costs approx £100). Your MAC will then work as a PC. You can then run our version of SPSS.

Marketing info from Apple at:

http://www.apple.com/macosx/compatibility/

We don't have any individual Mac licences as they are about £500 each

"Available Items"

For some reason even though it states the books are available they are not really. I think the library should keep a copy of each book behind so students can at least copy them

Thank you for your comment. The library catalogue only indicates if a book is available to borrow. Should someone want to use a book while they are in the LRC the book will remain "Available" on the catalogue. This is unfortunate but understandable.

I would always advise checking the shelves near where the book is supposed to be and check the "Collection Points" where books are stored prior to be being re-shelved. I am sorry but having reference copies behind the counter, of all our books is just impractical and would never resolve the scenario of where the Reference copy is already being used.

Silent Study Space - Polhill

I think there should be more provision for silent study rooms. The room available is not bigger enough on the ground floor of the library.

Thank you for your comment. Yes I agree with you! Unfortunately there is very little we can do in the short term (ie this academic year) but there are several proposals under consideration which include Silent Study space. We are hoping that at least one gets funding so we can improve provision in the future

Wifi Connection

I am still having problems with the wifi connection...

Thank you for taking the trouble to write again. I am sorry that you are still experiencing difficulties with the wifi connectivity. Last week (Nov 7 - 13th) we were experiencing a number of problems particularly with laptops using the Vista or Windows 7 platforms.

I am hoping these problems have now been resolved

If you continue to have problems in the LRC it would be worth trying to connect elsewhere in the University (eg Costas or the Campus Centre) or you could log on to one of the LRC desktop pcs and use your network space for your assignment.

Drop box at Polhill

Thank for taking the trouble to write a comment form regarding your suggestions for the library at Polhill.

Drop box:

The Returns Unit outside the library can be viewed as bit of a mixed blessing. If you are used to returning books inside remembering to do this before you come in is a new behaviour and inevitably will be irritating while you get used it. Dropping the books off in the Returns Unit is an advantage because

you don't have to lug the books around the library

or

you can drop them off as soon as come on campus so you don't have to drag them round with you

Staff "who aren't allowed to help us"

I am sorry that just simply isn't the case.

Staff cannot issue, return, reserve or renew items for you but they are expressly there to show you how. If you have been refused help with this please tell me when it was and I will follow it up.

Taking routine, mundane tasks away from skilled staff frees them up to deal with more complex enquiries. Lots of businesses now have a self service element. Learning Resources has introduced self service to manage queues and make staff available for the more in depth, skilled and difficult to solve questions from students.

At Polhill particularly as well as the comments above, it also means you can return your loan items at any time. You are not tied to library opening times.

Library staff do not need to be stamping books, the value of skilled staff is in dealing with specific problems and guiding early stages of academic research.

Self service

What do we pay your for nowadays - we do everything ourselves?

Thank you for your comment. Taking routine, mundane tasks away from skilled staff frees them up to deal with more complex enquiries. Lots of businesses now have a self service element to manage queues and make staff available for the more in depth, skilled and difficult to solve questions from students. It started with atms in banks and now even supermarkets have self check outs.

At Polhill particularly it means you can return your loan items at any time. You are not tied to library opening times.

Library staff do not not need to be stamping books, the value of skilled staff is in dealing with specific problems and guiding early stages of academic research.

Self Service

I prefer to speak and interact with real staff members when I come to the library. Why have staff if you can use machines for everything?

Thank you for your comment. In recent years the University has invested in self service equipment to reduce pressure on queues for mundane tasks and extend opening hours.

Issue, return and renewal activities are now done via self service at every campus. This frees up staff time to answer IT and research questions. We consider it of greater value to have trained staff to deal with these type of queries on an individual basis to encourage good academic practice.

Staff are available to show you how to use the self service equipment so please do not hesitate to ask at any time

Wifi Connection

When I try to connect to the internet on my laptop some times it does not connect

Thank you for your enquiry. Unfortunately sometimes the wifi signal varies. It is good practcie to move to a different location to see isf the signal is stronger there. At Park Square there is no wifi signal in the IT Suite

http://lrweb.beds.ac.uk/libraryservices/availableservices/wifi

If you experience further problems talk to staff at the customer service desk and be sure to tell them where you are trying to connect to the wifi network