Reference at Newman Library

Tag: Library Services Wiki

Using Error Messages to Troubleshoot User Reports of Access Issues

If you’re helping a user who is reporting problems logging in, please consult these resources:

  • “Logging in to Library Resources and Services.” This page on the library website is written for the benefit of our users but may also help you quickly find the information you need, too.
  • “Error Messages.” This page in our password-protected Library Services wiki is for library staff. I added the text of three common error messages so that you can use the search feature in Confluence to quickly find this page if you have a snippet of the error message.

If you run into problems with logins, e-resources, bad links, etc., please report them to me or Michael Waldman as needed.

Sharing Database Links with Students and Faculty

In a new page in the Library Services Wiki titled “Sharing Database Links with Students and Faculty,” I tried to create guidelines that cover all the ways one might share something from a database with a student or faculty member. I also included workarounds for the databases where you have to take extra steps to be able to share something. Please take a look and let me know if something isn’t clear or doesn’t work as expected.

Related post: Identifying Articles from Weird EBSCO Database URLs

Finding Case Studies

I started a new page in the Library Services wiki for “Case Studies” so we can pool our collective wisdom about them. Please share what you know about finding them, access issues, etc. The content of this page doesn’t have to be limited to case studies for business; it could be any kind (although it’s the business ones that give us the  most questions from our users).

The Reference Wiki Is Now the Library Services Wiki

At the suggestion of Randy, the Reference Wiki has been renamed the Library Services Wiki to reflect the fact that it is now being used by Access Services staff to document policies, procedures, best practices etc.

With this name change comes a new URL for the wiki: https://www.baruch.cuny.edu/confluence/display/lib/Library+Services+Wiki

The link on the reference desk guide has been updated to “Library Services Wiki” and points to the new address.

 

Tour of the New Reference Wiki

Over the summer, an assistant in the reference office, Moon-Seok King, helped us migrate all the wiki pages from the reference wiki from PBworks (a free, hosted wiki service we had been using for over four years) to Confluence (wiki software that the college has bought and installed on a server here on campus). As of now, you can begin using the reference wiki at this new location:

https://www.baruch.cuny.edu/confluence/display/lib/Reference+Wiki

You will want to bookmark this URL on your own computer so you can easily return to the wiki. Today, I’ll make sure that the link on the browser toolbars on the reference desk computers goes to this version of the wiki. This means that you should now rely on the new version of the wiki and not the old (I’ll delete the old wiki from PBworks very soon).

I’ve created a video tour of the new wiki that shows you how to:

  • log in (same user name and password that you use to login to computers here on campus)
  • search for content (there is a search box in the upper right corner)
  • edit a page (look for the “Edit” button in the upper right corner of any page)
  • log out

At the next ISD meeting, I hope to talk a bit more again about the new home of the wiki.