Office fire safety is one of the most often over-looked aspects of fire safety. Not paying attention to these issues can lead to negative consequences. Earlier this week, I was dispatched to an office where a desk lamp was left on and unattended. The lamp’s bulb was sitting directly on top of some newspaper and the paper was beginning to burn. It was not apparent when I entered the office where the burning smell was coming from and took a few minutes to discover the exact location of the issue. Had someone not noticed the smell and had I not been close to the area when I was dispatched, a fire may well have ensued in the office. Luckily, disaster was averted, but greater care is needed by all of us to keep this situation from repeating itself. As a result of that incident I have compiled some tips to help us avoid any other potential situations like this one. Please be aware of the following tips and take these preventative measures so that our office areas in the library can be as safe as possible.
Following these tips and applying a good dose of awareness of our office areas should go a long way towards keeping our office areas as safe as possible.
Jason Touchatt,
Ellis Library Security
When the Journalism Library moves to its new space and is open longer hours, the staff will be providing some new services. One service the Journalism Library staff members have offered to provide is managing the camera equipment for J2100 classes.
J2100 is a core class for journalism that requires students to work together on 3 multimedia projects of increasing complexity. There are 18 sections with around 20 students in each section who must check out video camcorders, microphones and tripods 3 times during the semester. Coordinating the checking-out and checking-in of 30 sets of camera equipment to 360 students over a 3-5 day period is a daunting task that had been performed by the J-Net staff up until this semester.
Sue Schuermann and Michael Hopkins had watched frustrated students try to make it to the J-Net lab to check out equipment, only to find all J-Net staff away working on IT issues. They decided that they could start the camera management service this semester instead of waiting until the fall. This required storing the equipment in a convenient, yet secure location; applying barcodes to the equipment and entering it into the Merlin system; changing due dates according to projects; working with the J-2100 coordinator scheduling check-out/check-in dates; making sure the equipment works before checking it out; checking out equipment; checking in equipment; assessing fines, etc.
The Journalism Library staff is happy to report that it has been an amazing success. This was a service which was taken on by the library staff because they knew that it would provide a great service to students and faculty.
If you did not get a chance to participate in the Library Issues Forum that was presented by Sarah Cron on Thursday or if you did get to attend but had some additional thoughts, now is your chance to participate in the conversation . Please visit the Staff Development Committee’s programs page to see a list of ideas generated at the meeting and to submit your own anonymous comment.
Rebecca Graves has advanced to the Distinguished Level in Medical Library Association’s Academy of Health Information Professionals.
The New Technology Group usually meets on the first Tuesday of the month. The group will not be meeting in March.
Join us for an amazing performance by the MU Bassoon Ensemble on March 11 at noon. This new ensemble is comprised of members of the MU bassoon studio. They made their debut at Whitmore Recital Hall and were later featured in performance at the St. Charles Community College Double Reed Day. Now, you can enjoy their music in the beautiful Grand Reading Room (Room 201) of Ellis Library. This event is free and open to the public.
The Maneater, February 26, 2008
http://www.themaneater.com/stories/2008/2/26/breakdown-tiger-spot/
The Communications Committee is currently seeking students who could serve as volunteer libraries ambassadors for the 2008-2009 academic year. For more information about this program, visit http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/about/studentambassadors.htm. If you know of a student that you would like to recommend for this program or if you have an idea about recruiting students, please contact Shannon Cary at carysn@missouri.edu or 882-4703.
Columbia Missourian, February 22, 2008