More Important News about Rooms

This week you have said over and over again, "The stapler is over there." Prepare to next say "I'm sorry, but all the rooms are checked out."

From today and until mid-November, the USCO will be using our group rooms for interviews Mondays-Fridays, 8:00-5:30. The number of rooms they will use will differ day to day. On some days, they may be using all of our rooms.

Because of some close calls, Terry and Matt will be going over policies and procedures with you regarding the reservable rooms (154, 156, 158, and 160). Most importantly: ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS CHECK THE RED NOTEBOOK BEFORE RESERVING, CHECKING OUT, OR RENEWING A RESERVABLE ROOM (154, 156, 158, AND 160). IF YOU HAVE ANY DOUBTS OR QUESTIONS ABOUT CHECKING OUT THESE ROOMS, GET YOUR SUPERVISOR. WE WILL BE MOST HAPPY TO HELP YOU AND ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS.

Room 188

The key for Room 188 has been placed in the box with keys for the reservable rooms (154, 156, 158, 160). However, room 188 is not reservable! Its key is in the box with the reservable rooms only because it should be checked out as a last resort. Room 188 has water leaks which have necessitated the removal of the big screen monitor. On dry days, the room can be used by groups with the understanding that there is no monitor available. On wet days, the key will be pulled by Jeri, and she will hold it until the room is dry enough to be used again.

Got questions about this or anything else? Ask your supervisor, of course.

3 Hole Punch

To keep it safe, the three hole punch has been moved from the new supply table to under our service counter. Guests will need to ask you to use it, just like they do the heavy-duty stapler.

We know you're probably getting tired of saying, "The stapler is over there on the table." Hang in there, our guests will have the new location figured out soon. They're university students. They're smart, right?

Where did the stapler and stuff go?

This is the question you will be answering for the next couple of weeks. The office supplies that were on the service counter are now on a table between the pillar and printer #2 next to the glass windows. The only exception is the heavy-duty orange and black stapler which remains under the service counter. Please give it to guests to use at the desk as they ask for it.

So why did we move everything? Having the supplies next to the printer should be more convenient for our guests. It should also cut back on some of the chaos at the service desk when multiple groups are looking for rooms and multiple people need to staple papers together for their next class.

Do you have an idea that might make our work more efficient and help us better serve our guests? Please share it with Terry or another staff member.

Renewals for Keys & Reserves

Ah, it's that time of year already! Time to talk about renewals for room keys and reserve items. Here's the scoop:

*Room keys may be renewed as long as we do not have names on a wait list. If guests are waiting for a room, a key cannot be renewed.

*A reserve item may be renewed as long as a duplicate item is on our shelf. If the reserve is one-of-a-kind, it can be renewed as long as no one else has asked for it. (If you have just come on duty, check with your co-worker or a supervisor to see if the item has been requested by someone else.)

Got questions about renewal policies? I know you know who to ask.

Thanks for all the renewing, checking out, picking up, putting away, answering questions, smiling at guests, etc. that you do while you're on the clock at BUSP.

Unexpected Absences

Did you wake up with a sore throat? Have a emergency you need to tend to? Life is notorious for not always going exactly as we plan. If you find you need to miss a shift unexpectedly and there is no opportunity to post a sub notice, call 812-855-1957 and ask to speak to a supervisor. We ask that you call, rather than e-mail a supervisor, because an e-mail may not be read until after your shift has expired. (After all, it's entirely possible that the supervisor you e-mail is off tending to his/her own sore throat or emergency.) If you call and speak to a supervisor on duty, you know your absence will be recorded. Calling in does three things: 1) It allows us to plan the work load around your absence. 2) It means less time will be deducted from your time bank than if you are a "no-show." 3) And lastly, since we care about you, it keeps us from worrying too much.

So once again, the number to call when life throws you a whammy is 812-855-1957. Ask to speak to the supervisor on duty. Make a note of the number, OK? Thanks!

First Mate Duties

If you're not occupying the Captain's chair, you're sitting in the First Mate's chair. (That's the chair closest to the IC entrance and reserves.) Since our guests generally go to the person occupying the Captain's chair, the First Mate's position is a little less hectic. The First Mate is also closest to the book drop and the book shelves where we place returned books once they have been discharged. Because of these things, it makes sense for the First Mate's duties to include checking in all books placed in the book drop, putting them in call number order on the shelves under the desk, and transferring them to a book cart when the shelves are full. Not sure how to file books in Library of Congress call number order? Your supervisor will be most happy to teach you the rules.

Of course, people are more important than books, so be sure to give any guests who come to you at the desk your focused attention. And do be sure to help out your partner sitting in the Captain's chair by inspecting rooms when keys are returned.

Are you always stuck occupying the same chair when you work your shifts? By all means, ask your co-worker to switch places with you. He/she may very well be tired of occupying the same position too. Variety is the spice of life, right?

About Room Reservations...

Room reservations are catching on and have necessitated a tweaking of our checkout process. Rooms 154, 156, 158, and 160 may be reserved up to a week in advance for a TWO HOUR period. Groups of two or more may reserve one two hour time block per day, no more than seven days in advance. Reservations must be made in person, and the person making the reservation must present his/her IU ID to you. When you record a room reservation, you must follow these four steps: 1) Locate the page in the red reservation notebook and draw a box around the two hour time period for one of the four rooms, 2) using the guest's I.D., clearly write his/her name inside the box, 3) using the ID, write the guest's bar code number inside the box, and 4) write in the hours of the reservation inside the box. There is an example page and instructions in the front of the red notebook that may help you with this process.

At the time of checkout, the person who made the reservation must be the person checking out the room key. If the person with a reservation has not shown up within ten minutes of the beginning time of the reservation, the room becomes available to others on a first come, first serve basis.

Got questions? By all means, ask your supervisor.

Important Number: 5-3802

The number to call when people are experiencing problems with the computers or the printer just outside the I.C. is 5-3802. Report the problem (printer jam, out of paper, etc. to the person who answers and tell them the location is SPEA 199.

Got questions about this? You know who to ask, right? (Answer: your supervisor)

Hey, Who's That?

Have you met Christina Sheley, our new Interim Head? Before joining the BUSP staff, Christina was most recently a Reference/Instructional Librarian at Ivy Tech Community College in Indianapolis. Prior to that, she worked for the IUB Libraries as the Visiting Librarian for Anthropology, Folklore, Social Work, and Sociology. In addition to her library experience, she has been employed by the Kelley School of Business as a Lab Instructor and Marketing Coordinator, and has served as the Creative Director for the IDS. Christina’s degrees include a Bachelor’s in Science in Telecommunications and Psychology and an MLS from the School of Library and Information Science. If you haven't already, take a minute and introduce yourself the next time you see her.

Shhh...

This is just a reminder to please be mindful of the loudness of your voice and also of your subject matter when chatting to your co-workers at the service desk. Our voices carry, and some conversations may just not be what our guests want to overhear while they're trying to work. (Take the intimate details of what you did on last night's hot date, for example.) Remember that you are a professional working in a public place when you are on the clock.

Thanks for all you do. --Terry

What is wrong with this picture?

Because our guests are drawn to it, someone should always be sitting in the "captain's chair." (It's the chair in the rounded area of the service desk.) If you happen to be the only assistant on duty, please be sure to occupy this chair and not the one closer to our exit. We want to make ourselves as available to our guests as we can. Besides, it's fun being the captain, right?

By the way, Angela was not out of line by not occuping the captain's chair when I took this picture. We had to ask Anastasia to vacate the captain's chair so I could snap the shot of the empty seat.

Thanks for all you do. --Terry