Student ID

Finals week, photo IDs, a Mouse etc

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Hi all, just a couple updates as we close out the semester!

By the way, great job with the game of shelves–it’s getting really tough to pick the best section!!

 

Make sure to look at photo ID when checking out

I had a student admit to me that she used her friend’s student ID to check materials out from the library. Personally, I’m not always great at scrutinizing ID photos. But we should watch for this sort of thing. Lately instead of swiping a student’s ID card, I’ve been manually typing in his or her information  (e.g. student ID number or name)–this way when I’m typing I can take a good look at the photo without being super-obvious.

In other words: 1) Always look at the photo on the ID 2) Use my technique if you need a little help in this area.

Close the check out screen when you’re finished checking out

I recently had two different people report to me that there were books on their records that they didn’t remember checking out. I found the books filed in the back, but the patrons had no recollection about checking the books out in the first place. So here’s what I think happened. I think the patron’s record was left up in check out mode, AND I think the tag reader picked up on a book that was nearby by mistake.

Always make sure to close out of the check out screen when you’re finished with a transaction — check out screen shown below (feel free to ignore the fines on my record)

Check out screen

A mouse!

If a student would like a traditional mouse to go along with the wireless keyboard (occasionally people ask), we now have one in the equipment drawer along with the headphones and markers. It’s not barcoded, so the student is on the honor system.

Manual Checkout

In case Sierra ever goes down and you have someone who would like to check out, we have a manual checkout sheet you can use. It’s now located in the top drawer of the silver filing cabinet with the group study room sign up sheet on top. It’s in a manila envelope labelled “Manual Checkout” — pretty easy right? Just fill out the form and leave it on the circulation desk. When Sierra comes back up, we can enter theinformation. Also, when the computers are down, we need to see a University ID with current fees paid sticker (instead of just a driver’s license or student ID without sticker).

NC State IDs

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Greetings,

As you’re all probably aware, when we check out Ohio State students at the circulation desk we are able to swipe their student IDs on the card reader. This automatically brings their record up in Sierra.

Well now, thanks to the efforts of Kay Foltz, we will be able to do the same for North Central’s student IDs. Any new North Central IDs can now be read by the card reader. The only catch is–most North Central students won’t have new cards.

So…this is where those of us who work at the public service desk come in: If you check out any North Central students at the front desk, please be sure to tell them that they can get a free ID replacement at the Rec Center. Obviously it’s not a requirement for them to get new cards, but it’s helpful to us.

When talking to students you can say something like, “I noticed you have an older ID card. If you’re interested, the Rec Center is offering free ID replacements for North Central students. The newer cards can be swiped on our card reader, so it can speed up your check out process.” Obviously, you don’t have to use my example word for word, just convey the message in a helpful and positive way 🙂

As always, if you have any questions–please feel free to ask me!