What you have told us
Here you can search through numerous patron comments and the corresponding AADL replies. Search by the type of comment, in general by what the comment is regarding, or by a particular issue.
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Filter Patron Comments
Type: login problem
Regarding: login/password
Patron Comment: I have registered a password and user name successfully. This I used to access Rosetta Stone-or tried to. It kept me going back to the registration page, although the password and user name were confirmed to my e-address.....
AADL Reply: Thanks for contacting us. We have tested your username to get through the AADL authentication to reach rosetta stone at http://annarbor.onlinelanguagelearning.com.research.aadl.org/en/welcome and were successful. However, you then need to create a rosetta stone account in order to log in to rosetta stone; those accounts are not connected to aadl.org accounts, and if you're having trouble logging into rosetta stone, you can contact rosetta stone through http://annarbor.onlinelanguagelearning.com.research.aadl.org/en/contact . Please note that Rosetta Stone has decided not to offer a renewal to their contract with AADL and the product will no longer be available after 4/1/2008. You may wish to try Mango Languages at http://mangolanguages.com , which is currently free and we are evaluating as a potential Rosetta Stone replacement. Thanks for your interest, and please let us know if you have any further questions or trouble. Eli Neiburger Associate Director, IT and Product Development Ann Arbor District Library
Date Received: 2008-02-21
Type: other
Regarding: Technical Enhancement
Patron Comment: In my household, more than one person uses the same computer. Also, more than one person has a library account. Is it possible to show on the website who is logged in to the website? i.e. "person A logged in" That would be a welcome addition. Thanks
AADL Reply: Thanks for contacting us. It does currently display the logged in username at the top of the myaccount page, right under the catalog button. Please let us know if there are other places on aadl.org where you would like to see the logged-in username and we'll look into it. Thanks for your feedback, and thanks for using the library! Eli Neiburger Associate Director, IT and Product Development Ann Arbor District Library
Date Received: 2008-02-20
Type: web site feedback
Regarding: inquiry from other institution
Patron Comment: Wanted to say great job on your website! I came across the website based on a recommendation on the webjunction list-serv. It seems you are using a Content Management System to maintain the website, is this correct? Also, I think the video viewing of your programs is a great idea. What's the technology behind this? Would love to hear back. Great job on the website! Thank You, Information Systems Technician Bernards Township Library
AADL Reply: Hello, thanks for your interest! Our website is indeed powered by the open source CMS drupal. We're big fans of drupal, it's a really great foundation for a site. For our video programs, we modified a drupal video module to integrate with our events database, and we have a set of formats into which we export the digital video of our programs. The default view is flash video, which is just stored as a progressively downloadable file with no special server involved. I hope that's what you're looking for; please let me know if you have any other questions or if you'd like to schedule a call to discuss further. Thanks for the praise as well! Eli Neiburger Associate Director, IT and Product Development Ann Arbor District Library
Date Received: 2008-02-20
Type: other
Regarding: room rental
Patron Comment: Hello good library folk, I am a local CPA, resident of Pittsfield Twp, paying AA school taxes and I have a need to meet with a client for tax preparation outside of my office. Are the study rooms in the Mallets Creek branch availbale to use for such a purpose? I would use it for approx 2 hours on a Saturday around 10:00 a.m. for a meeting with 3 adults in attendance. I forsee the need to use this room, if I can, once a year around February. (My two dogs are constant companions in this office and my customer is allergic to dogs so it is not possible to meet him here.) Thanks for your prompt reply...
AADL Reply: All study / quiet / tutorial rooms are free, first-come, first-served only and cannot be reserved. We also cannot guarantee availability at any given or specific time. If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at (734) 327-8311. Thank you.
Date Received: 2008-02-19
Type: web site feedback
Regarding: storytimes
Patron Comment: Hello, I have a suggestion about the website. One feature that I would love and really miss is what I would call 'my shelf'. Let me elaborate: Many times, I search the catalog with a particular title or author/composer/director in mind. As I get involved in searching I come across many titles that I would be interested in borrowing, but don't need right now. Now, I want to somehow mark that I am interested in this particular title, and would like to borrow it at a later time. This is what 'my shelf' would do. I could save items to 'my shelf', and the next time around I could easily check items from my shelf and request them. Once I request an item from my shelf, it would be removed from the shelf, and added to 'my hold' list. In the current system, the only way for me to save my search results is to 'request this title'. I often do that, and all the items arrive at the same time. I think a 'my shelf' feature would be very valuable to library patrons. Thanks for running a great library.
AADL Reply: Thanks for contacting us. This is our most-requested feature, and you'll be happy to hear that we have what you describe in active development, and we hope to launch it this summer. Thanks again for your feedback, and stay tuned for this and other new aadl.org features! Eli Neiburger Associate Director, IT and Product Development Ann Arbor District Library
Date Received: 2008-02-18
Type: other
Regarding: other
Patron Comment: Do any of your facilities offer the use of scanners to the general public? Thanks and best regards,
AADL Reply: Thanks for contacting us. At this point we do not offer scanners to the general public, as there has not been much demand for the service. However, we do provide a scanning service for images that people wish to contribute to PictureAnnArbor, our open image archive. Please let me know if you are interested in contributing to that project; you can find out more at http://picturea2.com . Otherwise, you may find public scanning available for a fee at kinkos, and we will keep your request in mind for the future. Thanks for your feedback, and let me know if you have any other questions or trouble. Eli Neiburger Associate Director, IT and Product Development Ann Arbor District Library
Date Received: 2008-02-17
Type: general suggestion
Regarding: Technical Enhancement
Patron Comment: Dear AADL, I am writing to suggest that an upgrade be made to make the public computer terminals run faster. You have done a great job in recent years of making the Internet more accessible to folks. However, the slow speed of the terminals is dampening your good efforts. I believe your patrons would support an upgrade to the infrastructure. This would encourage more use and draw more people to the library. I am grateful for the progress you have led in this area as I submit this message from one of your terminals!
AADL Reply: Thanks for contacting us. You'll be happy to hear that we already have an upgraded system in the works that includes all new servers and a new terminal platform that will be rolling out over the summer and the latter half of 2008. However, we do currently have a server out of commission that is resulting in a heavier than usual load on the other servers, so there is a temporary performance problem that will be resolved shortly. Thanks again for your feedback, and please let us know if you have any further questions or trouble. Eli Neiburger Associate Director, IT and Product Development Ann Arbor District Library
Date Received: 2008-02-16
Type: general suggestion
Regarding: cell phones
Patron Comment: May I make a suggestion that I would really, really, really like to see implemented? I would like to see posters and/or signs in the 2nd floor computer area that read something to the effect, "All cell phone use MUST be taken out in the hall" and "Voices MUST be kept to a whisper when you are in the computing area." Maybe I'm just old, but I was raised to believe there are three places one should always be reverentially quiet - church, funerals and libraries. There really is way too much noise in that area of the library.
AADL Reply: Thank you for contacting us about your library visit being disrupted by noise. I am sorry to hear that your visit was disturbed. The Library's Rules of Behavior are available at every desk and online at http://www.aadl.org/aboutus/policies/behavior. Rule #12 specifically deals with sustained conversation or other sounds louder than the general noise level of the area. If you find your visits to any of our locations to be disrupted by sustained loud noise--whether from cell phones or simply loud conversation--please let us know at that time and we will address it. Thank you for taking the time to contact us.
Date Received: 2008-02-15
Type: other
Regarding: inquiry from other institution
Patron Comment: Hello. I'm the Assistant Library Director from Lincoln City Libraries in Lincoln, NE. We are very impressed by your web site and catalog. I would like to know if you are using a commercial ILS or if this is something that you have developed on your own. The card catalog visual received several positive comments. Thanks Greg
AADL Reply: Hello, Greg, thanks for contacting us, we're glad you like our website! Our ILS is Innovative Millennium, but our catalog is powered by a module we've developed for Drupal, the open-source Content Management System that runs our website. The card catalog display is one of our module's features. Please let me know if you have any other questions or if you'd like to schedule a call to discuss this further. Thanks for your interest! Eli Neiburger Associate Director, IT and Product Development Ann Arbor District Library
Date Received: 2008-02-14
Type: general suggestion
Regarding: other
Patron Comment: How about something to indicate where the line forms now that you have taken away the low wall on which I could once rest my books? I like be able to rest my books.
AADL Reply: This comment was submitted anonymously.