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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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Date Received: 2007-12-11
Type: complaint
Regarding: computers

Patron Comment: I use the computers at the pittsfield branch and sometimes they are agonizingly slow. Is this a situation that is always going to be the case, or are "they" working on it to always provide the "normal" fast speed of the Internet / library server? Thanks

AADL Reply: Thanks for contacting us. Due to a quirk of the internet connection at Pittsfield, the entire branch is susceptible to slowdowns as a result of high demand from wireless users. However, we are working on a solution to add a second connection at Pittsfield reserved for wireless traffic to keep the internet stations there from being affected by the ebb and flow of wireless demand. We don't yet have a date for when this solution will be implemented, but we are working on providing faster, more reliable service at Pittsfield. Thanks for your patience, and please let us know if you have any other questions or concerns. Eli Neiburger AADL IT Manager


Date Received: 2007-12-11
Type: compliment
Regarding: branch building

Patron Comment: Greetings, I would like to introduce myself and let you know that a group of librarians from Adrian Public Library will be visiting your Mallets Creek and Pittsfield locations on Friday Dec. 14. We are undergoing a renovation project and are visiting libraries in your area. We will probably be visiting your locations later in the day on Friday. We look forward to seeing your locations. Our architects, Bona and Kolb, have raved about them. Carol Souchock Library Director Adrian Public Library

AADL Reply: Thanks for letting us know, and thank you for the compliment to our buildings. We are very proud of them. If you wish to have someone from AADL present for your tours, let me know and we will attempt to arrange for that. Sincerely, Josie Josie Parker Director


Date Received: 2007-12-10
Type: other
Regarding: room rental

Patron Comment: I would like to reserve the third-floor free space for a few meetings of the Ann Arbor Sunday Artisan Market and its executive board. I cannot find procedure for doing so on the website. Thanks for your help.

AADL Reply: Information about reserving the aadlfreespace can be found at: http://www.aadl.org/services/aadlfreespace


Date Received: 2007-12-10
Type: other
Regarding: other

Patron Comment: Hi, Maybe I'm just being really blind, but I can't seem to find the hours for any of your branches on the website. Could you help me out? Thanks

AADL Reply: Hours and locations of our branches can be located on our website (www.aadl.org) by clicking on the "About Us" link, then scoll down to "Location & Hours" or copy and insert this link in your browser http://www.aadl.org/aboutus/hours. Library hours are the same system-wide. Thank you for your inquiry.


Date Received: 2007-12-10
Type: programs and events
Regarding: - NONE SELECTED -

Patron Comment: As a librarian interested in providing a similar program, it would help tremendously if you could give me some information on your Library Lego League. If you don't mind my asking, did you have a grant? How did you find funding for your program? Was it recieved well? I really appreciate your help and any input you would like to provide. Thanks! Sincerely, Kate Broadhurst Children's Programmer Kenton County Public Library 1992 Walton-Nicholson Rd. Independence, KY 41017 kate.broadhurst@kentonlibrary.org

AADL Reply: Thank you for your question. The Library Lego League programs that we hosted over the summer were wildly successful. In fact, we originally planned 3 sessions of the program, but due to the demand added a 4th event. The program was well received by our patrons and many are looking forward to having the program again in the future. We did not have a grant for this program. The funding for this program came from three diffrent areas, our technology budget, our youth services programming budget, and from the Friends of the Library. Please let me know if you had other questions about this program. Sincerely, Sherlonya Augustine Interim Youth Services Manager


Date Received: 2007-12-06
Type: web site feedback
Regarding: other

Patron Comment: I report the following in case you are not aware of the problem: After placing a request the user has two options -- "return to catalog display" or "view updated account information." A click on "view updated account information" indeed takes the user to his/her "my account" page but it does not display the recently-requested item. The user has to do a browser refresh in order to see the new item in his/her list of requests and holds. Again, just FYI --

AADL Reply: Thanks for your feedback. Unfortunately, this isn't exactly a bug, but more of a side effect of the fact that it takes 15-30 seconds for the request to be completed. Going directly to your my account page will often fail to immediately display new requests, but as you noticed, a refresh a few seconds later, after the request has completed, will display the new request. We'd like to change the text to better set expectations, but that text is not as editable as it should be and we haven't gotten to solving the problem yet. However, it's on our list, and we will address this issue as part of a future enhancement. Thanks again for your feedback, and let us know if you have any other questions or concerns. Eli Neiburger Associate Director, IT and Product Development Ann Arbor District Library


Date Received: 2007-12-06
Type: other
Regarding: other

Patron Comment: It's more of a question than a comment. What's "GarbageData"? it's on a CD I have on Request in my account. Does "GarbageData" mean there's something wrong with the disk or is it a technical error? Thank you for your time.

AADL Reply: Hello, thanks for contacting us. 'Garbagedata' is what our scripts display when they come across characters that don't display correctly. In this case, the "#1's" contains two punctuation marks that don't show up right and throw off our script. We'll look further into the problem, but for now, just rest assured that 'Garbagedata' is not an editorial comment. =) Thanks for your feedback, and please let us know if you have any other questions. Eli Neiburger AADL IT Manager


Date Received: 2007-12-05
Type: other
Regarding: room rental

Patron Comment: To whom it may concern, I am working at the University of Michigan in the ER research department. As part of a study that will be underway in 2008 we are obliged by our Institutional Review Board to hold a community meeting to desseminate information about our study and its purpose. We believe that the library may be the best place to do this. I was hoping you could get back to me about how to go about arranging this.

AADL Reply: Thank you for you inquiry. The following link http://www.aadl.org/services/publicspace/roomrental goes to our Room Rental page which gives general information on rooms available at the Library. Please note that rentals are limited to two times per calendar year and that rental groups may not charge admission, raise money, offer items for sale or interfere with normal Library operations. For information on room availability please call (734) 327-8311 Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Thank you.


Date Received: 2007-12-05
Type: compliment
Regarding: other

Patron Comment: I recently watched COD's DVD "Library Transformation: Making It Happen". So, I felt inclined to check your website. Your web page is very user friendly, and I am truly in awe to have had the access to your strategic plan, survey results, and committee findings. What a lesson in transparency and it is lovely to witness your desire to have the community informed, as well as involved. I work part-time in a public and in an academic library, I feel inspired to share the possibilities of change for the better under a leadership that is willing to involve and delegate. Congratulations!

AADL Reply: Thank you very much. I appreciate your taking the time to email me. Good luck with your projects, and if you have questions, don't hesitate to contact me. Sincerely, Josie Parker Director parkerj@aadl.org


Date Received: 2007-12-04
Type: complaint
Regarding: collections

Patron Comment: I visited the West Branch children's department Saturday, looking for an old favorite book, and was surprised to find the picture book shelves looking half as full as usual. I noticed that the only books remaining were those with newer dust jackets - all older and re-bound volumes seem to have been removed. Was there a purge? Any chance the discarded books are available for sale? Thanks for your time.

AADL Reply: Thank you for taking the time to contact us. We constantly maintain our collections according to guidelines that take such factors as condition of the material, accuracy, circulation statistics under consideration. We remove from our collection items that no longer meet the standards that we have for inclusion in our collection. When we remove books from our collection, we offer them to the Friends of the Ann Arbor District Library who may or may not choose to accept them for their book sale based on their own criteria. You may find additional information about the FAADL bookshop at their website: http://faadl.org/bookshop.html. I hope this helps. Sincerely, Sherlonya Augustine Interim Youth Services Manager