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: 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
Date Received: 2007-12-03
Type: web site feedback
Regarding: inquiry from other institution
Patron Comment: Hi there! We really like your catalog review system. We would like to implement something similar (however, unfortunately, we will not be using drupal...). We had a few questions. Are you running your website on the same server as your catalog? How did you get the links to your review application on the bib record? Is that web bridge? Also, we are curious if you have a problem with spam? Thank you! Web Designer Virtual Library Pima County Public Library
AADL Reply: Hello, thanks for your interest! Here are some answers: We have one Drupal server that handles all the public access to our systems. A drupal module presents the catalog to the user, but behind the scenes, that module passes queries on to a separate box, our millennium catalog server, which is serving a mostly-stock innovative catalog to what it thinks are all our patrons. However, that millennium catalog server is only used by the Drupal module as it forwards on search requests, account info requests, etc, and then processes the raw catalog output before returning it to the user. Does that make sense? That's how we get other stuff added in to our catalog pages. We're not using web bridge; but everything that the millennium catalog thinks it's delivering to the user passes through that Drupal module first, giving us an opportunity to do, well, whatever we want. As for spam, it's not really a problem at all. We require registration to post, and registration includes a captcha. Every once in a while, something gets through, but it's not a concern. I hope that helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or would like to talk about this further; we could find a time to talk on the phone. Thanks again for your interest, and good luck with your project! Eli Neiburger AADL IT Manager
Date Received: 2007-12-03
Type: complaint
Regarding: programs & events
Patron Comment: Jump (the library flyer with list of programs/activities) looks beautiful. However, it is very inconvenient to use. You cannot see on one page all the activities at your local branch during a particular month. The events are grouped by themes with all the branches bundled together. I would rather see all the activities/programs sorted by date at a local branch.
AADL Reply: Thank you for your feedback. We will take this into consideration when evaluating our brochures. Sincerely, Sherlonya Augustine Interin Youth Services Manager
Date Received: 2007-12-03
Type: compliment
Regarding: customer service
Patron Comment: Erin was able to quickly and concisely aid my search for children’s literature on the topic of homelessness. She was polite and also helped me retrieve the books from the shelves. I greatly appreciate her efforts!
AADL Reply: This comment was submitted anonymously.
Date Received: 2007-11-30
Type: compliment
Regarding: other
Patron Comment: You are the BEST LIBRARY EVER! As a teacher, I am SO GRATEFUL that I can count on your resources! Thank you SO much! Anne Rubin
AADL Reply: Thank you so much for taking the time to say so! It is a pleasure and a privilege to be supportive of teachers. Let us know how we can do more for you and your colleagues. Sincerely, Josie Parker Director
Date Received: 2007-11-29
Type: other
Regarding: other
Patron Comment: What library automation software runs your card catalog - or are you using open source software? Your catalog is terrific. I wish ours was more like yours. We have SirsiDynix Horizon - am not happy with its numerous limitations. Thanks, Public Services Director Dauphin County Library System, Harrisburg, PA
AADL Reply: Hello, thanks for your interest! Our automation system is Innovative Millennium, but our catalog is powered by a module we developed for Drupal (the open-source CMS that powers our website) that accesses the Millennium catalog on the patron's behalf and processes the output before returning it to the user. This allows us to offer a unified look and feel, single sign-on, and add features that our Millennium catalog does not natively support. I hope this information is helpful; please let me know if you have any other questions or would like to discuss this further. Eli Neiburger AADL IT Manager
Date Received: 2007-11-28
Type: general suggestion
Regarding: noise
Patron Comment: Limit the noise and swearing level.
AADL Reply: Thank you for contacting the Library. The Library makes every effort to keep order in the Library. Many afternoon and evening, we have Security staff assigned to branch locations. If you observe unruly behavior, please contact branch staff or Security immediately. Tim Minick Manager, Facilities