CUNY Academic Works Monthly Report: September 2016
September not only marked the start of a new academic year, but the launch of a new monthly series in the OLS@57 blog: the CUNY Academic Works Monthly Report. This series will provide a quick snapshot of statistics and stories from the previous month.
In September, CUNY Academic Works grew by 224 new items, and received 27,568 new downloads by users in 168 countries. In fact, 54% of downloads were international!
The five most downloaded works include:
- “Training a New Trick Using No-Reward Markers: Effects on Dogs’ Performance and Stress Behaviors”
Series: School of Arts & Sciences Theses at Hunter College - “My Math GPS: Elementary Algebra Guided Problem Solving”
Series: Open Educational Resources at Queensborough Community College - “Resettling the City? Settler Colonialism, Neoliberalism, and Urban Land in Winnipeg, Canada”
Series: Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects at the Graduate Center - “The Growth of Incarceration in the United States: Exploring Causes and Consequences”
Series: Publications and Research at John Jay - “Reframing School Dropout as a Public Health Issue”
Series: Publications and Research at Hunter College
Stay tuned for future reports, and if there’s anything you’d like to see here, just let us know!
Winning with OLS Support Requests
When requesting help from the Office of Library Services, please consider these tips to move the work forward more efficiently on your behalf.
Pro-tips
1. Open a work order by emailing the CUNY Service Desk at [email protected]. (It is fine—and, in some cases, encouraged—to directly ask OLS staff members preliminary email questions prior to opening a work order.)
The subject of your email should read:
Product: XX – Brief description of request
where “Product” is the service/system (e.g., Aleph, Primo, SFX, etc.), “XX” is your two-letter campus code, and “Brief description of request” succinctly explains your problem or request.
* For issues related to CUNY Academic Works, please contact Megan Wacha directly at [email protected] or 646-664-8213.
2. If you are so inclined, copy an OLS staff member on your initial email to the CUNY Service Desk. This is especially relevant for urgent requests that require immediate attention.
- Aleph: Kevin Collins, [email protected]
- Primo: Allie Verbovetskaya, [email protected]
- EZproxy: Roland Samieske, [email protected]
- SFX: Roland Samieske, [email protected]
- E-Resource/Licensing: Nancy Egan, [email protected]
* For issues related to CUNY Academic Works, please contact Megan Wacha directly at [email protected] or 646-664-8213.
3. Always include your phone number and email address in your initial request.
4. Be specific and provide examples. This helps us identify and replicate what you are seeing. For example: mention the specific patron, bib record, item, or database in question; include permalinks or search keywords to help replicate a search; provide mockups for requested display/UI changes; supply off-campus credentials when reporting a problem with an e-resource or one facing remote users; and so on.
5. Add screenshots! (After all, a picture is worth a thousand words.) If you’re not sure how, learn how to capture screenshots in Windows or take a screenshot on your Mac.
6. Please mention any and all relevant deadlines as they apply to your request.
7. When asked follow-up questions by OLS staff, include that staff member on your email response.
By following these 7 tips, you can be sure that your request will be handled properly and addressed quickly!
If you notice that a CUNY library system is down, please follow the directions outlined in an earlier blog post: What to Do When an OLS Managed Service is Not Available.
