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 service.desk@cuny.edu. (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 megan.wacha@cuny.edu 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, kevin.collins@cuny.edu
• Primo: Allie Verbovetskaya, alevtina.verbovetskaya@cuny.edu
• EZproxy: Roland Samieske, roland.samieske@cuny.edu
• SFX: Roland Samieske, roland.samieske@cuny.edu
• E-Resource/Licensing: Nancy Egan, nancy.egan@cuny.edu

* For issues related to CUNY Academic Works, please contact Megan Wacha directly at megan.wacha@cuny.edu 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.