a word about QuestionPoint service interruptions

This week I have had both a QuestionPoint Users Group and a 24/7 Reference Cooperative Advisory Board meeting and I received further clarification as to the issues that QuestionPoint has been experiencing the last few months:

On June 21st, QuestionPoint moved to a larger capacity back-end database and new operating system. This was a move initiated by OCLC for all their products because of increasing traffic and the need for higher capacity.

In September, traffic increased as per usual with the start of the school year and this stressed the new database application. There were tweaks and optimizations completed to manage the issues occurring but it wasn't enough. Throughout the last week of September, there were many "bounces" to the server. When QP "bounces" the system what they're doing is taking the server offline and immediately rebooting it in order to clear out the cache and database tables that get bogged down. On average, a "bounce" takes 10 - 15 minutes to complete before the system is up and running again. Often, Cathay and I do not get a lot of notice before a "bounce" occurs but if you are unable to access QP, try again in a few minutes.

September 27th, QuestionPoint moved to a previous version of the new back-end, high-capacity database software and saw a significant reduction in connection and server issues. For whatever reason this move also caused the data counts for the 9/27 daily reports to quadruple. The monthly data counts for September are reported to be correct but the 9/27 daily count is still incorrect.

Currently, response times are mostly back to pre-June levels, sometimes better. There are occasional surges (like today's problems) but the QuestionPoint team is tirelessly working to identify and resolve these issues. Both Cathay and I and the QuestionPoint team thank you all for your patience while these issues are sorted out.

Cathay and I do our best to keep the Staff Support website and mdaskusnow listserv up to date when we know issues are occurring but the best and fastest thing we can do is update our status messages in our Meebos on the Contact page. You can also use these to contact us in case of an issue. If you were in the habit of checking the OCLC system alerts page I learned that the page is updated by OCLC support and sometimes takes a while for QP to get an alert out; they usually forgo this if they believe it's a "short" issue. Instead, they rely on messages to the QP_L list, which we then fwd to the mdaskusnow listserv and note on my meebo.

When customers try to access AskUsNow! and QuestionPoint is down, they see an OCLC page letting them know that the system is down. If they are already in a chat session and the server goes down, they are disconnected; unfortunately in this manner they may not realize it is a tech problem versus anything else. We do have a note on our Welcome Login page that customers see when the come into the service that lets them know we are having difficulties. Hopefully this message helps alert people to the possibility of connecton issues.

Again, we thank you for your patience and hope that we are able to keep the frustration down to a minimum. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about this.

Marketing Trends to Watch

Library Journal's Bubble Room blogger identifies 13 cultural shifts that libraries can turn into opportunities to reach patrons

http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6698259.html

Silly Hat Day

Yesterday was BCPL's staff day. The theme for the day was “Stress less…Enjoy the Rest" and to that end, we all received mini back massager toys and enjoyed a speaker, Rosanne Torpey, who spoke to us about laughter, silliness, perspectives, and stress. She spoke about how we all need to lighten up, rely on our technology less, be open to different perspectives more, and not forget to take that 30 minute walk or laugh break.

While on vacation i had a moment of clarity about my life and how i had let work and other things start to dictate what and how i do things, instead of keeping myself in control. I decided to return to work with my new attitude and infect everyone with it. As it turns out, i came home and got sick so i kept the infecting piece to myself for a while.

Then on Sunday, at a friend's baby shower, the brother of the father was making balloon hats for the few kids that were in attendance. Of course, i had to get one. I got a specially made "Level 10 Zany" hat and ring.

And, as if i hadn't gotten the point already... the keynote speaker yesterday kicked things into high gear for me and today i came in to work and announced that next week (during our department meeting) was going to be Silly Hat Day. To emphasize the idea, i've been wearing a newspaper hat i've had on my shelf for a year. I've already gotten many "thank you for making me laugh" comments from around the building and it's not even noon.

If there's one thing i've learned from my father (well, really there's tons) is to not take yourself too seriously. Life is too short to take things, especially yourself, seriously. Wearing a silly hat, or bringing a rubber chicken to a meeting (like my dad is known for doing) reminds people that we're all human, we're all in this together, laughter is good (and healthy) and allows people to be silly which helps force the tension out of your body and your mind.

Silliness and laughter really does make you feel better. Go ahead, try it now. Laugh. Even fake laugh if you have to, it will still work just as well. You'll feel your muscles relax and you'll be more centered to continue on with your day. You know it's true- you can't throw a ball while you're laughing can you? No, cause you're too relaxed!

I think it's important that even as a service like this one, spread out over an entire state, we all create a sense of community and fun. After all, life and work should be fun otherwise what's the point?

So won't you join me in Silly Hat Day on Wed, Oct 21st? Let your silliness be infectious! Upload your picture and post it on flickr, twitter, in the comments here or email me and i'll put them on the AskUsNow! flickr page in a private area only your fellow AskUsNow! librarians can see.

Thank you goes to Beth in Howard County, for prompting that this idea go beyond the walls of the building.

Update: a pool on flickr has been created if you'd like to upload your #sillyhatday photos there!

It's October...and thoughts turn to Poe

The darkening chill entered our living spaces with a suddenness that surprised each of us. Most upset was our cat who took to burrowing under the blankets until the warming of a mid-day sun melted her disposition enough to emerge from a semi-hibernation. Thoughts about activating the heater with the initial smelly blast, or at least getting a fire going in the livingroom's fireplace creep into my thoughts. I find I am checking our candle supply, making lists of winter needs for hands and feet, and am urged outside to prepare the garden and pond for the icy cold north wind's soon arrival.

I also find I am looking at our collection of books and movies and am drawn to the spooky ones. "I am Legend," "The Sixth Sense," "The Masque of the Red Death." My mood embraces Poe.

Edgar Allan Poe's death is said to occur on October 7th, 1849. In honor of that, here are some resources to share and delight!

1. A lengthy list of Poe's works are available through The Project Gutenberg. Scroll down about two-thirds of the page to find "Poe". Some are available as audio versions:

http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/authors/p

2. Five works are listed through Literature.org. These include "The Cask of Amontillado",
"The Pit and the Pendulum", "The Assignation", "The Tell-Tale Heart", and "The Tale of
the Ragged Mountains":

http://www.literature.org/authors/poe-edgar-allan/

3. A well-known (and often humorous) tribute site to Poe is called "The House of Usher."
This site offers a biography, myths and legends, works, films, and more:

http://www.houseofusher.net/

4. The "Poe Decoder" is a site 'started by a small group of Poe enthusiasts,' who offer literary
criticisms and resources:

http://www.poedecoder.com/

5. Baltimore (Maryland) is rich with Poe history. Two resources offer interesting biographies and information:

• The Edgar Allen Poe Society of Baltimore, online at:

http://www.eapoe.org/

• Enoch Pratt Library (of Baltimore) provides an online resource regarding its special Poe Collection:

http://www.prattlibrary.org/digital/index.aspx?id=180

Curl up with those lap blankets, a cup of tea, and a loving pet and experience Poe's world, deep into the recesses of madness and despair! But only for a while...we want you back in the real world by the morning!

Banned Books Week Web Resource List

It's here! Banned Books Week for 2009, September 26 through October 3.

The American Library Association's website states:

Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read

Banned Books Week (BBW) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment. Held during the last week of September, Banned Books Week highlights the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States.

Intellectual freedom—the freedom to access information and express ideas, even if the information and ideas might be considered unorthodox or unpopular—provides the foundation for Banned Books Week. BBW stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints for all who wish to read and access them.

The books featured during Banned Books Week have been targets of attempted bannings. Fortunately, while some books were banned or restricted, in a majority of cases the books were not banned, all thanks to the efforts of librarians, teachers, booksellers, and members of the community to retain the books in the library collections. Imagine how many more books might be challenged—and possibly banned or restricted—if librarians, teachers, and booksellers across the country did not use Banned Books Week each year to teach the importance of our First Amendment rights and the power of literature, and to draw attention to the danger that exists when restraints are imposed on the availability of information in a free society.

Banned Books Week is sponsored by the American Booksellers Association; American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression; the American Library Association; American Society of Journalists and Authors; Association of American Publishers; and the National Association of College Stores. It is endorsed by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress.

For more information on getting involved with Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read, please see Calendar of Events and Ideas and Resources. You can also contact the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom at 1-800-545-2433, ext. 4220, or bbw@ala.org.

Resources and a delightfully entertaining puppet show are also linked on ALA's site, on: http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/bannedbooksweek/index.cfm

Resource Shelf, a blog for information professionals, educators and journalists, offers more information about this important week. See the "Banned Books Week for September 26, 2009" posting.

Celebrate the week with awareness and advocacy!