Who Can Help With What?

Brandon Barnett is the E-Resources Librarian. She manages the database collection, primarily accessed through this page: All Online Resources

Kady Ferris is the E-Content Librarian. She manages the e-book, downloadable audiobook, and digital magazine collection in Libby, as well as the streaming collections in Kanopy, Hoopla, and Gale eBooks.

E-Resources aka "the databases"

Information about new resources, cancellations, and other brief updates. 

Cancellations 2024: CQ Researcher, Today's Science, Tutor.com

Cancellations 2025: ImageQuest, Mergent resources, Music and Dance Online, Enciclopedia Estudiantil Hallazgos

Trials for 2025:

• Creativebug - cancelled due to Joann developments and quoted price

New resources:

• Estante Infinito from The Shelf Media (Spanish content) -- currently in technical tests, a step before proceeding with IT Contracting.
• China Roots - post trial evaluation for possible selection

Reporting problems with online resources

Who to Contact

Brandon Barnett is the Electronic Resources Librarian, and Kady Ferris is the E-Content Librarian.  This breaks down somewhat neatly into: Brandon = databases (the Research Tools webpage); Kady = e-books and streaming media (the E-books and more webpage)

How to Contact

We understand it's fuzzy sometimes and we trust you to use your best judgement.

• A resource is totally and completely non-functional (i.e. "down"): call Brandon or Kady.
• If you yourself are seeing something odd in an otherwise functioning resource, or have a question: e-mail is best.
• If you are helping a patron: log the question in Knowledge Tracker to record what's happening and what you've done so far. This not only provides a medium for the necessary back'n'forth of troubleshooting, but also assures that all patron interactions can be counted for statistical purposes

What We Need to Know

When reporting a problem about one of the electronic resources or e-content platforms, here's some information we need so we can try to figure out what's wrong and how to fix it!

Tell us:

1. Are you able to replicate the patron's issue or is it only something they are seeing?
2. Which specific resource are you and/or the patron trying to use?
3. Where are you and/or the patron? (Central, Belmont, home, internet cafe, London)
4. What specific kind of computer or device are you/they using? (ref desk computer, Chromebook, tablet, smartphone (which one))
5. Which operating system (OS) and web-browser are you/they using?
6. How are you/they approaching the resource? (Via a link on the library's website, MyMCL, Classic catalog, an app? Via a saved bookmark? Remembered the name and typed in the URL?)
7. What is the precise error behavior or language? (Link on the web isn't clickable? It's asking for a login when it shouldn't? There's an error message?)

Even with all of this information, we may still need to ask some follow-up questions.