July 2009 Archives

We've had numerous reports of system slowness on and off all afternoon.  I've called Innovative and they've confirmed that this is expected behavior after the upgrade, as things continue to update.  I would expect the slowness to continue through the rest of the day, and perhaps tomorrow as well.  By Thursday, I anticipate system speed will be back to normal.

Innovative is monitoring our server, and will continue to monitor the system tonight. 

With the upgrade to R2009A, we're experiencing problems in Firefox and Internet Explorer.  When attempting to access a patron's reading history, the browser returns a 502 proxy error.  The problem has been reported to Innovative.  Update: Innovative will be installing an update tomorrow morning (Wednesday, July 29th) at 8 AM to fix this problem. We should not experience any problems with the system during the update, and it will not be necessary to download new jar files after the installation is complete.  Update (Wed, July 29th): Reading history is now accessible again.

On Monday evening, July 27th, we plan to upgrade the Millennium server to Release 2009A.  This upgrade will be done after all of the libraries have closed.  While it does not require any new software to be installed on computers, the first login on Tuesday morning will take quite a bit longer, as new jar files must be downloaded from the server.

If you have any problems logging in, or experience any problems with Millennium after the upgrade, please contact the OWLS office. 

As part of the Jobs grant awarded this year we have purchased a subscription to Optimal Resume https://infosoup.optimalresume.com/.  This web based service provides help building resumes and cover letters, as well as offering interview preparation and skills assessment tools.  I have a link on the Job & Careers page http://info.infosoup.org/jobs.asp and will eventually highlight it on the front page. 

Users will need to create an account on the Optimal Resume site to use this service. On the first page, just click on CREATE NEW ACCOUNT and follow the instructions. There are help videos and documents for each task.  Unlike most of our resources, this site does not require any authentication so users without a library card can access this service.

Like all technology, this is no magic bullet for those who don't like technology or computers.  The basic resume and letter builder are fairly intuitive and easily to use. The advanced features will likely only interest those who are already comfortable with technology and have the time, interest, and desire to explore the options.

There is also a resume builder as part of the Job Center of Wisconsin site https://jobcenterofwisconsin.com/, listed under the job seeker tools dropdown menu.  This is not the greatest resume builder in the world, but, as I understand it, it interacts directly with jobs posted on the job center site making it easy for anyone to submit a
resume along with an application. If the job seeker opts in, his or her resume can be viewed by employers posting in the Job Center. One downside of the Job Center Site resume tool, however, is that signing up for an account requires a social security number. 

If you have patrons asking about resumes, please let them know about these resources. If you have any question, please contact Evan.

If you're printing out the OWLSnet Directory, the following page has changed and should be updated:

*Page 1  Nicolet Federated Library System - Staff list has been updated

If you're printing out the OWLSnet Directory, the following pages have changed and should be updated:

*Pages 13 and 15  KIM and LIT - Staff list has been updated (new directorship)