Iminerva email-nights and weekends

Hi all,

Many thanks to Lynda for resetting the iminerva email password! I'm putting the new info into Mary's instructions (original blog posting from 11/5/2010)

Best,Lea

Accessing email
Please open Reference email at the Reference Desk from 5 pm to midnight and weekends. Mark, Armando or Michael will normally monitor during the day and will work out among themselves who is the primary person. Otherwise, we could end up with two people working independently on the same question.
To log on:
· Open ispartan
· Enter iminerva as user name
Dragons<1 as password

When to check email

The Reference email account should be checked at least every two hours when the Reference Desk is open.


What to do with a new email: 2 options

Respond to it immediately, then delete the message.

Or, if you but have started composing an answer but couldn't finish, move it to the “In Progress” folder. If you're at the end of a shift or too busy to begin working on an email, leave it in the Inbox.

The assumption will be that those in the inbox or the in progress folder have not been answered. You should check both! Answer as soon as you can.

If it will take more than 24 hours to answer, email the patron that you are working on his/her question. If you think subject expertise is needed, reply to the patron and let them know who will be answering, and copy to the appropriate librarian. Make sure the librarian in question isn't ill or on vacation by checking the Ref. calendar.

When you sent an answer to the patron, delete the email from the In Progress folder.

Please don’t leave messages in the “In Box” if you have started working on it! Either answer a new email and delete it, or move the email to “In Progress” once you have started answering it.

Bob Gaines

I had an e-mail reference question today from somebody in Australia with whom Bob worked some years ago on a research project. He would like Bob's current e-mail (the one he uses most) for some follow-up, I guess.  If anyone sees Bob, would you ask him for his e-mail, and pass it along to me?  Thanks!

On Answering Email Reference Questions

I just finished a question in the iMinerva reference email and want everyone to tale note of the new labels in the sidebar. I have created on that says "Answered by Michael" so everyone would that I am working on a particular question. I recommend that we each create a label for ourselves when we take a question. There is also a label for completed question to "move" the email to when you are finished and have sent a reply.

Michael