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I don't even blame the coalface IT staff. If they're anything like most IT teams in the public sector, they're either working a) with tech mandated by technically illiterate managers vulnerable to corporate hard sell, or b) in under-resourced small businesses that chunks of library IT work has been contracted out to, at exploitative rates.
(5/?)
First it made me login to do it. I guess this reduces frivolous requests, but still. It created some login confusion by using "PIN" and "password" interchangeably. Pick one!
It wouldn't accept either of the passphases I thought I might have used. So then I had to do a password recovery dance, which depended on running scripts from google.com 🤦♂️
(2/?)
Once I finally got logged in, I was faced with a request form that tried to be suitable for requesting purchase, interloans, etc. It failed. By making the "Pickup at" field compulsory, which makes sense for an interloan, but surely isn't critical when someone is just trying to suggest a new book for the collection.
When I didn't put anything into that field, it wiped everything I'd entered into the form, and expected me to try again. I didn't. FT.
(3/?)
@strypey
The assumption is that people who request a book want to borrow it. Therefore the system places a hold so they are first in line if/when the item is acquired. A pickup location is required for holds.
@RedRobyn
> The assumption is that people who request a book want to borrow it
As the old saying goes, to assume makes an ass out of u and me.
> It places a hold so they are first in line if/when it is acquired
That's helpful. Requiring people to want to be the first person to borrow it, less so. Blanking forms when the required field is blank, forms that ask for large amounts of info that needs to be researched, not at all helpful. Anti-helpful.
As with my post about the decay of the public health system a few months back, I want to make it clear that I don't blame public librarians or other staff for this. You all do a fantastic job, on the smell of an oily rag, and I appreciate your work.
What you do is critically important to a society that claims it wants to continue to be literate. Like most public servants, you ought to have more resources, and much more autonomy over how you use them to do your work.
(4/?)
I don't even blame the coalface IT staff. If they're anything like most IT teams in the public sector, they're either working a) with tech mandated by technically illiterate managers vulnerable to corporate hard sell, or b) in under-resourced small businesses that chunks of library IT work has been contracted out to, at exploitative rates.
(5/?)
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