When technology fails

Yesterday was not a good hardware day for the library.

The library has a computer used for interlibrary to receive article in electronic form from other libraries. This computer can only print to the printer connected to it--an ink jet. For the past couple weeks, we've been getting at least six articles a day from other libraries. About 3:00 yesterday, I re-loaded the printer paper. The printer started to print. It went "pop, snap." A small piece of black plastic suddenly appeared in the paper tray. A slightly larger piece of black plastic went whizzing by my face to land a few feet away. Suffice it to say, that printer quit printing.

On arriving this at work this morning, the circulation computer (second paragraph) bore a sticky note sign--"Dead." An e-mail message from I.T. says the new hard drive should come in today, or tomorrow. From what I've been told, the computer went down for good sometime between 5:15 (when I left) and 8:30 last night. Though the student workers didn't bother to report the problem either to I.T. or myself last night, they did remember that one of the library's technical computers could be used for circulation, when needed.

And I am being thankful for a responsive I.T. department this morning. They've already returned the printer and it is working away, catching up on printing. They also moved the technical computer to the circulation desk. That'll put a crimp in processing ILL's, but it'll all get done somehow.