Day 4
Not so much in my induction program today so I was left to my own devices. No bad thing really. Gave me a chance to explore. Also had a go at learning the new email system which also has calendars, to do lists, and the like. Managed to make my diary available to the team following the example of the other Faculty Liaison on this floor who's just done it as well. Because everyone is getting used to this new email package, no one is quite sure how things are going to work out with out. But it may sound the death knell of the paper based diary on the enquiry desk for the ground floor.

On which subject, I answered my first enquiry today. Q the floor manager not around and someone lurking. I dared to investigate and was reasonably glad that they only wanted to know where the IT facilities were. This was a question I'd learned the answer to on my interview day when I'd read a notice saying which building was temporarily housing them. So I could answer the query with what felt like (relatively) old knowledge!

Meanwhile I spent some of the afternoon exploring the computing shelves and general reference. For the latter I set myself the goal of finding a city mapbook which eventually turned out to be in filing cabinet behind the enquiry desk. Still, I did work out where it might otherwise have been expected to be.

The computing books - basically the first bookshelves you hit leaving the office - are pretty much the same as TheOldPlace. Similar number, similar multiple copies. But, like the staff, a slight older feel to them.

There is an archive with high density mobile shelving for older material here - on the 2nd floor rather than the basement not that that matters - but almost no computing or engineering material is contained there. And it shows when looking at the main shelves.

On the other hand, it was an encouragement to realize that 11 years of stock development at TheOldPlace had been roughly on the right lines and that I've left a good collection behind.