I don't think I can wait until the end of the day.

I need to rant NOW!

Since I arrived, a university webpage redesign has been in the works; it arrived this morning.

It does look much slicker and the photos are nicer and I've no doubt there's more work to be done on it. But guess what? The library - which used to be a top link is now buried three clicks away via one unobvious route and four clicks away via an even less obvious route.

Worse yet, both routes assume that only students could possibly be interested in the library and that staff don't use/need us. Even under a fairly comprehensive list of services for staff we're not even listed.

But for all the fine words about the investment in the library, the new extension, blah blah blah: to make it really hard to access the library pages seems somewhat underwhelming in how much "they" really believe that. (I do appreciate that this probably isn't a malicious decision from either the web design team or the VC but the lack of any consultation or chance for comment is somewhat perverse). I know that libraries generally and our particular library aren't the center of everyone's universe, but surely they've got more invested in the resources here that staff and students do need to use than, say, promoting the attractiveness of the local beach or the prestige of a pterodactyl exhibition?

It wouldn't feel so bad except for a) the recent news that we're losing the name of the library and just becoming "the University Library" - which does give a slight feeling of loss of identity and that's just me who's only been here half a dog watch; and b) this is exactly what TheOldPlace did just before I left. It's a conspiracy!