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<font size=3>great work paul & jay,<br>
<br>
i would suggest putting each of the 4 minidisks on top of their own
clipboard. each clipboard would have the sheet to be filled out on
it, and would be specifically for ONE minidisk. it is a bit more
space intensive, but this way we could easily see which minidisks are out
(i.e. the clipboard is there but the minidisk isn't) and we would have
contact info easily available). i think it would also make the
process of signing out the minidisks much, much easier.<br>
<br>
also, as much as i hate to have to be suggesting this, people who
continually do not get equipment back on time should eventually be
prohibited from checking out new equipment. the minidisks (and
other equipment) are a commons, and when people abuse this commons,
everyone suffers. i know that people's current disregard for
equipment checkout has made both paul and brian's jobs much more
difficult -- and has taken a lot of their time. in addition,
several stories have NOT been done because equipment that was supposed to
be reserved was removed from the IMC. finally, i too am getting
tired of last minute tracking down of equipment that should have been
returned long ago or was never checked out in the first place.<br>
<br>
i would like to see a simple-to-fill-out sheet for each minidisk, and i'd
like to see people taking the 2 minutes to fill these out. finally,
if you say you're going to have a minidisk or other piece of equipment
back by a certain time, please respect the fact that often people are
counting on you to have your equipment back on time.<br>
<br>
--sascha<br>
<br>
At 03:49 AM 06/28/01 Thursday, you wrote:<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>hi all<br>
<br>
a few developments i have to report, of which y'all might want to
know:<br>
<br>
Jay Morris and i worked together to list all the potentially
loanable<br>
items in the production room cabinet. jay e-mailed that list to
Maiko,<br>
who said she would be willing to turn the list into a production
equipment<br>
reservation and check-out database. <br>
<br>
nobody has been using the current SERGEI-based equipment check-out
system<br>
which i designed to serve as an interim system until Maiko has a chance
to<br>
work her magic in computer-land.<br>
<br>
what we could use is a simple paper-based system (a quarter-sheet
sized<br>
pad of equipment check-out sheets for example) for check out, coupled
with<br>
a routine whereby staffers regularly enter info from equipment
check-out<br>
sheets into Maiko's database. <br>
<br>
this design would account for the fact that many people won't have time
to<br>
power up a computer just to do an equipment check-out, and would
still<br>
allow organizers and producers to ask a computer a question like
(for<br>
example) "where is minidisc recorder #2?" and get lucy's
contact info as<br>
part of the answer, along with the estimated return date, and other<br>
reservations on the item. aside from the data-entry time delay--which
has<br>
been proven inevitable by the real-world field-tested absolute-zero use
of<br>
the current paperless system--the computer would (in theory) answer<br>
correctly.<br>
<br>
what needs to be done for this system to be complete?<br>
<br>
1. design and duplicate the "quarter-sheet" equip check
out form. <br>
2. train borrowers to use it ALWAYS <br>
3. complete and implement Maiko's database design <br>
4. train staff to enter data from quarter-sheets to database <br>
5. co-ordinate in-advance, from-anywhere online equipment<br>
reservation with on-site-only, paper-based, spur-of-the-moment
checkout.<br>
<br>
this could be a nightmare, but what the heck? it can't be too much
worse<br>
than what we have now.<br>
<br>
that's my status report. i'll check in with Jay and Maiko as soon
as i<br>
can about progressing toward a finished system.<br>
<br>
P.S. what working group does this fall under? i see it as somewhere
in<br>
between news, tech, and space.<br>
<br>
solidarity,<br>
paulko:)theimer<br>
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ <br>
THE HAND-MADE RECORD LABEL <br>
<a href="http://www.handmaderecords.com/" eudora="autourl">www.handmaderecords.com</a><br>
<br>
c/o the School for Designing a Society<br>
409 North Race Street<br>
Urbana, IL 61801<br>
217 384 0299 phone (no fax)<br>
<br>
<br>
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