A Rovin' we will go

During 2007 a pilot program called "Rover" was run at the Hawthorn Campus Library. This program was a joint effort of the Information Resources Group (IRG) and Information Technology Services (ITS).

This program was designed to provide roving on-the-spot assistance to students covering a range of issues that may arise whilst making use of library resources. Issues attended to by the Rovers included:

• Logging into computers
• Connecting to the VPN
• Simple IT enquiries
• Printing problems, print queue
• Adding value to Monitor print system cards
• Locating items on shelves
• Catalogue use
• Use of self-check machines
• Informational and directional queries
• Referring students with problems requiring more complex assistance to appropriate specialist staff or service.
• Basic orientation tours
• Basic library service desk operations including check in, check out.
• Basic IT maintenance operations including paper and toner replenishment
• Maintaining a log of issues and queries.

37% of logged issues related to wireless connectivity for students who utilise their own laptops.

Rovers were able to handle printing issues for students over the peak of assignment season, and this helped diffuse what can be an otherwise stressful time.

General Swinburne - directional queries
Re-imaging - queries relating to desktop
workstations which required machines to be re-imaged

The pilot was fortunate in being able to draw upon staff who already had worked with either IRG or ITS in different capacities. Two staff members with IRG background and one who had worked with ITS, made up the Rover team.

The infrastructure required for the trial was minimal with the "Mobility Shop" space on Level 1, adjacent to the main learning hub, being made available for the Rover station. Rovers were provided with a wireless mobile phone, laptop, Swinburne jacket, badges and signage.

Rover staff would move around the Library complex between 11:00 am and 3:00 pm Monday to Thursday providing assistance as required and outside these hours would assist on the Library service desk or undertake a range of IT maintenance tasks, including re-imaging workstations, topping up toner and paper in printers and so on.

Library staff reported that during peak periods enquiries for wireless or printing issues could be referred directly to the Rover staff thereby freeing up Library staff to deal with more library specific issues.

One issue uncovered by Rovers was the practice of some students to disable workstations and place "out of order" signs on the machines as a way of reserving the machine for their future use. Rovers took on the function of reconnecting up to twenty machines each morning in an attempt to combat this practice.

The overall response to the Rover pilot by all involved was overwhelmingly positive, and there is agreement that the Rover service should be provided in 2008 for an extended period of five days per week.

Feedback on this article