Online appeals ... more appealing!
Chrissie Gilbert, Program Support Supervisor, hears appeals the old-fashioned way from students May Chen and Larissa Diamant.
After five years of collaborative internal development, on June 23, 2008, the UW Libraries implemented a new, successful online appeals system. Working in tandem, the UW Libraries ITS Department and Cashier's Office launched the system at users' requests to make the appeals process easier. In the past, the initial steps of the appeals process (patron submits appeal; Cashier's Office reviews and sends to unit; unit reviews and reports back to the Cashier's Office) would have taken weeks, but all steps can now be completed in one day! This online appeals process is part of the Vision 2010 Initiative to enhance user services.
When Anjanette Young first inherited the project as the new Systems Librarian in ITS, she thought it was complete. Additional requests for enhancements, however, added significant complications, forcing her to reconsider the application's design. According to Anjanette, "Probably the saving grace of this project was hiring an actual programmer, Jeff Sherwood, who was willing to go along with my crazy notion to entirely scrap the old code and move the application to a new framework. Jeff is a real programmer, not a librarian posing as one in a pinch." In addition, Ian Masterson and Mike Reynolds, both Senior Computer Specialists, played key roles in making the application work properly and securely.
There has been good feedback, particularly from the units. "It's exciting that it is working and going so smoothly and ... we're really grateful for all the support in implementing it ... we like it very much" says Chrissie Gilbert, Program Support Supervisor, Cashier's Office. Chrissie Gilbert adds that Kirsten Spillum, Manager Suzzallo Circulation, "was really key in the implementation of this online process. She's been working on it much longer than I have and without her I highly doubt we would have been able to move it forward."
Other important players who helped to make this project successful included Bill Jordan (Associate Dean, University Libraries) Thom Deardorff (Coordinator for Access Services) Tim Pemberton and Carol Johnson, student employees who gave feedback and all units who participated in the testing.
Story researched & written by Joy Araki, Fiscal Specialist, Health Sciences Libraries, with assistance by Alan Michelson, Head Architecture & Urban Planning Library.
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