About Us
Desktop Services can be reached at <cul-dshelp-l>. To reach us by phone call 607-255-8530 (on campus 5-8530)
Desktop Services staff team: Working either through your local IT Support Provider or directly serving you all of us are pleased to be of service to you and your department to address your desktop IT support needs.
Peter Magnus, Desktop Services Manager
Amy Blumenthal, Staff Services Coordinator
Laura Heisey
Joe Richardson
Andy Goldman
Specific services
Help Desk: The Desktop Services Help Desk goal is to provide quick response to immediate desktop support needs.
Please email <cul-dshelp-l> (or call 5-8530 for emergencies).
Once your request is received, it will be assigned to a member of the Desktop Services. If your request requires ongoing follow-up, that same Desktop Services member will continue to work with you, whenever possible, until it is resolved. Help Desk coverage is 8 AM to 5 PM Monday through Friday.
Desktop Services and Public Computing: Desktop Services manages the endowed library’s primary public workstations and the endowed library’s public loaner laptop program, both of which represent 95% of the endowed library’s public computers. Desktop Services also manages the associated budget to ensure sustainability of these services over time. Working with CUL Facilities, we make significant contributions to managing the endowed library’s Net-Print services. We also work with CIT in managing our public networks.
Desktop Services and Voyager: In coordination with departments and teams throughout the Library, Desktop Servicesl spearheads the centralized technical support for Endeavor’s Voyager client software used throughout the Library. This effort includes creating installation packages of the Voyager clients, writing instructions, and employing various technologies to facilitate the distribution and installation of the software for use on staff computers. Voyager upgrades have historically occured in December on years we’ve performed upgrades.
Desktop Services and LIBIT-L list support: Amy Blumenthal provides award-winning service to our patrons as a member of the Technical Problems Response Team. The Team monitors and responds to problems raised on the LIBIT-L list, among others, often assisting staff in the process.
Desktop Services and Library and campus IT initiatives: We formally represent the Library at CIT’s Bear Access Service Implementation Committee (BASIC). We stay abreast with library-wide and campus-wide IT initiatives via ITEC, PCAC, CCDs, TSP Forums and various other gatherings, and by monitoring several relevant email lists.
Additional Desktop Services contact details
For the endowed library units for whom we provide direct IT support, our Help Desk Team is ready to serve you. If we provide your unit with direct support and you have any questions, please contact Desktop Services through the <cul-dshelp-l> mailing list. For emergencies, we also have a central number ( 607-255-8530). We also maintain a list of established and evolving policies and procedures for staff to whom we provide direct support.
Peer IT Support Providers are also welcome to contact Desktop Services via the same list, <cul-dshelp-l>. Desktop Services makes announcements to our peer IT Support Providers and Network Administrators through the cul-netadmin-L mailing list. We maintain a catalog of all our POs (including links to equipment specs), along with information specific to units we work with. [Before posting new information at our DS wiki starting in March 2006, we maintained a handy links page for many years prior which may contain useful information to IT Support Providers.]
Links to more information about our department:
Our Official Department Website
Our Wiki