Responses to Suggestions - November 2006
Please refer also to General Library Questions or Responses to Suggestions
COMMENT RECEIVED 11-20-2006: Please check your websites to make sure they work with Firefox, Safari, and Opera browsers. Various elements on these pages are overlapping with text. For example, on this very Comments and Suggestions page (lib.colostate.edu/help/comments/form), the boxes in which I can enter my name, department, etc., are overlapping with the text to the right of them. I'm using Firefox 2.0 under Mac OS 10.8.
Philosophically, it's wrong for a University to design materials documents in a non-universal way. Practically, as more and more people abandon Microsoft's poorly designed, insecure products, this will become an ever greater issue.
RESPONSE: Thank you for notifying us of this problem. I believe it has been corrected on this page.
I agree that universal design is becoming increasingly important. Pages on the CSU Libraries Web site are generally being redesigned with W3C standards, platform and browser neutrality, and universal design in mind, but also slightly optimized for the most frequently used platforms, browsers and settings, based on current usage statistics and communication with users.
Various parts of the site have been tested using different versions of several operating systems and browsers, and varied user settings such as monitor resolution and browser font size. Our resources are limited, and it is not practical to check every page on all possible combinations of these.
We greatly appreciate knowing of any usability problems you have with pages on the site so that we can try to correct them.
Gregory J. Vogl, IT Web Specialist, CSU Libraries
COMMENT RECEIVED on 11-20-2006: Please update your web browsers. It seems like the same old IE has been used here for years, and it has always been buggy. I've used several machines, and it is constantly closing out on me.
Also, please consider giving users a choice by putting Firefox on the machines. It's a far better browser anyway, and it allows people to use the browser they are most familiar with. Thanks.
RESPONSE: We are currently using Internet Explorer version 6.02. We have reviewed other web browsers including Firefox. Unlike Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox would require our library technology services staff to manually configure all of the security patches and updates that inevitably occur throughout the course of each semester. With over 450 public desktop and laptop computers in the library, the attempt to manually maintain an application such as Firefox on each individual computer becomes a time consuming and impractical exercise.
COMMENT RECEIVED on 11-29-2006: The students at the front desk are great workers, and very courteous! They should get a raise...
RESPONSE: Thank you for taking the time to recognize our student employees and the great job they do. We’ve passed your comment on to Oscar Raab, the Manager of the Loan/Reserve Desk.
All responses by
Tom Moothart,
Coordinator, Onsite Services, unless otherwise noted.