Arrrgh!

The OPAC is down. Do I even need to explain how much that sucks?

I haven't been able to log into the ILS since I started this job. That means no cataloging, no statistical reports, nothing. I finally tracked down the passwords (which the former librarian did not think to leave anywhere for me to find) and logged in. Life was beautiful.
The next day, I go to use my shiny new password, and get an error message: Query error: Cannot create temporary storage file for query sets. Contact the webmaster for this site.

The "webmaster" is the IT director. So I tell him. He has no idea what to do about it. So I call the vendor. They're all very nice, but can't help me. They send me to tech support. I end up talking to a man who seems to think that the lower the volume of his voice, the happier everyone will be. I'm pressing the phone to my hear, concentrating like mad to catch what he says, hoping the lawn mower doesn't drive by. But all this effort comes to naught. Guess why? Because he can't do squat for me!

This started last Wednesday. It's been almost a week of dealing with it. I just got off the phone with the ILS-whisperer and am no closer to solving the problem, but a heck of a lot closer to a coronary.

In today's call, not only was he as quiet as it is possible to be, he also did his darndest to make me feel like an idiot. He asked me what version of the ILS we were running. I checked. He asked me where I got that information. I told him. He said that wasn't the correct place to look. He made me check somewhere else. It was the same freaking version number!

He made me repeat the problem four times, despite the fact that I told him all about it last week, over the phone and in an email; the IT director told him all about it last week; I left him a message Friday, in which I included details; and I emailed him yesterday, explaining the problem.

He listened to me explain the issue four times today, then asked me "but the OPAC's running fine, right?"

NO!

The OPAC is NOT running fine. THAT"S THE PROBLEM!

So the situation stands thusly:

• I can't catalog the ever growing stack of books on my desk
• I can't run a report of the books we are SUPPOSED to have on the shelf, which means I can't do the in-depth shelf read I've been planning to ensure that everything is there and track down those titles that I can't find
• My user's can't search for books
• and I can't seem to get anyone who actually HAS the power to help me to care!