Thursday, January 31, 2008

How to save your fav's

Favorites, also known as bookmarks, are a convenient way to organize and link
to webpages that you visit frequently.

If you use Internet Explorer on several computers, you can easily save your favorites on one computer and import that list onto another computer.
To import bookmarks or favorites, on the File menu, click Import and Export.
To export favorites to bookmarks or favorites on the same or another computer, on the File menu, click Import and Export.

Notes:

•To share or move favorites from one computer to another, export or copy the Bookmark.htm file to disk or flash drive. You can then import your favorites from the disk or flash drive to the new computer.

•To print your list of favorites, open Bookmark.htm in Internet Explorer and then click the Print button.

Tip from Microsoft

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Free Office Suite

On 7 December 2007, Sun Microsystems announced a $1 M USD fund to foster innovation and community in six open-source projects it sponsors and contributes to. OpenOffice.org was included. Tomorrow, 30 January 2008, the OpenOffice.org Community Innovation Program commences, and we invite the Community to participate.

Community Innovation Program HTML | PDF

OpenOffice.org is a multiplatform and multilingual office suite and an open-source project. Compatible with all other major office suites, the product is free to download, use, and distribute. To help build the community, join us.

To download, go to Download Central

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

How-to-Become-A-Pirate" Party


How-to-Become-A-Pirate" Party was a huge success!

Children hopped aboard a pirate ship of their imagination and walked the plank, to find treasures, and more!



Captain Jack and Bridget
Ahoy me mateys!

Cannon Ball PoP



Time to Walk the Plank

Pirate Trisha & Friends

Friday, January 25, 2008

Hands-on Basic Computer Classes


The Waterford Public Library will offer two classes in Basic Computer Skills on Wednesday, February 13th. There will be a morning and an afternoon class. Classes will begin promptly at 10AM and at 2 PM. Topics covered will be Basic Terminology, Windows techniques including
the use of the mouse and keyboard and how to properly turn your computer ON/Off.

Registration is required. The deadline to register is Monday, February 11. Each Class is limited to 10 students each. Call the library @ 534-3988 to register.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

homework, Imac and such

When the High Schoolers and Fox River students come into the library to access their homework on our public computers, make sure they are saving to the desktop and from there open the document.

IMAC Information:

The IMAC is the scanning and internet station. It will also edit photos downloaded from a digital camera. To my knowledge it has never been able to save to a jump drive and for the record, Bugdom is only available on this station. Patrons can access many, many other games on the internet. You might want to suggest that they visit our website under internet liks on the Children's Page.

Again, at this time, the IMAC only prints to the Dell located between Gail and Ruth's computer stations.

Also, because we are using the Lanier next to the information desk as a copier and printer, when a staff member uses it as a copier and then it switches to printer you will need to specify the paper size. Remember to check to see if you need to add paper to the machine before and after your shift. Lastly, use the text/photo option to take a photocopy of a patron's drivers license.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Update to Internet Explorer 7

On February 12, 2008 Microsoft will release the Windows Internet Explorer 7 Installation and Availability update to Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) marked as an Update Rollup package. Windows Internet Explorer 7 Installation and Availability Update is a complete installation package that will upgrade machines running Internet Explorer 6 to Windows Internet Explorer 7. Microsoft Knowledge Base article 940767 contains more information on the Windows Internet Explorer 7 Installation and Availability Update. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

940767Description of the Windows Internet Explorer 7 Installation and Availability update

Technet Blog

Save Windows XP! The clock is ticking

Microsoft will end OEM and shrink-wrapped sales of Windows XP on June 30, 2008, forcing users to shift to Vista. (System builders, meaning those who do white-box PCs, can sell XP through December 31.) Don't let that happen!

Millions of us have grown comfortable with XP and don't see a need to change to Vista. It's like having a comfortable apartment that you've enjoyed coming home to for years, only to get an eviction notice. The thought of moving to a new place -- even with the stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, and maple cabinets (or is cherry in this year?) -- just doesn't sit right. Maybe it'll be more modern, but it will also cost more and likely not be as good a fit. And you don't have any other reason to move.

That's exactly the conclusion people have come to with Vista. For most of us, there's really no reason to move to it -- yet we don't have a choice. When that strong desire to stick with XP became obvious in spring 2007, major computer makers such as Dell and Hewlett-Packard quietly reintroduced new XP-based systems (but just to business customers, so as not to offend Microsoft). Come June 30, however, even that option goes away.

So what to do? Let Microsoft decide where your personal and enterprise software "lives"? Or send a loud and clear message that you don't want to move?

We're going for the loud-and-clear option. Join us, and tell Microsoft that you want to keep XP available indefinitely. Not for another six months or a year but indefinitely.

And ask your friends and colleagues to join in, too. Just point them to SaveXP.com for a quick link to this page. And if you'd like to publish our countdown animation on your Web site to help promote this petition, e-mail Executive Editor Galen Gruman for the code snippet.


Don't think Microsoft will listen? Consider this: Although Microsoft denies that anything is wrong with Vista or that most people don't want it, the company has already postponed XP's demise by six months. That's a start, but it's not good enough.

Microsoft doesn't have to admit failure; it can just say it will keep XP available indefinitely due to customer demand. It can take that opportunity to try again with a better Vista, or just move on to the next version that maybe this time we'll all actually want.

There is a precedent for that, too: In many respects, Vista is like the Windows Millennium Edition that was meant to replace Windows 98 in 2000 but caused more trouble than it was worth. At that time, Windows 2000 was promising but didn't support a lot of hardware, so users were stuck between two bad choices. Without admitting Millennium's failure, Microsoft quietly put Windows 98 back on the market until the fixed version of Windows 2000 (SP1) was available. Microsoft needs to do something like that again today.

Make your voice heard to Microsoft. Sign our petition to save XP today. We will present it to Microsoft.

Infoworld.com January 14, 2008

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Another Fake Microsoft Update

There have been a million of these before, but there's another fake Windows update via e-mail being circulated.

Here's the obligatory warning: Microsoft never sends out updates via e-mail, so never trust one that comes that way. You want to check for updates? Go to the Windows Update web site.

Sunbelt Software decodes the attachment as IRC.Backdoor.Trojan.

This particular e-mail also has plenty of clues, starting with bad grammar and hysterical warnings ("Please update your P.C. in maximum 12 hours otherwise your Windows is Expired") to just plain awkwardness ("Thanks for microsoft update").

PC Magazine article 1/22/08

Friday, January 18, 2008

R.I.P. Netscape


From Netscape Blog: “… we feel it’s the right time to end development of Netscape branded browsers, hand the reins fully to Mozilla and encourage Netscape users to adopt Firefox.”

Thursday, January 17, 2008

JANUARY IS NATIONAL CLEAN UP YOUR COMPUTER MONTH

All types of libraries could do their patrons a good service by publicizing National Clean Up Your Computer Month and by telling them what to look for and how to clean up their files and drives. Many people never think about computer maintenance until the lack of it has caused a major crash. Create a program, handout, or Web page that instructs people on the basics: deleting old documents and emails, emptying “sent” folders, running defrag programs, updating security software, etc. Doing this will also demonstrate the library’s tech-savvy. (Marketing Library Services, November/December 2007)

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

What’s Coming in GL3.2?

Family Card
–The Family Card feature provides a way to link individual user records to each other to form groups

–User records are linked together by Group Name, which can be numeric, alpha-numeric, or text


–Groups may be created for:
•Families
•Professor/graduate assistants and homerooms




Family Card

–Access levels in group may be set up through policies or within an individual user record

–Access levels determine if the group members:

•Share delinquencies

•View other members’ checkouts, bills, or holds

•Pay other members ’bills

•Remove holds for other group members

•Checkout items on hold for other group members

•Receive notices via a designated member of the group or through all members


Patron Credit Accounts

Allows patrons to deposit a monetary amount with the library to pay for existing or future fees/fines

•Fines can be paid from credit account by staff through WorkFlows®client

•OR the system can be configured to do automatic payments

–The patron credit account can also be used to apply refunds to users for paid bills

•A refund can be done by staff through the WorkFlows client
or configured to be done automatically

–A “Credit Rule” policy allows you to setup rules for credit accounts for specific user profiles & libraries

–Credit Rule policy determines
•Bills/fees that can be paid from credit account

•If bills/fees are automatically paid with funds from credit account upon creation

•Which patron’s types can have a credit account

•Access to patron’s credit account
Maximum amount

–An option has been added to Default Price policy to determine if a refund for paid LOST bills is automatically created when the lost item is returned to the library

–Within the client, you can view transaction history of a patron’s credit account using the Credit Account Transaction History helper
•Includes all deposits made to the patron’s credit account and withdrawl from credit account

•Books by Mail
–Books by Mail allows libraries to mail items to a user

–When a hold is placed in either staff client or OPAC, options for mailing the item will be available

•Both iBistro & Web2 have been modified to support options for Books by Mail

–If the mail option is selected, the item will be routed to a mailing location or library when the item is trapped to fill a hold (configured in library policy)

Order Hold Fill

–Ordered Hold Fill policy provides the ability to control which library’s items are selected by the List Onshelf Hold report

–The policy consists of the following fields:
•Pickup library: Pickup library in hold record
•Fill order: Determines the library groups items are pulled from to fill a hold with the above pickup library

–When the List Onshelf Items with Hold report runs, it uses the pickup library in the hold record to determine which “Ordered Hold Fill”policy is used

•Using the pickup library allows you to configure the report to pull items from libraries that are geographically close to the pickup library, thus reducing transit times
OR

•Customize the List Onshelf Hold report to select items based on delivery routes

–The Fill Order in the policy determines the library groups items are pulled from to fill a hold

–Within the library group policy, you can control whether or not the order of libraries listed in the group is honored

•If order is honored, the report will pull items following the order the libraries are entered in the library group policy

•If order is not honored, the report will randomly select a library within the group when pulling items

Global Library Calendar wizard

–The Global Library Calendar wizard allows staff to modify the closed days/dates for selected libraries in the system

–For example, with the new wizard an administrator can modify all calendars for a specific group of libraries with one operation

Circulating Groups of Items

–Allows the library to create sets containing different titles/items for circulation

–Items in a set can be circulated individually or as part of the set

•Example: A library can create a resource box for new parents containing books, DVD’s and CD’s. When the resource box is circulated, the librarian can scan a single barcode and all items within the set are charged to the user with the same circ rule, OR items can circulate using own circ rules.

–Access to a library’s calendar is controlled by a new maintenance attribute in the library policy

New Charge History field in User Record

–A Charge History field has been added to the user record to allow sites to override policy defaults

•NOHISTORY: Charge history records will not be saved for the user

•CIRCRULE: A charge history record will be created based on the circ rule setting

•ALLCHARGES: Charge history records will be kept for all charges for this user

Updates to Current Record Functionality in Java Client

–The current record will be updated when items/users are highlighted in a list in Circulation

–Current record will also be updated when glossary displays


What’s planned for GL3.3?

• Ability to transfer holds from one title to another

• Hold limits by item type

SirsiDynix announces the release of Enterprise Portal Solution (EPS

The major enhancements to EPS/Rooms include:

* Full details holdings includes many additional sort and display options.
* Spell check for all searches including a "Did You Mean" feature.
* Academic Reserves support added.
* Kids' Library/Find it Fast content module added. This allows users to
search by clicking on images rather than entering a search term.
* Addition of Most Popular content module. This content module takes
results from the Unicorn Most Popular Items report to show the most
frequently checked out items by author, title and subject over a specified
time period.
* Best Sellers and Recommended Reading lists available in Reading Lists
content module.
* Support for federated searching via Central Search; continued support
for federated searching via Single Search.
* Native Z39.50 interface. The Z39.50 native client is available as a
Search Type when searches are initiated for a given room in EPS.
* You Found Titles in Categories (call number based categorization of
search results) available for library catalog searches.
* Cross references supported for library catalog searches.
* System support for Unicorn requests (Requests can be made from several
places in EPS, including Interlibrary Loan, Recommend to Order, and Change
My Address).
* Library settings that allow different libraries using the same EPS
instance to display their own logo and library information and set their own
OPAC defaults.
* Entire taxonomy displays for all users. Unauthenticated users are
prompted to login to access rooms that require authentication.
* Ability to specify all resources or a particular resource as a default
option for Quick Search.
* Admin Tool available for limited customizations by sites without
Builder.
* Ability to copy changes to search configuration to child rooms of room
where change was made.
* Optional French and Spanish interfaces available.
* Holds in EPS have been updated to include the following capabilities:
* Patrons may change the Hold Pickup Library when creating or reviewing a
hold.
* Patrons may view and edit the default Hold Expiration Date field when
placing a hold.
* Patrons may suspend and unsuspend their own holds when creating or
reviewing a hold.
* System Properties have been added so the system administrator can turn
these features on and off.
Key corrections include:
* Quick Search options retained throughout search results.
* Unicorn Substitute Call number text now appears in the holdings display
in the Full Details display for an item.
* Claims Returned items no longer display in the Has Now List.
* Renewal limit message corrected.

Friday, January 11, 2008

A Few Links to Look at

BuddySchool - Community for people who want to study or tutor online. BuddySchool counts almost 4000 private teachers offering paid lectures in over 120 subjects (Foreign Languages, Programming, Egyptian Hieroglyphs, Painting …).

National Traffic and Road Closure

Looking for the latest information about the Marquette Interchange Project? Get the big picture of the Old and New, current traffic conditions, map your rout and ramp closure schedules.

Classic Short Stories
This sizable collection of classics includes Poe, Orwell, Twain, Balzac, O.Henry, Melville, H.G. Wells, deMaupassant, and more.

Public Domain Photos
Two neat things about the US government: they shoot lots of photos on just about every topic you can imagine, and all of them are in the public domain.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Microsoft Tip

Favorites, also known as bookmarks, are a convenient way to organize and link
to webpages that you visit frequently.
If you use Internet Explorer on several computers, you can easily save your favorites on one computer and import that list onto another computer.
To import bookmarks or favorites, on the File menu, click Import and Export.
To export favorites to bookmarks or favorites on the same or another computer, on the File menu, click Import and Export.

Notes:
• To share or move favorites from one computer to another, export or copy the Bookmark.htm file to disk or flash drive. You can then import your favorites from the disk or flash drive to the new computer.
• To print your list of favorites, open Bookmark.htm in Internet Explorer and then click the Print button.

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Now I know why I needed to by USB Extensions, these things would never fit in our Thin Client USB ports.


From Popgadget.net - If your sweet tooth felt jilted by Vavolo's Freshly Baked USB drives, then you'll love the company's adorable new Frosted Donut series.
Each chocolate, strawberry, and green tea (yum?) donut measures 2.6" x 1.4" 1.4" and looks to be available for $3.63 . . . but only in bulk orders of 500. This isn't much of a problem when you think about it, though. Since everyone would probably want one of each flavor, you'd really only need to round up 165.6666 of your closest pals to get a box. Via Technabob.
11/5/07 Monday Memo Arrowhead Library System

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Using templates from Microsoft Office

I have noticed lately that there are several library patrons that are using the library to type up their résumé. In assisting them, I suggested that they use the Microsoft templates. It’s quick and easy, they just fill in their pertinent information in the spaces provided in the template. Follow the instructions below:
Click File menu, click New.
In the New Document task pane, under Templates, type Resume
They will find several different styles to choose from such as a chronological resume or a functional resume etc...
Once they pick a style they will click the download button and presto! It’s that easy.

Monday, January 7, 2008

Mystery Faces

On our home page there is a link to photographs of folks from Waterford’s past.

We encourage citizens to look at the photos to see if they might be able to

Identify any of the people in the photographs. If you have relatives that are life

long natives of the area; please encourage them to access our website to see if

they might be able to correctly identify any of these photographs. If so, have

them contact Gail at her extension #14 or email
jolliffe@waterford.lib.wi.us

http://www.waterford.lib.wi.us/files/links/mysteryfaces.htm

Friday, January 4, 2008

Save, Save, and what the heck, Save again.

It is so important that you save your stuff! I don't know how many times I've seen someone working at the computer and I look up on the screen, at the top of the window, and it's obvious to me that the document has never been saved to disk.

Right after bringing up a new document, save it to the hard drive. Give it a
name and save the document in a specific, proper folder.
Then, every so often, press Ctrl+S to save your work.

I typically do this after I feel I've written something particularly interesting, whenever I leave my chair, or whenever the phone rings. You should, too!

As we have experienced this week, you never know when the File Server will decide to quit synchronizing and then that important document that you have been working is gone because it was never saved.

Thursday, January 3, 2008

2007 Year in Cats

For all those cat lovers out there, Neatorama has a video every month featuring a new extraordinary feline. Meet Goliath who is a twenty-pound cat who got wedged in a dog door or July's edition or Oscar, the cat who predicted death in a Rhode Island geriatric ward, who became an Internet sensation and one of the most Talked about Story of the year.

7th Annual Village Christmas Tree Lighting


Our Village Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony Followed Waterford's Winter Wonderland Parade.
The library hostsed it's annual holiday tree-lighting ceremony which included the awarding of prizes to contest winners, Reading of an original Christmas poem and the Grand Finale-The Illumination of the 17-foot tree. Visits with Santa, and Mrs. Claus and Treat bags for all Children.














Making blogs, wikis, and other tools work for you and your library

I attended this workshop at the Franklin Public Library last year sponsored by the Milwaukee County Federated Library System, in conjunction with the Library Council of Southeastern Wisconsin. The Presenters were Stef Morrill, Associated Director, South Central Library System and Nichole Fromm, Technology Project Support Specialist, South Central Library System.

We learned about RSS/Aggregators such as Bloglines, Productivity Tools, Bookmarking, Instant Messaging, Web conferencing, Social networking, Wikis, photo sharing, weblogs, podcasts and social book-marking sites. Yes, I know, it all sounds Greek, but some of these tools are quite helpful. I found that Doodle http://www.doodle.ch/ will not only help you coordinate meetings, but recently I needed to get all 11 family members of mine informed on the date and time of my move to Browns Lake. By creating a poll and sending it to all participants you are able to check the status of your poll to see if everyone is able to attend at the same time on the same day and it’s FREE!!!


http://www.wla.lib.wi.us/mats/WAPL06Communication.pdf