Saturday, December 26, 2009

Merry Christmas!

Biggest surprise for me: Windows7 Professional! Jon-Erik is installing it on my laptop today (it's so convenient having a live-in technician around, even if it is temporary). I'm SOOOO looking forward to this and won't miss Vista at all. I was still nervous with each log on even though we'd created a fourth, emergency, profile on the laptop in case the family account I was using went the way of my personal profile. But really - 4 profiles for one user? That's pushing things, I think.

So my post-holiday activity will be playing with what should feel like a new laptop. My Christmas Eve activity? Uploading my first video to YouTube - something I think I should be familiar with by now. It really was dual purpose: I've recorded video on the Flip camera but hadn't gone any farther, and what's the point if you don't do something with those? So I uploaded a short video of my dad's Christmas trains when we were helping set up his tree. I'm taking the "private" route and only sharing with a select group (family, just to see how the process works. But the video looks good (you'll have to take my word on that!). Another notch in my technology belt!

Today was Audiobook Question Day at the library. A patron with a new Zune had audiobooks she wanted to remove, and it wasn't obvious to us how that would be done. Some searching finally turned up an answer, and she was able to clear her device to make room for more. Judging by the forum discussion she wasn't the first person with the question. Then a patron with an iPod came up with a more difficult question: he has a audiobook in iTunes but when it transfers to the iPod, the chapters get arranged alphabetically! Most books have numbered chapters, so this doesn't happen often, but is definitely a problem. Not sure how to overcome this.

New Year's Projects: learn Windows7 and update my laptop class by mid-January (the next time we're offering it). Then it's time to prepare my presentation on staff technology learning ("Taking the Oh No! Out of 2.0") for MPLA in April. An ongoing project is making tutorials on placing holds and renewing items in our catalog. I'd done one in Jing, but think maybe the Flip Camera might be a way to go. That way we can have narration and explain the process a little better.

It was a Wii Christmas in my family: a brother, cousin, and my parents all got systems! My folks spent the afternoon learning how to use the controllers, and Mom beat Dad at bowling!

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Deep Freeze

It's December, so we're preparing for the annual Deep Freeze weather event! We had a brief episode a while back, but now it's going to get serious. We should have a week of very cold temperatures, which can mean either no one comes to the library or everyone does! Already we've had a few cases of dogs tied up outside the library for longer than would seem prudent. I've started closing my office door, too, to keep the cool draft from escaping to the public desk area.

Last Saturday was the "Get to Know Your Laptop" class. I had done something similar last winter for a local school Adult Ed program, so thought it would be something good to offer at the library too. I was surprised: 2 people came with new Windows 7 laptops. I've only read a little about that, but from what I could tell it looks pretty good. My handout was written for XP, but the new computers were able to follow along too. Seeing it in action makes me more likely to consider an upgrade for my Vista laptop too - that has always been a bit of an annoyance. The XP netbook is still fine, although I've heard of a few brave people upgrading those to 7 also.

No word from the City about upgrading; I suspect we'll wait for new computers. We've extended the warranty for another year on the public machines, but things are starting to die off: a mouse here, a monitor there. The black & white printer is due for maintenance, but even though several of us are Dell certified, no one (me included!)wants to replace the fuser! The cost of the parts alone is high, and a service call would make it cost more than a new printer. So we're ignoring it for now. It will probably go for a while longer, since the fuser was replaced not long ago when a serious paper jam developed. That technician had a terrible time, which is why I think the rest of us are hesitant to tackle that job.

Only 3 weeks until the days start getting longer again!

Friday, November 6, 2009

Keeping Healthy

Flu is the big topic these days, seasonal as well as H1N1 ("swine" to the average person). When a few co-workers were out, everyone was concerned, but they turned out to just have regular colds, nothing too serious. The Health department ran out of vaccine in October, so those of us who waited are out of luck. They have received some of the nasal spray vaccine, but some of us are too old for that! So I'm just trying to stay healthy, and we've got WetOnes and hand sanitizer all around for everyone to use. It seems to help. I did have a patron today wearing plastic (cellophane-type) gloves in the computer lab, but that's the most extreme behavior I've seen.

The City has recommended developing a plan for the possibility of lots of sick staff - how would services be staffed, etc. The Library came up with ideas of how we could cover some desks, or reduce services, so I think we'll be OK. Being prepared usually means the situation never develops!

The challenge will be to remain healthy as I travel next week for a little vacation.

Friday, October 16, 2009

The laptop issue last month (at my own class - very humiliating!)was really a battery pack/laptop issue, not at all related to the projector. Apparently these laptops are very fussy about their power supplies! But everything is working now - we should probably mark each power supply and laptop combo to avoid this in the future.

Now we are planning our "mini tech fair" for staff in a few weeks. We'll be showing the digital camera, flip camera, Kindle, iPod, netbook, and laptop/docking station. I hope the rest of the staff is at least somewhat curious about these! Not everyone will have a use for them, but at least they will know what things are and how people might use them. We're arranging for CE credit from the state library too. People who do a project using one of these gadgets can get an extra hour of credit.

We've trained another person to work at Computer Services, so we have options when people take vacation. So far we don't seem to have any flu going around here but we're prepared!

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

The Joys of Technology

Just when I thought I had a handle on technology, something comes along to remind me I don't! Saturday was the Computer Safety class, and I was prepared with handouts of my PowerPoint presentation. Good thing, since the projector and laptop decided not to cooperate! We'd used this laptop for classes all spring, (although we did have a few issues at first - mostly because I was trying to project when it wasn't plugged in - we learned that doesn't work) so I can't figure out why it wouldn't continue to behave. We have a second laptop now, so I'll give that one a chance before calling in the Projector Guys.

We also have a projector in the board room that isn't projecting, just flashing (we think of it as a strobe light!). I tried both laptops so this might involve the Projector Guys to figure it out.

But the class was good, and hopefully a few more people will be a little safer on line! When someone says they always refuse automatic updates, I have to think this was a necessary class!

Friday, September 11, 2009

Several staff people went to the state library's Fall Workshop in Great Falls this weekend. I reminded everyone about the library's netbook - a handy way to take notes and get a report written while at a gathering like this (instead of having to write it later!). Happily, someone asked to use it - I'd like to think this will catch on for other meetings and conferences. The library's cell phone also went along; unbelievably one carload of folks didn't have a cell phone among them!

The document scanner we made available to the public has been getting quite a workout. People seem to be able to do pretty well on their own, or at least following the instructions posted. Maybe we should add this to our list of Technology Fair items so the rest of the staff would be familiar with it too.

Before last week's staff meeting we were asked to post a list of 15 of our favorite books. It's been fun to read everyone's list and see the wide variety! And, we each received 5 "Staff Pick" stickers to put on books from our list. Amazingly, a lot of my titles were checked out! I finally found 5, though.

Imaging Update: I made the new children's computer image (there had been one, but it needed updating) and managed to schedule the process all on my own, so now those computers start "fresh" each morning. I want to try the 4 teen computers next just to see how difficult the process is with our time-print management system. I'm considering making an OPAC image too - it couldn't hurt to clean those up, since I know people sometimes use those for the internet event though we don't want them to!

Next week is our first computer class: Computer Safety. I suggested this, after watching so many people leave themselves "exposed" on our computers. And I recently read a great article in Smart Computing magazine that had lots of good ideas. Hopefully this will help a few people be a little safer on line.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Almost Labor Day

It finally feels like summer, now that the calendar says it's almost over. Tourists seem to be gone for the most part, and students are back, so that's close enough to fall for me.

Not much progress on imaging, since I realized the reservation system is not going to go along easily. I'm afraid it adds a complication we can't overcome. So it's on to Children's! We could eliminate reservations, but I don't think that's an idea that would be popular - it's too convenient for people to even consider giving that up.

A minor hitch in our fabulous new internet: for some reason the router needs to be reset periodically. We didn't know this, and yesterday suddenly just lost all public internet. But now I know how to reset it, so it shouldn't be a major disaster, just a small annoyance.

We're planning a small Technology Fair at our library to help staff learn some of the new toys we bought recently. We have a flip camera, a netbook, a Kindle, amd iPod and a new digital camera. We'll have a morning when people can come and see how each works, then if they want extra credit they can do a project with one or two. Even if they don't use it for anything else, at least they'll be familiar with what they are. We keep trying to get everyone to not fear technology!

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Improvements

The imaging project continues, and actually seems to be working! I can see that life will be absolutely wonderful once all public internet computers are re-imaging themselves each night. Four express stations are complete; I added 3 more this morning. I think I'll move to the teen computers next. There are just 4 of those but they are part of the reservation system, which adds a little complication. These will be an easier test than the 12 adult computers.

Even more exciting this week: our internet service has been upgraded! We've been living with a nightmare for months: sometimes the network would run along smoothly, then suddenly slow to a crawl. We suspected it was one or more wireless users hogging the bandwidth but had no way to determine this. Our service was a donation so we didn't have much power. But now the router has been upgraded, and service is incredibly fast. It will amount to a $200/month cost, but I'd be willing to sacrifice that much from my salary for dependable service. We've joked about putting a tip jar at Computer Services ("did you enjoy the internet? make a contribution!").

Of course, now school has started and we aren't as overwhelmingly busy as we have been, so it really isn't a fair comparison. But I'm not complaining!

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Drill Team Update

The Drill Team marched in the parade this morning. It wasn't too hot, and it didn't rain, so we were pleased! We started out slow but by the end of the route were moving along a quite a clip. Crowds loved us, as usual, even without the book carts. I had hoped we'd get some video on the library's Flip camera, but when it was returned to me I didn't see any video.

The Library was fairly quiet most of the day, until an incredible thunderstorm moved in. Then we became the safe haven for the festival crowd - we expect that will really run our numbers up for the day! The sun is out now, and things are quiet again.

Saturday, August 1, 2009

August already

So glad I mentioned the heat in my last post - it's been a little on the chilly side ever since, and we're afraid we've missed summer completely. I'm holding out for a warmer August.

Just when you think it will be a dull, ordinary day things happen. This morning we had a man with a dog wanting to come in the library. Service dogs are perfectly fine, but this one had no paperwork or tag to verify the owner's claim. I'm afraid some staff may have over-reacted: for some reason police were called. As the ADA coordinator for the building, I checked on regulations and found that service animals (and their owners) aren't required to have documentation with them. I visited with the patron and police officer, who suggested it might be a good idea to have that available in the future. Two more officers arrived - we had to suspect it was a slow day for law enforcement, especially since the first officer had already reported everything was fine!

Not long after we saw a long (really long!) black limo parked outside the Library, with a red carpet extended. This turned out to be a 65th birthday celebration for a woman, who had planned a day with friends (10 of them, who all showed up for pictures). They had champagne and looked like it was going to be a fun time.

My feel-good moment of the week: a young British tourist asked why the iPhone doesn't work in Montana? He was traveling the US, had just come from Idaho, and needed to call the person in town he planned to stay with. He asked about a pay phone, and I directed him to the one in the lobby. He returned a little later saying he couldn't hear on that one, and that's when I realized he was watching my lips carefully and had hearing aids; he did have the speech associated with deaf people who learn to talk but I thought it was just his British accent. The cell phone number he had for his local contact was a long distance number. It seemed like he was out of options, so I called the local person - we don't usually make calls for people, and long distance requires a special code. But the person on the other end was happy to hear he was in town, and came right over. He was very pleasant to visit with, and we had a discussion about how the At&T network isn't everywhere like you think! Every so often we have stranded travelers, and it feels good to help.

MLA board retreat this weekend - guess that will count as my summer vacation this year.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Summer is heating up now - 90 degrees more or less for a few days. Just enough to remind everyone why we like it here the rest of the time, and don't want to go to warmer places like Arizona or Florida just yet.

At the Library we have a fair amount of tourists, which is fun. I know I appreciate being able to access the internet when I've been other places, and these guests are no different. Lots of boarding passes being printed, and many digital photos being uploaded! Also an increased number of patrons who show up without their library card. I'm always tempted to make them do some kind of song and dance in return for me looking up their number, but in the end I ask for their ID (which is only available about 50% of the time - those are the people I really want to make work for it!) or name, and some kind of verifying information (for those anonymous ones) and write down their number. We have the first part already prepared - we quickly got tired of writing the same thing down repeatedly. We try to be agreeable...

The next phase of our "imaging" project has begun. We're testing the automatic imaging process where the server wakes up each computer, sends the image to it, and restarts. Two of them should go through this tonight. We're not sure how many the server can handle, and if we'll be able to eventually have all 27 machines do this every night. But this is a great start!

Quick trip to Denver Saturday for the MPLA board meeting. I was able to get an early flight down and a not-too-late flight back so it's just one day. Woohoo!

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Drill Team Time!

Sweet Pea Festival is the next big thing and the Library is going to reprise our Drill Team after a few years' hiatus. But we won't be pushing book carts this time; instead, we're thinking of something more like an actual drill team - marching in formations but we want to add books (of course!). Probably some variety of stomping, rhythm group. To make it effective we need a few more than our usual 8 bodies; hopefully we interest some new participants. I love the parade - the crowd always cheers!

Friday, July 3, 2009

It's almost summer here

Once again, a month has disappeared - there is no good explanation other than busy busy busy! July 4th always sounds like summer should be half over, but we're only just beginning to see warm temperatures. We are getting the usual influx of tourists, so that verifies the calendar, even if the weather doesn't.

The big project? Imaging! And the first round is done! Of course, as soon as I did one group, I realized I'd forgotten something. So I fixed that in the next group, but the power settings didn't get done as I'd thought. The third group had that done correctly, but there didn't seem to be an Java installed. The final group was just done this week, but it was the Children's group, and has it's own unique issues. People are suggesting that there is a Flash update, which is strange, because they should all have the latest. But soon we'll probably redo the image, and I'll take care of all the little things on my list! Eventually we should be able to push the image out to all computers frequently, possibly each week. I'm not in charge of that, and understand there are difficulties in getting that to work. But it is a nice goal.

The end of the fiscal year brought great shopping opportunities when extra money was anticipated. So we've purchased a netbook, Kindle, flip camera, 2 digital cameras, a Wii system and a TV or two. I'd like to arrange a few staff "playtime" sessions so everyone can try out the new stuff. There are people who can't wait, and others who are intimidated by any technology.

Happy Summer!

Monday, June 8, 2009

It's June?

May disappeared - I don't know where it went. There was Mother's Day, of course. I picked out a new MP3 player (instead of waiting for Jon-Erik to sell me his used cast-off when he buys a new one!). The library has subscribed to a new program allowing people to download audiobooks, so I felt it was my duty to try it too! I figure it will come in handy when I travel to meetings for MPLA, and well as providing the incentive to spend more time on the treadmill.

Also for Mother's Day Jon-Erik gave me Animal Crossing:City Folk for the Wii, accompanied by the WiiSpeak - a microphone that works in conjunction with some Wii games. We'd thought it might work with some other online Wii titles we like (Tetris Party and Dr. Mario) but sadly there are only a few specific games it goes along with. This works just fine for us - we can visit each other's towns in Animal Crossing. It's hilarious to see Jon-Erik show up in my town: one day his "character" was wearing a diving helmet; yesterday he changed to a wrestling mask. It's quite the entertaining experience.

Jon-Erik had a birthday too - the first one where we weren't actually with him! Hard to believe it took 26 years for that to happen.

Tom and I went to Las Vegas early this month (who goes there in June? That explains why we got a good deal). Yes, things are air conditioned, but 95 degrees is still hot, even in a dry heat! We had fun, although the hotel charged $15 each day for internet access (so I just pretended to disappear for the week!) and didn't have very generous slot machines.

Sadly, we decided to euthanize our cats last month too. They were 15 and 11; one was rapidly declining, the other seemed to be developing problems (limping, digestive issues). I had discussed this with our vet several months ago, and she was very understanding and supportive. She explained it isn't illegal in Montana to shoot a pet (sometimes there are horror stories in the paper about people doing this badly), and offered to supply the sedative we'd need. The local ranch supply business also suggested a sedative, and Tom was able to handle the rest (although actually finding his pistol was the biggest challenge!). They are resting peacefully in a nice spot near the creek in our backyard. They had a fun life with us, and we still miss them (but honestly, the cat hair and litter box are not missed!).

One of these days we will actually get summer weather - June has been cold and rainy. Good for knitting, though - I'm working on knitted helmet liners for troops in Afghanistan as part of a project a local Marine mom started. And reading...

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Ah, Graduation

If not graduation, at least the end of the semester! Fewer and fewer students were present as the week went on, and today they've disappeared. The gorgeous sunshine is a factor too, I'm sure.

We know it's just the calm before the storm, but at least I have a chance to catch up, and prepare. Two groups have the CybraryN update - the reservation groups will go next week. Things have been working nicely. The express image has been completed, although I've thought of a few tweaks that should be done. Circulation has survived the news that each person will log on with their own name, and not the generic one we've been using. It required some setup from each, but they are doing OK, and it's a good learning process! Not necessarily happy: one person complained "I came to work at the library to shelve books!" That made me smile; was the good old days, I guess.

Waiting for the crowds of tourists...

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Happy May!

If it's May, spring has to be around soon - I just know it.

The Kalispell conference was great although I came home feeling like my brain was fried, and I was grateful to have 2 days to recover! Chrystie Hill from WebJunction and I had a fun visit, and she presented a great program on on-line community building. I'd been a frequent WebJunction user from its early days but faded away with the move to the new library and the subsequent drain on my time. But now I'm ready to get back!

Coming back from a conference always means catch-up, and this week was no exception! The catalog wanted to update, and that didn't go well on the first computer so I expected trouble. But others were successful, and with a little work all were updated. Then the City brought over 6 new computers for staff (more to come) - a nice surprise but not one I really wanted this week when I was trying to finish a few other projects. Thankfully Gaby took charge of swapping those, and things went smoothly. The biggest problem is the new Office 2007 - staff hasn't seen it and there is a learning curve there. But people will manage...

CybraryN was my big project: we wanted to change the way patrons authenticate with the catalog system in Helena. It took a phone call, and a day to get set, but when I changed over everything worked. At the same time, I've been getting a machine ready to give back to the City for setting up imaging software. I've got it set the way we want it but then realized each group has different settings. So this will be an Express machine (once the upgrade file is added). Then I'll have to do an adult machine, teen, and children's. A lot of work at first, but in the long run it should make things so much easier for all Computer Services staff.

We know we're coming up on Tourist Season - we need all the help we can get!

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Preparing for MLA

Wednesday we're off to Kalispell for a fun conference. So that means a little preparation here, to make sure things run smoothtly in Computer Services while Lois and I are gone - something I'm not as confident about as I used to be, given the current circumstances.

There still is no explanation for why Internet Explorer on some computers just won't open a web page, but Firefox will. Why it will stop working, if it worked earlier. Our City IT department (the whole crew - we felt so special!) spend a morning last week looking at this. I was relieved that they could at least see there was a problem, even though they haven't come up with a solution. They've recommended a few things to clean up the machines (checking Scheduled Tasks, deleting ALL the temp files, defragging) as a start. Those probably are useful, but haven't fixed things.

IT is also very close to having an imaging program that should be able to return everything to an original state each night - something we've wanted to have but haven't had the time to do. I know there are options for this out there, but having the City work on it is helpful - that way they know what's going on with our computers.

There are so many factors involved: each machine, the CybraryN software, the City's network, the connection to the Montana Shared Catalog - any or all of these can cause a problem, and sometimes they do! So it's very difficult to pinpoint an exact reason.

I keep telling myself that's what makes life interesting....

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Back to Work

Vacations and conferences are fun, but now it's back to work (until the next conference, MLA in Kalispell in 2 weeks!).

There were a few glitches while I was gone, but hopefully I'll be able to fix those in the morning. People managed very well, in spite of the little problems. They are a resourceful bunch!

More staff are working on the Web 2.0 course now, too. Some of the newer staff are moving right along.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Networks are funny things

We've still been working through some unusual network problems, and haven't really figured out what is coincidence and what isn't. It probably doesn't matter as long as everything works!

But consider:

1. The anti-virus program hasn't updated on the public computers since the new website went live.

2. The problem of a computer not accessing any webpage (although it still had an internet connection, and was resolved by restarting) disappeared with the launch of the new website.

Now that #1 is fixed, we have #2 back again. Coincidence? I'm starting to think not.

But we can always blame Daylight Savings Time: many of our radio-frequency clocks forgot to change, and the phone system didn't go along, either.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Important things

We're still working on a few glitches with our new website, mostly database access and how to send newsletters, etc. Minor things. Especially since this morning there was an incredible explosion and the power went out. It wasn't the library (although it felt like it could have been!) but a building several blocks away. The structure is just gone. Not much news is available yet but it's a mess and is still burning.

So our website issues are not so critical just now.

Friday, February 27, 2009

Success!

This week was the final push to get the new website ready for public viewing: working out more glitches as we found them (what happened to those links that worked before??? why can't I upload this file???) and one final meeting of our committee before the Friday morning roll-over.

Thursday night, after a fun drive home in a blizzard, I was ready and waiting at my computer to see what would happen at 8 p.m. (the time we'd asked for the change to occur). Lois sends an IM: we need to change our DNS servers! Of course we do; we'd asked about that a while ago, but then forgot once we were busy with website content and other details. Can I remember the log-in to that account? Of course not; that information lives in a folder at my desk so I don't need to remember. Really, changing DNS information isn't something I do every day. She finds the file, gives me the log-in info (I probably could have guessed - it seems obvious once you actually have it in front of you!). Strangely, although we have 2 domain names only one shows up. I change those numbers, and we try to figure out how to log in to do the other domain name. I even call tech support (and sadly, am a bit rude to the gentleman on the other end when he tells me Bozeman Public Library is the account holder, and only the account holder can change who has access to things). There is a form that Lois, who is listed on the account, can fax in with her ID and another piece of ID with her address (like a utility bill - it was starting to sound like she would be issued a library card!). Then in a few days she might be authorized.

That didn't sound promising. The other name on the account? Aaron, who is no longer with the City and we have no idea how to contact him. But Lois keeps working, contacting City IT with the hope that they have the information we need. And, these things take 24 hours or more to actually happen, so I go to bed not knowing if the new website will appear or not.

But, at breakfast I check and am able to see our new website! It's a miracle that lasts until I get to work and discover it doesn't seem to appear on computers anywhere in the library. Since the old site still works, we wait to see what will happen. Our web host says the change worked and it's probably our network having an issue with the whole DNS thing. I called my dad - he had the new site, and after lunch the public computers in the library seem to have it too. So it's like one of those images slowly coming in to view - by tomorrow we expect everyone will see it!

Friday, February 13, 2009

Little Glitches

Or maybe it's just Friday the 13th? Katie spent the week working on the library's new website, preparing to show it to the Reference staff this morning at their meeting. We've been adding content like crazy, troubleshooting various pages and procedures, making sure things work. Many of the problems we've encountered have been minor coding errors that the developer has fixed quickly.

So this morning what happens? When I get to work, Katie tells me our new site is down! We get a "fatal error" message. She had called the developer, I emailed him just to be sure he knew. Later he responded, saying it is a larger server issue; sites are down all over (not sure where this server is, but apparently it hosts many sites, and they were probably live, so our crisis was minor compared to them). Still, it was incredibly frustrating and one of those unbelievable coincidences!

So I have to blame Friday the 13th, even though I'm not that superstitious.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Classes

Winter, particularly January and beyond, after the holidays are done, seems to be a popular time for classes and learning. At the library we have our usual series of computer classes, from the basic Intro to Computers (how do you log on, use a mouse, et) to Beginning Internet and Word. These are very popular, and this time around are filled with waiting lists.

We've also noticed an increase in the number of people writing resumes (or asking about writing one) so wanted to offer a class for that too. Luckily a local business came along offering to teach a series of job skills classes. Using the Internet for job searching, writing a resume, applying online - these are great topics and I think these will be popular too.

Adult Ed through the schools is another opportunity for learning. This year I'm teaching a "Get to Know Your Laptop" class for a local rural school district. Last year I taught a similar class, with the idea that people could bring their own laptop or use one of the school's. There were 3 people, each with their own equipment. That seemed to work better, since the school has Apple laptops - showing someone how to use that, then sending them home to their own PC didn't seem to be useful. So this year I suggested we rename the course. I have 2 people, which makes for great instruction. We sit in a row, with our laptops, and I can demonstrate and see how they are doing. Last week, the first session, we covered laptop basics and did fun things like changing the desktop image We connected to the wireless network, and discussed internet safety, passwords, anti-virus software and some open source options (AVG and Open Office, for example). Next week we'll do more internet searching and email.

I miss teaching classes at the library; I just don't have the time available but have been able to assist when necessary. So I'm really enjoying the Adult Ed class. It's rewarding to know at least a few more people are able to successfully use the technology that is out there.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Others do this too

I was very interested to read this blog by a Nebraska librarian - we're not the only ones learning 23 Things and Web 2.0. (Also interesting was the mention of 15 CE credits for doing it!). Our library staff hasn't jumped in to this; only a few have actually completed the entire list, which is surprising - there are just 10 lessons. Maybe we need to provide more constant reminders? Maybe 5 credits isn't enough incentive? I think it's seen as just one more thing to do, when the days are already filled with more than enough, and the value of learning these skills isn't obvious. But it's free! And can be entertaining and rewarding - it just requires a little effort.

I find this lack of interest very disappointing - we should be excited to learn anything new, even if it doesn't seem to have any practical application to our every-day jobs. Otherwise you just end up bored.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Updates should be illegal

After my relaxing weekend, with the extra day for Martin Luther King day (read the details on the TeamHenley blog)I spent the rest of the week dealing with the latest shared catalog upgrade. Some combination of networks conspired to make any automatic transition impossible - only one computer in the entire library was able to succeed. Apparently the download was traveling through mud - it would time out before completing. I was finally able to download the file (what should have been 2 mintues took 10), save it to a flash drive, and install it on individual machines.

But it's never that simple! Installing the update completely removes any settings. We realized this when the first machine no longer printed date due slips - all the information for the slips had to be re-entered. Luckily we could get all that from an un-updated machine. So we thought real hard to make sure we didn't miss anything. One last setting was discovered this morning, but I think we've finally done it.

But wait! There's more! Recently a volunteer and I installed the latest Adobe Reader (v.9!) on our public internet machines. What could be bad about that? Strangely, people suddenly weren't getting an entire .pdf document when they tried to print, only the first page (or whatever page they selected). Another stroke of luck here - a class was being held in the lab, so those machines didn't get the upgrade and, funny thing - they still worked! So this morning we downgraded Reader to v.8 (and that's a fun experience, trying to find an older version - it takes some real digging to find those!). Problem solved.

I don't know if I can take any more upgrades and updates. When things are working nicely, they should be allowed to continue. Don't tell me a little improvement will make things so much better. Maybe there was a time when that really happened, but I sure can't remember it.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

January Update

It almost feels like spring, and that's a scary thought at this time of year (but not unusual - I remember bulbs popping up in January and thinking it was much too early, but they couldn't be stopped!). MSU is back in session, and more foreign students have arrived. Spring will come eventually.

This morning the City offered a session on communication and dealing with problem customers (patrons, to us library-folk). We first we divided up into groups, based on various adjectives (printed on different colored cards - I ended up with a totally red collection, but there were blue, green and yellow too). It was interesting - the Red group was predominately female, the Blue group had police and firemen; Red was the "touchy-feely" group, Blue was the no-nonsense, practical kind. I'm curious about how other library staff ended up - it would be nice to do something similar with all the staff, because I can see how these characteristics influence our interactions.

The end of the session talked about problems - how to diffuse situations so everyone leaves feeling like their goal was met, rather than one person "winning" and the other backing down. The first step? Keep calm! That's always difficult, but essential, and I've gotten better at it with practice. Realizing it's not personal helps, too.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

January

Just when I think things will slow down after the holidays, events come along to remind me not to think that way! Next week seems to be one of those weeks when all the stars align, or whatever it is that makes everything happen at the same time. At my last dentist appointment six months ago we scheduled the next one for Wednesday morning. Then the MLA Board meeting came along, for Tuesday afternoon in Helena. The MPLA Board meeting is set for Wednesday afternoon - a conference call, so at least I won't be traveling to Denver. Tuesday morning there is a city presentation on the internal staff page, and city home page, that should be informative. I have another city-sponsored seminar Thursday morning - I can't remember what it's about but I'm sure it was important! And Friday, a Marketing Committee meeting. Luckily we have the MLK holiday, and since it's a usual day off for me, I'll take Tuesday too. That comes at just the right time!

To keep work and family news separate, I've started a family blog. It's also linked from our family website, and I don't expect much traffic, but it's another way for people to keep up with us. It's also a way to get more of the family used to some new technologies!

That's the time of year it is: time to try new things.