How to Deal with Missing DVDs

Occasionally patrons return media without all the disks. Our policy is to keep the item checked out to the patron until such time as they can make the item complete. This requires that the folks in Materials Management and the Service Specialists work together efficiently. Guidelines are in place so that we can deal with the situation in a consistent manner. There are three basic scenarios that come up over and over again.

Scenario One (Materials Management): Patron returns a DVD or CD case that turns out to be empty, or contains the incorrect disk, or is missing disks.

The correct procedure involves 4 separate actions:
- Check the item back out to the patron and make it due on today’s date.
- Block the patron’s account.
- Add a message to the patron’s account explaining the facts with today’s date and your initials.
- Call the patron and explain the situation.


Scenario Two (Service Specialists): Patron is unable to use the self check and comes to the circulation desk to find out why. When you bring up the account you find the account is blocked and there is a message about the missing disk.
- Explain the situation to the patron.
- Verify that the item is currently checked out to the patron.
- Find the empty or incomplete case in the back room.
- Renew the item so that the patron has time to go home and look for the disk.
- The patron should leave with the incomplete item in their possession.
- You can now remove the block, since the patron has all the different pieces in their possession, and is responsible for bring them back complete.


Scenario Three (Service Specialists): Sometimes, a patron comes up to the circulation desk with a disk in their hand, and explains that they got a phone call, etc, and are here to return the disk. They probably do not have the incomplete case.

-Bring up the patron’s account. Read the message carefully. If there are problems with the phone number, or any other patron data, fix that now.
-Verify that the item in question is still checked out to the patron. Chances are the empty case is in the back room. If it’s not checked out to the patron, was it accidentally shelved?
-Hopefully you can find the item, match it up with the disk the patron presents, and check it in.
-If this all goes well, remove the message, and remove the block.

Remember: Ultimately it is the patron’s responsibility to return all of the disks in the case at the same time. We assist them by renewing the item and putting as many of the separate pieces back in their hands as we can.

TELLURIDE ROOM!

Please note the new sign on the Telluride Room Doors!

No cellphones or computers….. This is our super quiet space.

Laptop users may be disappointed, thus, if approached, please provide our users with options like the Periodical room, carrels, comfortable chairs in the sitting area on 2nd floor, study rooms if available, etc. (Joe will move Wireless Access point out of the Telluride room so as not to entice.)

Let me know patron feedback –
Thanks,

Sarah

One Telluride

Benito stopped in to leave a stack of business cards. He encourages us to refer patrons seeking accomodation or navigating language barriers to him for assistance.

His business cards are at the upstairs service desk. He can be reached by cell at 708-7830.

Sarah

MAILING ADDRESSES

Hi there,
Let's help our patrons through the maze of getting mail - and in turn help us get those Library Cards sent out properly!

The process for getting a mailing address is this:
All NEW RESIDENTS MUST REGISTER THEIR MAILING ADDRESS WITH THE POST OFFICE or GET A PO BOX!
(This includes residents of Mountain Village even though their mailing address actually is their regular street address0

Example: If you live at Big Billies

Step 1: REGISTER WITH THE POST OFFICE (in town)
Step 2: Their mailing address will be:
NAME
330 Adams Ranch Road UNIT#
Mountain Village, CO 81435
Step 3: The patron will get a key to a box up in Mountain Village where they will actually get their mail.

Questions? Please let me know.

Thanks,

Sarah

LAPTOP

Hi there,

Don't forget, there is a Millenium record for checking out the Laptop. Please try to use this, as it will help us keep statistics. (Just watch the fines....if a user has it more than two-hours)

Thanks,

Sarah

BIOGRAPHIES, Spanish and more....

The 'Language' area has been revamped. The Spanish books are on the first floor, behind the non-fiction DVDs. The Language materials have been reintegrated into the regular book and audiobook collection.

The BIOGRAPHIES have been shifted to take over this shelf space. So they have lots of room for face-front display! Take a look, it looks good. Large, Oversize books will take the place on the shelves where the Spanish books once where.

The SPANISH computer is now with the MACs......the Rosetta Stone machine will move near the Ref computers.

Whew! Thanks to John for moving the Biographies and to Ty for organizing the shelves prior to the move.

---Sarah

CLAIMS RETURNED

What do you do when a patron says that an item on their account has already been returned? While you might encourage them to double check at home for the item, and you might yourself want to physically check on our shelves for it, there comes a point when you just need to take the item off of the patron's account. And of course you would then only impose fines that would have accrued up to the date on which the patron says the item was returned.

That being said, how is it done? In Millennium, highlight the item in question and click the "Claims Returned" button. A window pops up wanting to know on which day the item was returned -- usually this will be some time in the past. Leaving this field blank is also an option. The next window that comes up offers 3 choices, please always use the middle one. This calculates the fine as described above, takes the item off of their account, and changes the status field (in the item record) to "z - Claims Returned."

The other part of the equation is what to do when an item finally turns up. Simply check it in, and just like items that have been declared missing, its status will be changed to "ON SHELF." It is not necessary to refer back to the patrons account.

2nd Floor New Books

The face-front displays are really popular with our browsing patrons, and we can make them equally popular with our Materials Management Team if we keep the books in order with as few exceptions as possible (like the big books being on the top shelf).

Thanks for your attention to this matter and for making sure that our New Books are readily available for check-out.

Sarah

GARAGE: DOOR IS NOW CLOSED

The Garage Door is Fully Operational....so to get in, one must use a Pass CARD -
Let's be prepared for patrons needing access cards. Dan has signs in place to alert our patrons.


Sarah

Unemployment Benefits

Here is some information that I found with a patron looking to file for unemployment.

The folks down at the Montrose Workforce Center are really helpful and serve our area if anyone needs further information.

http://www.yourworkforcecenter.com/western/montrose/montrose_wfc.asp


To file online:
http://www.coworkforce.com/

Once people receive benefits, they must register at a workforce center. The folks from Montrose wanted to emphasize that they can do this online at www.connectingcolorado.com and that people do not need to travel to Montrose to fulfill the terms of unemployment.

Sarah

Garage Passes

They're ready!

We're now handing out garage passes. Patrons who live within the district (same boundaries as the schools) may have a pass at no charge. For those who live outside the district (this includes Norwood & Rico), there will be a $5 charge for a pass. Please record money taken for passes on the stats sheets. Let patrons know that our supply is limited, so they should only get one if they actually need it.

Patrons must fill out a paper form and sign it to acknowledge that they will abide by our terms of use. On this form, record the garage pass number, the window sticker number and the patron barcode. Be sure to tell patrons that they need to display the window sticker on the driver's side or they could be subject to towing. Passes will work during library hours only. We would be happy to take their garage pass back if they no longer need it or if they are moving out of the district.

Enter the sticker and pass numbers as individual "U" fields in the patron account. Use the prefix WPLG for the pass number and WPLS for the stickers (no spaces, please). Patrons may take up to two window stickers, just enter each number as a separate "U" field.

Place a check and your initials in the upper right corner of the form to indicate that the information has been entered in Millennium. File forms in the manilla folder at each service desk.

Staff cards are the only passes that permit 24/7 access. Please see Dan for assistance if you need a staff pass.

Questions? Ask Andy, Dan, Barb, Sarah(s)...

Cheap Travel Planning Sites

Thought this was an interesting link. It's a review of the top 5 website search engines for cheap travel.
http://lifehacker.com/5073437/five-best-travel-sites-for-cheap-tickets

Sarah

ANGEL BASKETS

Angel Baskets are collecting food and we have boxes behind the circ desk for collection. Anyone bringing in an item receives $1.00 off their existing fines. No vouchers. Any questions can be directed to Ann Brady or Nancy Talmey.

Horray for angel baskets.

:-)
From Faith

NOW AVAILABLE: Microsoft Office 2007

We now have Microsoft Office 2007 on Ref-3 and Ref-4.
:-)

Thanks,
Faith

New Table

The large meeting room has a new oval-shaped table that seats 8 nicely. Take a look - it makes for a better arrangement in the room.

Sarah

Self Check

If the barcode reader on the self check doesn't work check to see if there is paper in the receipt printer. There is thermal paper in the back by the cd "buffer", and usually a roll or two stashed in the bottom drawer at the service desk. M

NEW LIBRARY CARDS

It seems that its the season for New Library Cards!

An easy check to see that the New Patron accounts are "good" is to close the account and scan the barcode before giving the card away. That way you can check the record to see that it looks good and all of the fields are filled in properly.

Sarah (thanks to Erlend)

That Darn Millennium...

Hey Guys, here's one I found out about the hard way:

I was trying to put a book on hold for one of our patrons using Millennium. ADD HOLDS brings up a search window, but no matter how I searched (by Title, by ISN, etc) nothing at all would come up, not even the usual "Your entry would be here..." Of course I was frustrated since I had already found the book in the catalog and I knew which library had it. I went downstairs and used one of the circ computers and it worked fine, I got the hold placed.

Evil spirits? Gremlins? Nope, the librarian before me had used the "limit" feature which operates just like the location menu in the catalog, and had "limited" the search results to only show what was in Wilkinson. Since the title was found, but no copies are in our collection, the search list came up empty. I was finally tipped off by the little message "LIMITED" in the very bottom left hand corner of the search window. In the menu bar at the top of the screen is an icon where you can turn on and off this feature.

Live and learn, Andy

Circulation desk phone messages

There are alot of old phone messages left on the machine,please remember to delete (*3) any messages on the phone if you have dealt with them, that way we are not redundant in our tasks and we don't have to listen to a whole lot of old messages. Thanks

Statistics notes

OK, so I took some time to look at the stats last night, here are some interesting tidbits...(these numbers represent January - October)

We circulate a lot for a library our size.......36.87 per capita....which puts us at the top of resort libraries in Colorado, and only second in the state to Silverton (their per capital circulation is 71.43)

Here's some numbers about our circulation:

The Browsing collection has more than 2000 circulations so far this year - it shows that our reader's want the new stuff - let's work even harder at promoting these titles.

Almost half of all of our circulations are Music or Movies!

DVDs are a whopping 39% of all of our circulation (up from 35% last year) and music is 10% percent of all of our circulation (up from 8 percent last year)

Non-fiction is 11 percent of our circulation (includes the travel collection)

Fiction is 7 percent of our circulation (including Browsers and large print)

and just plain-ol' regular New books are 4.4% of our circs........

Sarah

MARMOT HOLDS

HI there,

Please remember - it is NOT okay to OVERRIDE to get a hold Millenium. For example, Vail does not lend DVDs by PIH.....if you override to get the hold to process, they'll call us to remind us not to request this way.....

Use Inter-Library loan for items that you can't get in MARMOT. Print out the page and give it to Faith or Sarah to process as an Inter-library loan. They'll be able to find another library in Colorado (hopefully) that can lend the item.

Thanks,

Sarah

Snow Movie Night -- Location Change

Hi Everyone,
Due to the election, the program room will be sealed overnight next Monday. Therefore, we will be holding the movie night at the Telluride Museum at the top of Fir St. Movies include Out of Ophirica, Extreme Winter, Presence, and Ode to Avalanche. The event will begin at 6Pm in the Weatherford room.

SAMPLE BALLOTS

Sample ballots are available, by precinct, downstairs at the desk. Figuring out which sample ballot goes with which precinct is a bit tricky. Voting precincts do not align precisely with political boundaries. There is a map of the districts and a cheat sheet that should help you figure out which voting precinct a patron lives in, and then which ballot is appropriate for them. Ballots differ by which local races or ballot initiatives are included. (Norwood residents have Norwood school ballot issues that the rest of us don't.)

The ballots for the east end of the county (Telluride) are the largest, and figuring which ballot goes to whom is trickier than for the west end. Hopefully the cheat sheet will make this clearer.

You can also refer patrons to the County Clerk's website: http://www.sanmiguelcounty.org/portal/page?_pageid=117,145207,117_145266&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL

Thanks,
Faith (and Andy)

DOWNLOAD STATION

The DOWNLOAD STATION is Available.....behind the pole in the DVD section on the first floor.
Please take the time to download an Audiobook and refer our patrons to this valuable workstation.

NOTE ABOUT iPOD MP3 FILES IN OVERDRIVE: Please be aware that there are a LIMITED number of MP3 Titles in OVERDRIVE. These are the ONLY ones availabe for iPODS. The files are BIG and take a long time to download. Also, carefully read the Digital Help - basic instructions when transferring to an iPOD. Depending on the player, you may need to use iTunes to set the player to "manual" and then Transfer using the Overdrive software.

Sarah

AskUS INBOX!

Please remember to check the AskUs Inbox when working the 2nd floor desk! Its important that we reply to our patrons...to at least let them know we are working on their question.

Thanks,

Sarah

CREATION STATION

Wowee!
We've got ourselves a Fabulous NEW and Improved Creation Station. Thanks to Joe and Erlend.

Take some time to get familiar with the software -

Let's keep it sign-up basis....we'll get a new sign-up sheet for it. (We've got plenty of
machines for Internet access....)

Sarah

Town of TellurideElectronics Recycling Event

Town of TellurideElectronics Recycling Event
October 25, 2008

10:00am to 4:00pm

1370 Black Bear Road Telluride, Colorado

Please call Lita for more information: 728-2177

Fees will apply:
Monitors & TV's < 19": $15.00
TV's > 19": $20.00
Large Printers & Copiers: $10.00
CPU's or Towers: $9.00
Printers, Fax Machines, Battery Backups: $7.00
Stereos, VCR's Receivers: $5.00
Keyboards: $2.00
Phones, Cables, Circuit Boards, etc.: FREE.

No tires, microwaves, smoke detectors, household appliances, air conditioners or other non-electronic items will be accepted.


Link: http://www.telluride-co.gov/home/index.asp

By: Faith

Guest Card Blue Slips

After you "cash-out" a Guest Card please put blue slip in cash drawer, use the back slot that is typically used for checks or twenties.

Raffle Tickets

HI there,

Don't forget - the Raffle Tickets for the Quilt are in the bottom drawer in an envelope labeled RAFFLE!

When you close at night, put this envelope in the cash drawer so that it gets locked up at night.

Thanks,

Sarah

Course Reserve for Ah Haa "Build Your Dream Home"

Sue Beresford has placed a number of items on reserve here at the library for those participating in her Ah Haa course during the month of October. They are primarily intended for shared use in the library over the month of October, but Sue has said that she is fine with us overriding the in-library use only policy if students really need to take them home. Use your discretion.

All of these books have green paper around the cover that identifies them as reserve materials belonging behind the Ref Desk.

Some of these items are WPL books. For these we have changed the status of the items to "In Library Use Only." This should prevent PIH holds from being placed on these items and alert folks that may be searching for these items that there is something different about them -- hopefully avoiding long fruitless searching and accidental changing to "missing" status.

There are also books that Sue requested through PIH and ILL. These books have been checked out to Sue's account and she is aware that she is ultimately responsible for these items. We agreed to let her store them on our shelf and share them with her class.

If someone convinces you to check one of these items out to them, please make certain that you check them out to that patron's library card. This is probably obvious, but for the ILL and PIH books, we'll want to make sure we take them off of Sue's account before we check them out. Ask the patron to return them to the Ref Desk if possible and check anything not owned by WPL back out to Sue Beresford when they have been returned.

It's exciting that we can offer this type of service to the community. Let's work together to think of ways to streamline this process and make it practicable for other courses here in T-Ride.

Thanks!
Sarah (Lawton)

Scanner Works!

Just wanted to follow up that the Ricoh scanner has been fixed.
Yay, Joe!

Courtesy Holds

On the note attached to items that are being held for patrons who will later return with a library card, please provide a date 3 days in the future. This will be the date that Materials management returns the item to the shelf if it has not yet been claimed.
Thanks,

Sarah

SCANNER

The Richo Scanner is out of commission - unable to send scans to email accounts.

Joe is working on a fix, so until then we'll be patient......


Sarah

Novelist Tutorial

Hi There,
Anyone interested in exploring Novelist as a tool for Reader's Advisory should check out this link. It's a great way to get to know all of the features of Novelist Plus.
http://support.ebscohost.com/training/flash_videos/NoveListTourFiles/NoveListTour.htm

New Book Status Changes

Most of our new books eventually become part of the regular collection, and when they do it's important to get the new location code correct. Just because the call number is "FIC MEL" doesn't mean it necessarily belongs in fiction -- check to see if its a mystery, large print, SP, etc. Likewise most Deweys do belong in non-fiction, but some may be travel books. Lots of books end up "missing" simply because the catalog indicates the wrong location. A list of location codes and their plain-english translations can be found here: file://gateway/staff-2/ahelck/Public/map%20of%20the%20library/locations.doc

RICOH ON ALL COMPUTERS

Joe has fixed the settings on all patron computers, and from now on, all computers should always see RICOH as a printer option.

Thanks,
Faith

Voter Registration Deadline

Voter registration deadline is October 6, the same deadline date applies to change of address forms as well.

Friends Raffle Info

Good Morning, The Friends membership sheet and tickets are in the bottom drawer behind the first floor desk. Any one selling tickets must be a Friend member, so please remember to sign the sheet, one sheet for all.

Wireless Printing Instructions

Hi Everyone,

I recently updated the instructions for adding the WPL patron printer to PC laptops. This allows patrons to print directly over the wireless network. I will be doing the same for the Mac interface soon. Let me know if you notice any problems with the directions and I can tweak them. Paper copies are located next to the patron printer.


Sarah (Lawton)

Lost and Found Cards

Don't forget to remove blocks from an account when you've returned a lost card to a patron. Also, remove any notes or messages from the account pertaining to the formerly lost card. It's easy to forget.

Ty

TURN THE PHONE "ON"

Push the "Night" button on the First Floor Desk Phone (upper-right corner) as part of Opening.....
and then....
Push the "Night" button when you are CLOSING (the light should be on when we are closed)



Thanks,

Sarah

MORE MONEY MONEY MONEY

IN MILLENIUM:

When collecting money for fines, etc. in Millenium the Important thing to remember is to click on Collect Money....and then enter the amount in the pop-up window in Millenium -

Questions? Please ask.
Sarah

Welcome!

Hi there,

I just wanted to thank you all for your great enthusiasm and participation in the training. We are now officially: Service Specialists.

I know that you'll do great, and please remember to ask each other for help if necessary.

Keep smiling and so will our patrons.

Sarah

YAY for Joe!!!

Joe fixed patron scanning on the Ricoh this morning. It should work for folks and messages will be clearly identified by the "from" address of scanner@telluridelibrary.org
Scan on!

Closing/Opening Reminders

When opening and closing, don't forget to do a quick straightening. Make sure to remove old room reservation slips, put chairs and equipment back where it belongs, and stick rogue books on the shelving cart. Take a peek at any empty displays and restock as needed.
Also, please make sure to delete Barracuda filter exemptions at the end/beginning of the day.
Thanks!

Outlook Express Works on the Ref Desk Computer

Hey All,

Joe set up Outlook Express on the Ref Desk staff network computer, so we can check email on the AskUs account in this way. Web mail will still work and messages will show in both places, so it's individual discretion on how to check.

Also, ILL requests, status indications and inquiries will be coming into AskUs. Please be sure to forward them to the appropriate staff person. Faith is the ILL queen, Andy is learning the ropes quickly, and I can dive in as needed. If you wonder who to alert, feel free to ask!

Sarah (Lawton)

Amaze your Friends...

...by printing Guest ID passes like a professional. On the PC Reservations computer find a new desktop icon with the name "more slips.exe" Each time you double-click this script, it will fire up the PC Reservation program and print 20 guest id slips. This is an example of automation under the AutoIt scripting language. Andy

What happens when...

...PC Reservation crashes? I always wondered what would happen if the PC Reservation computer where to restart during the day with patrons logged onto the system, and now I know! All I was trying to do was surf the net on PC Res when I hit the homepage icon in the browser and whoomph, the screen went blank and the next thing you know we are rebooting. No one came screaming out of the tech lab, so folks who are logged on stay logged on. So far so good. Once the boot process finishes, PC Reservation automatically comes on, so that's also pretty easy. I walked around and the unused computers had a "Please Wait..." message where "Available" normally displays, but this fixed itself as soon as I cancelled the window and brought it back up (wiggle the mouse.)

The only real awkwardness I found is that I can't extend time on computers that were logged on at the time of the crash. I get the message (on PC Res) "Could not locate client records in the internal connections list." For new logins, this is not a problem, as I ascertained by experiment. But does anybody know how to refresh this "internal connections" list? I think after about 20 minutes it may have started to do this on its own, but I could find no tool or utility that would work. Thank, Andy

Scanning and Editing Documents

I've heard this question a few times this week and did a little research. I've pasted some info from http://www.askageek.com/. Joe is going to look into the feasibility of putting the OCR software on the computers hooked up to the scanner.

Print this info for patrons if they want it but tell them to stay tuned for our library to possibly offer this service.

Q: How do I scan a document into my computer so that I can alter it?

A: Hello there! There are a couple of different ways that you can scan a paper document into your computer and edit it. Generally, when you scan a document into your computer the resulting document will be in portable document format (PDF) format, which is difficult to edit by design; this file type was created to provide a secure method of file transfer. Basically you can use an optical character recognition (OCR) program, which will allow you to convert your scanned document to Microsoft Word or a similar program or a program like Adobe Professional, which will allow you to edit the PDF itself.

OCR
So how does OCR work? The OCR program “reads” the scanned document, and matches the elements that it sees with an internal library of characters; letters, numbers, spaces, etc. OCR programs available include, OmniPage Pro, Microsoft Office Document Imaging, and ABBYY FineReader. Once the application has matched the contents of the scanned document to elements in the library, the application produces an editable document, usually in Microsoft Word, or some other editable format such as a text file. This process sounds great, but often it does not work as smoothly as described above. Programs vary in their matching ability, so documents will generally require clean up once they are converted. Graphics, stamps, and tables generally cause the most clean up work.

PDF Editing Software
There are several PDF editing software packages available such as Adobe Professional, Foxit PDF and Infix PDF. Depending on the software you choose, you will have different editing abilities in your PDFs. Some editors allow you to fully edit all text in the PDF while some allow you only limited editing capabilities such as limited insertion points and field limits.
Your overall process for creating an editable electronic version of a paper document will be something like this:1. Follow the directions included with your scanner to scan your paper document.2. Locate the newly created scanned document on your computer.

OCR
1. Open your scanned document with the OCR application.
2. Follow the programs instructions regarding converting your PDF to an editable file.
3. Save the OCRed file in an editable format.
4. Clean up the document.
5. Edit as desired.

PDF Editing Software
1. Open your scanned document in the PDF editing software of your choice.
2. Use the tools included in the software to make your edits.
3. Save your edited document as a new PDF.

Hummingbird

Just wanted to alert everyone that we had a hummingbird trapped in the building yesterday evening. It was up by the electric windows. We opened the windows and hoped it would find its way out.

Paula recommended that should we face a wildlife emergency, we can call Lissa Margetts at 728-4275. She may be able to advise us in this type of situation.

Neither a Borrower nor a Lender be...

I have been learning the ILL ropes for the last week or two, and tweaking the procedures as I go. One thing that I found particularly frustrating on the Lender side is that after we find the books from the pick list we have to then check them out to the correct account. I went through all of Wilkinson's institutional patrons and tried to regularize the names and PCODES etc. I also found that one of the searchable fields for patron records is the so-called "unique ID" field. This is searchable in Millennium in the same way as patron names are. So just like you can look for a patron using the n prefix: nSmith, Jane you can also search by unique ID, assuming they have this field intheir record, so u072140817 might for example be their Colorado Driver License number.

What I did was enter just such a unique ID for all of our institutional patrons, and I used the Courier Code as data. So if you have just located a book destined for Auraria Public Library and you have Millennium Circulation open you can now search two ways. The old way was to type in the name, so nILL / AURARIA PUBLIC LIBRARY and the new way is to type uC105, which is the courier code from Swift.

Note that however you've been doing things in the past will work just fine, but if this new search field appeals to you feel free to use it.

Andy

Ricoh Scanner Email Privacy

The upstairs color copier has been a great alternative to the fax machine for patrons with lots of pages -- because its free! But last week we identified two possible privacy issues, and then it just stopped working. Now its working again (thanks to Erlend.)

The first privacy issue has to do with the fact that the machine keeps the email addresses that the user types in, so its possible for the next user to accidentally send a document to their intended destination plus the previous user's destination. This is easy to prevent, each patron should use the Clear Modes button after they send their document.

The other privacy issue is a bit more complex: the machine keeps a log of all the documents emailed, and this information can accumulate for months. Unless this log is cleared, its very easy for folks to examine the log and determine who sent documents where on such and such a date. (All you do is press the Scanner button and on the top line find the Scanned File Status icon.) We don't think its possible to view the emailed documents, but patrons probably don't want a public record of their cybertalk. Our short term fix for this situation is that this log should be cleared by a librarian at least once a day, perhaps in the morning when we open the reference desk. Here is the procedure:

Locate the small physical button in the upper left hand corner labeled User Tools / Counter and press it. A new screen appears; in the middle of the screen find the box labeled Scanner Features and press this (on the Touch Screen.) Again, a new screen. Find Delete Scanner Journal and press this. You will be asked to confirm, and you must find and press various Exit buttons to get all the way back out. Thats it, all information is deleted.

Rosetta Stone

For the next two weeks, Rosetta Stone will not be available. Joe will fix it when he gets back from vacation.

Thanks,
Faith

Voting FAQ

Hi Everyone,
I compiled a FAQ document on voting in San Miguel County with information from the www.sanmiguelcounty.org website. There are copies in the voter reg folders by the circ and ref desks. Happy registering!

Faith added the following:

The link in the FAQ Voting in San Miguel document isn’t easy to find for the following question (especially since their site doesn’t have a search option):

How do I know if I am registered to vote?
You may check your registration status at www.sos.state.co.us or call the San Miguel County Clerk and Recorder's Office.

I ended up doing a Google search for it and got to this page directly:
http://www.sos.state.co.us/Voter/voterHome.do

Great Books series

Hello,
The Great Books Monday evening series will continue through the summer with Tom as the organizer. The meetings take place in the Telluride Room from 6-7:30 p.m. on Mondays.
Reservations are not required.


Sarah

Boohoo for Yahoo!!!!

Accessing Yahoo Email is getting trickier by the day. For now, there is not much we can do about it. One option is to suggest that patrons open their email outside of the library, and at that point, choose the Yahoo classic view mode. Once a patron has chosen the classic view from an outside source, they can then come back and access their email here anytime (as long as they stay in the classic view). Other than that, we're at somewhat of an impasse.

Thanks for your patience,
Faith

TECH-2

Computer TECH-2 in the lab has a new IP Address:
192.168.0.115

Thanks,
Faith

CLOSING!

CLOSING - PROCEDURES......

PLEASE DO A FINAL WALKAROUND IN ALL AREAS - Bathrooms, meeting rooms, Lounge CHAIRS, Telluride ROOM, Patio to look for people before going downstairs. Evern after you think everyone is out, do ONE MORE walkaround......Coordinate with the CIRCULATION staff to let them know you are doing one more walk about before announcing to them that all is clear!

Thanks,

Sarah

Phones

Hi
Small Meeting room is now set up for phone service with long distance calling restrictions.
Other rooms had the 1-800's restrictions lifted.
Cheers

Email Update

Ask Us email is technically up and running but encountering some bugs in the Outlook interface. To check Ask Us email through the web-based service, go to
https://mail.telluridelibrary.org/owa
(it's in the favorites menu).
Use askus as the username. The password is set to library.

Ref Desk phone!

We've been doing an awesome job of helping our patrons - yet that leaves the phone unattended while we are away. So if you're in the "back office" and you hear the phone ring, please pick it up - also, I've updated our phone message to encourage callers to leave a message.

Thanks for your help with this,

Sarah

Bluegrass Line-Up

Just because someone will ask...here's the link to the 2008 line-up for Bluegrass.

http://www.bluegrass.com/telluride/lineup.html

Makes me excited just looking at it!
There is a print copy behind the Ref Desk.

SL2

Lost PSP Drive

A patron is looking for a silver PSP thumb drive that they left at the library on Saturday, 6/14. If found, call 327-4991.

Built-in Memory Card Readers

The new Gateway computers in the Tech lab, #1-2, #11-12
have built in Memory Card Readers. So if patrons have a camera card, they can just insert
it into the slot. No need for an external device. The slots are on the front of the machine.
If you've got questions, let me or Joe know.
Thanks,
Sarah

Looking good!

The upstairs is really coming together now with the shelves, furniture and new desk.
Sierra has provided us with a great organizer for the handbills, etc. (behind the monitor, cloaking the cords)
So let's all work together to keep top of our Referenc Desk clutter free.

Also, we've got a bookcase now so we can store a few items on that.

Thanks,

Sarah

Internet connections

The Internet connections in the Telluride Room have been restored. So users without wireless capabilities can use these to link up to the Internet.

Also, let's be vigilant about what our users plug into the routers - if you have doubts, then err on the side of caution and always check with Joe first!

Thanks,

Sarah

Interactive Library of Congress

View treasures of the Library of Congress...like the Gutenberg bible, early American artifacts, maps, and much more in new Interactive online tours.
Go to:
www.loc.gov/experience
Look for "interactive" with the exhibits.

Sarah

Valley Floor Success

Here is a link to the Colorado Supreme Court opinion affirming Telluride's condemnation of the Valley Floor.

http://www.courts.state.co.us/supct/opinions/2007/07SA101.pdf

Yay!

Book Club Registration

Please encourage folks to sign up for our summer book club. Even if they can’t make all of the dates, or don’t want to participate for all of the books, we would love to have them join.

To Register

Please have participants fill in their name, phone, email and any dates that they know they will not make it on the Registration form.

Offer them a copy of the current book and have them write their name on the appropriate list. The book list for Sight Hound is at the Reference Desk. This is an acknowledgement that they have received a book and that they plan to participate. They can keep the book, pass it along to a friend, or return it to be used in a future Book Club Express kit.

Be sure to remind them that the Summer Reading Book Club is using GoodReads.com for crucial discussion and communication. Give them a little tour of the WPL Summer 2008 Book Club group on GoodReads to get them started. There are handouts on GoodReads and other book club/book lover tools at the Reference Desk.

MAC-3

The CD drive for MAC-3 is broken. We have an external drive connected to the computer. When accessing this drive you will need to find it manually. More details to come....
Thanks,
Faith

Joe Sez...

Please take the opportunity to acquaint yourselves with the newly loaded Creation Station. It is packed to the gills with deluxe programs and we should all get to know what's on there.
Thanks!

Breaking News from San Miguel County...

There was an article in today's Planet announcing the launch of a new county database of public records. It's called the County Recorder and is accessible at http://www.thecountyrecorder.com/(hgidvl55ebb3reuvfm04pt2q)/Default.aspx
or through the www.sanmiguelcounty.org website.

You can find property values, tax payments, death certificates, etc. Eventually, the county hopes to have all records dating back to the 1880s available through this service.

Please take some time to explore!

ESL Update

The new One Telluride Language Coordinator has arrived. Don is in his new role and ESL classes have started at the high school. They have 54 students registered for the first 3-month session. It's a really structured curriculum (you take a test to determine which test you need to take) and interested people will likely need to wait until the fall session to register if they didn't get in this time. You can refer inquiries on ESL classes to Don at 708-7585.

At Don's suggestion, we're going to take a break from Intercambios while he tries to work up a more structured approach and perhaps an informational meeting for those interested in learning Spanish. He is interested in providing a matching service for English/Spanish practice. Any inquiries on this decision can be directed to me (Sarah Lawton).

Don is also planning to revamp the list of translators. Stay tuned for more info ...

LANGUAGE - Rosetta Stone Monitor

Hi all,

Just a reminder - the language machine "sleeps" if it hasn't been in use for awhile. The monitor goes black. To "Wake it up" you may need to unplug/plugin the power cord to the monitor in the back.

Thanks,

Sarah

Creation Station Update

Joe has requested that we restrict the Creation Station for use on projects that require specialized software. He has spent lots of time installing Adobe, Quark, Final Cut and other deluxe programs and we need to monitor it a bit to protect our investment of time & money.

If all other computers are full, you can log folks on for general use.

Swift Book Club Kits

Here is the link to all of the SWIFT book club titles:

http://www.aclin.org/swift/2007/SWIFT_Book_Club_Offerings-Mar08.htm

If you would like to borrow some of the books, just send Lori an email with the following:
-your name and library
-title being requested
-# of copies needed
-date needed by

Lori Smith
SWIFT Coordinator Colorado State Library
201 E. Colfax Ave. Denver, CO 80203
303.866.6917
smith_l@cde.state.co.us

Here's a list of the latest kits:
A girl named Zippy
A hole in the heart
A million little pieces
A spot of bother
Aloft
Angry housewives eating bon bons
Blessings
Cloud of sparrows
Collapse
Dirty girls social club
Doc Susie
Easter island
Empress orchid
Everything will be all right
For one more day
Forever
Good in bed
Guns, germs, and steel
Happiness sold separately
Haunted
I’ll take you there
In her shoes
Kite Runner
Little children
Maps for lost lovers
Mayflower
Never let me go
Odd girl out
Oryx and Crake
Our lady of the forest
Peace like a river
Swan
The amber room
The cowboy and his elephant
The crazed
The crimson petal and the white
The curious incident of the dog in the night-time
The death and life of Claire St. Cloud
The dive from Clausen’s pier
The five people you meet in heaven
The forest lover
The girl who played go
The Hotel Riviera
The laments
The last girls
The little friend
The meadow
The monkey wrench gang
The piano tuner
The pillars of the earth
The road
The whistling season
Twelve times blessed
Villa Incognito
When the emperor was divine

Have a great day,
Faith

SOFTWARE - What is available and where...

This from Joe - an easy way to see what software is on which machine....organized by software program:

Open up the Staff Calendar intranet page…
Click on the link on the right called “Computer Logins”
Once you are on the “Logins” page, you will see a software link… click it.

This page shows all current software on the PC’s (Macintosh auditing is coming, or at least, so I’m told from Kaseya…)
As a workaround, generally for Macintosh, all important programs will be on the bottom of the screen, you know, the “programs bar” aka “the dock”.

Let's work with Joe to update the lists for the Macs.

Thanks,

Sarah

Intercambios Continues

The Intercambios Spanish/English discussion group is starting up again.
Folks will be meeting in the Telluride Room every Thursday between 4-5:30.
It's casual and people are encouraged to drop in.
The new ESL coordinator, Don, and Benito will be heading up the facilitation.
Please come and check it out!

Readalike Fun!

I stumbled on this site and it's a pretty nice resource.

The Portsmouth Public Library has created readalike lists for a number of popular titles.

Check it out!

http://www.cityofportsmouth.com/library/books-rc-read.htm

CHESS

The Chess game has been relocated to the area nearest the REF computers. We've had some enthusiastic players who were a bit too chatty near for our patrons who were studying in the carrels. This relocation of the chess game should work well.

Sarah

MICROPHONE

There are two Microphones that can be used with the Rosetta Stone language workstation. They are on the shelves with the other computer type stuff (card reader, etc.)
Let's provide these as needed.
Thanks,
Sarah

International fax

Patrons needing to send International Faxes can do so at the
he Mail Boxes etc. store in Telluride (behind the car rental place).

--Sarah

Welcome to New Sub Martha Lenihan!

You'll see a new face training behind the Ref Desk this week.
Stop by to introduce yourselves to WPL's newest Ref Sub.

Hi Speed Scanning to Email

Our color copier and printer, the Ricoh Aficio 2500, offers an extremely easy way for patrons to scan and email documents. Because it has a built in document feeder, its particularly useful when patrons want to scan multiple pages. Using the feature is actually quite simple, just follow these few steps:

1. Start by pressing the rectangular button to the left of the display screen labeled "Scanner."
2. On the display screen find the button labeled "Manual Entry" and press this. The display switches to "qwerty" style keyboard. Note the @ symbol is in the lower right corner.
3. Enter the email address, and then press the "OK" button at the top of the screen. The display will now switch back to the Scanner display.
4. If you have a batch of documents, load them into the document feeder and press Start.
5. Or if you have just a few odd shaped documents, place them on the glass and hit Start for each document. Press the "#" button located to the right of the display screen after all documents have been scanned.
6. That's it! You might expect to get a message saying "Your Email has been sent," but this isn't the way it works. The email is sent as soon as you hit the Start button.
7. Play around with some of the other features. You can specify a subject, add a few lines of text, even change who the email is coming from, since by default the email will appear as being sent by the Ricoh 2500. So for example you can set the sender to be patron@gmail.com or some such email account.
8. For more information, see\\Gateway\staff-2\XTRAS\Copier, Printer, Fax User Manuals\AFICIO Copier Printer Scanner.

Andy

Math Website

Thought I'd pass along this link. It's a free tool for homework help on a variety of math subjects.
http://hotmath.com/
Sarah L2

Drawers at desk

Take the key and lock the top drawer if you know you'll be away from the Information Desk for an extended period of time!

Thanks,

Sarah

SPANISH CLASSES FROM UCSM

In case someone is interested in learning Spanish:

We at the University Centers of the San Miguel are delighted to announce that we will be presenting two Spanish classes this Spring.

Spanish 1A, for rank beginners studying Spanish, will run for 8 Tuesday nights from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm, from Tuesday, April 29 through Tuesday, June 17.

Spanish 1AX, a beginner refresher Spanish class, will run for 8 Wednesday nights from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm, from Wednesday, April 30 through Wednesday, June 18. This class is for people who have had at least some introduction or exposure to Spanish.

Registration forms for both classes are attached. Please fax the registration form back to me at 970 497 4377 and follow up with a check. Or you may drop off your registration form and check at our office. If you plan to pay with a credit card, please call me first to make arrangements since we are on limited hours during the off season. Thanks, and Hasta la Vista!

Chris Harrison
Program Coordinator/Registrar
UNIVERSITY CENTERS OF THE SAN MIGUEL
224 E Colorado Ave., PO Box 1621, Telluride, CO 81435
970 369 5255
ucsm@telluridecolorado.net; www.ucsanmiguel.org

Nonprofit Networking a Success!

We had 35 attendees at our Nonprofit Networking Session last Friday. They heard about trends in the nonprofit world from the Telluride Foundation and then received a run-down on the resources we provide to nonprofits. There was much excitement about the Foundation Directory, the Colorado Grants Guide, Atomic Learning, and our research databases.

Any ideas for future networking sessions? Especially where we can partner with other organizations?

Summer Reading

Jenine, Faith and I are working to develop a library-sponsored Book Discussion Group. We'll kick things off in May with a literary salon (tea, dessert, books, book club members, people interested in books) and continue throughout the summer as we read through the works of several WITS authors. I'll stick a sign-up sheet behind the reference desk for people who may be interested in literary events or joining a book club.

This adult summer reading program is not to be confused with the YS summer reading program which will feature a family book club program focused on The Tomboy Bride.

Let me know if you're interested in assisting in this...

Sarah (Lawton)

Spanish/English Discussion Group

Just wanted to let everyone know that the Intercambios Spanish/English discussion group will continue meeting on an informal basis on Thursdays (4-5:30) in the Telluride Room.

Spread the word...

Sarah

Citizenship/Immigration Info

I've had a couple of patrons approach the desk looking for information on citizenship and immigration. I directed one of the patrons to Benito (there was a serious language barrier and I called Benito asking if he could assist) and the other I was able to match with information from the USCIS website. There are links to forms, publications and practice tests for folks preparing for naturalization exams. Check it out:
www.uscis.gov

Also, I printed out Spanish and English versions of the USCIS publication Welcome to the United States: A Guide for New Immigrants. I will place the English-language version in the general Reference section and the Spanish-language in SP. They'll be in the catalog for easy reference. Black and white copies can be printed for patrons at the USCIS website.

We placed an order for a Citizenship Toolkit that should also help with this sort of query.

Thanks, Sarah

Computer logins

Reminder from Joe on Computer Logins:

Hello Ref and YS People,

I updated the staff calendar link – Computer Logins

Now that we close to done with revamping machines upstairs, I thought some accuracy might be in order.

Take a look: \\gateway\intranet\NewStaffCalendar\computerLogin.htm

Questions? I got your back J

P.S. Remember – all of the machines (except for the creation station) should automatically login upon restart… when in doubt, you can always restart the machine… 9 times out of 10 this fixes most problems!

LOST FLASH DRIVE

HI,
If anyone returns a gray flash drive with the name Jen on it, please call her at:
714-225-7668.
She is willing to provide a reward.

Thanks

Yahoo Classic Only - public computers

Joe has asked that we inform known Yahoo.com email users that our system only supports the Classic version of yahoo mail. There is a now a beta version that requires him to undo a lot of security settings for the that version to load, so for now, Classic is the way to go.

Thanks,
Ann

Wireless - checking to see if its working

Hi there,
To check on the status of the Patron Wireless network, on the PCRes workstation look for:

DWL2200AP with an Icon that looks like a wireless card


Double-click it. If there are checkmarks next to the routers (WPL1-5) it is active.

If Xs, its not working. Call Joe!

--Sarah

Historic Photos - From Library of congress

Here's a great new web site of Historic Photos from the Library of Congress, using Flickr:
http://flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/
Take a trip into the past.

Sarah

Speakers

Joe has procured some speakers for use by patrons in meeting rooms. Some may want to use them with the projector for presentations. They are in the closet with the projector and TV, etc. You will find them in a cardboard box labelled, appropriately, "speakers."

New Displays

Hey there ref folks,

Our two new displays -- bestsellers and staff faves -- are moving quickly. Thanks for keeping them stocked and looking good.

Please try to select only bestsellers (from the lists on the side of the kiosk facing the OPAC) for the "bestsellers" side of the display.

For staff faves, feel free to select your favorite books. You'll find a tag with your name on it in the top drawer of the ref desk, next to the receipt book.

Thanks again!
Sarah

Spanish-language Computer Classes in March

One Telluride is hosting a series of Spanish-language computer classes in our computer lab this March. The announcement went out in today's paper without reference to contact information or how to sign up. So, we can expect a few inquiries.

The class topics will range from basic computer skills to Internet navigation.
They will take place March 4, 18 and 25 from 6-7:30 PM.
Benito is the contact person for additional questions, his number is 708- 7830.

I went ahead and made a sign-up sheet (the classes are free and people can drop-in if they prefer). It is located behind the ref desk along with the sign-ups for the Spanish/English discussion sessions (every Thursday in March 4:30-5:30 in the YS area) and the Nonprofit Networking breakfast (March 28, 9-10 AM). Please keep taking the names and emails of interested individuals.

Thanks,
Sarah

Old Stock Certificates

Yesterday, Sarah Landeryou and Andy assisted a patron who was looking for historical stock values. She had an old stock certificate and needed the value for a specific date (over ten years ago). Sarah found a useful source for this info -- she's going to post it.

Coincidentally, I came across a link to a site that provides a guide for people who have old stock certificates and are trying to figure out if they are worth anything. Here's the link:
http://www.prattlibrary.org/locations/bst/index.aspx?id=3030&mark=stock

Wireless Printing on MAC Laptops

There have been a few slight changes to the instructions for connecting a Wireless Printer for MACs. Please see the following directions:

Go to the Apple menu, then go to the System Preferences
Choose Print & Fax
Choose Set Up Printers
Choose Add
Select LPD Printing (Line Printer Daemon)
Printer Type: LPD
Type in the IP Address: 192.168.0.2
Type in the Port Name: 192.168.0.1
Choose the printer: HP LaserJet 4050 Series

A printout of these directions are located next to the patron printer at the reference desk.

Thanks,
Faith

Express Stations are Good to Go

Joe spent another day hanging out by the Express Stations.
He fixed the port issue and now they can find their "mommy."
Go Joe!

Where have all the headphones gone...

It's a bit disconcerting how those headphones seem to be able to sprout wings and fly away.
Should we consider a sign-out system?
I can only find two out of the ten new pairs.

BOOK CLUB

There is now a sign up sheet for Book Club Samplers behind the reference desk in the black bin above the Book Club Binders. There is also a list of kits available through ILL and Swift. Take a look.
-Thanks, Faith

IP Addresses for Barracuda

The IP addresses listed on the PC Res computer are no longer completely up-to-date now that Joe has added the new Express stations. The Tech Lab computers should be fine, but we should double-check the other IP addresses when asked to remove the filter.

Here's how to check the IP addresses on PC Reservations:

1. Go to PC Res
2. Select "Configure" menu
3. Select "Equipment Records"
4. Select the machine that you are looking up
5. Click on "Add Auto"
6. Select the machine again.
7. Click on "View Client Details"

This should display the IP address for the computer you selected.

Sarah

Colorado Tax Forms

We will not be getting a supply of Colorado State Tax forms this year, for 2007 income tax submission. We can help patrons download the forms & booklets they need.
http://www.revenue.state.co.us/TPS_dir/wrap.asp?incl=forms_download
is a good place to start. Instruction booklets as well as the basic forms come up on this Colorado Dept. of Revenue site.
People can also file online, for a fee @ a place like this http://www.eztaxreturn.com/scriptsez/start.exe/eztax/p/partner/start.html?gid=gl0203
there are others...
Reminder - we offer patrons help getting the forms, but offer NO tax advice or form completion.
Happy Tax Season!
Ann

ILL MANUAL

The ILL MANUAL is done...
Thanks to Sarah Lawton and all who contributed to make it up-to-date and relevant.

We'll keep it by the ILL computer....

Sarah

Valley Floor Documents

Hi there,

We have in our collection a few legal materials important to the Valley Floor case. They can be found in the Reference Collection:
R363.738 COL - vol. I, II, III


They are titled Civil Action 83-C-2385......
State of colorado v. Idarado Mining Company
(and difficult to find in the catalog)
aka Remedial Action Plan...Consent Decree.

Sarah

Taking Names...for program invitations

I am working with Jenine to develop some new information literacy-oriented programs. These programs are fairly targeted and I would like to start collecting names and emails of interested patrons so we can send them an evite when the time comes. I have left two sheets on the Ref Desk for people to leave their contact info. One is for those interested in nonprofits & grantwriting, the other is for folks who would like to practice their English or Spanish in an informal discussion group session.

We are hoping to host a Nonprofit Networking breakfast sometime in February. This event will take place before the library opens and will feature a speaker (possibly someone from the Telluride Foundation), a demonstration of our eResources dealing with nonprofits & grantwriting, and a tour of our snazzed up Nonprofit Section.

The language idea is to host a weekly informal discussion group where English and Spanish speakers can get together to practice both languages. We are planning to hold this series down in Youth Services, so kids are welcome to participate or play while the grown-ups converse. We'll have snacks and there will be a facilitator there to get the conversation started. We're looking to mid-late afternoons on a weekly drop-in basis starting in March.

Please encourage anyone interested in materials or resources related to either of these programs to sign up so I can contact them with details when we have it all hammered out.

Thanks!
Sarah

PC Res Ticket Printer -- Changing the Paper

This indispensible little monster takes the same kind of thermal printer paper that Circ uses downstairs in their own Star brand ticket printers. Beware of accidentally using the non-thermal, slightly narrower paper that's meant for the little Citizen brand ticket printer located at the new ILL station. First of all, the narrower paper will probably give you a "cover open" error, and second, the printing won't show up because its not heat-sensitive paper.

The paper to use -- the good stuff -- is in the middle drawer below the ticket printer, just where you would probably start to look for it. If you ever need to know what the blinking lights on the front of the printer mean, there are some help files we downloaded, find them on the desktop of the PC Res computer.

YAHOO EMAIL

If encountering trouble with accessing EMAIL on YAHOO.com;
look for the link to CLASSIC - this will work!
--Sarah

How to fix the printer

So you have all probably noticed that the ref desk printer has been requiring paper to be loaded manually into tray 1 before it will print. Fortunately, Joe was able to figure out what's going on pretty easily - what was happening is that the paper was sort of slouching out of place so that the printer didn't think there was any paper in there, so then it went to the manual feed in tray 1. If this happens again, open the regular tray (tray 2) and make sure that the paper is pushed as far up to the front of the tray as possible. Just make sure that the blue bar thing at the back of the paper is pushed up towards the front and that the paper is lodged under the little metal tabs at the front edges and everything will print correctly.
-Amy

Thanks for Covering for Me!

I wanted to thank all of you for taking on my workload while I was snowed in. I really appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Hopefully we'll keep the rest of the snow on the slopes and out of my road!
Sarah

PressDisplay - Remote Access

OK - So for Remote Access to PressDisplay we can provide a Username/Password (either over the phone, in person, etc....)

the username is: and password are in the Green Binder behind the desk (PressDisplay just called and they could get to this site and saw the username and password.....so I had to take it down!)



I wish we could have library card access, but not yet.

Sarah

DIGITAL TV in 2009

Did you know that after February 17, 2009 – you will no longer be able to receive ANALOG over-the-air TV broadcasts. (This is important if you watch TV for free using an Antenna....)

You’ll need a digital television or you can get a digital-to-analog converter box. The Government has established a coupon program. Each U.S. household can receive up to two coupons worth $40 each toward the purchase of a converter box. For more info, go to: www.ntia.doc.gov/dtvcoupon


----Sarah

TAX FORMS

Tax forms are on their way. We will only be supplying the basics in the lobby: 1040; 1040A; 1040EZ. Once we receive them, we will keep a supply in the Lobby.

We have the instruction booklets - those are available already.

In the file cabinet behind the reference desk we have: 1099-MISC; W4.....until they run out.
As for the rest, we can print from the IRS.GOV website.
--Sarah

DVD BURNER

NOW AVAILABLE:
AN EXTERNAL DVD BURNER. It is under the printer in the staff work area available for us to "loan out." It operates with a USB plug - so should work with any machine.
Give it a try and share any tips.
--Sarah

Google Fun

I posted the hand-out from this morning's presentation below using Google Docs blog publishing. It was really easy!

If you want more detailed descriptions of the other useful search tools available through Google, you'll find them in the Staff-2 folder under XTRAS\Training.

Tips & Tricks

We all know Google as an effective search interface. Recently it has expanded to cover many other fields, including email, maps, applications, photos, blogging, books, etc.

Google Docs

To get started, simply choose Docs from the "More..." drop-down menu in the basic web search page. You will need to open a Google account. This is free and fairly useful as it allows you access to all of Google's extra applications and to GMail.

Once you have verified your new account by clicking on the link that is sent to you in an email, you can get started creating word processing, spreadsheet & presentation documents. Think of it as web-based Microsoft Office--Google has made it easy to navigate by preserving the styles and features of the programs we are accustomed to using. Once you have created your document, you can share it by inviting others to view and collaborate. You can also publish documents to create a permanent on-line link.

Be aware that there are confidentiality issues with this type of service – it is possible for Google to review posted documents.

Google Searching

Tip #1: Choose your keywords wisely. Select descriptive, specific words.

• Search for: Vancouver 2010 Olympics rather than Olympics

• Search for: 2004 football statistics rather than football

• Place the most important or unique word first (e.g. Denver Hotels, not Hotels Denver).

Tip #2: Use quotes for an exact match.

• When you enclose your search query in quotation marks, you'll only get results for the exact terms you entered in the order you entered them.

• Search for: "friendly robot" rather than friendly robot.

Tip #3: Here are a couple of tricks to use in the general search field.

	For calculations, search for the equation
	Example: 5+2*2

	For flight status, search for the flight number
	Example: united 134

	To track a package, search for the package's tracking number
	Example: 1Z9999W99999999999