What you *shouldn’t* do on public access computers

Posted on May 12th, 2009 by Liz

MakeUseOf.com has an entire list of things you shouldn’t do on Public Access Computers, aimed at the users of those machines.

The highlights:

• Whatever you do absolutely NEVER EVER save your log-on information.
• Don’t type personal information on the computer. Avoid credit card account numbers, banking passwords and things that can be used to give you a bad case of identity theft.
• Erase your web browsing history and restart the computer (if you can’t log-off).
• Watch out for people staring at you or spying on you.

Do you tell your patrons what NOT to do on library computers? Do you emphasize online safety?

NEKLS uses DeepFreeze technology to protect our computers AND ensure patron privacy, so some of these things are less important in our libraries, but it’s still a good idea to be aware that it isn’t acceptable to do your internet banking (for example) on any computer.

Marketing the Stuff You Already Own

Posted on April 10th, 2009 by Liz

New stuff is cool. New stuff is exciting. But what about all of the other stuff you have that’s not so new?

Heard about an interesting idea brought about by discussions of the movie “Objectified” – and of course the movie is addressing *consumer* conspicuous consumption – a campaign to advertise the benefits of enjoying the things you already own, instead of just purchasing a new one.

I know, you’re thinking… but this is a technology weblog, where oh where is your technolust?

Believe me, I have plenty of technolust (hello, iPhone user, netbook owner, Wii player, etc), but there is value in all of our old stuff, both personally or as libraries. All libraries have stuff around that is only languishing because people don’t know you have it, what ideas do you have for marketing your lesser utilized technologies and materials?

I used to (blank) but now I (blank) on the internet for free

Posted on April 9th, 2009 by Liz

Interesting thread over at Lifehacker about the things that we used to pay for or do in an analog fashion, but that we now do on the ‘net (or with Open Source software) for free.

Examples:
“I used to go to the library to get books… Now I just log into the library’s website and load them on my portable reader! -ditto for audiobooks”

“I used to pay for long-distance calls, but now I use Skype.”

“I used to buy stamps to mail my bills, but now I’ve discovered online bill pay at my bank’s web site. I still can’t believe that they mail out the check for me, to anyone in the US!”

“I once thought of paying for satellite radio (Sirius, XM), but now just listen to Pandora.”

“I used to buy blank CD’s to back up my data, but now I use the 2GB free storage/backup system at Mozy.”

“I used to haul around files on thumbdrives, but now I use Dropbox.”

See the full list

Do you have library related examples of things you used to do in an analog fashion but now do better/easier/faster/cheaper online? Let’s hear it!

Living in the Cloud – KLA Presentation

Posted on April 1st, 2009 by Liz

Internet Computer – the $400 computer that can mount on the back of a LCD screen

Info about the MSI Nettop computer

Link to presentation on Slidehare

What is Cloud Computing? – See the video we had problems with… it turns out some of the voices were on one channel instead of both and the sound system in our room was only one channel (the wrong one).

Presenters: Liz Rea, Heather Braum and Sharon (the quiet one)

Q&A

Dropbox – file storage in the cloud, free up to 2GB

Bandwidth allocation – how do you manage in member libraries?

Tags: #klampla

Reading Online vs. Reading Books: Is there a difference?

Posted on July 29th, 2008 by Liz

Interesting article at the NY Times today, this gets at the heart of it:

Few who believe in the potential of the Web deny the value of books. But they argue that it is unrealistic to expect all children to read “To Kill a Mockingbird” or “Pride and Prejudice” for fun. And those who prefer staring at a television or mashing buttons on a game console, they say, can still benefit from reading on the Internet. In fact, some literacy experts say that online reading skills will help children fare better when they begin looking for digital-age jobs.

Also, check out this video which sums it up quite nicely.

I personally read a lot, both on and offline. I love the quick at hand, wide breadth of information of the web, and I love the leisurely pace of reading offline. As a member of that bridge generation who can still remember when computers weren’t connected to the internet (but can’t quite remember a world without computers), it seems like “kids today” would rather read almost anything that’s on a screen rather than a book, but my sample size is pretty small.

Anyone out there have observations they would like to share regarding online vs offline reading?

Gaming and School Libraries

Posted on July 9th, 2008 by Liz

At our annual School Librarians’ Workshop, I presented on the intellectual reason for having gaming in libraries. Here are some extra links and resources that were requested to be posted by the crowd.

Young People and Social Networking Services – Digizen Study

Open Source Guitar Hero alternatives:

Frets on Fire

Games for use in libraries:

http://sls.gvboces.org/gaming/gamelibrary

How games apply in school libraries:

http://sls.gvboces.org/gaming

Kansas Library Catalog and Firefox

Posted on July 9th, 2008 by Liz

This just in from Rhonda Machlan at the State Library of Kansas:

Several users of versions of Firefox prior to ver. 3 have reported a problem with the latest AGent upgrade; while staff functions operated normally, the system would not display search results.

Two solutions:

1. Upgrade to Firefox ver. 3 – http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/

2. Clear the cache by going to Window / Options / Clear private data , then re-do your search.

Good Luck!

Bad Credit? Blame your Library!

Posted on December 26th, 2007 by Liz

“Borrowers from the nation’s largest library systems rack up hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid overdue fines and unreturned materials every year.  Now, 900 libraries, such as the Queens and New York Public Library systems, have turned to Unique Management Services, a collection agency that reports the 30% of overdue borrowers who fail to respond to repeated requests for payment to credit bureaus.”

Read the rest of the article

The killer line from this article?
“I’m going to Borders, just to be safe.  I may have to pay more upfront but at least I won’t have any problem getting a house to keep my books in.”

Is this something anyone is doing? And more importantly, is it something you *would* do, given the chance? Why or why not?

Confessions of a Former Dell Sales Manager

Posted on June 15th, 2007 by Liz

The Consumerist, one of many consumer awareness sites on the internet posted a very interesting article on the inner workings of computer sales at Dell.

Since I know many of you order or use Dell for your library computers, I thought this article might be a helpful read.

Some of the high points:

• Small business is better than home and home office – Small business typically runs a few dollars more than the home office, but you stand a better chance of getting domestic tech support rather than non-native English speakers. As an added perk, small business promotions are occasionally better than home. (This is something I’ve been preaching for a while, just from experience!)
• Tech support phone - If you do go with the home/home office/direct route, tech support is outsourced (duh!). The tech support instant messenger typically provides a calmer, more understandable conversation due to the fact that accents are taken out of the equation. Think back to high school Spanish. It was always easier to translate the foreign language you were reading than if you heard it. Same concept applies here. (I have had excellent luck with the chat support, especially since I am an avid IM person anyway)
• Promotion cycle dates – Thursday is the first day of new promotions. If you go to the web site at 11:45 p.m. on Wednesday night and again on 1 a.m. on Thursday morning, the promotions are different. The catalog promotions run from the start of the month to the end. Additionally, on holiday weekends (Memorial Day, 4th of July, etc.) there may be special sales/coupons for the three-day weekend.
• Dell’s internal fiscal calendar is different from other corporations. As their fiscal year ends in January or February (I honestly don’t remember), the best deals will typically be found in late January and all of February. Also, buying during the last week of any quarter typically means free or deeply-discounted 2nd day or overnight shipping, and the quickest order turnaround. There are no steep discounts for the holidays, though they will run a few weeks of consecutive percentage off promotions during the back to school season in August.