From Librarian's Internet Index:
cRANKy
"This search engine, fully launched in January 2007, bills itself as "the first age-relevant search engine," and is designed for those over 50. Only four results are displayed at a time, and users may rank sites (free registration required). From a company dedicated to creating media products aimed at the baby-boom generation born from 1946 through 1964."
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Monday, January 22, 2007
Best Free Reference Web Sites
This is the Combined Index, 1999-2006
RUSA Machine-Assisted Reference Section (MARS)
http://www.ala.org/ala/rusa/rusaourassoc/rusasections/mars/marspubs/MARSBESTIndex.htm
See anything here we should add to our links?
RUSA Machine-Assisted Reference Section (MARS)
http://www.ala.org/ala/rusa/rusaourassoc/rusasections/mars/marspubs/MARSBESTIndex.htm
See anything here we should add to our links?
Friday, January 19, 2007
Follow up on iPods / MP3 players
I had a talk with Jeff today about MP3 players, and he clarified some things. Basically, they probably won't work at all on our computers.
First off, when you plug the thing into the computer, it needs to have a driver installed for the computer to recognize it. Like any other outide software, drivers cannot be installed and run on our computers.
Even if a particular MP3 player did get recognized by our computers because the required driver was already part of Windows, there would be the problem of getting the songs on the MP3 player. There is very little music available for free download -- most of the free music is "streaming," which means you can listen to it instantaneously, but you can't capture it as a file and save the file. Various websites sell MP3 downloads, either by the song or by monthly subscription, but many of them require you to download, install, and run software to use their service. Again, we can't install and run outside software.
Jeff said he supposed we could add the necessary software to our computers, but there are so many different players requiring so many different devices, and so many different subscription services requiring so many different programs, that he wouldn't know which ones to install. If we pick the most popular five, the guy who uses the sixth will be left out. And, of course, we would have to learn to use, troubleshoot, and help patrons with all this stuff. We can track the requests we get from people, and Jeff can do it if there really is a lot of demand, but I suspect that people are finding other places to do this and they don't need to do it at the library.
So the short answer is, because of the drivers and music management software required to make MP3 players work, they probably won't work on our computers. As always, people are welcome to bring their device in and try it, but we can't guarantee it will work.
First off, when you plug the thing into the computer, it needs to have a driver installed for the computer to recognize it. Like any other outide software, drivers cannot be installed and run on our computers.
Even if a particular MP3 player did get recognized by our computers because the required driver was already part of Windows, there would be the problem of getting the songs on the MP3 player. There is very little music available for free download -- most of the free music is "streaming," which means you can listen to it instantaneously, but you can't capture it as a file and save the file. Various websites sell MP3 downloads, either by the song or by monthly subscription, but many of them require you to download, install, and run software to use their service. Again, we can't install and run outside software.
Jeff said he supposed we could add the necessary software to our computers, but there are so many different players requiring so many different devices, and so many different subscription services requiring so many different programs, that he wouldn't know which ones to install. If we pick the most popular five, the guy who uses the sixth will be left out. And, of course, we would have to learn to use, troubleshoot, and help patrons with all this stuff. We can track the requests we get from people, and Jeff can do it if there really is a lot of demand, but I suspect that people are finding other places to do this and they don't need to do it at the library.
So the short answer is, because of the drivers and music management software required to make MP3 players work, they probably won't work on our computers. As always, people are welcome to bring their device in and try it, but we can't guarantee it will work.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Site where people can get W-2s online
A patron came to the desk insisting that there's a website where anyone can get their W-2s. I tried to tell her that some employers have put their W-2s online, but she insisted that there's a website where you can get your W-2s no matter who your employer is. I suggested she ask her employer what site they use.
After searching for ten minutes, I found the site she was probably talking about. w2express.com offers W-2s from various employers, including Wal Mart, Home Depot, Office Depot, Kmart, and others. (I'm sure this is what gave her the impression that you can get any W-2, no matter who your employer is.) So if someone is looking for that site where they can get their W-2s, it might just be this one.
After searching for ten minutes, I found the site she was probably talking about. w2express.com offers W-2s from various employers, including Wal Mart, Home Depot, Office Depot, Kmart, and others. (I'm sure this is what gave her the impression that you can get any W-2, no matter who your employer is.) So if someone is looking for that site where they can get their W-2s, it might just be this one.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Black Belt Librarians
I finally got a chance to type up these notes from the Black Belt Librarians presentation at Burton Barr. Apparently the speaker's presentation was almost verbatim what he wrote in his book, so for more details, check out the book (we have copies at all 4 branches).
Notes are posted at this page on the wiki. (Requires a wiki login -- whaddaya mean you're forgotten your login?)
Notes are posted at this page on the wiki. (Requires a wiki login -- whaddaya mean you're forgotten your login?)
Friday, January 05, 2007
New wireless instructions
Check out the updated wireless instructions page on the Wiki (requires login). We have copies of all these things printed out: the public flyer is the half-sheet that we hand to people, the troubleshooting checklist is in the Care and Feeding manual, and the DT instructions are taped to the D-Link computer, but we can readily find them again on the wiki.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Public Computer Info -- please comment!
Deidre and I are thinking of ways to communicate answers to those frequently-asked public computer questions to patrons, and also which questions to answer. Please let us know what kind of questions you get frequently. You can comment on this post to add your suggestions.
So far we have:
1) Can I bring in a program on a CD and use it at the library?
2) Can I look at pictures on a CD?
3) Can I add songs to my iPod/MP3 player?
4) Can I save/burn to a CD or DVD?
5) Can I use a flash drive/thumb drive/USB drive?
6) Can I open a document that was created in Works/WordPerfect?
So far we have:
1) Can I bring in a program on a CD and use it at the library?
2) Can I look at pictures on a CD?
3) Can I add songs to my iPod/MP3 player?
4) Can I save/burn to a CD or DVD?
5) Can I use a flash drive/thumb drive/USB drive?
6) Can I open a document that was created in Works/WordPerfect?
Friday, December 29, 2006
New Google Patent Search
Official Google Blog about it: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2006/12/now-you-can-search-for-us-patents.html
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Annoying new ReferenceUSA interface
Anyone notice the new interface for ReferenceUSA? My guess is that they want our patrons to see the other databases that are available and pester us to buy them. :) I see there's a new "executive gender" search and a new "US business address search" (I didn't think that one was new--?). I thought the new "family tree" feature would be cool, but it kept giving me a 'page not found' error. Finally got Circuit City to work. A little underwhelming, but I guess it could be useful.
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Ms. Dewey, our new competition
Have you seen this? Microsoft's new virtual librarian, "Ms. Dewey," who gives you feedback and sometimes attitude about your questions: http://www.msdewey.com/ You need speakers or headphones to hear her.
There was a segment on public radio's Marketplace a couple of weeks ago: http://marketplace.publicradio.org/shows/2006/12/13/PM200612138.html (you'll need Realplayer to hear, but you can read the transcript). Pretty silly, IMHO.
There was a segment on public radio's Marketplace a couple of weeks ago: http://marketplace.publicradio.org/shows/2006/12/13/PM200612138.html (you'll need Realplayer to hear, but you can read the transcript). Pretty silly, IMHO.
Some computer info/updates
Okay, here are some things that came up in the last couple days:
1) We've had a few people asking if they can add songs to their iPods or download iTunes at the library. (Now we know what people got for xmas.) The answer is no. iPods require you to download and run iTunes on your computer, and you use iTunes to add songs to the iPod. Like all outside programs, you cannot download and run iTunes on the library computers. You can download and save a file, any file, but if it's an executable program you cannot run it.
2) Youth called to report that two different kids were using two different computers on the same library card. I checked the history on PC Res and sure enough, there were two active sessions on the same card number. Jeff said the immediate fix for any anomaly like this is to reboot the PC Res computer. We should report the problem to him anyway, because it also suggests that the database needs to be "pruned," which he'll do as soon as he can.
3) We think we've found the secret key to bypass PC Res! We've long suspected that the kids are bumping the computers offline intentionally, and Lynne even heard one kid telling another about the secret keystroke that bypasses PC Res. We think we've discovered it now [see your email]. Jeff is testing a fix for it on the computers in the lab, but there's a possibility the fix will introduce some new anomalies. So keep an eye on the computers in the lab and let me or Jeff know if they start acting strange. We'll test it for a week or two and if there are no problems, we'll do the same to the rest of the public computers.
4) The public firewall went down this weekend, and we're using a dinky little temporary replacement. This is causing some funny firewall errors. For instance, people using Hotmail cannot download their attachments, because they can't come through the firewall. (The fix, if the patron has a Yahoo or some other email, is to foward the attachment to their other account. If not, it's up to us if we want to let them log in on a staff computer to retrieve the attachment or foward it to infodesk@chandlerlibrary.org to retrieve it.) Also, people are getting firewall error messages when they try to log into MySpace, although this seems to clear itself up eventually. Getting a replacement firewall is going to be a little tricky and it might not come soon -- long story -- but Jeff will keep us informed.
1) We've had a few people asking if they can add songs to their iPods or download iTunes at the library. (Now we know what people got for xmas.) The answer is no. iPods require you to download and run iTunes on your computer, and you use iTunes to add songs to the iPod. Like all outside programs, you cannot download and run iTunes on the library computers. You can download and save a file, any file, but if it's an executable program you cannot run it.
2) Youth called to report that two different kids were using two different computers on the same library card. I checked the history on PC Res and sure enough, there were two active sessions on the same card number. Jeff said the immediate fix for any anomaly like this is to reboot the PC Res computer. We should report the problem to him anyway, because it also suggests that the database needs to be "pruned," which he'll do as soon as he can.
3) We think we've found the secret key to bypass PC Res! We've long suspected that the kids are bumping the computers offline intentionally, and Lynne even heard one kid telling another about the secret keystroke that bypasses PC Res. We think we've discovered it now [see your email]. Jeff is testing a fix for it on the computers in the lab, but there's a possibility the fix will introduce some new anomalies. So keep an eye on the computers in the lab and let me or Jeff know if they start acting strange. We'll test it for a week or two and if there are no problems, we'll do the same to the rest of the public computers.
4) The public firewall went down this weekend, and we're using a dinky little temporary replacement. This is causing some funny firewall errors. For instance, people using Hotmail cannot download their attachments, because they can't come through the firewall. (The fix, if the patron has a Yahoo or some other email, is to foward the attachment to their other account. If not, it's up to us if we want to let them log in on a staff computer to retrieve the attachment or foward it to infodesk@chandlerlibrary.org to retrieve it.) Also, people are getting firewall error messages when they try to log into MySpace, although this seems to clear itself up eventually. Getting a replacement firewall is going to be a little tricky and it might not come soon -- long story -- but Jeff will keep us informed.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Wrong jacket image in Sirsi?
This is from an email Dan sent me when I asked about a wrong book cover image showing up in the public catalog. Something that's fairly easily fixed, apparently.
-----------------------------------------------
[Dan]
This thing with the wrong jacket cover (or review or table of contents or whatever) in iBistro happens sometimes. There are two reasons this might happen:
1) The bib record has the incorrect ISBN in it
2) Syndetics Solutions (the source of our enhanced content) has associated the wrong ISBN with the cover or other enhanced content.
In this case, the problem was #1, which is easy to fix. I simply searched Amazon to get the correct ISBN for the book, then edited the bib record in Workflows so it had the right ISBN. Voilà! Now the record has the correct book jacket.
If the problem had been #2 above, I could report the problem to Syndetics, but I don't know how long it would take to get fixed.
You can call or email Myron future #1 problems, and he can fix them. For Problem #2, you can send them to me. How do you know which type of problem it is? Simple. If you copy the ISBN from iBistro and search it in Amazon, and a different book comes up, then it is problem #1. If the same book comes up in Amazon that shows in iBistro, then it is problem #2.
-----------------------------------------------
[Dan]
This thing with the wrong jacket cover (or review or table of contents or whatever) in iBistro happens sometimes. There are two reasons this might happen:
1) The bib record has the incorrect ISBN in it
2) Syndetics Solutions (the source of our enhanced content) has associated the wrong ISBN with the cover or other enhanced content.
In this case, the problem was #1, which is easy to fix. I simply searched Amazon to get the correct ISBN for the book, then edited the bib record in Workflows so it had the right ISBN. Voilà! Now the record has the correct book jacket.
If the problem had been #2 above, I could report the problem to Syndetics, but I don't know how long it would take to get fixed.
You can call or email Myron future #1 problems, and he can fix them. For Problem #2, you can send them to me. How do you know which type of problem it is? Simple. If you copy the ISBN from iBistro and search it in Amazon, and a different book comes up, then it is problem #1. If the same book comes up in Amazon that shows in iBistro, then it is problem #2.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Government Resource directory
We got a new publication from Arizona Capitol Times (must have come in the mail along with the paper). It's a nifty directory of various state government resources: state agencies and their duties, a directory of boards that do licensing and certification for various professions, information on where to go for information on issues such as unemployment and trademark registration, and more.
I'm not sure if it's worth cataloging the book -- we're more likely to use it ourselves to answer a reference question than people are to ask for it and look for it on the shelves. I think the best place for it might be on the ready ref shelf next to the Arizona Blue Book. Take a look!
I'm not sure if it's worth cataloging the book -- we're more likely to use it ourselves to answer a reference question than people are to ask for it and look for it on the shelves. I think the best place for it might be on the ready ref shelf next to the Arizona Blue Book. Take a look!
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Adult Ed page
I took the flyers as graphics and posted them to a page I may make the Adult Ed page. What do you think?
http://chandlerlibrary.org/core2.htm
http://chandlerlibrary.org/core2.htm
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Reorganized links on right
Per Saren's suggestion, I reorg'd the links to the right. Let me know if you have more suggestions! Thanks!
Website ideas?
I'm making a list of website ideas for the planning meeting with Sirsi in February. Please share ideas of things you think we should add/change/remove on our site. Any new features you would like to see? What things particularly irk you about our own website or others? Any library websites that you particularly like, and why? Thanks!
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Chanwik Reference Fact File
Michelle has been posting lots of good info to the Reference Fact File in Chanwik, if you hadn't noticed: https://chanwik.wikispaces.com/Reference+fact+file (you'll have to log in to see). Michelle, I guess this question is for you, since you're the only one who's been posting new facts, other than Dan. What do you think about making a dot in the top right corner of anything from our rolodexes that we make into a Reference Fact File page? I just did a page for the City Clerk's Notary Public and did so, just so we will know what's already been done without looking it up. . .
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
New dollar coins
Whaddya know?
The Presidential $1 Coin Program
The United States is honoring our Nation’s Presidents by issuing $1 circulating coins featuring their images in the order that they served, beginning with Presidents Washington, Adams, Jefferson and Madison in 2007. The United States Mint will mint and issue four Presidential $1 coins per year, and each will have a reverse design featuring a striking rendition of the Statue of Liberty. These coins will feature larger, more dramatic artwork, as well as edge-incused inscriptions of the year of minting or issuance, "E Pluribus Unum," "In God We Trust" and the mint mark. Although the size, weight and metal composition of the new Presidential $1 Coin will be identical to that of the Golden Dollar featuring Sacagawea.
Program Overview
Outreach Program
Coin Release Schedule
The Presidential $1 Coin Program
The United States is honoring our Nation’s Presidents by issuing $1 circulating coins featuring their images in the order that they served, beginning with Presidents Washington, Adams, Jefferson and Madison in 2007. The United States Mint will mint and issue four Presidential $1 coins per year, and each will have a reverse design featuring a striking rendition of the Statue of Liberty. These coins will feature larger, more dramatic artwork, as well as edge-incused inscriptions of the year of minting or issuance, "E Pluribus Unum," "In God We Trust" and the mint mark. Although the size, weight and metal composition of the new Presidential $1 Coin will be identical to that of the Golden Dollar featuring Sacagawea.
Program Overview
Outreach Program
Coin Release Schedule
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
New Business Listings
News from the Chandler business license and tax office: Due to recent bills passed by the Arizona legislature, which tighten confidentiality laws, the new business license report will no longer be produced.
The biz license office did not have any suggestions about where people might find similar listings of new businesses. You can do a custom search in ReferenceUSA for businesses by city and number of years in the database, which will be a rough estimate but not very precise, especially since the shortest time frame for number of years in the database is one year. Does anyone have any other ideas?
The biz license office did not have any suggestions about where people might find similar listings of new businesses. You can do a custom search in ReferenceUSA for businesses by city and number of years in the database, which will be a rough estimate but not very precise, especially since the shortest time frame for number of years in the database is one year. Does anyone have any other ideas?
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Those Walgreens photo CDs
I remember (vaguely) this going out on an email at one point, but you can't open Walgreens photo CDs on the public computers. Walgreens puts a photo viewing program on their CDs and the program tries to run, and it can't.
You should be able to open the photos in Internet Explorer (go to File - Open - Browse), although the computer I was working on hung up when I tried.
You can also open the photos in Microsoft Office Picture Manager. You should be able to use this to edit photos also, although I don't have experience doing it. Does anyone else? Does anyone have any other tips? Feel free to add a comment, or edit this post and add the info.
You should be able to open the photos in Internet Explorer (go to File - Open - Browse), although the computer I was working on hung up when I tried.
You can also open the photos in Microsoft Office Picture Manager. You should be able to use this to edit photos also, although I don't have experience doing it. Does anyone else? Does anyone have any other tips? Feel free to add a comment, or edit this post and add the info.
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