Search results matching tag 'computers'

Additional Computer Basics Class Added for October First

Bufkinite@evpl — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:12:00 GMT

Due to the fact that all three computer basics classes filled up very quickly, EVPL has added an additional class to the fall schedule, for October 1st, from 10:00 - 11:00 a.m.

This class will teach you all you need to know to get started using a computer without fear, and includes learning to use the mouse and keyboard, how to open different programs, and how to use the Microsoft Windows operating system.

You'll also learn the difference between hardware and software, and a little of the history of how computers developed from the first machines, which took up entire buildings but had less computing power than an iPod, to the laptop and handheld computers of today.

Registration information for this class can be found here.

Information about other computer classes can be found here.

PINs updates for self-checkout & in-library computer usage

professor.knowsitall@evpl — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 20:27:00 GMT

Last March, the EVPL introduced PINs for security & privacy reasons. At that time, PIN numbers became required for users accessing their library account on our website. Upon logging in for the first time, users were prompted to create a numeric PIN to be used on subsequent logins.

Last week, we completed phase 2 of the PINs rollout. Self-checkout terminals (available at Central, North Park, & Oaklyn) now require users to enter their PIN number prior to checking out items. Users that haven't yet created a PIN will be prompted to do so.

Phase 3 of the PINs rollout will occur soon. Beginning Thursday, October 1, 2009, PINs will be required to use in-library computers. Upon logging into a library computer, users will be presented with a textbox for their library card number and a new textbox for their PIN.

The EVPL cares about your privacy, and PINs are a way to safeguard it. With these new security measures in place, your account & personal information (such as address, phone number, etc.) are safe in the event that your library card is lost or stolen. Beginning Thursday, October 1, PINs will prevent others from using your library card to access public library computers & exhausting your time daily time allotment.

Haven't created a PIN yet? Don't sweat it! Follow these simple steps:

Access the My Account page.
Type in your name & library card number, LEAVING THE PIN FIELD BLANK! Click the "Submit" button.
You'll be prompted to create a PIN. PINs must be between 4-30 numeric digits and not be overly-repetitive. Type your desired PIN in both boxes (to prevent against typos) and click the "Submit" button. Your selected PIN is now active!

For more information about PINs, check out the PINs Help page.

Services available to laptop users at EVPL libraries

professor.knowsitall@evpl — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 18:31:00 GMT

Do you have a laptop? Bring it in on your next visit to the EVPL to take advantage of the following services!

Wireless Internet Access

Wireless internet access (aka Wi-Fi) is available for free at all locations. If your laptop has a wireless network card (odds are that it does), you'll simply need to enable it and connect to the "evpl-public" network.

Wireless internet access is compatible with Windows & Mac laptops, and most portable devices containing a Wi-Fi radio (such as cellphones, PDAs, etc). Check out our Wireless Internet Access page for step-by-step instructions on connecting with your specific operating system.

Wired Internet Access

If your laptop doesn't have wireless capabilities, wired internet access is also available at all locations. Bring an ethernet cable with you and ask a staff member for assistance. Wired internet access is compatible with Windows & Mac laptops.

Laptop Printing

A service we just recently added, laptop users can now print to library printers while at any EVPL location! By running a small print client from our website, library printers at the user's current location will appear on their laptop just like locally-connected printers would. Upon printing from the laptop, the print job can be paid for & retrieved from any Print Release Station at the user's current location.

Laptop printing is compatible with Windows laptops; Mac compatibility is not available. Check out our Laptop Printing page for step-by-step instructions on using the Mobile Print Client on your laptop. As the Mobile Print Client is only available on personal laptops used within the library, the "Launch Mobile Print Client" button is purposely disabled on all other computers.

With the increasing popularity of laptops, netbooks, and other connected portable devices, we're pleased to offer these connectivity options to our users. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please post them in the comments section below!

Saving Lots of Files to a Flash Drive? You need to know--

kiya@evpl — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 20:53:00 GMT

While browsing on a new found blog, the Swiss Army Librarian (aka Brian Herzog), I learned something I didn't know about saving files to a Flash Drive. Most folks will never have this problem, but people who save lots of small files to their flash drive might. It turns out that there is a limit to the number of files a root directory can hold. The limit is pretty high - about 700 or so - but once you hit it, you can't save any more files to that drive (or disk) no matter how much space you have left. So if you save lots of small files, be sure to set up some folders and save your files into those, instead of in the main directory. Otherwise, you might be seeing a file permission error that suggests your drive is "full, write-protected, or damaged."

Blog post by the Swiss Army Librarian

CNET forums post on same topic

Having trouble figuring out Microsoft Word 2007?

HoodooVoodoo@evpl — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 21:10:00 GMT

As some of you may have been noticing, the Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library is in the middle of their own "big switch" when it comes to the public computers. We are in the process of switching out the old Gateway Profile 5 computers to new Dell Optiplex 755 computers. These computers are step up from the old ones, but one constant area where I am getting questions concerns Microsoft Word.

The new Dell computers have Microsoft Word 2007 instead of Word 2003 and the display is noticeably different. All your favorite tools and buttons are still there, but Microsoft has moved them around and made them more user friendly or as I like to say "They made it so easy, that it's hard". To help ease the confusion I found a few easy to follow reference guides and tutorials. These tools are very simple to follow and should answer any questions you may have about the differences between Word 2003 and Word 2007. Check them out!

Word 2003 to Word 2007 Command Reference Guide

Word 2007 Training Tutorials

Word 2007 Help

Office 2007 Training Courses

Plunkett Research Online Just Got Better

Bufkinite@evpl — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 21:10:00 GMT

One of EVPL's many databases, Plunkett Research Online, is a great tool for researching current trends in 32 distinct industry sectors, including everything from Alternative Energy to Wireless Technology. For each industry sector examined, you'll find a market overview and an analysis of major trends for each company, an industry-specific glossary written in language that is easy-to-understand, a statistics section containing extensive data on many facets of the industry, and in-depth profiles of leading companies in each industry.

Now, Plunkett has added current job information to its company profiles. In the sample page image below, you can see the result of a search for 3M Company. Just below the company name is the heading, "Latest 3M Company Jobs." The first three positions are directly linked, while more positions and job details are just a button click away. In today's very tight job market, this kind of resource is very likely to come in handy.

OverDrive @ EVPL now Mac compatible!

professor.knowsitall@evpl — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:31:00 GMT

OverDrive @ EVPL is a collection of downloadable materials (including audiobooks, eBooks, movies, & music) available free of charge to all EVPL cardholders. Since launch, patrons with Windows PCs have been downloading countless items from this digital collection...unforunately, Mac users were out of luck.

That is no more, as a Mac version of the OverDrive Media Console (the software required to download items) has just been released! Mac users can now download MP3 audiobooks and transfer them to iPods.

Unfortunately, there are a couple caveats for Mac users:

OverDrive MP3 Audiobooks are the ONLY compatible format available for Mac users. OverDrive WMA Audiobooks, OverDrive Music, & OverDrive Video all use Microsoft-based DRM and therefore are not compatible with Macs. Unless Apple were to license this DRM, which is very unlikely, these formats will never be playable on Macs.
OverDrive Media Console (aka OMC) for Macs can only transfer content to Apple iPods. Transferring to a MP3 player/portable device other than an iPod requires the Windows version of OMC, which only runs on Windows-based PCs.
OMC is unable to transfer content to the iPod Shuffle. Owners of these devices can transfer content to their device using iTunes.
Windows users with iPods will continue to use the Windows version of OMC to transfer content to their device. The Windows version of OMC is also compatible with a wide variety of additional devices, including the Microsoft Zune, Creative Zen series, and more.

Visit OverDrive @ EVPL, browse our collection, install the required software, and download to your heart's content! If you have any questions about the recently-added Mac compatibility, or if you have any questions/comments about OverDrive in general, please post them in the comments section below or contact us via Ask EVPL.

More Information

OverDrive @ EVPL: Visit our OverDrive site to start downloading our digital materials!
What is OverDrive?: Check out this guided tour of OverDrive to discover what it is and how to use it.
Compatible Portable Devices: A list of compatible portable media players that can be transferred to using the Windows version of OMC.

New computers at EVPL libraries

professor.knowsitall@evpl — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 21:29:00 GMT

Public-use computers at all EVPL libraries are being replaced with new Dell Optiplex 755 computers. With Windows XP, Core 2 Duo processors, and 2GB of RAM, these computers are much speedier than our old ones! These computers also include DVD burners (that burn CDs as well) and memory card readers (for use with memory cards from digital cameras).

Due to the unreliable nature of floppy disks (mysteriously losing files or getting jammed in disk drives), these new computers do NOT have floppy disk drives. We recommend patrons upgrade to one of the following storage methods to work on files at EVPL libraries:

Flash Drives (recommended): These plug into a USB port and are accessed just like a floppy disk. However, they are much more reliable and spacious than floppy disks. Flash drives with 1GB of storage can be purchased for $10 at all EVPL libraries.
Memory Cards: Memory cards, like those used in digital cameras, can be inserted into the memory card reader and used as a disk.
CD-R/DVD-R: Files can be burned to writeable CD-R or DVD-R. However, working with files on a CD-R/DVD-R is much more cumbersome than with a flash drive/memory card; CD-R/DVD-R is not recommended for files you'll be updating regularly. CD-Rs with 700MB of storage can be purchased for $1 at all EVPL libraries.

These new computers are already available at East, McCollough, Red Bank, Stringtown, & West. They'll be installed at Central, North Park, & Oaklyn by the end of the month.

Finally, we're having a Computer Sale this Friday at 9:00am. We'll be selling off some of our old computers. Stop by if you're looking for a good deal!

Why I Love Being a Children's Librarian, part 1

mrsweasley@evpl — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 21:36:00 GMT

I was going through some old papers the other day and found the following gem. I had collected it in 2002 after a child typing on one of the library computers left it on screen. I printed it, and here it is, exactly as I found it:

To day is my brthday I am seven yerse olde I got lots uv presins and my brother is dumb

Triumph and tragedy in fewer than twenty words.