Meeting Room Information

I know this has come up before but is there please a way to let us know who (meaning non-HPL) is using meeting rooms? I know I could dig in from Outlook to look room by room, but when I have a customer in front of me, I don't always think of that. Not to mention when we have docents at WD. I can't just keep calling Hiawatha, Sarah, or someone else in Programming.

A one-stop shop on the blog like we used to giving the weekly schedule would be extremely helpful.

Thanks--Darcy

OCE vend & Out of Order signs & blog

Today I found the OCE VCA in WLC with an out of order sign on it, but the form was not filled out.

Please--

-fill out the form with the problem
-who/when it was reported to PB/or alternate person

Also, please try to remember to update the CEN blog to reflect the status of copiers and VCAs. The OCE Status is under LAYOUT on the right side when you log into the blog. Many staff count on this blog being current and correct when directing customers to other floors/machines.


this is just me....but if a machine isn't taking coins, I just put a note over the slot (with date/time/initials and that I reported it). I don't feel the need to make the whole machine out of order when it is still partially usuable.

katie

Morning Clean-Up

This morning, I went to the 3rd floor to clean up after myself from the Sunday shift, and I noticed a couple of our colleagues already tackling the mess. Thank you, all!

We all have worked those weekend and evening shifts where we just haven't been able to clean everything up completely at the end of the day. Can we start making it a practice for everyone to pick up and shelve in the mornings before we open?

--Darcy

Saturday Start Time

So it is Saturday morning and I pull up at 8:15. The guard (just doing his job) at the top of the ramp informs me the building does not open until 8:30 and while he'll let me in he is going to have to send some sort of email to someone informing them of this infraction. This interchange takes a minute tops. I then park and ride the elevator up and am at my desk at 8:18, 12 minutes before I am scheduled to start at 8:30.

Until they perfect quantum transportation that will mean I can get where I am going EXACTLY when I plan on arriving, I tend to give myself 15 minutes. I've seen backups on Houston highways that take as long if not longer, so I like that sort of cushion because I'm the kinda cat who likes to be on time. Thing is, I don't want to be giving security conniptions every other Saturday morning.

Craig-CYOU

color copiers

Does anyone have any advice on how to get the color copiers to work?

I think out of the last 20 times I have tried to use the color copier, I have been successful maybe twice.

Today on R2, I tried to assist a customer. The machine had the correct paper weight in all drawers, no jams, etc. Yet, it proceeded to jam 3x before the customer moved on the the b&w copier.

~katie


For persistently jamming printer/copiers, try this:

Hold shut (all the way up vertically) the bypass feed tray located on the right side of the machine while the copied sheet of paper is moving through the machine. That should solve it unless there is more going on.

You'll note that when you are not holding that tray, there is a 1/4 - 1/2 gap between the end of the tray and the copier. This somehow makes all the difference.

If anyone has problems with jamming printer/copiers, let me know and I can try to troubleshoot them, as I used to work with copiers quite extensively (and cleared 100s of jams). This may save a service call to Oce and keep the machine active for public use.

Let me know if this works for you, Katie.

... Allen

Technology Tips & News 7 May

So did anyone notice Google's new interface? Actually it's not so new; last fall they added a left side navigation with links to Gmail, News etc. but it is now out of beta and permanent.



Ratings of live shows have been falling for a few years now. Many folks use Tivo or DVR type devices to record shows, skip commercials and watch their favorite programs when they want to. However ratings skyrocket when there is a big event like the Super Bowl or Academy Awards: folks gather around the TV set and communicate with friends online about the show. For example, while I was watching the Oscars earlier this year, I was also sending tweets and updating my Facebook status with what was happening live. It's called social TV and there may be devices (perhaps remote controls) in the near future that will allow us to connect with friends while watching TV. I think that's a neat idea.

Google just launched Goggles which allows you to search the web by taking pictures. To find out more, just Google it! And that's not all. Google is getting ready to launch Google Editions - a web-based ebook store/utility, part of the cloud and not dependent on a device. The ebook battle continues and if you need to find out more, check out today's GigaOm at http://pro.gigaom.com/2010/05/hot-topic-e-books/

That's it for this week's tech news and tips. Please do keep in mind what role librarians play as you read these posts.

Saima

Courtesy Logouts

Please remember to completely logout of your electronic accounts while using a staff computer. Lately, I have had to log out coworkers from Yahoo, COH and Facebook accounts.
Thanks,
Saima

Cafe Signs

Signs posted in the cafe point out that "Cafe seating is for customers only" but there is no notification that food bought in the cafe cannot be consumed elsewhere in the library. We need signs in the cafe to save customers the embarassment of being told they cannot consume food elsewhere in the building. It is a disservice to customers not to have this information.
LW