The webcam in the lab is tempermental. Most of the time it works OK, but sometimes it will display an error message that says it's not connected when it is. The computer is not "seeing" the camera and thinks it's not there. The solution is to unplug the cam's USB cable, wait a minute, then plug it back in.

I've been reluctant to put this in the toolbox because you have to crawl under the carrel and reach around the back of the tower to find the cable. There are two USB cables next to each other and the Ethernet cable is there too. If you accidentally disconnect the Ethernet, that would be bad.

If anyone really wants to know how to do this, I'll show you. In the meantime, I'm happy to do the unplugging. If I'm not here, the cam may be unavailable. Webcam images are sent via instant messaging programs, like Yahoo Instant Messenger and MSN Messenger. Patrons can still use these programs to chat.