The More Things Change...

Yesterday I spoke to a class of incipient librarians at Syracuse University. "Introduction to the Library and Information Profession" is the introductory course in the Master's Degree program in the Information School. It was great fun and there was a lively Q&A discussion. They were mainly interested in my day-to-day activities, but we also talked about ethics, problem patrons, fund raising and a host of other topics. I told them that when I took this course I was brand new to librarianship, but most of my classmates were working librarians. In the first class, I was worried when they started using library jargon such as OCLC, union catalogs, ILS, etc. I frantically wrote these down so I could look them up later. When last night's class was over, one of the students approached me and said, "I want you to see my notebook." There, at the top of the first page were the notes he'd taken back in September. The very first sentence read, "What is OCLC?" We both had a good laugh about that. (For the non-librarians, OCLC stands for the Online Library Computer Center, a nonprofit computer library service and research organization that provides bibliographic, abstract and full-text information. OCLC and its member libraries cooperatively produce and maintain WorldCat, the OCLC Online Union Catalog. Still not sure what it is? You'll have to take the course.)

Librarians love blogs!

Blogs are a great way to stay informed and get opinions and insights from other librarians. They're easy and free, too. Walt Crawford has released his list of library-related blogs, titled "The Liblog Landscape 2007-2008: A Lateral Look."

There are more than 600 blogs listed here, and I'm happy to see that Daveman's Tech Tips made the cut. I subscribe to 85 blogs, but not all are about libraries. Some are techology feeds from Wired, CNN, and CNet News. Others are columns from techies like David Pogue of the New York Times or Scott Adams, the creator of the Dilbert comic. (He rarely talks about the strip, but covers a wide range of topics including politics, vegetarianism, the economy, science and much more.) I subscribe to feeds from the library that contain lists of new books that I might be interested in. I also read blogs about my favorite football teams, the Penn State Nittany Lions and the New York Giants (but not on work time, of course!). These feeds save me the trouble of going to websites of the Centre Daily Times and the New York City newspapers to find the stories.

I don't read all of these blogs each day. I have a list of "must reads" that I check out first. My blog reader displays the headlines of each post and I scan them. If there's a story that interests me, I'll read it or mark it for later. I also try to limit myself to 30 minutes of blog perusal each day. I'll bet there are some good blogs on time management that could help me even more!

Is Your Computer a Zombie?

As I was printing handouts for my program on computer security, "Your Computer Needs a Flu Shot, Too," there was an ugly copier jam that took three people to clear. While I was waiting, I saw this sobering article in the New York Times; "A Robot Network Seeks to Enlist Your Computer." In a Microsoft test, an unprotected computer was infected in 30 seconds. "An automated program lurking on the Internet has remotely taken over the PC and turned it into a 'zombie.' That computer and other zombie machines are then assembled into systems called “botnets” — home and business PCs that are hooked together into a vast chain of cyber-robots that do the bidding of automated programs to send the majority of e-mail spam, to illegally seek financial information and to install malicious software on still more PCs."

In my program I always stress how important it is to keep your system updated with the latest security patches. I also talk about keeping your antivirus definitions current, scanning and deleting spyware, and configuring your firewall. These things can go a long way toward keeping your computer safe and secure. The article also mentioned Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Tool, a free program that can find and remove infections. I usually don't like to work without a net, but I didn't have time to test it before the program. Fortunately, it was easy to download and worked quickly. Best of all, my computer was clean.

Thanks to the hungry copier, I had enough time to add this to my handout and website.

Cleaning Your Keyboard

Computer keyboards get dirty very quickly. Grime and dust gets on the keys and under them, too. Keeping your keyboard clean is easy and should be done regularly. "Step-By-Step: Keep a Clean Keyboard," from PC World, will walk you through the process. (Hint: Take a picture of the keyboard before you start popping the key caps off.) This article also links to tips on cleaning the mouse and your whole computer.

Your Computer Needs a Flu Shot, Too!

On October 21, at 1:00 p.m., I'll be presenting "Your Computer Needs a Flu Shot, Too" at the library. Keeping your computer safe while you’re on the Internet is critical. I’ll show you free and easy ways to secure your computer and protect yourself. You’ll discover to how to recognize common dangers and minimize risks. You’ll learn what to do, and not do, with dangerous e-mail messages. We’ll also show how to keep your system updated to guard against viruses, worms, Trojan horses, hackers and spyware. Please register for this program using the online Events Calendar.