1. Main Library 122 equipment set-up

Penny Pearson distributed draft instructions for the Main Library 122 equipment set-up and operation. She demonstrated use of the VCR and the workstation set-up. Library faculty and A & P personnel are being invited to small group training sessions between now and mid-January. Automation Office hopes that those persons who use the room and equipment frequently will be willing to do the equipment set-up themselves. People can still email libmicro; a copy of the the set-up instructions will be sent. Automation will set-up the equipment for anyone who prefers. Automation is trying to identify several persons in ASD and Main Library who can be contacted if there are equipment problems. Phoning the Automation microcomputer staff isn't always the solution as no one may be in the office to answer the call. Automation liaisons can help by training people in their departments and refreshing these people on the set-up when they have need to use the equipment.

It was suggested that a schedule of Main 122 meetings and equipment needed for each be posted in the room so that someone using the equipment can check to see if the same equipment will be needed later in the day -- in which case the equipment can be left set-up. Susan will speak with ASD to see if this can be accomplished.

2. Surge protectors

Ken Cherrington explained that the Isobar surge protectors with the 6' electrical cords have two banks of outlets with different levels of protection. The first bank has 50 decibels of protection and the second bank has 75 decibels of protection. PCs and monitors should be plugged into the second bank, i.e. the outlets furthest from the power cord that is plugged into the wall.

The larger laser printers should be on their own surge protector.

Older surge protectors with longer electrical cords don't have different levels of isolation and it does not matter into which outlet PCs and monitors are plugged.

Some older surge protectors have two rows of outlets; power can be switched off one row of outlets by turning the surge protector on/off switch. The other row of outlets is not affected when the surge protector switch is turned off. The type of surge protector is being replaced with Isobar protectors with the two levels of protection described above.

If you have a PC sharing a surge protector with a laser printer contact libmicro@lists so they can correct this situation.

3. Novell server upgrades in December

Ken reported that he will be installing server patches and upgrades on all three Novell servers, probably on Dec. 24. SEL is the only location open that day; they will be able to use the two Telex terminals at their circulation desk. Ken completed this work in December.

4. Staff/Faculty workstation changes in December

Ken reported that the following changes will be made to staff/faculty workstations via the network. He will email liball with details.

These projects were completed:

• Netscape upgraded to 3.04; everyone needs to respond "Yes" to the Netscape license agreement the first time s/he accesses Netscape 3.04.
• Reconfigure Adobe Acrobat Reader on public workstations so documents can be saved to disk

  (The above were completed except for BUS and a few workstations in EHS, MUS and Main.)

• Update File will be added to the Start menu. Each user must execute the Update File on their PC once. The Update File includes options to:
  • update dynamic link libraries,
  • update the PC time from the network server,
  • icon to install McAfee anti-virus protection. Workstations on which MS Office has already been loaded will not need to install the McAfee software as that was done by Automation when MS Office was loaded on the PC.

  The Update File will remain on the Start menu for about one month to give all staff/faculty time to run the above options.

  Ken hopes to do the week of Jan. 25.

• Eudora version 3 will be added. The older version of Eudora will remain for about 6 months to give staff/faculty time to learn Eudora 3, then we'll move to Eudora 4. It's not possible to move from Eudora 2 directly to Eudora 4. Staff/faculty must run the Update File options from the Start menu before they attempt to use Eudora 3. Alias files, mailboxes, etc. will transfer from the old version to the new version.
  

  Those who use Eudora via floppies rather than the server will have access to Eudora 3. It is possible to use Eudora via the server and have access to the same files/messages from home. Those using Eudora via floppies may want to consider this.

  Ken hopes to do the week of Jan. 25.

• MS Office viewers for Word, Excel and Power Point will be loaded so they are available to staff who do not have the full MS Office installation.
  

  Will be available after the Eudora upgrade is done.

• Catalogers Desktop and the III Manual will also be available via the network.

  Ken hopes to do this soon.

Staff are encouraged to delete old email messages, old mailboxes no longer needed, attachments, animated greeting cards, etc. to decrease the size of their networked Eudora files. Smaller mailboxes are easier to compact and require less network disk space. Older messages, attachments, greeting cards, etc. which someone wants to retain can be saved to the PC hard disk or to floppy.

URLs and attachments in email messages don't always open the appropriate software, i.e. Netscape or WordPerfect, although MS Office does open. Ken will check recent changes to see if he can determine why this is no longer working. The ability to click a URL or attachment name in an email message to open the appropriate software was not done on the first user accounts created by Automation, but those have been fixed as staff have reported the problem.

6. Screen savers

Patti Dittoe reported that the screen saver on the new GEO Micron is not working. Ken said it is not a problem and Automation staff will reinstall it when they come to GEO over the break.

7. MS Office

Automation is finishing the MS Office installations for the first group of staff. Deb Cameron reported that with the reorganization of Technical Services there are two people who need MS Office. Automation will do both as soon as they can.

8. WordPerfect

Many people are having difficulty opening documents they're written in WordPerfect. They get an error message that WordPerfect cannot find the document. This may be due to a file name that's longer than 8 characters. Ken will check the updates and try to determine if anything happened that might be causing this.

9. VLAN

Matt Jewett reported that we are getting closer to having wider band width available to all libraries on the Novell network, i.e. Main, EHS, MUS, BUS, SEL and JOU.

10. Web page for Automation Liaisons group

Penny Pearson reported that this group now has server space on Galaxy for posting minutes. She will be working with Susan to draft a web page for this group which will include a charge, membership and links to minutes.

The group discussed what the charge should include:

• serves as a mutual information dissemination forum for the liaisons and Automaton Office;
• clarifies to all library personnel the issues facing the Automation Office;
• liaisons serve as the first level of trouble shooting problems in their units;
• promotes computer literacy;
• liaisons bring their special skills, i.e. languages, to Automation Office;
• keeps the non-networked libraries aware of changes/issues impacting the net-worked libraries;
• reminds Automation of the needs of the non-networked libraries.

Patrick Visel reported that an Aleph workstation on the 3^rd Floor which was disconnected last summer when the new furniture arrived has been reconnected, but is not working. This workstation is used infrequently so it's not a high priority. Automation will investigate.

12. SEL Microns

Susan learned from Mary Scott that the Microns recently installed to replace the Macintosh workstations are not working. David Mays didn't know when these Microns had been installed as Automation staff did not notify anyone at SEL when the work was done.