December 14, 2016

Home > Connect > SHARE Chat > December 14, 2016
Topic: 
Technology

Hosts

Troy Brown •  Brandon Chapman

 

Key: IHLS  Library

 


Troy Brown: (12/14/2016 13:03) Hello everyone! It's great to see you coming online!

Brandon Chapman (13:03) Hi everyone!

chris-caseyville: (13:04) Hello

Diane - Breese P.L.: (13:04) HI!

Troy Brown: (13:05) Next year we are looking at expanding what these chat sessions are. Part of that idea is to do live demos where IHLS staff would share their screens and demonstrate different things. It can be Polaris based, website based, helpdesk tickets, and lots of things I haven't thought og.

Troy Brown: (13:05) of.*

Troy Brown: (13:06) So, now we need to know what you all want to see? What's that one thing that still intimidates you a bit when you do it? Or maybe something you haven't even tried because you want to make sure you're doing it right.

Troy Brown: (13:07) One suggestion we've already had was uploading patron photos from an iPad. I think that's a great one.

Brandon Chapman (13:08) Anyone? :)

Esther Curry--C.E. Brehm Memorial PLD: (13:09) How does Polaris store the files for pictures? Are there guidelines for taking a lower resolution picture. or does Polaris convert?

Troy Brown: (13:10) Polaris converts them and stores them in the database. they can't be downloaded en mass.

Esther Curry--C.E. Brehm Memorial PLD: (13:10) Okay, I was just thinking that lots of pictures can really start taking up a lot of memory

Troy Brown: (13:10) it will.

Robert Edwards: (13:10) are there any size restrictions?

Robert Edwards: (13:11) or format?

chris-caseyville: (13:11) We have never tried it. But would like to try it.

Brandon Chapman (13:11) No Ultra HD 4k bitmaps? :)

Kathy Goleman - Divernon Township Library: (13:11) We don't own and iPad so we wouldn't be able to do

Troy Brown: (13:11) They are taken within the LEAP client. it's pretty neat.

Troy Brown: (13:12) Android works too. I just throw iPad around generically here.

Troy Brown: (13:12) THis is exactly why it's a good topic.

Troy Brown: (13:13) So, let's keep coming up with ideas. That one's on the list. :)

Esther Curry--C.E. Brehm Memorial PLD: (13:13) So with LEAP, you can take it within the software--not have to upload a file from another location?

Kristina Benson-Du Quoin: (13:13) Is this something everyone is moving towards in the patron registration records? Could this ever become required?

Troy Brown: (13:13) not anytime soon, Kristina.

Brandon Chapman (13:15) On a side note, does anyone here still use Windows XP or Vista computers to access Polaris?

Kristina Benson-Du Quoin: (13:15) I probably have one still. But it is scheduled to be out this year on the replacement cycle.

Kathy Goleman - Divernon Township Library: (13:16) No we are on Windows 10 for all computers

Troy Brown: (13:17) What about something on setting up a wifi access point? Or setting up a router? Of course we'd only be able to show one brand, but if there was interest, we'd look into it

Brandon Chapman (13:17) The reason I'm asking is that next year, we will be scheduling an update to Screwdrivers on the servers, but that would officially prevent any Windows XP computers from being able to print in Polaris.

Brandon Chapman (13:18) (and since Microsoft no longer supports Windows XP, we don't officially support it either)

Esther Curry--C.E. Brehm Memorial PLD: (13:18) Can we start getting info on WiFi printing? I know we get asked about that a lot. I've been talking with Lazerware, but others who don't use them might be interested.

Brandon Chapman (13:18) (and Microsoft will officially end support for Vista on April 11, 2017)

Troy Brown: (13:19) That's a good idea, Esther. WiFI printing is usually based on one vendor's solution, but we can look into that.

Troy Brown: (13:19) we could have "guest hosts"

Kristina Benson-Du Quoin: (13:19) Esther, were you quoted $600 per year for the wifi printing?

Esther Curry--C.E. Brehm Memorial PLD: (13:20) I haven't gotten a quote yet. I just asked if they are working on a solution. We had to upgrade all our network & WiFi connections before we could look into it.

Esther Curry--C.E. Brehm Memorial PLD: (13:22) I know they had been working with a library (Carbondale I think) and they were trying to work out a better solution. I'll let you know when I get a quote.

Angie--Breese: (13:24) Question.....originally, we were told that we needed patrons to sign (with their name and phone number) for the WIFI password (this was before I came on here). I have stopped doing that because I don't see the purpose. What do others do?

Brandon Chapman (13:25) I can see some usefulness to having patrons sign in with a name and phone number. (e.g.: tracking for legal purposes, also finding out who's chewing up all the bandwidth)

Esther Curry--C.E. Brehm Memorial PLD: (13:26) Angie--we just updated our equipment and we now have WiFi that has both an "open" and secur side. We have never had a password for patron access--just an open connection. Now we have the option of both.

Angie--Breese: (13:26) Brandon...but that would only track their initial WIFI use. Once they are on the network, they don't have to sign in again.

Esther Curry--C.E. Brehm Memorial PLD: (13:26) **secure side**

Kay Burrous South Macon: (13:27) After cataloguing fiction (Adult or J) we cannot get them to check in. Is anyone else having this problem? We get an error box that says in progress.

Angie--Breese: (13:27) I guess I'm not making myself clear. They only have to "sign up" to get the password, the first time they log into the WIFI. That is why I question having them sign at all. They can then come every day and use the WIFI and we would not know.

Brandon Chapman (13:28) Ah. I see.

Troy Brown: (13:28) Kay, you may want to create a helpdesk ticket for that and check with the catalogers.

Esther Curry--C.E. Brehm Memorial PLD: (13:28) Kay--what is the Circ status? If they still say "on order", you have to either recieve them or change the status manually. Not everyone has the permissioins to change the status manually. You can check with Joan Bauer about it.

Esther Curry--C.E. Brehm Memorial PLD: (13:30) Angie--we track our WiFi usage by having the WiFi "log in" redirect to our homepage. We use Google Analytics to then get that information (along with all other website use).

Angie--Breese: (13:31) Esther....that is very useful information.

Esther Curry--C.E. Brehm Memorial PLD: (13:31) We used to guess at how many were using the WiFi. Our numbers doubled once we changed how we tracked it.

Angie--Breese: (13:32) Esther....did you ever have patrons sign up to get the password?

Esther Curry--C.E. Brehm Memorial PLD: (13:34) We didn't use a password. They did need to click "accept" to our Internet usage policy. It is at that point that it sends them to our homepage. It's an open/'unsecure connection.

Brandon Chapman (13:35) A "landing page" is what they call that. :)

Brandon Chapman (13:35) Many open wireless hotspots use that instead of a WiFi connection password.

Brandon Chapman (13:36) (sometimes alongside the password)

Esther Curry--C.E. Brehm Memorial PLD: (13:37) Troy did a great job of setting up the hardware and programing of WAPs for many of the libraries in the former Shawnee system. Thanks Troy!!

Kristina Benson-Du Quoin: (13:38) I agree!

Troy Brown: (13:39) Well thanks, they've lived a long a fruitful life, but even those have probably out lived their intended life at this point.

Esther Curry--C.E. Brehm Memorial PLD: (13:40) We just upgraded them this year--when they died. They did last a long, long time.

Troy Brown: (13:42) Good conversations, everyone. Keep thinking about what you'd like to see demo'd. If you don't select anything, I'll just share my screen and you can watch Polaris database performance for an hour! :) Nobody wants that.

Troy Brown: (13:44) I'm going to call this one early today. Everyone please have a safe and happy holiday season. I know I'll be looking forward to school going back into session.

cstewart: (13:44) Thanks Troy & Brandon

Troy Brown: (13:45) Merry Christmas everyone!

Peggy: (13:45) Thanks and Happy Holdays.