Hosts
Troy Brown • Brandon Chapman • Brant Wingerter
Key: IHLS Library
Troy Brown: (3/9/2016 12:57) Hello everyone! We'll be starting at 1pm, but I wanted to remind you that you can increase the text size in the chat windown by clicking on the "pod options" button in the top right corner of the chat window. Just go to "Text Size" and choose a number great than 11 to make it larger. It only affects your view.
Troy Brown: (13:01) Happy Wednesday everyone. This is the one day a month that the IT staff at IHLS makes itself available for you to talk about anything IT that you want. Honestly, it doesn't even have to be IT related. If we know something about your question, we'll answer it.
Brandon Chapman: (13:01) Good afternoon, everyone!
Troy Brown: (13:03) One thing I do want to mention before getting into an questions you may have, is LEAP. When we did the upgrade in January, there were A LOT of new circulation enhancements introduced. I think LEAP is the future of Polaris and more and more of the functions of the staff client will be moved into the LEAP web client. My question to you all is, are you using LEAP and if not, what are your reservations?
Kathy Goleman Divernon Township Library: (13:04) Yes, we have been using LEAP from the beginning and really like it
Troy Brown: (13:05) LEAP doesn't require screwdrivers print client, and also it doesn't require RDP for connection. So it's almost always faster if your having network problems on your network.
Nancy Blockyou Riverton Village Library: (13:06) We haven't used it yet. Just a matter of not taking the time to look into it.
Troy Brown: (13:07) The nice thing is, Nancy, that you don't have to switch over completely to it. Just use it for a few minutes to try it out, and then switch back if you like.
Troy Brown: (13:07) The address is: http://leap.illinoisheartland.org
Troy Brown: (13:07) You login with your firstname.lastname credentials
Nancy Blockyou Riverton Village Library: (13:08) I will try it!
Candace Hancock - FREP: (13:09) I have used LEAP briefly but the rest of the staff don't really use it. New Program fright!
Troy Brown: (13:10) Like I said, LEAP is where all the new development for Polaris is going. Right now it's trying to catch up to the staff client in functionality. But pretty soon only LEAP will get the new features and the staff client won't see them.
sharon heavilin: (13:11) so you recommend we usse LEAP?
Troy Brown: (13:11) One thing I've heard that people love is the search box. Type in any search you want. Book, author, patron, patron's street address.... anything that's in the database.
Esther Curry--C.E. Brehm Memorial PLD: (13:11) I think that a lot of people have had New Program fright! We are just getting comfortable with Polaris and now this new thing comes along. But like Troy said--this is the future of Polaris. I don't do much Circ, so I've had limited use of LEAP, but I like it.
Brandon Chapman: (13:12) It makes sense with the direction technology is going (smartphones, tablets, etc).
Troy Brown: (13:12) I recommend it, especially for the front desk/circulation only workstations.
Brandon Chapman: (13:12) ...and using the staff client on an iPad is...well...
Troy Brown: (13:12) COOL!
Troy Brown: (13:13) Patron registration on an iPad! Library gets cool points with patrons.
Troy Brown: (13:13) (I think that's a real thing. My daughter tells me I don't have any cool points, tho.)
Troy Brown: (13:14) Actually I don't think she allows me to even use the word.
Brandon Chapman: (13:16) ...also, if any of you have Windows 10 questions, I should be able to answer them. I've been up many...late...nights upgrading all of our PCs here at the System to Windows 10. :)
Brandon Chapman: (13:17) ...and as always, don't use Edge with Polaris. Use Internet Explorer
Esther Curry--C.E. Brehm Memorial PLD: (13:19) Troy--I thought of you yesterday. I watched a youtube video of teenagers reacting to using a computer with Windows 95. It was very funny!
sharon heavilin: (13:19) My gals are using LEAP right now and seem to like it
Troy Brown: (13:20) There is a website where you can go and use Windows 3.1. It's a hoot to go back and remember how to get around. Things really are better now.
Troy Brown: (13:20) Thanks Sharon!
Brandon Chapman: (13:20) Just think...smartphones are more powerful than computers that ran Windows 3.1!!!
Brandon Chapman: (13:20) ...and 95
Brandon Chapman: (13:21) ...sometimes put together!
Troy Brown: (13:21) There is a little setup that needs to be done on the print setup screen for the receipts to print correctly in LEAP. But once you make the change, you're done.
Esther Curry--C.E. Brehm Memorial PLD: (13:22) Brandon--my current smartphone has more memory (hard drive) than my first 2 or 3 computers combined.
sharon heavilin: (13:23) Troy-LEAP is not printing from our receipt printer--so I need to change some setting?
Shelly Smith--Forsyth Public: (13:23) This isn't related but I have a Epson receipt printer TM-U220 that no tech person seems to be able to get it to print in any size but small. Anyone else have this issue? All our others are fine.
Karen Sinks, Brighton: (13:23) I was wondering if you could provide any insight with something minor ... trying to think of how to make this question sound logical. Libraries are very generous with their freebies on the listserv and often send out e-mails with Google attachments of pictures of furniture or spreadsheets of lists of books. What I'm encountering when I try to view these attachments is a message saying "Want in? You need permission. Ask the owner for access or switch to an account with permission." Or something that says "You need an invitation to view." When I ask the sender about this, they seem confused, too. I was wondering if anyone else encounters this or if anyone knows if there's something I can do on my end?
Brandon Chapman: (13:24) If the attachment is from Google Docs, or something of that nature, you may need to sign into Google to view it.
Karen Sinks, Brighton: (13:25) I am, Brandon ... I use Gmail exclusively.
Troy Brown: (13:25) Sharon - You'll need to set the default printer for your browser to be the receipt printer, and under your username in the top right of LEAP, you have to specify what receipts you want printed.
Troy Brown: (13:27) Karen - When they share the folder, they need to make sure that the security is set to "Anyone with the link can view". Or public works too. If they use the listserv email address in the share, no one will be able to use it.
Brandon Chapman: (13:27) That was my next guess. :) Permissions.
Troy Brown: (13:28) Shelley, printers are the worst thing ever for IT. I mean that with all compassion for you. Receipt printers are particularly cruel. You must have a printer driver for that printer installed on the computer or else it only prints plain text with no formatting. Finding that driver can be difficult.
Karen Sinks, Brighton: (13:29) The weird thing is, I know others are able to check out the lists, because the items get spoken for. Esther, for instance ... April is always generously posting items from Mt. Vernon, but I've never been able to crack my way into her list, yet I know libraries are able to peruse them and request titles from you. That's why I was wondering if it was something on my end?
Brandon Chapman: (13:29) Exactly. With printers, everything has to be almost exactly right, and even then, finding the problem is like finding a needle in a haystack.
Esther Curry--C.E. Brehm Memorial PLD: (13:30) Karen--I can check her setting. We've noticed that the responses we are getting are down. That may be why.
Brandon Chapman: (13:31) There have been a few times where I've had to dig up some old printers and test them out with 5-6 different computers and scenarios just to even come close to finding the right answer!
Brandon Chapman: (13:32) ...and then have pages of lovely screenshots afterward. :D
Troy Brown: (13:32) Brandon is the printer wizard. It's a noble title with very little compensation. :) If he sets his mind to it, he'll be able to get it.
Karen Sinks, Brighton: (13:32) Michael King just sent out an e-mail with pictures of furniture in a Google attachment, but I got the message that I didn't have permission to view. When I asked Michael how he had that set up, he indicated that it was open and that others had responded? Strange.
Brandon Chapman: (13:33) So it sounds like I need to dig up a TM-U220 from somewhere now. :)
Troy Brown: (13:34) If I recall correctly the U220 is a dot-matrix printer with a ribbon
Esther Curry--C.E. Brehm Memorial PLD: (13:35) It is--we have a couple extra here. I could send it to you (if delivery wouldn't get upset--since it's for research.
Troy Brown: (13:35) Karen - That is strange. I just logged out of Google on my browser and his link came up just fine for me.
Troy Brown: (13:36) Esther - Plain brown box... That's all I'll say about that...
Esther Curry--C.E. Brehm Memorial PLD: (13:36) Troy--you read my mind
Brandon Chapman: (13:37) Yep, U220 is a dot matrix printer. Someone else is running into similar issues with it as well: https://forum.sambapos.com/t/epson-tm-u220-font-size/766/40
Brandon Chapman: (13:38) Biggest takeaway from that mess: the printer is old, and the methods for changing font size are old, which Polaris may or may not do properly (ESC commands and whatnot).
Karen Sinks, Brighton: (13:38) I'm always the anomaly ....
Esther Curry--C.E. Brehm Memorial PLD: (13:39) The U220 were more limited when it came to font size, in Polaris. We never tried them with LEAP
Troy Brown: (13:40) Treat yourself to a new ReStick printer, Karen. :)
Esther Curry--C.E. Brehm Memorial PLD: (13:40) Karen--send me your email and I can have April add that to her documents when she shares them and see if that works.
Troy Brown: (13:41) Wait that was Shelly with the printer question. I'm getting confused. :)
sharon heavilin: (13:41) Troy we got in to printer settings, but not printing out what it normally does
Troy Brown: (13:43) Brant is looking up the link on the SHARE website that has step by step instructions
Brandon Chapman: (13:43) Sharon: What's the brand and model of your printer?
sharon heavilin: (13:44) Epson m129m
Troy Brown: (13:44) LEAP receipts do look a little different but it should at least print something. If it's spitting out too much paper or cutting off the edge, that's just a few settings that need to be changed
Brandon Chapman: (13:45) Oh okay...that's the Epson TM-T88IV.
sharon heavilin: (13:45) It is spitting out too much paper and cutting off
Troy Brown: (13:46) Yes. That's the settings in the document we've posted. Looking for it now.
sharon heavilin: (13:46) ok thanks
Brant Wingerter: (13:46) Sharon: We have this for the printer settings within Leap: http://share.illinoisheartland.org/sites/default/files/training_material...
Brant Wingerter: (13:47) There is also a lot of printing information in the Leap manual: http://share.illinoisheartland.org/sites/default/files/training_material...
Brant Wingerter: (13:47) Which covers settings for each browser as well.
Troy Brown: (13:50) Looks like it starts on page 21 of the user manual. I really thought we had a seperate document for that. Looks like something we need to add.
sharon heavilin: (13:55) Brant-http://share.illinoisheartland.org/sites/default/files/training_material... was used with no luck--looking in manual now
Troy Brown: (13:59) Well it's 2pm, so we'll close up. If you have further questions, feel free to create a helpdesk ticket at http://helpdesk.illinoisheartland.org
Troy Brown: (13:59) Have a great week everyone!
Kathy Goleman Divernon Township Library: (13:59) Thanks
Kay Burrous South Macon: (14:00) Thanks.
Shelly Smith--Forsyth Public: (14:00) thanks!