Library's Closed, But Your Online Collection is Open

Submitted by schwarz on

When you post that your library will be closed for a holiday, remind patrons that although the building will be closed, they can still access all your library's online resources 24x7 during the holidays.  For those who receive an eBook reader or tablet as a gift on Christmas Day, they can begin to download free eBooks right away!

Just remember to link directly to your library's OverDrive collection (audiobooks, eBooks, music, videos & magazines),  electronic resources / research tools / databases, catalog, and website in your post!

You can download free images (including the one at right) from OverDrive's Partner Portal of promotional resources and marketing materials.  Here are direct links to ones you might find most useful:

How to Track Santa on Christmas Eve

Submitted by schwarz on

NORAD Track Santa appWhether you're on Santa's "naughty" or "nice" list, you can use the NORAD Tracks Santa app to see where he is as he speeds around the globe delivering presents.

  • Watch the days count down to Santa's flight on Christmas Eve
  • Follow Santa's progress on December 24
  • Play the game "Thin Ice" to help Santa's elves deliver presents

Here's how you can track Santa this year:

How to Print Extra Large Posters on Your Regular Printer

Submitted by schwarz on

When you want to make a large poster on your regular printer, try the free online service Block Posters.  You can upload a graphic, then divide it into 8" x 12" chunks for printing. Print out each section and put them together on a poster board to make your own poster. 

Note: if you've created your poster in Publisher, you'll want to follow these steps to save your document as an image first.  Here's how:

Conversation View in Outlook 365

Submitted by schwarz on

If you don't like having Outlook 365 cluster email messages & their replies — but would rather see each email message on its own — here's how you can fix your view of email threads.

The screenshot below shows a set of email messages posted to the WisPubLib listserv as seen in Outlook 365, with Conversation View turned on (which is the default setting).  I've circled in majenta (2) and red (4) the numbers that indicate there's multiple messages grouped together because they have the same subject line:

How to Tell if the USB Plug Is Right-Side Up

Submitted by schwarz on

Nearly every computer has a couple of USB (Universal Serial Bus) jacks that let you connect printers, scanners, external drives, and other perhipherals.

This standardized USB "A" plug is meant to make connecting devices quick and easy.  Except it can be frustrating — you can plug the jack in only one way, and there’s no obvious way to tell which side is up.  (Sure, some USB jacks display the USB logo on one side of the plastic, but not all of them.)

Here's the simple way to never insert a USB plug the wrong way again:

Subscribe to Front page feed