Teen Area Goes Online!

The Waterloo Public Library Teen Area is about to get computers! Four Dell business grade computers--surplus from City Hall--have been installed around a pillar in the Teen Area. The machines have been upgraded, tested, and are nearly ready for use.

Each computer is equipped with Internet Explorer 7.0, Picasa2, and most of the Microsoft Office 2007 Pro Plus suite. Teen users will be able to send print jobs to the public access printer. After 10 minutes of inactivity a warning of impending shutdown will be displayed for a further two minutes. If no activity occurs, the computer will restart and reset; all changes (including data!) will be wiped. BE SURE TO SAVE YOUR WORK REGULARLY TO A THUMB DRIVE!

The computers will be controlled by one-time use tickets which will be handed out to Teens by Reference staff members. Initially, Teens will be allowed at least one hour a day on this set of computers. The limit of 2 patrons per computer will not apply to these machines.

We'll be having a staff meeting Thursday to discuss management of these machines and expect to go live with them soon afterwards. If this project is a success, we might be adding a few more later in the year. In the meantime, let us know if you have questions, comments or suggestions.

c 2008 Waterloo Public Library