Join the WPL Friends!

Everyone has heard of the WPL Friends' book sales, and you may even have purchased a magazine or cup of coffee from the Friend Shop. However, our Friends do much more than sell books.

Volunteer Friends help with youth summer programs, conduct library tours, deliver materials to the home bound as well as to nursing homes. They also read shelves, help with children programs and other special projects.

For details on how you can be a Friend of the Waterloo Public Library, visit their website, or call 291 4496 for details.

c 2008 Waterloo Public Library

Homework Made Easy

Working on that summer class term-paper? In a hurry to get your research done and done well? If so, you're in luck! The Waterloo Public Library Ebscohost subscription includes "Ebscohost Web."

This amazing product allows WPL patrons--in the building or from home using a library card--to simultaneously search articles in more than 21 databases with titles ranging from Master File Premier, to Academic Elite, to Vocational and Career Collection.

Once you've found your sources you may either print them to our high speed color laser, or save them to your thumb-drive. For more information on what Ebscohost at the WPL can do for you, stop by the reference island for a consultation with one of expert librarians.

c 2008 Waterloo Public Library

WPL Training Center Ribbon Cutting

Waterloo Public Library Information Literacy Administrator, Kim Van Deest, cut the ribbon at this afternoon's Grand Opening of our new Training Center.

The Cedar Valley Ambassadors (the guys and gals in the blue suits) provided the ribbon, scissors, and about two dozen well-wishers.

Just prior to the ribbon cutting, Waterloo City council-person, Carolyn Cole, read a proclamation praising the new facility as well as all those involved in its conception and construction.

The Training Center, constructed with a grant from the Black Hawk County Gaming Commission and support from the City of Waterloo, seats 15 students and is equipped with a high resolution LCD projector controlled by a teacher station.

Classes are already scheduled for the new room; see the Waterloo Public Library website or call the library at 291 4480 for details.

c 2008 Waterloo Public Library

Training Center Grand Opening

Please join us July 17, 4:15 p.m., for the Grand Opening of the Waterloo Public Library's new Training Center.

The 15 seat computer classroom boasts high-end Dell Optilex computers with 17" flatscreen monitors. The workstations are equipped with Office 2007 Pro Plus running on Vista Business and are connected to our highspeed Internet pipe.

A $51,000 grant provided from the Black Hawk County Gaming Association gave us a start; funds from the City of Waterloo and the library's budget upgraded data, power, and HVAC services to modern standards.

Library personnel, with technical assistance from the State Library of Iowa completed the task of installation and configuration. The system is fast, secure, and very easy-to-use.

All that's left is for Mayor Hurley to cut the ribbon! We're ready to roll out classes on Word, Excel, Publisher, Picasa, Google Tools, Beginning Internet, Genealogy, and much more. Keep an eye on the library's website for class schedules.

c 2008 Waterloo Public Library

New WiFi AP

Second floor WiFi users now have a second choice AP: "TrainingCenter." As you can see from the above screenshot of an XP Pro WiFi "network list," three different AP are revealed.

The first, "linksys," is the AP near the Reference Desk that has been PublicIP managed for several months. If you are one of the 107 registered users of linksys, you may log in normally.

However, we now have a second AP, "TrainingCenter," available. If you choose the TrainingCenter AP, you'll need to create another login or click the "skip" option.

Both APs are Linksys WAP54g devices. Neither is secure, both support 802.11b-g, and are set to allow duplex 10mbs of bandwidth. Available ports include 80 110 118 443 2304 3724 4445 4567 8009 8086 8087 8443 8900 9081 9090 9097 9100. We're not blocking filesharing applications.

The bottom AP, "dlink2," is a secure AP which you may ignore.

The additional WiFi AP will give us better coverage in the west end of the second floor. At some point, we'll be moving the linksys AP to a spot near the stairwell. This will improve coverage for the east end of the floor while relieving congestion at the Reference Desk.

Please direct comments, questions, and suggestions to this blog or to me, dargan@gmail.com.

c 2008 Waterloo Public Library

New Home for Foreign Language Collection

The Foreign Language Collection has moved from its old corner on the first floor to a new space on the second.

The move will place the collection in a higher traffic area--on the way to the new Training Center door--and will open up a seating area on the first floor.

For more information about the foreign language holdings of the Waterloo Public Library, contact our diversity coordinator, Claudia Ramirez, at ramirez.claudias@gmail.com.

c 2008 Waterloo Public Library

CFPL Friends Sponsor Arena Football Trip

• What: Iowa Barnstormers vs the Quad City Steamwheelers arena football game.
• Where: Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines
• When: Meet at the CFPL parking lot (524 Main Street, Cedar Falls, IA), 1:30 p.m. to sign waiver and get wristband. Bus leaves at 2:00 p.m. Tailgate party at 4:00 p.m. Game at 7:05. Return to CFPL about midnight, Saturday, July 12, 2008.
• Cost: $20 per person, includes bus fare and ticket. Supper is on your own.
• Registration: CFPL Service Desk
• Details: Call 319 273 8643
  Sponsored by Friends of the Cedar Falls Public Library

c 2008 Waterloo Public Library