Recessed Monitor Test

We've added another workstation to the Waterloo Public Library public access computer collection: We're testing the recessed monitor concept. Since the advent of public access computers at the WPL we've made it a point to place the monitors so that they can be seen by staff and other patrons. This approach has allowed us to see what everyone is up to and to stop inappropriate use. However, we're now wondering if it would be better to give everyone privacy by going to recessed monitors and thereby save on staff time and conflict. In other words, we're contemplating a change from the "tap on the shoulder" approach to public computer management to the "out of sight, out of mind" approach.

If you're assigned to the recessed monitor station, let us know how well you like it. Be sure to use the adjustable hood to deflect glare. I've tried it and found that it works quite well. If other like it, we may well go to all recessed monitors when we do our next upgrade.

c 2008 Waterloo Public Library

Adult AV to Second Floor

We're now well into the process of moving Adult AV (audio visual) materials from the first floor to the area on the second floor that formerly housed print reference materials. Thus far, we've moved our VHS tapes, books on tape, and books on CD. Very soon we'll be sending up the DVD collection.

Moving Adult AV to the second floor will relieve congestion in the first floor area allowing us more room for displays of new materials. As time goes on, I expect to see a seating area in the far southwest corner. With all the windows and tall ceilings, it'll be a nice place to read a book or maybe sip some coffee!

c 2008 Waterloo Public Library

LAN Party

The Hawkeye Community College Game Players Anonymous club and the Waterloo Public Library will join forces March 29 for a LAN Party! Participants will bring their own computers and/or consoles. The club and library will provide power, a switching hub, an LCD projector, and Internet access.

Participation is limited to gamers of high school age and older.

Pre-registration is required!

Visit the Waterloo Public Library Reference desk to sign up.

c 2008 Waterloo Public Library

Training Center Progress

Work on the new Training Center is progressing rapidly. We're thinking we'll be shopping for equipment by the end of March or early April. Electricians are also proceeding with an upgrade to second floor power and data services. It's possible that we'll be able to start teaching classes by late spring.

The Training Center is funded in part by a $51,000 grant from the Black Hawk County Gaming Association.

Stay tuned for further details.

c 2008 Waterloo Public Library

HVAC Work on Training Center

The new WPL Training Center is quickly taking shape. Workers from Young Plumbing & Heating have removed the lights and ceiling tiles in preparation for installation of additional ventilation duct work. We'll be getting new lights and tiles, so the old one will be heading to storage.

The Training Center is drawing most of our attention at the moment, but we have other projects that we're about to implement. The empty shelves that used to house our print reference collection (now inter-filed), will soon be loaded with Adult AV materials from downstairs.

More on that later.

c 2007 Waterloo Public Library

Carpet Cut and Ceiling Tiles Removed

Failor-Hurley workers cut carpet and removed ceiling tiles in preparation for the construction of the new Training Center. The Training Center, financed with money awarded by Black Hawk County Gaming Association, will provide 15 workstations equipped with the latest software and high speed Internet access.

We don't yet have a projected opening date, but late spring would be a good guess. Once the Training Center is complete, we expect to turn the current Learning Center into a video game room. Stay tuned for details!

c 2007 Waterloo Public Library

Training Center Construction about to Commence

Workers will soon start the enclosure of the new Training Center, built with money provided by a grant from the Black Hawk County Gaming Association and the Isle of Capri Casino. Upon completion, the training center will have 15 Internet and MS/Office equipped computers, as well as a teaching station with projector.

Stay tuned for more pictures as the work proceeds.

c 2008 Waterloo Public Library

WiFi Upgrade puts WPL on Hotspot Map!

The Waterloo Public Library's WiFi users will notice some changes starting today: They will be invited to either create a username or click the "skip" button. This is due to the overnight installation of a commercial version of the PublicIP WiFi management service.

The old system did little more than put WiFi users on the Internet while keeping them off of the library network. We were without bandwidth or port management. The system was vulnerable to misuse by spammers or innocent people who were unwittingly monopolizing our bandwidth.

The new system addresses all of those problems while giving us an excellent way to recover usage statistics. Currently, all users get 4 hours of access each day. Transfer limits are 1.5 mbs download, 128 kbs upload, for a total of 800 MB/day. There are no restrictions on social networking or file sharing sites, nor are there any proscribed file extensions.

If you're a WiFi user and you run into trouble, contact me at dargan@wplwloo.lib.ia.us and we'll see if it's possible to find a way to accomodate your needs.

c 2008 Waterloo Public Library

Governor Proposes 18% Cut in Library Services

Governor Culver's FY 2009 budget includes an 18% cut in state funding for library services. Should this proposal stand, the following programs or agencies will see cuts: State Library, $135,000; Library Service Areas, $259,442; and Enrich Iowa $725,000.

Enrich Iowa, which directly funds Iowa's libraries, provided $16,921 to the Waterloo Public Library in FY2008. Should the governor's cuts stand, the WPL's Enrich Iowa allocation for FY2009 will be a mere $4,653: a reduction of $12,268!

Such a cut will have a significant impact on the services that the WPL will be able to provide to library patrons. If you would like to express your opinion on the validity of this proposed reduction in state aid to libraries, contact the governor via his online comments form.

Your state legislators must pass the final budget and could rescind this reduction. To express your opinion on the governor's proposed cuts, use the online at the Iowa Legislature's "Find your Legislator" site.

For details on how the cuts will affect Iowa's libraries across the board, visit Mike's Library Blog.

Thanks for your support of the Waterloo Public Library.

c 2007 Waterloo Public Library

New Windows Project Advances

We may have gotten a day off for Martin Luther King's birthday, but not our intrepid windows installers. They braved steady light snow and single-digit temperatures as the continued to install new windows. The good news is that they've made it around the corner; the bad news is that they are blocking off most of what's left of the parking lot.

We won't have to be patient much longer as the end is clearly in sight. We're already enjoying the new windows on the third floor and expect the second to also be less drafty and more energy-efficient upon completion.

c 2007 Waterloo Public Library

Opinion Survery

The Waterloo Public Library is interested in learning your feelings about our operating hours. Please take a few moments to visit our Survey Monkey to voice your opinion.

Thanks

c 2007 Waterloo Public Library

Sanborn Maps Move to State Library

The Sanborn Maps product, a collection of maps dating back to the 19th Century, will no longer be available through the Waterloo Public Library. However, library patrons may continue to browse this amazing resource via the State Library of Iowa's Sanborn Maps subscription.

A State Library card, necessary to login to Sanborn Maps, can be acquired online in minutes for no charge.

The downside of getting Sanborn Maps through the State Library is having to get another card; the upside is that patrons may now use Sanborn Maps from home; the Waterloo Public Library subscription required users to be in the WPL building.

Another advantage to using the State Library's Sanborn Maps service is that cardholders will also have access to the State Library's collection of online resources. The titles range from newspapers, to EBSCOHost and from medical to legal. Several of the resources are open to any user, but many require a login using a State Library card.

Dropping the Waterloo Public Library Sanborn Maps subscription allows us to reallocate money to other products, our patrons will have access to a great product from home, and the State Library will have the opportunity to show off its wonderful services to Iowans.

c 2007 Waterloo Public Library

Download 2007 Tax Forms!

It's that time of year again. The Iowa Department of Revenue and the Internal Revenue Service are sending out tons of our favorite forms. Usually, we'll have the paper versions you need. However, if we don't, simply follow the links from the Waterloo Public Library Reference blog directly to the appropriate agency's site.

From there, you may quickly download and inexpensively print the most current version of the form(s) you need.

Librarians won't give you tax advice, but we can help you to find the tax form that you're looking for.

c 2007 Waterloo Public Library

Second Floor Window Work

The window crew is now working on the second floor. The walls surrounding the 000-500 non-fiction, as well as the periodicals, are now behind a plastic shelter. The 000-150 area has the shelter right up against it; items on those shelves may only be retrieved by staff members on request.

The job superintendent estimates that this area will be blocked off for at least two weeks. After the windows are replaced the walls must then be resurfaced and painted. Once this is done, the work will proceed along the south wall in a clockwise motion.

While the work is in progress, let's all be careful to not enter the work area or otherwise interfere with the job. We're going to have quite a mess for the next few weeks, but I'm looking forward to having new windows and walls.

As always, if you have questions or comments, contact me at dargan@gmail.com.

c 2007 Waterloo Public Library

Cunningham Carolers visit the WPL

Carolers from the Dr. Walter Cunningham School for excellence entertained staff and patrons in the lobby of the Waterloo Public Library today. This makes two consecutive years that the students have visited the library. We hope to see them again next year!

c 2007 Waterloo Public Library

Free Downloadable Movies!

Card holding patrons of the Waterloo Public Library have access to full length downloadable movies via our subscription to MyLibraryDV. Users may choose from several collections: Movies, documentaries, food, health, how-to, kids, literature, and travel.

My guess is that the theatrical movie collections, which include classics, foreign films, Hollywood Favorites, independent films, and Sony Pictures Entertainment, will be the most popular. However, those of you who like travelogues and cooking shows will find that MyLibraryDV is the place to go for video entertainment.

Viewing the movies requires the installation of a viewer and movie management utility, each of which is easily downloaded from the MyLibraryDV site. You then use the viewer to choose your movie which you must then checkout using your Waterloo Public Library card.

Currently, the most practical way to view a MyLibraryDV title is from home using a broadband connection. However, sometime later this winter, look for the library to establish a viewing station somewhere on the second floor. Stay tuned for details.

c 2007 Waterloo Public Library

Window Project Continues

Despite single digit temperatures, our window replacement crew continues to work their way around the third floor.

It looks like they may have to briefly close the public entrance either later today or early tomorrow. If that happens, we'll post signs directing patrons to the staff entrance in the courtyard.

c 2007 Waterloo Public Library

Madeleine Albright visits WPL!

On Saturday, we had a surprise visitor at the library. Madeleine Albright, the first female Secretary of State, was here speaking in the meeting rooms to a group on behalf of Hillary Clinton's candidacy.

After commenting that we have a beautiful building, Secretary Albright took several minutes to sign autographs and have her picture taken with patrons and staff.

We have two books in our catalog by Madeleine Albright. To see if they're currently available, click here. For more information about Secretary Albright, check out the Biography Resource Center or click here.

c 2007 Waterloo Public Library

More Express Computers

The City of Waterloo MIS Department has recently allocated more computers to the library: Five new Vostro 200s and 3 Optiplex G240s. Over the next few weeks you'll see them added to our collection of workstations.

Public Access Computer #7, out-of-service for a couple of months, will soon return. We'll be adding an Express computer in the downstairs lobby area. And, we'll also be adding a flatbed-scanner equipped Express Computer in the Reference Department.

Other improvements on the horizon include upgraded Research Stations as well as enhanced computer services in the Teen Area. Providing enough equipment to sastify the computer needs of WPL patrons is one of my major goals. If you have questions or suggestions, please submit them to me at dargan@wplwloo.lib.ia.us.

Thanks.

c 2007 Waterloo Public Library

Computer Classes at the WPL

The Learning Center has recently expanded the number of seats from 6 to 9, but as you can see, we're still short on space. Kim V., Literacy Services Administrator, is shown here presenting her Mail Merge class to a packed house; just in time for the Christmas letters!

The Black Hawk County Gaming Association recently granted Kim V application for money to fund a new Training Center in the south west corner (formerly housing the 700s) of the second floor. By this time next year she'll be packing a room of 15 instead only 9!

To see what classes we're offering, visit our the Patron Classes link on our website.

c 2007 Waterloo Public Library