Device Chargers Have Arrived!

These days, we depend on our portable devices for just about everything. When they get low on juice, panic sets in. Even if you can find an outlet, do you have your charging cord? You probably wouldn’t be surprised to learn that this often happens to people at the library. Now we have a solution!

Thanks to a generous grant from the Friends of the East Greenbush Community Library, we were able to purchase two device charging stations for the library that include charging cords that will fit most mainstream devices (Apple Lightning, Apple 30-pin, and MicroUSB). If you have your own cord, you can also plug into a USB port or one of the additional electrical ports on the box.

If you would like to try out one of the device chargers, here is where you can find them…

Youth Services:

Charger on counter — Playroom in Youth Services

Adult Services (main area):

Device charger on laptop cart — Current location: laptop cart behind reference.

ASfuture — Future location: seating area near music

In the main area of the library, we were hoping to put the charger near the music area. ~~Unfortunately, we discovered that the outlet is dead. Until we can get that fixed, the charger temporarily lives on the laptop cart behind the reference desk.~~ [Update: The charger is now located in the music area.] As a reminder, please do not leave your device unattended while charging. The library is not responsible for lost or stolen items.

We hope you find the new service useful. Let us know what you think in the comments!

Service Alert

On Tuesday, October 28th, the library’s public computers and printing system will be out of service from 9am until approximately 3pm for a planned software upgrade. Wi-Fi will still be available, and laptops are available for checkout from the Reference Desk with a signed agreement for use within the library. Thank you for your patience as we continue to improve our public computing system.

iOS Mess

iOS 8, the latest operating system for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch released on September 17th, has had a less than impressive debut. At first, it appeared to be unstable, causing crashes. Apple hurried to release the 8.0.1 patch, and the new software seemed to cause more problems than it fixed. Despite the fact that Apple quickly made the 8.0.1 patch unavailable, several people were stuck with updated (read: broken) iDevices. Apple states that iOS 8.0.2 is on the way, but if you are one of the unlucky folks looking for a way to downgrade back to iOS 8, follow these simple instructions from ReadWrite. If you feel that upgrading to iOS 8 was a mistake altogether, hurry and check out ReadWrite’s instructions for downgrading back to iOS7, which may only work for a limited time.

Are you waiting to upgrade your Apple device? Let us know in the comments.

Time to Change All of Your Passwords. Seriously.

Yesterday, news broke that a Russian crime ring known as CyberVor has stolen over a billion username/password combinations, as well as a half billion email addresses from popular sites all over the web. While there is currently no way to confirm whether your information has been compromised, or even which websites have been hit, it would be prudent to assume that at least one of your online accounts has been jeopardized, and take action to ensure the security of all of your online accounts.

When creating new passwords for your accounts, do not reuse passwords for multiple accounts. That way, if one of your accounts gets hacked, criminals won’t automatically have access to more of your accounts. There are several strategies for making sure the new passwords you create are secure. See this list for ideas.

Two-factor authentication (a.k.a. two-step verification) is another option provided by some websites that offer can offer an additional layer of account protection. For example, after entering my username and password at my bank site, I am always prompted to answer at least one of my pre-defined security questions. Another site that offers two-step verification is Gmail (more info). For more sites that offer two-factor authentication, check out this article by Lifehacker.

A couple of additional security tips:

Do not set your computer/device to remember passwords.
Make sure your computer/device is set to lock when it “sleeps” or you walk away from it. It may be inconvenient to keep logging in, but it will be even more inconvenient if your information gets stolen.
Avoid logging into sensitive sites on public Wi-Fi if at all possible. Other users on the same network with the right software may be able to see your information as it is being transmitted.

While no online account is completely safe from hacking attempts, creating strong, unique passwords, using two-factor authentication, and only accessing accounts on secure network connections go a long way toward keeping your digital information out of the hands of criminals.

Do you have any additional security tips to share? If so, please share them with our readers in the comments section below.

Print from any device, anywhere, to the library’s printer!

This week, the library upgraded its wireless printing system. The old system limited which devices could print, and the process of installing the software was fraught with annoyances. With the upgrade, sending a print job from anywhere is as easy as sending an email attachment!

How to Print

To print your document, photo or web page, go directly to our printing portal page:
http://printeron.net/egcl/mainbranch

Follow the on-screen instructions and press the green button to print your document.

The email address you used when submitting your print job will be your login at the print release station.
Enter your email address and remit payment using the print release station at the reference desk.
All print jobs will be rendered on letter (8.5” x 11”) sized paper. If the print job is set for larger paper, content will be resized to fit the smaller paper.
To see a full list of file types that can be printed, visit: http://bit.ly/1ptF3di

Items on Secure Pages

Any items that require a login, such as boarding passes, Facebook pages, encrypted pages, Google Docs, etc., will need to be downloaded or converted to an image or PDF file before sending. Please see a librarian if you need assistance.

How to Print from a Mobile Device

Mobile devices can use the same procedure as other devices. Alternatively, Android and iOS users can download the PrinterOn app from Google Play or the App store.

You can print most types of files, including photos, web pages, PDFs and Microsoft file types. Web pages and photos can be printed directly from the app.

To use print preview, tap this icon:

To adjust print settings, tap this icon:

Android devices

Other files can be printed directly from within the “My Files” or “Gallery” locations using the “Share Via” function and selecting the PrinterOn app.

iOS devices

To print an email attachment, launch the native Mail app. Navigate to the email which contains the attachment. Tap and hold the attachment and select “Open in PrinterOn” from the next menu.

Printing from a Cloud Storage App

Launch Box/Dropbox app
Navigate to the item you wish to print
(Box only—expand options using the icon in the top right corner)
Tap the “open in” icon.
Select “open in PrinterOn” and a preview will open.
If necessary, select your printer by scanning a QR code, selecting a saved printer or searching for a new printer.
To select copies and page range where applicable, tap the option icon in the top right corner.
Tap print to submit.

Privacy and Security

This portal uses SSL to ensure the security of your transaction. The printer for this portal uses a privacy system. Your documents are held in a privacy print queue until you are present at the printer to authorize their release.

Documents are not printed until you enter your email and remit payment at the print release station next to the printer located at the reference desk.
The document is permanently deleted upon processing.
Documents left unprinted for more than 24 hours are automatically deleted.
Once printed, documents cannot be re-printed.

Questions?

If you have questions or comments about the new service, please share them below or contact a librarian.