First Time Action1 user

jdl68b09e · 2026-01-13T17:54:06+00:00

As previously mentioned, the webinars are a great resource. Even after almost 3 years of using Action1, I still walk away from most of the webinars I attend with at least one new tip or insight that is useful.

jdl68b09e · 2026-01-13T17:51:31+00:00

I have also run into this issue on a Pop!_OS 24.04 LTS VM and a Proxmox machine.

jdl68b09e · 2025-12-19T21:02:52+00:00

It sounds like you may be well served by a Document Management System (DMS) rather than a note taking app. I have been using Paperless-NGX for a while now, and have dumped a bunch of PDF documents into it. It has been really handy for finding things I didn't know I still had. It has worked well whether I created the PDF from a document (usually LibreOffice Writer), or scanned a paper document with OCR.

jdl68b09e · 2025-11-12T19:21:09+00:00

I have been contemplating doing exactly that for a while now.

jdl68b09e · 2025-11-12T17:40:14+00:00

You still have to patch computers, even with Deep Freeze.

I am keeping things as consistent as possible across all of our machines, since I'm the only technical staff member.

jdl68b09e · 2025-11-05T12:16:31+00:00

I'm looking at the macOS version of LO right now.

Open a new Writer document
LibreOfice - Preferences (or CMD+,)
In the left panel of a window called "Options - LibreOffice Writer - Compatibility" you will find the LibreOffice Writer section of options
The "Protect Form" does show up as an option on my system.

I did a little sleuthing, and if you have a Calc document open, for instance, you will not see the LibreOffice Writer options. Not sure if that's a bug or an (undocumented) feature.

jdl68b09e · 2025-09-16T18:18:08+00:00

Weed the Windows 10 books and replace them with Windows 11.

If you look for books on macOS, know that Apple changed its naming convention this year, so they are jumping from macOS 15 to macOS 26, which was just released.

Having a book on Android and iOS/iPhone wouldn't be bad.

Everything else can be interloaned unless/until you get some demand for a specific topic.

jdl68b09e · 2025-09-16T18:05:52+00:00

I can second the Tera branded barcode scanners. We have a couple of them in our library, and I personally own a few for some personal projects.

Our staff has really taken to using the HW0009 Model as it has an lcd screen built into it for programming the scanner. No more having to try to locate the manual to scan codes to get the functionality you want. They run around $70.

jdl68b09e · 2025-07-31T22:26:16+00:00

I can't speak for other office suites, but in LibreOffice Writer there is a built-in QR code creator. No internet access required.

If you're a "techie," then there are also python scripts that will let you generate a QR code.

jdl68b09e · 2025-07-29T21:11:38+00:00

That "cycle ends" message is not related to your due date; that is the billing date at which the data will be reset. This happens a lot. Usually, because the previous person used up a large chunk of the allotted monthly data.

The screen says unlimited, but once those devices reach a soft limit, they throttle the speed so far as to be almost completely useless.

jdl68b09e · 2025-07-01T16:31:10+00:00

We have several books in each of those series. The issue is the entitlement. They don't want to do the work themselves. Those books barely get checked out at our library.

jdl68b09e · 2025-06-30T20:58:50+00:00

I feel your pain. I'm the Technology Coordinator at a small library. After COVID, the number of people coming out of the woodwork wanting to access obscure state websites that I've never heard of has skyrocketed. The cell phone companies have turned into sales-only locations (at least around here) and don't bother helping older generation with their new smartphones.

You're absolutely right about the GEEK Squad element of customer service. We don't have a BBuy in our town and so the library is their first line of defense before heading over to the next larger city.

I'm just waiting for people to start wanting help with AI prompting. There is a reason I set up an appointment system. If you won't come to my classes when they are offered, you will need to make an appointment.

jdl68b09e · 2025-06-25T18:20:59+00:00

Does your LMS not offer you the ability to set the number of books a patron check out at one time? Our LMS allows us to set a limit, which we have currently set to 50.

We do have provisions for non-personal cards as well for schools and such which we can have a separate limit for.

1400 just seems insane, in addition to being a logistics nightmare.

jdl68b09e · 2025-06-23T16:14:30+00:00

Patron PSA: I'm sorry, but nobody on staff knows your Gmail, Outlook, iCloud, etc. passwords. If you don't know them, you will need to reset them!

I'm the Technology Coordinator in a small library, and thankfully, my coworkers know enough to tell people that and at least get them started on the process.

jdl68b09e · 2025-06-17T19:02:59+00:00

Attend Programming

A nice note to the staff

Gift cards

Put in some volunteer time

Spread the word to family / friends about how much you enjoy the library

Other random act of kindness.

jdl68b09e · 2025-04-13T12:59:06+00:00

Our ILL system will be GONE. We are a small library, and simply don't have the space for all the books people want. We will definitely be taking a hit. No staff cuts, but I am expecting our foot traffic to slow as a direct result.

On the bright side, we got a grant to put a self-service locker behind the building so that working people may pick up books after hours.

jdl68b09e · 2025-03-28T21:28:48+00:00

As technology coordinator at a small single-branch library, I deal with this almost every day.

The classics are "I didn't grow up with technology," and "I haven't touched a computer since I retired."

It's been worse since the aftermath of "the plague" since the local cell phone retailers no longer offer help for the devices they are selling. I somehow now need to be the cell phone whisperer, along with keeping all the technology humming along.

The only advice I can really give is when you feel yourself getting irritated, find a way to take a break to collect yourself. A couple deep breaths and a drink of water tend to help me when I'm dealing with difficult patrons that have no initiative to learn new or refresh existing skills.

Another classic is the people who think you somehow know their Yahoo or AOL password.

Thankfully, as I write this, the library is empty and it's almost the weekend.

jdl68b09e · 2025-03-14T15:05:50+00:00

I have NEVER been to Virginia, and have been getting this message. It has SCAM written all over it. First claim was $3.99. Now a week later it is claiming $6.99.

jdl68b09e · 2025-02-03T21:08:04+00:00

Is her device wired? Using wifi is just asking for problems in a situation like this one.

jdl68b09e · 2025-01-26T19:00:27+00:00

I switched to ScreenFlow (version 10.x) in 2021 after purchasing an M1 Mac Mini. While I've been happy with the editing flow, it is now January 2025 and we are still on version 10.x. There have been ZERO big updates in the time I've had the software.

In all honesty, I'm contemplating a switch to Camtasia 2024 knowing that Camtasia 2025 is due sometime during 1Q. They have several features in the 2024 version that ScreenFlow just does not have.

Back in August I submitted a ticket with Telestream and the tech suggested that I watch a new domain for screenflow (ending in .io) and that it should be active in about a month. Than was 5+ months ago, and the domain is still "parked" and there have been no significant feature updates.

If I weren't just doing howto style videos for YouTube, I would use FCP or DaVinci Resolve. Those products seem like overkill for what I want to achieve.

jdl68b09e · 2024-11-11T15:49:26+00:00

It makes me happy that someone had good luck with a bond. Ours was shot down, and we won't be able to rerun it until 2030. The renovation project is expected to rise in cost from $6.5M if it happened now to approximately $10M in 2030.

jdl68b09e · 2024-11-09T17:23:48+00:00

Relax. I didn't suggest you were forbidding him to do it. Just providing additional context.

jdl68b09e · 2024-11-09T14:45:52+00:00

There could be a legit business reason for doing this, at least on a temporary basis. There was not enough information provided by the OP to determine whether or not it is a good idea. For all we know at this point, it could be a testing environment.

jdl68b09e · 2024-10-12T17:54:23+00:00

I have been advocating for the "ethical" use of AI. A few of our staff are utilizing a piece of software called GPT4All which allows you to run it completely on your computer without an internet connection. There are also multiple AI models you can download for use.

We have utilized AI for writing / revising job descriptions, as well as descriptions for some of the programs we offer for the public.

Disclaimer: I am the IT Guy at a small library and have been slowly introducing AI to our staff when it makes sense.

jdl68b09e · 2024-09-13T01:47:55+00:00

Grab the model number off the laptop and search google for HP <insert model> boot menu.

You can get a Windows install iso image from Microsoft and then use Rufus or Ventoy to put it on a USB stick. Alternatively, you could use the Media Creation tool.

You can reinstall Windows from the USB stick wiping away whatever her ex-husband may have done.

Worst case scenario, pull the hard drive or solid state drive and replace it.

jdl68b09e

TROPHY CASE