TechBits

Firefox Add-ons

Firefox add-ons are small pieces of software that let you add new features and change the way your browser works.  You can install these add-ons yourself without the need for a call to the Help Desk. 
There is a very large community of developers that create these add-ons, so the chances of finding one that does what you want is pretty good.

An important security note about add-ons is that you need to be VERY careful about where you get them from because they may harm your computer or violate your privacy.  Unless clearly marked otherwise, add-ons available from Firefox's Add-on gallery have been checked and approved by Mozilla's team of editors and are safe to install. I recommend that you only install the approved add-ons and never install any of the add-ons marked as Experimental because they have not been reviewed.  Never ever install an add-on from an unknown source!

Once they are installed most people just forget about them.  But, as I discovered recently this is not a good idea.  I got a call from a library with an unusual problem with Firefox.  When they right-clicked within their Firefox browser they got a menu that was longer than their screen was tall.  After much research I discovered that this problem was caused by an out-of-date add-on.  Since the add-on was no longer needed is was disabled and then the problem was resolved.

If you're having a problem with Firefox one way to tell if it is being caused by an out-of-date add-on is to start Firefox in Safe Mode.  The easiest way to do this is from within Firefox.  You go to the Help menu and choose "Restart with Add-ons disabled...".  Then a window called "Firefox Safe Mode" with some troubleshooting options appears. Here you would click the "Start in Safe Mode" button.  Never ever click the "Reset Firefox" button as this will reset Firefox to a default state by creating a new profile, migrating only essential data and then moving all of the old Firefox data to a folder on your desktop. Warning! This change cannot be reversed.  Once in Safe Mode see if your problem persists.  If the problem is gone then it's a pretty good bet that it is an out-of-date add-on causing the problem.  So now you know you need to update your add-ons.  When you are done testing and want to get out of Safe Mode, just close Firefox and wait a few seconds before opening Firefox for normal use again.

So now you're asking, how do I keep my add-ons up-to-date?  It's really easy. Just follow these steps:

1. Open Firefox
2. Go to the Add-ons Manager by clicking "Add-ons" in the Firefox (or Tools) menu
3. Click on the Extensions tab on the left
4. You will now see a list of all of the add-ons that you have installed
5. In the upper right corner you will see a gear
6. Click on it and a menu like the one below will appear

7. If the "Update Add-ons Automatically" option is checked you're done
8. If it is not checked click on it to check it then you never have to worry about old add-ons again
9. If you want to update them now just click the "Check for Updates" option
10. Firefox will then update all add-ons that have a newer version
11. Once all the updates are done you may need to restart Firefox

My two favorite add-ons are Print Edit, which gives you print preview with edit capability, and Print pages to PDF, which gives you the ability to print the content of one or more browser tabs into a PDF document.  Please leave a comment and let me know some of your favorite add-ons.

More on Digital Literacy

 

 

There's a new tool for your Digital Literacy toolbox - DigitalLearn.org. This recently launched site is "devoted to helping everyone to effectively use digital technologies through simple online training modules." There are three courses available right now: Intro to Email; Using a PC (Windows 7); and Basic Search with three more coming soon. They are: Getting Started on the Computer; Introduction to the Internet; and Using a Mac (OS X).

Coming in June, they'll be adding a section for library staff and others who help people with digital literacy (this definitely includes us!) 

DigitalLearn.org is a project of the Public Library Association and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Looking for more Digital Literacy information? Last June, I wrote a post about Digital Literacy and introduced you to the Northstar Digital Literacy Project in Minnesota as well as several other projects. If you know of others sites like this, let us know!

Making Stuff on your Screen Bigger While Keeping the Dots Small.

What's so great about a new monitor that makes everything small and harder to read? Nothing, that's what!  But what's so great about a new monitor that's set to the same resolution and qualtiy as the old one?  Thankfully, I can show you how you can use the full monitor quality AND have the readibility.

(Note: This procedure applies to Windows 7 only.)

First, right-click on the desktop and select "Screen resolution".  We won't be adjusting the resolution itself at all; only to set or confirm that the resolution is as high as it goes.

So, while in the Screen Resolution window, click on the blue text that states "Make text and other items larger or smaller", located here:

This transports you to a window called "Display" that looks like this:

Display has 3 preset sizes: "Smaller", "Medium", and "Larger".  The text sizes of each choice correspond to what the actual text size will be.  Just a heads-up, however, that applying another size will require you to log off and log back in again to take effect.

If none of these presets suit you, there is also the option to set a custom size percentage from the "Set custom text size (DPI)" option in the left margin. This launches a rather straight-forward option window where you can enter a custom percentage and you can see how much of an effect it has on an on-screen ruler and some text.  After hitting OK, it will create a 4th "Custom" option, under "Larger", with the percentage you specified.

That's all there is to it!  It may take a little longer than just selecting a different resolution, but the results are WAY better.

DPLA = Digital Public Library of America

There's a new acronym in LibraryLand. DPLA stands for Digital Public Library of America and it is really cool!

The site launched on April 18 and includes millions of "photographs, manuscripts, books, sounds, moving images, and more—from libraries, archives, and museums around the United States." (from the FAQ)

As I was driving back from the 2013 WAPL Conference in Lake Geneva with Stef Morrill, Director of WiLS, we got to talking about DPLA and how Wisconsin materials can and will be included in the collection. Here's what she told me.

"Data for the DPLA will come from two kinds of hubs - service and content hubs. Content hubs are institutions that can provide more than 250,000 unique objects to the collection. All of the other items in the collection will come from service hubs. These include state or regional digital libraries that pull together information from libraries and other cultural institutions in the area. The Minnesota Digital Library has been designated as the service hub for the midwestern states, including Wisconsin.

A group of Wisconsin organizations involved with digitization, including the Wisconsin Historical Society, UW-Madison, Resources for Libraries & Lifelong Learning, and Recollection Wisconsin/WiLS, have begun conversations about how Wisconsin libraries and cultural institutions can best participate in the DPLA. More information will be coming soon!"

As I learn more, I'll be sure to share it with you. Have you checked out the DPLA site yet? Share what you think of this new resource.

 

On the topic of privacy

Did you know that May 1 - 7, 2013 is "Choose Privacy Week"?  Choose Privacy Week is an ongoing program of the American Library Association that invites library users into a national conversation about privacy rights in a digital age. Check out the Choose Privacy Week website for more info and programming resources for libraries. Here's a short (1:23) Privacy Week Trailer video from their video gallery that covers some of the privacy-related concerns and issues: http://player.vimeo.com/video/10998821.

In celebration of Choose Privacy Week, I'd like to share a couple links to privacy-related resources I ran across this week...

• iLibrarian's quick guide to Private Browsing covers the Private Browsing and Do Not Track features for most popular browsers and includes "how-tos" and screenshots. I highly recommend this!
• Microsoft's Safety & Security Center covers security settings for popular Microsft products as well as links to information about
  • Protecting your privacy online
  • Protecting yourself from identity theft online
  • Using location services more safely
  • What does your online image say about you?

And finally, here's a fun video to get you thinking about how the information you share online through social media and other sources can reveal more than you might like to the world.

"Dave is an extremely gifted clairvoyant who finds out specific financial information. This video reveals the magic behind the magic, making people aware of the fact that their entire life can be found online. And by doing so urging everybody to be vigilant."

Amazing mind reader reveals his "gift"

Wireless External Drive for Phones and Tablets

Not many phone and tablet users require a terabyte of extra storage beyond what the device offers.  If you do need that extra space, there is a product for you.  The Seagate Wireless Plus Portable Drive allows you to bring 1TB of extra storage space wherever you go.  The setup is pretty simple.  You have to download and install the free Seagate media app on your Android or IOS device.  When you turn on the hard drive, it sends out a wireless signal that you connect to from your device's wifi settings menu.  When the drive is fully charged, it can stay operational for up to 10 hours.  It's a nice product if have you a ton of movies and audio files you'd like to stream to your mobile device.

More information

OverDrive How-To Guides

OverDrive recently announced that new How-To Guides are now available. The device specific guides are available for Android, iOS (iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch), Kindle Fire and that more are coming soon.

In the meantime, Jim Ramsey from Middleton Public Library created instructions for use with patrons and they are available for you to use in your library. You can find the links to the documents in this previous TechBits post, Notes on OverDrive: The Next Generation. 

 

And, don't forget about BadgerLearn. In addition to OverDrive training materials, you can find many other archived webinars, tutorials, handouts, and much more.

 

Creating simple subtotals in Excel

Most people who work with Excel spreadsheets know you can total a group of numbers by using the Sum function.  But did you know Excel has a subtotal function that will create simple subtotals and a grand total for you? 

Open the spreadsheet and select the data you would like to subtotal.  Then go to the Data tab and look on the right hand side for the Subtotal option.  Click on the Subtotal icon and a pop-up window will appear asking how you want to subtotal the information. 

The “At each change in:” option, lets you define the groups of entries you wish to subtotal.  For example, if you have a report that is for all libraries, you can choose to have it subtotaled by library by choosing Library for the “At each change in:” option.  To know what’s available for options, click the down arrow on the right side of the in the “At each change in:” box, and choose from a list of possible selections. 

The “Use function” section allows you to choose what kind of subtotal you wish to see.  For example, you can go with a straight up sum of the numbers or you could choose to show the average of the numbers instead.  Again, to know what’s available, click on the down arrow at the end of the “Use function:” box.

With the “Add subtotal to:” selections, you decide which column is getting subtotaled.  Most of the time you’re going to want to choose a numeric column since subtotals of most non-numeric data don’t make much sense. 

There are also three checkboxes for subtotal options.  First is “Replace current subtotals”.  If you are wanting to do multiple subtotals, for example one for the sum and one for the average, deselect this option for the successive subtotals to keep them from replacing the original subtotals.  Next is “Page break between groups”.  This will cause each subtotaled group to print on a separate page when you print the spreadsheet.  The last option is “Summary below data”.  With this, you control whether the grand total and the subtotals are at the top of what they’re totaling or if the subtotals come after the list of entries being totaled. 

When you're done with your selection, click on OK.  You've now got a quick, simple subtotal of your data.

The Best Way to Update Third Party (Flash, Java, Reader, etc) Programs on EARTH!

Ninite - enough said.

I'm serious when I say that Ninite is the best way on earth to update over 100 third party programs.  It doesn't matter if you have one computer or 100,000 computers. 

For home users it's super easy!  Go to the Ninite.com , check the applications that you want to update, download the installer and run it.  As easy is that is there is even an easier way!  Purchase the Ninite updater for $9.99 a YEAR and let it do it for you! (Seriously buy it now)

For enterprise IT there is Ninite Pro.  Ninite Pro has literally saved us thousands of staff hours when it comes to updates.  Ninite Pro can be used with almost all management tools like System Center, ZENworks, KACE, Kaseya, Labtech, etc.  It can automatically disable the annoying update prompts, install silent, give meaningful logs, and disable shortcuts from being added to the desktop.  There is so much more too.  Oh and did I mention that it is cheaper than you would ever imagine!

So the bottom line is get it, use it. 

One sad thing is that Adobe had the Ninite people pull Flash Player from the free version.  Probably because they want you accidentally install the add on stuff when you forget to check "don't install" fom the Adobe website.  Flash is available for paying customers!

 

Touch Screen Monitors

Several people have asked me about the touch screen monitors Reedsburg Public Library is using for delivery and at their check-out desk. To help answer some of your questions, I created a short video highlighting some of the features of the Viewsonic touch screen.

Reedsburg Public Library also opted to purchase different stands that are more flexible than the included stand that comes with the monitor which only lets you tilt.

If you are interested in purchasing one for your library you can order them by going to the peripherals order form.