Train of Thought
Volume 18, Number 2
Summer 2007
Volume 18, Number 2 Summer 2007
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Training Tailored to Your Needs
- Have special training requests coming up for the interim? Planning to hire several students for the fall and would like group training?
- We want to help! TDS can provide you with custom training designed to address your specific knowledge and skill needs.
- Let us know your training needs in advance so we can prepare your training and get your date reserved on our calendar.
We Need Your Help!
- If you are unable to attend your scheduled training, please let us know as soon as possible.
- If you call in sick the day of your training, please ask your supervisor to contact us.
- Supervisors, if one of your employees will be unable to attend their scheduled training, please contact us immediately.
- You can call our office at 845-8157. If there is no answer, please leave a message. You can also reach us by email or GroupWise Messenger. But always call.
- Please help us do the best we can for everyone in the Libraries by keeping us informed.
In case you haven't heard...
- There is a new official Library "committee"—the Macro Express Group.
- Look for more information about the exciting things this group is doing in the next issue of Train of Thought.
Send Us
A Comment- We've added a link on our intranet page where you can give us your comments about the services we provide. Entries can be anonymous or you can sign them. We value your input and hope you will take advantage of this new offering.
- Look for
Train of Thought
Volume 19, Number 1
in Winter 2008
IN THIS ISSUE:
No Vacancy!
Normally “No Vacancy” is a bad sign to see (at least if you are trying to find a hotel room for the night), but in our case, I am happy to state that TDS currently has no staff vacancies. I am very pleased about this—it has been a long year with the other training specialists doing their best to fill in as needed for months on end.
Mary Bailey joined TDS in March as our new Training Specialist. She brings with her some excellent computer software, troubleshooting, and training skills. Please welcome her when you are over our way.
To learn more about Mary, click here.
What's New in Password Safe?
Have you noticed the new look of Password Safe? Looks a little different, doesn't it? With a five year span since the last version was released to us by Systems, Password Safe has undergone quite a few changes. Bugs have been fixed and new features added. It's not surprising then, that Password Safe 3.05.02 looks significantly different and has many more features and options than previous versions. Read more...
Adobe Reader 8
With the release of Reader 8, Adobe has introduced several new features—a refined interface with user-customizable toolbars, improved text visibility, a text-to-speech feature, the ability to fill and submit forms, save data and digitally sign documents—and improved some existing functionality. Read more...
New Features of Internet Explorer 7
When Internet Explorer 7 was first introduced, all of the changes were a bit overwhelming. No one wanted to jump in to all the new features. Adjusting to the redesign of the main window was challenge enough. However, now that you've had some time to get used to the program, I thought I'd revisit some of its new features with the hope that you will find at least one feature that will improve your browsing experience. I've also included information about some of the known issues we are having with IE here in the libraries along with any available workarounds. Read more...
Data Decisions: Choosing the Right Tool
A common dilemma of Microsoft Office users is whether to store and manipulate data in an Excel
spreadsheet or an Access database. Even though the manner and flexibility in which data can be
handled varies greatly between Excel and Access, they have similar capabilities.
Read more...
Tips for Professional Communication
A great many of us had the opportunity to attend the recent communication workshop, "The Essentials of Communicating with Diplomacy and Professionalism," presented by Skillpath. The question is how many of us are now regularly applying what we learned? In this article, for those who attended the workshop, I hope to refresh your memories on some of the key points and for those who were unable to attend the workshop, I hope to give you the highlights of what we learned. Good communication is a tough assignment, but certainly one worth our best efforts. Read more...
Block Out Office Chatter with ChatterBlocker™
Noisy neighbors derailing your train of thought? Party pandemonium penetrating your brain? Detailed discussions of messy medical conditions making you quite queasy? Maybe you need ChatterBlocker. Read more...
Systems Projects and Problems
When you've logged on to the Library Intranet, you’ve probably noticed that there’s a new feature on the home page. Located in the lower left corner of the home page is your Personal HelpDesk Summary, a list of the Problems and Projects you have in Systems HelpDesk. I thought I’d explain a bit more about this information and give you some background on HelpDesk Problems versus HelpDesk Projects. Read more...
Office Ergonomics
Do you leave work at the end of the day in pain? If so, contact your departmental WEC representative. They can help you create a comfortable work area. We are lucky to have WEC reps. I was in another department on campus for 15 years and the word "ergonomics" never came up.
As a WEC representative, I was fortunate enough to attend the annual ergonomic conference in Dallas over Spring Break. While there, I had the opportunity to attend numerous classes and learn more about the ergonomics field. Read more...
A Note from Joyce
Summer is here. As we think of summer, we think of "lightness"—we think of dressing lighter,
eating lighter foods, doing fun things, breathing a sigh of relief at having completed annual
evaluations, and vacationing before the hectic fall is upon us. In this frame of lightness, my
message will consist of what I consider to be gems of workplace wisdom and comic quips that I have
encountered in the myriad of human resources literature that crosses my desk.
Read more...
Questions & Answers
Every day TDS solves problems people encounter as they work with the various software applications used in the library. This section highlights frequently asked questions as well as those we think you will find interesting and informative. Read more...