A note to readers

Please note: As of Aug. 15, 2022, the Library News blog has been decommissioned. All future internal communications are encouraged to be posted to the Staff Site via self-service Staff Site Posts. To submit a Post, find the Add Content menu on the Staff Site, then select Post at the bottom of that dropdown menu.  

DeskTracker migration

By: Heather Ross

DeskTracker will be upgrading and migrating to new servers on Aug. 15-16.

We will be pausing account creation until 8/16.

What does that mean for you?
– The url will change. We will update links from the DT page.
New url will be: https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpsu.desktracker.net%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cul-itservicerequest%40lists.psu.edu%7C27e8b791115f4bbe47ae08da76eea89f%7C7cf48d453ddb4389a9c1c115526eb52e%7C0%7C0%7C637953064783785084%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C2000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=oICqGA5O18J2BYQUhrP8tUfFuM6ap9qIzhs%2BdYxk%2Fa8%3D&reserved=0
– Your DT userID will be your PSU userID (e.g. abc123)
– You will need a new password. DON’T use your PSU password!
– You will have your PSU email address associated with the account so you can reset your own passwords in the future

What can you do now?
If you use your browser to remember your password and you don’t know your password, please ask for a password reset now.

The functionality of DeskTracker will remain the same, but the look will be updated. I do not have any screen captures to show you at this point.

Tech Tip: WAH vs hybrid vs office – laptop best practices

By: Ryan Johnson

There has been a lot of discussion on the new Flexible Work Guidelines and HR 107 Policy at Penn State.  With all the possible work environments, what are the best practices for your Library Computer?

Please join me this Thursday, Aug. 11 at 2 p.m. to learn more about WAH vs. Hybrid vs. Office: Desktop/Laptop Best Practices

flexible working photo

During this 1-hour session, we will review what you need to know about Working at Home, Hybrid and Office Work environments, including what equipment Libraries IT Provides, best practices for various applications, when and how to update your computer and tips to ensure your computer runs smoothly.

Objectives:

  • What does Library Strategic Technologies provide for each Work setup.
  • Best Practices for Key IT Programs When Working in Flexible Environments.
  • How/When to Update My Computer if I’m Working In The Office, Hybrid or Working at home.
  • Basic Tips to Ensure your Computer Runs Smoothly.

The session will occur at https://psu.zoom.us/my/ultraining and WILL BE RECORDED.

 

Tech Tip: What equipment does Strat-Tech provide for WAH vs. hybrid vs. the office

By: Ryan Johnson

office graphic

What Equipment does Library Strategic Technologies provide for employees working at home, hybrid or working in the office.

General Stipulations:

  1. Due to security and data protection, employees are expected to use University/Library equipment to do their work from home.
  2. Employees are only provided one computer.
  3. Employee must provide reliable internet that meets the needs of their work.
  4. Employees may have a full computer set in one place – not both.
  5. Cables and connections used to connect personal equipment to work equipment is the responsibility of the employee. Technical support for these setups is limited.
  6. Printers, scanners and other peripherals will not be provided at home.

Employees who work exclusively at home or with limited time (1 day or less per week) at a Libraries worksite:

  1. Complete set up at home with computer (laptop), docking station if needed, and up to two 24”monitors.
    1. Hybrid work/personal setups will not be supported. Cables and connections are the responsibility of the employee. Technical support for these setups is limited.
  2. No computer set up will be provided at Libraries worksites.  Employees may bring their laptop with them and use space that is provided by their department as touchdown space. Strat-Tech will have a limited number of laptops available for employees to borrow for short time periods.
  3. Printers and other peripherals will only be provided to employees who have a documented need due to their job functions. This request must be made by their Library/Department Head and approved by Libraries IT. Printing to network printers located at Libraries worksites from home is available using a Global Protect. Most paperwork can be printed to pdf and emailed or placed in a shared folder.

Employees who work exclusively at a Libraries worksite or with limited time (1 day or less per week) at home:

  1. Complete set up at the Libraries worksite with computer (laptop or desktop), docking station if needed, and up to two 24” monitors.
  2. No computer set up will be provided at home.  Employees may bring their laptop with them to use at home wirelessly. Library IT will have a limited number of laptops available for employees to borrow for short time periods.
  3. Printers and other peripherals will not be provided at home.  Printing to network printers located at a Libraries worksite from home is available using Global Protect. Most paperwork can be printed to pdf and emailed or placed in a shared folder.

Employees who work equally at a Libraries worksite and at home (2-3 days per week at each location):

  1. Complete set up at one location with computer (laptop), docking station if needed, and up to two 24” monitors.
    1. Employee may keep one of their monitors at each location or both at one location.
  2. Employees may bring their laptop between the two locations. Libraries IT will have a limited number of laptops available for employees to borrow for short time periods.
    1. Hybrid work/personal setups will not be supported. Cables and connections are the responsibility of the employee. Technical support for these setups is limited.
  3. Printers and other peripherals will not be provided at home.  Printing to network printers located at a Libraries worksite from home is available using Global Protect. Most paperwork can be printed to pdf and emailed or placed in a shared folder.

Customer Service Tip: This is how you reduce escalations

By: Myra Golden (submitted by Carmen Gass)

As I prepare for a workshop for a new client in Upstate New York, let me give you three things you can do to help your team get angry customers to back down, techniques right out of my
De-escalation Training.

One. Coach Your Team to Acknowledge Customer Concern

When staff acknowledges how hard things are for customers, they can foster rapport and make connections. Acknowledging concern links the communication chain with customers and makes it easier for employees to create calm, reframe conversations, and move interactions toward closure. Read more here.

Customer Service Tip: The difference between good and great

By: Shep Hyken, submitted by Carmen Gass

If you had to have surgery, would you rather go to the most skilled surgeon or the nicest surgeon?

I was at a party the other night and someone I met shared his opinion of the difference between a good doctor and a great doctor. A good doctor makes you well. A great doctor makes you well and calls you the next day to see how you’re doing.

I thought about that all weekend. My new friend was saying that good is doing what you are expected to do. If you’re a surgeon, you make people well. However, great is the addition of a better customer experience. In the case of the surgeon, it’s skill plus bedside manner.
Read more here.

Tech Tip: Laptop tips/tricks when transporting between work and home

By: Ryan Johnson

photo of laptop bags for tech tip

With many staff working hybrid, its important to keep your laptop safe, secure and running smoothly.

Here are a few recommendations to keep your laptop safe:

  • Invest in a good laptop case – Transporting laptops in a padded case specifically designed for laptops is best
  • Always turn you laptop off when transporting – Your laptop can get very hot which can cause issues with the hard drive, if you leave your laptop turned on, even for a short period of time. Always turn your computer off before leaving work or your home.
  • Store your Laptop Case Securely – When traveling home or to work or traveling on a plane, always make sure your laptop case position is stable. Avoid placing your case in the overhead compartment on a plane.
  • Don’t toss around any bag holding a laptop – Students especially tend to do this with laptops in backpacks, letting it slide from a shoulder to the floor, but this greatly increases the risk of both external and internal physical damage.
  • Turn off Wireless in the office – When using your laptop in the office, make sure the computer is docked and wireless if off to ensure you have the fastest connection.

Maps and Geospatial: New topical blog posts

By: Tara Anthony

The following posts were created recently to highlight relevant maps and geospatial topics. 

Introduction to the Esri Academy (by August Paterno) 
This post introduces the users to experiences with three tutorials from the Esri Academy related to “Creating and Sharing GIS Content Using ArcGIS Online,” “Build an interactive dashboard,” and “Identify retail gaps with void analysis” using ArcGIS Business Analyst.  

Tutorial on the ArcGIS Online Map Viewer: Exploring Symbology Options (by Mac Caughey) 
This introduction and tutorial to the new ArcGIS Online map viewer provides users with examples of how to work with layers and symbology options within the map viewer.  

How to plan an enticing first ArcGIS StoryMap (by Ben Brosius) 
This post shares about the process to prepare, plan, and reflect on content to use in creating your first StoryMap. 

Customer Service Tip: When your company becomes a verb

By: Shep Hyken (submitted by Carmen Gass)

In our customer service training workshops, we have an exercise that introduces a concept called The Five Levels of Service. The levels advance from Unacceptable to Basic to Good to World Class to Trademark. Any company should be happy with World Class, which is when the company is consistently and predictably delivering a level of service that gets customers to come back. Very few companies can get to Trademark levels of service. This happens when a company or brand is referred to in a way that positions them as one of the best at what they do. Most often, it is a comparison. For example, people might say, “They are the Cadillac of their industry.” Obviously, that is a powerful complement for both the company and for Cadillac.

Along those same lines, I was talking with a client who said, “We want to Chick-fil-A our customers.” Read more here.

Tech Tip: Create a self-chat in Microsoft Teams 

By: Ryan Johnson

Microsoft Teams now allows users to create chats with themselves to easily take notes, write quick messages, or even store files or images.

How to create a self-chat in Microsoft Teams

The self-chat creation process is straight forward and is not different than what you do to chat with someone else or to create group chats.

  1. In Microsoft Teams click in the chat app located in the personal app menu
  2. Click in the new chat icon
  3. In the To: field type your own email and select your user

self-chat screenshot

The chat is created immediately as shown in the following image and you can start saving information in this new container.

Customer Service Tip: Three pieces of customer service advice we need to update

By: Jeff Toister (submitted by Carmen Gass)

We’ve all had a mentor give us customer service advice.

Some advice has withstood the test of time. My first boss stressed the importance of greeting every customer. A warm, friendly greeting sets the tone for a positive interaction.

That advice still rings true today.

Other advice hasn’t aged so well. Like the old idea that companies should respond to customer emails within one business day. Today, the standard is one hour.

Concepts go out of style, customer preferences change, or we discover a better answer. Yet some leaders still cling to the same worn out, pithy platitudes.

Here are three pieces of advice that we need to update. Read more here.

Tech Tip: Have a new employee starting at the Libraries?

By: Ryan Johnson

Welcome to the team

Do you know what forms you need to fill out for new employees to get a workstation? Request an office space, phone, etc.?

The New Employee Supervisor Checklist located on the staff site is a great resource to make sure all necessary forms are filled to endure a smooth transition for any new employee at the University Libraries. Below are some of the highlights from the checklist:

Tech Tip: Use BeyondTrust to install programs without admin rights

By: Ryan Johnson

BeyondTrust logo for tech tip

BeyondTrust is a program used by the University Libraries to allow PC and Mac users to install applications without admin rights on University Libraries machines.

On University Library Mac’s, BeyondTrust (Privilege Management) should be automatically installed and ready to use. On University Libraries PC’s, BeyondTrust is not installed by default but users can install the application by following the instructions below.

Note: If you don’t see BeyondTrust in BigFix, the application may already be installed.  

BeyondTrust is not an application you will see appear in your Start Menu (PC) or Applications folder(Mac) after installation.  It will only appear when attempting to install a file. Please follow the instructions below to use the application.

Users who choose to not install BigFix for software installations, can submit a helpdesk ticket for application installations if needed.

Tech Tip: Look up what’s in a photo with your iPhone or iPad

By: Ryan Johnson

Did you know your iPhone can identify plants, dog breed and more?

Visual Look Up recognizes items from your images like art or landmarks so you can quickly get more information.

iPhone screenshot for tech tip (dog picture)

Follow the instructions below to use Visual Look Up

  • Select a photo. In apps like Notes, Mail, or Messages, touch and hold an image to select it.
  • Tap the Info The Detected Item Info button.
  • Tap the icon that appears in the photo or below the photo. For example, you might see a paw print icon for pets and animals, or a leaf icon for plants and flowers.
  • Tap to learn more after Visual Look Up provides results from Siri Knowledge and the web.

If the Info button doesn’t have a star The Detected Item Info button, Visual Look Up isn’t available yet for that photo.

To use Visual Look Up on your iPhone, you need iOS 15 or later. On iPadOS 15.1 or later, Visual Look Up is available for iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation) or later, iPad Pro 11-inch (all models), iPad Air (3rd generation) or later, iPad (8th generation) or later, or iPad mini (5th generation) or later.

Customer Service Tip: Another lesson on how to handle angry customers—Don’t smell the milk

By: Shep Hyken [Submitted by Carmen Gass]

At a recent conference, I enjoyed an interview with a business owner who shared some of his customer service philosophies. His name is Jake, and he is a very smart guy. He taught several
lessons that day, but the one that stood out was how he handles angry customers. Specifically, it was a lesson he called Don’t Smell the Milk.

Early in Jake’s career, he worked at a grocery store. His manager taught him how to respond to a disgruntled customer. The example he used had to do with a customer who wanted to return a spoiled carton of milk. Read more here.

PA Forward Information Literacy

By: Lauren Reiter

Throughout the year, the Informed Consumer committee has coordinated programs for students, staff, and faculty aligned with PA Forward’s five literacies: basic, information,
civic/social, health, and financial.

In the final post of this series, we will discuss information literacy, which is perhaps the PA Forward literacy most familiar to academic library employees. PA Forward “envision[s] a
Pennsylvania where citizens know how to use online resources and current technology to improve their education, to enhance their job skills, and to fully participate in a digital society.”

To help students develop the skills needed to evaluate information found online, Emily Reed, Reference and Instruction Librarian at Penn State Harrisburg, presented “Don’t Let Fake News Fool You” as part of the Informed Consumer series in February. In the presentation, Emily guided students through how to identify fake news, distinguish misinformation and disinformation, and manages biases. Attendance included students from three Penn State campuses, as well as many library employees.

If you are interested in PA Forward literacies or the Informed Consumer series and want to talk more, please reach out to Informed Consumer committee chair Lauren Reiter at  lmr29@psu.edu.

Tech Tip: Add documents to a Microsoft Team’s channel tabs

By: Ryan Johnson

Need to quickly access an Excel file or Word document in a Teams Channel? It is easy to add a file as a documents tab in a channel. This is so much easier than trying to find a file. If there is an Excel file you access daily or frequently in Teams, make it a Tab. Note: Before making the document tab, the file must exist in the channel.

To make a File a tab in Teams, follow the instructions below:

  1. Click on Files tab
  2. Find the file you want to make a tab
  3. Click the three dots for Show Actions
  4. Click Make this a Tab

"make a tab" screenshot for Microsoft Teams

To Rename or Remove the Tab

  1. Click the dropdown next to the right of the Tab name.
  2. Select either Rename or Remove

dropdown box for Microsoft Teams, screenshot

Customer Service Tip: A lesson from Michelangelo – details matter

By: Shep Hyken (submitted by Carmen Gass)

I don’t know if it’s true, but it doesn’t matter. This is a great story with a great lesson.

Michelangelo was standing on his scaffold as he worked on painting a tiny leaf on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. A colleague looked up from far below and shouted, “Why are you so concerned about painting that little leaf? Nobody from this distance will ever know.”

Michelangelo responded, “I will know!”

The point is that the smallest details matter. Even if they don’t matter to the customer, they should still matter to you. It’s a sense of pride, dedication, and discipline that you care enough not to cut corners, take shortcuts or gloss over details.
Read more here.