Daily Archives: August 24, 2020

Tech Tip: Keeping your home computer safe

By: Ryan Johnson

home office photo

One of the questions I get asked the most is how to keep our home computers safe, especially if we are using them more during the current covid-19 pandemic.

Note: The information below is NOT for Library owned computers, just your personal computers

  • The first thing you can do is to make sure your windows computer is set to automatically update windows. This will also keep your Microsoft Office products (Word, Excel) up-to-date as well.

Here is an article on how to check to see if Windows Updates are turned on with simple step-by-step instructions:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/update-office-with-microsoft-update-f59d3f9d-bd5d-4d3b-a08e-1dd659cf5282

  • The next thing you should do is making sure you have a virus protection software running.

Penn State is also asking that users who have installed Symantec from downloads.its.psu.edu on any personal computers uninstall it as well by 8/22/20. On Windows 10 computers, the built-in Windows Defender is the recommended replacement for Symantec. Windows Defender. There are several free anti-virus options available for personal Macs as well. Please visit https://security.psu.edu/education-training/anti-virus/ for more information

The good thing is Microsoft Defender should be set to run automatically.  You can verify this but doing the following

Turn Windows Security real-time protection on or off

  • Select the Startbutton, then select Settings  > Update & Security > Windows Security > Virus & threat protection.
  • In the current version of Windows 10: Under Virus & threat protection settings, select Manage settings, and then switch the Real-time protection setting to Onor Off.
  • In previous versions of Windows 10: Select Virus & threat protection settings, and then switch the Real-time protection setting to Onor Off.

Customer Service Tip: How to avoid roadblocks to great customer service

By: Shep Hyken (submitted by Carmen Gass)

What gets in the way of creating a great customer service experience for you and/or your organization?

Is it a process that is clunky, inconvenient and difficult for the customer? Is it people who aren’t properly trained or don’t have the right people skills? It’s easy to ask yourself these questions and self-diagnose your organization, but have you ever asked your people?  Read more here.

Events: August 24

Summer 2020
Academic calendar information for all campuses is available online.

UPDATE: In light of the University’s March 11 announcement regarding measures to address the COVID-19 pandemic, nonessential events and meetings scheduled at University Libraries locations throughout the spring semester have been canceled, rescheduled or will be offered virtually. 

Earth Archives exhibition posterEXHIBITION: Earth Archives: Stories of Human Impact. To coincide with the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, Earth Archives explores the intersection of the environment, human activity, and the documentary record. Highlights of the virtual exhibition include representations of varied print, manuscript, and art works that invites the viewer to consider a range of environmental-related topics and will serve as a growing, centralized resource.

 

buttons from INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY: Highlights From the Ken Lawrence Collection

EXHIBITION: International Solidarity: Highlights from the Ken Lawrence Collection. A virtual look at the visual culture of political protest in the late 20th-century, to provoke thought about international solidarity in our own time, including human and civil rights, immigration, and independence movements.

Image: Physical Plant series, Greg Grieco photographs, 07488

EXHIBITION: Celebrating the ADA: The Legacy and Evolution of Disability Rights & Lived Experience at Penn State. To coincide with the 30th anniversary of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) on July 26, a new online exhibition, Celebrating the ADA explores the first 100 years of national disability rights legislation and the movement’s impact on the Penn State University community.

Please submit event information — and all Library News submissions — to Public Relations and Marketing via its Staff Site request form and selecting the “Library News blog article” button.