[OPLINTECH] What's your worst "head meets desk" moment?

[Mann, James H.]

Laura
I've found over the years that it is useful to ask two questions:
1. Where am I and what do I see (Linux or command line administrators would appreciate this)
2. What was the last thing you did before you didn't do anything
So in this spirit here are my pet peeves:
1.Looking at the plugs, but not actually plugging them back in
2. Making me play Sherlock by not giving me all the information necessary to fix a problem or
3.Telling me everything is broken when it's only one computer, one program or one function
4. Creating imaginary patrons, old, blind, arthritic, etc. and digging in your heals that "everyone" needs big monitors, 600 resolution, can't use a touch pad, or only can save to a floppy drive

My favorite story goes back to the days before the Internet when libraries only had the OPLIN.Remember one free computer, a router and a T1 line. It was my first week on the job, staff called the Director and I was called at home because someone had hacked the "home page" and changed it to display a picture of Miss June (actually a woman wrestler). The world as we know it was coming to an end, etc. Turns out that some kid on one computer in one branch had figured out how to right-click on the "desktop" and change the background  image. This led to a quick reversal  of the policy of not locking down the computers, installing filters, etc.
A close second was when a patron convinced staff and then my staff that they had to have a video player. Staff's reaction to the first video they found playing was "Oh MY!"
And more recently the staff member who called the police because she was being sexually harassed by a Know-it-Now chat bot.

Of course you don't have to use my name.....

Jim Mann
Who still doesn't have a signature from home


________________________________________
From: oplintech-bounces at lists.oplin.org [oplintech-bounces at lists.oplin.org] On Behalf Of Laura Solomon [laura at oplin.org]
Sent: Thursday, January 10, 2013 10:07 AM
To: oplintech at oplin.org
Subject: [OPLINTECH] What's your worst "head meets desk" moment?

Hello,

I'm putting together an updated version of a presentation I did several years ago, called "What Your Tech Wants You to Know."  It includes how to communicate technology problems to library techs and how to approach problems so that staff can do some basic troubleshooting of their own.

I'd love to be able to share some real-life stories from you all (no identifying details, please) about things you've had to deal with:  you know, those moments when you drove out to a branch, only discover that the thing wasn't plugged in, or when someone called you about a broken "cupholder." :)  (Is that last one an urban myth, or has that ever really happened, I wonder?)  Things that were especially frustrating, and especially those that could have been avoided or solved easily by some action (or knowledge) on the part of the library staff.

I won't share your name or your library with the attendees--just the story.  Feel free to share here on the list, or to email me directly at laura at oplin.org.  Thanks in advance for your help!

Laura

--

Laura Solomon, MCIW, MLS
Library Services Manager, Ohio Public Library Information Network (OPLIN)
(614) 728-5252 (voice) | (614) 728-5256 (fax)
laura at oplin.org<mailto:laura at oplin.org> |http://www.oplin.org/