Librarian Problem No. 562: Read the fine print

I have been a librarian for about two and a half months now, and I have solved several problems. From reference questions, to directional assistance to technical aid, I have done quite a lot under the motto, "All in a day's work." However, this one really had me going.

The Case of the Rogue Access Point

So I was asked if we could extend the library's WIFI for inventory purposes. The stacks are a dead zone and our fancy RFID Wand doesn't work too well back there. The only other solution involved moving Access Points (AP's) around and the whole plugging/unplugging thing scared everyone.

So I, the Electronics Librarian (touch me twice), gave my professional advice. I said, "We should be able to buy a couple cheap routers and set them up as AP's. We will place them strategically on the second floor to extend coverage." Piece of cake! I looked it up and everything! Just turn off DHCP and set the AP up with the same SSID/Password and you should be good. I sent the quote off to my Director and he approved the purchase of a couple lovely Linksys E1200s. Woohoo!

So I get these AP's sooner than expected. Awesome! I was busy at the moment and there was no rush, so I scheduled a day to work on them. The day comes and I unbox the first AP. Sweet! This looks just like the AP we have set up already, I'll just mimic the settings and everything will be hunky-dory.

It worked!
Alright!
Score!
Success!
I am a techno-wizard!

I even took it out to the stacks for verification. I connected with no problem. (In retrospect, I probably should have tested more intensively to ensure that the network stayed up. But, in my mind I was done.) This second one will be cake!

The second one would not work.

Oh, I could get it to work in my office. I could see it. My devices would connect to it. It would load web pages. But when I took it upstairs, I got no connectivity. I must have set this thing up 8 different times which felt like 60 times over. What could be wrong? I set this AP up exactly the same. I change the static IP to one in the range. Why won't you work?

I ended that week in frustration. I got one working, but not the other. Ugh! Now let's add some pressure. The Director walks into my office and asks for an ETA on the AP setup. I tell him it should be up by the end of the week. (After all, I am Electronics Librarian and should be able to do these things.) He asks why it would take so long, so we end up with Wednesday as a fair compromise. I have three days before I'm exposed as a fraud.

Monday is all about figuring out what the heck could possibly be the problem. I looked at my network map, I looked at information from Linksys, I looked at my horoscope;mdash&anything that might give me an answer! I was resetting, reconfiguring, testing in my office, running upstairs to test, then repeating the process. Sometimes it would work, once, then stop working. Sometimes it refused to work at all. Always, the AP was frustrating me, mocking me, letting me know how much better it was than me. How I wanted to kick it in the face, but it was busy kicking my butt. Why would it work in my office but not in the stacks? Why, oh why?

Then, two minutes before the end of the day, I found it; I found the last possible solution.

On the aforementioned network map, in the middle of 6 footnotes. MAC locking port security is enabled on the switch that the network ports connect to in the stacks. Only one MAC address is allowed access to the internet from those ports! If I log into the router and change this setting, could it resolve my problem?

Yes! The answer is yes! Oh, thank God, YES! I change the setting and my AP's are allowing all devices to access the internet from all over the library all day and through the rest of the week and into this current week. I finished my project ahead of schedule (technically) and inventory is progressing and everyone is happy.

And all librarians everywhere should know better than to skip over the fine print.

Tweeting Poetry

For you geeks who like word clouds and the like, you should check out Poet Tweet. Once you enter your twitter handle, it asks what kind of poem you would like to create (Sonnet FTW!) and then it parses your tweets to compose said poetry. It's interesting to say the least and certain to entertain for at least 3 minutes.

Here's my sonnet, "The Cost":

"The cost" by Christopher Jimenez. #poetweet Thanks @skylarkk for the link. http://t.co/qUOhYVx1tV

— Christopher Jimenez (@cjmnz8) June 2, 2015

Announcement: Got a Job #librarylife

This is my announcement that I have taken the position of Electronic Systems Librarian at the Fort Myers Beach Public Library. I'll be taking care of the technology at this library and providing reference assistance among other duties as assigned. My family has been moved out to the area and I am ready to work in my profession. I have been here for a week already and everything is pretty awesome.

I'm excited to see where the next chapter in my journey leads me.

A short list of things I have done in the past week:

• Web Design
• Photo Editing
• Video Editing
• Book Return Cleaning
• Malware Removal
• Wireless Troubleshooting
• Hardware Repair
• Media Presentation Setup
• Social Media Management

ABC Animal Books Quiz (Sporcle)

Fun Times

Sporcle is a fun site with a bunch of quizzes you can take if that's something you're into. I'm kinda geeked out about it. One of the featured quizzes has to do with Children's Literature. Take the quiz to see how well you know how animals are described in children's books!

Most Common Animals (ABC Books) - Sporcle Games & Trivia

Nerd Battle

So, I got into a full fledged war at an auto parts store. We have English grammar to blame for the blood shed. 

I was picking up some oil, and saw a sign that read: Oil X or Oil Y and Filter Z $Price A. I glanced over the ad and emphasized the OR, assuming (surprisingly) that I could get the good price without buying the filter. Not logical, but that's how I read it!

My purchase rang up full price. I asked about the promotion. We walked over to check out the sign. She said I needed to buy the filter. I was convinced that I didn't. I was also ready to fight for my savings. 

The salesperson did not have a commanding grasp of the English language. As a result, I got her so confused that she sounded like she was agreeing with me, reading the sign with the emphases I was placing on OR. However, she insisted that I did not qualify for the promotion. I kindly asked for a supervisor. 

The supervisor, clearly a native English speaker, read the sign as intended. He emphasized the AND part of the advertisement. Immediately, it clicked in my brain and I was ashamed to have made a scene at the auto parts store. However, I would make the following revision to the sign in order to increase clarity: Filter Z and either Oil X or Oil Y for $Price A. By placing the AND in a preeminent position, it removes most of the ambiguity in the signage. 

The original saleswoman was a saint who tried to return the oil filter I had purchased online and replace it with the one featured in the promotion. However, they did not have it in stock. 

So I loudly apologized for acting like a child and loudly thanked them for all their help. They were clearly right and I was clearly confused. 

I blame grammar. That's my story. Im sticking to it. 

Book Review: The Sorcerer's Stone

The Book

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
J. K. Rowling

I nabbed this title on audiobook from overdrive. Score! I have, admittedly already seen the movies. But I wanted to experience the book as written by J. K. Rowling, even if by listening to the audiobook it technically means I still have not read the novel. Shocker I've never read a single Harry Potter book. Shame on me, I know. But now I have read it. And here is my review.

Side Note: In my Children's Literature class, I had to read a bunch of books and write reviews (which I published on this blog because, well, why not?). Students were allowed to read and review the Harry Potter books, but the professor discouraged it, alleging that the chances were slim that we have not been influenced one way or another regarding the text. She made a great point, as this book has been hotly debated as long as I can remember.

The Review

Technically speaking, this was not the most poetic or ingenious piece of writing. Honestly, it was formulaic. However, the formula works for the genre and drives the action along nicely. I found myself enjoying the flow of the story. It was masterfully told and really lends itself to the spoken word.

The story is about a young wizard (Harry Potter), an orphan raised by non-magical people (muggles). Once he becomes of age, he receives an invitation to wizarding school at Hogwarts. As one can imagine, this comes as a shock to the lad. The pressure on Harry escalates as he realizes that he is already a famous wizard who has somehow defeated a powerful wizard (Voldemort) as an infant.

Harry Potter balances friendships, enemies, schoolwork, sports, and evil wizards during his first year at Hogwarts.

The Conclusion

This is an entertaining book and the beginning of a long series of adventures. I recommend this adventure classic (yes, it's a modern classic) to fans of adventure/fantasy books. The movies are pretty good, too.

Chocolate Mice

An example highlighting the importance of grammar and spelling in certain contexts. At least, they didn't write "Chocolate Moose."