from the tap 01-28-13

Here are upcoming events/closures @ RPL:

Please spread the word!

suzanne is moving on

Our beloved Suzanne is moving on to the green pastures of Catawba County.  Suzanne will begin her new role as Library Director for Catawba County Public Library on February 18th.  Suzanne has been an employee of RPL for 20 years, and public services manager for the past 6 years.  The Salisbury Post featured the story on the Second Front Page today.  Suzanne, we will miss you so very much, but we wish you the best!

ebook freebie alerts

A patron shared with me a few sites where she learns about free ebooks.  She signed up for the newsletter, which e-mails freebie alerts daily.

Pixel of Ink is a blog that posts free or nearly free ebook deals.  While many are forgotten classics, there is a substantial number of new/popular titles that just happen to be the "deal of the day".

 Book Gorilla is another freebie alert site that offers classics to contemporary books.  They allow you to search/sort by genre and by price (for those that are not free).

make the citrix plug-in window disappear

The previous post explains how to login to the Citrix plug-in window.  If you never want to see the Citrix plug-in window pop up again, I finally have a solution to share!  After you login, and then login again in the Citrix plug-in window...

Step 1:  Right-click on the Citrix icon (blue circle shown below) and select "Options" from the menu.

Step 2:  Click the down-arrow under "Logon Mode" and change to "Pass-through authentication".

You'll never see that pesky Citrix plug-in window again (at least that's what I've been told)!

login in ALL CAPS

Login for Reference Desk and Circulation Computers

Please type the computer name and password in ALL CAPS.  If the Citrix plug-in appears after you login, make sure to type the username and password in ALL CAPS again (even though it may default to lowercase).


If you use a personal login on these computers, you do not need to use all caps.

the sound of...silence?

If you notice that the sound is not working on your computer, try these steps:

1.  Log out of Citrix (Start > Log off)
2.  When you see the gray login screen, click the volume icon in the bottom-right corner of the screen. 
3.  If it is muted, unmute it (it overrides your personal settings).
4.  Log back into Citrix and try one more time.

If this doesn't work, please contact your tech person to put in a work order.

nclive workshop

RPL will be hosting two upcoming NCLIVE workshops. NCLIVE/EBSCO Workshop will be held on Thursday, January 31st from 9:30-11:30 am.  This session will cover enhancements to the EBSCOhost interface, an overview of EBSCO databases available, and some tips and tricks for using these resources with patrons.  

The second workshop will be an NCLIVE Basics Workshop held at HQ on Friday, February 15th from 10:00-4:00.  Please e-mail/call Suzanne (x7732) to RSVP for these events.

baby shower for Sara

What:    Baby Shower for Sara (Grajek) Campell
When:   Sunday, January 20th (2-4, drop-in)
Where:  South Rowan Regional (China Grove)

Sara is registered on Amazon.com (look for the Sara Campbell who's married to Brian in Charlotte, NC and you've got the right one!).  She also welcomes used clothes, toys, etc...the ultimate recycling!

Please RSVP to Gretchen (x8232) by Thursday, January 17th.

straight from the tap 01-14-13

Upcoming events & closures at RPL:

Please help us spread the word!

income tax rate increase

From the County Finance Department:  Effective January 1, 2013, the Internal Revenue Service released new income-tax withholding tables for 2013 and issued special instructions on implementing new income tax and Social Security tax rates. The rate of 4.2% has been in effect for the past two years.  As of January 1, 2013 the rate went back to 6.2% on the first $113,700.00 in taxable wages.  

The payroll system has been updated to reflect the new federal income tax withholding tables that were issued by the IRS for 2013.  These changes will be reflected in your pay check dated January 11, 2013.  If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Darnell Russell or Teresa Sharpless.

blackbelt library staff

Many of you may remember when Warren Graham came to RPL and did a presentation on library security.  Tara recently completed a refresher webinar presented by Mr. Graham on how to help empower us to control the library environment.  Graham asserts that using the library is a privilege, not a right, and patrons must follow our rules.  The presentation was recorded and can be viewed by clicking here and then selecting "View Archive" on the right side of the page.  It will ask you for your name, e-mail, and organization name (RPL).  If you don't have time to watch the full presentation, you can check out Graham's slides by clicking here.  If you would like to borrow a copy of Graham's book, The Black Belt Librarian: Real World Safety & Security, please contact Gretchen (x8232).

patrons packing heat

Check out this story about the Richmond Public Library.

protect your identity

I recently googled my name (including city) and the first thing that came up was a MyLife profile that lists my age, last three residences, and all of my close relatives (and their ages and locations).  


It's really disturbing, and guess what...  You're all on there too!  The saddest thing is that it's your burden to opt-out when you didn't opt-in in the first place!  This site has the most comprehensive list of opt-out instructions for the major data-mining sites (MyLife included).

remembering miss flonnie

Flonnie Hysinger (Miss Flonnie) passed away yesterday at Rowan Regional Medical Center. She was a faithful employee of the Rowan Public Library for 22 years.  The full obituary may be viewed here.  Miss Flonnie, you were loved and will be missed.