The IT saga continued yesterday with staff computer (and our back up) number 2 going down at Urunga branch. I feel pretty stupid about this one because I was trying to open a docx document and we only have word 2003 on our computers - sad I know but we don't have the funding to purchase a license to upgrade the library computers. So I thought I'd download open office - as I have done this before and it will then allow me to open the document. I can almost hear some of you sighing about doing this - because I'm sure there are other ways of opening docx documents but anyway this is the way I know. Please share if you know another way.
So I started downloading open office - and I noted the download was different to normal so I stopped it. Apparently a bit too late because this stupid free games program had loaded and it decided that it would stuff the computer up by not allowing any programs to launch.
Phone call to our wonderful IT officer and he talked me through starting in safe mode and then trying to do system restore - hmmm system restore not working. Hmmm big problem. So he has given me some instructions that I will follow, along with the help of my IT savvy husband who has more than once saved a computer from a nasty virus/trojan, over the weekend - when we get time to go down to the library - to see if we can salvage this computer.
Unfortunately, it means my staff member who is working there today until lunch will have to manually note all loans and will have no system to search or reserve. Not to worry, we have all been in tha predicament before but it reminds us how much we rely on technology and how we have really made it hard for when our system isn't working for us to do our job.
A positive out of the day is that we decided to splurge and go out for dinner to the newly refurbished Club Urunga (Bowls Club). What a shock to be asked for a licenses when we walked in the door - or some other form of ID. Thank goodness we are local as they let my husband slip in without ID as he wasn't driving or paying so he didn't have his wallet on him. He did have to get signed in by a member though!!
It was also lucky I had run into a lady that works there during the day and mentioned we were coming in that night. She asked if I had booked - to which I replied - no do we have to? She said yes as Friday nights are pretty busy. She then reassured me she was heading over there now so would put our names down. I'm double shocked now as this is Urunga with a population under 2000.
Anyway, we were seated by the lady I know and there was another lady who was taking bookings and payments that I also knew and then a few people that sat on adjoining tables that I also knew. And then hubby saw some people he knew and so on. It's nice to eat out and feel part of the community. Of course, my head starts going on tagents of possibly ideas to partner with the libraries. But more on that later when I've mushed them around a bit.
The meal was lovely - very filling. My daughter was desperate to check out the kids playground - you can see it from the road and she has been hounding us since the club opened. So in the freezing night we went outside and she got to play around for a while. There was a big tunnel slide but she wouldn't go on it because it was pitch dark inside!!
Once my husband is working again - he took his first steps toward this by getting his OHS White Card - we hope to do the out for dinner in town thing a bit more often. We thought he had a job lined up after that but he's been told he will need his Blue Card (stop/go batten) first. So because all these tickets/cards cost money we have to do it bit by bit when we can afford it. But we are working towards it and that is a good thing.
On a side note, I waited on the phone for over half hour to talk to family assistance about child care benefit as we want to put our daughter in vacation care this holidays. The main reason is that the vacation care is on it's final chance to prove that we need the service in Urunga. So they have to get at least 15 kids booked in this holidays or else they will not offer it again. You see once my hubby starts work we will be needing this service so while we don't need it now I am going to book her in for some days just to show support - and I think she will really enjoy it as they have some great activities planned.
So after half hour waiting on the phone - I can't believe this is accepted as customer service - I finally found out some good news about our entitlements. Basically we won't be paying a lot for vacation care.
Back to vacation care - I had a few emails back and forth with the organiser and suggested that if it is to keep going - which of course it will - we should look at where we can use the library in the program. So I'm putting it out there to my fellow professionals - have you worked with a vacation care provider to offer some library based activities and if so, what were they?
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