Seminar in Biology Class

The topic for the Seminar in Biology class this semester is “The Biological Importance of Water”. There are 12 students in the class, and they will be using BIOSIS Previews for most of their searching. I don’t think they will have any problems with using it, but I just want you to be aware of the assignment. Once they begin to choose their topics, you may likely get a few questions. Just remember that although an article may say it’s available in full-text, it will likely not be free full-text access. I emphasized that in class, but they may forget. Let me know if you have any questions.

Autorun disabled on Ref Desk PC

I've disabled Windows autorun on the Reference Desk PC. This is the part of Windows that offers to automatically open programs for you when you plug in a USB flash drive or put a disc into the DVD drive. This change means that you'll need to open the directory on your flash drive and double-click any programs that you wish to run from your flash drive.

I've disabled autorun to prevent flash drives infected with malware from infecting the Ref Desk PC. These malware programs take advantage of Windows' autorun to automatically infect any PC that the flash drive is plugged into (more info here). 

Jon W.

P.S. If you'd like to disable autorun on your own PC (which I recommend), download and install this Microsoft Fix It. See this Microsoft KB article for more information.

(Updated) OPAC/Voyager Down

FYI - The OPAC is down this morning. I have notified Jon Woltz and Dr. Sparks as of 8:20 this morning.

Update from Jon W.: Voyager is working again.

FYI: Problems w/ Lockdown Browser on Computer L

This issue has been reported to Jon W.

Troubleshooting the Reference Desk Phone

If the phone at the Reference Desk isn't working, following these steps may fix the probem:

- First, remove the handset from the base.
- Next, unplug the power cord from the phone base.
- Wait about 10 seconds and then plug the power back in.
- Put the handset back into the base.
- Can you get a a dial tone? If not, be sure that the phone line is plugged into the base and to the outlet on the pole.

If these troubleshooting steps don't solve the problem, let me know and I'll investigate further.

Jon W.

Canton School History Day Research

Dora Fuqua from the Canton Public School District will be bringing in 3- 5 students on Tuesday January 18 around 4-5 pm. They are beginning to research their Oklahoma History Day projects and want to use our resources.

I would direct them to America: History and Life with Full Text; Oklahoma State Univesity: Electronic Publishing Center; Oklahoma History and Culture; Oklahoma Chronicles

Thanks,

F