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The Ides of
August 2001

Internet Tip | Windows Tip | Useful URL o' the Month | Fun URL o' the Month | Quote o' the Month | Recipe o' the Month
 
E-Mail Tip

Dave Winer at Scripting News, writes about "A particularly insidious kind of spam. It looks like a friend sent a greeting card. Click on the link and you go to a page where it says you need to upgrade in order to get the card. They walk you through the install process. Don't do it -- this puts code on your machine, certainly adware, maybe spyware, maybe worse." Go to the article in his weblog to see a screenshot of what the e-mail message looks like so you don't get caught unawares.

 
Internet Tip

In a past issue of the Ides I described how to add your own buttons to the Netscape 4.x Personal Toolbar as shortcuts to web sites, and just today I discovered another way to do this so I thought I'd share it with you all! And if you're unsure of where the Personal Toolbar lives, here's a screenshot with the buttons on the Toolbar circled in red:


You can click on any hyperlink text in a Web page open in Netscape, and drag it to the Personal Toolbar to add a button for it. The best illustration of how to do this is in an animated image at Google's Google Buttons for the Windows Netscape Browser. It's a very simple technique, and once you've discovered it you've mastered it!

Once you've started personalizing the Toolbar, go to this Ides back issue to find out how to edit or delete buttons.
 
Windows Tip

While you might consider passwords a pain to remember, could you imagine if we didn't require them? Anyone could log onto the library system's shared circulation system or your e-mail account using your username. While that doesn't seem too dangerous at first thought, it could lead to you being blamed for something you didn't do, such as clearing fines, sending threatening e-mail messages to the White House, breaking into other accounts on the system, etc. Anyone could sabotage the online catalog or circulation system, read and delete your files and e-mail, or assume your identity.

How can you best keep your account secure (which keeps the entire WALS system secure)? Choose good passwords, and keep them private.

Security experts agree on these rules:

  1. Don't use the same password for every system you log into.
  2. Don't tell your passwords to others.
  3. Don't write your password on sticky-notes, in computer files, or e-mail. The most glaring example I've seen is at a library where passwords were written on a sheet of paper that was posted on a bulletin board that was visible to staff and the public. Realistically, if you must write down a password, write down only a fragment of it, or put it on a slip of paper stuck in an obscure software documentation manual that's at your desk.
  4. For workstations near public areas don't tape the password under the keyboard or anywhere else on the computer or the computer's desk. About.com's How Can You Protect Your Password? says, "Ill-intentioned people will look for your password in these places like a thief looks for a key under the front doormat."
  5. Don't share your password with co-workers. If multiple employees need a password to log into the WALS system (SmarTerm) to circulate materials have them use the generic staff account that Karla created for your library. Ask Bryan to create accounts for NT workstation logins.
  6. If one of the staffpersons who uses your library's generic account leaves employment at your library, change the account's password.
  7. When a staffperson with a username and password quits employment at your library notify the WALS staff.
  8. When you change a password, choose one that no one will be able to guess.
    9.

Examples of a bad password choice:

  • Your name. Hackers will try this first.
  • The word "password". Duh.
  • Something that is guessable, like the name of your child or pet. If you've seen the film "Wargames" you may recall that the password to the supercomputer was the name of Professor Falken's son, Joshua.
  • Any word in the dictionary. If MSWord doesn't underline it, don't use it as a password.
  • A football team, celebrity, fictional character, geographical name, etc.
  • A sequence of numbers like "56789".
  • A sequence of letters from the keyboard like "qwerty" or "ujmnhy".
  • Numbers like your social security number, birthday, phone number or house address.
  • One that's so cryptic that you can't remember it, and end up putting it on a sticky note attached to your computer monitor.

Examples of a good password choice:

  • One that contains alphabetic and numeric characters.
  • Make hard-to-guess passwords that are easy to remember by thinking of them as vanity license plates (example: gr8b00ks).
  • One that's a minimum of 6-8 characters, with no spaces.
  • Use fragments of words, or combine two words.
  • Create an acronym that only means something to you. About.com's Choose a Good Password suggests, "For example, use "There are 03 paths to Dive into Work" to get a password like T03pDiWk."
  • One that's in a non-existent or foreign language. The Amazing Password Generator will create a pronounceable password in Klingon. The author says, "You will be able to speak these passwords out loud and laugh about them. You are not likely to forget them. Since they are unpredictable, they are secure."
  • Use the Password Generator -- it will give you a list of ten "pronounceable" passwords that are not in the dictionary, but are memorable nonetheless.

Other tips:

  • If you think someone might know your password, change it. If you need assistance, ask Karla or Bryan at WALS and they'll give you a hand.
  • If someone is near you when you have to enter a password, cover your fingers or block their view while you're typing it.
  • If you forget a password contact Karla or Bryan at WALS and they'll issue you a new one.

If you remember nothing else, remember this:

"Passwords and post-its don't go together"
-- Bryan Durkee, WALS NT Server Manager
 
Useful URL O' The Month

At the last All-WALS Meeting a question was raised about how to answer patrons when you're asked "The library's Internet connection is so fast -- what Internet service provider does the library use?" Unfortunately for your patron, individuals aren't able to use our ISP (Internet Service Provider) because WiscNet is available only to institutions like schools and libraries. However, there are some options you can offer your patrons when they're shopping for an ISP.
 
Fun URL O' The Month

The Cartoon Network presents an entertaining approach to encouraging people to return their library books on time. (Requires Flash Player browser plug-in.)

 
Quote O' The Month

Ranganathan's Five Laws:

  1. Books are for use.
  2. Books are for all; or Every reader his book.
  3. Every book its reader.
  4. Save the time of the reader.
  5. A library is a growing organism.
    — Shiyali Ramamrita Ranganathan (1892-1972)

New Laws of Librarianship:

  1. Libraries serve humanity.
  2. Respect all forms by which knowledge is communicated.
  3. Use technology intelligently to enhance service.
  4. Protect free access to knowledge.
  5. Honor the past & create the future.
    6.
    — Michael Gorman (American Libraries, September 1995)
 
Recipe O' The Month

is Zucchini Garden Chowder, just in time for the bumper crop your garden or a friend(?) will bestow upon you.

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This issue of The Ides was written on August 15, 2001
Copyright 2001, Winnefox Library System

The Ides is written by Joy Schwarz.
Please direct any questions, comments or recipes to schwarz@winnefox.org

URL: http://www.winnefox.org/ides/idesaug01.html