The default view in Outlook e-mail is to show only standard columns of information, like From, Subject, Date Received, etc. You don't have to settle for these choices -- it's not hard to customize Outlook to look the way you want it!

Suppose you hold the record for the number of "Your Mailbox Is Over Its Size Limit" notices, so you decide to delete the messages that are taking up the most space on the server. Follow these steps to add a Size column to a folder's view so you can see which messages are likely candidates for removal, based on size:

1. Open the Outlook software (sorry, this doesn't apply to Outlook Web Access).
2. Click View on the Outlook menu bar.
3. Click Current View.
4. Click Customize Current View.
   
   
   
5. Click the Fields button.
   
   
   
6. In the Available fields box, click the field you want to add. You may need to use the scroll bar to see all the fields you can choose from.
   
7. Click the Add button, and you'll see the new field appear in the "Show these field in this order" box.
8. Click the OK button on the Show Fields window.
9. Click the OK button on the View Summary window, and you'll see the new column show up in your view of that folder.
10. Finally, to sort your messages by size follow Jody's directions at the WALS Online Web Site: Sorting mail messages.
11. Repeat for each folder for which you want to add columns.
    

If you've created bookmarks in Netscape but would like to use them in the Internet Explorer web browser too, you can import them into IE by following these steps:

1. In Internet Explorer click File on the menu bar.
2. Then click Import and Export.
   
   
   
3. When the Import/Export Wizard opens, click the Next button.
   
   
4. On the Import/Export Selection window click on Import Favorites, then click the Next button.
   
   
5. At the Import Favorites Source window click on the circle next to Import from an Application, and make sure that Netscape Navigator 4.0 profile: default is chosen. Then click the Next button.
   
   
   
6. At the Import Favorites Destination Folder window click on the Imported Bookmarks folder, then click the Next button.
   
   
   
7. The Completing the Import/Export Wizard window will appear, so just click the Finish button, and shortly you'll be rewarded with a small window "Successfully imported favorites" confirming that your bookmarks are now accessible in Internet Explorer.
   
   
   
8. To open your imported bookmarks in Internet Explorer click Favorites on the menu bar, and click the Imported Bookmarks folder to view them.
   

A handy timesaver in Windows 95 and Windows NT workstations is the ability to open any recently used document. This includes word processing documents, spreadsheets, and web sites. To use of this shortcut...

1. Click the Windows Start
button.
2. Place your mouse pointer over Documents.
   
3. A list of documents you've accessed recently will open up, so just click on the one you'd like to re-open. Windows will automagically start the software/application associated with the document to access the document, if it isn't already open.

After a while the Documents menu can become quite long and list items you're no longer interested in. To clear it, follow these steps:

1. Right-click your mouse on any open area of the Windows Taskbar.
2. Click on Properties.
3. Click on the Start Menu Programs tab.
   
4. Click the Clear button
to remove the contents of the Documents Menu.
5. Click the OK button.
   

The Librarians' Index to the Internet has created Tax Time 2002, a searchable, annotated directory of tax-related Internet resources, selected and evaluated by librarians for their usefulness to users of the library and general public. The resources include Web sites related to income tax preparation, taxation, sales tax, tax-related finance sites, the IRS and state taxation agencies, tax forms and publications. And most importantly it also provides a link to About.com's Tax Humor web site that links to cartoons, funny stories and one-liners to help lighten the tax season.

The 3rd International Edible Book Festival is an annual event on April 1 throughout the world from 2-4 p.m. (depending upon time zone). Edible books are exhibited and, at 4 p.m., tea and/or coffee is served and the books are consumed! If you're interested in participating at your library, you're requested to take photographs or record in video the event and displayed books. You could even consider selling tickets for the event as a fundraiser for your library.

And beware the Eyes of March!

"It appears that, quite often, our users don't actually know what their question is. Librarians are good at solving this problem. Through a series of negotiations back and forth, using problem-solving skills, librarians help users learn what it is they really want. A note from our CEO said he had seen a number of our testimonials and commented, 'What is striking is the common thread through the testimonials. People wonder how you know what they wanted when they didn't even know themselves.'"
   -- Eugenie Prime. "The Spider, the Fly and the Internet." E-Content, June 2000

Each year the Oshkosh Public Library Staff Association celebrates Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras) with a cooking contest -- this year's theme was "Low-Fat Tuesday", with a Dessert Category and a Not Dessert Category. Here's the second of the two winning recipes, Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins.

This issue of The Ides was written on March 15, 2002
Copyright 2001, Winnefox Library System

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

URL: http://www.winnefox.org/ides/idesmar02.html