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Check out the new pages that I have added... Tech tips and cleaning your computer

What should you put in your Library Tech Folder?

A start to what should be in your folder....

• Who is your Internet service provider? Write down their name, contact info (support Web site, phone number, and email address), and specific information about the plan or Internet service you've signed up for.   Resources of who can help: Networkmaine (MSLN)  support@msln.net    Help Desk 1-888-FOR-MSLN (1-888-367-6756)  www.msln.net  if they can't help over the phone they will send out
• Networkmaine On-Site Support Tech,  Susie Strout  susie@maine.edu  (1-888-367-6756)
• What company do you use for Web hosting? Your Web host is also often your email host, so if anything goes wrong with either your Web site or email, they're someone you'll want to contact. Write down the Web host's name, contact info, and your login info for the Web hosting site or control panel.
• Who is your domain name registrar? You'll need to know this so you can keep track of when to renew your domain name, and in case you need to switch from one Web host to another. Write down the domain name registrar's name, contact info, and your login info for the domain name Web site.
• Write down specifics of your organization's internal network. If you have wireless access in your office, what is the name and login info for your wireless network and your wireless router? What is the name of your network? Do you have a file server running? If so, what is it called and what is the login information? What software is your server running? What are the names of the other computers on your network, and what operating systems are they running? What are the printers called, and how do you access them?

That's the bare minimum, but there's a lot more that can and should go into a tech binder. I also recommend that you think about recording the following in yours:

• Login information for your database, individual workstations, and any tools or services that you access on the Web.
• Any technology plans or assessments. Any technology policies that your school has on file.
• License and registration info, warranties, and manuals on hardware and software used in your organization.
• Troubleshooting notes — do you ever find yourself scratching your head and wondering how to solve a problem that you know you solved once two years ago? Consider keeping troubleshooting notes in your binder that record what the problem was and how you dealt with it. Then, if the problem occurs again, you can refer back to the tech binder, instead of reinventing the wheel!

**An important note on writing down passwords: Passwords are probably the most commonly forgotten pieces of tech info. However, passwords are also supposed to be secure, so writing them down in your tech binder can be a security risk, since then, anyone who picks up the binder can easily read your passwords.

If that's a risk you'd rather not take, there are other alternatives. One is to use a standard organization-wide password, known by multiple people in your organization for all logins and accounts that you create. If you do choose to write down passwords, you could figure out a memorable system for scrambling or altering passwords before you write them, like inserting a random character into the password that you'll remember to remove when actually using it. Just be sure that you remember whatever system you do set up!