Computer HELP!

2006-12-19T13:55:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Computer HELP!, a web page developed by staff from the Memphis Public Library & Information Center. Over the years, we have recognized some frequently asked questions from customers regarding certain computer related tasks. Here, you will find answers to those frequently asked questions. You will also find collections of online tutorials for various topics.

Feel free to add any comments or suggestions by clicking on comments at the bottom of each tutorial.

On the right side of the screen, you will see a list of topics. Select a topic to find out more information. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask a staff member at an Information Desk.

Click here to view our Internet Use Policy.

CreateAGraph: Web Based Charting Tool

2006-12-08T12:43:00.000-08:00

Another option besides Excel is a tool created by the National Center for Education Statistics. It is called. . . Create a Graph.

One major drawback is the difficulty in transferring your chart to another document. With Excel, you simply copy and paste the chart into Word. However, Create a Graph requires that you save the chart to a disk (choose EMF file type). You then have to use the Insert>Picture>From File function in Word to insert the chart (click on Insert on the Menu bar, point to Picture, click on From File, find your chart file).

Or, probably an easier option is to e-mail the chart to yourself. Much like the web-based mybrochuremaker website, in order to "save" your work, you have to provide an e-mail address. A link to your chart's website will be sent to your e-mail address. However, a picture of your chart will also be sent. Since we cannot right-click, you will have to click and drag over the picture so that you can highlight and copy the chart. Then, paste it into Word.

Compared with Excel, Create a Graph is a bit easier to customize (changing colors, font styles, etc.) and the graphic based interface may be a bit more appealing to the younger audience. Also, while all library locations have Excel, many people from home may not have Excel. This would then be a great web-based tool that people could use to create a chart.

Word Tutorials

2006-12-07T14:34:00.000-08:00

Word is a program you use to create all sorts of documents (letters, resumes, brochures). Librarians can provide limited direct assistance with Word. Librarians can also direct you to any books we may have on Word. Or you can use any of these free tutorials on the Web to learn more about this heavily used program.

Steve's PC Tutorials
American University of Beirut
Baycon Group
BC Schools
General Disarray
Internet 4 Classrooms
Learn That
Microsoft
Word Tips

PowerPoint Tutorials

2006-12-07T14:32:00.000-08:00

PowerPoint is a program you can use to create presentations. Librarians can direct you to books we may have on PowerPoint, or you can use these free online tutorials:

Steve's PC Tutorials
7 Hills Media Group
Baycon Group
BC Schools
Florida Gulf Coast University
Microsoft
Staff Development
University of Rhode Island

Typing Tutorials

2006-12-07T14:18:00.000-08:00

Being comfortable with typing can be a great confidence builder with all your interactions with a computer. Knowing how to type takes a lot of time and practice, practice, practice. There are numerous typing tutorials and tests online that can help you do this.

Peter's Online Typing Course
GoodTyping
Letters (a game)
PowerTyping
TypingTest
SpeedTypingTest
Word Shoot

Access Tutorials

2006-12-07T13:51:00.000-08:00

Microsoft Access is an advanced, complex database program. If you need assistance with Access, a librarian can direct you to books we may have on Access. Or, you can try some of these online tutorials.

Steve's PC Tutorials
BC Schools
Microsoft
Teach on the Net
Teacher Click

Mousing Tutorials

2006-12-07T13:47:00.000-08:00

Being a newcomer to a computer can be a bit intimidating, but if you take it one step at a time, you will find that it can be very simple and fun. The first step would be learning how to use the mouse. Below are some "games" that you can play that will help you become comfortable with a mouse.

Mousing Around
New User Tutorial
Dot to Dot
SeniorNet
Mouserobics or Mousercise

Mousercise in Other Languages

Danish
French
Hmong
Italian
Spanish
Tagalog

Web Tutorials

2006-12-07T13:37:00.000-08:00

Internet Detective
net.Tutor
Internet Tutorials
UC Berkeley

How to Create a Brochure in MS Word

2006-11-28T12:42:00.000-08:00

Many customers have asked for assistance in creating a brochure. Library staff can help you get started, or you can follow these instructions.

NOTE: Since creating a brochure involves double-sided printing, you will need to print your brochure on two separate pages. Then you will need to take that to a copy shop to make a double-sided copy.

How to Save and Open Files

2006-11-20T11:53:00.000-08:00

If you are not comfortable with Saving and Opening files, please view the presentation below. This is a vital skill that is needed in order to do other fun things like insert attachments, upload resumes, etc.

How to Make a Calendar in MS Word

2006-11-20T11:33:00.000-08:00

If you have a need to create a calendar in MS Word, you can use this website to download a template:

http://www.printablecalendar.ca/

You have a number of calendar options to choose from. Once you make your choice, you are taken to another page. From that page, you select the month and year. You can also choose another language (French, German, or Spanish). You then click on the button "Download MS Word Calendar". There you go!

Excel Tutorials

2006-11-19T14:13:00.000-08:00

Excel is an advanced program used to make charts, spreadsheets, calculations, etc. For assistance with Excel, librarians can direct you to some materials we may have on Excel. Librarians can provide limited assistance with the basics of creating charts. Or you can try some of these online tutorials:

Steve's PC Tutorials
Baycon Group
BC Schools
Learn That
Microsoft
Nevada Learning Series
Peltier
Teacher Click
Tech On The Net
University Of Leeds

Publisher Tutorials

2006-11-19T14:12:00.000-08:00

Publisher is a program used to create flyers, newsletters and other documents. The only branch with Publisher is Whitehaven. Library staff can direct you to materials we may have on Publisher, or you may use some of these online tutorials:

BC Schools
Learn That
Microsoft

YouSendIt without an Email Account

2006-11-09T13:32:00.000-08:00

YouSendIt allows you to email files without actually having an email account.

Just go to YouSendIt. Enter the email address you would like to send the files to. Click on Browse... and locate the file to be sent. Click on Send It.

So how would this be useful? What if you need to send a resume but you do not have an email account? What if you want to send a picture you have on a disk but you do not have an email account?

Of course, in many situations (especially with job hunting), you probably just need to go ahead and get that email address. However, there will be times when you have absolutely no need for an email address except for the current situation. Perhaps this would be a viable option in those situations.

Tutorials for Languages Other Than English

2006-11-09T13:22:00.000-08:00

Australian librarians have developed a useful site called MyLanguage.

Follow this link to the page that lists links to an Internet Basics handout in various languages.

Each language has a PDF document, while some languages have links to other sites in addition to the PDF document.

International Keyboard Symbol Shortcuts

2006-11-09T13:19:00.000-08:00

Because keyboards are different across the world, you will need to use keyboard shortcuts to recreate some symbols that are necessary to communicate in other languages.

You can use this document from Microsoft in these situations.

MyBrochureMaker: Alternative to Word When Creating Brochures

2006-11-07T14:38:00.000-08:00

http://www.mybrochuremaker.com

It is very intuitive. You select the theme of your brochure. Then you edit your brochure by adding text into the preset text boxes. You can even replace the pictures in the document by following an upload process (pictures must be saved to a disk. No copying and pasting).

It is a bit peculiar to Save a brochure. Since this process is web-based, you cannot convert it to Word and you cannot save it to a disk. In order to save, you are required to enter your email address and agree to their terms (terms are basically that you will not upload indecent pictures or pictures that you do not have the right to use.)

A link to the web page that contains your brochure is then emailed to you (fairly quickly when I tried).

In all, this is an ideal way to create a quick and high-quality brochure.

NOTE: Since creating a brochure involves double-sided printing, you will need to print your brochure on two separate pages. Then you will need to take that to a copy shop to make a double-sided copy.

Installing Software on Public Computers

2006-10-20T12:07:00.000-07:00

Over the years, many customers have come into a library with a disc. This disc holds a program that must be installed; however, computer use is limited to the programs that are already installed on our computers.

Also, many programs are available to download directly from the Web. The same applies to these programs as well.

If you attempt to install a program from a disc or from the Web, you will eventually receive a message that the process is denied.

Please understand that this setup is vital to the security and functionality of the computers.

Saving or Burning to a Compact Disc

2006-10-20T11:59:00.000-07:00

Most, if not all, of our public computers have CD Drives. However, it must be noted that none of these drives are currently capable of "burning" (or saving) anything to a disc. You can read data on the discs just fine, you just cannot add anything to them.

Adding Picture to MyBrochureMaker

2006-10-07T14:41:00.000-07:00

By now, many of you have tried the site www.mybrochuremaker.com.

Now you are ready to add your own pictures. Unfortunately, you cannot copy and paste pictures into the brochure. You have to go through an upload process. If you know how to add an attachment to an email, then you should be able to do this easily.

First, you will need to save a picture onto the computer. If you place your pointer on top of any picture on the web, some buttons should appear.
One of those buttons is the Save button (it looks like a floppy disk). Click on that button and a Save As window will appear. Notice that it automatically wants to save to the My Pictures folder.
Save the picture to a floppy disk or flash drive.
Now we can insert that picture into the brochure. After you select your theme, you can edit the inside our outside.
If you click on one of the pictures, the menu on the right will change.
You will see the option to Replace Photo With My Own. Click on that.
A new window will appear and you will see a Browse. . . button. Click on that button and the Open window will appear.
Locate your picture on the floppy disk or flash drive.
Double-click on the picture. The Open window will disappear.
Now you can click on Upload Photo. This is much like adding an attachment to an email.

Use of Portable Media Players on Library Computers

2006-08-29T11:49:00.000-07:00

Someone recently asked if they could use public library computers to load songs onto their portable media player (ex. iPod). They wanted to download songs from the Web. They also had a CD that they wanted to add to their player.

Unfortunately, library public computers cannot be used to load songs onto a portable media player. Why?

We have two scenarios, but they are similar. One involves how to move files from the Web to a portable media player. The other involves how to move files from a CD to a portable media player.

A trip from the Web or CD into a portable media player MUST make a stop on the "non-portable" media player which resides on the computer (Our public computers use Windows Media Player 9). To remove possible security risks, we do not allow customers to save files onto our public computers. Therefore, this "stop" on a "non-portable" media player is not possible.

On top of the security risk, music files are very large files and I imagine our public computers would fill up rather quickly, not to mention the difficulty involved if a customer ever wanted to change or edit the music on their player. You would have to find the exact computer that you originally used and hope that no one altered your playlist.

Photo Sharing and Editing

2006-03-19T13:49:00.000-08:00

Many people have begun sharing their photos with the world by uploading them onto various websites. Wikipedia has a great list of options for photo-sharing. Follow the link and decide which site is best for you.

You can also use some free web-based tools to alter and improve your photos.

TechCrunch has a nice review here with links to the actual tools. This article also links to this article from FranticIndustries.

Online Resume Tech Tips

2006-03-19T13:04:00.000-08:00

These online templates and tips provide an alternative to the built-in MS Word templates. We also have many books on resume tips. Check with a librarian for further information.

Southworth Free Resume Templates - For the novice MS Word user. The built-in MS Word templates utilize tables, often causing confusion. These MS Word documents do not use tables.
Naples High School Library Media Center - This library has created a resume template that does use tables. However, it does not use tabs (another advanced Word feature found in MS Word templates that tends to cause confusion).
Give Your Resume a Face Lift - Tips for the moderate to advanced MS Word user.

Resumes with Style

2006-02-07T13:32:00.000-08:00

Many people use the resume templates found in Microsoft Word. While these are great tools because the layout is already provided, these templates also use an advanced feature called Style. Follow along with the slide show to learn more.

Google Advanced Search Tips

2006-01-22T08:47:00.000-08:00

Click here to view Google's tip sheet for advanced searches.