November 17, 2009

LTS DIGEST November 17, 2009
Lehigh University Library and Technology Services

CONTENTS:

Special Thanksgiving Library Hours
Sending a big file? It's no longer a big problem!
LTS to transition to Windows 7
Fritz Digital Library unveiled
Beyond Steel upgrades mapping feature
Computer tips


SPECIAL THANKSGIVING LIBRARY HOURS
On Friday, November 27th, both the Fairchild-Martindale Library and Computing Center will be CLOSED due to a scheduled electrical outage. Linderman Library will be OPEN from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm.

Both Libraries:
Wednesday, November 25th: 8 am - 10 pm
Thursday, November 26th: CLOSED
Friday, November 27th: Fairchild Martindale: CLOSED (due to scheduled electrical outage) - Linderman: OPEN 8 am - 5 pm
Saturday, November 28th: Noon to 5 pm
Sunday, November 29th: Noon to 2 am
Monday, November 30th: Resume regular hours



SENDING A BIG FILE? IT’S NO LONGER A BIG PROBLEM!
The Lehigh e-mail server (and most e-mail servers) limits the size of e-mail attachments -- usually you can't send an e-mail attachment larger than 20 MB. Why? Large attachments can bog down both e-mail servers and the recipients' computers.

This problem has been solved with the Lehigh Dropbox Service (dropbox.lehigh.edu). The drop-box is a temporary storage location where you can upload a file or files up to 800 MB in size. The Lehigh dropbox stores the files and sends an e-mail notice to recipients. Recipients then click on a link to retrieve the file(s). Files must be retrieved within 3 days of being uploaded.

The dropbox can be used in one of two ways:

• A Lehigh user can create a drop-off to be delivered to any e-mail user (Lehigh or non-Lehigh)
• A non-Lehigh user is allowed to drop-off a file to (*a Lehigh user only*)

For questions about the dropbox service, contact the LTS Help Desk at 610-758-4357.



LTS TO TRANSITION TO WINDOWS 7
Library and Technology Services (LTS) has been testing Windows 7 (Microsoft's new operating system) for the past several months in anticipation of its scheduled release which occurred on October 22, 2009. LTS plans to upgrade all public computing sites from Windows XP to the 64-bit version of Windows 7 after the spring 2010 semester.

For public testing, LTS has configured some computers at the EWFM 180 and EWFM library public sites with Windows 7 64-bit. As with any operating system upgrade, there may be applications that will not function properly in the new environment. Faculty who use software for courses should test their applications as soon as possible and provide feedback to windows@lehigh.edu. For a list of applications found to be incompatible, general Windows 7 information and a link to provide feedback, visit http://www.lehigh.edu/win7.

Students, faculty, and staff will be eligible to purchase a Windows 7 installation disk (for use on personally-owned PCs) through the Lehigh Bookstore some time in the spring 2010 semester.



FRITZ DIGITAL LIBRARY UNVEILED
On the occasion of Fritz Lab's 100th Anniversary, a new collaboration between LTS, the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, and Printing and Mailing Services has resulted in the digitization of approximately 150 technical publications. The newly established Lehigh Civil and Environmental Engineering Digital Library encompasses selected publications of the department, including Fritz Laboratory Reports, IHL (Imbt Hydraulics Lab) Reports and ATLSS (Advanced Technology for Large Structural Systems) Reports. The complete bibliography contains over 3,000 reports, which may be accessed via: http://digital.lib.lehigh.edu/fritz/.

The Fritz Engineering Laboratory Research reports are comprised of research findings from department projects funded by various governmental agencies, industry and professional societies between roughly 1921 and 1989. The research reports include the civil engineering fields of structural (both concrete and steel) engineering, hydraulics, geotechnical, environmental/sanitary and fatigue/fracture engineering. A number of the Fritz Lab research project reports represent theses, dissertations and publications.



BEYOND STEEL UPGRADES MAPPING FEATURE
The Beyond Steel: An Archive of Lehigh Valley Industry and Culture project has upgraded and improved the functionality of its Geographic Information System mapping feature (http://digital.lib.lehigh.edu/beyondsteel/gis/). Comprised of early twentieth-century Sanborn fire insurance maps, Sholes' Directory of the Bethlehems, 1900-1901, 1900-1902 Bethlehem Steel employee lists, a contemporary database of streets, and selected information from the 1900 Census report, the initial mapping interface was launched in 2008. The result is a geospatial presentation of turn of the century Bethlehem population and a context for more specialized visualization of workers in the steel industry. With the new, improved functionality afforded by the acquisition earlier this year of GIS servers and an Oracle license, we have been able to considerably decrease download times and increase functionality. We also added new data to include the ability to locate Bethlehem grocers, butchers, iron, metal, and textile manufacturers, newspapers, churches, government buildings, schools, leisure and recreation locations, and trolley lines.

Our efforts were recently applauded by the University of Wisconsin’s Scout Project which reports on projects that provide better tools for delivery of information online. The Beyond Steel project was generally deemed a “fascinating online exhibit and archive” with particular praise given to the GIS component as useful for urban studies.



COMPUTER TIPS
Have you ever been working on your PC and all of a sudden everything disappeared? Don't worry, you don't have to reboot to get it all back!

1. Just launch your Task Manager (by either hitting Ctrl-Alt-Delete and clicking on Task Manager or by just hitting Crtl-Shift-Esc)
2. In Task Manager, click on the File menu
3. Click on New Task (Run...)
4. Type in "explorer" without the quotes
5. Click OK, and in a few seconds you should start to see your desktop reappear!

Is your monitor "shaky"? If you glance at your monitor from the corner of your eye, does it appear to be moving? If so, you need to change your refresh rate!

1. Right click on your Desktop
2. Click on Properties
3. Click on the Settings Tab
4. Click on the Advanced Button
5. Click on the Monitor Tab
6. Change the Screen Refresh Rate to a different Hertz
7. Click OK
8. Click OK again, and you are all set.

Is your monitor at the right height and distance?Many monitors are set too high and too far away for people when they are working at their desks. Your monitor should be approximately arm's length away from you when you are sitting properly in your chair. Also, your monitor should be set at a height where you eyes are at the same height as the Title Bar in your active window.