MRRL's Competencies training files

6. Identify & use monitor, mouse & keyboard http://img.systemaxdev.com A keyboard is also an input device. You can use a keyboard to input text or numbers into the computer. Keyboards have 102 keys standard, but many keyboard makers put in extra keys for convenience. All US keyboards have “F” keys above the number row that do various functions (F11 makes most windows go full screen, F5 refreshes a browser page, etc.), some of which are program-specific, others are universal to the Windows Operating System.

7. Identify & use CD/DVD drive & USB ports A CD/DVD drive like the one installed on each of our PCC computers can play both Compact Disks (CDs) and Digital Video Discs (DVDs). The ones in the PCC can also “burn” information onto a writable CD. The button at the bottom-right of the picture above is the open/close button. The small pin-hole above and to the right of that (check one of our computers if you can’t see the image above clearly) is a release hole. Inserting a straightened paper clip into this hole will force a locked drive to open and release the CD or DVD inside. No CDs or DVDs that require installing a program will work on our machines. *Field Trip* Take one of the writeable CDs from the case at the PCC desk (or a CD that you have close at hand) and open and insert the CD into a nearby computer. Close the CD drive (using the button, not by pushing it closed), then reopen it and remove the CD. From HP’s website

8. Identify & use CD/DVD drive & USB ports A Universal Serial Bus (USB) port is included in all modern computers. It connects many different peripheral devices (scanners, digital cameras, MP3 players, etc) to the computer. Below is pictured a standard USB port, the USB connector – shown beside that – is pressed (gently!) into the port to make the connection. Notice the white bars in the port and the white bar in the USB connector on the right. Those make sure that the USB connector is inserted correctly. Pushing too hard on the connector to get it into the port will cause damage. *Field Trip* Find a USB device (the floppy disk drive, if you are on the PCC desk, or a USB Stick or Flash Drive) and hook it into the nearest computer correctly. http://www.flickr.com/photos/hippie/2561854165/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/jacobgarcia/2550146/

9. Use Headphones Headphones are an output device for the computer, much like the monitor is. The monitor displays visual information, the headphones let the user listen to audio information *privately*. The headphones on the left are a standard, over the ear model. The headphones below are called earbuds and fit into the ear. http://www.flickr.com/photos/mwboeckmann/1350246228/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/20273123@N00/415022898/

10. Use Headphones Headphones come with jacks at the end of the cables that run from the ears. Those jacks, like the ones below, are almost always universal. What works in one device or computer will work in another. All computers in our PCC have a port in the front of the computer, like the ones to the right, for headphone jacks. To use a set of headphones, you put the jack into the port that is marked with a set of headphones next to it (or above it). If there is a microphone on the headset, that jack goes into the port with a microphone next to it. Microphones are not allowed in the PCC. http://www.flickr.com/photos/psychostore/2682131726/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/hippie/2561854165/ Often, the headphone port will be colored green and the microphone port will be pink. Occasionally those jacks are also colored on the headset, too.

12. Identify a Printer & a Scanner Printer – output device that produces paper hard copies. Scanner – input device that digitizes paper or other flat “real-world” objects. http://www.flickr.com/photos/svenreed/2275896061/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/evanhamilton/2310747424/

17. Identify the network connection http://www.flickr.com/photos/awiesi/136335936/ Network Port (with status lights) Network Cable There is a notch at the top of the port. The cable has to go into the port one way and one way only, so that the clip on the cable fits into the notch on the port. To remove a network cable, press down on the clip to pull it out of the port. http://www.flickr.com/photos/fr3d/216315692/

28. Recognize USB flash drive, CD-R or RW disk, DVD, Floppy disk & Zip disk Removable storage that uses the USB connection on computers to work Generally small and easy to carry Comes in many different storage capacities – ours are 128MB, 64GB drives are on the market now http://www.flickr.com/photos/purpleslog/891442315/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/kansirnet/299416134/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/programwitch/1266246055/

29. Recognize USB flash drive, CD-R or RW disk, DVD, Floppy disk & Zip disk Compact Disks are either CD-R or CD-RW format. CD-R disks can be “burned” once. CD-RW disks can be “burned” multiple times. Despite that, CD-RWs are not as good as USB drives for repeated uses. They hold around 750MB of data. Most CD-Rs and RWs have the format printed on the label side of the disk. http://www.flickr.com/photos/comphacker/3060861951/

30. Recognize USB flash drive, CD-R or RW disk, DVD, Floppy disk & Zip disk A DVD can hold from 4GB of data to 17GB, depending if it is 1-sided or 2-sided. We do not have DVD burners in the PCC, but patrons can play already burned DVDs in our machines. http://www.flickr.com/photos/bpt/76899972/

31. Recognize USB flash drive, CD-R or RW disk, DVD, Floppy disk & Zip disk A floppy disk can hold up to 1.4MB of data. We no longer have floppy drives in our computers, but we do have some USB connected external drives that people can use. Because Floppy Disks tend to be unreliable, USB flash drives are recommended. http://www.flickr.com/photos/harshadsharma/44793133/

32. Recognize USB flash drive, CD-R or RW disk, DVD, Floppy disk & Zip disk Zip disks are becoming very rare. They come in 100MB and 250MB sizes, but are almost never used. We do still have one external Zip drive available in the PCC. *Field Trip* Go to the PCC and examine the Floppy & Zip disk drives behind the desk (in the printout cabinet). Notice how much thicker the Zip drive is. Zip disks are more than twice as thick as a Floppy disk. http://www.flickr.com/photos/flickerbulb/136053335

39. Know whom to contact for more help with library computers http://www.flickr.com/photos/librarianbyday/2655777035/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/travelinlibrarian/2551749338/ NIKKI! ROBIN!