Are you experiencing trouble with your phone, computer, or media gadget thingie?

As part ofPhilly Tech Week, members of TechServ will be serving up good tech advice and gadget support at the Community Genius Bar in the Library Learning Terrace.

The Community Genius Bar is sponsored by the Drexel Expressive and Creative Interaction Technologies (ExCITe) Center. For additional information, email techserv@drexel.edu. Event Details Date: Saturday, April 28 Time: 1:00 to 3:00 PM Location: Library Learning Terrace, Race Street Residence Hall at 33rd and Race Streets

There is a banner on my computer. “For finals we are making room…” for June 2nd through 11th.” That was six weeks ago!

Thanks for writing and alerting us to the oversight. We’ll be sure to double check and update the banners on all of the library computers.

We’ve had two comments about our machinery here at Hagerty:

The Dragon card station is out of order, the copier is out of order, and there are no computers available. I pay Ivy League tuition, but get a community college library at Drexel.

This library is in bad shape. I printed a document. It came out so faint I could hardly read it. I tried to print another document, and it wouldn’t print, so a librarian told me to have it printed at circulation. But they couldn’t take my Dragon card because the reader was broken. One of two card readers is broken at the print center. I tried to staple my document, but the stapler was out of staples. What am I getting for $1,000 per credit hour? Is it too much to expect things to work?

Thank you for writing. I’m really sorry you hit so many road blocks while you were trying to get your work done. I know it’s frustrating. Our copiers, printers, and scanners are due for an update, as you’ve alluded to, and we’re in the midst of taking bids, selecting a new vendor, and getting new equipment, which should arrive early in the fall. In the meantime, please bear with us while we try to help you resolve any issues you may have on a case by case basis.

We try very hard to keep staplers, toner, and paper well stocked, but since these things can quickly run out when we least expect it, please tell us if you find that something’s low, and we’ll replace it right away.

As for no computers being available, did you know that there are two computer labs on Hagerty’s lower level? There is one in L14 and one in L13C. It is very rare that every single one of these computers is taken, but if they are all in use, you might try checking a laptop at the circulation desk.

The Dragon Card machine needs to be fixed so I can print for 10 cents and not 25. Also, the copiers should be fixed. Thanks!

Thanks for letting us know. When copiers, cards readers, etc. are broken, we jump into action to get them fixed as soon as someone alerts us to the problem. On the day you wrote, our Dragon Card machine was out of service for about 15 minutes while we worked to pry out a card that was stuck inside.* When printing is effected by a technical difficulty, the circulation desk will only charge you 10 cents per page, instead of their usual 25 cents.

With respect to the copiers, I’m sorry they were out of service. If you see something that’s not working properly, and there’s no sign attached saying that we’re working on the problem, please alert a staff member so we can get started fixing what’s broken. We can fix most printer, copier, and scanner problems in just a few minutes.

* The Dragon Card was stuck in the machine because it was falling apart. If you have a Dragon Card that isn’t working properly, it might be time for you to get a new one. I know it’s not cheap, but it’ll save you (and others) big headaches.

Would you be able to install ProE and AutoCAD on the library computers? It would be beneficial to students who do not have easy access to them since they are only available at the MEM lab.

Thanks for the question. Here at the libraries we can only place site licensed software on our systems, and your recommendations don’t fall into this category. But we do have QCad available to us, which we could install if there was interest. Although it’s not as full-featured as AutoCAD, it does offer some useful drafting tools. You can exchange files with AutoCAD by exporting and importing as DXF.

For more information about this software, check out the author’s website.

If you think this would be useful to have on library computers, let us know by commenting here, and we’ll look into it.

Please wipe down the keyboards; they are getting greasy and nasty.

Thanks for letting us know. We clean the computers and keyboards regularly, but they do get gunky between their baths. We will check on them soon. Meanwhile, if you need a cleaner keyboard, please visit the reference desk for a cleansing cloth.