Sweet Librarian has run its course!

I still really like the moniker Sweet Librarian.

But I’ve outgrown it. It was a silly attempt to marry my temporary position as a cake decorator with my aspirations of librarianship.

I still like WordPress in terms of usability and customization.

But the audience-building tools are not here. There is very little in the way of facilitating social interaction or conversation. Meta tags and SEO are an ineffective method to share in a world where followers and reblog buttons reign.

I still like blogging about my passion and the experience I have gained as a librarian.

And I don’t intend to stop. I’m just moving to a place where the conversations instinctively flock like the salmon of Capistrano. I am dropping the ‘Sweet’, migrating to Tumblr (I will hang my hat on that medium in the belief that it will continue growing and thriving as it has been since its launch in 2007), and taking up a new moniker.

I am Kaylin Nicole Boehme (Bo-heem? Bo-emm? Bome? ah screw it!) and you can find me at www.kaylinnic.com (or on Twitter @kaylinnic) blogging about librarianship, books, writing, technology and a fair amount of random fun things too. I hope you’ll join me there!

May 5

Uh oh, Spaghetti-o’s!

The Scientific American recently published an article, The Reading Brain in the Digital Age: The Science of Paper Versus Screens. As one could infer from the title, it deals with the physical and psychological differences between reading in a book and in an eReader. The whole article is very interesting (you should go read it), but I wanted to draw special attention to this section:

Psychologists distinguish between remembering something—which is to recall a piece of information along with contextual details, such as where, when and how one learned it—and knowing something, which is feeling that something is true without remembering how one learned the information. Generally, remembering is a weaker form of memory that is likely to fade unless it is converted into more stable, long-term memory that is “known” from then on. When taking the quiz, volunteers who had read study material on a monitor relied much more on remembering than on knowing, whereas students who read on paper depended equally on remembering and knowing. Garland and her colleagues think that students who read on paper learned the study material more thoroughly more quickly; they did not have to spend a lot of time searching their minds for information from the text, trying to trigger the right memory—they often just knew the answers.

To summarize, a 2003 study from the University of Leicester found that students who study using paper books have an easier time converting information to knowledge, while students who study from eText rely more on memorization during exams and have a harder time committing information to long-term memory. And here we are trying to use iPads and eTexts to make our students’ lives easier. Instead we may be making it harder for them to learn.

I guess only time will tell if this is simply the byproduct of an adjusting period to a new technology, or a real problem.

Apr 30

Certified Librarians

Let’s take a break from our crash course in A+ Certification to talk about certification itself. We get certified in any variety of subjects not only to build our resumes but to build trust – between ourselves and our employers or clients. Certifications say that we have the knowledge and experience to do what we claim we can do. If you’re A+ certified I can trust you to fix my computer. If you’re a board certified physician I can trust that you have the credentials to heal me. If you’re a CPA I will trust you to do my taxes correctly.

And if you’re a Certified Public Librarian? What knowledge and experience does that imply?

Requirements and standards for librarian certifications vary by state, and some of the better ones include different levels of certification based on education and experience. However, there are some states, Ohio included, that leave much to be desired. Let’s pick on Ohio’s granting body, the Ohio Library Council. The requirements for certification are simply a Masters in Library Science and “two years of experience working in a library”. There’s no stipulation that these two years must be post-graduate or professional in nature.

So let’s say I’m a page. I shelve books 10 hours a week for two years and at some point during that time decide I’d like to be a librarian, so I go to library school and get my MLIS. As soon as I graduate I am eligible for certification, despite never having earned any experience in a professional role with librarian-level responsibilities. I have exactly as much knowledge and experience as my recently graduated peers, but the certification implies that I have some form of advanced knowledge or experience, when in reality it’s simply a piece of paper for which I have paid OLC $50.

I am not against the idea of librarian certifications, but if they are simply going to be an additional piece of paper to pad resumes with and we are not going to reserve them for librarians who have earned them with real world experience, we might as well tack the $50 onto the price of library school tuition and give them out with the diplomas.

Apr 25

A+ Certification for Librarians: Motherboard

This series covers areas of knowledge you will need in order to pass the A+ Certification exam, and assumes that you have access to a computer which you can disassemble and “play with” to help you with the activities. Topics are organized to loosely follow Mike Meyers’ All-in-One CompTIA A+ Certification Exam Guide for the 700 series, so consider this a hands-on study guide supplement. Read chapters 8, 9 and 10 for this post on the motherboard, plus the expansion bus and power supply.

Basics

The three hurdles which are important to remember when adding expansion cards to the motherboard are the physical connection, communication, and drivers. Expansion cards have their own expansion bus crystal which sets a standard card speed independent of the system crystal on the motherboard. The expansion bus crystal is always slower than the system crystal, which is compensated for with wait states and buffering.

System Resources are methods of communication between the CPU and expansion cards. These include I/O addressing, interrupt requests, DMA, and memory addressing. I/O addresses are either preset or established by the operating system during the boot process, and can be viewed in Device Manager. The DMA controller can send data requests across the EDB when the CPU is performing internal calculations, which allows access approximately 95% of the time.

When installing expansion cards, make sure they are Windows Logo’d for compability, handle them by the edges of the card only, employ proper anti-static precautions, and unplug the computer to avoid a power trickle. If the card is used and has been stored previously, clean the slot connectors with contact cleaning solution. Uninstall old drivers in Control Panel, then install the device, then install new drivers (with the exception of USB and Firewire, which may require the driver to be installed before the device). After installation, use Device Manager to verify the connection. A device which is missing, not recognized or suffering a driver problem will have a yellow circle with a black exclamation point. A disabled or damaged device will have a red X. A device whose system resources were manually configured will display an “i”.

A motherboard’s form factor determines the size of the case, power supply, and airflow. The chipset determines the type of CPU and the type and capacity of RAM the system can handle. When choosing a motherboard, first decide if you will build an AMD or Intel system, and select a motherboard that supports higher CPU speeds and more memory than you initially plan to install so that the system will be upgradeable. Decide on the form factor, and choose a matching case (slimline, destop, mini-tower, mid-tower, tower or cube).

When replacing a motherboard, first remove all expansion cards and devices which will impede access. Remove the standout screws, then remove the motherboard. Install the CPU, fan, heatsink and RAM on the new motherboard before installing it in the case to prevent flexing the board. Screw the motherboard into the case, then hook up the PSU. If you have one, use a POST card to test the system, or install the keyboard, video card, speakers and monitor, then test the system. Install all wires from the built-in ports on the front of the case via pin connections, which are polarized and must be installed in the correct orientation.

A dying motherboard has three types of symptoms. Catastrophic failure means the computer will not boot – this happens most often with manufacturer defects known as burn-in, or in case of ESD damage. Component failure is rare and can be diagnosed by “flaky” connections. Ethereal failures are typically random and the problem must be isolated through the process of elimination.

A circuit breaker opens if too much current is flowing through a wire that cannot handle the load. A ground wire provides a path for excess electrons to escape in case of an overflow. The power supply unit connects to a wall outlet with a standard IEC-320 connector, and typically has a switch to specify 115V US current or 230V European current. A surge protector, rated in joules, will prevent damage to the PSU or computer by regulating the current against occasional sags and spikes. An uninerruptible power supply, rated in watts and voltamps, can protect a computer against data loss due to power outages. When purchasing a UPS, calculate the total wattage of components in your machine and the amount of time you would need the UPS to run.

A PSU converts AC voltage to 3.3, 5.0 and 12.0 DC voltage. A standard unit is 150x140x86mm and connects to the motherboard using a 20-24pin P1 connector. Some units may also include 4, 6, or 8 pin connectors. Peripherals connect to the PSU with molex, mini, or SATA connectors. A computer with insufficient PSU wattage may not boot after a new component is installed – when purchasing a new one, 500W is a minimum recommendation. PSUs are typically 70% efficient, so calculate the computer’s needs then add at least 30%.

When installing a PSU, remember that ATX power supplies never truly turn off unless unplugged from the wall outlet. Some power supplies come with a 3-pin heat sensor, and you should always have at least one case fan installed, drawing air in from the bottom front of the case and blowing hot air out of the top rear. If a PSU fan does not spin and the computer won’t turn on, verify the electrical current with a multimeter. Remember that the PSU won’t turn on unless connected to the motherboard or an ATX tester, and keep a Class C Electrical fire extinguisher near your work station for emergencies.

Terminology

Expansion Bus = slots, wires and support chips that allow the addition of expansion cards to the motherboard
PC/XT Bus = IBM’s original expansion slots; 8-bit, ran faster than the system crystal and was open source to allow manufacturers to work with it
AT Bus = 16-bit slots with backward compatibility to 8-bit devices
ISA Bus = Industry Standard Architecture; slow and required manual configuration, but made great strides toward physical connectivity standardization
PCI Bus = Peripheral Component Interconnect; self-configuring (plug and play) and open source, provided burst-mode feature for easy data transfer and could be paired with ISA on a single motherboard
AGP = Accelerated Graphics Port; PCI slot with a direct connection to northbridge for video cards; slot is typically brown
PCI-X = PCI extended; 64-bit slot with backward compability, for power users and servers
miniPCI = used in laptops, low power consumption and flat form factor
PCIe = PCI express; serial connection which sends all data on a single wire (rather than one wire per bit) directly to the northbridge; paired input and output lanes (up to 32) at 2.5 to 5GBps
I/O Addressing = method of communication between CPU and expansion cards in which each device is assigned at least 4 unique input/output addresses; to send a command, the CPU puts the address bus in I/O mode and all devices “listen” for their addresses and the command
Interrupt Requests = expansion cards can communicate with the CPU using an INT wire; requests sent on the INT wire are called IRQs
IOAPIC = input/output advanced programmable interrupt controller; intermediary between expansion cards and CPU, all device INT wires run to this chip on the Southbridge, which then communicates with the CPU
DMA = direct memory access; devices with this feature can access RAM without CPU interference, using a DMA controller as the intermediary between device requests and delivery; PCI and PCIe cards do not support DMA
Bus Mastering = modern devices are capable of monitoring the EDB and bypassing the DMA controller to access RAM directly
Memory Addressing = devices with onboard RAM or ROM borrow memory addresses from the system RAM so that the CPU can access it
HCL = hardware compatibility list; also known as Windows Logo’d Hardware List, available on the Microsoft website and displayed on packaging of devices and drivers that have passed Windows Hardware Quality Labs testing; Windows Vista 64-bit will not allow installation of unsigned drivers
traces = wires soldered to motherboard which support buses, ports and power distribution
AT = motherboard form factor used until the mid-90s characterized by its lack of external ports except for the keyboard
LPX/NLX = motherboard form factors with slimline or low profiles; included riser cards (also known as daughter boards) in order to attach cards horizontally; did not allow for updates
ATX = improvement over AT motherboard form factor including rear panel ports, better air flow due to change in PSU location; CPU and RAM placed closer to Northbridge for faster performance and easier access; soft power allows software to control power on/off rather than the case power button, prevents accidental shut down and provides constant 5V charge
microATX = 9.6×9.6″ motherboard form factor with standard ports
flexATX = 9×7.5″ motherboard form factor, requires a smaller PSU
BTX = Balanced Technology Expanded; motherboard form factor optimized for cooling; comes in standard, micro and pico sizes; thermal unit sucks cool air in the front and ejects hot air from the back, rather than allowing it to circulate in the case
Northbridge = intermediary between CPU and RAM or video card; requires heatsink and fan for cooling; on Intel products, may be referred to as MCH or memory controller hub
Southbridge = intermediary between CPU and expansion cards and mass storage devices; does not require cooling; on Intel products, may be referred to as ICH or input/output controller hub
Super I/O Chip = supports floppy drives, parallel ports, modems; works with but is not considered part of the chipset
AMR and CMR = security for modems and networks, typically provided onboard; AMR stands for audio modem riser, CMR stands for communication and networking riser
Voltage = pressure of electrons running through a wire; measured in volts (V)
Current = amount of electrons moving past a given point in a wire; measured in amps (A)
Wattage = volts x amps; amount of electricity required for a device to run
Ohms = amount of resistance in a wire
AC/DC = alternating current is provided by power companies; direct current is a continuous circuit in which electrons flow only in one direction – this is used by most electrical appliances and requires conversion
IEC-320 = standard wall outlet wattage, diagrammed below; test for proper current using a multimeter, volt-ohm meter, or digital multimeter

Molex = PSU connector that supplies 5 or 12V and includes four rounded chamfer notches for installation

Mini = PSU connector that supplies 5 or 12V, for floppy drives only

SATA = 15-pin PSU connector that supplies all voltages, has an L shape and is for use with hard drives

ATX12V 1.3 = ATX power setting with 20-pin main connector, P4 12V 4-pin connector and AUX 6-pin 3.3V and 5V connectors
EPS12V = nonATX24-pin main connector with AUX, P4 and 8-pin connectors; used for server environments; includes rails in which the 12V, 5V and 3.3V connectors each split into multiple wires so each device has its own supply
ATX12V 2.0 = 24-pin main connector with backward compatibility; SATA support only, 8-pin CPU connector compatibile with P4, PCIe 6-pin connector
TFX12V = low-profile power supply form factor
SFX12V = flexATX power supply form factor
CFX12V = L-shaped power supply form factor for BTX micro systems
LFX12V = low-profile BTX power supply form factor
Active PFC = active power factor correction; eliminates PSU-damaging harmonics
Modular cables = power supply cables which can be left out of the system; helps keep the case looking neater

Activities

One.

Open up your computer. Inspect the motherboard. Identify the various expansion cards and see how they connect to the motherboard and power supply unit.

Two.

Calculate the wattage requirement for your current system. What size PSU would you buy if you needed a replacement?

Three.

Create flash cards for the terminology covered in this chapter, then test yourself!

Other posts in the A+ Certification for Librarians series:

Apr 20

A+ Certification for Librarians: BIOS and CMOS

Basics

The northbridge and southbridge together form the chipset, which extends the address bus to allow the CPU to communicate with all devices in the system. Each device has its own codebook and registers on which to process information sent from the CPU and to send commands and data back to the CPU.

You can update CMOS through the system setup utility in the boot menu. Once in CMOS, you can use the Soft Menu to change voltage given to various devices or change the CPU multiplier (also known as overclocking). From the Advanced menu, you can access options such as chassis intrusion detection, advanced chipset features, integrated (onboard) peripheral device configuration, power setting management, DriveLock or TPM.

You can update the BIOS using option ROM to flash the memory or with device drivers stored on the hard drive. Drivers are loaded into RAM every time the computer reboots, it is stored in the Registry, and can be changed or removed in Device Manager. BIOS is limited to a 16-bit environment with 1MB of RAM.

The steps in the boot process are as follows: the power voltage is tested, then the “power good” wire is charged, which awakens the CPU. The CPU sends a memory address through the address bus to start POST, and once the test is complete, POST allows the boostrap loader to find the operating system and initiate it.

Common reasons CMOS data may be lost include a dead CMOS battery, the insertion of new cards, a damaged motherboard, faulty power supply or electrical surge, or chip creep. Evidence that data has been lost can manifest as a configuration mismatch, incorrect date and time, low battery state, or an error stating the boot device is not available.

Terminology

Northbridge = memory controller chip; communicates between the CPU and RAM, as well as high speed devices like the video card
Southbridge = communicates between CPU and lower speed devices such as the hard drive and USB devices
BIOS = basic input/output services; programming that tells the CPU how to communicate with system devices via their drivers
ROM = read-only memory; located on the motherboard, nonvolatile; stores the basic programs (system BIOS) that must be available independent from the operating system or the files stored on the hard drive
CMOS = complementary metal oxide semiconductor; stores the data which describes device parameters, keeps the date and time, and is built into the southbridge
DriveLock = ATA security mode, accessed through CMOS, in which you can password-protect drives on a system
TPM = trusted platform module; cryptoprocesor accessible through CMOS in which you can set up hard drive encryption and store the key securely in the TPM; this process is used in digital rights management
Option ROM = memory chip located on hardware (especially video cards)
POST = power on self test; stored in ROM, runs on startup and tells each device in the system to run its own diagnostics, then reports back to the user via on-screen messages or beeps if there is a problem
EFI = extensible firmware interface; replaces outdated 16-bit BIOS in some systems; includes GUID partition table (GPT), a hard drive addressing scheme which allows for partition setup and configuration
CSM = compatibility support module; for systems running EFI, this provides support for loading legacy BIOS

Activities

One.

Enter setup while your computer is booting. Do you have AMI or Phoenix/Award CMOS? Explore the setup options, but don’t make any changes you’re not 100% sure of.

Two.

Create flash cards for the terminology covered in this chapter, then test yourself!

Other posts in the A+ Certification for Librarians series:

Apr 15

A+ Certification for Librarians: RAM

Basics

RAM is arranged in “spreadsheets” of one-bit columns with a width to match the frontside bus. On older systems, each column was a chip directly connected to the motherboard, but now they are mounted to sticks of RAM which fill banks on the motherboard.

Dual channel architecture must be set up correctly – one stick of RAM in one bank will work as single-channel; two sticks in matching banks will be dual-channel, but two sticks in mismatched banks will work as single-channel; three sticks of RAM will work as single-channel.

Know when you need more RAM: if your system is generally sluggish, if the hard drive and page file is being accessed too often, or if your machine does not meet your operating system’s minimum requirements (for Windows 2000, 128MB; for Windows XP, 250MB; for Windows Vista, 2GB).

Know where to look if an error occurs. “Parity error at (location)” is something you should write down – if it reoccurs in the same place you will need to replace the RAM; if it reoccurs in a different location it is most likely a phantom error. If you see a Page Fault which references a location in RAM, write it down and if it repeats you may need to replace the RAM.

Terminology

DRAM = dynamic random access memory; typically 64-bit (8 byte) “spreadsheet”
SIMM = single inline memory module; chips containing each column of the “spreadsheet” are mounted to a stick that plugs into the motherboard
SDRAM = synchronous DRAM; uses system clock for pacing, form factor is DIMM
DIMM = dual inline memory module; comes in miniDIMM form factor for laptops
SO-DIMM = small outline DIMM; smaller form factor for laptops, comes in a pair because each stick is half the required memory
RDRAM = Rambus DRAM; proprietary memory with RIMM form factor; utilizes dual channel architecture and requires an active stick (or CRIMM continuity stick) in each bank because the MCC alternates usage between sticks
DDR = double data rate SDRAM; runs two processes per clock cycle and allows for dual channel architecture
DDR2 = electrically improved DDR with clock doubling input/output circuits
DDR3 = 30% lower power consumption than DDR2, with Extended Memory Profile (XMP) for easy overclocking; some versions offer triple channel architecture
latency = delay in response time between a command from the CPU and the resulting data; measured in number of clock cycle delays, CL2 or CL3 typically
parity RAM = an extra bit of data is stored in the “spreadsheet” which the MCC uses to detect (but not repair) errors
ECC = error correction code; similar to parity RAM, an extra verification bit is stored, but ECC can repair errors upon detection
Buffered RAM = also known as registered RAM; each stick has a buffering chip to ease electrical burden; for use in systems with large memory requirements
Thrashing = moving files to and from the page file, may be an indicator that the system needs a RAM upgrade
SPD = serial presence detect; chip located on a stick of RAM, allows memory to be automatically configured by the system; if this chip goes bad, a POST error will occur
NMI = non-maskable interrupt; also known as blue screen of death, typically is not indicative of a RAM issue

Activities

One.

Investigate your computer’s setup. What type of RAM does it use? How much RAM does it have? Find out if you could upgrade the memory in your system – check the motherboard book for the maximum RAM your system could handle, and check the level of hard drive access.

Two.

If you have a computer you can disassemble, pull out the RAM and inspect it. Practice reinstalling it.

Three.

Create flash cards for the terminology covered in this chapter, then test yourself!

Other posts in the A+ Certification for Librarians series:

Apr 10

A+ Certification for Librarians: Microprocessors

Basics

Know that the CPU takes commands from the computer via lines of code written on the external data bus, performs its calculations on internal registers, then sends the resulting data back via the EDB. Each of these steps are performed at set intervals, called clock cycles, which are in turn determined by the system crystal – the metronome of the computer. The system crystal speed can be multiplied by the CPU for faster processing.

Understand that the CPU cannot access its data directly from the hard drive because it is far too slow; instead, data that is fed to the CPU typically comes from RAM , which is organized like a spreadsheet 8 bits (1 byte) wide and X number of rows long. The CPU uses an address bus to talk to a memory controller chip, which in turn fetches the requested byte from RAM and places it on the EDB. The length of the spreadsheet (and thus the amount of RAM in the system) is determined by the number of wires on the address bus – the number of combinations possible determines how many rows of data the RAM can hold.

CPUs come from Intel or AMD, and are not interchangeable – you must buy a matching motherboard. Remember a few details about notable models:

Intel Pentium – first 32-bit processor, could support up to 4gb RAM and introduced pipelining process, SRAM, branch prediction, clock multiplication, VRM
Intel Pentium Pro – introduction of superscalar execution
Intel Pentium II – designed as a single-edge cartridge to allow for better cooling and free up space on the motherboard
Intel Pentium 4 – included quad-pumped frontside bus on which EDB could be read four times per clock cycle
AMD Opteron – 64-bit processor that supported HyperTransport, a direct connection between the CPU and various components of the computer

Terminology

CPU = central processing unit, where (nearly) all calculations required by the computer take place
EDB = external data bus; communication between CPU and computer via a row of wires which are either charged (1) or not charged (0)
Registers = set of data buses within the CPU to be used for calculations; AX, BX, CX and DX are most common general purpose registers
Machine Language = the codebook used by CPU to interpret binary commands sent to it on the external data bus
Program = set of commands given to the CPU, line by line on the external data bus, in order for it to perform work
Instruction Set = every command the CPU knows
Clock Wire = charged when the code placed on the EDB is complete and the CPU is ready for the next line of code; runs on clock cycles, and the speed at which new lines of code are placed on the EDB determines clock speed, or how fast the CPU can perform
System Crystal = quartz oscillator that acts as metronome for the entire computer, setting the clock speed by sending out an electrical pulse at specific intervals; the CPU can multiply its own clock speed based on the system crystal in order to process data faster
RAM = random access memory; memory is anything that can store binary data that the CPU can access, but a dedicated source is required because the hard drive is much too slow to be accessed directly
DRAM = dynamic RAM; requires a constant electrical charge or data will be lost
MCC = memory controller chip; intermediary between CPU and RAM, takes requests for data from the CPU, fetches the data from RAM and puts it on the EDB
Address Bus = used by CPU to communicate with the MCC; number of wires in this bus determines the maximum amount of RAM – code combinations put on address bus correspond with locations in RAM
ALU = arithmetic logic unit; component of the CPU which drives the calculations
PGA = pin grid array; describes the layout of pins in a square on the CPU; most popular
LGA = land grid array; describes the layout of CPU pins which terminate in flat pads
ZIF = zero insertion force; type of CPU socket which uses an arm or cage to secure the device, and is named by the number of pins in the CPU it supports
pipelining = ALU is broken into at least four stages (fetch, decode, execute and write), forming an assembly line so the CPU can work on multiple commands during one clock cycle; stalls occur when a stage requires more than one clock cycle to complete a command, and wait states occur when RAM does not move fast enough to keep all stages working
SRAM = static RAM; preloads common data and commands into a cache on the CPU called L1, or on the motherboard called L2 or L3, to reduce wait states
Branch Prediction = CPU capable of anticipating and running the various outcomes of “if” statements
Clock Multiplication = process of multiplying the system clock speed so that the CPU can work faster than the rest of the computer; CPUID is the function that sets this speed automatically
VRM = voltage regulator module; protects the CPU, which runs at 5V while the rest of the computer runs at 12V; this allows for smaller, more abundant pins
Superscalar Execution = execution of commands are run out of order and speculatively, allows for more than one instruction per clock cycle by use of a frontside and backside bus, where the frontside bus consists of the address bus and EDB, and the backside bus is a direct connection between the CPU and the L2 cache, circumventing the MCC
MMX = multimedia extensions; accommodations for graphics cards in newer Pentium models, not heavily supported
Hyperthreading = each pipeline unit runs multiple threads, or programs, at a time to emulate the speed of a dual-core system
SMM = system management mode; in mobile or laptop CPUs, this forces unused programs to shut down to save battery and reserve voltage for the CPU
Throttling = this gives the CPU the ability to slow itself down during slow times or in the event of overheating
PAC = pin array cartridge; 64-bit L3 cache chip
Parallel Processing = also known as dual core processing; two pipelines share the same cache and RAM
QPI = quick path interconnect; Intel’s response to AMD’s HyperTransport

Activities

One.

Locate and identify the CPU in your machine. Intel or AMD? Can you identify the model? Does that give you any clues about its features? If not, do some research online to find out about your CPU. Update the driver while you’re at it.

Two.

If you’re feeling adventurous (and you have some thermal compound and your motherboard book handy), remove the fan and heatsink, then carefully remove the CPU and inspect it. Practice reinstalling it, making sure to set any jumpers or switches and apply the proper amount of thermal compound to seat the heatsink.

Three.

Create flash cards for the terminology covered in this chapter, then test yourself!

Other posts in the A+ Certification for Librarians series:

Apr 5

A+ Certification for Librarians: Ports

Previously in this series, I discussed the ins and outs of the A+ Certification exam process. The rest of the series will cover areas of knowledge you will need in order to pass the exam, and assumes that you have access to a computer which you can disassemble and “play with” to help you with the activities. Topics are organized to loosely follow Mike Meyers’ All-in-One CompTIA A+ Certification Exam Guide for the 700 series, so consider this a hands-on study guide supplement. Read chapters 1 through 3 for this post.

Basics

First, know the objectives covered in each exam. The 701 exam tests your ability to identify the components of a system, including hardware, troubleshooting, repair and maintenance issues, operating systems and software, networking and security issues, and operational procedures. The 702 exam tests your ability to apply your knowledge to hardware, operating systems, networking and security issues. The tests cover Windows 200 Professional, Windows XP Professional, Home and Media, and Windows Vista Home, Home Premium, Business, and Ultimate.

Identify the various safety concerns and safety tools you will need to work with computers. These include Electrostatic Discharge (ESD), Electromagnetic Interference (EMI), and Radio Frequency Interference (RFI). You can use an anti-static wrist strap, anti-static mat, and anti-static bags to help keep yourself and your computer components at the same electrical potential.

Be familiar with the four stages of computer function – input of data, processing the data, output which displays the result of processing, and storage of resulting data.

Be able to recognize the various plugs, ports, jacks and connectors on a computer. These include miniDIN, USB, FireWire, DB, RJ, audio, DVI, DB-VESA, HDMI, midi, S/PDIF, parallel port, and eSATA.

Terminology

ESD = electrostatic discharge; passage of static electricity from an item of higher electrical potential to an item of lower electrical potential
EMI = electromagnetic interference; the negative effect of magnets can cause damage or data loss to floppy disks, hard drives, flash drives and CRT monitors
RFI = radio frequency interference; can be picked up on cellular phones, speakers, wireless cards, etc. and cause poor or blocked signals without causing real damage to devices
miniDIN = purple keyboard or light green mouse connector; replaces DIN

USB = universal serial bus, comes in A, B, and miniB; B and miniB are device-side connectors only

FireWire = also known as IEEE1394, provides high speed data transfer with 6 or 9 pins

DB = D-shaped video connector that comes with 9 to 37 pins, may also be known as D-sub or D-subminiature

RJ = two types of jack; RJ11 is a standard phone plug, RJ45 is a network or ethernet plug

Audio = 1/8″ connector for headphones, also known as mini-audio

DVI = digital video interface, white connector for video or monitor

DB-VESA = Video Electronics Standards Association, blue video or monitor connector with 15 pins

HDMI = high definition multimedia interface for video and sound

midi = nearly obsolete 15-pin DIN connector for joysticks and electronic instruments

S/PDIF = Sony/Philips Digital Interface Format, comes in coaxial or optical versions to replace the 1/8″ audio connector

parallel port = nearly obsolete 25-pin fuscha DB connector for printers

eSATA = external hard drive or optical drive connector

Activities

One.

Determine the operating system of your computer. Go to Start > Computer > Right click > Properties, and look for ‘Windows edition’

Two.

Create flash cards for the terminology and connectors covered in these chapters, then test yourself!

Other posts in the A+ Certification for Librarians series:

The Exam

Mar 30

A+ Certification for Librarians: The Exam

What is A+ Certification?

According to the CompTIA website, “The CompTIA A+ certification is the starting point for a career in IT. The exam covers maintenance of PCs, mobile devices, laptops, operating systems and printers.”

More specifically, certification is confered after successful passage of two exams, 220-701 and 220-702, or 220-801 and 220-802, depending on when you schedule your exam. The 700 series is being offered until August 31, 2013 and covers Windows 2000, XP and Vista. The 800 series is an updated version of the exam which covers Windows 7 as well as tablet and mobile operating systems. The 701/801 exam covers the essentials, while the 702/802 covers practical applications of computer repair.

Each test is 90 minutes and includes 90-100 questions, with a varying passing grade of 75-78%, depending on the test section and version. Because the test is computerized, you’ll find out your score on the same day. The test costs $183 per section, for a total of $366 for certification.

Why should you get certified?

IT certifications are a great option for librarians who have an interest in or currently deal with technology. If your career aspirations lean toward jobs with ‘emerging technology’, ‘systems’, ‘UXD’, ‘web’, or ‘automation’, but most of your knowledge come from job experience or you are “self taught”, certifications can be a great way to add credibility to your resume.

A+ is a great broad-spectrum certification to start with, and CompTIA’s other certifications all use it as a foundation. You could go straight to Cisco for networking or Microsoft for OS-specific certifications, but if you’re looking for something applicable across a variety of operating environments, A+ is a good choice.

Why should you think twice before being certified?

Think twice before going for A+ Certification if you’re not willing to keep up with the continuing education requirements. Every three years you will be required to pay a $75 recertification fee and log 20 continuing education credits. These can be earned in a variety of ways, including:

Achieve certification in another area offered by CompTIA (20 credits)
Participate in a CompTIA or other IT training program (1 credit each, maximum 16 in a 3 year period)
Complete college courses (10 credits per 3-4 credit hour course, 10 credits maximum in a 3 year period)
Teach (2 credits per preparation hour and 1 credit per instruction hour, 10 credits maxiumum in a 3 year period)
Present (2 credits per preparation hour and 1 credit per presentation hour, 10 credits maximum in a 3 year period)
Attend presentations, events, seminars, conferences, etc. (1 credit per hour, 4 credits maximum in a 3 year period)
Work experience (3 credits per year, 9 credits maximum in a 3 year period)
Publish articles or blog posts (4 credits per article, 1 credit per blog post, 8 credits maximum in a 3 year period)

This can be a lot to commit to, in terms of both time and money, but if you are dedicated to making IT a focus in your career, chances are good that you will be doing at least some of these things anyway. (And $75 every three years over the course of a 30 year career is less than $1,000… how much did you pay for your MLIS, again?)

Certification Process

CompTIA certification exams take place at authorized testing centers across the country. Here are the steps you’ll need to take to register for your exam:

Choose whether you will take the 700 or 800 series (remember, if you choose the 700 series you must pass BOTH exams before August 31st)
Decide how much study time you will need – Mike Meyers, author of the All-in-One CompTIA A+ Certification Exam Guide, recommends anywhere from 60 hours for experienced technicians to 200 hours for “newbies”
Go to the PearsonVUE website and search for a testing center in your area
Sign up for a PearsonVUE account to register for your exams; you’ll receive a confirmation email within a few hours
Use the calendar on the PearsonVue website (the link will be emailed to you) to decide on dates and times
Pay up – remember to check with your employer, who may offer discounts on the exams
Get studying! Don’t forget to take practice exams!

Mar 25

Feedly as Google Reader Replacement

If you have used the Internet at all in the past couple of weeks, you know Google is giving Reader the axe on July 1st, and no one is happy about it. Except maybe all the other RSS reader websites and applications vying to pick up Google Reader’s disillusioned ex-users. I tested quite a few of them myself, and for those wishing to replace Google Reader with something that is as close to Google Reader as possible, I highly recommend Feedly.

Pros

Free Android app (iPhone app seems to be in beta, will cost $2.99) with side-swiping functionality, visually similar to gReader app
Browser compatibility with Firefox or Chrome
Log in with Google account to instantly transfer all your feeds
Customizable, including folders, tags, display options
Discovering new blogs using the search bar is much easier than in Google Reader
So far I haven’t found anything I liked to do in Google Reader that I can’t do in Feedly

Cons

Not Internet Explorer-compatible
Graphics-centered, whereas Google Reader was more utilitarian – this takes a little getting used to

Bonus: Edwin the CEO sent me a welcome email after I joined. It was a nice personal touch to win over the hearts of those aforementioned jilted Google Reader users, plus the email included Tips for Google Readers migrating to Feedly.

Kaylin Boehme

writer – librarian – nerd

Author Archives: Kaylin

Sweet Librarian has run its course!

Uh oh, Spaghetti-o’s!

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A+ Certification for Librarians: The Exam

Feedly as Google Reader Replacement