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Author Archives: Andrew Sherman
If your Library needs new Windows 11 PCs, Black Friday/Cyber Monday is a great time to buy them!
Dell’s Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals are looking to be the best among the major PC vendors at this time. Dell PCs also have a drive cloning feature built into their BIOS that I love to use. It makes configuring multiple PCs or fixing a malfunctioning PC very quick and easy.
$400 Slim Tower Desktop PC (Great deal!):
This Desktop PC has a generation older (13th gen) processor and only 8gb of memory at this low price. However, it’s a much cheaper to add a second $40 memory DIMM later if you think it needs a performance boost after having it in use.
$550 Full-size Tower PC:
My favorites are these space saving, high performance Micro Desktop PCs:
$600 (Great deal!): https://www.bestbuy.com/product/lenovo-ideacentre-mini-desktop-intel-core-7-processor-240h-16gb-memory-512gb-ssd-luna-grey/JJGSH8CC9T
$400 Laptop PC with 15” Screen (Great deal!):
This laptop PC has a generation older (13th gen) processor at this low price. Laptops make a great Staff PC! You can easily connect a full-size keyboard, mouse, and second monitor to them for use at a desk. Their portability lets them be used throughout the library for doing inventory and programs. Their built in battery keeps them working during power outages.
If the library wants new, larger 27” monitors for the desktop PCs, this a good deal:
https://www.amazon.com/acer-Monitor-Adaptive-Sync-FreeSync-Compatible/dp/B0D9MK23S7
This monitor comes with a HDMI video cable too! If the library wants to save some money and continue using their older monitors with new PCs, you will likely need to order new video cables. If you send me a picture of the video ports on the old monitor, I can help you select the correct video cable.
I am happy to assist with the configuration and installation of new PCs purchased by the library. If you will want my assistance, please contact me prior to ordering them. Depending on the quantity the library is ordering, I may request that they be shipped directly to me. This allows me to get the PCs almost fully configured in the lab which saves me hours of time when I am onsite at the library to finish their installation.
The NLC also has limited Medica grant funds available for the purchase of DeepFreeze reboot/restore software. Reboot/restore software should be installed on all Patron/Public PCs to protect the PCs from malware and the privacy of the patrons who use them.
Andrew “Sherm” Sherman
Library Technology Support Specialist
Nebraska Library Commission
402-471-4559
Posted in General, Library Management, Technology
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NLC Technology News: Is Microsoft extending the EOL (End Of Life) Oct 2025 date for Windows 10?
Last Tuesday, did Microsoft actually announce they were extending the EOL (End Of Life) date for Windows 10 that some news outlets have reported? Sort of. What Microsoft announced was a couple of new options for individuals to be part of the Extended Security Updates for Windows 10 program that will run until Oct 2026.
For individuals: An enrollment wizard will be available through notifications and in Settings, making it easy to enroll in ESU directly from your personal Windows 10 PC. Through the enrollment wizard, you’ll be able to choose from three options:
– Use Windows Backup to sync your settings to the cloud—at no additional cost.
– Redeem 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points—at no additional cost.
– Pay $30 USD (local pricing may vary).
The new options are to subscribe to Windows Backup or use Microsoft Rewards points. Unfortunately, none of these options will fully work for libraries. All three options require the PC to be logged into a Microsoft account to work. This is problematic for the patron/public PCs. Users of the patron/public PC would have full access to the Microsoft account being used. Having Windows Backup enabled means any changes made to Windows settings or files created on the PC will be retained. This defeats the purpose of reboot/restore software (DeepFreeze, SmartShield, CleanSlate, etc.) that cleans and secures the patron/public PC when it is rebooted.
For staff and personal Windows 10 PCs, enabling Windows Backup is a workable solution to get another year of secured use from a Windows 10 PC. I use this feature on my personal PCs since it’s a free and easy method for automatically backing them up.
If you have any questions about this or other technology, please contact me.
Andrew “Sherm” Sherman
Library Technology Support Specialist
Nebraska Library Commission
402-471-4559
Posted in Technology
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NLC Technology News: Free Microsoft Office 365 for libraries?
Does your library use Microsoft Office? If so, are you paying the annual $100+ subscription for Microsoft Office 365? If you are, you may want to take advantage of the free Microsoft 365 Business Basic licenses for a “Public library that provides general library services without charge to all residents of a given community, district or region.” This offer is good for up to 300 library staff! To enroll for this offer, the library will need to set up a Microsoft for Nonprofits account. If the library has purchased $40 Office Standard licenses through TechSoup recently, the creation of a Microsoft for Nonprofits account is part of this process.
It’s important to understand differences between Office 365 and Office Standard so the correct version is acquired for the right PCs. Office 365 is the subscription “cloud” version of the Office apps that allows access to them on any device the subscriber logs into with their Microsoft 365 account. Office Standard only has to be paid for once and is installed on a single PC and can only be used on that PC. Office Standard does not require the PC be logged into a Microsoft 365 account to be used making Office Standard the best choice for use on patron/public computers. Office 365 is best for computers used by library staff. The other nice feature of Microsoft 365 is the 1tb of OneDrive cloud storage provided to each user. OneDrive also make it easy for library staff to share their files with each other and back these files up.
If the library doesn’t need to have Office Standard on all of the patron/public PCs, the free and open source LibreOffice (formally OpenOffice) software suite is a good alternative. LibreOffice will also allow you to continue to edit Publisher files since Microsoft has dropped that app from their office suite.
If you have any questions about this or other technology, please contact me.
Andrew “Sherm” Sherman
Library Technology Support Specialist
Nebraska Library Commission
402-471-4559
It’s important to understand differences between Office 365 and Office Standard so the correct version is acquired for the right PCs. Office 365 is the subscription “cloud” version of the Office apps that allows access to them on any device the subscriber logs into with their Microsoft 365 account. Office Standard only has to be paid for once and is installed on a single PC and can only be used on that PC. Office Standard does not require the PC be logged into a Microsoft 365 account to be used making Office Standard the best choice for use on patron/public computers. Office 365 is best for computers used by library staff. The other nice feature of Microsoft 365 is the 1tb of OneDrive cloud storage provided to each user. OneDrive also make it easy for library staff to share their files with each other and back these files up.
If the library doesn’t need to have Office Standard on all of the patron/public PCs, the free and open source LibreOffice (formally OpenOffice) software suite is a good alternative. LibreOffice will also allow you to continue to edit Publisher files since Microsoft has dropped that app from their office suite.
If you have any questions about this or other technology, please contact me.
Andrew “Sherm” Sherman
Library Technology Support Specialist
Nebraska Library Commission
402-471-4559
Posted in Technology
Leave a comment
Microsoft is discontinuing Publisher!
Microsoft announced it is discontinuing Publisher in October 2026! Is anyone still using it? Most all of the libraries I’ve worked at/with use Canva for their flyers and handouts these days. If you own Office Standard, you will be able to continue to use the Publisher app it came with. If you have an Office365 subscription, you will lose access to Publisher.
If you were or are an Office365 Publisher user, Microsoft recommends converting your *.pub files by opening and saving them as Adobe *.pdf files before the October 2026 EOL (End-of-Life). Unfortunately, you will lose the ability to easily edit the converted *.pdf file using this method. I did some experimenting and LibreOffice Draw is a good alternative if you have Office365 and Publisher files you want to continue working with past the Publisher October 2026 EOL.
Andrew “Sherm” Sherman
Library Technology Support Specialist
Microsoft has released Office 2024!
Microsoft released Office 2024 in October! If your library is purchasing Office licenses, make sure you’re getting Office 2024.
For library computers, I recommend Office 2024 Standard. The best price I can currently find for it is $125 at Techsoup. Amazon has it for $150. Techsoup’s $40 license for Computer Lab (for Patron/Public, not Staff) computers is currently out of stock. I’m hoping Techsoup’s $40 Computer Lab license will be available again in 2025. I don’t recommend purchasing Microsoft’s Software Assurance for Office.
Do not purchase Office 365 for use on Patron/Public computers since it requires a Microsoft login for use. Office 365 is an option for computers used by library staff. I recommend Office Standard for all library computers since it can be installed locally on the computers, doesn’t require a Microsoft login to use it once it’s activated, and there are no ongoing annual subscription fees.
If your library can’t or doesn’t want to pay for Microsoft Office, you may want to consider installing the free and open source LibreOffice (formally OpenOffice) software suite.
If you need any assistance with purchasing and/or installing Office, please contact me.
Andrew “Sherm” Sherman
Library Technology Support Specialist
Nebraska Library Commission
Posted in Pretty Sweet Tech, Technology
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DNS filtering solution for Nebraska’s public libraries
The Nebraska Library Commission (NLC) is pleased to announce it is now offering a DNS filtering solution to Nebraska’s public libraries. This solution will provide the Internet filtering technology required for E-Rate CIPA compliance. Even if your library is not utilizing E-Rate, this versatile solution can also provide cybersecurity protection for your library’s computers and customers. The NLC will cover the expense of this service and assist with its implementation.
On July 26th at 10:00am (CDT), Andrew “Sherm” Sherman, will be doing an NCompass Live! Presentation on DNS filtering. You can register for this presentation at:
http://nlc.nebraska.gov/scripts/calendar/eventshow.asp?ProgID=22997
For questions about this solution and implementing it at your library, please contact:
Andrew “Sherm” Sherman
Library Technology Support Specialist
Nebraska Library Commission
andrew.sherman@nebraska.gov
402-471-4559
800-307-2665
Posted in Broadband Buzz, Pretty Sweet Tech, Technology
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