News from the WRHS Library Media Center April 2014 | Page 2

        Spotlight This Month’s Spotlight: What’s a USB?    We  all  use  USBs,  but  how  many  of  you  actually  know  what   0t a  USB  is?  USB  stands  for  “Universal  Serial  Bus,”  where   a  “bus”  is  an  electrical  pathway  along  which  power   signals  and  data  are  sent  from  one  part  of  a  computer   to  another.  USB  was  created  to  standardize  the  connections  between  computers  and  all   sorts  of  useful  external  devices,  such  as  mice,  keyboards,  and  jump  drives.  USB  was   designed  for  other  low  to  mid-­‐speed  peripheral  devices,  too,  such  as  printers,  headsets,  lamps,  and  most   other  practical  extras  you  might  need  or  want  to  use  your  computer  more  efficiently.  Now,  USB  is  also  used   for  other  electronic  devices  such  as  smartphones,  GPS  systems,  and  gaming  consoles.                    USB  is  easy  to  use,  flexible,  and  easily  expandable—you  can  daisy-­‐chain  up  to  127   devices  from  one  port!  In  other  words,  you  can  connect  127  USB  devices,  each  one  off  the   last  (like  a  mouse  off  a  keyboard),  and  they  will  all  work.  As  a  bonus,  unlike  older  port   technologies,  USB  devices  are  ready-­‐to-­‐use  as  soon  as  you  plug  them  in,  with  no  computer   reboot  necessary;  the  computer  will  automatically  recognize  any  USB  device  as  soon  as  it  is   plugged-­‐in  or  added  to  the  chain.                  When  you  use  a  computer  in  the  Library  Media  Center,  you  will  need  a  portable  USB  drive  (also   called  a  “thumb  drive,”  “flash  drive,”  “jump  drive,”  or  “memory  stick”)  if  you  choose  not  to  use  Google   Drive,  but  still  wish  to  save  your  work.  In  an  effort  to  maintain  user  privacy  while  keeping  the   computers  running  as  efficiently  as  possible,  we  do  not  allow  saving  files  to  the  computers’  local  hard   drives.  Any  files  saved  to  computers  may  be  deleted.  By  saving  your  work  to  a  USB  drive,  you  keep  your   work  with  you,  and  ensure  that  it  will  be  the re  when  you  need  it.  Questions?  See  Mrs.  Stern  in  the  LMC.                                                               Remember! Did you know? Library Media Center Policies The WRHS Library Media Center is a strictly food, beverage, and gum-free zone. When you visit the library, please leave all water bottles, drinks, snacks, and gum in your locker or your bag. This policy helps keep the computers safe from damage, and our space clean and free of vermin. …that  you  can  request  books  to  add  to  the   library’s  collection?  Look  for  the  wooden  box   on  the  front  desk.  Drop  in  your  fiction,  non-­‐ fiction,  author,  and/or  subject  requests!       April  is  National  Poetry  Month!     Which  U.S.  President  signed  the  proclamation  to  make  April   National  Poetry  Month?     Students,   when you visit the LMC, please remember to sign-in at the front desk. The sign-in clipboard is right in front of the check-out computer. We ask that you sign-in during the school day and after school, but not in the morning before the first bell.            Each   month,   the   library   newsletter   will   feature   a   trivia   question.   Students   who   answer   the   question   correctly   will   be   entered   into   a   raffle  at  the  end  of  the  school  year  for  an  iTunes  or  Amazon  gift  card.   Please   note!   You   must   indicate   where   you   found   the   answer   (book,   database,   website,   etc.),   or   your   answer   will   not   be   considered   complete.  No  Google,  please—too  easy!  Why  not  try  one  of  the  many   fantastic  resources  in  the  LMC?  bit.ly/WRHSLMCresearch   About the WRHS Library Media Center     Contact Information Hours (unless otherwise noted)  Monday-­‐Thursday  7:00am-­‐3:30pm   Friday  7:00am-­‐2:10pm     Mrs.  Alana  Stern,  Teacher-­‐Librarian       Mrs.  Deb  Flynn,  Library  Assistant       Mrs.  Rita  Irving,  Library  Assistant       wrhslibrary.weebly.com                @WRHS_LMC           [email protected]       [email protected]         [email protected]   ✆      ext.    1664  (office)   ✆      ext.    1627  (front  desk)