Technical Difficulties

So, remember when I was talking about the "Big Brain" computer in "Desk Set"? Well, I'd like to ramble a little bit about the blessings and curses of modern day technology for a bit.

Our school library circulation system is computerized, as are most libraries these days, I suppose. Every book we own is in the computer by barcode. Every student and faculty member has an account. The computer remembers who has what and when it is due.

Last week the server crashed. The server is our "big brain" that stores all this information. Now we don't know who has what. There are over 3000 students in our school. The last day before summer break is 24 school days away. Hundreds of books are currently who knows where. The tech guys (including my hubby) did their best to extract the information but to no avail. We are technically, "s.o.l."

We were able to re-establish the system and re-enter all the students, but the information on the books now dates back to last year. All the seniors who graduated are now back in the system. All book check-out information and fines from last year are back on the computer as current information. Sigh.

Now we get to spend our time pulling up old records, deleting all fines, starting fresh accounts, while putting on the face of "we know what we are doing". Good times.

Dennis and I have decided to start a "bring back your books for free" campaign. We have toyed with the idea of offering candy to students who bring back their books. This is probably not in school policy, but in the interest of getting our books back in a time when we have no budget to buy replacements, hey, what's a little rampant sugar abuse?

Wish us luck.

The other technological fun I had this week was when I subbed for the copy guy, Mike, when he was at a district meeting all day yesterday. We have 3 copiers in the back room. Two are pretty basic and students and staff are allowed to use them. The third is named Xena and very few elite members get to touch her. I am one of the elite. She is awesome, spewing forth papers like crazy. Until there is a jam and everything shuts down. Her digital moniter shows where to look to get all the errant papers out, but considering the papers are racing through her system at a million miles an hour (literally), there are a lot of papers in a lot of spots that are stuck and Xena won't finish your order until you get them all out.

(Here's me and Xena. What I am holding is a magnet of the TV Xena Warrior Princess.)

At one point, Xena was swearing that there were papers stuck inside her, even though I thought I had checked all her hidey holes and one of the other copiers was down, and there were 6 students waiting to use the 3rd, (and only working) machine. Let me tell you, my body heat went WAY up at this point. Nothing like being sprawled out on the floor, opening this door and that, moving this lever and another one over there, searching for papers like unwanted Easter Eggs, while a bunch of "cooler than you" kids watch. I had to step out, put my hair up, take a big swig of water, murmur my mantra of peace, then move on. I put forth into the universe the picture of all the machines working again, and eventually, they were. Phew. Was sure glad when Mike got back!