Welcome to the Laptop Lab homepage

What classes can I take? Find out at the ACPL Events calendar.

What is a Laptop Lab? The Laptop Lab is a mobile lab consisting of nine Dell laptops. They are used to hold classes that will help library patrons master computer-related skills. It can be used both in and outside of library walls.

What do I need to know to take these classes? Prerequisites for classes will be posted at the calendar.

If you have any other questions regarding the use of the Lab, you may e-mail Pamela Martin-Diaz at pmartin@acpl.info


The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. Its mission is to grow and sustain a “Nation of Learners” because life-long learning is essential to a democratic society and individual success. Through its grant making, convenings, research and publications , the Institute empowers museums and libraries nationwide to provide leadership and services to enhance learning in families and communities, sustain cultural heritage, build twenty-first-century skills, and increase civic participation. To learn more about the Institute, please visit: http://www.imls.gov

PowerPoint Basics

Prerequisite:
Computer Fundamentals, using point and click.

Click here for an introduction video to PowerPoint.

PowerPoint 2007
PowerPoint 2007 is the presentation graphics software in the Microsoft 2007 Office Suite. With PowerPoint, you can use its easy-to-use predefined layouts, themes, or templates to create dynamic and professional presentations.

PowerPoint 2003
PowerPoint 2002 , also known as PowerPoint XP.
PowerPoint 2000

Once complete, you can learn PowerPoint Tricks to create visually stunning presentations.

How to Airbrush like a Professional

Goal:
We'll improve a picture digitally, airbrushing using a typical photo manipulation interface. From this practice you'll learn basic skills for image manipulation.
Class requirements:

1. Basic understanding of windows point and click.
2. Pain.net installed.
3. A picture you want to improve manually.

The following guide is courtesy of Lindsay Korsen from the Paint.net forums where you can learn even more and post what you have done.

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By popular demand, (and explicit force) I will download the whole tutorial here...step by step.

Only because I love paint.net and this community so much, and I have been a guilty lurker for so long.

So basically this tutorial will let you edit photos of people in high quality. The example photo is a pretty low quality, but the same process applies for all pictures.

For example, you can go from this picture:



to this



using the same process.

Oh, and P.S. before you start insulting the model, it's me.


Start up your Paint.net program, pick a picture, and get ready to learn!

STEP ONE:



STEP TWO:



STEP THREE:



STEP FOUR:



STEP FIVE:



STEP SIX:



STEP SEVEN:



STEP EIGHT:



STEP NINE:



STEP TEN:



STEP ELEVEN:



STEP TWELVE:



STEP THIRTEEN:



halfway there...

STEP FOURTEEN:



STEP FIFTEEN:



STEP SIXTEEN:



STEP SEVENTEEN:



STEP EIGHTEEN:



STEP NINETEEN:



STEP TWENTY:



STEP TWENTY-ONE:



STEP TWENTY-TWO:



STEP TWENTY-THREE:



STEP TWENTY-FOUR:



STEP TWENTY-FIVE:



STEP TWENTY-SIX:



Have fun with this. I edit EVERY good picture I find. It's addicting.

Post your creations! I'd love to see them!

PowerPoint Tricks

Prerequisites:
PowerPoint Basics

Here are example slide effects with instructions. If you are leading a group or studying on your own, and want to download the tutorials, click here for direct links to the power point files.

First you may want to view an introduction to Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007. There will be some features that can't be used in older versions, but it is important to learn what is out there now.

Reproduction instructions are included so that you can customize the slides to your preference.

How do you get started with MySpace?

You must be age 13.

On MySpace you share your profile, photos, blogs, and messages with a fast-growing network of people connected to you by your friends.

The first thing to do is to invite your friends -- then when they invite their friends you'll all be connected!


Click Here: Invite Friends


Terms of Use

Privacy Policy

Link to FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions:
http://www.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=misc.faq



Back to School--Find your Classmates on MySpace !

Be sure to add your school to your MySpace page if you haven't done so yet! It's an easy way to find your friends on MySpace, since it has a fully searchable school section.

Click here to add your school.

College Students--Grade your Professor!

MySpace has a very handy feature for college students called "Grade your Professor"-- this helps students find the best professors on campus. You can read reviews, or add your own. Just add your school and go to the schools page, by clicking the name of the school on your profile, or from your homepage click in the "view my:" dropdown under your name to see your schools.

You can also schools or visit schools you have already added from the main schools page. Click here for the schools page!


Terms of Use

Privacy Policy


Activate MySpace on your Mobile: http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vcHJvZmlsZWVkaXQubXlzcGFjZS5jb20vaW5kZXguY2ZtP2Z1c2VhY3Rpb249YWNjb3VudFNldHRpbmdzLm1vYmlsZQ==

Profile 2.0 Users:
We now have three new modules you should know about:

Status & Mood: Lets you display your status & mood history on your profile (up to 50 past posts)

Activities: Lets you show your recent activities on your profile (photos & videos uploaded, apps you've added, etc.)

Post Comment: Display a "comment box" to make it easier for your friends to leave you comments

To add these modules, choose “Customize Profile” from the Profile menu. Once the editor has loaded, click the “Modules” icon on the far left and you'll see a list of modules available for 2.0. Just click a module and it will be added or removed from your profile. You can drag & drop them and customize them like any other module.

MySpace has just launched support for maiden names where you can enter your maiden name, keep your new married name, and still have all of your friends find you.

All you have to do is fill in your maiden name here.

While you’re filling in your maiden name, you can also add alternative email addresses and Instant Messaging handles that people can use to find you as well.

How to make a resume: step-by-step, with Microsoft Word.

Here are the handouts. These are useful to have for students as they wait for class to start.

Here’s your desktop, click the Start Button:

Open up Microsoft Word. You may have to find it by clicking on the start button. Then look under the menus of All Programs / Microsoft office / MS Word.

MS Word opens up to its main interface. It should look like the following picture. Below is the 2003 version which is the familiar interface for most public terminals found at your local library.

Start a new document by clicking on the menu File / New … On your far right, a task pane will open with options to select your template’s location. Click on the 2nd option, “On my computer…”

Your available templates pop up:

Click on the Other Documents tab then on Resume Wizard, and OK.

When the Resume Wizard opens, click Next:

You can click any style you want. But for this guide, we use Elegant. Click next when ready.

Choose the type of resume to use. One way to do that is to choose the resume format that best highlights your experience, education, and skills. Let’s help you pick.

The Chronological Resume

The most commonly used resume format is the chronological resume. On a chronological resume, your work history is listed by job title beginning with your current or most recent job.

The chronological resume works best for job seekers who:

• want to showcase a steady employment history
• are looking for a position that matches or logically progresses from previous jobs
• are seeking a conventional position, such as an office clerk, accountant, or teacher

The Functional Resume

A less popular resume format among recruiters and hiring staff, the functional resume highlights your skills without revealing the dates associated with your job history. The functional resume minimizes specific job titles and eliminates dates of employment , while emphasizing your abilities and skills by placing them in functional skill categories.

The functional resume works well if you:

• Have worked lots of different jobs or possess very diverse skills
• Have skills that relate to the position, but not a lot of previous work experience in the field
• Have gaps in employment history, are a recent graduate, or are changing careers
• Are a mature worker who wants to de-emphasize your age

The Combination Resume.

You can combine the two previous types. The combination resume format combines the functional and chronological formats. It includes functional skill categories, but also lists the dates of previous employment.

This format works well for job seekers who:

• may have obtained the required skills from seemingly unrelated industries or jobs
• are trying to change careers and want to emphasize transferable skills
• have had a steady work history

To learn more in greater detail, including examples, please visit the GCFLearnfree.org's resume types. To review, the most common is Chronological, highlighting steady employment history and if all your previous employment is related to the position being sought. Functional highlights your skills even if in unrelated job and for those with gaps in their employment history, recently graduated, or changing career directions. For most people’s use, the entry level is where you want to start. Once you choose, click Next.

So look now, we are half-way done with the wizard! Here, we fill in your contact information.

What Contact Information Should You Include?

You probably already know that your contact information -- which includes your name, address, phone number, and email address -- should always appear at the top of your resume, regardless of which resume format you use.

But did you know that some employers actually use the contact information section to screen out undesirable candidates? They may pass you over if you live in another part of the country, to avoid paying relocation costs. Or they may form a negative opinion about you if your contact information is inappropriate in some way. A lot of hiring managers today will even use this information to search for you on popular social networking sites to see what is posted about you.

So what should you include to make sure your resume doesn't get eliminated?

INSTRUCTIONS: Roll over each highlighted component of the contact information section on the interactive resume below to explore tips for what to include or not include in your contact information.

1. Your first and last name are expected to appear at the top of your resume. Enter your Name in place of [FirstName I. LastName], keeping the following in mind:

   • The middle initial is optional. Include it if that is how you are known in your field or if your name is fairly common and you want to distinguish yourself from other job candidates with the same name
   • You can use your given first name (Elizabeth, e.g.) or your shortened first name (Liz or Beth, e.g.)
   • Don't use a nickname, especially one that can lead someone to form an opinion about you. (Ace or Dizz, for example)

2. You are also expected to include a home address on your resume. Type it in, by:

   • Entering your House number and street name in place of [#### Street Name], your city and your state abbreviation in place of [City, ST], and your five digit zip code in place of [ZipCode].
   • Consider using your complete state name if your state abbreviation is easily confused with another, like MO, MS, and MT

3. Enter the digits of the phone number you have decided to use in place of [(###)###-####]. Your home, work, mobile/cell phone numbers are all acceptable to use. However, when thinking about which number to include, consider these things:

   • It is acceptable to include more than one telephone number.
   • Make sure you have a reliable (as well as appropriate and polite) message system or message taker if you cannot answer the phone yourself.
   • Make sure the number you include is one on which you can actually take calls as they come in. Your current work phone number is not a good choice if your employer does not allow personal calls, or if you don't want them to know you are looking for another job.
   • You will want to check your messages regularly during your job search, so make sure the number you include will be accessible to you.

4. In this digital age, it is becoming increasingly expected that you include an email address on your resume. Not only does it show that you are tech savvy, it also gives the hiring manager a very easy way to get in touch with you. But make sure it is an appropriate email address before you enter it in place of [email@emailprovider.com]:

   • Use a conventional email address (firstname.lastname@email.com), not one with an inappropriate connotation (like bootyman24_7@email.com)
   • During your job search, you will need to check your email regularly so you don't miss an opportunity.
   • If you don't have an email account, there are many free online providers (like Yahoo! and Gmail) that you can access at your local library or internet cafe.
   If you don’t have an email address, click here to help setup an email address, send a message, and attach your resume and send a message. Click Next when you have completed entering your contact information.

Let’s choose which main headings we want in our resume:

You can remove these later, but it’s easiest to add them now. Remember, you want to put your best foot forward, but you don’t want to have a 3+ page phone book for your future boss to read. Choose what’s relevant for the specific job you are applying for. Good practice: You can select more than less for now, and delete later to custom fit for each resume app. Next, you also have some optional headings.

Anytime, during this wizard if you remember something you forgot to do, you can go backwards and add them; once you click Finish on the wizard, you’ll have to make changes manually. Don't worry -- we will walk through how to manually edit after the wizard does its magic!

If there’s information that is not included in the wizard, you can add it here. Try to make sure it will help you get the job you are looking for.

Let’s take a look at our new file. Let’s save it before anything happens. Click File, then Save in a place you trust. Your desktop is fine for now, but use a USB thumb drive if you have one.

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You’ve got your resume! Now let’s add some flesh to these bones. First, go to Objectives and click on it to highlight it.
Just for practice, type in “To get a job.” We’ll revise this part later.

Next, let’s fill in your qualifications:

To help keep the formatting and alignment, let’s see the Gridlines on the table. Click on the menu Table, then Show Gridlines. You can turn them off anytime just by doing the prior steps again.

Now we can see the hidden lines that keep the page aligned and your resume impressive:

Fill in your information by following the select-and-type method. After clicking on where you want to input your information, type over it and delete the unnecessary pre-format marks. Highlight the text you are editing. Repeat this for the rest of the form. Note to presenter: walk through these steps on the screen for all to see.

Then type in your dates. Repeat for the next field, and so on:
Do the same click-and-type method for the Company name:

Click-and-type. If you mess up, there’s the undo button at the top. It’s right next to the redo button. (It can remember multiple undo’s, but it can not undo an old history after a new course of action.)

Fill in your City:
Fill in your degree: Look at how great things are going, in the following examples. How do I add another school experience? Or How do I add a second or third job? First highlight the whole section you wish to copy, by click-and-drag the mouse over the whole section. Next, copy and paste. You can use the menus above or the right click to do the copy and paste function. Fill the Fill the rest out accordingly. Save often! Look at Look how awesome your whole page is!

There's one more thing that needs to be fixed. See it? If you were a hiring agent, (maybe your new boss if you impressed her,) would you interview this person? Consider revising the Objective, perhaps like the following. It may take some soul searching, but your first impressions will be worth it. For example, take a look at the following link:

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Then save it manually, often, because automatic-save can be trusted too much.

Print out. Use thicker resume paper but nothing too fancy.

Great, you’re done! Click here to help setup an email address, send a message, and attach your resume and send a message.

Now you have a resume page that represents you and helps your prospective bosses see if you fit their business. Turn your good resume into a great one, by visiting “How to Get that Job” with tips also on writing a cover letter and interviewing.

Now that you have a resume to turn in on hard copy, you can make a web presence for yourself quickly. Sign into Google Docs, then upload your saved file or create one from Google Docs templates. Then when ready, click on share and save that link to place in e-mails, web pages, blogs, anywhere you can. Because your special formatting is not easily kept, make sure it looks right using different screen sizes and different computers if possible.