Working in a library means people will ask you questions about their technology problems. You may be fully trained and ready to answer anything people throw at you, but a lot of us are not fully ready to be a tech troubleshooter. So we are going to look at a few basics. When you are trying to fix things, you can start here with these steps.

• Turn it off and back on. It’s surprising how often that works, no matter what the problem is – hardware or software.
• Check to see if things are plugged in. If there is a plug in the device, check that. Then check the other end to be sure it’s actually plugged into an outlet.
• Pause here. Is your device plugged into a power-strip? Be sure that’s plugged too, and that it’s turned on.
• If a program or an app is open, turn everything off. If the cursor isn’t responding, see if your mouse needs a new battery.
• Are you getting an error message? Write it down – letters and numbers – and then Google it.  You can find out a bunch of good information, and maybe just what you need to solve your problem right here.

After that, then try Googling the symptoms of the problem. You might not be able to fix everything with these steps, but they will help you to at least ensure you let your patrons know that you are doing everything you can to help them solve their problems!

Have you checked out the classes on Lynda.com? How about classes on coursera.org? Edx.org? There are a lot of free sources for learning more about technology! Try out some classes, or some training, so you are ready to solve your tech issues, and to help your patrons!