2009 Unit 1 Publications

Unit 1 Publications Spring 2009

One of the most common tasks a client will come in to do is print, and often times, the client has emailed the document to him or herself. Most of time the client just opens his/her file, prints it, and is on his/her way. Sometimes, though, especially when a client is in a hurry, he or she will open a document in Office and something weird will happen (i.e. – characters aren’t showing up correctly, formatting is messed up, images appear black or don’t appear at all, etc). A lot of the time you can come up with a good reason this is happening and solve the problem, but occasionally, what’s happening just doesn’t make sense and the client was supposed to be in class to turn in their homework 5 minutes ago. This is where Google Docs can come in handy. If you notice the client downloaded the file from Gmail, try opening it in Google Docs. More often than not, it’ll just magically work and if it doesn’t, it’s more evidence that the problem is with the file itself and not the programs in our labs.

Helping a Client With A Mysterious File Occasionally a client comes up to you and says something along the lines of “I’m having trouble opening x file.” You proceed to ask them what kind of file they are trying to open but they either tell you a program you’ve never heard of or they aren’t sure what program should open the file either. Luckily Google can help you deal with this. If they tell you the program and it’s not a program in our labs, quickly Google it and see if it’s free to download and if it can be installed without restarting the computer. If so, direct them to the webpage to install the program and offer to assist them installing it. If they aren’t sure what kind of file they have, go take a look and find out what kind of file extension is at the end of the file (a file extension is the suffix at the end of the filename that tells the computer how the file is encoded, for example Microsoft Excel 2007 Documents have the file extension .xlsx). Once you find the file extension you can either just Google the extension and see what pops up or refer to http://filext.com/, which allows you to search for a particular file extension and returns useful information about which programs can open it.

Another simple and important thing to remember about file extensions is the difference between Office 2003 and Office 2007. In office 2007 an x is added to all the traditional extensions from Office 2003.

Thus a word document from 2007 would be .docx instead of just .doc.

This is important because while our labs have Office 2007 and thus can open both Office 2003 and Office 2007 documents, many clients still have Office 2003 and will not be able to open files saved in our lab at home. So, if a client ever comes up to you asking why a file they saved in the lab wouldn’t open at home make sure to first check what version of office they have and how they saved it. If this is the problem, tell them it can easily be fixed simply by going to save as and choosing the 97-2003 compatible option. Also, if a client is ever in a situation where don’t have access to our computers and need to convert a .docx to a .doc file they can go to http://www.docx2doc.com/.

How to Stay Occupied on Shift Working 2+ hours can get draining, especially when you have nothing to do. However, there are a couple solutions to that problem.

The smartest and best answer would be to do homework. However, I am aware that this is usually the most dreaded solution.

Work + Homework = no fun, but, it would make the most of your time at work and would kill two birds with one stone. So for those times when you need a little entertainment break, there is always online shopping. Online shopping probably isn’t the greatest idea, but it can be the most entertaining. You can always go to websites that show recent deals/bargains: www.slickdeals.net or www.fatwallet.com to kill some time. Another option is news websites; www.cnn.com. Reading the news can be boring at times, but it is a good way to keep up with what’s going on in the world and might as well do it when you’re on a computer for multiple hours. I have found these three options to be the most efficient way to use my time at work. Enjoy!

Keeping Calm Under Pressure Have you ever walked into work in a horrible mood, hoping, wishing that you will not have a confrontation with a bad client? Days like these consist of staring strenuously at the clock as though your eyes will somehow make the time pass a little bit faster. Of course none of your wishes come true on a bad day.

You walk into work and immediately have a waitlist on your hands. For some reason, your bad day is filled with paper jams, impatient clients, obnoxious students who do not understand the concept of “do not try to fix the computer yourselves because you will only make it worse,” and on top of everything, there is that one client ready to pull the last straw. But don’t crack. There is a very easy tool to help you deal with this situation in a rational and patient manner: humor. Tension can always be relieved by humor, but the beauty in the craft comes when a consultant can both enliven his or her day as well as the clients’.

Clients in general are very friendly to consul tants, however, there are always those occasions when a client (client 1) has a paper due that day, has printed it five minutes before it is due, and suddenly runs into a paper jam. You, the consultant, are busy helping another client (client 2) print from a PDF file. Client 1 approaches you, frustrated and angry at the situation yet prepared to use you as the punching bag with her complains. In this instance, client 2 probably feels uncomfortable and threatened as client 1 badgers you to help her. This is when the jokes should start following in your brain. The humor here should be forwarded to client 2 in order to make him feel less awkward. Your job does not require you to ensure that students get their papers in class on time; that is their job and client 1’s mis take for leaving it for the last five minutes. However, we have all been in that situation and a little help from you can determine if her paper makes it on time. After you hurriedly, yet calmly, finish up with client 2, you should head over to the printer and fix the paper jam. In this situation, do not use humor until the paper is printed and stapled because the client is under a lot of pressure. However, keep a smile on your face and use your humor on yourself.

A lot of times, our day gets ruined because of some one else’s bad mood. Therefore, make jokes in your

one else’s bad mood. Therefore, make jokes in your head about the situation. Find the silliness in it and keep it to yourself to prevent yourself from becoming angry and frustrated like the client. At the same time, keep your composure in front of the client until she leaves.

Working at Café can be stressful sometimes, but it is mostly a calm working environment with little to no sound, except that of the keyboards. It should not be a place you dread going to but instead a place that you can escape to, away from your roommates, away from your relation ship issues, etc. Therefore, it is so impor tant to make sure that no matter what hap pens in the work day or what problems you encounter you keep in mind that it is not the end of the world. Keeping a positive attitude and adding a little spice of humor will always keep you on your toes and ready to take on your day.

Roaming Consultants are required to roam regularly to help keep the facilities clean and to monitor policy violations.

Although this sounds like a fairly innocent task, at times clients may look uneasy or uncomfortable that you are checking their workspace and looking at their computer screens. We don't want our clients to feel like we're spying on them; however, we cannot forfeit doing our job for the sake of their comfort. In my experience, clients seem to be a lot more at ease when you roam while focusing on tidying up the lab. This includes pushing in chairs, rearranging headphone cords, straightening up monitors, etc. While taking care of these tasks, use your peripheral vision to look at the client's monitors and workspaces. Unfortunately there will be times when the labs are completely full and you can't tidy up the lab in the ways described above; however, looking happy and approachable can be very helpful and will/can greatly comfort the clients.

Tips as a new hire The best way to get comfortable with Cafe is by getting to know your fellow consultants.

There is nothing more awkward than sitting next to another consultant for several hours without even knowing his or her name. It can be a daunting task to work your first couple shifts, and you can help alleviate the intimidation factor by conversing with your coworkers. During your first few shifts, you will most likely be shifted with a more knowledgeable consultant, so you can take that opportunity to learn from them. Don't go into Cafe with a lone ranger consultant mentality – you won't learn if you do. Also, don't be afraid to ask questions! This may seem like a no-brainer, but we often forget how important it is to voice our confusion and concerns. Make sure to communicate with other consultants, your seniors, and the supes – they are there for you!

Paper trays It's a bit ironic. The paper trays on our printers have a line to indicate the maximum amount of paper we should put into the tray. However, when we fill paper to the specified line, the result is‌ paper jams! Of course there are other reasons why paper might jam in our printers, but one of the easiest and most effective ways to avoid the majority of paper jams is to fill the paper trays only about 2/3 of the way. You should be able to fit the width of your thumb between the paper level and the max line. So remember, less is more! It is actually fun to fill these paper trays while you roam! So if you put less paper, you can fill the paper trays more frequently and you will avoid horrific paper jams!

Also, this is just a good rule of thumb to follow so that clients won't have to wait for you to clear paper jams in order for them to get their print jobs. This has been a fairly frequent problem in our labs, so please help us keep our printers alive and happy by following this simple and easy guideline!

Troubleshooting Tips Even the most experienced and knowledgeable of us will run into troubleshooting questions that stump us. First and foremost, don't panic. If a client asks you a question that you don't know the answer to, don't look like you've just been defeated! Kindly tell the client that you will get back to him or her shortly and try asking the other consultant who is on duty with you. If he or she does not know, try to use the Help function on whatever program that the client is working with. If that does not work, try looking up troubleshooting methods online – for instance, Google or Yahoo search engines. Using keywords related to the issue often produce some decent results. You can also try using the cafe-staff website chat, sending out emails to the other staff members, and searching through past emails that other consultants send out.

The most crucial element of helping a client with troubleshooting questions is not necessarily getting them the right answer. It would be ideal if you could quickly and accurately answer the most obscure and difficult questions, but the more important thing is to be willing and show the client that you tried to help out to the best of your ability. That said, it would be very helpful to get familiar with the popular programs that are used on our computers. For instance, you should get to know how to use programs like MS Word, Powerpoint, and Excel if you don't know about them already. In addition, if you have never touched a Mac in your life, it might be a good idea to get familiar with that as well.

CAFE PUBLICATION April 15, 2009

“O No! I’m running late!” or “O I’d really like to pick up breakfast before I go into work but time is ticking!”

Perhaps if you live on College and Parker- it is not all that close to LSMF, TMF or EvMF and sometimes we can't always depend on the bus because there are delays and often times it gets packed. So we need to find the shortest and least excruciating trails to work. Since everyone comes from different locations, I can just give a word of advice. Watch out for the hills, there are plenty of ways we can get to the destination without having to climb up and down those hills For instance- from college, I find that the fastest way is to climb downward so I can save the last bit of energy for the sprint

W &MF Unit 1- The Advice Issue

into the buildings. Always try and go downward as your first option so that you can pick up the momentum for the end. Also the quickest way is to cut diagonally. Think about geometry, it covers a greater distance to go around a square, so that’s why we have to cut through. This may mean that we go through Unit 1 or 2 or find an open parking lot space that we can cut across. There may be grass that gets stepped on but a fewer steps towards work. Please don't make any permanent damage in your attempt. And also there is a risk- if you know you are running out of time, sometimes the shortcut you think will work in your mind, may actually be a dead end or is a longer route, but you'll never know until you try and the next time you will never to do it again. Also ask around or give people around you some shortcut tips.

CAFE PUBLICATIONS

The Computer Series

W&MF Station Unit 1

April 15, 2009

The Battle of the PC and MAC

"I'm A PC" - Never have problems opening PDF files and printing because "I'm perfect" - I am so much older than a Mac, therefore I am more dependable (sounds like something an older sibling would say) - I am quick as lightning, as soon as you click, I will open up to you - Sometimes when you try to save your work from word documents, I like to hide it from you, so we can play a little 'hide and seek'.

- I'm so high in demand, people will waitlist their names and wait patiently to be with me. Patience is a virtue.

- Macs are for the artsy fartsy

"I'm A MAC"

- I'm cute and I display that to you in BIG measures - When you try to log in, I sometimes don't give in so quickly, but I like being pursued persistently - I know I'm user friendly, but sometimes I throw fits.

What can you say, I'm a diva, I'm flashy and I love attention.

- If there's something you need or want, just come and find me under thedesktop icon, Macintosh HD, because I'm your (HD) Hot Date.

- People are too scared to approach me, because I'm beautiful. I have lots of computer openings but they are just scared of commitment - PCs are for the boring techy people, who need to get some highlights and color

The Pragmatic Consultant’s Guide to Cafe Double Your Usefulness on Shift* For many of you consultants out there, I’m sure you have plenty of homework and studying to do on shift. But there are others, casuals like myself and perhaps lazy students with a bit of downtime, who don’t have the luxury of having these oh-so-time consuming activities. There are the options of sitting idly in front of the computer twiddling your thumbs after you’ve literally hit the end of the Internet or trying to discover new uses for Purell. But why not make this time useful instead? “Useful?” you say, “Purell is very useful!”

Don’t worry, I won’t argue with you on that point. In fact, I take back what I said earlier. Love the stuff myself as you’ll see if you keep reading my mindless prattle. Inevitably you’ll all have long shifts and be bored out of your mind. So don’t waste another minute loafing around and make that shift useful with some of my even more useful tips!

This tip doesn’t really help occupy much time but it can be useful nonetheless. It will also save you pennies a day, which is really great for today’s dismal economy. So here it is: Charge your cell phone, laptops, rechargeable AAs, Bluetooth headset, and whatever else you can plug into the wall at work.

Sure you run the risk of forgetting it later, but that’s not my responsibility. Note for cell phones, a USB charger is very useful. It’s much better than getting on your hands and knees to crawl amongst the feral dust bunnies to plug in a cord.

Another thing I like to do on shift is create a budget for the month. This often requires a tissue as looking at your credit card activity/statements can be quite traumatic, something I fully understand. Manage your money matters while you’re making money – a novel idea. Sticking to a budget is another question. However, if you’re one of those people who don’t have to worry about money, this tip might not be for you (lucky you…). Along the lines of budgeting, I also like to pay my bills while at work; although sometimes I question the security of the computers.

One of the best ways to pass time, however, is to just bring a good book or magazine. Though I can’t say that I read many books myself, you’ll find that a good book will really get the time flying. You may even forget to roam. But don’t do that, okay? Time on shift is also great for sorting through junk mail and recycling it in the blue bins. Lastly, a useful way to help the time pass is by taking your breaks. Take it

from someone who rarely takes his breaks. When I do take breaks, I like to take it more towards the latter half of my shift. It gives me the illusion that my shift is shorter than it actually might be. Isn’t that really what life is all about? Deluding ourselves?

I have to admit, I thought my tips sounded slightly more useful initially.

Perhaps they can help inspire you to find other things to do on shift. And if you haven’t finished reading the Internet by now, that will always be there. Also remember with the free print credit that you get, building paper craft can be fun to do on shift. But don’t waste too much paper! *Results not typical and may vary.

Purell – Not Just for Hands Anymore I should state that while I don’t condone the wasting of Purell, as long as what it’s being used for can be deemed as beneficial for the user, I view this as permissible. Let’s first look back on small part of Purell’s storied beginnings. Purell was introduced into the consumer market in 2004, according to Wikipedia—and we all know everything on Wikipedia is 100% true. Purell began making hands 99.9% germ free at the Cafe Microcomputer Facilities probably around 2008 or maybe even 2007. History going back that far gets a bit fuzzy.

Since then, Purell has become a stalwart companion of the consultant against the evil germs of client computers. Purell is primarily known as being for hands, hence its title as the “Instant Hand Sanitizer” printed on the bottle, but that doesn’t have to be!

Purell has a myriad of uses besides sanitizing hands.

Well okay, a couple at least. And it requires very little sanitizer solution to do. For example, do you ever come in to work and find that the keyboard and mouse are slightly greasy? Absolutely disgusting, isn’t it? Let’s say perhaps you don’t have the time to go fetch cleaning supplies in a busy facility. A quick

The Pragmatic Consultant’s Guide to Cafe solution is to apply Purell to your hands leaving a thin layer on both. Proceed to rub your hands gently over all the keys and the mouse. Make certain to not use too much Purell as it might drip into the keys, but just enough so that you don’t get an infection. A little bit goes a long way. Another use for Purell is for cleaning random spots and pen marks on the desktop. Despite there being a no drink policy, you might still find dried, sticky rings in the staff area. Apply a small amount of Purell to a tissue and it should come right off.

These next few tips for using Purell are for situations I’ve observed so I can’t personally vouch for them myself. The first tip is to use Purell to remove food spots or stains from your clothing. In one case, someone had spilled a small amount of hot chocolate on her pants. From what I saw, it appeared that with some vigorous wiping and a dab of Purell it came right out. The last situation I have witnessed was for sanitizing a cell phone. This person had dropped his cell phone into a trash receptacle. He then doused his phone with Purell. I believe the phone worked fine afterwards while also being germ free (if you don’t count that 0.01%)!

Though Purell has uses beyond sanitizing your hands, take care not to waste it. It’s a resource that many feel is a necessity for the labs and we’d like to keep it being stocked unlike the supply for tissues which were dropped most likely because of all the greedy tissue-grabbing clients especially in Moffitt and Life Science.

Tolman Microcomputer Facility – The Gateway to Tolman TMF is truly the gateway to Tolman for a great number of people: students, faculty, and other staff. Lost students almost always find their way to the staff station.

Even FedEx and UPS delivery people will approach you.

While the most important duties remain the upkeep of the facility, you will find yourself mostly dealing with lost and confused individuals.

In Tolman you sit in a very visible spot. And not just any spot—you’re sitting in what appears to be a booth. I’d like to remind you that booths are typically associated with information centers too so you’ll have to accept this. Rather than answering client questions such as “How do I indent in Word?” or “How do I add print credit?” you’ll find yourself faced with questions such as “Where is the library?” and “Where is room G55?” You will be amazed at the sheer number of students who lose their way in Tolman.

I’m going to share a few facts with you that will help you guide them back on the path as well as deal with this on a day-to-day basis. First off, be aware that most of the information is actually posted in the staff area, so don’t turn away people with an “I don’t know” and instead search for the information. For the most part, all of this information is posted to the left of your computer on a bulletin board. This includes a map that will help you look up specific room numbers as well. To guide people more efficiently, there are a few facts I feel you should know by heart when working in Tolman. The library is on the 2nd floor, the women’s restroom is on the 2nd floor, while the men’s is on the 3rd, the G level is on the other side of the building across the walkway and one floor down, and the B level is one floor below that. So remember these few location facts and you will be able to guide the lost sheep of Tolman with ease.

Always remember the resources are there should you need them.

2009

Cafe Publication

Surviving a four-hour shift may seem daunting, but with the right mindset and materials it can easily transform into a leisure opportunity. First, you must have the right materials, such as homework, and something to read.

Homework is the most essential element, as time will fly when you are solving those difficult equations or typing that tenpage essay. Homework is a no brainer.

However, if you do not have any homework, reading a book also passes the time quickly, especially if it is a book that you enjoy reading. One book I would recommend is “Outliers� by Martin Gladwell.

After those two activities, you can go to www.meebo.com and start chatting away with your friends. This is a great time to bond with your buddies online and talk to those old friends, which you haven’t spoke to in years. Visiting the websites I have mentioned previously will also pass the time.

Finally, making sure everything in the facilities is in working order will definitely pass the time and if there are any troubles, take your time to solve them.

CAFE PUBLICATION 2009

Mac Tips and Tricks

Some consultants may not know how to use some of the key features of a Mac. However I will explain some of the exciting features. First of all, instead of using ctrl, you use the command key (the key with the apple icon) for executing simple tasks such as copy (command + c) and paste (command+ v).

Second, if you hold down ctrl, alt, and command and press 8 the screen colors will be inverted.

Third, to take a screen shot, hold down shift and command and then press 3.

There is no print screen key on the keyboard, so this is a nice feature to know.

Fourth, if you press f12 the dashboard will popup. If you press f11 then you can see your desktop.

Fifth if you press alt, command, and esc all at the same time, you can force quit frozen applications.

These are the most useful tricks to know about a mac.

Holding Down the Fort LSMF Edition

Due to the large number of classes at VSLB, it is common for LSMF to be waitlisted. The most common times are in-between classes but waitlist can last as long as four hours in the afternoons.

Here are a few tips to help you through this hectic time.

1. STAY CALM!

2. Manning the waitlist a. At least one person must man the waitlist at all time b. make sure to know which waitlist is working at the start of shift, dev or test. c. Please do not let clients crowd around the door—ask them to move outside. Add a friendly smile and make them feel like they are being serviced to, “o you guys can relax, we have seating outside while we call your names for you”] d. When calling their names, make sure to also call once or twice outside. If clients come after their names have already been called, assure them that they will be next on the waitlist. e. Make sure to refresh the waitlistsometimes it doesn’t do it automatically. f. Encourage people to use the 15-min

station if they want to print something quickly. Ask them if they want to use a Mac—people get a little timid around the Macs but assure them satisfaction g. Allow clients to use the scanner station, but inform them that if someone who signs up for the scanner comes, you will put them at the top of the waitlist to prevent any miscommunication and surprise h. If someone on the waitlist informs you that he/she needs to leave for a few minutes, tell him/her you’ll put them at the top of the list when he/she get back. i. If the waitlist is down, switch to the manual waitlist (See below).

3. Manual Waitlist a. Print out the waitlist from the cafe-staff. berkeley.edu. b. One consultant will be constantly watching for unoccupied computers (also check for policy violations). c. Other consultant calls out names on the waitlist.

2009 Cafe Advice

1) How to do homework on shift: As consultants, it is very important that our customers take us seriously. There are many students who think this job is very easy and that we get paid to do homework. Though this is a bonus, we need to show our clients that we are not just doing homework, but that we are serious about our jobs as consultants..

That is why on top of abiding by the rules in the handbook (ie: not watching lectures on-line), it is important to know which kind of homework is easy to do while on shift.

The kind of homework I like to do the most involves using the computer. This way, if a consultant were to glance at you, it looks like you are actively doing something, as opposed to if you had your head buried in a book. If, for some reason, your homework never involves typing or researching online, try to take care of personal affairs, such as responding to forgotten emails, (especially Cafe emails!), working on your resume, or researching internships and jobs.

2) How to get home from a late shift without getting raped/robbed: There is always BearWALK, which you can reach by calling 642-WALK (9255) 15 minutes before you’d like to be accompanied home. Their services begin at dusk (around 6 or 7pm, depending on daylight savings, weather, etc). I have never used this service, however, and although I have been ok, I urge you to take as many precautions as possible. Here are my personal tips. One, never listen to music. It makes you a more likely target because your attention is elsewhere. And if you do, you better be Usain Bolt running home. (Girls,) Try not to wear heels on days that you are shifted late. I’ve made that mistake and the lonely click-clack on a dark street can call attention to you and it can be scary. Plus, it’ll be much more difficult to run away if you have to. If you have a hood, put it up and try to look intimidating. If other people think you might rob them, you are less likely to get robbed. Have mace or a whistle handy and know how to use it (the mace… using a whistle is pretty easy).

3) What not to do if you want to be taken seriously as a consultant: Do not say, “I don’t know.” If you really don’t know the answer to their question, tell them you’re not quite sure but you will “look it up.” This can be in your email, the handbook, or google.

Do not talk loudly with your coworker. There are some people who are really fun to work with, but it can become annoying having two chatty consultants at the front.

You don’t have to whisper, but “library voices” would be more appropriate. Some people naturally have a lot of resonance in their voice, so be aware of that. We don’t want the whole lab to know what you did this past weekend.

Try not to wear really grungy, dirty, or casual clothes. Of course, we don’t have a dress code policy, but it would be nice if we consultants didn’t look like we just woke up or came back from the gym.

4) How to be a likable senior (for future seniors): Correspond with your juniors by email about school or something a few times over the course of the semester. Don’t be a stranger, but don’t be unnecessary. As long as you are friendly when you see your juniors, that’s really enough.

Shower the juniors with love (ie: chocolate). The best senior I ever had would periodically leave us candy where we’d be working, and he even gave us Christmas presents! I think everyone should learn from this senior (Mike Shuh!). He turned things like IUTs into a competition (with a prize, of course), so that we juniors would have incentive to do well on them. I won a Dumbo DVD!

LOST�AND�FOUND �����There�are�certain�procedures�that�a�consultant�must�follow�when�han� dling�lost�items�in�the�facilities.�A�note�must�be�attached�to�the�item�stating� the�date�and�time�found,�where�the�item�was�found,�and�the�facility.�The� lost�item�must�then�be�placed�in�the�lost�and�found�area�of�the�lab��either� in�the�large�tubs�found�in�the�staff�area�(for�general�items)�or�in�the�stor� age�cabinets�in�the�FC�area�(for�valuable�items).�The�item�should�NOT�be� placed�in�any�drawers�or�left�on�the�staff�desks,�but�should�be�filed�away� in�the�proper�locations.

�����An�item�is�considered�to�be�”valuable“�if�its�worth�exceeds�$40.�These� items�include�keys,�electronics�(including�USBs),�wallets,�jewelry,�purses,� and�IDs.�All�valuable�items�must�be�logged�onto�the�Lost�and�Found�Log�on� the�Cafe�Staff�webpage,�located�on�the�lower�left�hand�side�of�the�main� page,�under�Useful�Links.�The�form�must�be�filled�out�and�submitted�prop� erly,�including�a�thorough�descriptionof�the�item,�particularly�with�USBs,�as� there�are�often�very�similar�ones. �����When�a�client�comes�to�claim�a�lost�item,�the�consultant�must�first� check�the�facility’s�lost�and�found�storage�areas.�If�the�item�is�valuable�he� or�she�should�check�the�Lost�and�Found�Log�on�the�Cafe�Staff�webpage� under�”Results.“�The�client�must�be�able�to�describe�the�item�in�detail,� including�branding,�color,�size,�name,�date�lost,�etc.�in�order�for�the����� consultant�to�properly�match�and�verify�the�item.�If�the�item�is�claimed,��� the�consultant�must�email�a�supervisor�so�the�� lost� item�can�be�deleted�off�the�list.�The�consul� tant�should�be�as�helpful�as�he�or�she�can,� as�the�client�may�be�extremely�stressed. �����If�a�valuable�item�is�not�found�in�the� facility,�the�item�may�have�been�turned�into�the� UCPD.�The�consultant�can�check� http://ucberkeleylf.com�FoundItems.aspx,�an� online�(though�incomplete)�listing�of�items� being�held�in�lost�and�found�at�the�UCPD.�The� client’s�best�bet�would�be�to�check�the�UCPD� headquarters�at�Sproul�Hall�in�person.

NOTE.�These�rules�exclude�MMF’s�special� procedures.

Client’s Frequently Asked Questions A consultant must be ready and willing to help any client in need of assistance. Much of the time, a client has a simple logistical question that can be answered with a simple question.

One frequently asked question is the opening and closing hours of the facilities.

These listings can be found oposted at the consultant stations. Consultants can also give clients a minischedule to take with them.

The facility hours and schedules change periodically throughout the semester, so when an email entitled “PRINT ME - General Access Hours Fliers” (or a similarly labeled email) arrives, the consultant must print out the fliers immediately to ensure the client information is up to date.

The answers to most client questions can be found in the Café Staff Handbook, located on the Café Staff webpage, under “Resources,” and on the desktop of the staff computers.

The hours are also posted on the W&MF webpage at http://facility.berkeley.edu/labs/hours.html.

Clients may also ask simple questions about the facilities themselves, such as the locations of restrooms, phones, copy machines, etc.

These answers, as well as other important facility information, such as the locations of cleaning supplies, lost & found, etc., can be found on the Café Staff webpage under “Facilities.” Labs also have their lab-specific information printed and posted in the consultant station.

y ma u yo PC bs, for a ula l S s l-O hours . Con a u d le t our o wai vailab n i t rk sa wo willing ac i o M h e w lients good s o c th ly van d a For n find erfect also of list ofte le a p ay e the a i m us is wh s hile ere o t h w t tan mble t PC c for ally – c. n a scra sultan e M ker. Fi ely Ma h r t n co ing cowo or, lon v lea r late he po i t the s for e tag

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th , s t n a The Macs take up less ult

The Macs are less popular (so far) so clients will have more quiet and privacy.

room, leaving desk space for your notebooks, textbooks, and papers.

The Macs have a wider screen.

Clients can fit more programs and consultants can keep the waitlist in view while working in other applications.

The Macs have webcams and PhotoBooth! Need a headshot in two minutes?

No problem.

The Mac mouses have nifty scroll balls.

The Macs are white and the PCs are black. Everybody knows that white is the color of good while black is the color of evil.

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Walk-In Hours

Anyone who has been scheduled in Tolman or Etcheverry during walk-in hours (or during a class that doesn’t appear to be meeting that day) knows that there’s not much to do. Boredom might be your biggest concern at these times. Luckily there are endless ways fill the endless hours until the end of your endless shift.

Work on your IUTs and OSAs! Might as well get them done now.

Do homework. An empty lab gives you the time to concentrate on your class work, but always keep an eye out for clients or other visitors.

Tidy up the consultant desk.

Restock and request supplies.

Bring a book to read – preferably a fun book.

Learn to knit (crochet, embroider, etc.) and bring that to work. You can also spend your time finding new patterns.

Shop online! Find new and exciting ways to spend the money you’re currently making.

Write a letter to your grandma/aunt/long-lost cousin/teacher.

Quietly practice your singing skills.

Scann

s r e

Scanners are located in LSMF, MMF, and WMF. Basic training does not cover their use, and many consultants ďŹ rst learn to use them when a client asks for help. Here is a brief tutorial on the basics of scanning.

Mac scanner:

PC scanner:

Place document in scanner.

Open Macintosh HD from desktop.

Open Scanner folder.

Open EPSOM Scan.

Click on large SCAN button.

Select options.

Wash, rinse, repeat if necessary.

Place document in scanner.

Open HP Precision 3.0 from desktop.

Click on Start a new scan.

Select output type.

Make optional adjustments through menu.

Finish scan by selecting destination.

Continue scanning to your heart’s content.