When you've been hacked

A few weeks ago, I learned the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has an informative website.  They offer a blog of resources for dealing with many problems:
Scams
Spam
robo-calls
and many more issues.

These range from:
Privacy and Identity
Mortgages
Credit
Jobs
Health
Do Not Call List
Free Credit Reports

Just this week, I read about steps to take to minimize your (or my!) risk of losing your email, bank, or social network accounts to a hacker.  They also covered steps to take to help recover your identity afterwards, in the event your (or my!) account is hacked.  The details are here:
http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0376-hacked-email

I will continue to share links as I happen upon them.  Please feel free to reach out to Ruidoso Public Library if you know of one that taught you something.

How to preserve your digital footprint

This is a 2-minute audio file from the Marriage of Figaro, Mozart's opera.

The file is from Wikimedia Commons.  It came from a wax cylinder recording at The University of California, Santa Barbara. It is one example of digital preservation.

What is a digital footprint?  It is the zeros and ones of your social media accounts, emails, Wikipedia edits, ebooks, etc.  Maybe you have posted "I miss you" on the Facebook account of a deceased friend.  The links below might help you understand what your digital footprint encompasses, as well as plan ahead to help friends and family know what to find, look for, or close down upon death.

The US Library of Congress lists 50 (fifty!) activities to select for exploring your digital footprint.
http://blogs.loc.gov/digitalpreservation/2013/05/fifty-digital-preservation-activities-you-can-do/

If time and training are not part of your current plans, this link is a single page of minimal precautions anyone can be aware of when first considering vintage or extant items.
https://www.heritagepreservation.org/PDFS/SaveYourTreasures.pdf

A Book Conservator at the US National Archives

The US Library of Congress is reliable resource for information on preservation.  Whether you are techno-savvy and ready to watch a video or want to print the PDF to share with a techno-avoider, try these resources.

This is a page of videos, how-to sheets, and webliographies (more websites):
http://www.digitalpreservation.gov/personalarchiving/padKit/handouts.html
I was impressed with the breadth of coverage, including how to preserve emails, digital videos, digital photographs, and other sorts of personal digital records.

This page is the launching point for three different aspects of preservation:
http://www.loc.gov/preservation/family/index.html
If you are visiting family, these provide useful talking points for heirlooms or activities to help younger generations connect with elders.  The three areas are

• Collections Care, 
• Emergency Preparedness, and 
• Make a Family Time Capsule/Scrapbook/Album.  

AIC logo

If you are ready to jump into the deep end of the conservation pool, the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works has guides for you. http://www.conservation-us.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.viewPage&pageId=497&parentID=472
This list offers printable (or web-enhanced) instruction based on the type of material, format, media, or content, from architecture to fiber, furniture to glass.  This site also refers conservators to do the work for you.

Let us know if you have any questions about preserving your family history.

Money Smart Week (R) 2013

This year, Ruidoso Public Library hosts Money Smart Week (R) April 2nd through 5th.  The slate of presenters has some of last year's most popular events and a few new faces, too.

Tuesday, April 2, from 10-11 am, Vera from First National Bank will speak on How to Apply for a Mortgage.  If that time does not work for you, or you have more questions, try a different perspective on Wednesday, April 3 at 4pm.

Later on Tuesday, April 2, from 11 am to noon, Debra Hendricks, of New Mexico’s Aging and Long Term Services Department, will present "Extra Help," a program to reduce your Medicare expenses. 

Wednesday, April 3, 10 am, begins with Credit Scores: what they are, what affects them, and how to improve them with Billy Jones of Ruidoso Credit Union. I saw this presentation last year and thought it could be useful for most anyone.  Then at 4pm Wednesday is the second mortgage application explanation by Lorri McKnight of City Bank New Mexico who will present a different perspective.

On Thursday, April 4, at noon, Rachel Weber of New Mexico’s Workforce Solutions offers Frugal Living Tips to Save Money.  Then at 4:30 pm, also on Thursday, April 4, Rutalee Todd-Jernigan of the Farm Bureau Financial Services will help you increase your financial smarts.  Come with any questions you have.

We wrap up Friday at noon with Ismael Camacho one of the state’s Assistant Attorneys General.  Mr Camacho presents “Don’t Get Burned” to help you explore the risks of identity theft and scams, including how to protect yourself.  

If you'd like to see the calendar, it's here.  For more information about Money Smart Week and the Federal Reserve, try this link.

Money Smart Week is an registered service mark of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago

We hope to see you!  If your schedule does not allow a visit, comment below or email us ahead of time.  We can check into saving you a set of the handouts to pick up later.  If you think of a friend or acquaintance who might like a class, feel free to share this post's URL with them on Facebook, Twitter, or by email, too.

Online security ideas and Thursday watch A Murder of Crows

This Thursday at 4pm, please join Sharon for PBS Nature's A Murder of Crows.  BYOP (bring your own popcorn) and children welcome!

While the title sounds violent, murder is the technical term for a flock when describing crows.  For a quick taste of how intelligent crows are, below is a youtube video of a crow sledding genius!


At the library, I get a lot of questions about passwords and online security.  I wanted to share two sites that describe a few ways to increase your odds of having a strong password; though as one blogger said, "The only strong password is one you can't remember either."  First, The Daring Librarian created this poster explaining some of the how's and why's of online/password security.  Second, LifeHacker pulled together their top seven posts and a poster explaining password security.  

We have two books at the library covering this security, For Seniors and for parents.  Please email me if you are looking for additional materials or self-teaching sites for students or yourself.

Keeping Safe online

image by CarbonNYC, http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/

Ever worried about your computer's and information's security online?  This page covers many of the issues that affect your security online.  The author describes many of the vulnerabilities hackers exploit, as well as suggesting software and browser plug-ins to improve your defenses.

Ruidoso Public Library offers several Dummies (R) and Complete Idiot's guides (R) on computing, from fixing your PC to learning your iPad.  We also offer wi-fi (or wireless internet access, which includes downloads to your laptop or smart phone) and dozens of computers where you can type up a report or resume', browse the internet, or improve your computer skills at your own speed.