Manchester City Library

Over the last decade computers have made startling inroads to our lives— libraries are no exception. Computers and the Internet are one of the most popular services libraries offer. As we all become more sophisticated computer users our needs and expectations have outpaced the capabilities of our library computers. That is why we are proud to announce that it’s all going to change soon.

Our technology department has been working hard to plan for a brand new public computing system called Userful. Userful computers are specially designed to meet the needs of library computer users. Since each machine checks in regularly with a central server for changes, all machines will stay consistent. Centrally-located maintenance means far faster troubleshooting and the end of downtime! We hope that out-of-order signs and crashes will become a thing of the past in the library. When one user logs out, the computer reloads the default profile so the next person gets a clean slate.

Of course this will mean changes to the system we are used to. Userful
is a different platform, so while it will do all the things (and more) that our computers do now, there will be differences. Programs like Word, Excel, Internet Explorer will become Word Processor, Spreadsheet, and
Web Browser—they will look and behave slightly differently. There will be an adjustment for everyone, so please be patient while our staff gets trained to handle any questions you may have with the new system.

This change comes courtesy of the Cote Family Estate and represents
commitment and support from our Board of Trustees, our Library Foundation, the city’s Information Systems division, and all library
staff who have worked so hard on its implementation.

Our Library computers will be UNAVAILABLE March 18th through March 20th while we make the change over to Userful. If you have questions, concerns, or would like a preview of the new system please leave a comment below.