Zoom just updated, and the new update included a new feature: Zoom Timer! You can now set up a timer or stopwatch and use it during a Zoom meeting. Learn more about how to turn on and use the new timer feature in the linked Knowledge Base article.
Bad news iSchoolers: our printers are, once again, on the fritz. Printing from your personal devices will be unreliable for the next few weeks. The Help Desk is here to provide some key tips to help printing go as smoothly as possible.
Over the next few weeks, we recommend either printing using Papercut or by using the computer kiosks near several printers around the iSchool.
Papercut is the printing portal used across the university. You can log into Papercut using your netID and password, then select a document to print through Papercut. It is important to note that Papercut automatically prints documents in black and white and double-sided, and you cannot change these settings in Papercut. If you need to print a document in another format, we recommend using one of the printer kiosks in the iSchool.
There are several computer kiosks available around the iSchool:
You can also access a list of all iSchool printers and their locations in our KnowledgeBase.
To access the printer kiosks, log in with your netID and password. You should upload the document you want to print to your email or to a hard drive so it is easily accessible. Once you are logged in, you should be able to access the document and print it using whatever software you prefer. Using the kiosk does allow you to print in color and single-sided.
If you are still experiencing issues printing, never fear! The Help Desk is here to handle your printing issues. You can contact us at:
Course registration has started! As you register, you may experience issues using the system or get frustrated by navigation issues. The Help Desk is here to help you resolve these issues and set you up for success in the coming semesters.
Here are several quick tips if you experience issues registering for courses:
The registrar also has resources to help guide you through the registration process. It’s a great resource for a variety of questions about the registration process, changing the amount of credits you register for, and more!
Have you ever needed to share a link to an important website or document, but the link was way too long? Or have you needed to create a QR Code, but the sites you tried online tried to get you to pay to make one? Fortunately, UIUC has access to Webtools. Webtools has a number of different features, including “Short URLs” to create better named URLs and QR codes for websites. The Help Desk has a Knowledge Base article explaining how Webtool’s “Short URLs” feature works. It’s a great tool for sharing presentations and websites in a variety of different ways.
Class registration is coming up! Are you still deciding what iSchool classes to take next semester? It can be difficult to choose, especially when there are so many classes that sound interesting. To aid in your registration decision-making, the iSchool has compiled a Box folder of syllabi from previous semesters which can be accessed by all iSchool students.
When it comes to tech questions and related issues, the iSchool Knowledge Base is a great resource to check out. The iSchool Knowledge Base includes a variety of articles about various technology services and common issues. These include:
While the iSchool Knowledge Base doesn’t include everything, the Help Desk is constantly adding and updating new entries to keep you informed about the technology situation at the iSchool. If there’s something you believe needs an entry that isn’t currently covered in the Knowledge Base, you can let the Help Desk know by contacting us at ischool-support@illinois.edu.
Zoom’s latest update caught many people by surprise when it began right as they were trying to join a class or meeting. Zoom does not send reminders about new updates, so it’s good to get in the practice of checking for updates so you aren’t caught unawares. Let’s go over how to check Zoom for updates.
To check Zoom for updates, open the application on your computer. Once Zoom is open, click on your profile picture in the top right corner.
Scroll down the pop-up menu that appears underneath your profile picture. Find and select the option “Check for Updates”.
If Zoom has an update available, it will prompt you to begin the update process. If it does not have an update available, you will receive a pop-up saying “You are up to date”.
And that’s it! The Help Desk recommends checking Zoom for new updates right at the beginning of each semester so you will be ready for meetings, online courses, and other online events.
Have you ever needed to print something and not known where to do it? Never fear! The iSchool has some printers that you can use!
We recommend using the public printers in both iSchool buildings. To learn more about the public printers and where they live, check out this Knowledge Base page.
Old iSchool Building (501 E. Daniel St.)
New iSchool Building (614 E. Daniel St.)
iSchool Masters and CAS students have $21 in printing credit per semester, and this quota may only be used on the iSchool printers. You must be currently enrolled in an iSchool course to use this budget. School faculty, staff, and PhD students are not charged for printing, although it is tracked. Both black and white and color printing cost $0.10/page. Color printing is available on Optimus (located on the 2nd floor near the Help Desk in the 501 E. Daniel St. iSchool building) as well as Luna (located on the 4th floor near the Help Desk of the 614 E. Daniel St. iSchool building).
Please note, unused printing quotas do not carry over from semester to semester. Check your printing balance on the Illinois Papercut page. Additional printing quota can be purchased on the IlliniCash website.
Undergraduate iSchool students (BSIS or BSIS+DS as their primary major) have access to printers across campus, including the ones in the iSchool. There is a printing quota of $10 per semester for fall and spring that is available for use with iSchool printers. Black and white printing and color printing cost $0.10/page until you use up your $10 quota. After you use up that $10, printing costs $0.40/page.
Please note, unused printing quotas do not carry over from semester to semester. Check your printing balance on the Illinois Papercut page. Additional printing quota can be purchased on the IlliniCash website.
Though we do have self-service kiosks where you can log in and print from (Chip and Optimus in 501 E. Daniel St. and Luna in 614 E. Daniel St.), you also have the option to connect your computer to the printers to be able to print directly from your computer when you are in the building. Instructions for how to install the printers on Mac are here and PC are here! Always feel free to drop by the Help Desk if you need assistance with installing printers or have any other questions!
For more tips and guidance on printing, including troubleshooting, copying, and printing with staples, visit our page on iSchool Connect or check out the iSchool Knowledge Base.
Welcome new (and returning) students! We’re happy to have you on campus, and we hope you’re well rested and prepared for the semester. As you prepare for classes and settle in for the semester, you may need tech support to help set up accounts or manage computer settings, to borrow a piece of equipment, or you might just need a piece of candy. That’s what we’re here to help you with!
The Help Desk provides tech support for the iSchool community. You’ll probably see us show up at the beginning of an in-person or online course to offer tech support to your professors! You can also find us on the 4th floor of the new iSchool building at 614 E. Daniels St if you ever need in-person support (we also always have bowls of candy, if you just want a snack). In addition, we also loan out technology like computers, chargers, keyboards and mice to iSchool students, staff, and faculty.
Lastly, if you aren’t able to meet us in person, never fear! You can email us at ischool-support@illinois.edu, call us at 217-244-4903 or 800-377-1892, or message us using TechChat. We’re extremely friendly and would love to help you however we can.
One last time: welcome, new students! We’re excited to have you here.
As you work on finals, you may need to write citations and create a bibliography for various final projects and essays. Never fear! ZoteroBib is a free to access, ad-free bibliography generator that you can use without creating an account or installing any software. If you need to quickly create a short bibliography for a project, this is the tool for you.
ZoteroBib is pretty simple to use. You can either enter a URL, ISBN, DOI, title, or other identifier into the search bar, or you can click “Manual entry” and fill out the related fields. (The Help Desk recommends using an ISBN, DOI, or other unique identifier over entering a title or URL – ISBNs and DOIs tend to work more reliably than the latter). Click “Cite” when you’re ready, and ZoteroBib will quickly generate a citation and start creating a bibliography. This bibliography will save to your browser’s local storage, so you can exit ZoteroBib and come back to add more to the bibliography whenever.
Additionally, ZoteroBib supports over 10,000 citation styles, and you can easily pick the one you need from the dropdown menu in the bibliography section. Once you have all your citations, you can either copy the bibliography to your clipboard so you can copy/paste it into your project, or you can download it in a variety of formats.
You can learn more about ZoteroBib at https://zbib.org/faq. Try it out for yourself at https://zbib.org/. Good luck on finals everyone!
