Updating a TechAtlas Inventory of Public Access Computers for the Opportunity Online Grant

Transcription

1 Updating a TechAtlas Inventory of Public Access Computers for the Opportunity Online Grant

2 TechAtlas Update Inventory Guide Opportunity Online Hardware Grant and TechAtlas Libraries participating in the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation s Opportunity Online Hardware Grant can follow this guide to updating their public access computer (PAC) inventory using TechAtlas for Libraries. This updated inventory is required after eligible libraries have installed new computers using grant funds. Log In Go to TechAtlas to update your library s computer inventory. To log in to TechAtlas for Libraries, point your web browser to the following address: Log in using your and password. Please contact us at techatlas@webjunction.org if you do not have your login information. Please do not create a new account. Guided Start Dashboard Every Opportunity Online grant-eligible library has a TechAtlas account marked for participation in the grant. Upon logging into an account setup for participation in the grant, users are directed to the Guided Start Dashboard. If you do not see the Guided Start Dashboard, contact your intermediary or state library before proceeding. The Guided Start Dashboard lists two tasks. 1. Update Library Profile 2. Inventory Computers 1 5/20/2010

3 Update Library Profile This first step may already be marked as Complete because this was updated during the first inventory process. However, you can update or change the address or password at any time. If changes are needed: 1. Click on 1. Update Library Profile. 2. Update information as needed. 3. Click Save. If you don t want to make any changes to the profile, click on 2. Inventory Computers to begin updating the inventory. Inventory Computers Libraries must provide complete, up-to-date, computer inventory information in TechAtlas to indicate the current number of public access computers (PACs) at the library. This inventory should include any new public access computers, even if they weren t purchased with grant funds. The inventory steps are explained in detail in pages 6-9. Here is a checklist of tasks that you will need to complete: Step 1: Delete any computers from the inventory that have been removed. Step 2: Add any new PACs that have been purchased; even if they weren t purchased with grant funds. Step 3: Identify which PACs were purchased with Opportunity Online grant funds Step 4: Mark the inventory as Complete. For grant purposes, only PACs need to be inventoried. However, as a best practice we would encourage you to create a comprehensive inventory of all of the library s computers. Here is the definition that is being used to define PACs: In the Opportunity Online hardware grant program, a public access computer (PAC) is a computer available to the public that provides software applications and/or Internet access. Computers for use by staff only are not deemed public access computers in this program. Computers that only run the library catalogues are also not eligible. However, computers that run online databases (such as business, research, or educational databases) for patron use are eligible and should be included in participating libraries TechAtlas inventories. 2

4 Step One: Select Computers to Delete Use the Select Computers to Delete page in TechAtlas to quickly delete computers from your inventory that are no longer in operation. 1. On the Guided Start Dashboard, click 2. Inventory Computers and the Computer Inventory page will display. 2. Click the Select Computers to Delete link in the top right corner of the Computer Inventory page. 3. Click in the checkbox in the Select column for the Computer Name of any computer that is no longer in use. 4. Click Delete Selected Computers. 5. A warning message displays Are you sure you want to delete the selected computers from your TechAtlas inventory? Click OK to proceed with deleting the computers -Or- Click Cancel to return to the Delete Computer Details page. Step Two: Add Newly Purchased Public Access Computers New computers can be added to your inventory using any of the TechAtlas inventory tools. Instructions on using these tools are provided in the TechAtlas Inventory Tools section of this document (see pages 6-9). Remember to inventory all PACs, not just those purchased with grant funds. Manual Inventory Form: enter only the basic, required information in a web form (also the only way for non-windows computers to be inventories). Local Inventory Tool: run the automated script on each new computer individually to gather comprehensive technology data about the new computer. This provides more detail that than Manual form and is a great option to give you comprehensive information about your computers. Network Tool: running this automated script will overwrite all existing computer inventory data and replace it with current data, plus add inventory data for new computers not previously inventoried. While this it is a comprehensive option, it is also more time consuming, any may duplicate work. You may find it quicker to just update the new machines that have been added since your last inventory using either the Manual Form or Local Tool. NOTE: It is highly recommended you use either the Local Tool or Manual Form to avoid additional work. 3

5 Once the computers are inventoried, you may need to use the Organize Computers to properly sort. By default, when computers are inventoried and uploaded to TechAtlas, they go into the Primary Location (which you may have renamed). You will need to sort the computers into the proper branch (location). The Organize Computers feature can be accessed as a link on the Inventory screen in the upper right hand corner. Use the drop down arrow in the Library Location column to assign a computer to a different branch. Step Three: Identify Public Access Computers Purchased With Grant Funds Regardless of which inventory tool you use to collect current data on your PACs, you must identify which computers were purchased with Opportunity Online grant funds. The Manual Inventory Form automatically requires this information. Using the Local or Network Tool requires an additional step. The inventory should include all public access computers that were installed since the first inventory, even if they weren t purchased with grant funds. There are two ways to mark which computers were purchased with grant funds. Option 1: Use the Organize Computers feature. 1. In the upper right hand corner of the Computer Inventory screen, click on the link to Organize Computers. 2. One of the columns for this screen is to help you mark computers purchased with Opportunity Online Grant Funds. Click in the box to mark that a computer was purchased with grant funds. 3. Click Save to return to the Computer Inventory screen. 4

6 Option 2: Mark individual computers in the Computer Profile page 1. On the Computer Inventory page, in the Details column, click View/Edit for a computer purchased with Opportunity Online grant funds. 2. In the Required Fields section, select Yes in the Opportunity Online Grant Funds field if this computer was purchased with those grant funds. The default is set to No for all computers in your inventory, so you only need to edit PACs purchased with Opportunity Online grant funds. 3. Click Save to return to the Computer Inventory screen. Step Four: Mark Inventory as Complete When all PACs in the library have been inventoried, the final step is to mark the inventory process as complete. This is an important step that notifies your grant intermediary that your library has finished updating the computer inventory. 1. Review the computer inventory data to insure it is correct and complete. 2. Mark the Inventory Complete checkbox at the bottom of the Computer Inventory page. 3. An Inventory Status Update page will display and confirm Your inventory has been marked as Complete and once the Computer Inventory page refreshes today s date will display next to Inventory Complete. 4. Browse to the Guided Start tab where the status for 2. Inventory Computers now displays as Complete. NOTE: When a library with multiple branches marks the Inventory Complete checkbox, it will mark ALL of the branches as complete. If you are updating multiple branches, please make sure they have all been updated before checking the box. Once both steps 1 and 2 on the Guided Start Dashboard are marked Complete, you are finished with the required tasks in TechAtlas. No further notification will be provided by TechAtlas. Your grant intermediary can review a status report to confirm your inventory is complete. Your grant intermediary may contact you if you are approaching the reporting deadline and the status of Inventory Computers is still not marked Complete. The TechAtlas resources continue to be free and available for your library to use. We would encourage you to explore the functionality further and learn more about how TechAtlas can help with technology management and planning. 5

7 TechAtlas Inventory Tools Explained Manual Web Form Estimated completion time: Time to gather required data, then less than 1 minute per computer. This process can be done for multiple computers while working from any computer. 1. From the TechAtlas Guided Start Dashboard select 2. Inventory Computers. 2. Choose one of the options to use the manual form: a. Click the Inventory Computers button on the Computer Inventory page. Select Manual from the Inventory Options to open a new form. or b. Click the Add a New computer button under the list of computers for a specific branch -Computers at (name of branch). 3. On the New Computer Profile page under Required, enter data: Pick an Operating System Family Computer Name OS (Operating System) Public Access Computer (Yes/No) Date Acquired Opportunity Online Grant Funds (Yes/No) 6

8 4. Under the Optional section of the page: Edit the Library Location to properly identify the branch where the computer is located. 5. Click Save. Local Tool Estimated completion time: Less than 1 minute per computer depending upon your internet connection speed plus travel time moving from one computer to the next. 1. Log on to the computer using administrator rights, then browse to the TechAtlas website using Internet Explorer (versions 5-7) or Firefox (version 2 or higher) and login to your account (this tool will work for Windows PCs only). 2. From the Guided Start Dashboard select 2. Inventory Computers and click the Inventory Computers button on the Computer Inventory page. 3. Find the option for the Local Inventory Tool, read the requirements for using the tool and click the link to continue. 4. After clicking on the link to the Local tool, you will see a new page which provides more detail about the Local inventory tool process. Click the button to launch the Local inventory tool. 5. Choose Save on the Do you want to open or save this file? window and save the file in a shared folder. 6. Click Open on the Download Complete window. 7

9 7. Choose Run if you see the Are you sure you want to run this software? popup window. If you do not see the Run option after saving, browse to the location where you saved the file and double-click on it. 8. Wait while the inventory data is collected. 9. Click OK when a message displays that the inventory process is complete. 10. Review the inventory details and edit, if needed. 11. Click Upload on the TechAtlas Inventory page. 12. Click Continue on the Upload Computer Inventory page. 13. Make the appropriate selections from Inventory Wizard prompts. 14. When all computers have been inventoried, return to the Computer Inventory page to review the list of computers. By default, all computers are marked Yes for Public Access Computer. Make sure to correctly mark non-pacs as No. Network Tool Estimated completion time: Less than 1 minute for 1 computer or 80 minutes for 80 computers. It is important to note that security restrictions such as firewalls, both network and at the computer level can impact the ability to collect data about all of the computers on the network. As a reminder, because this tool inventories the entire network, you may find it time consuming. We recommend using the Local Tool or the Manual Form to help minimize your efforts. NOTE: turn on all network computers and make sure they are connected to the network. 1. Log on with administrator rights to a computer on the domain or workgroup and, browse to TechAtlas using Internet Explorer (versions 5-7) or Firefox (version 2 or higher) and login to your account. 2. From the Guided Start Dashboard select 2. Inventory Computers. 3. Click the Inventory Computers button on the Computer Inventory page. 4. Click the Network Inventory Tool link from the Inventory Options and read the details page which opens. Click on the Network Tool button to launch the tool. 5. Choose Open and Run options as you see them on popup windows. 6. Determine whether or not your computer is part of a Workgroup or Domain and then enter the administrative username and password. It is important to note that without the administrative username and password, the tool won t be able to collect information from all of the computers. Click Submit when you are ready to start the Inventory process. 7. Click OK when a message displays that the inventory is complete. 8. Review the list of workstations displayed and edit as needed. 8

10 9. Click Upload 10. Click Continue on the Upload Computer Inventory page. 11. Make appropriate selections from Inventory Wizard prompts. You may need to use the Local and/or Manual Tool to inventory some computers not included in the Network inventory. 12. When all computers have been inventoried, return to the Computer Inventory page to review the list of computers. By default, all computers are marked Yes for Public Access Computer. Make sure to correctly mark non-pacs as No. 13. Click Save. Copy a Profile Another way to manually enter a new computer s inventory data is to copy an existing computer profile. This is especially timesaving when creating profiles for nearly identical computers, such as multiple computers purchased at one time with grant funds. 1. On the Computer Inventory page, identify the computer profile to be copied, and click on the View/Edit link in the Details column of the computer profile that you wish to copy. 2. The Computer Profile screen appears. 3. Right below the list of Required fields, click the Duplicate this computer profile button. 4. Enter a name for the newly copied computer and click Continue. 5. The computer inventory screen will display and you can click on the View/Edit link for the copied profile if you want to change any other fields in the profile. Confirm the Public Access Computer field is properly marked Yes/No for this computer. Confirm the Opportunity Online Grant Funds field is properly marked Yes/No for this computer. 9

11 Additional Resources and Support Please contact your state library or grant intermediary for: Assistance in retrieving your account login and password information Information regarding your library s grant eligibility or other grant related inquiries For TechAtlas technical support and general usage questions, please send a message to WebJunction s dedicated TechAtlas support address: techatlas@webjunction.org 10