My changeable library

Every day I notice something new about the library I work at. So many new things happen all the time! It's exciting, isn't it? Like for instance today I noticed my library is a piece of shit.

I mean that affectionately.

Well, sort of affectionately. Almost affectionately.

There's a sign on one of the loading bins of our big million dollar materials handling machine, taped crudely on, that says "This loader is working", like, things are so messed up here that we have to let everyone know if something actually works. "Don't worry though," it implies, "It's probably temporary." Out at the front desk there was another big sign that said "If you're reading this sign the public printer is broken". My level of trust in our smooth operating is low enough that yesterday I felt I'd better go check anyway. Yes, the printer was still broken. I'm sorry I doubted the sign. Today the sign was gone, but the printer was still broken.

The head of the entire library system was preparing imminently for a presentation in the meeting room tonight, but the projector wasn't picking up the signal from the laptop in there. I went to help. After I checked on the obvious problems I realized that I remembered this same issue from three months ago. I just couldn't remember the solution. As we were fiddling with it I said "Just as an aside, I think this is a good time for a complete redo of the Automation Services Department." She didn't seem amused. But then, it wasn't a joke. Then I found the problem: The VGA was plugged into an adapter converter to hdmi that was plugged into the computer. "Why not just plug the VGA directly into the VGA of the computer?" I wondered.

"Good idea." She said.

We plugged the VGA in directly, and the image came up through the projector!

But the image shook constantly, in a very unwatchably irritating way. 

Oh yeah, I remembered that was part of the problem from three months ago too. I also suddenly remembered the solution:

There wasn't one.