LITS Items

Tech Tip Tuesday: Manage App Shortcuts on Chromebook Desktop

By October 13th 2020

Add, Move, and Remove App Shortcuts on Chromebook Desktop

You can add an app that you use often to your desktop on a Chromebook.

Add an app

  1. In the corner of your screen, click the Launcher  and then Up arrow .
  2. Find the app you want to add.
  3. Right-click the app icon.
  4. Click Pin to Shelf.

When you pin an app to your shelf, the app will stay there until you move or remove it.

Change the order of the apps

To change the position of an app:

  1. Click and hold the app you want to move.
  2. Drag it to a new position.
  3. Release to put the app in a new spot.

Remove an app

  1. Right-click the app you want to remove.
  2. Click Unpin.

Learn more

Google provides an interactive tutorial for working with apps on your Chromebook.

Subscribe to get LITS News and Updates in your inbox.

VLC Player for DVDs in Classroom Presentation Spaces

By October 7th 2020

VLC media player software is now available on all presentation space computers on campus. This software is intended for use by faculty to present DVDs as part of a classroom session.

When you insert a DVD into the tower, you will see a prompt asking you what you’d like to do with the disc. Choose “VLC”. To allow students who are attending remotely to view the video, remember to share the presentation computer’s screen in Zoom or Meet.

Note: Discs played in the separate Blu-Ray player will not be viewable by remote students.

Please reach out to the InfoDesk at infodesk@allegheny.edu or call 814-332-3768 with any questions.

Google Meet Recordings

By September 30th 2020

As we transition to permanently adopting enhanced Google Meet functionality, there is a slight possibility that Allegheny College accounts may temporarily lose the ability to record Meet sessions starting Thursday, October 1, until we can complete this transition. LITS is working diligently to minimize any potential disruption and will post updates as they become available.

In the event that Meet recording capability is disrupted, faculty are encouraged to reach out to the InfoDesk at infodesk@allegheny.edu to discuss possible workarounds until Meet recording capability can be fully restored.

Service Disruption

By September 27th 2020

Scheduled network maintenance on the morning of Sunday, September 27, encountered an issue causing it to take longer than expected. Some buildings experienced a loss of Internet connectivity and some services were unavailable.

LITS worked with our vendors to resolve the issue. The situation was resolved at approximately 11:30 a.m. Many thanks to those on campus who reached out to LITS about the situation.

Anyone experiencing a loss of Internet connection on the campus networks is encouraged to contact the InfoDesk via email at infodesk@allegheny.edu or by calling 814-332-3768.

Zoom Service Disruption

By August 24th 2020

As of this morning Zoom has reported partial issues with its platform. You may experience issues trying to connect or join a meeting via a link.

If you have the desktop or mobile Zoom app installed already, it is recommended at this time that you join Zoom using the 10-digit meeting ID and accompanying password.

LITS is actively monitoring the situation and will post updates as we learn more. For updates on this service interruption, please visit https://status.zoom.us/ for the latest information.

Recent Phishing Attempts

By August 3rd 2020

Reports of a phishing attempt were brought to the attention of LITS by several in the Allegheny community. The message claimed to be coming from a member of the Athletics & Recreation department. 

This is a good reminder to be cautious when receiving unexpected emails.

If you get a message you think is phishing/spam you should:  

  1. Not click on links in the message.
  2. Follow up by other means.  
  3. Report it as spam/phishing in Gmail.

Please do not hesitate to contact the InfoDesk at infodesk@allegheny.edu to report phishing attempts or obtain more information.

LITS always encourages safe account practices and would encourage you to visit the LITS website to change your password if you ever feel that your account credentials have been compromised.  In addition, two-factor authentication is an added layer of protection against this possibility.

Phishing Attempts

By July 24th 2020

Reports of a phishing attempt were brought to the attention of LITS by several in the Allegheny community. The message claimed to be coming from President Link’s office. 

This is a good reminder to be cautious when receiving unexpected emails.

If you get a message you think is phishing/spam you should:  

  1. Not click on links in the message.
  2. Follow up by other means.  
  3. Report it as spam/phishing in Gmail.

Please do not hesitate to contact the InfoDesk at infodesk@allegheny.edu to report phishing attempts or obtain more information.

LITS always encourages safe account practices and would encourage you to visit the LITS website to change your password if you ever feel that your account credentials have been compromised.  In addition, two-factor authentication is an added layer of protection against this possibility.

Allegheny Strong: A Digital Collection of Reflections on the COVID-19 Pandemic

By June 1st 2020

If you are a member of the Allegheny community (students, faculty, staff, and alumni), the Allegheny College Archives invites you to share your personal reflections on how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted your life and those around you by submitting your creative works to our new digital collection.  Visit our website to learn more about submitting your work or submit directly here. We will accept journal entries, essays, photographs, and videos as well as other digital output documenting your experience during this difficult time.  We envision the project as a way of strengthening our sense of community and human connection while preserving personal accounts of this global event for future generations and scholarly research.  If you have any questions, please contact us at merrick@allegheny.edu.

Weekend System Maintenance

By May 1st 2020

ITS will be conducting major system updates over the weekend of May 2-3, 2020. These include important updates to Windows 10 and to Ellucian Colleague.

Users may notice some slowness and possible disconnection over the weekend, especially when using Colleague. Users connected to the campus network may experience unexpected shutdown and reboot of their computers over the weekend as their computers apply the Windows 10 update. A small number of users may not experience this unexpected shutdown and reboot until the morning of Monday, May 4.

In order to minimize the effect on your experience as a user, you can take the following steps:

  • Avoid using Ellucian Colleague between 8 a.m. and noon on Saturday, May 2
  • Restart your computer at some point over the weekend

If you still experience these issues after rebooting your computer on Monday, May 4, please contact the InfoDesk or open a Web Help Desk ticket.

Additional Library Resources During Online Instruction

By March 30th 2020

During these unprecedented times, a number of publishers have made their databases, ebooks, ejournals, and streaming video temporarily available for free. Library and Information Technology Services is closely monitoring these developments and adding content to AggreGator and the Database A-Z list whenever possible. This new guide lists the resources we have already added to AggreGator and the Database A-Z list. For added convenience to students and faculty now working from home, LITS has also added a new search box for searching only ebooks and full-text journals to the Library Services page.

Faculty, if there is an online resource you need for your class, please let us know by emailing LITS at infodesk@allegheny.edu. You can fill out these forms to request ebooks or videos.