While being a techie can help with computer troubleshooting, it is not necessary to be one to fix problems. Many online resources exist to help people of all technical backgrounds resolve common computer issues.
Confidence – don’t be psyched out by what you don’t know; have confidence that you can successfully work through and solve many more problems than you think you can! Just because you have “no clue” when the patron presents their problem to you, doesn’t mean you can’t discover clues and ultimately solve the mystery. (Think of yourself as a detective. Or a doctor trying to diagnose a patient)
Not every problem can be solved right away, with one exchange of information with the patron. I often tell people this up front – “this might take several back and forths between you and me and me and tech support, but if we’re patient and hang in there we should arrive at a solution.”
Type of computer and eReader or mobile device being used? Type of file being downloaded? (Maybe they are trying to download a format that won’t work on that equipment (e.g., PDF on mobile device). Or maybe there are unique problems that sometimes crop up with that equipment.Even though they may sound confident about the steps they follow, I try to walk them through the process “to help me try to pinpoint where the problem happened.” (e.g. book checked out, gray download button, click open, when downloading did ADE open? Do they see book in ADE? Plug in device – do they see device? Drag and drop book from ADE to device….)Google error message
The more eReader/eBook tech support you do, the better you will get at picking up clues based on what you hear AND WHAT YOU DON’T HEAR. Are they talking about .acsm files? Show them how to change default file association Or moving files between the Digital Editions folder on their computer and a folder on their eReader? Do they say they see their purchased B&N books, but not their library books?
What has changed since it last worked?Wife’s internet stopped working. I’d installed a network monitoring program on my computer the previous day.
There are many forums out there for eBook lovers. Some are device specific, others are broader, but users of these forums ask each other questions and help each other solve problems. You will probably find that someone else has already asked about this problem and received a solution. Adobe Digital Editions won’t recognize Nook OverDrive "protected page error" sony reader overdrive
DON’T expect to memorize this information; just know where to find it on your library’s virtual branch web site!