Librarians should secure sensitive information on the reference desk computer with a super-secret password, like: library, reference, reflib, libref, or refdesk. This will throw hackers for a loop, as they will be expecting something much more complicated.
Ask the readers: Share your library's lame reference desk password in the comments below. (Anonymously, of course. Otherwise the hackers might log in and change your library's reference desk schedule.)
Friday, January 22, 2010
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54 comments:
Books_01
library
bookmarks
librarian
Also be sure to write the login and password on a fraying Post-It and tape it to the computer so you don't forget it.
reference
Password2
We have has AskRef and Refdesk
Our circ password was once SRPSUCKS.
We have no password. Anyone can get on if they are at that computer.
Freedom of information, right?
Ironically most places I've worked have the same formula ref and then a 3 letter acronym for the location. Fortunately most people don't know where they are, based on the number of questions I get about where we are and where books are that are shown as available at other locations.
Point taken on the password in a Post-It note or similar. When I got hired as "head" of reference (yes, there is a reason I put head in quotes) here at Backwater Rural Branch (BRB) U., I was in charge of setting the password on the reference computer. I figured trained librarians could learn to memorize a fairly simple password (I usually base it on something related to pop culture). Sadly, that is not the case because the "senior" (read older than dirt) librarian apparently does not have good memory (actually, just plain lazy), so she griped to the director, who then griped to me and thus I have to resort to the grimy sticky note now for her. Sometimes, the enemy is us.
I've worked at three libraries where the password was 'hamlet'. Three!
ref123
surely adding 123 makes it unhackable :-)
gatsby on one
circ on... the circ station
books is the password to logon to the computers. And for the student ones? student
Being a sophomore in college, who dreams of one day being a librarian, I want to point out that the password I have used for everything since I was a senior in high school has been "Reading". Looks like I am well on my way to having the important skills down!
d0nuts
smiley
The voicemail password is the last four digits of the refdesk phone number.
Our super secret password is password!
Previous library used to keep all the passwords on a post it, then kept the post it UNDER the mousepad.
And yes, they were just as imaginative as the ones posted here.
We have personalized passwords for the reference desk PC but the stand-alone workstation password is "me". Amazingly, no one ever seems to be able to successfully guess that one.
staff
Although this wasn't at a library, this one school had a "super secret" generic account that allowed one to log on to any of the computers:
username: root
password: mrroot
RefDesk
u8kacke
Is our circ override. No one ever forgets it.....
At the checkout station... checkout
Hah! We stuck a dollar sign in the middle of a totally obvious password. They'll never catch on!
abc123
Who really wants to break into a reference computer? Have you ever seen a patron try to do it? If you did, wouldn't you stop them before they got around to trying to guess your password?
Incidentally, my favorite library appointed password is "scotch".
ref1 - the "1" makes it tricky.
catalog1 - sensing a theme?
circ - apparently we gave up on numbers.
The best part was when our IT guy changed a password on our circ computers and didn't accordingly update the post it note on the desk beside it. It caused quite a ruckus. :-)
info01
king1
its been the staff password to ALL the public computers for almost 10 years now, and someday I might change it....
Anybody who watches Corner Gas knows that the best password to confuse people with is 'notapassword'.
My father loved using passwords for a club like "idontknow" or "nothing" and then having fun with the club members who rang him up asking for the password...
Welcome followed by any number from 1-9.
We make it easy for the hackers -- the usernames and passwords are pasted to the monitors of the service desk computers.
askmeaq
someone once wanted to change it to leavemealone, but that didn't go over well.
joint2, which can easily be remembered by imagining our two ex-associate directors smoking up together.
ranger
morelli
can you tell where our allegiances lie?
In my library, we have a computer station with a scanner for students to use. The username and password are on a sign on the wall. The username is scanner. The password is scanner. And yet students always ask what the password is.
refdesk
Dewey
umm..'password'..
currently it's "6library" but give it 3 months and the password will be "7library"
pumpitup69 - not kidding. I kind of like it; apparently it was set by an IT intern and it stuck...
circ
also: boss
boss is a good one, I think.
I admit that I set this...but assumed they would listen... "changeme"
The passcode for our photocopier is the year the library was built, which I thought was rather clever. Never mind that it's engraved above the door...
schmuckybookw0rm ... we rock
onlyus
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