New Year Resolution: Improve Password Security

The number of passwords we need to keep track of these days seems to be proliferating.  As we become increasingly enmeshed in the web it is important to take some steps to prevent your privacy and security by managing your passwords.  Like many things that are important (think flossing), it takes an ongoing effort to manage your passwords, but it is well worth it.  Below are some password related do’s and don’ts to consider:

DO

1. Avoid opening suspicious links – even from friends.

2. Ignore security questions to which there are a limited number of answers.  This includes questions such as “What is your favorite color?”

3. Ignore security questions that can be answered using personal information you may have posted on the Internet.  For example, if you have populated your Facebook with a lot of personal information, it is easy to answer the security question “What middle school did you attend?”  Hackers can use the answers to your security questions to reset your passwords and take control of your accounts.

4. Give bogus answers to security questions.  For example in response to the security question “What is the name of your pet?”  You could respond with an answer that is totally unrelated such as “Snowballs melt in Tucson”.

5. Answer a security question with a password hint that has nothing to do with the security question.  For example, you can respond to a question with a question.  “What is the name of your cat?” Could be responded to with the question “Can you see Mars at night?”

6. Use catchphrases.  The longer your password, the longer it will take to crack.  A password should ideally be 14 characters or longer in length. For example you can string together movie quotes, song lyrics or poems. 

7. For very sensitive passwords, consider jamming your keyboard to create a secure password, intermittently hitting the shift and alt keys while doing so.  Copy the result into a text file and store it on a password protected (encrypted) USB.

8. Store passwords securely, NOT in your in-box or desktop.  If you do store your passwords consider doing so on a protected (encrypted) USB that will allow you can copy and paste in passwords so that a hacker is unable to use keystroke logging software to break your password.

9. Consider other options such as keeping information off the Internet completely.  You could store password hints, not the passwords, on a scrap of paper and keep them in your wallet or use a unique or secure email address for password recoveries.  This entails creating a special account you never use for communications and choosing a username that isn’t the same as your name.  In other words, a faux account.

10. Use two password authentications when offered.  This method adds a secondary layer of security to your account.  In order to employ this method you need to tweak your account and have a mobile device that receives text messages.  When you login a text message is sent to your device and you will be required to type it in.

11. Use password-protection software that permits you to store all usernames and passwords in one place. Some programs also have the ability to create strong passwords and automatically log you into sites if you provide one master password.  LastPass, SplashData, and AgileBits are three of the better known software programs that offer password protection for Windows, Macs, and mobile devices.

12. Use different Web browsers for different activities i.e. “Leisure” browsing versus online banking.  By using different browsers, you can prevent inadvertently spreading an infection to all your accounts.  A study published in 2011 by Accuvant Labs, of web browsers that included Google Chrome, Microsoft Internet Explorer, and Mozilla Firefox determined that Google Chrome was less susceptible to attacks.

13. Consider using “throwaway” e-mail addresses, like those offered by 10 minute mail (http://10minutemail.com/10MinuteMail/index.html).  The program allows users to register and confirm an online account which self-destructs 10 minutes later. 

14. Scrub your online presence.  One of the easiest ways to hack your account is through your email and bill address information.  If possible, do not retain this information on file or inquire about using the opt-out mechanisms on the database. 

15. REMEMBER THAT ANYTHING YOU HAVE TYPED OR SHARED ONLINE IS A PUBLIC RECORD!

DON’T

1. Reuse passwords.

2. Use the same password for different accounts.   Hackers regularly exploit the fact that people tend to use the same password across multiple sites. 

3. Use a dictionary word as your password.  If your password is in a dictionary, you might as well not have one.  Hackers will often test passwords from a dictionary.  If you want to use dictionary words string several words together in a phrase.

4. Use standard number substitutions.  For example words like H@ck3r or S3cur3.  Hacker cracking tools can easily break these passwords.  If you want to continue to use standard number substitutions, string several together as suggested above.

5. Use a short password even if it is weird.  Your best defense is the longest possible password.

The Northfield Public Library has computers that are free and open for use with a library card.  We also have a collection of books and periodicals about all aspects of personal computing including SmartComputing in Plain English and Wired.  Books and periodicals are located on the second floor of the library.

Sources: “Hacked” by Mat Honan Wired Magazine.  December 2012, pp., 180-186, 220-224

Downton Abbey @ the Library

If you can't get your fix on a weekly basis watching Downton Abbey on Sunday evenings, come to the library to get some books on the hit show or DVDs to catch up on previous seasons.

World of Downton Abbey - 791.45 FE

Chronicles of Downton Abbey - 791.4572 FE

Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey - 942.2 CA

Secrets of the Manor House: Inside British Country Homes in the Early 1900s - DVD 941.082 SE

Treasure Houses of Britain - DVD - on order

Upstairs, Downstairs (the new version) 2011- DVD

Upstairs, Downstairs - John Hawkesworth - FIC (Based on the original television series)

and of course we have Seasons 1 and 2 of Downton Abbey on DVD- call us or place a request on our catalog

Here are some interesting links on the web to the PBS site on Downton Abbey and some good articles from the New York Times on why it has become so popular.


http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/downtonabbey/

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/09/arts/television/downton-abbey-audience-swells-for-seasons-first-episode.html?_r=0

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/19/magazine/downton-abbey.html?pagewanted=all

http://www.vulture.com/2012/12/downton-abridged-an-episode-by-episode-recap.html (this one will give you an overview of the previous seasons)

Holiday Book Gifts

Are you looking for just the perfect book to get that certain someone this holiday season?
Look no further than the New York Times Holiday Gift Guide for 2012. Below is a sampling of their top 100 books from poetry, fiction and nonfiction.  For a complete list go to
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/02/books/review/100-notable-books-of-2012.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Fiction
AN AMERICAN SPY. By Olen Steinhauer. (Minotaur, $25.99.) In a novel vividly evoking the multilayered world of espionage, Steinhauer’s hero fights back when his C.I.A. unit is nearly destroyed.  (Fic)
BRING UP THE BODIES. By Hilary Mantel. (Macrae/Holt, $28.) Mantel’s sequel to “Wolf Hall” traces the fall of Anne Boleyn, and makes the familiar story fascinating and suspenseful again. (Fic)
FLIGHT BEHAVIOR. By Barbara Kingsolver. (Harper/HarperCollins, $28.99.) An Appalachian woman becomes involved in an effort to save monarch butterflies in this brave and majestic novel (Fic)
A HOLOGRAM FOR THE KING. By Dave Eggers. (McSweeney’s, $25.) Eg­gers’s novel is a haunting and supremely readable parable of America in the global economy, a nostalgic lament for a time when life had stakes and people worked with their hands. (Fic)
MARRIED LOVE: And Other Stories. By Tessa Hadley. (Harper Perennial, paper, $14.99.) Hadley’s understatedly beautiful collection is filled with exquisitely calibrated gradations and expressions of class. (Fic)
THE ROUND HOUSE. By Louise Erdrich. (Harper/HarperCollins, $27.99.) In this novel, an American Indian family faces the ramifications of a vicious crime.  (Fic)
SWEET TOOTH. By Ian McEwan. (Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, $26.95.) The true subject of this smart and tricky novel, set inside a cold war espionage operation, is the border between make-believe and reality. (Fic)

NonFiction
BARACK OBAMA: The Story. By David Maraniss. (Simon & Schuster, $32.50.) This huge and absorbing new biography, full of previously unexplored detail, shows that Obama’s saga is more surprising and gripping than the version we’re familiar with. (921 OBA)
BEHIND THE BEAUTIFUL FOREVERS: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity. By Katherine Boo. (Random House, $27.) This extraordinary moral inquiry into life in an Indian slum shows the human costs exacted by a brutal social Darwinism. (305.5 BO)
FAR FROM THE TREE: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity. By Andrew Solomon. (Scribner, $37.50.) This passionate and affecting work about what it means to be a parent is based on interviews with families of “exceptional” children. (362.4083 SO)
HOW CHILDREN SUCCEED: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character. By Paul Tough. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $27.) Noncognitive skills like persistence and self-control are more crucial to success than sheer brainpower, Tough maintains. (372.2109 TO)
ON A FARTHER SHORE: The Life and Legacy of Rachel Carson. By William Souder. (Crown, $30.) An absorbing biography of the pioneering environmental writer on the 50th anniversary of “Silent Spring.” (921 CAR)
SHOOTING VICTORIA: Madness, Mayhem, and the Rebirth of the British Monarchy. By Paul Thomas Murphy. (Pegasus, $35.) An uninhibited and learned account of the attempts on the life of Queen Victoria, which only increased her popularity (941.081 MU)      

Young and looking for work?

It is well known that young job hunters are facing a tough job market.  Below are nine tips this demographic of employment seekers should keep in mind while looking for work.

1.   If you do not know what you want to do, don’t pretend you do.

It is natural to be uncertain what your job options are when you are young and do not know what it feels like to work in a particular type of work setting. 

What is important to convey in a job interview is an understanding of you.  For example, what you are good at, what kind of work environment you thrive in, and how much autonomy you feel comfortable with on the job.  Be prepared to provide examples to illustrate your skills and preferences.

2.    What’s real, what’s fake.

Conveying that you believe in yourself and your skills is important in a job interview, but it is also acceptable to express some uncertainty given your career inexperience.  Hiring managers will likely understand the uncertainty, and should interpret it as a willingness to learn on the job.

It is critical in an interview situation to express enthusiasm, even if you may not be keen to do a particular job.  Just don’t go overboard in your eagerness in an effort to appear professional as you could risk coming across as insincere.

3.   Know your audience

When looking for work remember that talking to professional contacts implies a different set of boundaries than talking to other adult acquaintances.  Avoid sharing too much information.

4.   When offered help, take it!

Most people feel good when they get an opportunity to help someone, so if someone offers to help you, take it.

If you do need assistance don’t be shy about asking, but don’t expect endless support either. 

5.   You might not be remembered
Most people have short memories and come in contact with many people.  In advance to any conversation you may have, remind them who referred you and why you are calling.

  6.   Show appreciation for help received

Be enthusiastic and sincere when expressing gratitude.  Keep in mind that those who helped you will feel better about doing so if you work into your thank you message specifically how they helped you.

7.   Entitlement:  A word of caution

Right or wrong, many older hiring managers think that the younger generation of job seekers suffers from a sense of entitlement.  Be careful with your word choice, don’t be overly friendly, and don’t come across as overly self-confident as it can be misinterpreted as being cocky instead of conveying a sense of self-worth.

8.   The value of timeliness

If someone offers to pass along your name to a colleague, follow up with that person right away or you run the risk of being forgotten and offending the person who passed your name along.

If someone offers to get back to you promptly and does not, get back to them promptly. People do not always do as they say, they may forget, or they may get distracted. 

9.    Don’t be overly picky

A crappy job is neither a life sentence nor a death sentence.  Try not to be psychologically crushed and keep focused on longer term goals.  Take what you can from the job including experience, income, exposure and self-knowledge . The skills you are developing on the job are a steppingstone to other things in your future. 

The Northfield Public Library has a great collection of resources for job seekers.  Below are a few sample titles of interest to young job seekers.  All are located in the Business and Employment Resources area:

1,001 phrases you need to get a job by Nancy Schuman and Burton J. Nadler.  Avon, Mass.: Adams Media, c2012. Call number is 650.14 SC

Job Interviews for Dummies by Joyce Lain Kennedy.  Hoboken, N.J.:  Wiley, c2012.  Call number is 650.144 KE

Résumé 101:  a student and recent grad guide to crafting résumés and cover letters that land jobs by Quentin J. Schulze.  New York: Ten Speed Press, c2012. Call number is 650.14 SC

A Year Up: how a pioneering program teaches young adults real skills for real jobs--with real success by Gerald Chertavian.  New York: Viking, c2012.  Call number is 331.21 CH

Zinio is here!

Check out our new subscription to Zinio! Access over 100 popular magazines with your library card 24/7.  The list includes magazines like:
Consumer Reports
Martha Stewart Living
Seventeen
Family Handyman
MacWorld
Food Network Magazine
and many more!!

You can use a computer or any other device that has access to the internet.

https://rbdg.envionsoftware.com/buckhammn/zinio

Here's a user guide to help you get started:

http://www.keepandshare.com/doc/3975638/zinio-patron-user-guide?da=y

This resource is brought to you by the Friends and Foundation of the Northfield Public Library.
Thanks Friends!!!

Haunted Minnesota

On Thursday Oct. 18 at 7 PM the Northfield Library welcomes paranormal expert and author Chad Lewis. Mr. Lewis will take the audience on a ghostly journey to some of the most haunted places in Minnesota, from wandering ghosts in the North Woods to a haunted B & B in Wabasha.  Complete with photos, case histories, eyewitness accounts, ghost lore and directions, this unique presentation encourages you to visit these places for your own ghost story. The program is free and open to all ages. The program will be held in the library meeting room. For disability arrangements or more information please call the library at 507-645-6606. The presentation is sponsored by the Friends and Foundation of the Northfield Public Library.

 

 

The Future of Work

In 2011 the Minnesota Governor’s Workforce Development Council produced a comprehensive report titled “Working to Close the Skills Gap”.  In that report it was asserted that by 2018, 70% of Minnesota jobs would require education beyond high school. In contrast to this forecast is the reality that in 2011 only 40% of working-age adults in state held a post-secondary degree. 

A skills gap exists in Minnesota and the rest of the United States and is slated to increase as a result of 71% of Americans being employed in jobs for which there is low demand and an oversupply of workers.  Contrast this to a shortage of workers that lack the skills necessary for jobs that require higher skill levels. Jobs that many believe are directly tied to any recovery in the U.S. economy.

Today, people in the employment marketplace generally fall into one of four skillset categories:

1.    People who are “ready now” and have exactly the right skills that employers are looking for at the right time.  Employers will first try and recruit from local labor markets and schools to find these people, but if they are unsuccessful they will look elsewhere.  Sometimes far afield.

2.    People who are “ready soon” and who, despite having limited training and on-the job experience can fit in.

3.    “Work ready” people have two to four years of postsecondary education and can be trained on the job, but for those companies with limited or shrinking budgets for training, hiring these people is a limitation.

4.    The “far from ready” segment of the population, are people who have dropped out of school, or only have a high school diploma.  Good job prospects for these people are small. 

Thomas Friedman, author of the book Hot Flat and Crowded:  Why We Need a Green Revolution and How it Can Renew America believes that the global marketplace has rewritten the requirements for employment success.  In addition to “working hard and playing by the rules”, it is necessary to obtain some form of postsecondary education, regularly reinvent yourself, and make sure you are engaged in lifelong learning.  In short, you will need to work harder, smarter and develop new skills faster.

A core value of the Northfield Public Library is to support lifelong learning, education, and enrichment.  The library has an impressive and extensive collection of print and electronic resources, participates in two large interlibrary loan networks that provide access to materials held throughout Minnesota, more than eight Internet accessible computers, and experienced staff dedicated to serving library users.

In addition to the above resources, there is a special collection in the library of materials on the subjects of  small business development and job searching, as well as a computer in this area dedicated to employment and business related activities.  Finally, the library has partnered with the Minnesota Workforce Center and provides the space for twice monthly job search club meetings and classes.   For more information contact the Northfield Public Library at 507-645-1802.  We can also answer your questions online.  Click on http://www.ci.northfield.mn.us/library/askalibrarian

Below are works written by Thomas L. Friedman that available for loan in the Northfield Public Library. 

The World is Flat:  A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century.  New York:  Farrar, Straus and Giroux, c2005  Call no. 308.4833 FR

Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution and How it Can Renew America.  New York:  Farrar, Straus and Giroux, c2008   Call no. 363.7 FR

That Used to Be Us:  How America Fell Behind In the World It Invented and How We Can Come Back.  New York:  Farrar, Straus and Giroux, c2011   Call no. 973.932 FR