ABCmouse.com - Library Install Guide

Dedicated, full screen, Early-Learning Computers, For your library!

ABCmouse.com - Dedicated Install Guide

Free Tech Guide to install ABCmouse.com

Thursday, May 22, 2014


The Library Accounts Launched at #ALA14
This guide will hopefully help many libraries that have low budgets (don't we all) provide a dedicated ABCmouse.com Early Learning Acadamy to your patrons. This guide is designed to be manageable for those who lack IT staff or advanced knowledge of programming. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact me.




 Library Flickr
To see picture from the
Mercer County District Library
Click Here.
ABCmouse.com at Age of Learning Inc. contacted me with some questions about my thoughts on creating an edition of their website for libraries to use. (Most likely they emailed me, because my email has the word library in it. However, we actually were using the school version on 4 public computers locked down in full screen mode.) They were great to talk to. To my understanding, the people that work in the company really care for the educational experience the program offers. When I started to mention something about them making a lot of money by partnering with libraries, they stopped me. They made me realize that their main objective was to help reach the kids that don't have internet at home and those who can't afford ABCmouse.com at home. I was able to give some helpful feedback on library jargon and what type of user interface our patrons would like in the public setting. I was notified that they are ready to launch ABCmouse.com - Library Edition at the public level and will be fulling launching at the ALA -Las Vegas Conference.

The first thing I want to do is list the different tools we will be using to make a full screen dedicated ABCmouse.com computer (You can add other sites to this kiosk too: AR Reader, your card catalog, etc accessible via hotkey shortcuts)

AutoHotkey - This is what I write script in, it lets you automate programs, make hotkeys, and do techy stuff.
Microsoft Family Safety - This locks down a computer, you can force an Only-Allow list on your patrons.
ABCmouse.com - Library Edition - This can be found and start the signup process at abcmouse.com/libraries (Our library is in the 2 minute video on that page) ABCmouse.com requires HTML5 so in theory you could run it on linux or a tablet.
Deep Freeze - I highly recommend Deep Freeze to keep your computer from the public. It reverts all changes every startup. *Costs Money
A dedicated Windows computer. I recommend HP All-In-One machines. (We buy ours on Amazon Refurbished.)

The ABCmouse.com - Library Edition only uses HTML5, which is great because if you are making a dedicated machine you don't even need java or flash.  Our dedicated machines run Windows 7, but all windows should be a similar install, and we have the internet disabled using Microsoft Windows Live Family Safety to only allow the following websites:  Microsoft family safety locks down the computer so that you don't have to worry about someone getting out of ABCmouse.com, although, we will be going over how to make that  pretty hard to do anyways using AutoHotkey.

First thing is first, you want your computer to auto login. 

You will want a limited windows account (not administrator) to use as a kiosk. If you do NOT have a Windows domain use this Microsoft Answers Link for good instructions on how to setup auto login.
If you have a domain, things get a little more complicated, you have to edit the registry. Microsoft Technet

Restart your computer and make sure it logs in automatically.


Next begin signup at ABCmouse.com - Library Edition.

They have already informed me of changes to the signup process, so I sadly can't blog about it. However if you fill in all the info, you should get approved. ABCmouse.com has IP based filtering control therefore if your library is all on one external IP (if you use a range, you will most likely have to contact them) they can approve your account to forward ABCmouse.com to auto login to library edition.
ABCmouse.com - Library Edition creates a auto-logging in, temporary, public profile, with a nice looking splash page that lets anyone try ABCmouse.com for free in a public library.

I have been beta testing the library edition. I know from experience if you have any problems, they are great at communicating solutions and getting problems solved.

The IP Filtering should make your access to ABCmouse.com go to the autologged in version and splash page.

AutoHotkey - Editing some script.

* If you don't want to install AHK, and just use my provided .exe file, you can download that here.

Install AutoHotkey.  (Super small download, we have it installed on every library computer. Yes, I love it that much. I also use it to write hotkeys for circulation staff.)   I'll show you what we are dealing with first, please don't run. It really is pretty easy to read and edit AutoHotkey scripts. If you want to change any hotkeys I have explained most of the script below. Anything after a ; semicolon is is ignored as a note by autohotkey. Autohotkey files are saved with the extension .ahk and you have to have AHK installed to run them. You can convert .ahk to .exe if you want to do this all more automated.
#singleinstance force
#Persistent
DetectHiddenWindows, On

;;;;;;;;;;Run Idle.ahk
run, \\66.213.94.20\share\elc\idle.ahk

;;;;;;;;This AutoHotkey script was written by Eric Lochtefeld at the Mercer County District Library in Celina, Ohio.
;;;;Read the install guide for a dedicated ABCmouse.com machine at:      MoreThanJustBooks.com
Process Close, iexplore.exe ;;;closes IE if open
Run iexplore.exe -k "http://www.abcmouse.com/"  ;;Opens IE, -k is a kiosk mode (Full Screen) and heads over to ABCmouse.com
Sleep, 500   ;;; This just waits a half a second for IE to open
Click 200, 200   ;;;And then clicks to the top right to activate the IE window
send, {F1}   ;;;; This deletes all past patron activity.
SoundSet, 40  ;;;This sets the sound at 40%

Sleep, 1000   ;;waits another second
WinHide,ahk_class Shell_TrayWnd ;;;Makes the TaskBar "hide" make sure to find the enable hotkey below
WinHide,Start ahk_class Button   ;Hides Start Button.
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
!k::msgbox, Password compromised, Ask Eric for assistance.   ;The old hotkey to disable kiosk mode.
PgUp::SoundSet +10 ; changes volume using pgup and dn
PgDn::SoundSet -10
!u::
Process Close, iexplore.exe   ;Alt + U resets this script
Reload
Return
!a::
Process Close, iexplore.exe                      ;;;;;;;These are hotkeys our library has setup, but you may have them blocked.
run iexplore.exe -k http://www.arbookfind.com
Sleep, 200
Click 200, 200   ;;;And then clicks to the top right to activate the IE window
send, F1   ;;;; This deletes all past patron activity.
return
!w::
Process Close, iexplore.exe
run iexplore.exe -k http://www.worldbookonline.com/pl/forkids
Sleep, 200
Click 200, 200   ;;;And then clicks to the top right to activate the IE window
send, F1   ;;;; This deletes all past patron activity.
return
!M::
Process Close, iexplore.exe
run iexplore.exe -k http://www.abcmouse.com/
Sleep, 200
Click 200, 200   ;;;And then clicks to the top right to activate the IE window
send, F1   ;;;; This deletes all past patron activity.
return
!O::
Process Close, iexplore.exe
run iexplore.exe -k http://wonderopolis.org/
Sleep, 200
Click 200, 200   ;;;And then clicks to the top right to activate the IE window
send, F1   ;;;; This deletes all past patron activity.
return
!F::
Process Close, iexplore.exe
Sleep, 200
Click 200, 200   ;;;And then clicks to the top right to activate the IE window
run iexplore.exe -k http://freerice.com/
send, F1   ;;;; This deletes all past patron activity.
return
;;;Disable CtAlDl New:
Regwrite, REG_SZ, HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE,SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\taskmgr.exe, Debugger, Hotkey Disabled
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;exclusions   The keys are DISABLED. They do nothing
!Tab::
!F4::return ; disable 'alt-f4'
$^p::
$^w::
Lwin::return
Rwin::return
Lwin & f::return
#e::
MsgBox This hotkey is now owned by the script.
return
LWin & L::
LWin Up::            ; if only the winkey was pressed, block
RWin Up::            ; if only the winkey was pressed, block
Esc::
alt & esc::
ctrl & esc::
ctrl & d::
ctrl & i::
ctrl & u::
ctrl & o::
ctrl & e::
ctrl & j::
ctrl & f::
ctrl & s::
ctrl & b::
ctrl & n::
ctrl & g::
ctrl & F4::
ctrl::
F1::                          ;;;;;F1 will now delete user past history and cookies
Send ^+{Delete}
sleep, 200
send {left}
sleep, 200
send {enter}
return
F2::
F3::
F5::
F6:: ;you get the idea
F7::
F8::
F9::
F10::
F12::
RButton::   ;disabled right click button on mouse
return
delete::  ;some control alt del security
Loop, 5
{
Freq := (A_Index * 75)
SoundBeep, %Freq%, 500
Sleep, 50
}
reload
Return
Return
^!Delete::   ;; more ctrl alt del sec
Loop, 5
{
Freq := (A_Index * 75)
SoundBeep, %Freq%, 500
Sleep, 50
}
reload
Return
^!NumpadDel::
Loop, 5
{
Freq := (A_Index * 75)
SoundBeep, %Freq%, 500
Sleep, 50
}
reload
return
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
! & End::
                If GetKeyState("home","P")
                                MsgBox,
Return
!end::             ;To close your kiosk mode press ALT + END
Process Close, iexplore.exe ;BACKUP Run taskkill /F /IM iexplore.exe  ;This closes IE
WinShow,ahk_class Shell_TrayWnd
WinShow,Start ahk_class Button ; these show your windows Stuff.
msgbox, If you are not a member of Library Staff you may be breaking the law. In accordance with the Children's Internet Protection Act of 2003, this computer may not be used to access the internet. Please notify the circulation desk of this error immediately.
SetTitleMatchMode, 2
ExitApp
return
I built the hotkey F1 to delete patron data from IE into the autohotkey script above. #PatronPrivacy. It is set to run at the start for every website hotkey pressed.

If you want to use this script as a .ahk, open notepad, copy and paste that above, make any changes you would like, and save it as a ABCSCRIPT.ahk.    I have different ones for each of our 4 dedicated machines incase I want to change things per machine. (like the default home page)
Hopefully none of the script is too hard to understand with my notes. We use a very similar script to run our kiosks for the card catalog too...

Most important hotkeys:
ALT + End to end kiosk mode, I recommend changing this every now and then for "security" purposes.
ALT + M to reload ABCmouse.com

Save the files to a network share and then make shortcut in the startup folder if you don't have a network share save them to the windows startup folder. (or they moved it in Windows 8.)

So the idle.ahk we called upon in the first script needs to be a real file. Here is the script for it.
(I can't provide a .exe file for this one because the first script calls for the .ahk, you can make it yourself or contact me for more info.)
#singleinstance force
#Persistent

; ================================================================
;        Move mouse if idle
; ================================================================
; adjust the folowing 3 values to suit your circumstances
; ================================================================

inactivity_limit=300 ; measured in seconds
how_often_to_test=1 ; measured in seconds
show_tooltip=0       ; 1=show, anything else means hide

; ================================================================

inactivity_limit_ms:=inactivity_limit*1000
how_often_to_test_ms:=how_often_to_test*1000


settimer, check_active, %how_often_to_test_ms%

mm_cnt=0
return

; ================================================================
; test if the mouse and keyboard have been idle

check_active:

; this tooltip is just a diagnostic, allow for disabling it during normal use
if show_tooltip=1
  tooltip, % A_TimeIdlePhysical "ms`rmoves " mm_cnt


if A_TimeIdlePhysical > %inactivity_limit_ms%
{
send, !m   ;;;;;;;;;;WHAT TO DO IF IDLE (Press ALT+M to go back to ABCmouse.com home)
}

return

Family Safety for FCC CIPA Protection.

Because we won't be asking for parental permission to use the computer, we have to block the big bad internet.



I use the "Whitelist-Only" feature for family safety. You can read most of the setup on this Microsoft page. Family Safety is part of Windows Essentials (different than Security Essentials) and can be downloaded from here. Make sure to do custom install and only install the software you are looking for. (Family Safety)

Sign up for a live account for library use. Sign in and restrict the limited account you have set to auto login to be a new "child." Whitelist ABCmouse.com and any other sites you are setting up. To see the sites I use dig through the AHK script (above) for details.

Restart Frozen.

Not everyone has Deepfreeze, but I recommend it so that your computer doesn't get messed up by the public. 

I'm going to tell a story about our old email system.  OPLIN (The Ohio Public Library Information Network) manages a email service for all public libraries in Ohio. This is a great service for small libraries and I'm grateful they offer such services. Where this becomes a problem is when telling staff, peers, and the public your email you have to spell out OPLIN.org as it is hard to remember and say. Most libraries also own their own domain name. We bought MercerLibrary.org and MercerLibrary.com and began moving our emails to the new domain. To do this we first signed up for Google Apps for Nonprofits. Once your domain is registered you can start setting up gmail accounts for your staff. Gmail provides a fee 30GB inbox, 24/7 support, and access to all google apps.

Not all libraries have a 503(c)(3) but Google knows libraries are nonprofit, so put a check mark next to it and move on. You will need an Employer ID (EIN) number. The application takes some time so put some care into it.

Once approved and you prove ownership of your domain, you can begin creating new emails. I recommend contacting your current provider and having them forward your old address to the new one.  You can create catch-all emails, groups, and use all of Google's Great services, FREE.

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

This is a repost of a letter written to the Urban Librarian, Screwy Decimal. It really hit home and shows that libraries, to so many people, are so much More Than Just Books.

"
So there was this time in my life, where I needed a place to go because I didn't like to go home, that was the library. Now let me tell you something; being a teenager sucks. The transition between a 'child' to a 'teenager' sucks. Not being able to find matching socks in the morning sucks. Every little thing will set you off; you're a little ball of pressurized energy that will explode when air touches it. It's not that I had problems at home or in school, it's that those places didn't feel like home. They still don't feel like home. Hell, even church doesn't feel like home, but that’s another story. Library is home to me, it treated me like I was its child, and I know that sounds like a really weird analogy but hear me out. There were nice people who didn't judge me for receiving a 70% in seventh grade honors math. There were programs such as Teen Time, arts'n'crafts, games, and RIF that occupied my time. It was a quiet space (most of the time) where I could do projects, attempt to study, print out my homework assignments because my computer at home was broken. It was warm when it was too cold outside for a walk, it was refreshingly cool when it was icky and humid outside. And of course, an endless amount of books to read when I wanted to get lost in fantasy and not face the reality of my life.
-Quoted from Screwy Decimal

Tuesday, May 20, 2014



Libraries, More Than Just Books.

This video has over 4,000 views and the feedback on our Facebook page was amazing. We believe we got more positive PR from this video, YouTube, and Facebook than we would for being in the local paper.

"On the surface, perhaps looking for a job is more important than playing games or chatting with friends - but should it be up to the library to make that call? If someone "checks out" a library resource, be it by taking home a book or by using one of our computers, they are pretty much entitled to use it for whatever they want, so long as they don't damage it.
This means that if someone checks out a book and uses it for the three-week loan period to prop up a broken table leg, they are entitled to do that. Similarly, if someone spends their hour on the computer playing games, that is their business. Libraries make information and resources available, not police how patrons put them to use. But to the first patron, us not kicking someone off a computer so he could (ironically) do the same thing they were doing is not providing good service."
- Swiss Army Librarian

Monday, May 12, 2014


Printing promotions at the bottom of receipts is not a new idea, have you been to CVS lately? The receipts end up 3 feet long by the time all the coupons and ads print. Obviously that is probably wasteful in terms of Library-Land, but that doesn't mean you can't self-promote at the bottom of a reasonable receipt, in fact. In fact, we used to add "whitespace" to the bottom of our receipts so they were longer to stick out of books and go nicely in dvd cases.

Our library uses EPSON TM-T88V Printers. They come with auto-cut and logo-saving printing options, work with Windows 8, and aren't incredibly expensive. The utility on this page allows you to upload an image to print at the bottom of every receipt. Of course this one only works with EPSON but most POS printers have some sort of option for this.

Saturday, April 12, 2014

The Daily Standard used my quote in front page of the paper.

Woot woot!