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From Ottawa Public Library
In partnership with the Ottawa Public Library (OPL), the Ottawa PC Users' Group (OPCUG) has given over 600 free presentations to city residents since 2009 on a wide variety of computer and photography topics.
While OPL in-person presentations ground to a halt during the pandemic, OPL staff reached out to me this fall to ask if we were interested in restarting them. We are thrilled with the opportunity to give these free presentations to citizens of Ottawa. We settled on 25 presentations for the fall, with 4 having already been given, leaving 21 through December 13th.
Registration for these presentations can be made through the Ottawa Public Library website at https://biblioottawalibrary.ca/en/program
Keeping passwords safe We are told: don’t write down passwords; don’t reuse passwords; make passwords long and complex. Chris Taylor, President of the Ottawa PC Users’ Group will show how to use free software that stores all your usernames and passwords along with related information and protects them with a single, very strong password. Don’t let your online accounts get compromised. It’s easy and free.
Tuesday, October 24, 2023, 2:00 – 4:00 PM, Blackburn Hamlet Branch
Wednesday, November 15, 2023, 2:00 – 4:00 PM, Ruth E. Dickinson Branch
Monday, November 27, 2023, 6:00 – 8:00 PM, St. Laurent Branch
Thursday, November 30, 2023, 6:00 – 8:00 PM, Beaverbrook Branch
Monday, December 4, 2023, 6:00 – 8:00 PM, Greenboro Branch
Protecting your PC The average time it takes for an unprotected computer to be compromised after connecting to the Internet is under 15 minutes. Don’t let it be yours. Chris Taylor, President of the Ottawa PC Users’ Group will show you the simple steps you need to take to keep your PC from being hacked. And best of all, it can be done for free.
Wednesday, October 23, 2023, 6:00 – 8:00 PM, Emerald Plaza Branch
Monday, October 30, 2023, 6:00 – 8:00 PM, Orleans Branch
Wednesday, November 1, 2023, 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM, Rideau Branch
Wednesday, November 29, 2023, 2:00 – 4:00 PM, Ruth E. Dickinson Branch
Thursday, December 7, 2023, 6:00 – 8:00 PM, Alta Vista Branch
Basic photography tips and techniques Learn, in simple terms, how your camera works to enable you to take better photos. The lecture will cover tips on composition, depth of field, lighting, people pictures and how to avoid common pitfalls. Applicable to cell phones too. Presented by Lynda Buske from the Ottawa PC Users’ Group.
Monday, November 13, 2023, 6:00 – 8:00 PM, St. Laurent Branch
How to take better vacation photos Learn how to more effectively tell the story of your vacations through pictures. Regardless of what kind of camera you use (cell phone, tablet, DSLR, etc.), learn how to use light, foreground, people and framing to create a descriptive picture that needs no captioning. Presented by Lynda Buske from the Ottawa PC Users’ Group.
Friday, October 27, 2023, 2:00 – 4:00 PM, Centennial Branch
Thursday, November 23, 2023, 6:00 – 8:00 PM, Beaverbrook Branch
How to make a hard copy photo book Lynda Buske from the Ottawa PC Users’ Group will show you how to make a hard copy book using the on-line service, Photobook Canada. You can completely customize the arrangement of your photos, backgrounds, frames, embellishments, etc. A great way to preserve memories of family events or travel!
Saturday, October 28, 2023, 2:00 – 4:00 PM, Sunnyside Branch
How to buy a PC When buying a PC, you are faced with a lot of choices, laptop or desktop, how many cores in the processor, Intel or AMD processor, size of storage, how big a monitor, is it better to buy a faster processor or more memory… Chris Taylor, President of the Ottawa PC Users’ Group will help sort out the choices so you can buy the computer that is right for your needs.
Wednesday, November 8, 2023, 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM, Rideau Branch
Whoa, backup! Effective strategies for keeping your computer files safe Think about all the data on your PC; videos of the grand-kids playing in a park, photos of your trip to Patagonia (lucky you!), tax records, emails… Now think about whether those files exist anywhere else. If the answer is no, you need to think about backup. You could lose data due to viruses, fire, theft, tornado, hard disk failure, making an unintended change to a file, or a wayward finger deleting a file. Chris Taylor, President of the Ottawa PC Users’ Group will discuss various ways you can ensure your important data survives any catastrophe.
Thursday, November 9, 2023, 6:00 AM – 8:00 PM, Centennial Branch
Thursday, November 16, 2023, 5:30 – 7:30 PM, Greely Branch
Tuesday, November 21, 2023, 6:00 AM – 8:00 PM, North Gloucester Branch
Monday, December 11, 2023, 6:00 – 8:00 PM, St. Laurent Branch
Wednesday, December 13, 2023, 2:00 – 4:00 PM, Ruth E. Dickinson Branch
How to make a photo collage with free software Do you have a small collection of photos such as an outing, a deceased family member, a birthday party, a nature collection (birds, butterflies?) that you would like to make into a collage? Lynda Buske from the Ottawa PC Users’ Group, will demonstrate how you can use Photoscape X (free for Windows 10 & 11 and macOS) to design and create digital collages of your favourite photos that can then be printed and framed.
Saturday, November 18, 2023, 2:00 – 4:00 PM, Sunnyside Branch