Is this happening in your public LIBRARIES regarding computers?

Question

For some reason, the public libraries in Miami-Dade county, at least in the BEACH area, have started to get the STRANGEST of maintenance. It goes like this: First of all there's nothing wrong with them. I know because I use them every single day. When least expect it they announce on the computer system that there'll be maintenance done on FRIDAY in the morning. Come 4 o'clock in the afternoon, and your lucky if they're up and running.

This not being enough, they then wait for the following MONDAY to do maintenance again, this time SUPPOSEDLY on the PRINTING and computer RESERVATION system.

Today the message on every screen reads "The AUTHENTICATING AUTHORITY could not be contacted"...When I ask librarian, she tells me "it is posted there on the door" (as if I couldn't read!!!). Then she says reservations have to be made at desk. Asks for my library card (the card # is not enough), and still she requires my IDENTIFICATION PIN. I give it to her, and I'm able to go in. Why this??

Answer 1

Sounds like they have had some kind of incidences where someone was using the PCs to do things they should not have been doing (harrassing, spamming, child porn, etc.) so they have looked them down to where they can better monitor the activity and should they continue, be able to detect the people responsible. And prevent future incidences.

Not that unusual. Many libraries do that for safety reasons. (Protect themselves as well as you.)

Answer 2

Most likely they doing of an upgrade of their systems and by the error message about the Authenticating Authority, I can tell that the server that controls that is down.
Lots of times when updates are made like that it doesn't always go right all the time. Lot's of times unexpected thing happen and cause delays.
Just have patience.