Librarian Terminal Pack

Librarian Terminal Starter Pack – 2-Minute Checklist

1. Open your terminal program (Terminal on Mac/Linux, PowerShell on Windows).
2. Type:  date  and press Enter. If you see today's date, you're in.
3. Read 01_SixCommands.txt next, only six commands unlock 90% of daily power.
4. Keep 05_CheatSheet_5x8.txt open on your desk while you practice.
5. Try the Micro-Project (04_MicroProject_DueBot.txt) when you're ready.

That's it. No install, no sign-up, no bullshit.

The Only Six You Need Today

1. pwd          – "Where am I in the folder tree?"
2. ls           – "List everything in this drawer."
3. cd FOLDER    – "Walk into that aisle."
4. grep WORD file – "Find every card that mentions WORD."
5. cp old new   – "Photocopy and date-stamp."
6. history      – "Flip through yesterday's circ log."

Pro-tip: press TAB to auto-complete names so you never mistype.

Copy-Paste Library One-Liners

Count today's loans:
  grep "$(date +%F)" loans.csv | wc -l

Backup loans with today's date:
  cp loans.csv loans-$(date +%F).csv

Find any barcode containing 3928:
  grep -i 3928 barcodes.txt

Bulk-rename cover scans .jpeg → .jpg:
  for f in *.jpeg; do mv "$f" "${f%.jpeg}.jpg"; done

List biggest MARC files first:
  ls -lhS *.mrc | head

Live-watch the check-in log:
  tail -f /var/log/checkins.log

Quick disk-space check:
  df -h .

Random emoji password (three emoji):
  curl -s https://unicode.org/Public/emoji/15.0/emoji-test.txt | grep -E '^[0-9A-F].*; fully-qualified' | shuf | head -3 | cut -d' ' -f1

Thermal Printer Reconnect – Checklist

SYMPTOM 1: "Printer not detected"
1 Unplug power 30 s → replug
2 Swap USB/Ethernet cable
3 Different USB port (no hub)
4 Power printer first, then PC
5 Re-install driver from maker site

SYMPTOM 2: "Wi-Fi won't join"
1 Print network page (hold FEED 3-5 s) – IP ≠ 0.0.0.0
2 Move printer within 3 m of router, force 2.4 GHz
3 Re-enter Wi-Fi password via printer menu
4 Assign static IP so it doesn't vanish

SYMPTOM 3: "Prints garbage / blank"
1 Thermal paper upside-down? Scratch grey mark = correct side
2 Clean print-head with 70 % isopropyl swab
3 Calibrate labels: hold FEED 3 s until 2-3 labels feed
4 Check driver paper size (80 mm vs 58 mm)

Nuclear option (Windows PowerShell Admin):
  Get-Service -Name Spooler | Restart-Service
  Remove-Item "C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS\*" -Force

Micro-Project: Due-Date Reminder Bot (20 min)

1. Make folder and data:
   mkdir due-bot && cd due-bot
   cat > loans.csv
   paste:
   patron,book,due
   alice,NeuroTribes,2025-07-20
   bob,The Hobbit,2025-07-22
   carol,The Reason I Jump,2025-07-24
   Ctrl-D to save.

2. Write the bot:
   nano overdue.py
   (copy code from earlier reply or GitHub gist)

3. Run it:
   python3 overdue.py
   Output: alice owes NeuroTribes (3 days overdue) etc.

4. Make it executable:
   chmod +x overdue.py
   ./overdue.py

5. Optional colour:
   print(f"\033[31m{patron}\033[0m owes {book} ({days_overdue} days overdue)")

Next: pipe to less, redirect to file, or schedule with cron.

Librarian Terminal Cheat Sheet – 5×8 print-and-tape

pwd          where am I?
ls           list files
cd FOLDER    open folder
grep WORD    search inside file
cp old new   copy file
history      see last commands
Tab          auto-complete
Ctrl-C       cancel
Ctrl-A       start of line
Ctrl-E       end of line
↑ / ↓        scroll history

Common Errors & Instant Fixes

ERROR: "command not found"
→ Did you mistype? Use Tab to autocomplete.
→ Is the program installed? sudo apt install <name>

ERROR: "Permission denied"
→ Do you own the file? ls -l
→ Need admin? sudo !! (re-runs last command with sudo)

ERROR: "No such file or directory"
→ Check spelling and case (Linux is case-sensitive).
→ Are you in the right folder? pwd

ERROR: "Connection refused" (web stuff)
→ Is the server running? node app.js
→ Firewall or wrong port? Try localhost:8080 first.

ERROR: "Port already in use"
→ Find who's using it: lsof -i :8080
→ Kill it: kill -9 <PID>

ERROR: Terminal frozen
→ Press Ctrl-C to cancel current command.
→ If that fails, type reset and press Enter.

Fun One-Liners

Talking cow:
  fortune | cowsay

Weather forecast ASCII:
  curl wttr.in/Detroit?0

Matrix rain:
  cmatrix    (q to quit)

Terminal fireplace:
  aafire     (q to quit)

Random inspiring quote:
  curl -s https://api.quotable.io/random | jq -r .content | cowsay

Make terminal speak (Mac):
  say "Welcome to the library, $(whoami)"

Bubble-wrap pop:
  for i in {1..50}; do echo -n "🎈 "; done; echo

TL;DR Terminal History

1950s – Punch-cards → print-out (batch)
1961 – CTSS first interactive prompt
1965 – Multics coins "shell"
1971 – Unix + pipes (Lego for text)
1975 – VT100 CRT screen
1981 – MS-DOS prompt on PCs
2000s – SSH into cloud
2020s – Browser terminals + AI prompts

Moral: every AI code-generator ends with curl | bash: same flow since 1961.

Links & Next Steps

GitHub repo (updated monthly):
  https://github.com/yourhandle/librarian-terminal-pack

Monthly "Terminal Tea Break" Zoom:
  https://bit.ly/terminal-tea-break

Discord server (noob-friendly):
  https://discord.gg/library-tech

Keep going:
  1. Read "The Linux Command Line" (free PDF)
  2. Try the next micro-project: barcode-counter.py
  3. Schedule your first cron job: daily backup at 3 a.m.

Stamp today's date here when you finish your first script: ___________