Free Library of Philadelphia www.freelibrary.

org

Introduction To Microsoft Word 2007

At the Free Library of Philadelphia

In addition to being one of the most common word processing programs, Microsoft Word is
available at all Free Library of Philadelphia public computers. You can use it to create, save, and print a
wide variety of documents including essays, letters, e-mails, resumes, cover sheets, and more. This
primer created by Free Library librarians will guide you through the basic functions of the program.

Starting Microsoft Word

Click the circular Start button in the lower left of the screen

then click on “Programs,”

then “Microsoft Office,”

then “ Microsoft Office Word 2007.”

You may also double-click on the icon of any Word document. Word documents can be found in the start
menu, in Windows folders, or on the desktop. When double-clicked Word opens with the selected
document already loaded.

Word document icon

Creating a New Document

To create a new document click on the Office Button:

Then, click on

In the New Document window click on and then

Saving a Document

Once you have entered information into a new document it is best to save it.
If you are working at Free Library location you can only save your document onto a floppy disk or a
flash drive.

First, insert your disk or plug in your flash drive into the computer.

Then, click the Office Button:

Then, click on

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A Save As window will appear:

The A: drive (floppy

disk) is open.

A folder in the A:
drive. Double-click
to open.

The contents of the

A: drive. If you want
to save the current
document over an
existing document
select it here.

This is where you

name your new
document.

This is where you decide to save your

document as a Word 07 document, or a
Click Save once you have selected a name
document that is compatible with an
and location for your new document.
older version of Word, or a document
compatible with a different word
processing program altogether. Click on
the down arrow to select.
The computer will recognize either your floppy disk or flash drive and automatically display the contents of
the drive in the Save window. (If both a floppy disk and a flash drive are connected to the computer the
save window will show the floppy drive.) You can change the drive that is showing by typing the letter
name of the drive in the File name box and clicking the Enter Key on the keyboard. Once you have
selected the location that you want to save your document you must name it in the File name: field at
the bottom of the window. There may already be text in this field which you will first have to delete.

If you are changing an already existing document it is not necessary to open the save window to re-save
the document. Click the Save icon next to the office button to re-save.

If you want to save an edited document as

a separate file while preserving its original
form, click the Office button followed by the Save As button.
Then re-name the new document.

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Closing a Document

Once you have finished working on a file and saved it you can close it by clicking
on the Office button and then clicking Close.

Opening a Document
To open a document you have already created click on the Office button and then click on Open.

If you are using Word on your home computer, the Open window (which looks similar to the Save
window) will appear and you will see all of the drives of your computer. Locate the drive that contains
your document, click on the document name, and click the Open button. Slightly different rules apply if
you are using Word on a public computer at the Free Library. At the library you may ONLY open a file
from a floppy disk, a flash drive, or an e-mail attachment.

1) If you use the Office button the following message will appear:

Click a document icon and

then click the Open button to
Click OK and the Open window will appear: open it. Or, as a shortcut,
double-click on the icon.

Click on the A Drive icon to

display and open files on your
floppy disk.

Click on the E Drive icon to

display and open files on your
flash drive.

The Recent Places icon will

provide a list of files and
folders you recently opened.

The rest of these icons will

take you to other places on a
personal computer, but they
will not function at the
Library.

You can also open Microsoft Word files even when you do not have the program open. If it is a file on a
floppy disk or flash drive you can click on the Start button and then either the A drive icon or the E drive
icon.

Start button Floppy Drive (A) icon Flash Drive (E) icon
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Basic Editing Features

Word has many editing features. This section covers the basic and most commonly used features: Undo,
Redo, Cut, Copy, Paste, and Fonts.

Selecting Text to Edit

To perform basic editing features, your first step is to select the text you wish to edit. There are several
ways to select text. The easiest is by using the mouse.

To select text using the mouse, press and hold the left mouse button and move the arrow with the mouse
over the desired text. Release the mouse button after the text is selected. You must then perform the
desired editing while the text is selected. The text will remain selected until you click somewhere else on
the document.

You can also use the Editing menu in the ribbon and click on and then “Select All.” This will
highlight all of the text in the entire document.

Undo & Redo

One of the most useful tools is Undo. This option allows you to “step backwards” when you have made a
change that you do not like or did not intend. Undo will remove the last change you made.

When you are working in a document and need to undo the last task
performed (maybe you hit the wrong button on the toolbar or deleted
the wrong word or paragraph) you can undo that task by hitting the
blue arrow that turns to the left in the upper left hand corner of the
screen.

Redo, the blue arrow that turns to the right,

will “step forward” and cancel out your last
undo. You can only use the Redo button once
you have clicked Undo at least once.

You can also use keyboard shortcut to undo and redo.

Undo Hold down the Ctrl key and press the Z key.
Redo Hold down the Ctrl key and press the Y key.

Cut, Copy & Paste

These tools can be found on the Clipboard menu on the left hand side of the ribbon. These are the most
commonly used editing tools. You can also access them by using keyboard shortcuts.

Feature Keyboard Shortcut Toolbar Icon

Hold down Ctrl and press

Cut Scissors
X
Hold down Ctrl and press
Copy Two pieces of paper
C

Hold down Ctrl and press

Paste Clipboard and Paper
V

To use these editing features, highlight the text upon which you would like to perform the edit.

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Fonts
Click on the font name to Click on the number to
change the type of font change the font size

Click on the
to make Click the to
the selected change the color
text bold of the selected
text.
Click on the Click on the
to make the text to make the text
italicized. underlined.

Another way to modify the appearance of text is to select or right-click a word, line, or paragraph. An
editing box will appear next to word with the same functions as on the ribbon.

Editing box

The Paragraph Toolbar

The Paragraph Toolbar allows you to change the placement of text in a document. Formatting options
include changing text alignment, creating bulleted or numbered lists, and adjusting the spacing between
lines.

Bullet List
• Begins creating a list Numbered List
with bullet points at 1. Begins creating a list
the beginning with numbers
• As you press Enter to 2. As you press Enter
move to the next line 3. The numbers increase
• A new bullet will by one
appear Click the icon again to turn it
Click the icon again to turn it off.
off.

Align Left- Begin Align Right- Begin Line Spacing- Changes the
typing on the left typing on the right amount of space between
side of the page. side of the page. lines of text. Either click the
icon and begin typing or
select text and then click
here.
Align Center- Begin typing in
the center of the page. The
characters will automatically
arrange themselves around
the center of the page as you
type.

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Spell Checking

Microsoft Word automatically notices spelling mistakes and grammar mistakes as well as words that it
does not recognize. If there are spelling errors, you will notice that it underlines these words in red. If
there are errors in grammar, the words are underlined in green.

To correct a mistake, right click with your mouse

on the word and see the suggestions listed, then
left click on the corrected spelling in the small
menu box. The red or green line should disappear.

If you prefer to spell check your document when it is complete,

click on the Review tab at the top of the screen and select
Spelling and Grammar.

A window like the one at left will

go through your entire document
and suggest spelling and
grammar corrections.

You also have the option of

changing the spelling when it is
underlined by using the far right
button. The spelling error will be
corrected.

Grammar suggests other options

for your sentence structure. You
have the option to change or
ignore the suggestions.

The following is a chart of the various options available during a spelling and grammar check:

If the word is spelled CORRECTLY Button to click…

To ignore only this occurrence of the word, click “Ignore Once”
To ignore all occurrences of the word, click “Ignore Rule”

If the word is MISSPELLED Button to click…

First, click the correct spelling in Suggestions list
OR type the correction in the Change To: box. Then...
To change only this occurrence of the word, click “Change”
To change all occurrence of the word, click “Change All”
Word 07 is also equipped with a thesaurus,
foreign language translators, and a library
of encyclopedias and directories. These can
be accessed by using buttons on the Review
ribbon.

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Printing

To print an open document:

Click on the Office Button:

Then, click on and to open the Print window.

The Print window at left shows

the many options available for
printing your document. For
example:

1) Page range allows you to

select which pages of your
document you would like to
print.

2) Copies allows you to select

how many copies of your
document you would like to
print.

You can also open the Print window by holding down the Ctrl key and pressing the P key.

Printing at the Free Library

If you are printing your document at the Free Library, you must also follow the on-screen directions of the
Print Manager program that will appear once you click OK in the Print window.

This window appears once you click OK in the Print

window.

You can enter any text as your User ID. You will have to
re-enter your user ID at the printing station so pick
something you will remember or write it down.

This window appears as soon as you click

the OK button after entering a User ID to
retrieve your print job. It displays the
total cost of your print job. Each page
costs $0.25. Click OK to send the
document to the printing station or
Cancel to cancel your print job.

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The next windows will assign your print job a number,
tell you how long you have to go to the printing
station and execute the print job, and provide you
with the location of the printing station.

The next step is to go to the printing station indicated as

the Location and use the computer beside the printer to
print your document. You will enter the User ID that you
created when you sent your document to the printer.
Select your print job by clicking once on the Job #
corresponding to your print job and then clicking the Print
button in the upper left corner of the screen.

Select Pay From Vending Device. The program will then ask you to deposit your money in the printer.
After you deposit your money click OK on the monitor and your job will begin to print.

The Keyboard
The keyboard is used to type characters (letters, numbers, and symbols), and to command the computer
to perform certain functions.
Keys to Know
1. Space Bar: Adds an open space between words.
2. Enter Key: a) When typing, it returns the cursor to the beginning of the next line.
b) When filling in forms it submits information to the computer.
3. Shift Key: a) When held down while typing a letter key it will capitalize the letter.
b) When held down while typing a number or symbol key, it will produce the symbol in the
upper left-hand corner of the key.
4. Arrow Keys (↑ ← ↓ →): Moves cursor (blinking line) around the screen.
5. Backspace Key: Deletes the letter directly behind the cursor. Example: a|
6. Delete Key: Deletes the letter directly following the cursor. Example: |a
7. Insert Key: Turns on and off the ability to insert letters. When on, typed characters appear between
already existing characters. When off, typed characters replace already existing
characters.
8. Tab Key: a) When typing, makes the cursor skip ahead 5 spaces. It can be used to indent a line.
b) When filling out a form, moves the cursor consecutively through series of buttons or
fields.
9. Caps Lock Key: Turns caps lock on and off. When caps lock is on, letters automatically appear
capitalized. A light at the upper right hand corner of the keyboard is lit when caps lock is
on.
10. Control (Ctrl) and Alt Keys: Performs various functions when pressed with different letters.
11. Page Up and Page Down Keys: Scrolls a document or website up and down on the screen.

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Microsoft Office and Word Books Available at the Free Library
Clark, David J. The Unofficial Guide to Microsoft Office Word 2007. 652.5536 M583CL
Cox, Joyce. Microsoft Office Word 2007 Step by Step. 652.5536 M583CO4
Gookin, Dan. Word 2007 for Dummies. 652.5536 M583GO2
Hart-Davis, Guy. How To Do Everything with Microsoft Office Word 2007. 652.5536 M583HAR
Johnson, Steve. Microsoft Office Word 2007 On Demand. 652.5536 M583JOH3
Joyce, Jerry. Microsoft Office Word 2007 Plain & Simple. 652.5536 M583J6
Marmel, Elaine J. Teach Yourself Visually Word 2007. 652.5536 M583MAR
Murray, Katharine. Microsoft Word 2007 Inside Out. 652.5536 M583MU
Tyson, Herbert L. Microsoft Word 2007 Bible. 652.5536 M583TY
Microsoft Office Word Help online at http://office.microsoft.com

Programs Available on Free Library Computers

Internet Explorer – Web browser to access the Internet
Microsoft Office – Word: type a document, PowerPoint: create a presentation, Excel: create a
spreadsheet, Publisher: create brochures and flyers, and Access: create a database.
WinWay Resume Deluxe – Fill in a template and create a resume.
Microsoft Encarta – Encarta Dictionaries, Encarta Kids 2008: online encyclopedia for kids, and
Encarta Premium 2008: online encyclopedia
The Learning Company – Reader Rabbit’s Math and Spongebob Squarepants Typing
Microsoft Kids – Scholastic’s The Magic School Bus Whales
Nutcracker Game 2.3 – a Music Game
Scholastics Clifford – Clifford Phonics Game

Free Library of Philadelphia

1901 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Phone
215-686-5322 Web
www.freelibrary.org
PL September 2008

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Sample Letter

Ben Franklin
Free Library of Philadelphia
1901 Vine Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103

Mayor Michael Nutter

Office of the Mayor
City Hall
Philadelphia, PA 19102
April 27, 2008
Dear Mayor Nutter:

I am writing to comend you for funding public computer classes as the Free Library of Philadelphia.
They are very informative and computer skills are necessary in in today’s society. I want to encorage you to
give more funding so that classes can be taught more frequently.

Thank you for considering this request.

Sincerely,

Ben Franklin

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