Science, Social Studies and National Geographic
Travel Databases – Trials
Librarians, Plan Ahead for July: Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month
New OverDrive Help for Library Staff
Business Information Update
ReferenceUSA Latest News
OverDrive Getting Started Bookmarks
ReferenceUSA Trainin
New GDL Titles
Librarians, Plan Ahead for June: National Fireworks Safety Month
OverDrive Updates for April 15th
Rocket Language Learning
National Geographic for Kids
Infographic: eReading on the Rise
ReferenceUSA Update – Data Visulaization
Penguin Books has a change of Heart.
Start a Digital Book Club
OverDrive Launches New Reader-friendly Services
Science Lesson Plans
April 1 Updates to eMedia Catalog
Zinio eMagazines Now Available!
The Book as an iPad App
Info Stations and Databases
“Also Available As eBook” Templates Now Available
Librarians Plan Ahead for March: Save Your Vision Month
More Kids Reading Using eReaders
New OverDrive Catalog
Marketing Tip From Freegal
New OverDrive Catalog Coming in January
Patron Profiles
We just added Science Power and Social Studies Power from World Book and National Geographic Kids to our list of databases. Search widgets can also be found on Databases A-Z as well as select Hot Topic pages.
The World Book additions are great for teachers as well students. Be sure to point them out to your Home Schooling groups and private schools.
National Geographic Kids, contains magazines and ebooks. This resource will be a great to get kids reading during Club Read this summer.
We would like your feedback on these two travel databases. Please view the databases, then return here and add your comments.
Trials end May 31 so look at them now. If you feel there is overlap with either database please indicate which database it overlaps and how much overlap.
If there is no interest we will moving onto a different subject area.
Here are the brochures which explain each database:
AtoZMapsOnline_PS_new AtoZWorldTravel_PS_new and AtoZMapsOnline_PS_new
To access the databases:
un: az
pw: munich
un: az
pw: munich
To support your library’s health programming strategy, here are July 2013 health programming ideas – brought to you by The Pulse, part of the Gale Health and Wellness Resource Center. Keep looking for us around the first of each month to find resources for two months out.
When thinking about arthritis, usually the image of an elderly person comes to mind, but actually Juvenile Arthritis (JA) is one of the most common childhood diseases, affecting more than 290,000 children and teens in the United States. A catchall phrase for any kind of arthritis or arthritis-related disease, Juvenile Arthritis comes in many forms, affects children as young as infants, and often goes undetected or misdiagnosed.
Bringing the subject of Juvenile Arthritis to your library will be easy with all of these free resources and with information from Gale Health and Wellness Resource Center:
From the Publisher: “When eleven-year-old Regan begins to suffer from juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, she must face the possibility that her dream of being a professional dancer may never come true.”
Use this free material alongside your library’s June programming information – newsletter, blog, posters, or flyers – to promote both your library’s programs and National Fireworks Safety Month.
Goof off at the reference desk and amaze your friends on Twitter . . . OR add a fun, interactive experience to a library program and enhance your library website with these fun and interesting links:
OverDrive has completely revamped the User Assistance (formerly Patron Assistance) training course with a new, simple ‘scenario, explanation and solution’ approach. There is something for everyone, whether your role happens to be in Information Services, Training & Outreach or Support & IT.
The course is divided into different user assistance scenarios: universal, those that occur on a desktop/laptop, those that occur with mobile devices and additional support tips. Each issue is clearly explained with screenshots (when applicable) and the steps necessary to get it resolved. Many of the resolutions contain links to articles on OverDrive Help, and you’ll be able to click on them if you view them and/or save a copy from the Learning Center.
You can watch a recorded version of User Assistance at any time On Demand, or download the the slides PatronAssistance.
As a preview, here’s a screenshot of what you can expect to learn:
With the Small Business Expo just around the corner, I have updated our Hot Topic – Small Business, Starting and Building as well as the Business and Investing page on Databases A-Z.
Prior to the fair you may want to brush up on our business databases such as BusinessDecisions and ReferenceUSA and get familiar with what is available on the above mentioned pages. This will help you service your users when they come asking questions after May 18th!
Nancy Spidle from ReferenceUSA did a great presentation today on using ReferenceUSA. You will notice in the next couple of days two new features will be added to our site – Data Visualization and Heat Mapping.
Nancy will also be at the Business Fair May 18th at Sahara West Library talking up ReferenceUSA with small business owners about what this database can do for them in building their business.
She would be happy to do patron training anytime at your library. If your interested, give her a call at 402.836.1473 or email her at Nancy.Spidle@infogroup.com
Be sure to check out our Hot Topic – Small Business, Starting and Building or the Databases A-Z – Business and Investing page for more updates and information on ReferenceUSA.
If you have not heard about the Big Library Read please see the post on eRead Me Vegas. Begins May 15 – June 1
OverDrive is sponsoring a contest among it’s library partners to show how they promoted their digital collections in creative, innovative and effective ways. The contest is open to our library branches so show your stuff! Deadline is June 11, so hurry! Read more about the contest
OverDrive has justed added device specific getting started guides. I have downloaded the guides in placed them in the Media Drop in the Overdrive folder or click on the links below.
These are great easy handouts for patrons as well as review handouts for staff.
On May 8th, ReferenceUSA will be here to do two 1.5 hours training sessions. Please choose between 10:30 a.m. or 2:30 p.m. (in the Virtual Library Training Lab)
What you will learn:
Space is very limited, so please email Isabel – boylani@lvccld.org and indicate which session you would like to attend.
ReferenceUSA will be one of the vendors at the Business Fair May 17th, so get ready now for patrons asking questions about how to use ReferenceUSA.
The following GDL titles have been added to the database Gale Directory Library:
Encyclopedia of Associations: International Organizations, 52nd ed.
Encyclopedia of Associations: National Organizations of the U.S., 52nd ed.
Melissa Marin Apr 16, 2013 1:17 PM – Show original item
Attention OverDrive Partners! Do you excel with eBooks? Are you an audiobook ambassador? An eBook educator? Marketing maven? Promotional powerhouse? If you answered “Yes” to any of these questions or are at least curious as to what I’m talking about… keep reading!
It is almost time for the OverDrive Digital Library Champions contest. In the past, we’ve run the Outreach Program Contest and found amazing marketing ideas from our library partners including Sacramento’s “Now in eBook format” stickers; Marion County’s Pinterest and Facebook campaigns promoting eBook of the Day staff picks; and The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County’s comprehensive outdoor promotion featuring truck wraps and billboards with QR codes that link to their digital collection.
This year, we have a new name and we’ve made a few changes to incorporate more chances to win and the opportunity for our winners to be honored at Digipalooza, our international user group conference held August 1st-4th in beautiful Cleveland, Ohio. The new name reflects what we hope to accomplish with this contest: We want to find the libraries and schools that are acting as a champion for the growth of eBooks, audiobooks and more in their library and community by successfully marketing their digital library.
We want to see the most creative and effective promotional campaigns for your digital collections from the past year. Awards will be given out for the following categories:
• Inside the Library – How are you making your physical branch aware of your ‘Virtual Branch’? Examples could include unique shelving and displays; patron training classes; gadget galleries; staff training; in-library events.
• Online – What are you doing through social networking, email or on your library website to drive traffic to your digital collection?
• Outside the Library – In what ways are you reaching out to your community to spread the word about your digital collection? Examples could include: billboards; sponsoring a local event; partnering with an area business; commuter outreach; ads in the paper or on TV.
• Test Drive – Are you enrolled in Test Drive and actively lending Test Drive approved devices to your patrons? Tell us how it’s going.
• Excellent eBook Educator (Open to K-12 schools and colleges only) – This new category is set aside for any school or college who would like to share their most innovative marketing ideas. This is inclusive of any and all promotional efforts that impact your OverDrive collection (including online marketing and in school campaigns).
In addition to these categories, a grand prize winner will be chosen to receive this year’s OverDrive Allstar Award. This award will be given to the library that excels in at least 3 out of the 4 categories: Inside, Outside, Online, Test Drive.
Start brainstorming now! More contest information, including details about the prizes and how to enter, will be posted here on the Digital Library Blog on Wednesday May 1st.
Questions? Reach out to us at outreachcontest@overdrive.com or leave a comment below.
Melissa Marin is a Marketing Specialist at OverDrive.
Let me know if you would like to participate in this event and I’ll help you submit your campaigns. – Lauren
To support your library’s health programming strategy, here are June 2013 health programming ideas – brought to you by The Pulse, part of the Gale Health and Wellness Resource Center.
The sparkle and crack of fireworks can be one of the most fun parts of the summer holidays, but the danger they pose is too often underestimated. In fact, more than nine thousand fireworks injuries were reported in 2011 alone, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, including severe burns, loss of digits and limbs, and blindness. About two-thirds of all fireworks injuries occur between June 20th and July 20th, making June the perfect time to emphasize Fireworks Safety.
Bringing National Fireworks Safety Month to your library has value and will be easy with these free resources and with information from Gale Health and Wellness Resource Center:
Use this free material alongside your library’s June programming information – newsletter, blog, posters, or flyers – to promote both your library’s programs and National Fireworks Safety Month.
Goof off at the reference desk and amaze your friends on Twitter . . . OR add a fun, interactive experience to a library program and enhance your library website with these fun and interesting links:
Below is a summary of updates for OverDrive’s Next Generation digital library website that are scheduled for release on
April 15.
New devices will be added to the Device section of the filtered search. Devices will now display in the following list:
Rocket Languages is an award winning interactive online language learning system. Cardholders at Nevada public libraries can learn conversational language skills at their own pace. Languages offered include Spanish, Arabic, French, German, Chinese (Mandarin), Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and American Sign Language. This subscription has been made available with Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant funds through the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Nevada State Library and Archives.
How Rocket Languages Works
We are doing a trial for National Geographic for Kids. Please view it at
http://www.galetrials.com/default.aspx?TrialID=53344;ContactID=38731
Then come back here and leave your comments about this resource.
The trial is available until May 5, 2013.
From Adam Sockel at OverDrive
Readers of all ages are discovering the power and convenience of eBooks. The results of a recent Pew Research Center study show that eBook reading is on the rise across every age group. At the same time, people are reading fewer physical books. More than half the population still reads physical books, but the percentage of eBook readers has increased dramatically. Nearly a quarter of all readers aged 16 and up reported reading an eBook in 2012, up 16 percent from 2011.
This growth in eBook reading coincides with the growing popularity of eReaders, tablets, and other devices. One-third of those polled reported owning at least one eReader or tablet device.
As more readers become aware of libraries’ digital collections, the popularity of eBook lending continues to soar. Readers checked out more than 70 million eBooks and audiobooks from OverDrive-powered libraries in 2012, more than double 2011’s totals. Libraries throughout the OverDrive network are seeing increased digital circulation, more page views, and more engagement with eBooks, audiobooks, music and video.
To show how engagement at OverDrive-powered digital libraries mirrors the continued growth of the eBook industry, we’ve created this infographic. Feel free to download, print, and share with your patrons however you see fit.
You may have noticed that there have been some new offerings with ReferenceUSA. The latest enhancement is Data Visualization – more specifically, the ability for you to now see data in a new way. We know that a lot of folks will download large lists of data that they in turn will use to create charts and tables to include in presentations and reports. Coupled with that is their discussions on just how much data they can move – now by being able to easily extrapolate this data into Heat Maps, Pie Charts and Bar Graphs, the need to download copious amounts of records is dissipated. To learn more about it read Data Visualization
Is there any interest in having ReferenceUSA come out and do training in Early May on this new feature and ReferenceUSA?
If so, please post your interest on this post in the comment section.
Money Smart Week is just around the corner. Are you ready? During April 20-27, organizations around the country will be educating individuals on a variety of personal finance topics. Morningstar has two special events this year which you may want to promote.
The first event will be Wednesday, April 24th at 5:30pm Central. Morningstar’s Christine Benz and Adam Zoll will discuss how to prepare your finances for life events ranging from college planning to saving for retirement. Watch the live stream video or the recording.
In addition to their regular training sessions, they are offering a special Money Smart Week training for Morningstar Investment Research Center users. Login to the webinar and call in to their teleconference on Friday, April 26th at 12pm Central. They’ll focus on navigating the database, using the screening and portfolio analysis tools, and where to find helpful information.
Want to spread the word at your library? Print or post their overview sheet with more detailed information: http://library.morningstar.com/mkt/mirc_moneysmart_2013.pdf
And don’t forget to utilize their new Investing for the Long Run book – A free guide with strategies and solutions to help you shape up your personal finances – to promote Money Smart Week to your community!
By Larra ClarkPenguin Group USA revealed today that, as of April 2, it will remove the six-month embargo on ebook titles licensed to libraries and instead offer new titles immediately after they are released in the consumer market. Other pilot terms are expected to continue, including a one-year expiration date on ebooks licensed to libraries and library pricing similar to what is offered to individual consumers. Read more..
