We have changed the icon for Government Documents and Playaway devices in the catalog. We have also removed the Government Documents from eBooks/eMedia scope and created a separate scope for them (as soon as III does the scoping for us, this will appear). This will help patrons find eBooks or eMedia much easier without wading through the government documents.
Monthly Archives: March 2010
Mobile Library Website
When the new library website goes live in May 2010, we will also have a mobile version of the site available for smartphones and iPhones.
You can view the site now at http://www.lvccld.org/m/index.html
We are in the testing phase of the project and I would appreciate feedback so we know what to expect from patrons.
So far we have discovered BlackBerry 8300 and 8330 need to access the website using the “Bolt” Blackberry App available from Blackberry App World.
I have tweaked the airpac catalog so name is no longer needed to login, the barcode numbers appear and the PIN is starred out.
On an iPhone/iTouch and the Blackberry phones you can save the site as an icon for easy access.
Please share your experiences using it with your phone with me.
Access to the redesign website should be available around April 9th for you to explore prior to it going live in May.
How Libraries Stack Up: 2010?
How libraries stack up: 2010
This new report examines the economic, social and cultural impact of libraries in the United States. As the current economic environment is impacting library budgets and library usage is increasing, particular attention is paid to the role that libraries play in providing assistance to job-seekers and support for small businesses. Information includes statistics on:
- Americans receiving job-seeking help and career assistance at public libraries
- Libraries as a resource for small businesses
- The prevalence and scope of library activity in the United States
- Libraries as providers of free services to the community such as Wi-Fi access, technology training and meeting rooms
- Comparisons of library activities to various retail and entertainment businesses.
New Literature Criticism
The following titles are now available in Literature Criticism Online.
Titles
Contemporary Literary Criticism Vol 282
Contemporary Literary Criticism Vol 283
Drama Criticism Vol 037
Short Story Criticism Vol 130
Short Story Criticism Vol 131
Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism Vol 228
Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism Vol 229
Something About the Author Vol 205
Something About the Author Vol 206
Meet Rovio Mobile Reference
See the blog article at http://oceanstatelibrarian.com/#research.
Do you think this would work in your library?
What else could it be used for besides providing reference help?
Databases Cancelled
The following databases are canceled this month.
- Digital Sanborn Maps
- New Book of Popular Science
- Hobbies and Crafts
- Children’s Literature Comprehensive
In Case you missed these databases which were canceled in January and February:
- Recorded Books/Net Library (e-audio books)
- Net Library (eBooks)
Opinion Archives bundle: This includes any separate links to the following products:
- NACLA
- National Review
- American Spectator
- Harper’s New Republic
- Scientific American
- NY Review of Books
- Commonweal Digital Archives
Listed under the Opinion Archives link you have in the description “Commentary Digital Archive”, this is a separate subscription not due to run out until June 30th. Also listed is the Nation, which is being supplied by Ebsco (except for the current issue).
Who reads eBooks? You may be surprised…
Contributor Cindy Orr takes a look at eBook consumers in her monthly post.
Experts say that 2010 will be a transformative year for technology. They’re buzzing about eBooks and eBook readers. Here’s why:
- Sales of eBooks skyrocketed in 2009, up 176.6% from 2008.
- eBook readers are proliferating. Sony Reader was first, but it wasn’t until the Kindle tapped into the huge Amazon customer base that devices became familiar to a wider audience. Now there are many devices.
Early adopters of the Amazon Kindle had a few things in common–they were Amazon customers, could afford the device, were not afraid of technology, and saw how the reader could help them read while commuting or traveling. By and large they knew about no other readers, and were willing to buy all their books from Amazon. But now that the field is growing beyond this original group, where will the trend take us?
Surveys are beginning to give us a picture of the eBook reading community. Here are some things we’ve learned:
- 70% of Kindle owners are older than 40.
- Baby Boomers, the most avid readers, recognize that eBook readers allow them to carry far more reading material and read it more comfortably (increased font sizes, ease of turning pages for arthritic hands).
- eBook reader consumers are very cost conscious.
- This may be one of the few technologies that trickle down from an older generation to a younger one. Older users have adopted eBook readers and Twitter more quickly than the younger generation. eBook use may spread to younger people…or a variation might trickle down. It may turn out, for instance, that older readers will choose single purpose devices like the Sony Reader, and younger people may choose a multi-function device like the Apple iPad. We’ll have to see how that turns out.
But what are the implications for libraries? Here are a few suggestions:
- We should take advantage of the publicity and interest and make sure we have good eBook collections.
- We should shape our collections with older users in mind.
- We need to spread the word that the library has eBooks that can be read at no cost–legally.
- We should make sure our patrons know that eBooks can be read not only on computers, but that they can use the OverDrive system to download and transfer them to many compatible devices, including the Sony Reader and the nook.
- We should help readers understand that eBook readers will let them control text size and may make it easier for some people to hold and read a book.
- We should help them understand that the Kindle is not compatible with their library’s collection but that there are other brands of electronic reading devices that are.
New Literature Titles
The following titles are now available in Literature Criticism Online.
Contemporary Literary Criticism Vol 281
Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism Vol 220
Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism Vol 221
Poetry Criticism Vol 102
Short Story Criticism Vol 128
Short Story Criticism Vol 129
Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism Vol 226
Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism Vol 227
Problem with Forgot Your PIN
We are experiencing an issue with the link “Forgot your PIN” link on the My Account login page. It appears when we did a recent upgrade something in III land went wrong. According to the III support site this is a known issue. We have requested a patch to fix the issue. Hopefully, it will be fix next week.
Public Libraries Using Twitter
There is a new report by NFI Research on top libraries using twitter – Top Public Libraries on Twitter. These are the top public libraries on Twitter who
1) regularly update their page and communicate with their followers
2) use Twitter to advance/promote communication with their community
3) have a proportionate number of followers to following and
4) are currently active on Twitter.
Password Retrieval Is Now Available
LearningExpress is pleased to announce the availability of Password Retrieval on its LearningExpress Library and Job & Career Accelerator online platforms.
Effective March 3, 2010, patrons who use LearningExpress Library or Job & Career Accelerator can retrieve forgotten usernames and passwords by clicking on the “Forget your password?” link on the LearningExpress Library and Job & Career Accelerator login page and entering their email address. Users will receive, via e-mail, their username and a temporary login password. Once users log in, they can always change their password in the “My Center” section of LearningExpress Library.
Upon release of this new functionality, all existing users will be prompted to enter a valid e-mail address upon login in order to use it. Existing users who have not entered a valid e-mail address into their user profile can still retrieve forgotten information by clicking on the Customer Support link on the new automated retrieval page or by calling 1-800-295-9556, ext. 2, during regular business hours.
It is important to note that all new users who register for an account on LearningExpress Library or Job & Career Accelerator will be required to include a valid e-mail address to complete the registration process.
Blackberry App now Available
If you’re a BlackBerry® user, you can now wirelessly download audiobooks from our eMedia catalog website. On February 25th OverDrive released the public beta version of BlackBerry audiobook app, which enables users to download MP3 audiobooks directly to their BlackBerry smartphone. The app joins the previously released versions for Windows Mobile® and Android™.
The beta version of OverDrive’s audiobook app for BlackBerry is exclusively available on the OverDrive Media Console page on OverDrive.com. Once the full release is available, you and your patrons will be able to find it in BlackBerry App World. If you should receive support questions while the BlackBerry app is in beta, please send them along toOverDrive’s Support Team at support@libraryreserve.com.
In addition to the audiobook apps that are now available, digital book apps for iPhone® are planned in the near future. Stay tuned for more information on enhancements to the mobile user experience.
I downloaded this app via my blackberry while working the Digital Bookmobile. It took a little while for the phone to register the app but once it did I was able to checkout a eaudio book and download it to the phone. I discovered no earphones where necessary to listen to the book, you can hear it through the phone’s speakers.
