Monthly Archives: February 2012

Feb 14 2012

Who Won the Awards?

Awards Announced at ALA Midwinter

If you’re wondering who walked away with the Newberry or Caldecott Medals this year, NoveList has the information you need. From the More drop-down menu at the top, left-hand corner, click the Awards/Notable Books link. Then, simply type the name of the award you’re looking for in the Browse for box, and click Search. The award list will be at top of your Result List.

Feb 13 2012

Novelist Search of the Month: Paranormal Romance

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, your Romance Novel section might be looking a bit bare. Next time someone asks for a holiday read, avoid the sappy love stories by opting for a paranormal romance.

For a broad result list, simply enter GN paranormal romance in the “Search For” box on the homepage and click Search. For a more specific search, use the additional lines in the Advanced Search page to include subject terms, such as vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, or demons. More general subject terms like supernatural or immortality will also yield results.

 

Because this is such a popular category, your search may still be too large. Use the appeal options in the “Narrow Results by” section to the left of your results to cut your list down to titles with a certain Tone (steamy, dramatic) or Writing Style (compelling, descriptive).

You can then re-sort your list by Popularity from the Sort by: drop-down to print the most popular 5 – 50 (selected from the per page drop-down) paranormal romances that match your subject and appeal preferences.

Feb 9 2012

Announcing OverDrive Help

OverDrive is excited to announce the launch of OverDrive Help on February 14.  OverDrive Help contains hundreds of newly-written help articles covering everything users need to know to enjoy eBooks, audiobooks, music and video from your digital collection.

Articles contain screenshots, software download links and links to related articles. Each article can be printed, emailed or shared via Facebook, Twitter and other sites using the ‘Share this page’ button available at the top of most pages.

How to access OverDrive Help

OverDrive Help will replace the FAQs that are currently linked at your library’s OverDrive-powered website. The ‘Help’ page will include links to OverDrive Help, Device Resource Center, Digital Books Tour, Library Lending Policies and Support.

If your library has links to FAQs on your website, please take steps to update these links to direct to OverDrive Help.

What’s included in OverDrive Help

Each section of OverDrive Help is designed to help users find information in whichever method is preferred.

  • Search – Type in a search term to find matching articles. OverDrive Help uses full text searching to provide an extensive list of search results.
  • Get Started With… – Articles to help users find everything they need to get started with their device (Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, iPad, Sony Reader, etc.).
  • Most Popular Articles – This section shows the articles that are being read the most. Three are displayed on the homepage; click ‘view more…’ to see more articles.
  • Recent Searches – This tag cloud shows what other users are searching for. Click one of the recent searches to show search results for that term.
  • Recently Added Articles – When new articles are added to OverDrive Help, they’ll show up here. This is handy when new software updates or new features are released.

Support Assistance

Beginning February 14, if users visit OverDrive Help via your library’s OverDrive-powered website, there will be a ‘Support’ button in the left navigation bar. Users will click this link to return to your site and find the Support button to contact your library directly.

Early feedback on OverDrive Help

Before releasing OverDrive Help, we asked the experts (OverDrive Library Advisory Council) for feedback and here’s what they had to say:

  • 93% of library staff surveyed agree that OverDrive Help is an improvement over the existing FAQs.
  • 93% of library staff surveyed agree that the OverDrive Help website is clear, well-organized and attractive. These same users think that the articles are clearly written and easy to understand.

“I love the new look and feel of OverDrive Help over the current help pages. I think the screenshots will be very helpful in illustrating what could take a thousand words.”
- Ruth Ann Copley, Director of Davidson County Library System

An Expanding Knowledge Base

OverDrive is continuing to build the database of articles and functionality of OverDrive Help. When new features are added, news will be shared at OverDrive Help, so be sure to check back for updates. We welcome your feedback: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NewHelpFeedback.

 

Feb 8 2012

PLA Virtual Conference

PLA is offering a great way to participate in and enjoy the PLA Conference, even if you can’t be there in person. The PLA 2012 Virtual Conference will consist of live programming on Thursday, March 15 and Friday, March 16, including five hour-long programs each day, plus author interviews, poster sessions, and opportunities for networking. Programs are chosen from among the highest rated in PLA’s session preference survey. Each day also will include a closing session “happy hour” event for attendees to get together and discuss the day’s programming.

Live Programming

All times are Eastern.  Please email Lauren (stokesl@lvccld.org) the sessions you plan on attending. Someone in the Virtual Library will be here at 7:30am.  You will need to come to the Virtual Training Lab in the Service Center. To get in find an employee coming into the Service Center.  IT and Facilities usually starts about 7:30am. You can also call 570.6300.

Thursday, March 15
10:45–11:00 AM Welcome and Intro – Marcia Warner, PLA President
11:00 AM–12:00 PM Program I – Engaging with Teens on a Shoestring Budget
12:15–1:15 PM Program II – Social Media and Your Marketing Strategy
1:30–2:30 PM Program III – Q & A with Nancy Pearl
2:45–3:30 PM Break – Author Interview
3:45–4:45 PM Program IV – iPads in the Library: From Tech Programming to Staff Productivity
5:00–6:00 PM Program V – Transforming Pulbic Libraries from Institutions of the Industrial Age to Change Agents for the Networked Society
6:00 PM Wrap-up
Friday, March 16
10:45–11:00 AM Welcome and Intro
11:00 AM–12:00 PM Program I – Program Palooza: 60 Programs in 60 Minutes
12:15–1:15 PM Program II – Library to Go: Putting Your Library Virtually Anywhere
1:30–2:30 PM Program III – Can’t, Won’t, Don’t, Couldn’t, Shouldn’t, Wouldn’t: Combating Negativity Nellies in the Workplace
2:45–3:30 PM Break – Author Interview
3:45–4:45 PM Program IV – Tracking Children’s Early Literacy Skills
5:00–6:00 PM Program V – The Future of Libraries: Trends in Building Design, User Experience, and Community Partnerships
6:00 PM Wrap-up

Audio Poster Sessions

An important element of the conference experience, Virtual Conference attendees are welcome to explore the audio poster sessions which feature PowerPoint presentations or web tours with audio narration.

Archived Programming

All Virtual Conference registrants will have access to archived Virtual Conference programming for one year after the event.

Feb 1 2012

Librarians, Plan Ahead for March: National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

To support your library’s health programming strategy, here are March health program ideas – brought to you by The Pulse, part of the Gale Health and Wellness Resource Center.

Colorectal cancer — cancer of the colon or rectum — is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in the United States and the second most likely to be fatal. Most cases occur in adults over age 50, and if everyone 50 and older were screened annually, more than half of these deaths could be prevented according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Screening and prevention, must begin with awareness, however, which is why March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness month. Promoting it will be easy with these free resources and with information from Gale Health and Wellness Resource Center:

Quick and Easy

Books

Reliable Online Information for Children:

Reliable Online Information for Adults:

Book Club

The Emperor of all Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee (Simon & Shuster, 2010). Winner of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Non-fiction.

From the publisher: “The Emperor of All Maladies is a magnificent, profoundly humane “biography” of cancer—from its first documented appearances thousands of years ago through the epic battles in the twentieth century to cure, control, and conquer it to a radical new understanding of its essence. Physician, researcher, and award-winning science writer, Siddhartha Mukherjee examines cancer with a cellular biologist’s precision, a historian’s perspective, and a biographer’s passion. The result is an astonishingly lucid and eloquent chronicle of a disease humans have lived with—and perished from—for more than five thousand years.”

Tie In

Women’s History Month: Eartha Kitt, a Legendary Women Killed by Colon Cancer

Born on a cotton plantation in South Carolina in 1927, Eartha Mae Kitt was the original diva. A legendary jazz singer, cabaret star, stage and screen actress, and human rights activist, she is probably most popularly remembered for her 1953 recording of “Santa Baby” and her role of Catwoman in the final season of the popular 1960′s Batman Series, where she shows off her trademark purr. She died at the age of 81 from colon cancer.

Remember Eartha Kitt at your library by introducing her to a new generation. She is a shining American success story, a versatile star who continued working until shortly before her death.

  • Video clips and audio clips of Eartha Kitt singing .
  • Video clip of her role as Catwoman.
  • Popular movies and television shows featuring Eartha Kitt:

Community Resources

Find a local agency to partner with, a speaker, or other local resources here:

Publicity Resources

Use these free publicity resources alongside your library’s March programming information – newsletter, blog, posters, or fliers – to promote Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month at your library.
  • Screen for Life campaign from the CDC

Fun Stuff

Add these interesting and helpful interactive links to your library’s website, Facebook page, or Twitter feed:

Interactive Web Sites for Children and Teens

Interactive Web Sites for Adults

  • Send a colorectal cancer awareness e-card.