Where to find free eBooks (besides the library, of course)

Our library district provides some excellent resources for patrons interested in eBooks, and using their eBook readers to enjoy everything from new and popular best sellers to timeless classics. However, patrons should also be aware of several websites that offer free and legal ebooks that are available in the public domain. Your chances of finding the new James Patterson novel on these sites are slim, but those patrons interested in classic pieces and authors would be well advised to check the following websites out:

Project Gutenberg: Project Gutenberg is the oldest of these sites, and by far the most established. Started in 1971, Project Gutenberg has dedicated itself to the digitization and distribution of texts out of copyright. The Gutenberg collection is quite large, and most of the ebooks available come in a variety for formats; this is useful for accommodating a wide breadth of eBook reader users and consumers. The ‘Top 100’ is a great place to start. Patrons will find digital versions of such monumental pieces as James Joyce’s ‘Ulysses’ and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s ‘The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.’

ManyBooks: If Gutenberg doesn’t have what the patron is looking for, direct them to ManyBooks. This is a site with a considerably superior user interface, and may be the first site you want to introduce to patrons who may be uncomfortable with internet use. Officially ManyBooks' purpose is to convert books from Project Gutenberg into file formats friendly to eBook readers. Gutenberg provides many of these compatible formats now (EPUB, MOBI, PRC, etc.) While ManyBooks replicates much of Project Gutenberg’s library, in the past it has had books that Project Gutenberg lacks (and vice-versa.)

FeedBooks: FeedBooks is a strange hybrid. It provides users with access to public domain books as well as copyrighted works. This means patrons may purchase a copy of the popular ‘A Game of Thrines’ novel at the same time that they download a free copy of Homer’s ‘Iliad.’ Again, since out of print books occupy a relatively static list, FeedBooks’ database largely mirrors both ManyBooks’ and Project Gutenberg’s selection. Still, if you can’t find what you’re looking for on one site, it’s worth checking another.

Do be careful recommending other sites for free eBook downloads. Some sites found on a Google search are of dubious legality, and may be providing pirated copies of works that are still in copyright. Project Gutenberg is extraordinarily cautious about the legal status of the works it provides, and users can rest easy knowing they’re not infringing on any laws when they download a book from Project Gutenberg’s site. The same cannot be said for many websites out there that purport to offer free eBooks. Remember – free does not necessarily mean legal.

Happy eReading!

Boomers and their vinyl records

Hey, the baby boomers (1946-1964) will be asking you what to do with all of their old vinyl records that are stored in the attic.

My old Eagles album became a recyled 4-H project for daughter number 3 years ago when we melted it in the oven over a glass bowl, flipped it, and used it for a potato chip bowl.

Now you can tell those former hippies they can get the Quick Play USB Turntable and they can put all their LP's straight to an USB.

To transfer vinyl directly to your computer, simply plug this little turntable into the nearest USB port, fire up the idiot-proof EZ vinyl converter software and they can start converting their Beatles, Chubby Checker, and the Monkees albums.

I gave all my old records to my son-in-law who has two turntables he likes to spin.

www.firebox.com

3 ring binder for your iPad

An iPad sleeve with the proper holes in the proper places so you can access the controls with three other holes to fit in the 3 ring binder. Some say this is the future.

Are you ready for a world where tablet PC is just as good as paper? The ZooGue BinderPad case prepares us for a world where schoolchildren will work with both paper and table PC's.

htt://www.zoogue.com/ipad-2-binderpad-pouch-black/

2011 ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition

2011 ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition

Session: Download This! How One Library Embraced Its Downloadable Future.
Location: ALD. Eloise May Library
When: Thursday, 7/13/11
The session presented the results, one year later, of dramatically increasing the Library's downloadable budget, improving its catalog and website, marketing its collection, implementing staff and customer training, and improving customer supports.
Session: Future of Libraries: Cutting-edge Services
Location: ALD. Eloise May Library
When: Wednesday, 7/14/11
This program features the specific services at four libraries selected from those nominated in a broad solicitation organized by the Program on America’s Libraries for the 21st Century.
There was an opportunity to learn more about library services from leading libraries around the country for application in our library.

From Guttenberg to Google

My first session of 2011 Annual Virtual Conference was "From Guttenberg to Google and Glogs, From Books to Vooks". Must admit I enjoyed the session very much and agree with the speakers that we live "in a revolutionary time for libraries". To transfer from books to digital is not an easy process. It raises a lot of questions: What digital resourses should libraries use? How to catalogue these amazing new products? How will they circulate? When to buy print and when Ebooks? etc. There were some cautios warnings expressed too: the libraries are focused on devices more than on books; loosing the richness of the cover art; creating information surrogates; wasting the budgest on things which soon may be replaced. You can download 75 books on the Kindle for one patron only whlie 75 print books will be checked out by 75 patrons. An we can anderstand all these concerns.

Just arrived!

Spotify has made it's debut in the U.S. just this month as the new music streaming service. It has more appeal than iTunes because it is free! For now, users can get unlimited streaming at no charge, but eventually hours of free listening may be capped as well as the number of free songs.

You can also share your music with friends and Facebook is working with them now to let it's users do just that. It comes in the form of a desktop application that can follow you anywhere, streaming music even when you are offline.

Spotify also has deals with major music labels-Universal, Sony, EMI and Warner. They reportedly have 15 million songs in their site.

From Gutenberg to Google and Glogs, From Books to Vooks

I got a chance to watch the 2011 ALA Virtual Conference session "From Gutenberg to Google and Glogs, From Books to Vooks. The presenters from different libraries were talking about how they envisioned the Library of the Future. They mentioned that there were still a lot of questions to be answered and a lot of issues to be explored. I like the idea about taking into consideration who our patrons are and what budget we have.

Power Point alternatives

Came across this article from VOYA about alternatives to traditional slide show presentations for students. They give 10 different websites and the way each could be used in a classroom setting or in the public library setting. Check it out!
http://www.voya.com/2011/07/19/10-alternatives-to-the-traditional-slide-show/

Interactive mirror draws reader into book

Designer Romy van den Broek has managed to combine two of my most favorite things into a very exciting new idea!! Through the looking glass is his latest idea of creating an interactive story book. Combining classic children's literature and what looks like your ordinary floor mount mirror, van den Broek has created a way to draw a reader into the story as the main character! Readers stand on a mat that is connected to the mirror unit where the pictures of the story are displayed, and while the book is read aloud, readers have to perform specific tasks as the character in order for the story to continue! You get to literally be the character. Kids of every age will love this!! I want one now! Too bad it's only a prototype, and likely to be pretty expensive! His idea is to bring children back to classic children's literature such as Alice in Wonderland and to instill in them a lifelong love of reading. Most likely it will make a regular book seem boring and even more outdated than do audiobooks now.

Literary mirror

Future Of Libraries: Cutting Edge Services

Hi Everyone,

I was fortunate to be able to attend the Future of Libraries: Cutting Edge Services through the ALA Symposium. Thank you ALD for making this possible.

I found the OCLS Shake it quite interesting and maybe a little silly, but I get the point of trying to make the application not only informative but most importantly fun for its users. I think it was wonderful how they were able to go from a catalog to an interactive readers' advisory application. I agree with the presenter that this application makes it a FUN WAY TO DISCOVER. I also like the fact that this application works with an iPod, iPad and an iPhone. I can see how this is not only an innovative but also a great way to reach our patrons. Please share your thoughts......

ALA Annual Virtual Conference

I listened to the Keynote Speaker, Danah Boyd, who studies social media, with particular attention to youth engagement, privacy and risky behaviors. Some key points that caused me to think about Facebook in a new way include:
1. Teens today are still making decisions about privacy. However, they come at it from a different direction than in the past. Formerly, all conversations were private and it took a conscious decision plus effort to make something public. Now, teens tend to make many things public, but have to make a conscious decision to keep something private.
2. Part of being on Facebook for teens is the desire to be part of the crowd - to see and be seen, so to speak. The peer pressure to "be there" is huge.
3. Librarians may be in a unique position to help patrons deal with biases of information access that Boyd calls "filter bubbles". Most people may not realize that as they put personal information out there, they will be presented with individualized information offers - so each person ends up having a unique, but somewhat biased information flow. It is important to realize this if one wants access to unbiased/neutral information (or at least would like to try for that - not sure it is completely possible).
4. And finally, while grandparents get a pass if they comment on Facebook, nothing kills a conversation like a "Mom post". :)

June Winner for NL Tech Talk

Hi all,
Our NL Tech Talk blog continues to thrive as new staffers find us and many of us get more excited about sharing what we're learning. I know I'm learning a ton from all of you. This month I challenged the Neighborhood Libraries supervisor team with picking a winner for our NL Tech Talk for June. They took their task seriously and had a good discussion about the merits of the various postings, comments, and learnings. After rigorous debate, the NL Supervisors have chosen Melissa Depper as the NL Techie of the Month for June. They liked Melissas posting on 23 Things finding it gave staff a road map to follow in improving their own tech skills. They also liked her posting about Tumblr and how she is applying this in her own life. They also noted that Melissa is a consistent poster and mentor on our blog, helping us know what works and also helping us with the things many of us are struggling with ourselves. Thanks, Melissa. And congratulations! A $10 Amazon gift card is on its way to you.

For July, I've decided to bring in a mystery judge from outside of NL's! Who knows what criteria he or shee will use to pick this month's winner?!

Google at war

I read a good article about Google by Semil Shah. The article stated that "While the tech world is buzzing about the launch and implications of Google’s new social network, Google+, it’s worth noting that Google isn’t just in a war with Facebook, it’s at war with multiple companies across multiple industries. In fact, Google is fighting a multi-front war with a host of tech giants for control over some of the most valuable pieces of real estate in technology. Whether it’s social, mobile, browsing, local, enterprise, or even search, Google is being attacked from all angles. And make no mistake about it, they are fighting back and fighting back, hard." Read the full article at:
http://techcrunch.com/2011/07/03/google-six-front-war/
Google’s Six-Front War [TechCrunch]

Social networking tools and professional purpose

I set goals for myself this year to expand my knowledge of social networking tools for professional networking so I can evaluate if social networking tools or email is a better /useful/valuable tool for meaningful networking in addition to the experience(which I will share through this blog too) To that end, I went ahead and set up a Facebook account and even learned how to split my friends list into professional list and regular friends list. This link provided me with helpful steps to create this professional list and I will share with you in months to come how I've been able to make use of that list. http://mashable.com/2009/08/14/facebook-networking/

As I also have a twitter account, I wanted to see who are the library professionals who have the most following on twitter and lo behold, there's already great info regarding the top ten twittering librarians in this exciting link- http://librariansmatter.com/blog/2008/07/01/top-ten-twittering-librarians/ I'm sure most of us have heard Jessamyn West speak at various conferences and it was great that I was atleast familiar with one of the top ten librarians listed. The last I checked, our very own ALD rock star, JoAnne Pulcino has quite a twitter following too.

How Google keeps getting better and better

You don’t always have to click on “search”, when you do a Google search as Google search also comes with voice capabilities. I found out about this as I was trying to find ways seniors can search the internet if they cannot use the mouse due to severe arthritis or low vision
Look at this link for more useful information
http://www.google.com/insidesearch/voicesearch.html
Useful For
Hard-to-spell searchesMakes searching words you're not sure how to spell quicker and easier.
Longer searchesSearch long queries, even really, really long queries, just by talking.
Searches that are just more fun to search out loudNow you can ask your computer anything.
Searching without typingUse it in the kitchen, in the garage or anytime your hands might be full.