Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Txt Your Library


Being able to instant message or text libraries is not new, but quickly becoming a trend. Those programs allow patrons to text librarians questions. I had some experience with this through Meebo while at Louisiana State University. While searching for my last blog post (eKids: Useful Book Resources) I found a library that is using text messaging to: renew books, warn when items will be due soon, remind when books are overdue, unpaid fees reminder, when items are ready for pickup from being on hold, ISN look up to see if your library (or local libraries) have a copy of the item available, or to ask a reference librarian a question. This service is called Shoutbomb and the library currently using it is St. Charles Public Library in Illinois.

What do our patrons need in order to use the service?

1.    A text messaging capable phone. Patrons do not need a smart phone.
2.    Subscription to a text messaging plan with your wireless carrier.
3.    Phone must be able to send a text message to an email address*.
*Helio phones are the only ones we know of that do not work with our service.

Currently the list of customers using this service are from the states of: California, Washington, Colorado, Illinois, and Wisconsin.

Our Philosophy (Shoutbomb)
We view ourselves as your partners, actively collaborating to provide services that fit your needs at a reasonable cost. We encourage your ideas to enhance and improve the service, not only for your benefit, but for the benefit of your community.”

St. Charles Public Library provides a clear explanation on how patrons are using this service, which can be found here. If you are interested in learning more about libraries using virtual reference services I suggest looking at Lib Success Wiki.

eKids: Useful Book Resources

When searching for resources to add to your kids, tween, or young adult section, there are no shortage for results. However, finding resources that children will enjoy and use can take a little research. After all, with today’s economy, free is best—but if you have to spend money, it’s best to spend it wisely.

The School Library Journal, in June of this year, published an article entitled, Are Ebooks Any Good? Below is part of a paragraph that explains two free sites:

Storyline Online, sponsored by the Screen Actors Guild Foundation, has many well-known picture books read by celebrities such as Betty White, James Earl Jones, and even Al Gore. And the International Children’s Digital Library, a nonprofit website created eight years ago by researchers at the University of Maryland at College Park, offers nearly 4,500 free books in 54 languages from more than 200 countries, complete with an iPad-friendly interface and an iPhone app.”


I have done a search for kids and young adult resources that public libraries are currently implementing. From ebooks to audio books, scanimation to language learning, there is a lot to choose from. After listing the sources that can be added to your public library I have included a section of only free resources. Now that people have iPods, eReaders, tablets, and personal computers, this blogs shows you what you can really do to involve your children life with books and learning resources.

Warning: Further research is needed when using the free resources. Though I have search for completely free resources, that may change over time or become limited/restricted.

Previous related blogs:
Loud @ Your Library- Creative Programs
Audio Books- Free & Pay resources.


Paid Items and Resources

I was told of this resource from my mentor, Luis Interiano, who works at West Baton Rouge Public Library.

TumbleBookLibrary is an online collection of TumbleBooks – animated, talking picture books which teach kids the joy of reading in a format they'll love. TumbleBooks are created by adding animation, sound, music and narration to existing picture books in order to produce an electronic picture book which you can read, or have read to you.”

“Introducing BookFlix, the new interactive literacy resource that builds a love of reading and learning – online! BookFlix pairs classic fictional video storybooks from Weston Woods with nonfiction eBooks from Scholastic to reinforce reading skills and develop essential real-world knowledge and understanding.

Perfect for use in the classroom, school library, and public library, BookFlix is accessible to every child – early readers, reluctant readers, and English Language Learners.”

“Libraries and One More Story make a great team. While our online library can never replace the enormous value public and school libraries and their librarians offer to communities, One More Story provides a unique and independent literary experience for children who are not yet fluent readers.

Librarians immediately recognize the quality and diversity of titles in the One More Story library and appreciate the simplicity and purity of the reading experience One More Story offers. Young readers will love the books and the choice to listen to a narrator read aloud, or to mute the soundtrack in the I Can Read It mode and read the book themselves, clicking on unknown words to hear them spoken.”

“Expand your library with 3,454 stunning nonfiction and fiction books covering all subjects for PK-8.
Engaging online writing and publishing tool inspires students to write.
Use for creative writing, book responses, reports, independent/shared writing, writing workshops, or author share sessions.”

“Enjoy 600+ new and classic Disney books.
Click to hear words pronounced.
See definitions using the built-in dictionary.
Be immersed in Look and Listen stories with voices and sound effects.
Use Story-Builder to create Disney stories.”

“MeeGenius features beautifully illustrated and engaging eBooks with Read-Along Technology, so that budding readers develop word recognition by seeing words while hearing them pronounced.”

“MightyBook helps kids discover the joy of reading with hundreds of animated, read-aloud story books and songs that are as entertaining as they are educational. Sample the books on these pages, and see for yourself.”

Current languages: Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Arabic, German, Russian, English, and Hebrew.
“Little Pim is an award-winning foreign language learning series for young children.
Our series makes language learning easy, fun andeffective.
Little Pim features our unique Entertainment Immersion Method™, which combines animation and real kids to teach simple words and phrases for everyday activities.
Little Pim is available in 10 different languages, and includes videos, apps, music, books, flash cardsand more.”

How It Works- “Created by Rufus Butler Seder, an inventor, artist, and filmmaker fascinated by antique optical toys, Scanimation is a state-of-the-art six-phase animation process that combines the “persistence of vision” principle with a striped acetate overlay to give the illusion of movement. It harkens back to the old magical days of the kinetoscope, and the effect is astonishing, like a Muybridge photo series springing into action—or, in terms kids can relate to, like a video without a screen.”

Video of Rufus Butler Seder explaining Scanimation and how he came up with the idea (only a minute and a half long).


“Star Wars fans young and old will love this book. Watch in amazement as the most memorable scenes from the saga come to life before your eyes. See Obi-Wan battle Darth Maul, the Millennium Falcon zooming away from the exploding Death Star, Luke riding his Tauntaun, Yoda twirling his lightsaber, and more - 12 iconic scenes in all. It's movie magic without any electricity or wires or even internet. (Gasp!)”

Free Book Collections
“There are original stories with color illustrations for young children as well as older children and young adults. Children's Storybooks Online seeks to combine education and entertainment to amuse and engage children's imaginations. There are riddles, mazes, coloring book pages and a page with children's links that have won Children's Storybooks Online Award for excellence.

So that every child, regardless of what language they know, can have a book to read.
“The ICDL Foundation's goal is to build a collection of books that represents outstanding historical and contemporary books from throughout the world.  Ultimately, the Foundation aspires to have every culture and language represented so that every child can know and appreciate the riches of children's literature from the world community.” Full Book List (English)
“by researchers at the University of Maryland at College Park, offers nearly 4,500 free books in 54 languages from more than 200 countries, complete with an iPad-friendly interface and an iPhone app.” (Are Ebooks Any Good?)

Sponsored by the Screen Actors Guild Foundation, popular books are matched with well-known celebrities for an online story time.

“This is a listing of sites that legally offer free books, for reading and listening (audio), for children. This page is geared towards younger children.  I recently added a page of site listings for Free Teen and Young Adult Books Online for older children. 
All of these sites listed have content that is legal for them to distribute.  If you find that any site listed is offering content that can not be legally transferred, please let me know in the comments below.”

“These listings may be searched in the following methods:
Alphabetical Listing- A listing of the site names in alphabetical order
Listing by Genre - Links to pages here for different book genres (17)
Online Local Libraries - These sites have links to local libraries which have much content for members.”

Libraries: “On the advice of anonymous poster that most public library systems offer free ebooks, audiobooks, and music downloads to their customers for free, I did some checking and found that there are a large amount of offerings available through online libraries.  It appears most, if not all, require a local library card.  These are sites that have links to local library sites.
LibWeb is a good search source for local libraries online. A good selection of US and worldwide locations.
Public Libraries very good for US, looked not as thorough as LibWeb on worldwide.
Internet Public Library also has some links, but I found the above two to be superior set ups.”

“Free Kids Books is a growing library of unique children’s books and literary resources available for download in a user friendly pdf format.
We aim to provide easy access to great free children’s books and resources, for the enjoyment of reading and writing, and to promote improved literacy standards, and thus improved lives.”

Books are separated in to categories for toddlers, children, and young adults, we felt this easiest since reading levels vary significantly between countries, especially those who English is not a home language. Toddlers books contain very few words, children’s books are picture books of short length, and books for young adults are chapter books with an occasional picture.”

Currently a list of 136 free audio books available to download and enjoy. This is linked to the children’s books but there are 1,000 or more books available.

Between the Lions: Librarians
“Stories and story telling are central to Between the Lions. Here are activities to encourage a love of books and reading in young patrons.”
Click the link above to learn more.

“Children and their parents have for years enjoyed attending storytimes, checking out books and participating in a number of other educational, entertaining and participatory programs at the various locations of The Public Library of Charlotte Mecklenburg County. StoryPlace, an interactive web site, came about to provide children with the virtual experience of going to the library and participating in the same types of activities the library offers. In the summer of 1999, a team of Children's Librarians and Specialists got together with in-house web developers to begin development on this exciting site. In the Spring of 2000, StoryPlace premiered with its first section, the Pre-School Library, completed. “


Free Audio Books

Free Audio Books from Gizmo’s Freeware (techsupportalert.com).
By Genre, for everyone, not just children.

“All audio books on BooksShouldBeFree.com are in the public domain. This means that no one holds a copyright on these books and therefore anyone including BooksShouldBeFree.com is free to distribute them. Enjoy these free audio books and use the share button on BooksShouldBeFree.com to tell your friends about all these great public domain audio books.”

“Online Audio Stories is the sister site of Tales of Time.
www.talesoftime.co.uk produces great quality audio stories and each story is layered in hundreds of sound effects and accompanying music for a better and more enhanced audio experience.”

“Light Up Your Brain is about inspiration, creativity, and the fun of being a kid. I’ve assembled some great audio stories, games and links to outside resources.”

“I do want to remind you that, if you click on links within the games themselves, you may be taken to sites that are not appropriate for young children. So, both parents and kids, please be aware of that. We can only control what’s on our own site.” (http://lightupyourbrain.com/)

Hi, I’m Kayray and I love to read out loud. In this podcast, I’ll read to you from some of my very favorite kids’ books. I’d rather read than edit, so I don’t edit my recordings; you get to hear the mistakes and everything (there aren’t usually very many). Just pretend I’m right there reading you a bedtime story!”

“Kids.LearnOutLoud.com is your audio and video learning resource for Kids & Teens.
Browse thousands of Educational Audio Books, MP3 Downloads, and Podcasts for Kids!”

“We have over 200 audio stories in MP3 format for you to download and enjoy with your family and friends.

Why not try our Reading Books?  Or if you enjoy Colouring, choose from the Colouring Books section.”

Free on iTunes, 23 classic stories for K-12 and appropriate for all children.

Good site, but fyi: .ws is for Western Samoa, the .com is not the same website. 

Friday, November 18, 2011

Jennifer Connors- Romance Author Review

Borrowed from
GoodReads.com

Jennifer Connors- Romance Author Review
Series: Lesson Series
Author: Jennifer Connors
Genera: Romance Novels

If you watch a horror movie and yell at the tv character to run out of the house, do you find yourself yelling at the romance heroine in books to stop whining and be stronger? Well Jennifer Connors has a great series that allows historical romance fans to have a modern woman as the heroine. Sometimes that completely changes the stories, but isn’t that what the readers want? Less cheesy and more mystery?

I found the Lesson Series on Amazon.com offered for free and took a chance. Since then I have read the rest of the series (at a reasonable price of $2.95 each from the author’s website) and joined Jennifer Connors’s Facebook Page. 

Although the time period changes with each story line the main character, played by the original heroine Ginny, helps the reader transition from one story to the next. Which is true for romance writers. It is hard to create a following unless the writers are able to adapt to the needs of the readers. Connors is a good example of how authors can flourish in an ebook environment. The books are also available in paperback.


Complete list of books in Lesson Series (as of 01/21/13):
A Lesson in Passion (available for ebook download for free on Author’s Website)
A Lesson in Presumption
A Lesson in Trust (updated 5.18.12)
A Lesson in Sacrifice (published October 16, 2012)

The above books can all be purchased on the Author’s Webpage:
“Pay once and get four formats:
epub(iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch, Nook/Nookcolor), mobi(kindle-compatible), LRF, and pdf.”


Links:




Saturday, November 12, 2011

Facebook & Google+: Should we use one or both?

Facebook started as an invite only social networking site. Where students had to use their school e-mail address to log in to create an account that was linked to their school. Times have drastically changed, with many “new” looks and the users struggling to keep up. Gone is user friendly outface and poking friends for fun. Now privacy is an issue—which if you are not careful means advertisers can use your pictures in ads that are geared towards your friends. And things that you may have posted in Groups (marked public) can be searchable by search engines.

Google+ started similar to Facebook, but since it has the backing of Google, it has more people to work on it. Also, it can be integrated with other Google products. At first Google+ kicked off brands and companies but they now have Google+ Pages. For more information, click here to watch a video of Bradley Horowitz, VP for Google+, being interviewed about Google+ and the new Google+ Pages. Horowitz explains that Google+ Pages will allow their followers to be marked under gold, silver, or bronze categories.

Google search allows users to +1 if they like the link to share with friends on Google+ Profile. But when searching for companies or brands users are able to add Pages to circle(s) while searching. Although Facebook has the "Like" button, adding companies and brands are still limited to a word search or by searching the following link, Facebook Page Directory.

Hangouts are a new add to Google+. Explained by Google+ Intro webpage, “Conversations are better face-to-face. Join a video hangout from your computer or mobile phone to catch up, watch YouTube videos together, or swap stories with up to 9 of your friends at once.” With this brands and companies can have live discussions with their followers. Or students can have virtual study groups much like Taylor Bell describes in his Google Student Blog.

Some people have deleted their Facebook accounts. Mr. Library Dude stated his reasoning by topics covered under: It’s Not User Friendly, Personal vs. Professional, and Privacy. He finally states, “Ultimately, I decided that I don’t want to live my life on Facebook. I want to live it in real life. That’s my call. I decide when and to whom I communicate with. I control the information. Facebook does not.” It should be noted that Joe Hardenbrook, Mr. Library Dude's real name, has a twitter page and a Google+ account.

While Facebook has made some changes since Mr. Library Dude’s post in September, in my opinion, are not all in the right direction. When I look at my Facebook homepage I feel like “where do I look?”.  It’s visually overwhelming, causing me to look in several different areas trying to read: the latest post, new posts, and highlighted posts.

But if you had to, how could you choose? As librarians, information professionals, or business professionals, we all follow the same code. What do our patrons/clients use? In the end we will use both. Unless a new trend emerges…

Created by Gabriel Vasile on Google+ called Understanding Google+ v2.0.


























A great review from the Associated Press was written by Mae Anderson on July 6, 2011. Even though it’s now November the information Anderson provides is still true. Review: Google Plus thoughtful answer to Facebook.


Links and Resources

Facebook
 (about page)
Also provides posts for updates for Facebook.

Browse Pages
Bands, Businesses, Restaurants, Brands and Celebrities can create Pages in order to connect with their fans and customers on Facebook.”


Better explanation of Privacy.

Internet/Software. “Love using Facebook? Come here for tips & new feature announcements!”

Like many of Google’s products, Google Groups is being updated and reformatted.

Google+ Page (fan page)


“I organized a Hangout on Google+ with friends from math class. In order to make sure I would stay on task, I made a Circle for my math class friends, and set my availability to hang out to just them. We weren’t all on at the same time, but that’s what’s cool about Hangouts-- people can mingle, just like at school. Being able to watch YouTube videos together and talk about our interpretations of problem solving processes along with that of the video’s creator was awesome (and it will be even better when we aren’t working on homework!).”

Created by Gabriel Vasile on Google+ called Understanding Google+ v2.0.

Click Details and then the section needed.


“November 7, 2011
The Google Privacy Policy describes how we treat personal information when you use Google's products and services, including information provided when you use Google+. In addition, the following describes our additional privacy practices specific to Google+.

If you use the mobile version of Google+, the Mobile Privacy Policy applies in addition to this Google+ Privacy Policy.”



Bradley Horowitz, VP for Google+, being interviewed about Google+ and the new Google+ “Pages”.

Exclusive Interview with Facebook Leadership: Mark Zuckerberg, CEO/Co-Founder & Sheryl Sandberg, COO by Charlie Rose on Monday, November 7, 2011.

Interesting interview about the beginning of Facebook, how they want to connect the world, how they would like to include China on Facebook, shortly mentioning Google+, and other topics. At almost an hour it can be a bit long but worth watching.

“A workshop series presented by Luria Library Faculty. In this session, Kenley Neufeld demonstrates how to manage privacy settings on Facebook. With the ever changes options of Facebook, it is important to understand the environment. Learn to configure your account correctly, how to create lists for posting and reading, and see the value of Facebook Groups.”

A quick video created by Epipheo on YoutTube that explains Google+ in simple drawings but informative manner.

Written September 25, 2011 by Joe Hardenbrook (Mr. Library Dude’s real name). Provides links to related articles about Facebook.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Preparing For a Library Job Interview

Preparing for a library job interview is much like a business interview. Researching the company/organization for information, practicing your answer for a 5 Year Plan or 30/60/90 day plan, providing ideas for projects/programs, and giving suggestions for budgeting or managerial problems. However, when it comes to specific libraries (academic, public, special, law, medical, etc) the jobseeker is wondering what questions might be asked concerning his/her area of expertise.

While preparing for my own interview I found some great resources that I thought would be helpful. Please scroll to the bottom of the post for general interview questions that should not be overlooked or for those of you not in the library field. Plus, a check list. Perfect for remembering to stay focus and cover all the important bases to prepare for your interviews. For information about searching for jobs, please check out my previous post Unemployed Librarian (resources and tips for searching for jobs (recently updated 01/17/13).


Library Interview Questions


Library Interviewing
Nailing the Library Interview by Mr. Library Dude (Joe Hardenbrook).

The best resource I found for overall library interviewing tips.
This page spotlights:
·  Suggests questions that YOU might want to ask of potential employers (don’t forget: you’re interviewing them too!), and
·  Interview pitfalls to avoid”


Job Interviews: What You Wish You’d Known [INFOGRAPHIC] by KATE D'AMICO on OCTOBER 25, 2011.

Good visual with statistical information for how your appearance really does matter.
“Job interviews are tough — before, during and after. How do you prepare? How should you act during the interview? When and how do you follow up? For some great advice, see these articles: Interviewing Etiquette And Best Practices, Remaining Professional Before, During & After An Interview, and 10 Interview Questions That Are Out Of The Ordinary.”


Academic Interview Process by Nanako Kodaira.
Provided on the New Members Round Table Resume Review Service. Provides information in the following areas: Interview Process and Nifty Tips for Academic Libraries, Miscellaneous Interview Tips, General and Position Specific Questions.


“A teacher completing her MLS recently wrote on LM_NET that she was worried about getting a job after graduation. With all the gloom and doom on listservs and blogs, she wanted advice on how to succeed in these tough economic times. Do I have any advice? You bet.”


Academic Library Job Search Blues- An insider's notes for new librarians and library school students by Sarah Baker, Education Librarian/Assistant Professor, New Mexico State University-- Library Journal, 09/09, 2010.

Job search tips and interview questions.


Surviving Your First Library Job Search or, What I Had To Learn the Hard Way, Reproduced Here, for You, So That You Are Not Driven To Drink as Well  By Steven Hoover-- Library Journal, 09/15/2009.

A Library Journal article that is worth a read as well.
“Hopefully, after reading this article, you have a little better sense of what to expect during your search, pick up a few tips, and generate ideas for coping strategies that might help you survive long enough to find a job.”


How to Interview for Your Dream Law Library Position by William Logan, MLIS Law Library Program Alumni 2002.

He even includes what to bring to hotel, on flights, what to do over the phone. Good for all areas to pick up a few tips, not just law librarians.


Basic Questions & Check List

Don’t forget to also review basic interview questions (not just library related) to be fully prepared. I highly recommend reading About.com’s Job Interview Questions and Best Answers by Alison Doyle. She outlines important information by: Work History, About You, About the New Job and the Company, The Future, Candidate Specific, Behavioral, Tough Interview Questions, Interview Questions to Ask, Compile Responses, and a place to Add an Interview Question (If you have something that is not previously covered).

Since it’s on About.com the areas covered by the outlines re-navigate to other links that provide more information. If the website becomes a little too jumpy, take a break. A negative to About.com is that it provides too much information, linking from one page to another, which can lead to the user feeling overwhelmed or going in circles. However, the information is good information so please don’t overlook that fact.

And just when you think you are ready, be sure to double check. Doyle provides a great Check List of 10 important things that should not be over looked.

* Update 01/13/2013: Since this page has become popular I thought I would add one more source, the ALA Career Development Resource page includes:

  • ALA JobLIST Placement Center
  • Conference Workshops
  • Career Assessments
  • Cover Letters
  • Interviewing
  • Job Hunting
  • Negotiating
  • Networking
  • Professional Portfolios
  • Publications
  • Resumes
  • And Salaries