OverDrive- A Blessing or a Curse?

With so many people receiving new computers, eReaders, tablets, smart phones, and iPods/mp3 players, OverDrive has been working overtime to keep up the demand. Downloading may be slow or the service may not be working at all.

We at Rapid City Public Library pride ourselves in knowing how to operate these new devices and create user friendly information to help patrons set up their new device so that the patrons can download items from the library's catalog. By looking at the Downloadable page's Quick Start Guide, the users will be able to figure out what software is needed for particular devices. OverDrive does help by providing a link that shows what devices are able to download particular format. For example: an audiobook on Overdrive can be found in wma format or mp3. However, this does cause some frustrations:

• Nook 1.0 can use mp3s but Nook 2.0 (Simple Touch) and the Nook Tablet can't use any audio formats in OverDrive.

• All Kindle products (from Kindle 1.0 to the new Kindle Fire) cannot use any audio formats in OverDrive.

• iPads can only download mp3 and ePub formats.

• But the good news is that even if you still have your 1st generation iPod Shuffle, it will be able to download that audiobook that you wanted.

To find out if your device will allow you to download auidobooks or ebooks from the library through OverDrive, please use OverDrive's Device Resource Center . Remember, even if you have a Coby, Kobo, Sony eReader, Zune, or another device that is not normally mentioned when libraries mention, your device could still be able to use OverDrive to download items from your library's catalog.

So, give it a try. Even if the service is slow it will be running fast again in no time. Please remember to check with your individual library to make sure your device will work. Check their website before giving them a call.

Happy New Year everyone!


If you still haven't taken the device out of the box, try looking up unboxing videos for a "how-to" guide and save the tough questions for the librarians. Here's a good source for such videos: http://unboxing.gearlive.com/.


Other Resources
RCPL (Rapid City Public Library)
Download Info - with step by step instructions.
Quick Start Guide - Start here first!
OverDrive Basic Info- FAQ

Don't forget my previous blogs: Free eBooks and Free Audiobooks, and at the end of eKids- Free eBooks and Audio Books.


Still need help, but this time trying to find which book to read? Try looking at RCPL's LibraryThing account which offers several books to browse with over 200 personal reviews. Or try GoodReads.com.

Board at the Library

On November 15 this year, public libraries will not be considered "boring" as it is the first ever National Gaming Day. The American Library Association has declared the following:

On November 15, 2008, libraries across the country will participate in the largest, simultaneous national video game tournament ever held! Kids will be able to compete against players at other libraries and see their scores in real-time online while playing at their local library.

But gaming in libraries isn’t just about video games. Hasbro is donating a copy of its game Pictureka to every public library branch in the U.S. so that we can set a record for the most number of people playing a board game at once! The goals of this event are to:

• Raise awareness about the use of games as a library program;
• Expose people to a new type of board game;
• Establish connections between local board game groups and the library.

I think this is a great idea and I can't wait to see what libraries come up with for this idea (not only public libraries).

http://www.ilovelibraries.org/gaming/

For more ideas and an update on this post, please read my  Loud @ Your Library post.

Libraries on Facebook

I thought I would compile a list of libraries who are trying a different way to reach out to their patrons- through Facebook. The following is a list of libraries on Facebook. Click on their name to be redirected to Facebook or use the link below the name to see their professional site:

Baylor University Libraries
http://www.baylor.edu/lib/splash.php
British Library
http://www.bl.uk/
Dublin City Public Libraries
http://www.dublincity.ie/RecreationandCulture/libraries/Pages/DublinCityLibrary.aspx
Duke University Law Libraries
http://www.law.duke.edu/lib/
The European Library
http://www.theeuropeanlibrary.org/portal/index.html
Hennepin County Library
http://www.hclib.org/
MSU Libraries
http://www2.lib.msu.edu/
Penn State University Libraries
http://www.libraries.psu.edu/
Ryerson University Library
http://www.ryerson.ca/library/
Smithsonian Libraries
http://www.sil.si.edu/
http://smithsonianlibraries.si.edu/
Theodore M. Hesburgh Libraries of Notre Dame
http://www.library.nd.edu/
UIUC Library
http://www.library.uiuc.edu/ (University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign)
University of Kentucky Libraries
http://www.uky.edu/Libraries/
University of Liverpool
http://www.liv.ac.uk/library/
University of Michigan Library
http://www.lib.umich.edu/
University of Oregon Libraries
http://libweb.uoregon.edu/
University of Washington
http://www.lib.washington.edu/
Warwick University Library
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/library
University of Wolverhampton Learning Centres
http://www.wlv.ac.uk/lib
Yale Science Libraries
http://www.library.yale.edu/science/

*This is not a complete list but a selection (applications or fan pages).

Podcasts

Radio isn't dead, it's just getting hotter and more convenient. Podcasts are the latest way to stay up-to-date on issues but with one major perk, no commercials! Here are some that should not be missed:

Geeks: One Big Library
I heard about this one from Jan Thomas, a School of Library and Information Science employee who helps us SLISers keep in the now,

"Podcast with interviews with some different people in the library field hosted by Daniel Chudnov, a librarian and programmer currently working as an Information Technology Specialist in the Office of Strategic Initiatives at the Library of Congress."

LibVibe: the library news podcast

"A newscast of our own. Concise, professional, listenable. Hear the difference. Tell a colleague."

For only 7 minutes a week, get your weekly update.


LISPodcasts.com: Where Librarians Sound Off

"LISPodcasts.com serves as a central clearinghouse of everything that is happening in the world of LIS Internet Audio."

Your all rolled into one type blog.


The Smithsonian Institution- Podcasts: American's Jewel of Knowledge
I'm not sure if that is a good nickname for the Smithsonian but I know to me that the Smithsonian is the place for reliable information. This one link will take you to several collections that are preserving several American cultures.


The British Library
If you didn't know about this podcast, you really should! I am a huge fan of the British Library.


CILIP
Podcasts selected for the CILIP community from CILIP and other websites. CILIP= the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (based in United Kingdom).

Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki
A list of public and academic libraries.

"For the library that works hard to produce audio content such as recordings of programs or library tours, podcasting can be an effective means of making that content more widely available."

MU: LiSRadio

"This is a new and exciting series of interactive webcasts brought to you by the School of Information Science and Learning Technologies at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Our aim with these webcasts is to help in "...creating and exploring the intersection of information and learning." We hope to present interesting and stimulating conversations with movers, shakers, and the odd gadfly or two in libraryland."

Finally a link to the iTunes Store with more Podcasts, some are free but I am not 100% sure:

iTunes's Podcast

But if you STILL are not a believer in the positive outcomes of having blogs, podcasts, RSS feeds, or Instant Messaging read the review by ALA TechSource (American Library Association) about Web 2.0 and Libraries: Best Practices for Social Software by Michael Stephens, Jul/Aug 2006 (Volume 42 Issue 4) .