Remembering September 11th

As part of the commemoration of this year's anniversary, please take a look at the Topic Guide for Arlington Remembers.

Why do we commemorate that day? We want to remember, as a way to honor the all victims and the families affected by the attacks. And we also keep remembering because we are still trying to make sense of what happened.

Here is a snippet from an eBook that outlines political events prior to September 11 and their cause and effect on American lives.

Understanding the Unthinkable

"While the devastating attacks that visited American shores on September 11, 2001, can be chronicled in precise detail, understanding why the attacks happened presents a challenge. In the days just after September 11, Americans reacted with disbelief..."

Read this GVRL eBook in your web browser.


Cause & Effect: September 11 Attacks. Robert Green. San Diego: ReferencePoint Press, 2016. Gale Virtual Reference Library.  


I hope that you find the Arlington Remembers collection of resources of interest.

Sally

Zinio App Grows Up

Yowza!

The Zinio app has finally grown beyond a “Reading Only”  app to an actual Browsing app…where patrons can browse for a magazine right within the app.

Users can:

Download titles already checked out

NEW: Browse for more magazines from within the app (1/2016)

NEW: Mobile offline reading for iOS, Android, and Kindle Fire (1/2016) once title is downloaded

Even if you have the app installed be sure to check for an update.  Visit the app store on your device - if you don't find it - see our own Zinio page for details on Kindle Fire HDX or Windows devices.

Lynda.com videos on the big screen

Somtimes you just don't want to huddle over your laptop, right?  

Now you can stream our Lynda.com videos from your Roku device to your TV. The sound will be better and you can either just relax, or maybe take notes while you watch the tutorial.

• First, Login to your Lynda account on computer
• From TV, select Roku, add the Lynda Roku channel 
• Get activation code from Roku screen; then on your computer go to www.lynda.com/connect  and type in the code
• Now the Lynda channel should be validated for Roku access and appear in your channel lineup

Details on our Lynda.com page on the website, any time you want to show a patron.


Brought to you by our intrepid testers Sarah Daviau and Michelle Miller. 

Google Accounts in Gale Databases

Seamless User Login: Users can sign in to save and share Gale database or eBook content using their Google credentials (including Gmail) without having to remember a separate password.

If it's available, you'll see  the Google logo at the top of the screen in our databases like General OneFile and Research in Context-- like so:

What's truly great about this?  Besides not having to create or remember another account to store Gale articles or GVRL eBook sections...when you save it, it's all in the same place.  And you can access it any time, on your own Google Drive, without having to Login to a database.

So start saving individual articles to your Google Drive. No more emailing files to yourself or saving them to a local or portable drive.  The content remains accessible from whatever device you use now or in the future.


Pretty darn cool, right?

Back To School - Kids Database Changes

Here's an update on some Changes, Drops and Adds

>> As of August 1st, Tumblebooks - Lib card and PIN are now required by the vendor.  This could mean some patrons who are not cardholders may now be disappointed.

>> Effective August 2015, we dropped both Little Pim and New Book of Knowledge databases.

So, while we say farewell to New Book of Knowledge and Little Pim, we also welcome the new Research in Context database.
                                                     
While the New Book of Knowledge database had been a homework staple, it just wasn't being used much anymore. The interface was outdated and clunky looking. We dropped it due to low usage...we dropped the print edition some years back.

BUT never fear     Kids InfoBits is a good general homework source for the youngest students.  With regular updates like these, you'll feel good suggesting it to parents:

Under the category of Fish, six new entries have been made include Angelfish, Mollie, and the Mullet.
New homepage snippets (InfoBits) have been added for September including:

    Museums feature in the Arts category, Back to School in the People category, Labor Day, which is September 7, in the Social Studies category     
    Football is featured in the Sports category

Over 450 entries have been updated, with many of them focusing on marine life, contemporary figures and countries. 

National Geographic Kids  
is another good starter source with its Topic sections like Environment, History, People, Places, Science & Tech. Along with the "National Geographic Kids" magazine from 2009-present (3 month embargo.) and National Geographic kids eBooks to read online, (No downloads.) PLUS - 500 downloadable images to download for educational purposes.

Check out the fast and easy search widgets for each database on Kids Homework
http://library.arlingtonva.libguides.com/homeworkhelpelementary
Users DO have to use their card number and PIN from home.

We hated doing it, but we dropped Little Pim Online (with its adorable panda) also due to low usage. But we still have Muzzy Languages - with 8 languages.  Muzzy is aimed at children from preschool to elementary school age.


For the Older Students

 Research in Context 
Created specifically for middle-schoolers, Research in Context combines Gale's reference content with age-appropriate videos, newspapers, magazines, primary sources, and more.
Good for assignments in core subjects including literature, science, social studies, and history. Special features like the current Hurricane Katrina bring timely and authoritative info.

Another handy search widget on the Homework Help page here:
http://library.arlingtonva.libguides.com/middleandhighschool

 Research in Context has strong content for these subjects:
    Biography, Environment, History, Nation and World, Science &Technology

That's it for now - Any questions?

Sally

Library Users Love lynda.com From Home

In case you missed the story on ArlNow.com - take a look.

Yep, we're feeling the love - Since March 1, 2015, when remote access became available, we've racked up more users than sessions than in all of last year. Peter's story is also a great reminder that our library subscription, with loads of video tutorials, are also there for staff  to use.

lynda.com has over 3000 courses (as well as some quick articles) but it's NOT just for technology fiends. You can learn a new skill, or maybe follow your bliss. If you browse through the "Playlist Center" there are curated playlists to help you get started in any of their subjects.

Some courses you might not have expected to find:

•  Developing Resourcefulness
•  Improving Your Memory
•  Grant Writing for Education

For more creative types:

• Photography 101
• Getting Pro Results from a Compact Camera
• Use Dropbox Carousel to Share Your Travel Photos
•  …You can learn how to DJ …Or just…How to burn your iTunes music to a CD.

Me, I think I'm going to put a note on my calendar to remind me to visit our lynda.com site for the  "Weekly Office Workshop - get a new Microsoft Office tip every Tuesday. Take a five-minute break to improve your productivity and efficiency. "  [cuz I'm old enough to remember the first versions of Office!]

So get out your library card and Login to the Library's lynda.com. Locate any of the courses mentioned here by searching the title in their site searchbox.  Go on, learn something in your PJ's tonight.

Any questions?  let me know!

Sally

hoopla - Tips for Patron questions

The hoopla interface is very simple, so we don't expect many problems.

• If patrons DO ask for help with a problem, just point them at the hoopla email address: info@hoopladigital.com  - and the vendor will handle it. See the new link to hoopla on the AskALibrarian page for tech issues.

• Users can also reset their own password AND update the Library card number--Yay! Also, we're not requiring PINS, same as with OverDrive.

Q: How do I reset my password?

A: Once Logged In, click on your email address at the top of the main menu to access your Account Information.  

• If you have forgotten your password, click on the Forgot Password? button on the hoopla Login screen. 
• Once Logged In, you can change your password and other settings for your account. 

The fields a user can edit in their own hoopla Profile

The Best Part 

• The patron won't need to "remember" their old Library Card number, but the new number has to be a valid card type. There are no holds for hoopla titles, and any Borrowed titles will still be available under the new Card number.
• Sorry, teacher, business, or Internet Only cards aren't valid. (These are the same settings as with OverDrive.)
• To DEMO hoopla - use your branch iPad, and your Program card on if you don't want to show your personal account.

How do users get to hoopla?

The great news:  all over the place!

• our hoopla "About"page 
• our eCollection pages, for eAudiobooks and Music
• My eAccounts - upper right corner of library website (this is the absolute fastest way to Login at hoopla)
• The Library Catalog - 15,000+ records for audiobooks are now loaded, and new titles get added regularly. Search by title or author and hoopla titles will appear in the results. Yes, there will be some duplication with OverDrive Audiobooks--but remember--hoopla titles are "always available" with no holds or waiting!
• What's just fantastic is our Catalog search for hoopla digital  - they all appear as an added Author. Then you can use our Catalog facets at left, to limit your search by age, fiction or NF, etc. To search for hoopla titles by genere, do an Advanced Search, e.g. Keyword:  paranormal AND Author: hoopla--and guess what?  Catalog searches with all that beloved bibliographic data are MUCH more precise than a search on the hoopla site--where it's more of a browsing site. To find music or eAudio by genre, use the Drill Down Method, by choosing:  Browse All and then click or tap BROWSE at far right to open the full GENRE lists.
• Note: Records for the music albums are in the pipeline, so stay tuned.  And thank the cataloging superstars in MMD for working their magic!

Still taking it all in?  

Create your OWN hoopla account, and you'll soon see what all the hoopla is about  [groan].  

Lastly, YES all the buttons or bookmarks mention movies/TV but if anyone asks you:  APL has ONLY purchased Music and Audiobook titles.