Library Info : library

Roundup Friday: eBooks!

Betsey Blanche — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 16:39:00 GMT

My colleague Linda hit the nail on the head once more when, in her latest blog post, she wrote: "electronics vendors offer "must-have" apps and gadgets faster than we can learn or finance them." I am so taking it out of context but I read it as a break from shopping online for a new gadget of my own, namely an eReader or a tablet. This delightful coincidence got me thinking about eBooks and all the arguments for and against them. So please allow me to offer up some random thoughts and useful tips in this eBook Round Up.

Get Rich Slowly - a personal finance blog - recently posted a piece on the cost effectiveness of eBooks. The author of the piece, J.D. Roth, waffles a bit on the pros and cons but here are some of his highlights.

eBooks are a great way to cut down on Stuff (which is especially useful for those who move frequently)
eBook Readers often have apps that you can use on other devices such as your personal computer, tablets and smart phones.
The best values on eBooks tend to be found with the newest and oldest books. The older books often being available for free because they live in the public domain. But whether or not the initial cost of a Reader makes up for that price difference depends on how frequently you use it.

Leatherbound: Perhaps you've decided to skip buying an actual eReader and simply use various apps for your eBooks. For instance, my phone allows me use of both the Nook and Kindle apps. Leatherbound allows users to search for eBooks across both of those platforms as well as the iBooks platform (designed for the iPad and other Apple devices). This allows users to find the cheapest version of the eBook they're looking for without visiting each virtual store.

Big News: Your very own Round Rock Public Library will soon be adding another wrinkle to your decision-making process! On December 17^th we'll be launching use of OverDrive, a service that provides downloadable audiobooks, eBooks, music and video. In my opinion, it's a step up from our previous provider of eBooks which did not allow titles to be downloaded to personal devices.

Also Check Out:

"You'd be surprised who reads steamy novels"

"Google opens bookstore with 3 million titles, free android and iOS reader apps"

"iPad leading e-book reader demand despite Kindle price advantage"

Online Recipe Finders

Betsey Blanche — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:05:00 GMT

Although I am a lover of food and cooking, I have found that, much to my chagrin, I am terribly unimaginative in the kitchen. I need direction. I need a list of ingredients and clear instructions on how to put them all together. In other words, I rely on recipes. Luckily we have access to all kinds of great recipes. For starters (no pun intended) the library has a great collection of cookbooks (Nonfiction 641). I’m always impressed by the variety and breadth available there.

Sadly, in addition to not being a very creative cook, I’m also not a champion of planning ahead (terrible combination). So I sometimes find myself at home with the urge to cook but in need of some guidance. This is when I turn to sites like allrecipes.com, The Food Network online, or Epicurious. These are tried and true favorites which let you search through recipes, view comments and reviews, and sometimes even view nutrition information. Luckily sites like these continue to add features which make them even more valuable. In addition to these favorites I have recently discovered the sharp-looking, featured-filled site Yummly.

In Yummly, users can set up a profile which helps narrow down searches. You can add diet and allergy information; favorite and least favorite foods; information about where you like to shop; how much you can spend on your at-home meals; and how much time food takes to prepare. This feature is nice because it still allows you to search for specific meals or foods but it also provides the FoodFinder which lists recipes that meet your specific tastes and needs. Yummly also has a social feature which allows you to share recipes with your “friends” on the site. It will be interesting to see what other recipe sites emerge over the next year or so.

Have a favorite recipe book or cooking site? Feel free to add it to the comments section!

Other cooking tools:

Convert Center (change units to suit your cooking needs).

Bing Recipes (recipe searching provided by the search engine Bing).

This Week's Technology Tip: Take a Break from Technology?

Betsey Blanche — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 18:02:00 GMT

Last week Stephen Colbert interviewed Nicholas Carr – author of the newly-released book . Three days ago I came across a blog post titled “Do You Purposely, Regulary Go Offline?” Today, to top things off, I read a brief synopsis of a study which shows more than two hours per day of screen time (particularly watching TV or playing video games) can have negative impacts on one’s attention span. It’s worth mentioning that all three of these were online interactions. This got me thinking about how we use technology and the negative and positive effect it can have on us.

In this blog I make it a goal to provide some tips on tools created to make our lives easier and more productive. What Nicholar Carr and the others show is that sometimes maximizing productivity requires disconnecting from the Internet. In Nicholas Carr’s 2008 essay “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” Carr writes “In the quiet spaces opened up by the sustained, undistracted reading of a book, or by any other act of contemplation for that matter, we make our own associations, draw our own inferences and analogies, foster our own ideas.” With this in mind, I present this week’s technology tip for increasing productivity and quality of life: take some time to unplug and focus on one task for an extended period of time. Maybe start by reading Carr’s new book (located in our New Non-fiction section), or by perusing some of the excellent book recommendations in Linda’s blog Reader’s Exchange.

Perhaps this is a bad message for the technology blog writer but I think it’s a great thing to be aware of. Plus, you could use those long periods of reading or contemplation to win great prizes through our Adult Summer Reading Program!

RFID Magic

Betsey Blanche — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 16:58:00 GMT

As many of you know by now, the library is in the process of switching our circulation to an RFID system. I realized the other day that, when telling patrons about the switch, I often used the phrase “like magic” to explain the new system. As a provider of information I’m starting to feel like I could be a bit more clear.

So here it is. The library is happily moving away from the old school barcodes which must be scanned one by one with a barcode reader. With the new system we’ll use an antenna to detect RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags within books; no scanning necessary. The most noticeable change for patrons will be the new, improved self-check machines. At the new machines users will simply place all their items on the antenna (which is really just a flat surface) which will then read the tags placed in each book/item. See? Like magic! The new machines will also allow users to pay their fines then and there without going to a service desk. The new system also makes it easier for our staff to find misplaced books within the library. We’ve been equipped with an RFID “wand” (see how the magic keeps coming?) which we can wave over the shelves in order to find specific books. We believe this switch will help us better serve your needs.

Interested in other uses of RFID tags? Check out this article from CNET on RFID in passports and this short list by Wired Magazine of creative uses of the system.

Edit PDFs Without Buying Expensive Software

Betsey Blanche — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 22:41:00 GMT

Ninety percent of the time, I prefer communicating via email rather than making a phone call, mailing something or (especially) faxing. This is especially true when it comes to applications or other PDF documents. Like the library computers, most individuals only have access to Adobe Reader, rather than a more sophisticated version of the software which allows you to edit and save PDFs.

An easy workaround presents itself in the form of FillAnyPDF. This site allows you to upload a PDF so that you can enter text into blank fields and then save the document. (FYI, you have the option of creating an account or just going straight to editing your document). By doing so, you can simply email the form on to the intended recipient rather than mailing or faxing it. The site also allows you to change font size, blackout, whiteout or highlight text. After entering all your text, click the download button at the bottom of the page and then save the PDF to your computer or memory device of choice.

I will caution you that there is no clear information on the security of the site so you may want to think twice before using it for confidential information. I have, however, seen the site recommended by several blogs which take security into consideration when evaluating a product or service which I find comforting. What other workarounds do you use for editing PDFs? Share your thoughts in the comments section!

Improve Your Touch Typing the Free and Easy Way

Betsey Blanche — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 21:18:00 GMT

Every day in the library I see adults striving to improve themselves and learn new things. Recently we’ve seen a rising interest in updating computer skills, either for personal satisfaction or to remain competitive in the job market. For some, this means attending one of our Microsoft Quick Start classes at the library to learn about Office 2007. Others work on developing specific skills such as touch typing which is what I’d like to talk about today. With such a skill there’s nothing to it but to do it. Here are two recommendations for free, online programs which can help.

Klava is a flash-based, online typing program which is incredibly simple and super handy. Simply go to the website, click in the text box and start typing. There's no registration and no fees which I always appreciate. Klava (shown above) provides you with a list of words which you then type into the text box. As you go, it keeps track of several things for you. The numbers at the top of the screen and to the left show you your characters per minute from the two previous lines. The numbers to the right of that show you your error percentage. Klava also gives you good hints as you go: turning the text box dark gray if you make an error and highlighting the letters you struggle with. The drop-down menus at the bottom of the page allow you to change from Basic English (short words and letter combinations) to Advanced English (full sentences). You even have the option of practicing on a Dvorak keyboard if you have the ability to configure your own keyboard to that format. Klava's strength is its simplicity and I definitely encourage you to give it a try if you are interested in improving your touch typing or just have a few minutes to kill.

Typing Web is a more popular (and free) tool to help practice touch typing. Typing Web is very different from Klava. It includes multiple typing lessons and tests and is graphic heavy. Unlike Klava it does include a timer and provides words per minute rather than characters per minute which I find to be a more useful measurement. If you need more visual stimulation than Klava provides, Typing Web might be a good choice for you. This program also lets you bypass registration if you’re so inclined and just get straight to typing. Typing Web does have quite a few ads and, unfortunately, some of them are of the flashing variety which can be a bit distracting.

There are countless other typing tutorials and tests online that may be just as good. But I find these to be simple (especially in the case of Klava) and well-organized (Typing Web). Give it a try if you have a minute and see if it helps!

RR Public Library presents blogs on Technology

Betsey Blanche — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 06:09:00 GMT

Round Rock Public Library is adding a new element to our Library Information blog starting right . . . now. About once a week we'll add a post about technology that, hopefully, our readers will find interesting or useful. We'll cover topics such as open source software/freeware, useful web applications, gadgets, technology in general, and some of the issues that come with emerging these technologies. We'll start with topics we think will be especially useful to our patrons but feel free to contact us (by writing a comment below) if there's a specific topic you would like to learn more about.