Search results matching tag 'reading'

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"

Read a Book, Give a Book

Betsey Blanche — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 17:35:00 GMT

Jumpstart, The Pearson Foundation, and We Give Books have teamed up this year for the annual Read for the Record campaign coming up on October 7^th. The event encourages as many people as possible to come together on the same day to read a classic children's book. This year, the book is Ezra Jack Keats' The Snowy Day. Not only does Read for the Record encourage reading, it's also a way to promote the fantastic literacy work Jumpstart does in preschool classes across the country.

This year, the campaign has added some new features. As of September 7^th, readers can actually access on online, digital version of the book to read. But the cool thing is that by reading the online version, people are not just adding to the Read for the Record number, they are also donating a print version of the book to children in Jumpstart classrooms. I tried it out today and was pleased at how easy it is. After reading the book, you are asked to register with your name and email address which I don't always love to do but feel it's well worth it in this situation.

If you have a minute and you're interested, check out the We Give Books site and register for Read for the Record.

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!

The Quest for Audio Books Made Easy

Betsey Blanche — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 18:58:00 GMT

Sometimes all I want to do is shut my laptop, silence my smart phone, power off my iPod and read a good book. But then there are times when I need those gadgets to help me get through a good audio book so I can busy my eyes and hands on others things like the long car trip to Kansas (Oklahoma can be a killer) or while I'm completing the odious task of washing dishes. These are great times to put on an audio book. Luckily, our audio book options improve constantly.

You can, of course, being by browsing the library's collection and picking up a book on CD or checking out this list of Audie Award winners. I've taken to listening to Oscar Casares' novel Amigoland on CD while I'm getting ready in the morning, eating a meal or cleaning up.

However, as much as I hate to admit it, the library isn't the only place to find great audio books. Below I've listed a few other places you might consider before that next long road trip.

BooksShouldBeFree.com offers free, downloadable audio versions of books in the public domain (books with expired copyrights). Some of these have been recorded by groups of volunteers but most of them have been digitized by The Gutenberg Project and recorded by Libriovox . The site itself makes browsing a visual treat. It offers pictures of the cover, a short description of the book, a preview of the audio book, two options for downloading, recommendations for similar audio books, and reviews of the specific recording of the book. I especially like that the reviews take the reader into account. Sometimes a book can be phenomenally written and then read by a dud. Bummer. Check out the page for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Another Libriovox-powered site, Librophile resembles Books Should Be Free is many ways and includes many of the same titles. One exception is that Librophile allows users to listen to the book right from your browser, a handy little feature. However, I find the site to be less appealing visually and the search feature felt clunky to me. In addition to the public domain content, Librophile also sells audio versions of popular books. Unfortunately, the cost reflects publishing costs plus the cost of a professional reader. Hence, an audio-only copy of Stephen King's Under the Dome would cost you $52.50. Yowza.

If you're more interested in educational material you might consider skipping over these earlier options and trying LearnOutLoud.com. They exclusively provide copyrighted materials which means users must be charged for downloads. Based on a quick glance at the site, it looks like the cost can be as low as $5 and $20. The site doesn't have the same visual appeal as Books Should Be Free but it is also searchable and has books broken down into categories. For more non-fiction books, you might also consider The National Academies Press

Join the Summer Reading Program on June 10

Michelle Cervantes — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 21:26:00 GMT

Round Rock Public Library's annual Summer Reading Program is about to begin!

Readers of all ages are welcome to join the program and earn coupons and incentives. Simply come to the library starting June 10, to pick up a reading log and get started. And, the library will be the cool place to be this summer for storytimes, musicians, special programs for teens and more. The program runs from June 10 - August 10. Please contact Theresa Faris at 218-7011 for more information.