The Elementary School in Fairlee purchased eReaders for the school with a grant from the Vermont Rural Partnership.
As part of the after school program, the school Visions Director took students to the Fairlee Public Library with the school eReaders. Students met community mentors and the mentors and students used the eReaders to read stories together. Fairlee librarian Judy Russell pointed out that senior citizens are the fastest growing group to use eReaders.
The Rochester Public Library has an inventive use for the Kindle: the librarian loads it up with classics (free from Project Gutenberg and other sources). Handy substitute for an interlibrary loan and saves shelf space for books which may not circulate as much. Libraries will still need to purchase new translations or remarkable editions, depending on demand.
Several librarians have passed along the news that eReaders sit on the shelf once people have tested them and made a decision about whether to purchase. The classics solution gets a little more mileage and perhaps encourages readers to try a device. Great for lesser known Conrad, Bronte, Austen and L. Frank Baum. (Yes, many of the Oz books are at Project Gutenberg.)
Do add cataloging to the library database for every title on the eReader.
Libraries all over Vermont are experiencing the usual technology rush as library members come in with their new iPads, smart phones, Kindles and other e-readers to get staff help. Nancy Tusinski at the Springfield Town Library decided to hold tech talks to encourage people to gather (flyer from this workshop is posted below). The Library owns some equipment, and is happy to help with ebook downloads, audiofiles, and general questions.
Debra Tinkham and Gail LaVaude at the Bradford Public Library (www.bradfordvtlibrary.org) have experimented with tech night themes. Pick a general topic like digital photography, make sure there are plenty of computers to go around, and dig in. Of course the public library doesn’t have a lock on technology; look to the community to find savvy volunteers willing to share what they know. Programs are held the first Wednesday of the month at 6 PM. Other topics have included downloading audio and eBooks from Listen Up! Vermont, Google Voice and Google Talk, and switching from PC to Mac with an Apple laptop or iPad.
If your library has some insights on raising the staff comfort level and offering training, please add your comments.
Here is the flyer from Nancy Tusinski’s Tech Talk workshops:
With so many services online, Laura Henderson of the Mark Skinner Library chose YouTube to publicize them. This seven minute video introduces website, catalog, quick links, the Vermont Online Library, ListenUp and Universal Class. Another approach might be mini-videos– segment each service into a one short clip.
Nice work, Laura, and nice website, MSL!
Posted in Accessibility, New Services and Outreach
Tagged manchester, Mark Skinner Library, video, YouTube
The Rockingham Free Public Library in Bellows Falls offered a series of workshops called “Job Search 101″ for young adults ages 15 to 21. The workshop series was free; participants met each week.
This series gave participants basic information, skills and techniques to begin career planning.
The curriculum and format were designed by the group itself in order to meet their specific employment needs and interests. All aspects of finding a job were covered: resume writing, job search techniques, interviews and building positive, useful, and practical skills in order to obtain and maintain a job.
The Royalton Memorial Library has a page promoting adult education. This is an idea any library could use.
The opening lines of the page say it all: Royalton Memorial Library is committed to being a community partner in lifelong learning. To support that we provide space and resources for students of any age who are trying to continue their education.
The Adult Education page has links and a description for many possibilities, the GED, community college, assistance in English for speakers of other languages, and placement tests for the college-bound. Check out the Adult Education Page. Clean website design too– thanks to good templates from WordPress.
Booksale
Director Jeannette Bair announced the bookstore with a letter to the Friends of the Library, pointing out that all gifts are first reviewed for usefulness to the collection. Many books and movies are for sale throughout the year in the library vestibule, a fundraiser that nets about $1,500 annually.
The Orwell Library offers storyhours with grandparents. Once a month, an Orwell grandparent reads a book of their choosing to the group. Bringing grandparents in has led to storytimes with therapy dogs and cookie parties. Guitar playing and angora bunnies are coming soon.
For more good ideas for storytimes from Vermont librarians, take a look at Vermont’s Early Literacy Initiative. Librarians in the ELI have posted plans that worked. Each storytime reveals the rationale and offers suggested activities. Woodbury Community Library has an easy plan to encourage print motivation and interest in reading. At one storyhour, each parent and child share their favorite book.
The Mark Skinner Library has started one to one basic computer literacy training, supported by library staff. Nice article from the Manchester Journal online.
MANCHESTER – For years, there had always been
someone else around to do the lifting when it came
to using a computer. But when the health and rehabilitation center she works for as a part-time nurse announced they would be moving to a more computer- based system for dispensing medication and other tasks that used to be handled by pen and paper, Helen Judd knew it was time to bite the bullet.
The Manchester resident signed up for a new one-on-
one computer literacy class being offered at the
Mark Skinner library. The main thing was getting
over some fears about the computer itself and
practice a few basic skills, she said. “I didn’t know anything about it and wasn’t interested,” she said. “Everyone around me did what I needed to get done.”
Outside of work, she wanted to learn how to send email
as well as surf the Web for information about
medicine and health care…
New devices to try…
Try a Kindle, iPad, Nook, an MP3player, and an iPod Nano. Ask at the adult loan desk for availability.
David Clark of the Ilsley Public Library in Middlebury writes: Everything points to the greater acceptance of ebooks, in spite of the adamant protests of some of our longtime readers.
How we’ll manage is yet to be determined.
What we are doing is giving our residents a chance to try some of the new mobile devices. We lend a Kindle, MP3 player and two Nanos for 3 weeks, and a Nook for 1 week. An iPad is available in the library.
We have purchased e-books and downloaded free titles for the Kindle, Nook, and iPad. The first 10 borrowers of the Kindle got to select a title for us to purchase. You can imagine what a variety of titles we have!
Who knows where this will all lead. We’re looking into an iPhone app for our catalog as other libraries around the country have added to their “avenues of connectedness.”
Posted in Accessibility, New Services and Outreach
Tagged ebooks, Ilsley Public Library, iPad, kindle, mp3 player, Nano, Nook
