Yer Highness?

Despite my tardiness, I have been exploring the databases. I swear!
I too have wrestled with Sangborn maps and I've brushed up on my Italian w/ Mango.
In fact, five minutes ago a patron came to the desk looking for information about Dick Bruna and I showed her the "Books and Authors" database.
I had a really good time exploring the Historical Chicago Tribune, where I found this article about my Nazi-hating grandfather, and after reading this one, I think you should all be referring to me as "Lady Jennifer" or something. I advise you commoners to consult Gennie regarding the proper Norwegian way in which to address me henceforth.
As for the devices-- I am happy to report that my e-book of Chime is now ready for pickup. I'm going to attempt to read it on my i-phone, but confess to being worried about bringing it into the bathtub...

databasin'

I admit to not using the databases as often as I probably should. This is mainly due to the typical reactions of kids when I've suggested we consult a database. However, I should probably adopt more missionary zeal (like GG) and cheerlead kids into using them.
Having said that, after messing around with Sanborn Maps for a while, I'm quite underwhelmed with its ease of use. No searching by address, or even street? Maybe that works with a smaller locale, but I got pretty frustrated searching for my house in Chicago.
On the other hand, I don't know why I keep forgetting about Novelist. Nearly every time I use it (for readalikes, age-appropriateness suggestions, and reviews), I'm happy I did. Intuitive and user-friendly, I think.
I've used Mango to try to scrape the rust off my Spanish, and I like it well enough. Simple enough to use, and lots of languages to choose from.
I got the chance to play with the e-readers in a training session with Ed and Eric (and Jenny B!) a week or 2 ago, and I liked them all, but for whatever reason I liked the ergonomics and functionality of the Sony the best.

Wave of the future!

I find that I'm showing patrons our databases at least once a week (or more if it's heavy project time) and recently wondered why more now than before. My conclusion was that it's me, not our offerings, so I guess I'm on board! I also enjoy explaining why we can do this even if the teacher specifically says "no internets," which usually involves me saying to the parents "do you remember the periodical index? This is what it is now. Trust me, your teacher will accept this... and if they don't, tell them to call us."

I find the Biography area of the adult online tools to be the best, because it has bio info, but also articles of interest about the subject. It's come in handy lately for Orville Redenbacher (not even in the bio dictionary!!), George Halas and even Ruby Bridges (not in the encyclopedia of notable African-Americans!?!) I like the layout of Info Bits for kids, but find it's often too elementary for any research project that would go beyond our stacks.

Cluing Patrons into What We Offer on OPPL.org

On the Study Page, I use World Book for Kids if a child is looking for a snippet of information fairly quickly. I’d rather rely on that than something from a Google Search. I like Mango Languages and have recommended it to adults that are learning a new language. I wonder if it children would find it as helpful since it doesn’t look like it is aimed at them. I am a fan of NoveList for author searches since it is easy to limit authors’ works by different age groups (Teens, Ages 9-12, Ages 0-8).

I liked being able to take a look at the E-books during the session last week, but I still left with a lot of questions. MOD is something I think I need to use on my own, especially so I am familiar with the different devices and how they connect. I’ve already answered several of my friends’ questions about our e-books as far as holds, returns, etc. and how that all works. I also have showed them how to use the catalog which I guess really isn't that intuitive. I like how UW-Madison Libraries they have all of their books, databases, journals, etc. made into one search engine on their homepage. As far as MOD, I’m not sure how we are going to be able to assist patrons if we can’t log into their accounts without their permission. I was also wondering how do we keep track of circulation statistics with MOD? It seems like something that Overdrive must do for us automatically, but can we see them?

I don’t have an e-reader, but now am slightly more interested in buying one, that is compatible with Overdrive for library school. It still seems like companies are still working out many of the kinks. Initially, I thought that having a phone, Itouch, and a laptop met my tech needs, like Shelley. I did some research for my dad when he bought his Ipad. He uses it a lot for travel, but not for work. It seems like technology is rapidly changing. Heck, we now have the Ipad 2 and Iphones 3Gs have come down a lot in price. As always, I feel like I have a lot of catch up to do! Thanks for all of the tidbits of information about different databases. I’ll have to take a closer look at the Adults page for ways to answer more reference questions and for my own use.

Data Chatter

We have such a looooooong list of databases available here, that sometimes it seems overwhelming when you need to find something. Most of them aren't terribly useful for us down here, but some are fun.

Sanborn maps is one of my favorites to play with. The downside is that once you've used it to find your house throughout the last hundred or so years, there's no need to go back and revisit. Searching for my parents' house was a bust, but I was able to find my building, which was built in 1926 and named Scoville Manors. My friend Michele grew up down in southern IL, and her family owned the local funeral parlor. So I also went to her town, and watched the family business move and grow, and that was pretty fun, too. It's clunky as all hell to use, but the information is at least useful and interesting.

Some of the classes in Universal Class are really good - I read through some of the photography text books and learned a lot. One of the recommended texts for the Babysitting 101 class is an American Girl nonfiction book, so this might be a good resource for tweens getting ready to sit on their own.

Kidwise, I think the WorldBook databases are pretty comprehensive and easy to use. Grolier is also great, but currently unavailable remotely. (Eric is working to fix that.)

I've had the Overdrive Console loaded on my work computer since we got the new ones, and I've used it in the past, but now it's only playing mp3 audiobooks and not the wma format. (Sadly for me, the Doctor Who titles are wma.) It probably just needs an update, or maybe Windows Media does, which is only problematic here where I need IT to do all that for me.

I'm not totally sold on the idea of a dedicated eReader for myself, since Stanza on my Touch works so well, but I liked being able to play with the Nooks and Sony. I like how fast the Nook Color moves, but I don't like the screen or needing to swipe to turn the page. The black and white Nook has a similar eInk format that a Kindle has, which is excellent for reading, and has perfectly placed buttons for turning pages, but each page refreshed SO SLOWLY OMG. It took a few seconds, and for part of that, both the old page and new page are overlaid on top of each other. It's a mess. The Sony had similar refreshing issues, although less slow, and the buttons were very awkwardly placed. I'll stick with the iTouch for now.

I was really, really surprised to see how easy it is to download anything from MOD and move it to any of these devices. When I tried it in grad school, it was horribly clunky, but they've really made some good strides. It really was as simple as drag and drop and go. (Okay, that's after you've installed all the software, which is still an annoyance.) Still, I think it'll be worth downloading the Console to my home computer and putting the audiobooks on my iPod, instead of just using the Overdrive app on my iTouch. (Which is super easy to use but, like my work computer, can only load mp3 audios.)

Databasics

Looking through our kids' databases I was reminded/made aware that:

• it's good to look through our databases...because it's easy to forget what we've got, even without the annual updates!
• during African-American HistoryMonth, I should definitely show patrons the African-American History Online database when they ask for relatively obscure bios.
• LearningExpressLibrary and Tutor.com both have older elementary math and reading reviews/preps, though neither really put things like worksheets front and center.
• World Book Online for Kids has a very short article entitled "Animals Have Babies." Now I'm dying for a kid to ask me whether or not animals have babies...and whether I can prove it.
• the Gale student Resources In Context is amazing for helping older kids with projects on "big issues."

Looking through our adult databases I was reminded/made aware that:

• though we offer access to the more-and-more popular Ancestry.com, it's only available here at the Library.
• the American History In Video db is the most splendid thing EVER. A mix of contemporary, documentary, and vintage films all about America. As far as I can tell, most of the videos come with transcripts, but I especially love the soundless ones from the turn of the last century, like this one.
• INFOTRAC is a big deal/portal.
• Oh, yeah! We've got access to Consumer Reports. So cool.

Finally, I tried to download the Overdrive Media Console to my work PC figuring it'd be easy peasy...but so far I can't get around the "you can't download nuthin'" rules for these PCs. I'll ask Shelley or Curt if it's possible. Looking forward to the technology petting zoo Shelley's bringing us next week! [I wish I could have put in on my personal Kindle, but Amazon is a harsh mistress.]

Technology Adventure, Unit Four

Unit four: Databases
3/21-4/3

Explore databases: We have a ton of databases, with something for everyone. Start exploring on our Study page, and then branch off to the adult tools. Find your house in Sanborn maps, find some new-to-you artists in American Song, learn about your co-workers' auras in Universal Class, find out why NSYNC is listed in the Culinary Arts database, etc.

Media On Demand: We all need to have more practice with this when patrons ask. Please download Overdrive Media Console to your computer and/or eReader. Kindles are not supported, unfortunately, but iPhones, Androids, Blackberries, Nooks and Sonys are, among others.

Starting Monday, March 28, I will have the Sony Reader, Nook, iPad, Nano and a laptop from the Tech Toolkit down here for us to practice loading downloadables. (Use the laptop to transfer audiobooks to the Nano, as well as to use Adobe Digital Editions to read eBooks.) You can set up a time to go over some of the steps with me, if you like. ATS is also hosting an Overdrive training on March 24 and 25 – even if you attend one of those, please take extra time to play and familiarize yourself with the devices, steps and potential pit-falls.

On your Mobile device, search for the Overdrive app and download. For desktops, follow the directions in Quick Start Guide, from the top left sidebar. Once you have it downloaded, browse the titles and check out an audiobook or eBook.

Post on the blog about what you’ve learned – share a database that will be useful on the desk, another that was just fun, tell us about your experiences with Overdrive, etc. Don’t forget to tag/label it “unit four.”