Month: November 2012

Free Library E-Books, E-Audio Books, E-Videos, E-Music and Credible Databases

Linda Reimer

Did you know library offers patrons a multitude of free electronic resources consisting of e-books, e-audio books, e-videos, e-music titles and credible databases that you can access via the web 24/7/365?

We do!

All you need is a library card to access and/or check e-materials and log into e-databases.

And before I go any further let me just say that the cliff notes/basic bottom line of this posting is that you can access e-books, videos, audio books and music albums through the Digital Catalog found on the library’s website. And if you have any questions about how to access any of the content on our website and/or download it to any of your tech devices please feel free to visit the library and speak with a member of our tech team – or even make an appointment to sit down with a member of our tech team and go over any tech usage questions you have step-by-step– it is a free service we offer! Just call: 607-936-3713 ext. 502 – which is the Reference Desk extension – and ask to speak to Linda or Jenn to make an appointment.

And if you’d like an in-depth explanation of the e-formats the library offers and how you can access them – please read on!

The first thing you need to begin the process of checking out e-formats is a library card. And to obtain a library card you simply come to the library during our usual hours of operation and present a form of ID that features both your name and your current address. There is a very short form to fill out as well and presto! You’ll have a library card which will literally unlock worlds for you – worlds of imagination and worlds of information and just plain worlds of fun too!

So of course, once you have a library card, the next question is:

How do you check out free library e-books, e-audio books, e-videos, e-music titles and how do you access the free databases in the library’s online collection?

And before I answer that duo question I have to add an illuminating little tidbit of information regarding e-books, e-audio books, e-videos and e-music titles. The e-book revolution and the move to accessing information and media content online has happened so quickly that it is causing major upheaval in the publishing and media world. And as a result of the major upheaval, publishers and media companies want to put what they call “friction*” in the process that patrons have to use to check out free library e-books, e-audio books, e-videos and e-music  titles (albums).  And the publisher/media company requirement of “friction” is why there are so many different ways to download e-library content and why it is frequently a cumbersome process. And added to that fact is another huge fact – not all publishing companies and media companies will sell their e-content to public libraries – and that is why you don’t see some of the best-selling e-books, e-audio books, e-videos and e-music titles on the shelves of our virtual library.

And getting back to the question of how one checks out these e-formats – the answer to that questions can be more easily relayed if we look separately at each of the five categories our virtual library e-books, e-audio books, e-videos, e-music titles and the library collection of free credible databases.

And notably, all the category items, except the databases, can be accessed via the STLS Digital Catalog (aka Virtual Library) link found on the library’s homepage. The fifth category – the databases – can be accessed by clicking on the Research link found on the library’s home page (and then clicking on the Subscription Resources link that displays).

And without further ado on to the five categories:

E-Books: You can check out and read library e-books on a PC, Mac, e-ink e-reader (those are the ones that feature black text on a light gray screen), a reading tablet* (Kindle Fire, Nook Color, Nook Tablet or Nook HD) or a tablet (iPad, iPad Mini, Google Nexus 7/10, Galaxy Tab etc.)

And if you have questions about how to check out free library e-book – call or stop by the library and a member of our tech team will assist you!

E-Audio Books: There are two types of e-audio books found in the catalog – MP3 audio books and WMA audio books. The MP3 audio books can be checked out and listened to via PCs, Macs, and via apps downloaded to smartphones & tablets. And WMA files – well, the WMA stands for “Windows Media Player” and thus you have to download the WMA audios to a PC and then transfer them to supported portable device like an iPad, iPod or other MP3 player.

And if you have questions about how to check out free library e-audio books – call or stop by the library and a member of our tech team will be glad to answer any questions you have about the process and/or walk you through it!

E-Videos: E-videos are the easiest format in the Digital Catalog to discuss because, basically, you can download e-videos to a PC and that is all* You do have to download software first – it is called OverDrive Media Console and it can be accessed via the library’s website.

And you know I’m going to repeat myself here and say if you have questions about how to check out free library e-videos – please call or stop by the library and a member of our tech team will assist you!

You can even make an appointment with a member of our tech team and we’ll walk you through the process from beginning to end!

E-Music Titles: E-music titles can be checked out to a PC and a variety of MP3 players including players made by Sony, Samsung, ScanDisk, Colby and Creative Zen (but not any version of the iPhone, iPod or iPad…)

Ditto the cheerleader like refrain: if you have questions about how to check out free library e-music albums–please call or stop by the library and a member of our tech team will assist you!

And if you’d like to check and see if any of your devices can play any or all of the e-formats mentioned in this blog post check out Resources page on the OverDrive website.

Here’s the link:

http://www.overdrive.com/resources/drc/

Free (To Library Patrons) & Credible Databases: You can also access a number of free (to library patrons) databases through the library’s website. These databases include: Academic One File (for students of all ages doing research), The Business & Company Directory (a great db to use if you want to know where a company is located, who the CEO is and other general information regarding the business/company), The Chilton Library (for those that like to fix their own cars!), EBSCO Animals (for kids looking for information on animals), the Health Reference Center (to research health subjects), The Literature Resource Center (for researching authors, books and literary works in general), the New York State Newspapers database (to search for articles that have appeared in New York State Newspapers) and more! Check it out! Simply go to our website: SSCLIBRARY.ORG, click on the Research link at the top of the page and then click on the Subscription Services link that displays – the listing of our databases will display. And once you click on a database you’d like to try out – you’ll be prompted to log in with the number on the back of your library card.

And if you really read all that – you deserve a gold star!

Have a great weekend everyone!

And remember our free e-services will be accessible the last week of the month, November 25 – December 2, when the library itself will be closed so the interior ceiling tiles can be replaced.

Linda R.

*The term “Reading Tablet” as we use it refers to e-reading tablets that are not quite fully fledged tablets – the offer many of the same features as a full sized tablet but may or may not have a camera and they do not have access to all the apps in the Apple or Android app stores.

*Friction: The term “friction” in this case means that the publishers and media companies want to make the process of checking out e-formats from your public library more difficult because they think this will cut down on digital piracy.

*Digital Catalog: the Term “Digital Catalog” is fancy tech terminology that simply means the place you go to browse through the e-book titles, search for specific e-book titles and then check them out so you can read them!

*E-Videos: There are a few exceptions to the rule that e-videos can only be downloaded to a Windows PC but they are so few I’m not sure it is even worth mention them. OverDrive states on their Supported Devices page that if you own an MP3 player that supports DRM and WMA protected content (i.e. the anti-piracy software that publishers and media companies insist be built into e-books, e-audios and e-videos) than you can download e-videos to that device and take them with you. However, the list OverDrive has of portable devices that support DRM and WMA is very short and consists of several of the Creative Zen and Sony series of MP3 players…

Recommended Tech Holiday Gift Lists

Linda Reimer

I can’t believe it is just about the season to venture forth and purchase tech gifts for friends and family members. However, since Black Friday is a week from tomorrow it certainly must be!

Where has November gone? It does seem to be flying right by…

And I’m digressing! Back to the topic of finding the right tech gift!

Not only can the tech holiday gift guide links below assist you in finding the prefect tech gift – but the library staff can too! And as I mentioned yesterday tonight the library is hosting its first Try It Before You Buy It program of the seasons. The program will offer people the opportunity to come in and try out a variety of tablets, e-readers and a few other gadgets (including a Kodak Playsport, a fifth generation iPod Touch, a touchscreen, a Windows 8 laptop and a MacBook).

And with our Try It Before You Buy It program and the advent of the holiday shopping season in mind, pasted below are links to two tech sites who have put out their recommendations as to which tech items you might want to purchase as gifts.

And of course if you can’t make the Try It Before You Buy It program this evening you can shoot for the next one being held December 6th (at 6 PM) or simply call us and arraign a time that is convenient for you to come in and take a look at the e-readers, tablets and other tech items that we have in-house and correspondingly ask questions of our tech team who are here to help!

And on to the tech site holiday gift guide links!

The first link is to the CNET 2012 Holiday Gift Guide that includes recommendations in the both general and specific categories. The general categories are: Best Gifts For Less Than $100, Our Favorite Tech Gifts This Holiday, Tech Toys for Big Kids, Best TV’s for Overall Value and Top Camera Picks. And the specific category reviews include: Televisions, Cameras & Accessories, Home Theater, Tablets & E-Book Readers, Phones & Accessories, Desktops and Laptops, Audio & Headphones, Games & Gaming Systems and Cars and Car Tech.

Here’s the link:

http://reviews.cnet.com/holiday-gift-guide/

The second link is to the Tech Crunch gift guide for 2012 and it features specific device suggestions – recommendations include purchasing the iPad Mini, a TIME Led Watch Kit, a Libratone Zipp AirPlay speaker set and the Motorolla Razo i.

Here’s the link:

http://techcrunch.com/tag/gift-guide-2012/

And on a final note, here’s a link to a CNET article highlighting tech devices that will be on sale – on Black Friday:

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-34231_7-57549903/black-friday-2012-laptops-desktops-and-tablets/

Have a great day everyone!

Linda R. 

Try The Gadgets Before You Buy Them @ The Library & Personal Wristband Health Monitor

Linda Reimer

Try The Gadgets Before You Buy Them @ The Library: Tomorrow evening (11-15) the library is hosting a pre-holiday Try It Before You Buy It program.

And you might well be thinking “That’s great! But what does it mean?”

And the answer is that we will have a selection of e-readers (Kindles, Nooks etc.), tablets (iPad, Galaxy Tab etc…) and even a Windows 8 touch screen laptop for patrons to come and try out as a precursor to patrons actually braving the holiday shopping storm and going out to buy a new e-reader, tablet or Windows 8 computer.

So if you’re thinking of purchasing a new e-reader, tablet or Windows 8 computer for yourself or someone else in the near future – here’s your chance to try out some of these neat gadgets (and see which ones you like best) before you buy them!

Library staff members will be on hand to assist patrons in trying out the devices!

The program starts at 6 PM and runs until 7ish (the “ish” simply means that members of the library’s tech staff will be on hand to answer all questions and if we run past 7 or 7:30 while we’re answering questions– that is fine! We’ll stay until the tech team has answered all questions)

Personal Wristband Health Monitor: The Jawbone company has updated its personal health monitor wristband – which is called the “Up.”  The Up monitor consists of a wristband monitor, in colorful, fashionable colors, that users wears and which monitors how many steps a user takes each day, how long, and how well, the user sleeps and even offers an alarm feature that goes off if the user has been sedentary for a long period of time. The Up features Bluetooth technology and must be used in conjunction with an app that talks to the monitor and sends reports to a person’s smartphone or tablet. Right now the device, which retails for $129.99, only works with Apple’s iOS but Android support is coming shortly*. So if you’re in the market for a personal health monitor either to use as a gift or for yourself (perhaps in conjunction with a resolution made at the new year!) than you might want to check out the Techland article on the Up.

The article is titled Jawbones Up Wristband Its Back (the title refers to the fact that the original monitor –which was briefly on the market more than a year ago had battery issues which the Jawbone company has now fixed); here’s the link:

http://techland.time.com/2012/11/13/jawbones-up-wristband-its-back/

Have a great day!

Linda R.

*The fancy terminology means that you must currently own an Apple iPhone, iPad or iPod touch to download and use the Up monitor app and that in the near future Android devices like the Google Nexus series of tablets, the Galaxy Tab series of tablets and the Droid Razor smart phone will also get the app so you’ll be able to use the Up monitor with those devices too.

 

 

Creating Better, More Secure Passwords

Linda Reimer

We all know that it is a good idea to create strong, secure passwords for our online accounts and not use passwords like: password, apples, 1234, baseball or qwert; or passwords that include personal information like your date of birth or the date of birth of a family member. However, in our super busy world creating secure passwords that we can remember is a challenge. And today there is an article in the New York Times titled How to Devise Passwords That Drive Hackers Away that discusses the subject of creating safer, more secure passwords – and it does offer some helpful tips! The suggestions include never using the same password twice, never using proper words but instead using catch phrases (i.e. the first initial of each word in a phrase like TYwtws2013! For the catch phrase “The Yankees won the world series 2013!”

Here’s a link to the article for more in-depth information on how to create great passwords:

http://goo.gl/eBsy5

Have a great day!

Linda

Off The Tech Topic Posting

Linda Reimer

I came a cross a neat article today that has nothing what-so-ever to do with technology except perhaps for the fact that I read it in the online version of the New York Times.

The article is actually an interview with Herman Wouk the 97 year old author who wrote, among other popular works, The Winds of War, War and Remembrance and Marjorie Morningstar.

And Mr. Wouk has a new book out! The book is called the Lawgiver and it will be on the library’s next book order.

And that Mr. Wouk at age 97 has a new book is cool!

And I hope that I am as spry as he is when I get to be 97 – fingers crossed of course!

Here’s the link to the New York Times interview titled At 97, He Has a Book (or Two) Left in Him:

http://goo.gl/C1OF7

Linda R.

Tech Events @ The Library This Week: Holiday Planning & Try It Before You Buy It

Linda Reimer

Wednesday, November 14, 2012:

Wednesday One Hour Tech Workshop: Holiday Planning.
Time: 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Learn how to plan your holiday party- electronically with assistance from apps and websites. Registration is required. Register in person or by phone (607)936-3713 ext. 502.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Evening Tech Workshop: Try before you buy
Time: 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Stop in the try e-readers, iPads and tablets before you decide what to buy as a holiday gift even if you’re looking to buy a new e-reader or tablet for yourself!

Staff will be on hand to answer questions you may have about these devices.

Additionally of note, the library offers free one-on-one tech usage instruction sessions so if you buy a new tablet or e-reader and have questions about how to use it – you can call and make an appointment to sit down and go over your questions with a member or our tech staff.

Have a great afternoon everyone!

Linda R.

Get A FREE E-Book By Local Author Jacqueline Horsfall Via The Library’s Website

Linda Reimer

In honor of Election Day local author Jacqueline Horsfall is offering her new e-book First Girl Last for free through Amazon. The story follows a teenage girl and her twenty-something slacker brother who become leaders of the Free World!

To get the book you simply visit our website and click the link on our homepage – here’s the link:

http://ssclibrary.org/

Interested in the e-book but don’t own a Kindle? Read on!

Did You Know You Can Read Kindle E-Books On Smartphones & Tablets?

You can!

There are Kindle apps for most tablets and smart phones including the iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch and Android smart phones and tablets like the Droid Razor and Galaxy Tab  – so if  you “buy” (and you do have to click the “buy” button even though the e-book is free!) the free e-book First Girl Last from Amazon you’ll be able to send it to your iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch or Android smart phone or tablet to read it – you just have to download the Kindle app from your app store first!

And Did You Further Know You Can Read Kindle E-Books (or for that matter free library e-books) on a PC or Mac?

You can!

You can actually download software from the Amazon site that will allow you to open any Kindle e-books you’ve purchased on your laptop or desktop!

And for the sake of convenience – here are the links:

Click here to download the Kindle software for your PC:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=kcp_pc_mkt_lnd?docId=1000426311

And click here to download the Kindle software for your Mac:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000464931

And in relation, to read free library e-books on your smart phone or tablet look for the OverDrive Media Console app from your app store!

And if you have questions about how to read Kindle e-books on devices other than Kindles or regarding how to get the OverDrive Media Console app set up on your device – so you can read free library e-books – ask the library staff! We’ve got a tech staff ready to assist you with any tech usage questions you might have – so please ask us!

Have a great day!

Linda R.

Amazon Prime Goes Monthly & Sony E-Books App Approved by Apple

Linda Reimer

Amazon Prime Goes Monthly: As you may already know Amazon has been offering a service called Prime for quite a while. The service offers subscribers unlimited streaming of videos from Amazon’s Prime Video library to their PC, Mac, iPad, smartphone or TV (via a media streaming box like Roku or through the TV directly if you have a Smart TV); free access to one e-book a month from Amazon’s Prime Lending Library, free second day shipping for any item purchased from Amazon and $3.99 over night shipping for any item purchased from Amazon.

Prior to this week a subscription to prime costs $79 per year and was paid annually in one lump sum; but now you can subscribe to Amazon Prime and pay $7.99 a month. And it is certainly not a coincidence that Amazon has done this since both Netflix and Hulu Plus streaming (video) subscriptions are also available for $7.99 per month.

Here’s a link to a CNET article on this subject titled Amazon eyes Netflix, Hulu with $7.99-per-month Prime plan:

http://goo.gl/ZR24b

 Sony E-Books App Approved by Apple: And you may by wondering what I am talking about with this one! Sony has offered e-book readers for years. And in fact, Sony had e-book readers on the market in the U.S. in 2005 so their e-readers were on the market before the first iPad came out in 2010 and even before the first Kindle was introduced by Amazon in 2007. And anyone who first purchased a Sony E-Reader (usually known as Sony Readers) and later purchased an iPad or iPhone knows there hasn’t been a Sony Reader app available in Apples App store previously – so those of us who purchased Sony Readers and later upgraded to iPads or iPhones couldn’t read our Sony purchased e-books on our iPads; this has now changed! Hurray! There is finally a Sony e-reader app available for free from Apple’s App Store! The app is titled Reader – eBooks from Sony and is free. So anyone else out there who also has an old Sony E-Reader can now access their Sony purchased e-books on their iPad , iPhone or iPod Touch and donated that old Sony Reader they still have to one of their friends or relatives!

CNET has a story on this subject titled Sony finally gets Apple approval for iOS Reader app which can be accessed via the following link:

http://goo.gl/5WkqZ

Have a great election day everyone!

Linda R.

Interesting & Fun NPR Article On Pay Phone Use In New York

Linda Reimer

NPR has an interesting and fun article on their website today titled Pay Phones Are Suddenly Important Again Because Of Sandy. The article is fun because of a typo – and as NPR may well catch the typo and revise the text before you read it – here is what the caption currently says under the photo on the NPR technology page – as of 9:55 EST Saturday morning (11-3-12)  it reads: “As some New Yorkers try to stay connected with others, they’ve had to search for pay phones because their cellphones have run out of juice. Question: When was the last time you sued a pay phone?”

Now I don’t know about anyone else but I can’t honestly say that I have ever sued a pay phone.

I’ve never encountered a pay phone that was threatening in any way or in the least bit obnoxious or condescending.

The worst that can be said of any pay phones that I have ever encountered is that I occasionally encountered one that didn’t work or was one that was inconvenient located on the other side of the street.

However, I have never sued a pay phone! How about you?

Here is the link to the NPR Technology page with its charming “sue a pay phone” caption:

http://www.npr.org/sections/technology/

And pasted below is the link to the article itself – which is interesting as it illustrates the point that technological advancement has sped up and really changed our lives in last ten years. And indeed, I can’t remember the last time I used a pay phone but I’d guess it was back in the pre-cell phone days of the 1990s.

And as much as I love technology I do have to say Hurricane and then Storm Sandy gave me pause; because, like many people I didn’t even have a battery operated radio in the house – and if the power had gone out in the City of Corning I’d really have been in the dark.

I do think we should all purchase battery operated radios (and change the batteries in them when we put new batteries in our smoke detectors) and pick up a copy of The New Way Things Work book by David Macaulay just in case we need to operate without electricity for any length of time!

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/11/01/164108616/pay-phones-are-suddenly-important-again-because-of-sandy

Have a great day!

Linda R.

And as a post script – since that NPR article on cell phone usage in New York City after Hurricane Sandy was rather brief – albeit humorous – here’s a link to a longer New York Times article on the same subject titled Cellphone Users Steaming at Hit-or-Miss Service:

http://goo.gl/UAzH1

 

 

The New Boxee TV Media Streaming Player

Linda Reimer

The Boxee is another media streaming player like the Roku player and the Apple TV. The Boxee box connects to your TV and the Internet and then allows you to stream video via channel apps including Netflix, Pandora, MLB.TV (baseball) and Vudu (The Walmart streaming service). And now Boxee has updated its device and dropped the price of it to $99 and included two huge new perks – a built in antenna which should allow you to easily stream free over-the-air channels (i.e. basic channels: ABC, NBC, CBS & PBS)  to your TV and a free & unlimited cloud based DVR service* – meaning that you can record shows shown on ABC, NBC, CBS & PBS storm them in the cloud and watch them whenever you want to – with no limit as to how many shows you can store to watch later. Now that last perk – the cloud based DVR with unlimited storage perk is free in and of itself but does require you to pay a $14 monthly fee to gain access to the program guide which will allow you to record shows. So in essence it does cost $14 for the service in the areas in which it is available and so far those areas are major urban areas including New York City and Los Angeles. However, I think the introduction of this new Boxee box is cool for two reasons 1. Because it allows cord cutters to easily access the TV networks free of charge by simply setting up the box and 2. Because it shows how fast the technology is advancing and how in the future we are likely to pay less money to access an ever increasing amount of television shows, movies and other audio and video content.

Oh and I left out one other important accessibility item – this new Boxee box will be sold in one brick and mortar store only – Walmart! So the next time you’re at Walmart, and waiting for someone else in your family, you might stop in the TV section and check it out!

Here are links to three articles/reviews on the subject:

The first from CNET titled Wal-Mart to start selling Boxee TV set-top box:

http://goo.gl/eRVpM

The second from the Daily Finance (written by Rick Aristotle Munarriz, The Motley Fool) titled Boxee TV: Walmart Wants You to See It; Your Cable Provider Doesn’t:

http://goo.gl/igOmR

And the third a general review from CNET tilted $99 Boxee TV records over-the-air television to the cloud — but requires monthly fee:

http://goo.gl/zf1g3

* The cloud based DVR service with unlimited storage is rolling out in just a few cities now but will be rolling out in more in 2013. The service is not currently available in our area – just FYI…

Have a great day!

Linda R.