Tag: e-books

The Growing Popularity Of E-Singles & When Is A Library Book Not A Dewey Book?

Linda Reimer

The Growing Popularity Of E-Singles & When Is A Library Book Not A Dewey Book?

Library Books That Are Not Dewey Books – They are Fiction!

The Growing Popularity Of E-Singles: E-Singles are a popular e-book format that is growing. Singles are shorter works than novels but longer works than articles. Singles are typically of a length that allows readers to sit down and read the work in one sitting. And the Singles format is growing in popularity because of the shortness of the works – it is easier to fit the time into the busy schedule to read a short book if you can read it in one sitting, because of their price – most singles are priced around $3.00 and because Singles are usually only issued in the digital e-book format so you can’t buy a printed copy of a Singles title. Additionally of note is the fact that although Singles can be put out by self-published independent authors they also being published by mainstream authors like Nelson DeMille, Lee Child and Diana Gabaldon and there is a growing trend for large media companies like the New York Times to publish the works of their journalists, particularly works in a series, as Shorts. Amazon and Barnes & Noble both sell Shorts. Amazon actually calls them “Shorts” (they used to call them Kindle Singles) and Barnes & Noble calls them “Nook Snaps” but by whatever name you chose to give them they are short, inexpensive works that can by quickly read when ever a reader as an hour or two to spare!

There are several articles listed online regarding this subject today and one of them is from the PaidContent site. It is titled Why 2012 Was The Year Of The E-Single­ – here’s the link to the article:

http://paidcontent.org/2012/12/24/why-2012-was-the-year-of-the-e-single/

When Is A Library Book Not A Dewey Book? And a library book is not a Dewey book when it is not a non-fiction book! The Dewey Decimal Classification scheme is for non-fiction works only. Fiction titles can of course be found in all public libraries. And in our library fiction titles (in the adult reading level section) are broken down into eight subsections and they are:  Large Print (for general large print fiction), Large Print Mysteries, Large Print Westerns, Fiction (for general fiction titles), Mysteries (for all those stories where things go bump in the night!), Westerns (if  you like stories where cowboys and horses dot the terrain!), Short Story collections (these are all shelved by title and are just that – popular short stories housed in single volumes) and the combined Science Fiction and Fantasy section (these works include futuristic science based tales and tales of other dimensions and realities). And the accompanying photo shows you the spine labels of our non-Dewey fiction books – for each our seven fiction sections (adult reading level fiction sections that is – the children’s fiction sections we’ll leave for discussion another time!).

Have a great day!

Linda R.

U.N. Communications Treaty, Kid’s Tablets, More On E-Books & New Apple Apps for A&E, The History Channel and The Lifetime Channel

Linda Reimer

U.N. Communications Treaty: The United Nations Telecommunications Committee has been meeting in Dubai this week and working on a new international communications treaty – the old one is really outdated having been agreed upon in the pre-Internet year of 1988. The largest bone of content is between countries like the United States, U.K. and Canada who are apposed to censoring Internet content and countries like China and Iran whose governments would prefer to have more control over the Internet. There are numerous articles online regarding this treaty and the subject of debate – whether or not to have a free, open and uncensored Internet across the globe – pasted below are links to two of them the first, from the New York Times, is titled U.S. Rejects Telecommunications Treaty and the second is from The Associated Press and is titled U.S. leads Western snub of U.N. telecoms treat. Here are the links:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/14/technology/14iht-treaty14.html

http://goo.gl/JL6QI

Kid’s Tablets: The New York Times offers a short and nice article on the subject of which tablet you should buy for a kid on your holiday gift list. The categories discussed include Android Tablets, game console options, mainstream tablets and toy tablet options. Just FYI in case anyone is shopping for a tablet for children during this busy time of year! The article is titled A Trove of Tablets For Young Hands. Here’s the link:

http://goo.gl/p1gcW

MacObserver on E-Books (Part 4): And this particular link is to the fourth part of the MacObserver’s in-depth article on all the ins and outs of e-reading devices. And this article discusses, appropriately titled Everything About eBooks & eReaders, Pt 4: B&N Nook HD, offers practical information on the new Nook HD reading tablet. Here’s the link:

http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/everything-about-ebooks-ereaders-pt-4-bn-nook

New Apple Apps for A&E, The History Channel and The Lifetime Channel: iPad, iPod and iPhone users will find some great new video apps in Apple’s App Store today. The new apps are companion apps for the television networks A&E, The History Channel and Lifetime. And viewers will be able to stream some full-length programs from each network and watch them on their mobile devices, or their TVs via the Apple TV media streaming player. Also of note, if you are an Xfinity TV you can access extra video content. Here’s a link to a 9 to 5 Mac article on the subject titled A&E, HISTORY, and Lifetime launch iPad apps with full episodes, additional content for Xfinity TV users:

http://goo.gl/AB7Uk

Have a great weekend!

Linda R.

References

Buckleitner, Warren. (2012, December 13). A Trove of Tablets for Young Hands. The New York Times. Online.

Kahn, Jordan. (2012, December 14). A&E, HISTORY, and Lifetime launch iPad apps with full episodes, additional content for Xfinity TV users. 9 to 5 Mac. Online

Martellaro, John. (2012, December 12). Everything About eBooks & eReaders, Pt 4: B&N Nook HD. MacObserver. Online.

Murphy, Brian.  U.S. Leads Western Snub Of U.N. TeleComs Treaty. (2012, December 14). Associated Press. Online.

Pfanner, Eric. (2012, December 13). U.S. Rejects Telecommunications Treaty. The New York Times. Online.

Microsoft Surface Tablet For Sale @ Best Buy & Staples, E-Book Sharing, Redbox Verizon Streaming Video Service & Apple TV Again!

Linda Reimer

Microsoft Surface Tablet For Sale @ Best Buy & Staples: The Microsoft Surface tablet will be available for purchase at Staples and Best Buy this week according to a ZDNet report. It is a good idea for Microsoft to sell the tablet through major retailers, other than the Microsoft Stores, because of course, there are many more Best Buy & Staples stores across the United States than Microsoft stores; and many people looking to purchase tech items do like to have the chance to check those tech times out in stores before they purchase them!

Here’s the link to the ZDNet article:

http://www.zdnet.com/microsoft-confirms-surfaces-coming-to-non-microsoft-retail-outlets-7000008643/

E-Book Sharing: Ownshelf is a new and free web service that launched in beta last Friday. This new service offers users cloud storage and the ability to easily share e-books with family and friends. The Mashable site offers an article on the subject that discusses the ease of using the service and the ways you can social network and share e-books via the service through Facebook. Rick Marazzani, the creator of the service says he is filling a need in people’s high tech reading lives. Specifically he says of e-books: “We don’t see what people read anymore because it’s not piled up on their coffee table, or on their bookshelf or their night stand,”” and “”Our goal is to replace that with something virtual, where you can get recommendations and say ‘Hey, try it, read it.'””

And of course no doubt the big publishing companies will object to this latest attempt at essentially an ownership of an e-book item – that is offering e-book fans the unrestricted ability to easily share e-books with friends and family members. The big publishing and e-book vendors have shown through their business model that they believe in licensing e-books to consumers instead of selling them those same e-books. And the difference seems to be just in the format as if you buy a print book you own it! And not surprisingly, being a librarian I happen to believe that you should actually be able to own the e-books you purchase, read them on any and all tech devices you own and lend them to whomever you wish just like you would with a paper book. And having gotten up on the consumer e-book rights (or lack thereof) soapbox – I’ll now get off it! Here’s the link to the Mashable article:

http://mashable.com/2012/12/12/ownshelf/

Redbox Verizon Streaming Video Service: Netflix will shortly have a new competitor! The new Redbox streaming service (co-hosted by Verizon) will debut in beta form this month with a wide launch of the service planned for early next year. So who knows 2013 may be the year that the video streaming flood gates burst open.

Here’s a link to a an All Things D article, titled The Redbox Verizon movie service is almost ready to take on Netflix  which offers more information on the subject:

http://allthingsd.com/20121211/the-redbox-verizon-movie-service-is-almost-ready-to-take-on-netflix/

Apple TV Again! The Wall Street Journal All Things D blog has reported that words has come from electronics manufacturers in China that Apple is indeed testing a television set. Speculation is that this new set, if it actually comes to market, may transform the way people watch television. Of course, until Apple actually announces that it is going to sell a television set we all have to take the rumors with a pinch of salt just because Apple is testing a TV design does not mean it will actually be a product that gets made and sold. But still…Tim Cook did mention that the television was an area of interest to Apple now in the recent interview he gave to NBC’s Brian Williams. So it is something tech to ponder!

Here’s a link to the Wall Street Journal All Things D article on the subject titled Apple Tests Designs for TV:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323981504578174532274021230.html

Have a great day!

Linda R.

References

Apple Tests Designs for TV. (2012, December 12). Wall Street Journal All Things D. Online.

Fiegerman, Seth. (2012, December 12). Ownshelf helps readers share their digital libraries with friends. Mashable. Online.

Foley, Mary Jo. (2012, December 11). Microsoft confirms Surfaces coming to non-Microsoft retail outlets. ZDNet. Online.

Kafka, Peter. (2012, December 11). The Redbox Verizon movie service is almost ready to take on Netflix. AllThingsDigital. Online.

 

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…

Library E-Book App Now Available for Nooks & A Cool Article On Serendipity

Linda Reimer

Library E-Book App Now Available For Nooks: Owners of the Nook Tablet, Nook Color, Nook HD and Nook HD+ (basically Nook owners who own a Nook with a color screen) rejoice! There is now an app that will allow you to quickly and easily download free library e-books directly to your Nook without you having to first download the e-books to a computer!

Barnes and Noble & OverDrive just announced the new app. The link to the OverDrive story that announces the new app is titled OverDrive Media Console: Library eBooks Audiobooks, and can be accessed by clicking on the following link:

http://goo.gl/gtd55

And if you have a Nook with a color screen you can cut to the chase and just open the web browser on your Nook and then open the following page which will allow you to download the app:

http://goo.gl/3swWy

A Cool Article On Serendipity: In reading news and book reviews for my work as the Acquisitions Librarian at SSCL I came across a neat New York Times article today. The article was written by the author Mark Helprin and it illustrates, by his real life examples, how serendipitous events can occur in our lives.

The article of course has absolutely nothing to do with technology – I just thought it was cool and figured I’d share it!

Mr. Helprin kicks off the article by stating that “THE great essayist Roger Rosenblatt once generously reminded me that “good writers have good accidents.” Helprin then goes on to illustrate how those little accidents – that occur to one simply because one is in a particular place at a particular time – can and do occur in everyday life and add spice to our lives.

To give you an example, Helprin recalls that as a child he and his family lived in a grand old house on the Hudson River and that he used to walk past a certain old house in the region on a regular basis. And in walking past the house he heard someone in the house playing the piano and he notes that the piano player was quite good and that his name was…insert drum roll here for dramatic effect …the piano player was Aaron Copland!

Not all of the author’s real life examples include famous personages; however, they all relay what I might deem the extra spice of life that one gets when time, place and events conspire to bring about those delightful and fleeting moments of serendipitous wonder that are so hard to describe; but that we all experience during our lives.

So if you like serendipitous events or would just like to read an article that contains gentle humor and dashes of nostalgia you should check out this one!

The article is titled Bumping into the Characters and can be accessed by clicking on the following link:

http://goo.gl/QcFgr

Have a great day!

Linda R.

 

The Issue of Personal Ownership of Digital Content

Linda Reimer

The issue of personal ownership of digital content is one of major league importance in my book. In fact, it is so important I’m only going to discuss that one topic today and leave a discussion about the introduction of new Barnes & Noble Nooks, a new Barnes & Noble video streaming service and the fact that the state of California really did pass that law I mentioned in a previous blog posting – the one allowing self-driving cars to drive on the roads of California!  I’m going to leave all those tantalizing tech subjects for tomorrow.

I found a great article on the British tech site onestopclick: Researching Technology Solutions today that discusses personal ownership of digital content which in my opinion is the largest part of the important digital rights pie puzzle today.

And when I use the terminology “digital rights” here I’m not referring to the digital rights management software that digital content creators or rights holders insist be incorporated into their e-books, e-audios (including audiobooks and music) and e-videos – and which blocks people that buy those e-books, e-videos and e-audio titles from being able to listen to or watch those items on any tech device they own – their smartphone, their iPad, their iPod touch, their Android tablet, their PC or Mac etc. instead, I mean the rights of individuals who “purchase” digital content to actually own that digital content.

I think this issue is completely overshadowed by other issues like the rivalry between Amazon, Apple and the Big Six publishers* and is frankly more important that the actual price of e-books. The essential crux of the matter is the fact you cannot currently buy digital content. Instead when you click or tap that buy button to “buy” an e-book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Apple via the iBook store etc. – you’re not really buying the content instead you’re buying access to it as it if were a piece of software and not a book, video or audio item.

And you’ll notice that I have the words “buy” and “purchase” in quotation marks in those previous two paragraphs…

And the reason for that is because I just want to re-iterate the fact that I’m not sure most people are aware of; but one that being intellectual property advocates those of us working in library land are acutely aware of — the fact that when you click or press the buy button to buy an e-book, an e-audio or an e-video you aren’t really buying that item. Instead, you are buying a license to access that item. So unlike physical formats – print books, DVDs, CDs, LPs etc. you are limited as to what you can do with that digital e-book, e-audio or e-videos. You don’t really own the digital items you buy and thus unlike the physical formats you can’t usually loan them to someone, give them to someone else, donated them to your local library or leave them to your heirs in your will.

This whole situation of the rights of the individual to access books, videos and audios in the digital format is a huge one and I see the licensing, as compared to the purchasing, of those formats to be a huge threat to intellectual freedom.

Think of it this way – say a great classic novel was written today and published in the e-format only – in other words, only as an e-book; and the rights to that work were owned by one large publishing company that decided later on, after a dispute with the estate of the great author who had sadly passed young (think Stieg Larsson) – to pull that e-book from being available for sale and pull e-book versions already purchased by the paying public right off their e-readers so that no one has access to that great work. So just like that – zap! That e-book disappears and the reading public cannot gain access to it.

If you think it can’t happen – it already has! In 2009 Amazon did just that – they deleted copies of the e-book 1984 from purchasers Kindles because Amazon’s didn’t have a license to sell those versions of the e-book titles – despite the fact that the titles were sold by Amazon through the Amazon website!

Now granted, George Orwell’s 1984 is a book that you can find multiple copies of at your public library; however, it still illustrates the point that we need changes in the way copyrights are interpreted in the digital age.

Why shouldn’t you be able to purchase an e-book, really buy it and own it instead of licensing a copy, and later give it to a friend or family member or read it on any device you own instead of being locked into a specific electronic platform?

And that question is the big one I see that doesn’t seem to be mentioned much when the press covers the subject of e-books and disputes over how much large media and publishing companies can charge consumers for them for comes up. The subjects of unfair prices that The Big Six Publishers and Apple claim that Amazon sets and/or the unfair pricing practices that Apple and the Big Six publishers offer customer in the in the U.S. according to the Department of Justice – those subject do frequently pop up in the news; however, if you do a Google news search for “e-book ownership” as I did to find the cool onestopclick article, which cites some solid scholarly sources*2, you’ll find only an occasional article that truly relates to issue of the rights of consumers to buy content print wise (and the so called “Fair Use” doctrine*3) versus digital wise.

And in the last few weeks a story broke that well highlighted this issue and one that, unfortunately, turns out to be untrue. It was reported that the actor Bruce Willis was going to sue Apple because he wanted to be able to bequeath the digital content he purchased from iTunes, in the form of music, videos and e-books, to his daughters and had been told he couldn’t – his license to the content would expire when he did…Now, that story is untrue but it does illustrate the point – you don’t own the digital content you buy – and we should all speak up and start telling publishers, media companies and our legislators that we the people want to own the e-books, e-audios and e-videos we buy when we click or tap on that buy button!

If you missed the 2009 story about Amazon deleting copies of 1984 from Kindle owner’s Kindles – here’s the link to a New York Times tech blog article on the subject:

http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/17/some-e-books-are-more-equal-than-others/

And that onestocpclick article, the one that got me going on this subject today, is titled Digital Ownership: why you don’t own the content you buy; it was written by Kerry Butters and originally posted yesterday (9-25-12) on the onestopclick website.

Here’s the link:

http://www.onestopclick.com/topic/228/649/digital-ownership-why-you-dont-own-the-content-you-buy.html

Have a great day!

Linda R.

 *1) The Big Six Publishers are the six largest publishers in the United States today: Random House, Simon & Schuster, Penguin, Macmillan, HarperCollins & Hachette. And I have to briefly note that one of those Big Six Publishers offers e-books for unrestricted licensing sale to public libraries – Random House – of course they charge libraries about $85-$100 for new e-book best sellers but then that is another blog posting…

*2) The largest solid/scholarly report on the subject – which is cited in the onestopclick article is titled The Hargreaves Report and was done by Professor Ian Hargreaves of Cambridge University who offers justification as to why it is so necessary to intellectual freedom and economic growth to get copyright law caught up with the digital times…You might want to check it out – there is a link to it within the onestopclick article or you can access it at the following link:

 http://www.ipo.gov.uk/ipreview-finalreport.pdf

*3) Here’s a link to an official explanation of what the term copyright related term“fair use” means – offered by the U.S. Copyright Office at the following link:

http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html

 

 

 

What On Earth Is The STLS Digital Catalog Anyway? & Why Is It Exciting? Part I of II!

Linda Reimer

We do quite few tech programs here at the library. And one of the ones that I’m hosting this week is a part of our Wednesday One Hour Tech* series – it is titled STLS Digital Catalog. Now that is a very bland name from an entertainment perspective…very bland indeed; however, I assure you the Digital Catalog is both cool and exciting! And if you want to find out more about it you can come to the workshop – it is tomorrow from 2-3 PM and I’ll answer any questions you have about the catalog. And for more information right now – please read on!

The short answer to the very valid question: “What on Earth is the Digital Catalog?” is that the Digital Catalog is essentially an e-library that is open twenty four hours a day and 365 days a year. A library where patrons can go, via the Internet, and check out e-books, e-audio books, e-videos and e-music — on demand — whenever it is convenient for them; whether that time happens to be before ones 6 AM run, late into the evening after a very long day or smack dab in the middle of a week day afternoon .

So let me see if I can add some color and depth to the explanation of what that bland name “Digital Catalog” means while further illustrating why it is exciting to be able to access digital content on demand. And I’ll start by offering a brief definition of what I mean when I say “e-books, e-audio books, e-videos and e-music titles.”

E-books are the best known of the four formats mentioned and they are simply versions of print books offered for people to read on PCs, Macs, e-readers, tablets, MP3 players like the iPods and smartphones like the iPhone 5.

The term E-Audio Books refers to audio book titles that may be checked out via the Digital Catalog and downloaded and/or transferred to a PC, smartphone, tablet or other portable device. So you can listen to e-audio books on your PC, iPod, MP3 player, iPhone and most other smartphone and tablets.

E-videos are videos that may be downloaded from the Digital Catalog to a PC and then watched on that PC.

And e-music titles are albums that may be downloaded from the Digital Catalog to a PC and then listened to on that PC or transferred to supported portable devices so you can take the music on the go.

Having said that here are some scenarios that illustrate why accessing content from the Digital Catalog can be both fun and very convenient!

Regarding On Demand Library E-Books: Consider These Scenarios: E-Book Scenario 1: It has been a hectic Tuesday and it is 7 o’clock at night as you sit down ready to read. As you go to sit down in your favorite chair glass of wine or cup of favorite tea in hand, you realize you’re ten pages from the end of the mystery you’ve been reading…

 So what do you do?

You could get in your car and drive to the library to pick out another book or you could buy another e-book from Amazon or Barnes and Noble…

Or you could just go to the Digital Catalog and search for a new e-book to read without even leaving your house and be reading it in less than minute*1. You might out one of those spicy paranormal books by Lara Adrian, a new Susan Mallery book or perhaps if you’re in the mood for something really light one of the Sophie Kinsella books that you haven’t read yet. And low and behold, via the Digital Catalog, your relaxing reading evening is saved!

E-Book Scenario 2: You’re stuck in the airport in BoiseIdaho. You’re flight has been delayed for three hours and you’re bored straight out of your tree. What do you do? You might get out your Nexus 7 or Motorola Zoom tablet, open the STLS Digital Catalog app (aka OverDrive)*2 and download a new e-book to read or e-audio to listen to so you can pass the time more pleasantly. And what do you know, those three hours pass quickly!

E-Book Scenario 3: You’re on vacation at the beach, or ski lodge, and have run out of reading material. It is so nice to be able to just sit there in the sun or in the chair by the cracking fire of the ski lodge hot toddy in hand, that you don’t want to get up and go out to get a book.

So what do you do? You take your iPad out of your bag and open the STLS Digital Catalog (OverDrive) app and search for an e-book by your favorite author to read; if you’re in the mood for romantic reading perhaps a Debbie Macomber or Susan Mallery title? Or perhaps you’d like something more in a suspense vein like an e-book by John Grisham, James Patterson, Lisa Jackson or Karin Fossum? Or just perhaps you’re in the mood for a biography…You might check out Barbara Eden’s bio Jeannie Out of the Bottle, Lois Banner’s bio of Marilyn Monroe – The Passion and the Paradox…or if you’re in the mood for a more historical works you might check out Marc Seifer’s of Nikola Tesla, Wizard: The Life and Times of Nikola Tesla or Wade Davis’s book Into the Silence: The Great War, Mallory, and the Conquest of Everest.

E-Book Scenario 4: It is Saturday afternoon and your fifth grader just told you he has a book report due on Monday on a biography that he hasn’t read yet. You’ve got plans for the evening and for all day Sunday so what do you do? You might access the Digital Catalog on your family’s PC*3 because you know that sports fan that your son is – if he really has to write a book report on a biography than one of the Matt Christopher sports bios for kids might be just the ticket! The Matt Christopher bios in the catalog include ones on: Tony Hawk (skate boarding), Derek Jeter (baseball) and Jeff Gordon (obviously NASCAR!). So your son picks his sports bio of choice and begins eagerly reading the e-book! He is just engrossed enough that you think he will actually finish the book and the book report by Monday!

E-Book Scenario 5: It is 6 PM and as you’re getting ready for dinner your teenage daughter, who is a voracious reader, complains that she’s read all the print books she checked out of the library earlier in the week. You suggest she hop on her laptop and check out the e-books in the Digital Catalog. She finds two new e-books by Rachel Vincent! And she sees there is an e-book edition of the Hobbit so she can read it again – this time as an e-book. She then transfers all three titles to her Nook and begins reading. So you’re tops in your daughters book! She has something new to read without either of you having to leave the house – how cool is that? Of course, you may have to do the dishes yourself but at least your daughter is happy.

Regarding On Demand Library E-Audio Books: Consider These Scenarios: Scenario 1: You’re going on a vacation and driving from the Southern Tier of New York to Maine to visit friends. It is early on a crisp fall day with a bright blue sky and not a cloud in sight. What could go wrong? The car is packed and you’re ready to go with a cup of coffee in one hand and a library CD audio book set in the other. You put your coffee cup in your cup holder and the CD in your CD player and down the road you go. And after about 20 minutes you realize you’ve already read the book you’re listening to on CD.

Major league bummer!

So what do you do?

You could turn around and go home to get another audio that you’ve already listened to or you could drive back to town and wait an hour for the library to open…

Or you might pull out your iPhone or other smartphone, open the STLS Digital Catalog (OverDrive) app and look for a new e-audio to listen to. You might check out the audio version of Baltimore Blues (Tess Monaghan series, book 1)by Laura Lippman since your sister has been telling you to read it; or perhaps you should try that Blaine Harden book, Escape from Camp 14, you heard about on NPR the one about the Korean prisoner who escaped from a work camp. Or you just might be in the mood to listen to the War Horse audio by Michael Morpurgo as you never got around to seeing the movie and the books are always better than the movies anyway. And if you’ve got kids with you the entire Harry Potter series is available in e-audio format and you could always listen to one or two of those audios again. So which ever e-audio you download to your phone – you should be all set as far as entertaining listening goes and you don’t have to turn the car around to go home and get another audio nor do you have to buy a new one!

Scenario 2: You’re getting ready to go out on your morning run and realize you finished the audio book you were listening to on your iPod or MP3 player, yesterday. You fire up your PC and check the Digital Catalog for newly added e-audios and find the new Ken Follett audio The Winter of the World is available; so you download the Follett e-audio book to your PC and quickly transfer it to your iPod or MP3 player and away you go! Of course, if you’re not in the mood for historical fiction you might try out one of the Hunger Games trilogy of audios, one of the E.L. James audios or perhaps something in the mystery or suspense vein by Joss Morag or James Patterson…and with the new library e-audio on your iPod you wind up so engrossed in the story that you run two extra miles for a definite fitness plus!

Scenario 3: It is 6 PM on a Wednesday and you’re dropping an item off for an elderly relative who has difficulty reading and loves audio books. It seems she’s listened to all the audio books you checked out of the library for her last week. Fortunately, she has a library card! So you fire up her laptop, go to the Digital Catalog and download three new audios for her to listen to on her laptop while she is knitting. You found her the Gone Girl audio by Gillian Flynn, a Julia Quinn romance she missed – What Happens in London and one of Leslie Meier’s Lucy Stone cozy mysteries – Chocolate Covered Murder. And needless to say you are a big hit with your relative! You made her day!

And as I’ve typed a longer blog post than I intended I’m going to leave a discussion of the exciting aspects of downloading e-videos and e-music titles for tomorrow!

And if you have any questions about the STLS Digital Catalog let us know! You can call the library at: 607-936-3713 and press extension 502 which will get you the tech savvy folks at the Reference Desk or you can send us me an email at: REIMERL@STLS.ORG

Have a great afternoon!

Linda R.

*1) You can download free library e-books directly to a number of tech devices including the iPhone, the iPad most Android tablets and most smartphones. If you have a dedicated e-book reader the process is a bit different but essentially if you have a Kindle you go online to the Digital Catalog click on an available e-book you would like to read and follow the prompts – the e-book will then be sent to your Kindle and you can read it. If on the other hand you have any of B&N’s Nooks you will have to download the e-book to your PC and then transfer it to your Nook. As the staff for details about this process!

*2) The free STLS Digital Catalog app, which once installed allows you to download e-books and some e-audio books to your iPad, other tablet or smartphone, is called OverDrive and is available from most App Stores.

*3) All the formats in the STLS Digital Catalog – e-books, e-audio books, e-videos and e-music titles can be downloaded to a PC – so you don’t need an e-reader to read e-books on! You can bring up that bio for your fifth grader on your PC and let him have at it – as the expression goes…

Tech at the Library & Two Questions For Readers!

Linda Reimer

I usually relay tech news in this blog. However, I thought I’d try something different today and inquire if everyone out there in cyber-land is aware of the tech materials, programs and services our public library, and indeed most public libraries, offer patrons today.

The Southeast Steuben County Library has always strived to offer patrons the best materials, programs and services possible. And offering excellent materials, programs and services in the early twenty first century translates into us offering more than traditional books, programming and on site research assistance to our patrons. Today we offer patrons a multifaceted array of tech related materials and services.

The library offers patrons the following free tech related items and services:

  • Access to e-books through our Digital Catalog
  • Access to a growing number of videos and music titles via our Digital Catalog
  • Access to circulating e-readers with pre-loaded bestsellers
  • Access to tech assistance (You can call and make an appointment to sit down with a member of the library’s tech staff and go over tech question – so if you just got a new e-reader, PC or tablet or other device and have questions about how to use it – call us! We’re here to help. We also have some insight on the best e-reading devices to use to check out free library e-books — just ask us!)
  • Tech programs and workshops (including upcoming ones on how to use the iPad, how to use a digital camera, how to use Microsoft Publisher, how to use Microsoft Excel and one showcasing video streaming players in the form of the Apple TV and Roku player.

And Access to credible databases including:

  • Academic One File (useful if you’re for kids and adults doing academic research)
  • The Business & Company Resource Center (useful if you’re researching a company)
  • The Chilton Library (think of this database as all the Chilton Auto Repair Manuals in the library – accessible online!)
  • Ebsco Animals (useful for kids doing research for school projects or anyone who wishes to know more about animals)
  • Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia (use to check simple facts)
  • Grolier Online (offers articles, audio and video clips on a wide range of subjects – useful for students or adults doing research)
  • Health Reference Center (useful for anyone doing research on medical/health related topics)
  • Heritage Quest (a genealogical research database for those looking into their family history)
  • Literature Resource Center (a database that offers articles and biographies about authors, books etc.)
  • New York State Newspapers (a database that allows you to search for articles found in New York State newspapers on a cornucopia of topics)
  • OCLC First Search (a database that allows patrons to search for books owned by libraries across the globe)
  • Talking Tumble Books (this database offers free audiobooks for children and adults as well as multi-lingual titles)
  • Twayne Authors (If you’re interested in information about a specific author – this is the database for you!)

And my two questions for our patrons are:

  1. Did you know we offer all the above digital materials and services? (If not – please pass the word on!)

And

2. What digital materials, tech programs and services would you like to see our library offer? (And feel free just to state a specific e-book title or pitch an idea for a tech program etc. Thanks!)

And in relation to my two questions, please do feel free to go wildly off topic and pitch any suggestions that come to mind! We like feedback here in library land…

Have a great day!

Linda R.

Afternoon Update: New Library E-Books In Digital Catalog Today & Map App For Nooks Available Today

Linda Reimer

Hi everyone, just a quick library e-book and Nook update for this afternoon!

New Library E-Books In Digital Catalog Today: For all those e-book fans out there – you may want to check our Digital Catalog for new e-book titles this evening as according to our Digital Catalog administrator a “ton of e-content” has just been ordered for the system-wide Digital Catalog! And that ton of items includes the Southeast Steuben County Library digital content order for August which includes e-books and a smattering of videos including several fitness/how-to-get-in-shape videos.

And it usually takes about 6 hours for new digital content to appear in the Digital Catalog so you may want to check the Catalog around 9:30 tonight or tomorrow morning to see the ton of new titles! (And remember new titles appear first in the entire listing of titles so you may want to click on the “View all eBooks” link found under Collections – located on the left hand side of the Digital Catalog homepage).

And if you’re not familiar with it, the STLS Digital Catalog* (which is the collective Digital Catalog for all the libraries in the Southern Tier Library System) may be accessed by going to the Library’s homepage found at: SSCLIBRARY.ORG and then clicking on the STLS Digital Catalog link.

Map App For Nooks Available Today: And on the Nook news front, Barnes & Noble has beat Amazon in the race to get a map app on its color e-readers. Barnes & Noble has collaborated with a Berlin company called Skobbler to produce the app. And the app, which is called Skobbler’s ForeverMap 2 app, is available in both a free and paid ($4.99) version via the Barnes & Noble app store today.

Here’s a link a PaidContent article on the subject and of course the B&N app store can be accessed directly from your Nook Tablet or Color Nook:

http://paidcontent.org/2012/07/30/barnes-noble-tablets-get-maps-before-kindle-fire/

Enjoy the rest of your afternoon and evening!

Linda R.

*If you have an Apple or Android tablet or smart phone – there is an app that will allow you to download free library e-books to your respective device – it is called OverDrive Media Console and can be found in both the Android and Apple app stores. And if you have an e-reader, there isn’t an app for e-books but you can still download library e-books and put them on your e-reader! If you have a Kindle just find a Kindle e-book in the Digital Catalog, click on the Add to Cart link for the e-book and follow the prompts. If you have a Nook I recommend that you either stop by the library and ask the staff about the check-out procedure, we have free handouts that offer an overview!, or, click on the link for the Library’s YouTube page found on our homepage and access our video Nook tutorial as the process for getting free library e-books onto a Nook requires multiple steps – and of course you can always ask the staff! Call the library at: 607-936-3713

4” iPod Touch, iPad Mini & DOJ Rejects Apple’s Criticism of E-Book Anti-Trust Suit

Linda Reimer

4” iPod Touch: According PC Magazine an Asian tech manufacturer has said that Apple will be unveiling not just a new iPhone with a 4” screen in September but also will upgrade the iPod Touch which too shall have a 4” screen.

So those of us who have been waiting to upgrade our iPod Touches can plan on finally doing so this September. Here’s the link to the PG Magazine article tilted Rumor Points to 4-Inch iPod Touch Display:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2407543,00.asp

iPad Mini: CNET is reporting that Apple is indeed getting ready to debut a 7” mini iPad in September. September is the month Apple usually releases iPhone and iPod Touch upgrades so September does seem like a good bet for this new product to be unveiled!

Here’s the link to the CNET article titled iPad Mini to debut in September, says analyst:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57478520-37/ipad-mini-to-debut-in-september-says-analyst/

DOJ Rejects Apple & Publishers Criticism of E-Book Anti-Trust Suit: The U.S. Department of Justice has rejected criticism from Apple and seven of the largest publishers in the U.S. that argues that its E-Book anti-trust suit against Apple and those seven publishers: Random House, HarperCollins, Hachette, Simon & Schuster, Penguin, Macmillan & Pearson, is unfair and benefits the e-book seller Amazon.com. Apple and the seven publishers have argued that prior to 2010 Amazon had a monopoly in e-book sales and they state they did not collude to raise e-book prices via the so-called “Agency Model” of selling books. The DOJ rejects the criticism and counters that Apple and seven of the largest publishers in the U.S. did indeed colluded to raise e-book prices – as just after those eight companies adopted the Agency Model in 2010 e-book prices rose dramatically – seemingly overnight.

Here’s a link to a Wall Street Journal article on the subject titled U.S. Defends E-Book Antitrust Case Against Apple, Others

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20120723-710446.html

Linda R.