Holiday Closures won't affect ebooks

Thank you, High Point Public Library (North Carolina)

The holiday closures are interesting this year.

Ruidoso Public Library is open today, Monday, December 23.  We are closed Tuesday and Wednesday, December 24 and 25.  Then were are open again Thursday-Saturday and next Monday and Tuesday.

While the building is shuttered, online access is 24/7.  In theory there's no need to wait to play on the library's e-branch Christmas morning.  Visit before the holidays to add a PIN to your card (or a family member's; s/he can change it later).  The past few years, ebook servers around the country have crashed as everyone opens and logs onto their new devices on the same day.  Hopefully, this year, that won't happen.

New Mexico Library 2 Go has videos, orientation tutorials, and device-specific answers, to help you begin enjoying mobility and e-reading.  NML2G is our branch of Overdrive, an ebook provider for libraries.

More musical merriment all week

Mercy, Music, Mango, and Munchies continue at Ruidoso Public Library this week.

Waynta Wirth presents a singing concert of her private voice students, Wednesday, December 18, at 3pm.  These girls were very popular last year, as can be seen in these photos.

Then, Friday, December 20th, at noon, Fred Kinnan and Debbie Myers play guitar and flute, respectively.

Ruidoso Public Library's gift to our community continues for the next three weeks:  We are waiving lost book charges when you can present the item in good condition.  Call or email if you have any questions.  We mailed notices in November, but appreciate any updates to mailing addresses, emails, or phone numbers to reach you, too.

We had a great turn out at the Tech Petting Zoo, November 22, with excellent questions, curious novices, and friendly participants sharing their devices and experience.  At the library, Sharon has experience with Android touch-screen devices, Kindles, and downloading ebooks and audiobooks to mobile devices.  If you open a new gadget, or are giving one, this year, check with the library for free materials and a little assistance.  Your library card and PIN can open copies of several "For Dummies" or "Missing Manuals" online.

Ebook app update

If you installed the ebook/audiobook app for Overdrive, there are new elements in store.
If you have not yet tried an ebook, now is a great time to explore.

Enjoy eBooks & more from Ruidoso Public Library with the all-new OverDrive Media Console v3.0!

Reading eBooks from our digital library, http://nm.lib.overdrive.com, is now easier than ever. The app to enjoy digital titles on your mobile device, OverDrive Media Console (OMC), has been completely redesigned with ease of use top of mind. A new version of the app will be available on August 20. Check out a preview of the new app here. Some highlighted features include:

·         A redesigned user interface with an all-new look, streamlined navigation, and a one-stop reorganized menu.

·         Sync bookmarks and reading progress across multiple devices using a free, opt-in registration service called OverDrive One.

·         Variable speed playback for iOS. Audiobook users’ most requested feature.

System Requirements: OMC v3.0 for Android users requires Android OS v4.0 (or newer). OMC for Android v2.6.5 will remain available for download. OMC for iOS requires iOS 6 (or newer).

If you already have OverDrive Media Console installed on your device, you will be prompted to update, or it will happen automatically depending on your device settings. To install OverDrive Media Console, or for more information, visit http://omc.overdrive.com. Happy reading!

N.B.: Ruidoso Public Library is closed today for Labor Day, but our online resources are available 24/7.  We will open tomorrow at 9 am.

Free audiobooks this summer!

I hope you recall SYNC from last summer.  If it is new to you, here is a great opportunity to catch up on classics and current titles. I'd love to hear your experiences from the last two summers in the comments below.

As you may have experienced while downloading audiobooks from the library, you usually have only two weeks to listen to it.  The SYNC summer titles are different.  The publishers are giving away open copies.  The hitch is: you can only download that week's title during that week.

Luckily, you can receive a text message (SMS) reminder on your phone to know when each new title becomes available.  Last year I programmed reminders in my email calendar.  This year, I may try the texts.

Last year, I really enjoyed The Golem's Eye by Jonathan Stroud, read by Simon Jones, and Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone, read by Khristine Hvam.

Here's the schedule for this summer, beginning May 30 [which means you still have a day or two to catch the first titles!].

You will need the Overdrive software or app to play the audiobooks.  You may want to download them on a computer in case you want to listen to several of them (again!) later.

Remember, ebooks count for summer reading at Ruidoso Public Library.  Comment below or on this blog's Summer Reading Program page to tell Cheryl and Kari Dawn which books you downloaded to read or listen to.  If you are under 13, ask your parent or guardian to help with an email address.

Speak up for Libraries' Access to Ebooks (and craft requests for Children's Library)

If you have not yet heard, there's a controversy out there.

Many of the newest, most popular books, are not available to libraries as ebooks.  Some that are have prices (to libraries) that might cause your jaw to drop.  Luckily, action is possible now.  Several websites are hosting information or petitions. Facebook has a group.  [Did you know Facebook changed the rules recently on "liking Pages"?  Now you not only have to like the page, but then, on that page, click on the little box with a gear and select "add to list"--and you may need to name that list the first time--in order to ever see that page's posts in your regular news-stream.]

One library advocate made a short video, comparing which titles you are accustomed to seeing in hardback at the library and which are still not available to libraries electronically.  http://youtu.be/l5anyt9jooI or

The blog where this video first posted is:
http://ebooksforlibraries.com/news/libraries-advocacy-and-ebooks-whos-doing-what/
It is one place to keep current with developments on this issue.

One library system is leading the charge.  Here is their specific list of actions to take: http://www.piercecountylibrary.org/books-materials/audiobooks-ebooks/Default.htm#scrooge

Does this affect you? Let us know in the comments or chat with us during your next visit.

P. S.: The Children's department hopes to collect stacks of the following items for this year's Summer Reading Programs crafts:
styrofoam trays (the kind under meats or produce at the store)
oatmeal containers
metal coffee cans (1 to 2 lb and 5 lb)
scrap 2x4s (about 5 inches)
net bags (the orange mesh around fruit and root vegetables)
everlasting flowers, or fresh flowers to dehydrate into everlasting displays
And just as a reminder: the rolls in wrapping paper or paper towels
the lids on juice bottles or milk jugs

Book Review: Under the Black Flag

David Cordingly wrote a history of piracy, Under the Black Flag, available as an audio download (MP3 or WMA) or a print book at the library.

Audio cover

Using primary documents (diaries, newsprint, and government records of trials, naval pursuits, and hangings), Cordingly presents the facts in a lively narrative.  Learn about the female pirates, Anne Bonny and Mary Read, or the Chinese Queen, Ching Shih, and even the now locally famous Grace O'Malley.  Cordingly explores life on the ship, the original careers of many pirates (willing or unwilling), the typical journey and importance of a navigator, even through the changes in laws, trials, and punishments.  This book sets you straight on the differences between privateers, pirates, corsairs, and buccaneers.

If you enjoyed the special features on the movie, Pirates of the Caribbean, specifically the one narrated by David Cordingly, then this book fills in all the holes.

P.S. Our Children's Department is looking for wrapping paper rolls for summer reading programs.  As you wrap gifts this spring, if you remember, please drop off the empty tubes when you visit.

P.P.S.  Cheryl, in Children's, hopes to facilitate a new Tiny Tots program, led by community mothers.  The first planning meeting is Thursday, January 17 (next week) at 10:15 am, downstairs.  Please visit to learn how easy it can be to host one hour's stories and crafts.

#5 Children's programming and materials

Cheryl's Teddy Graham Racers

Ruidoso Public Library is honored to have Cheryl Volosin as Youth Services Supervisor and Kari Dawn Kolander on our Children's Services Team.  This pair packs energy and enthusiasm into every activity, plan, and presentation.  Our Summer Reading Program is off and running with different themes for each week's activities.

click to view larger version of Summer Schedule

Cheryl and Kari Dawn are go-to gals for questions about how to incorporate more reading into your kid's, or kids', daily schedule.  We have audiobooks to help those not yet reading at their peers' level.  Listening to a book still adds new vocabulary--if you note it and practice the new word.  Audiobooks can really help with attention spans if the child can move around or play a little while listening; perhaps drawing a picture about that part of the story.  In a different side of attention spans, audiobooks can engage all the riders in a long car trip, whether discussing what just happened or guessing what comes next.  Audiobooks are also helpful for undiagnosed dyslexia as they keep literature fun and attainable while the system catches up. 

Our children's department has a growing graphic novel collection.  Graphic novels may contain as many words as early reading books and stretch the reader's visual literacy.  This means learning how to interpret a picture, especially to gain context from the background images and to interpolate events between frames.  I think of graphic novels as a gateway--to reading.  Our Kids' catalog is built upon the same principles: Scout displays images rather than words to help our youngest visitors find books of interest.

Ruidoso Public Library has resources for home schooling, too.  You and your student can access online, anytime, free classes from spelling to writing, science to math.  Khan Academy provides free tutoring recordings in maths, science, economics, and test preparation.  

Overdrive is now available; this means you can access, on your computer or download to many different devices and players, kids' ebooks and kids' e-audiobooks.  

I can't end this post without plugging our Pre-School Story Time, Wednesdays from 10:30 to 11:15.  Kari Dawn, Cheryl, and occasionally Jennifer, bring two or three picture books to life.  Each week has a theme followed by a similar craft project, geared toward 2-5 year olds.  Anyone with a pre-schooler, who can sit still for 15 minutes, is welcome.

#4: Electronic or Digital Materials & Access

By Pete unseth [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0 ], via Wikimedia Commons

Millennia ago, libraries held scrolls.  A few centuries ago, the scrolls became quartos, folios, and palimpsests. 

via Wikimedia Commons

Today and tomorrow, library buildings provide the people, tools, and access to information that has left the physical world due to costs or access limitations.


Ruidoso Public Library joined New Mexico Library To Go (a group of libraries on Overdrive) just last week.  Now you may download a book (ebook or e-audiobook) for a few days onto most devices or play them on your computer.  Nook, Sony, Kindle, Kobo, mp3 players and iPods, among others, are welcome.  Most devices are supported, though older models and some newer ones may not work.  


These books are available in different file formats, from epub to pdf, .azw to .wma or mp3.  That alphabet soup explains which files will work on which devices.  It also indicates the current confusion and changing nature of ebooks and e-audiobooks.  This is an ever-changing landscape of ereaders and sound systems, which continues to learn and offer new opportunities to test out.  


At Ruidoso Public Library, we can help you find articles, encyclopediae, books, or recordings on many formats and on many topics, for many age-groups.  We have non-fiction (or reference books) and fiction. We can show you projects releasing free books to the world, such as Gutenberg Project or Librivox.org where volunteers put the files of public domain titles online, to read or listen.


Currently the books you can access through Overdrive may not be the latest or most popular because the publishers do not release everything electronically.  Other titles are available in files locked with "DRM" (digital rights management) in an attempt to stop piracy.  This means you may not have a book at the same time as another user, and may only access the file for a few days. Some files require plugging your device into a computer to download while others may transfer over WiFi.  In future this may mean you cannot download the title at home, in the evening, but only at the library, during open hours.  


If you are ready to sample something digital please ask at the library.  We may not be able to demonstrate everything at the library (our public computers run Linux, which is not supported by Overdrive), but if your laptop works on wireless, we can guide you through the basic download and installation process.  We do not touch your computers (due to liability issues); please think of it as your learning opportunity instead. 


What is your perspective on ereaders?  Have you tried one (a friend's, at the store, an app on your phone)?  How about audiobooks? (This link will have 2 free audiobooks each week starting June 14; one classic and one new young adult.)  Have you seen our weed identification, gardening, or Chilton's Automotive Manuals online?

Resume Workshops,Talk to the folks at One Click Digital on March 27 and wrap up Building Common Ground

If you need help with a re'sume' this is your week.  Workforce Solutions (located between White Mountain Elementary and Sierra Vista Primary) offers a session from noon-2pm March 27 and the last Tues of each month.

Ruidoso Public Library invites you to watch a webinar on One Click Digital, the current provider of downloadable audiobooks.  This is a 45 min webinar to walk you through the sign up and download processes.

Tue, Mar 27, 2012 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM EDT


I encourage you to attend if you have questions with the current service, too.


This Saturday is the final installment in the Building Common Ground program.  Join Andrea Reed for a dance celebration.

Image at Jillee's One Good Thing

The Childrens Department is looking for very specific pop-up bottle tops (not the flip-caps, but the slide open/closed types).  We hope to make a craft/science project for the summer reading program.

Image at This Next

Art by Jan Habraken

Game Wardens and a 9/11 responder this week (also an update on One Click Digital for Apple)

Thursday, 4pm, meet two of New Mexico's Game Wardens at the library.  They will explore some of the local wildlife and answer your questions.  Children welcome, too.

Image at NM Dept of Game and Fish

Do you have a nuisance animal?  What is a safe practice around squirrels?  Come found out!

Image at Amazon

Friday morning at 10 am, local Bill Dement will discuss his book, Delay, Deny, Hope They Die. This is the story of a disabled 9/11 first responder, a former police Lieutenant, N.Y.P.D., who describes himself as an Ordinary Joe.  Learn about the man, two days shy of completing the retirement home he was building in New Mexico, who responded to the World Trade Center disaster. It vividly depicts his months at Ground Zero and more.  


If you have an Apple computer or product, this may be the update you've been waiting for.  One Click Digital has a new release of the Download Manager and the directions for MacIntosh/Apple users to work around within their own systems. 

Apple/Mac updates to One-Click Digital e-audiobooks, virtual book clubs, local author Events, and Downton Abbey reads

At last, One Click Digital has released instructions for Apple/Macintosh users. If you use an Apple or Mac to access the internet, please email me at jenniferstubbs at ruidoso hyphen nm dot gov, and I will reply with the directions as a pdf attachment.  If you are looking for the instructions to begin using One Click Digital, they can be found in the column to the right under "e Audiobook How to."  Just last week I tried downloading two books on my machine at home, without luck. But when I tried again the next day, both were just fine.  Que sera sera, no?

If audiobooks aren't your thing, how about an online book club?  Huffington Post has set up a site, along with a Twitter #tag if you prefer, for HuffPo editors and readers to share reactions to The Tiger's Wife.  The site discussion has only covered the first 4 chapters, though the second part, chapters 5-8, should be up this week--or take the initiative and begin filling the comments yourself.

Online or virtual book clubs allow you to participate when it fits your schedule.  My favorite aspect is how I can skip over comments that feel repetitive or non-productive, while focusing on those with insight from perspectives I missed. (Can you tell I have a patience problem?)  If you have any comments on virtual book clubs (Have you tried one?  Would you give it a try?), please add them to this post's comments.

If local, live events are your interest Ruidoso Public Library offers two this week. Wednesday, 2pm, Jamie Slack (a local author) will talk about the memoir process, especially from a drawing/visual perspective.  She will also sign her book, Now Here's a Thought: A Playful Journal About Life.

Saturday at 11 am, Steven H. Havill (formerly a local English teacher) will discuss and sign his newest book in the Posadas County Mysteries, One Perfect Shot. (Portions of both sales benefit the Friends of the Library.)

Finally, if one hour of Downton Abbey leaves you craving more history and drama, the library has several title suggestions to help fill the six days between (just ask for Jennifer and let me know if you prefer fiction or fact).

The most commercial week of the year!

In honor of the shopping frenzy besieging us this week, I offer two resources to help with some high tech shopping questions.

Image at Digital Trends

First, this link or this link provide a list of questions to consider before purchasing an e-reader.  If you have, or might soon adopt a smart phone, there are (or will be) many apps to provide e-reader access on the major smartphones (Apple and Android).  I shared the first list with my mom and she reports she had more questions afterwards, which is a good thing!

Some of RPL's titles (click to enlarge)

Second, I am hosting another e-audiobook session on Wednesday, Dec 21, at 4 pm.  MP3 players (such as iPods) are a handy, last-minute gift that offers something new all year.  After the initial purchase, the library can connect you with 3,000 professional, unabridged (even current!) novels, self-help books, and juvenile titles.  This session includes a "tech petting zoo" to get a chance to hold these devices and the gadgets that help them play in the car or for a crowd.  I strongly encourage you to try out the buttons (and especially the touch-screens if you have long nails!) to find one large enough to read and control on your own.   

Flu shots, 2nd chance at e-audio download class, & Alaskan Bush Pilots

Wednesday, Oct 13, 8 am- 4pm flu shots, by the NM Dept of Health, are available at the Ruidoso Senior Center by Schoolhouse Park (on Sudderth by the Fire Station). Flu Clinics for the rest of the county are on


October 12, 2011 at these locations and times:

Carrizozo Senior Citizens Center
406 Central
Carrizozo, NM
9:00 AM to 10:30 AM


Capitan Schools Cummins Gym
154th Rd
Capitan, NM
11:30 AM to 1:00 PM


Hondo Valley Senior Center
10686 Hwy 380
Hondo, NM
3:00 PM to 4:00 PM

NMDH has an FAQ  or call 1-866-681-5872 for their Nurse Hotline if you cannot make any of these clinics.

Flu IQ

         

Also Wednesday, @ 3pm @ Ruidoso Public Library, we offer another chance to look into our downloadable audiobook service.  If you have a laptop, MP3 player, or iPod, bring them with you and you'll be off'n'running!  If you don't yet, come anyway and meet people who have made the plunge.

Capt Mike in his charter plane

Finally, Friday @ 10 am, meet Capt. Mike Cory, a bush pilot from Alaska in the '70s and '80s.  He's sharing photos from the air and stories of the Cold War's Pacific Front.  His book, Yukon Kuskokwim Delta Whiteout Blues, is available for checkout in case you already have plans for Friday.

It's here! One-Click Digital e-audiobooks

Wednesday, from 3-5pm, meet Mark Haley, of Recorded Books, during our One-Click Digital Bonanza!  We will have swag and demonstration videos, a tech-petting zoo (handle these new-fangled devices yourself), and a chance to meet people who enjoy audiobooks.

If you are already scheduled elsewhere for that time, here are the steps to setting up your own account (or skip to the bottom for the video links).

From Ruidoso Public Library's homepage, www.youseemore.com/ruidosopl, find the e-branch tab near the top right corner. Don't click that, but as your mouse moves over it, a drop-down menu appears.  Select "e-audio downloads" (the second item).

This takes you to One-Click Digital's page for our library.  In the top right corner, select "Create New Account".  This will ask for your Ruidoso Public Library barcode number, among other questions.

You will need to install their Download Manager.  You may do that now, or will be prompted to when you download your first audiobook title.

One-Click Digital is still in development, so this is not a panacea to our digital audiobook troubles of the summer. Their homepage has a button (on the right) that reads, "Our service is currently in a testing phase" and "Click here to comment."  Please email them at support@oneclickdigital.com with screenshots and every step leading up to that situation.  Remember to include your operating system, browser, and which type of mp3 player you were using.

I have had problems I reported to them.  For example, I had to stop the install process and restart my computer because it hung up on the Microsoft .NET 4 framework.  Upon restart, I could find the file in my browser downloads and continue the installation without further hitches.  I also found that I had to log out of the Download Manager (DM) and log in again between downloading a book and transferring it to my player.  I was told to change the preferences within the DM (top left menu, Global) to NO for "Automatically transfer to device."

I do not know when One-Click Digital will leave testing.  Many online services exist in "perpetual beta," which is a nice way to say, they are responsive to any requests you have for improvements.  We also carry MP3 formatted discs at Ruidoso Public Library.  These can be saved to your computer to transfer to a player.

One-Click Digital has the steps and screenshots for creating an account and installing the DM at
http://ruidosonm.oneclickdigital.com/Help/Player%20Tutorial.aspx
and videos at
20-minute Tutorial http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hQ5B9-65Yc
Windows 7 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlvsVyrrUzI
Windows XP http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=th5QguOoSSE
Create New Account http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cEOji_S95E

Please comment away below on your successes or questions.  Thank you!

e-Audio headaches

Ruidoso Public Library's e-audiobook provider, NetLibrary, terminated last Tuesday.  EBSCO-host picked up the service, but Ruidoso Public Library will be switching to One-Click Audio by September.  The audiobook titles you are used to are still available through our catalog; however, EBSCO-host requires that you "create an account" with them first.  This should be possible from home, or feel free to visit the library in person.

From your home computer, visit youseemore.com/ruidosopl.  Look for the e-branch tab on the far right, above the search bar.  As your mouse moves on that tab, click the second row, "e-audio downloads."

This should redirect you to a page requesting your library barcode number.  After entering that there, the next screen will have a 'sign in' option in the top right corner.  Click there.

Now look for a "create a new account" option slightly lower in the top right.  Enter a username, password, and security question/answer.

You will need to download EBSCO-hosts download manager before you may download an audiobook.  The site guides you through the process.  Over the weekend, I noticed the EBSCO-host site was not as easy to search, browse, or generally move around on.

This is only a stop-gap measure while we wait for One-Click Digital to come online. If you can wait until September to download your next audiobooks from One-Click Digital, that company will require their own username/password registration and download manager software installation.

This has been awkward, and I greatly appreciate your patience as we migrate our digital audiobook service.