EBooks & the Library…

Do you have an eBook?  Are you aware that you can check titles out from the library that download to your eBook?  Well you can & it’s very easy.  Start by visiting the library’s eMedia page (http://e-media.lapl.org). 

Go first to the e-Media Help link on the left hand menu bar, browse into My Help, and specify your device.  You will be presented with a step-by-step guide of the things you need to do to get started borrowing eMaterials.  (Don’t worry – it’s very easy).  By the way, if you have problems, the help feature available here is actually very comprehensive & very usable.  So far it has been able to help me answer every weird, out of the blue, question I’ve been asked by patrons.

Once you’ve figured out the process for your device you can check out up to 10 electronic items at a time.  Things you might want to know:

• The library does not have unlimited access to each ebook.  They’re like regular books in this regard so it is possible that all the copies of a book you are interested in are checked out.  In this case you will be presented with the option of joining the waiting list.  If you join the list you will be sent an email message when it is your turn to have the item at which point you will have 4 days to log in and check it out.  You can wait for up to 10 items. 
• If you don’t want to wade through titles that have waiting lists limit your search to those titles that are “Available Now”.  Note the Available Now radio button underneath the search box.

Finally… good news for those of you with a Nook Color or a Nook Tablet… There is now an Overdrive App that let’s you use your Nook to go to the library’s website, locate a title you’re interested in, check it out, and download it immediately to your Nook via your local WiFi connection.  No more using your computer as intermediary.  You’ll find the free app in Barnes & Noble’s Nook store (and you will need to get it from them for this to work).

If you have any eMedia questions don’t hesitate to stop by the library anytime and ask at the Information Desk.  If you want specialized one-on-one help, consider taking advantage of Drop in Computer Lab on Fridays at 3:30 – eMedia is fair game for these sessions – just bring your reader and your question(s).  

Trivia of the Week...

This week's question is:

    --> What is the source of the quote "never laugh at live dragons" ?

The Fault in Our Stars

The book The Fault in Our Stars by John Green is stupendous.  It is chock full of things that you’ve thought but couldn’t word as well, characters that remain interesting in the face of adversity, situations that ring true to life, and sadness. 

This is a book I would highly recommend.

Events for the Week of October 8…

It’s a quiet week at the library this week.  We start with a holiday closure (Columbus Day) on Monday.  Then we have the following:

• LACMA Art Class for Teens on Wednesday (10/10) at 4:00
• LACMA Art Class for Kids and Families on Thursday (10/11) at 4:00
• Drop in Computer Lab on Friday (10/12) at 3:30

You can always check the searchable calendar of events on our website to keep abreast of programming at any of the branches of the Los Angeles Public Library.

TOW (Answer)…

To answer the question --> What is the July Plot? We must turn to military history.  The July Plot refers to an attempt by a group of senior staff officers to assassinate Hitler.  The attempt failed and things went badly for the conspirators.

The question (& answer) were taken from page 227 of The Encyclopedia of Twentieth Century Warfare edited by Dr. Noble Frankland.  The book was published by Orion Books in 1989.

New Hours Start Soon....

As many of you undoubtedly know the library will be expanding it hours beginning on October 15.  The NEW hours for the Arroyo Seco Library will be:

• Monday -- 10 - 8
• Tuesday -- 12:30 - 8
• Wednesday -- 10 - 8
• Thursday -- 12:30 - 8
• Friday -- 10 - 5:30
• Saturday -- 10 - 5:30
• Sunday -- Closed

 As you can see we will now be open 4 evenings a week.  (...At last there will be somewhere cool to go on a Wednesday at 7:00...).  Just remember these hours start the week of 10/15.

Websites I Use…

One question I’m often asked is what the AR (or accelerated reader) level is for a particular book.  Or where the question asker can find a book of a particular AR level. 

Before I address where you can find information like this let me pause to issue a diatribe against Accelerated Reader.  As a librarian I hate the program.  As far as I can tell it takes all the fun out of reading.  Kids are proscribed to a particular set of books and deprived of the joy of stumbling upon the perfect book.  It’s always so disappointing to me when the kid brings up a book all happy and looking forward to reading it only to find it is above (or below) their “AR” level. They all seem to have been told that they can’t read books outside of their levels so at this point they move on to another title.  I can go on longer about my dislike of accelerated reader but let’s revert to the original point.

If you want to find AR levels for books go to their Accelerated Book Reader Finder.  Here you can look books up to determine their level, points in the AR program and other things.  If you do an advanced search you can look for books at particular levels on particular topics.

Wide Open

I recently read the book Wide Open by Deborah Coates.  It was an interesting book.  The author has a very deft hand with atmosphere.  In fact the atmosphere is really the most memorable thing about the book.  It’s set in South Dakota and is basically a mystery that devolves a bit into the paranormal (the mystery’s solution involves a practitioner of magic and the main character can see ghosts & I sure hope that doesn’t give too much away.)  

I’d say it’s definitely worth reading at least a chapter or two to experience the atmosphere. 

Making Magnets...

Today we had our magnet making arts & crafts project.  A number of people turned up and some lovely magnets were made and taken away.  Here you see a photograph of some of them, though I grant you the photo is proof that it is very possible to take a bad picture with a digital camera.  Hopefully enough rises above the blur that you can tell some truly awesome magnets were made.

Join us for our next arts & crafts event on Tuesday, 10/16, at 6:00.  We'll be thinking patriotically and making pins.

The Monster Hunters

This behemoth of a book (1191 pages) is actually a compilation of the three books: Monster Hunter International, Monster Hunter Vendetta, and Monster Hunter Alpha by Larry Correia.  The thing that’s most interesting to me about this book is that while I liked it enough to actually finish it, I also really hated the author’s politics and worldview -- to the point that I kept almost stopping.  So I guess this is a case of plot trumping the characters’ stupidity. 

The title fairly succinctly sums up what the books are about.  There are monsters in the world.  The government pays a bounty on them and our heroes are in a company that actively works to collect those bounties.  Diverse other things happen as well, of course.  The books are action packed and very violent.  So if you like slap up in your face violence and can overlook a bit of libertarianism & anti-governmentalism give these books a try.

Trivia of the Week….

What is the July Plot?