Thursday, March 21, 2013

Why Read?




If you participate in Pine City Reads, the community-wide reading event, you might have read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury this winter. One of the main themes of the book is a lack of access to ideas and information. In Bradbury’s dystopian future, all books are banned. Some resist this, reading in secret and risking imprisonment or death for their crimes, but others are content to spend their lives glued to vapid yet immersive television programs or engaged in other types of media overload.

Bradbury’s novel is much more intricate than this, but today I want to focus on this aspect of the story. As one of Bradbury’s characters explains, their world ended up like this—with no legal access to books—not because censorship started from the top down, with the government imposing it upon the populace, but because over time people electively stopped reading.

Fortunately, this dystopian future is not a reality, but the subject matter tends to foster a discussion about reading that involves some important questions. How often do we read? How important is it to our daily lives? Why does it matter if we read at all?

To summarize a 2006 research overview from the National Literacy Trust, reading helps us in many ways--to foster personal development, to learn about a variety of subjects (everything from science to history to pop culture and beyond), and to feed our imaginations. It helps us to be informed and to achieve a level of literacy that empowers us, especially in the frequent information overload of the 21st century. Last but not least, all readers know that it can be fun, immersive, and deeply affecting, touching us emotionally and impacting our beliefs, goals, and worldview.

We librarians want you to read, for all these benefits and more. No matter the genre—true crime, romance novels, mysteries, spy thrillers, westerns, science fiction, fantasy, biographies, etc.  No matter the topic—health, history, debt-free living, car repair, cooking, parenting advice, craft projects, genealogy, etc. No matter the format—books, audiobooks, newspapers, magazines, graphic novels, paperbacks, or  eBooks.  Even if you prefer to buy all your books, spending money on every title you read, we’re thrilled that you’re reading—just remember that our public libraries also frequently sell used books to raise money for library programs and services for our communities.

I have been told, from time to time, that eBooks and e-readers are the enemy of libraries. This is untrue. We want you to read any format that is accessible and comfortable for you. The East Central Regional Library’s vision is “To assist people of all ages in addressing their informational, educational, and recreational needs in an ever-changing world…”  In our ever-changing world, technology is not the enemy of the library, but an empowering tool that we can use to expand our reach and achieve our goals. Remember that you can also check out downloadable audiobooks and eBooks through our website.

So, we hope you take the time to read today, no matter where you got the book from, how you read it, or what it’s about. Just remember that we’re here to help you, and that all ECRL librarians and staff are happy to help you find reading materials whenever you need or want them.

-Robin Duple, Pine City Branch Librarian

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Forthcoming titles - February and March editions

Forthcoming titles - Click here to search for and place your hold on the ECRL catalog.

ADULT FICTION - February

BIG SKY SUMMER Miller, Linda Lael
BOMBSHELL Coulter, Catherine
BONES OF THE LOST Reichs, Kathy
CLASSIFIED Michaels, Fern
DEAD EVER AFTER  Harris, Charlaine
HE'S THE ONE Miller, Linda Lael
HUNTING EVE Johansen, Iris
JOYLAND King, Stephen
LAST KISS GOODBYE  Robards, Karen
MISTRESS Patterson, James
NEWCOMER Carr, Robyn
ROSE HARBOR IN BLOOM Macomber, Debbie
SAND CASTLE BAY Woods, Sherryl
SEA GLASS ISLAND Woods, Sherryl
TAMARACK COUNTY Krueger, William Kent
TELL ME Jackson, Lisa
UNDEAD AND UNSURE Davidson, MaryJanice
UNDER A TEXAS SKY Garlock, Dorothy
UNTITLED MAX MOORE Clancy, Tom
WAKE THE DAWN Snelling, Lauraine

ADULT FICTION - March

DOCTOR SLEEP King, Stephen
HERO Carr, Robyn
HIGHWAY Box, C. J.
HOTSHOT Garwood, Julie
LAST WITNESS Griffin, W. E. B.
SECOND WATCH Jance, Judith A.
TATTERED QUILT  Brunstetter, Wanda E.
TRAINS AND LOVERS  McCall Smith, Alexander
VOW FOR ALWAYS Brunstetter, Wanda E.
WINTER CHILL Fluke, Joanne

LARGE PRINT - February

ANGEL MINE  Woods, Sherryl
BREAKING POINT Box, C. J.
DADDY'S GONE A HUNTING Clark, Mary Higgins
DON'T GO Scottoline, Lisa
HEIST Evanovich, Janet
KILL ROOM Deaver, Jeffery
MISTRESS Patterson, James
QUARRYMAN'S BRIDE Peterson, Tracie
ROSE HARBOR IN BLOOM  Macomber, Debbie
SAND CASTLE BAY Woods, Sherryl
SECOND HONEYMOON Patterson, James
SECOND WATCH Jance, Judith A.
SIX YEARS Coben, Harlan
SOVEREIGN Dekker, Ted
WANDERER Carr, Robyn
YESTERDAY ONCE MORE Macomber, Debbie

LARGE PRINT - March

APPLE ORCHARD Wiggs, Susan
BEST KEPT SECRET Archer, Jeffrey
BLOSSOM SISTERS Michaels, Fern
FLY AWAY Hannah, Kristin
GOODBYE TO YESTERDAY Brunstetter, Wanda E.
GOTCHA Michaels, Fern
LEMON ORCHARD Rice, Luanne
LEOPARD'S PREY Feehan, Christine
ORDINARY GRACE Krueger, William Kent
SEA GLASS ISLAND Woods, Sherryl
SILENCE OF WINTER Brunstetter, Wanda E.
SILKEN PREY Sandford, John
SISTERS OF MERCY FLATS Copeland, Lori
SWEET SALT AIR Delinsky, Barbara
TAKING EVE Johansen, Iris
TO HONOR AND TRUST Peterson, Tracie
TRUE LOVE Deveraux, Jude
UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES Woods, Stuart
WEDDING NIGHT Kinsella, Sophie
WIND CHIME POINT Woods, Sherryl
ZERO HOUR Cussler, Clive

BOOKS ON CD - February

BEST KEPT SECRET Archer, Jeffrey
BONES OF THE LOST Reichs, Kathy
CAROLINE'S CHILD Macomber, Debbie
CHANGE OF HEART: FROM THIS DAY, BEST LAID PLANS Roberts, Nora
DEEPLY ODD Koontz, Dean R.
DR. TEXAS: A SELECTION FROM HEART OF TEXAS, VOL. 2 Macomber, Debbie
GUARDIAN ANGEL Garwood, Julie
HE'S MY SOLDIER BOY Jackson, Lisa
HE'S THE RICH BOY Jackson, Lisa
HEADED FOR TROUBLE Brockmann, Suzanne
HEIST: A NOVEL Evanovich, Janet
HEMLOCK BAY Coulter, Catherine
HOPE OF SPRING Brunstetter, Wanda E.
KILL ROOM Deaver, Jeffery
LAST KISS GOODBYE Robards, Karen
MIND TRYST Carr, Robyn
MISTRESS Patterson, James
PIECES OF SUMMER Brunstetter, Wanda E.
REVELATION IN AUTUMN Brunstetter, Wanda E.
ROSE HARBOR IN BLOOM Macomber, Debbie
SAVING GRACE Garwood, Julie
SEA GLASS ISLAND Woods, Sherryl
SECOND HONEYMOON Patterson, James
SECOND WATCH Jance, Judith A.
SOVEREIGN Dekker, Ted
WHISKEY BEACH Roberts, Nora
ZERO HOUR Cussler, Clive

BOOKS ON CD - March

ALMOST AN ANGEL  Macomber, Debbie
BOMBSHELL Coulter, Catherine
DOCTOR SLEEP King, Stephen
FIRST SIGHT: A NOVEL Steel, Danielle
GIFT Garwood, Julie
LOVE 'N' MARRIAGE  Macomber, Debbie
RETURN TO SANTA FLORES Johansen, Iris
SILENCE OF WINTER Brunstetter, Wanda E.
SOMETHING WICKED Jackson, Lisa

Marcia Ledin, Technical Services Coordinator

Monday, March 11, 2013

Macmillan Publishing launches eBook pilot program for library lending


Beginning on March 1, 2013 Macmillan Publishers began offering a selection of popular eBooks for library lending. Under the pilot program, more than 1,150 eBooks from Macmillan’s Minotaur Books imprint will be available for libraries, such as East Central Regional Library, to license for our Digital Library.  The collection includes thrillers, mysteries, psychological suspense, and hard-boiled crime, featuring popular authors like Nevada Barr, M.C. Beaton, C.J. Box, and more.  Watch for some of these popular titles to hit East Central Regional Library’s Digital Library.

The Macmillan pilot program will follow the one-copy/one-user lending model, and libraries will be able to circulate each copy for 24 months or 52 checkouts, whichever comes first.  All titles cost $25.00 for each copy East Central Regional licenses.  After the 24 months or 52 checkouts, ECRL will have to purchase an additional license in order to retain the title in our eBook collection.

Sarah Biro, Branch Librarian, Chisago Lakes Area Library

Friday, March 1, 2013

Clearer descriptions


When you look for a DVD or book you search our online catalog, using words that describe the title, author, performer, or subject. Your search results depend on how ECRL's catalogers put the information into the database for each item as it comes in. A new standard is being embraced that uses more descriptive and commonly used words, and less non-intuitive abbreviations. The new standard is call RDA, or Resource Description Access, and replaces the venerated cataloging standard called AACR2.

ECRL's catalogers attended Minitex training this week to learn how to use RDA and plan to incorporate it into catalog records for new items as we buy them. Since ECRL has over 400,000 item records, you will still see the older terms for quite some time, but hopefully descriptions of new items will be easier to read.

Barbara Misselt, Director