Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Top 10 OverDrive Support Questions This Holiday Season

With many people receiving new devices this holiday season, more patrons will be using East Central Regional Library's OverDrive-powered Digital Library for eBooks and eAudiobooks. With new users in mind, we've listed some frequently asked questions below:

How do I return digital titles?
Find information for this is on OverDrive Help in the article about returning titles before the lending period expires. From there, you’ll find links to steps for returning titles from specific devices or software.

How to merge library card accounts
OverDrive has added the ability to retain OverDrive checkouts, holds, and other account activity when you switch library cards (for example, if you lose your original card and are issued a replacement). If you were issued a new library card, and would like your OverDrive activity transferred, please email ecregion@ecrlib.org so that we can merge your records.

How to reset a download link
If you attempt to download a digital title too many times, you may encounter an error. When this occurs, we can reset the download link for the title. Please email ecregion@ecrlib.org to do so, explaining the problem.

What to do if the OverDrive app is not working
You can find basic step-by-step instructions to troubleshoot the OverDrive app on mobile devices in the help article. These are good first steps to resolve many issues!

Can I renew digital titles from my library?
Renewing digital titles works a little bit different than renewing physical titles. Learn how to can renew digital titles or request them again.

Will my device work with OverDrive?
This is the time of year when many people give or receive new devices that they then use with OverDrive.  If you are not familiar with your new device, the best place to start is the Device profiles on OverDrive Help. Here you can find information on the most popular devices and platforms and learn how they can be used with OverDrive. Each profile will recommend software or apps, compatible formats, steps on getting started, and more.
In order to protect users’ privacy, OverDrive requires each user to verify their account. 

This error occurs when you try to open an eBook that you’ve already downloaded to another device, and that device was authorized with a different OverDrive account, library card, or Adobe ID. To see what steps are needed to resolve this, please check out this help article. You can also check out the article about downloading the same eBooks to multiple devices, which could help prevent this error.

Can I recommend digital titles?
You can recommend titles that aren’t in ECRL's collection. Learn more about recommending titles

What are the maturity levels I can choose from on my library site?
Maturity levels allow you to exclude content categorized under certain “maturity levels” that you may not want to see while browsing and searching a digital collection. 

Remember, OverDrive Help is available 24/7 and is a great resource for answering these or similar questions!

(Adapted from the OverDrive Library Blog)

Sarah Hawkins, Resource Librarian

Monday, December 28, 2015

Forthcoming Titles

Click here to search for and place holds on your favorite authors.


ADULT FICTION

Author Title Pub. Date
Andrews, Mary Kay The Weekenders 5/17/16
Barr, Nevada Boar Island 5/17/16
Bradford, Barbara Taylor The Cavendon Luck 6/07/16
Brown, Rita Mae Tall Tail : A Mrs. Murphy Mystery 5/17/16
Byler, Linda Which Way Home? 4/05/16
Coonts, Stephen Liberty s Last Stand 6/13/16
Cussler, Clive The Emperor s Revenge 5/31/16
Frank, Dorothea Benton All Summer Long 6/14/16
Graham, Heather Haunted Destiny 5/31/16
Hamilton, Laurell K. Crimson Death 6/07/16
Hilderbrand, Elin Here s to Us 6/14/16
Howard, Linda Troublemaker 5/10/16
King, Stephen End of Watch 6/07/16
Kleypas, Lisa Marrying Winterborne 5/31/16
Meltzer, Brad The House of Secrets 6/07/16
Michaels, Fern Fast and Loose 4/26/16
Palmer, Daniel Mercy 5/17/16
Perry, Marta The Rebel 4/05/16
Preston, Douglas Beyond the Ice Limit 5/17/16
Sundin, Sarah Anchor in the Storm 5/03/16
Thor, Brad Foreign Agent : A Thriller 6/14/16


LARGE PRINT


Deveraux, Jude The Girl from Summer Hill 5/03/16
Erdrich, Louise Larose 5/10/16
Howard, Linda Troublemaker 5/10/16
Kleypas, Lisa Marrying Winterborne 5/31/16
Martini, Steve Blood Flag 5/17/16
Patterson, James 15th Affair 5/02/16
Preston, Douglas Beyond the Ice Limit 5/17/16
Steel, Danielle The Apartment 5/03/16

ADULT NON-FICTION

Kurlansky, Mark Paper : Paging Through History 5/17/16



BOOK ON CD

Blackstock, Terri If I Run 2/16/16
Cabot, Meg Remembrance 2/02/16
Grippando, James Gone Again 3/01/16
Oates, Joyce Carol The Man Without a Shadow 1/19/16


Marcia Ledin, Technical Services Manager

Monday, December 21, 2015

New Music CDs

New music CDs have been added to the catalog. Click here to search for and place your holds on these popular artists.




Artist Title STREET DATE
TOP 40
Bowie, David Blackstar 8-Jan-16
Platten, Rachel Wildfire 1-Jan-16
Puth, Charlie Nine Track Mind 29-Jan-16
The Mrs. Enough 29-Jan-16
Various Artists 2016 Grammy Nominees 22-Jan-16
Country
Brothers Osborne Pawn Shop 15-Jan-16
Corcoran, Dianna In America 29-Jan-16
Green River Ordinance Fifteen 22-Jan-16
Williams, Hank, Jr It's About Time 15-Jan-16
Randy Rogers Band Nothing Shines Like Neon 15-Jan-16


Marcia Ledin, Technical Services Manager


Thursday, December 10, 2015

Introducing HeritageQuest!

East Central Regional Library is pleased to announce that it now offers a family history tool that complements the already popular Ancestry Library Edition. We are thrilled to add HeritageQuest Online database to our growing list of high-quality resources. HeritageQuest is conveniently accessed via the library's website anywhere with an internet connection by logging in with your library card!
HeritageQuest Online is a comprehensive database of American genealogical and historical sources with unique primary sources, local and family histories, convenient research guides, interactive census maps, and more.  With coverage dating back to the 1700s, it is a great place for people to start searching for their ancestors or discovering a place’s past.

This authoritative resource consists of the following core data sets:
  • U.S. Federal Censuses feature the original images of every extant federal census in the United States, from 1790 through 1940, with every-name indexes for all years.
  • Genealogy and local history books and directories deliver more than 40,000 family histories, local histories, city directories, and other books.
  • Revolutionary War records contains original images from pension and bounty land warrant application files help to identify more than 80,000 American Army, Navy, and Marine officers and enlisted men from the Revolutionary War era.
  • Freedman’s Bank Records, with more than 480,000 names of bank applicants, their dependents, and heirs from 1865–1874, and full-page register views, it offers valuable data that can provide important clues to tracing African American ancestors prior to and immediately after the U.S. Civil War. It is considered one of the most important resources for African-American genealogical research.
  • U.S. Serial Set records the memorials, petitions, private relief actions made to the U.S. Congress back to 1789, with a total of more than 480,000 pages of information.
  • Periodical Source Index (PERSI) Archive (1800-2009), published by the Allen County Public Library, it contains more than 2.3 million records covering both English and French periodicals published around the world since 1800.

To learn more about HeritageQuest Online or for help using HeritageQuest Online, view the LibGuide.

Whether you are a beginner or an expert family historian, try HeritageQuest today!

Sarah Hawkins, Resource Librarian

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Introducing Mango Languages!

East Central Regional Library is pleased to announce that it now offers an online language-learning database to our patrons. We are thrilled to add the Mango Languages system to our growing list of resources.   

Mango is free for all library patrons and is available 24/7 anywhere with an Internet connection. All you need is your library card! You can also create a Mango profile to track your progress.  Mango can be accessed via the library's website or on-the-go with apps for iPhone, Android, Kindle, and Nook.  To access Mango on the app, first register for a Mango profile via the library's website.

Mango offers access to 60 foreign language courses and 17 English as second language courses. These courses include a variety of specialty mini-courses including Medical Spanish, Shakespearean English, Endangered Languages, Pirate, and more.

Each Mango lesson teaches conversation through audio from native speakers and critical thinking exercises. The courses are presented with an appreciation for cultural nuance and real-world application by focusing on the four key elements of language learning: vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar, and culture.

In addition to traditional language courses, Mango also offers the opportunity to learn through with Mango Premiere, the first of its kind program to teach language through full-length foreign films.  Users are able watch a film in “Movie Mode,” watching the entire movie with subtitles (English subtitles, subtitles in the language you’re learning, or both) or “Engage Mode,” learning each scene’s dialogue, part-by-part. 

We are always looking to provide patrons relevant online resources that can be used whenever and wherever is easiest for the learner. Whether you want to learn a second language for business or travel, personal or professional development, or just for fun, Mango is the place to start!

Sarah Hawkins, Resource Librarian


Tuesday, November 24, 2015

FORTHCOMING TITLES



Click here to search for and place holds on your favorite authors.

ADULT FICTION

AUTHOR TITLE PUB. DATE
Baldacci, David The Last Mile 4/19/16
Deveraux, Jude The Girl from Summer Hill 5/03/16
Ellis, Mary What Happened on Beale Street 4/01/16
Erdrich, Louise Larose 5/10/16
Harris, Charlaine Night Shift 5/03/16
Johansen, Iris Hide Away 4/26/16
Oates, Joyce Carol The Doll-Master and Other Tales of Terror 5/03/16
Patterson, James 15th Affair 5/02/16
Quick, Amanda til Death Do Us Part 4/19/16
Sandford, John Extreme Prey 4/26/16
Steel, Danielle Property of a Noble Woman 3/15/16
Steel, Danielle The Apartment 5/03/16

LARGE PRINT


AUTHOR TITLE PUB. DATE
Andrews, V. C. Bittersweet Dreams 1/01/16
Baldacci, David The Last Mile 4/19/16
Coonts, Stephen The Art of War 2/03/16
Feehan, Christine Spider Game 2/17/16
Gardner, Lisa Find Her 2/03/16
Jackson, Lisa After She s Gone 2/01/16
Robb, J. D. Brotherhood in Death 2/03/16
Roberts, Nora The Obsession 4/12/16
Sandford, John Saturn Run 2/24/16
Steel, Danielle Property of a Noble Woman 3/15/16
Woods, Sherryl Willow Brook Road 1/01/16


BOOKS ON CD

AUTHOR TITLE PUB. DATE
Coben, Harlan Fool Me Once 3/22/16
Deveraux, Jude The Girl from Summer Hill 5/03/16
Graham, Heather Flawless 3/29/16
Jance, Judith A. Clawback 3/08/16
Michaels, Fern No Safe Secret 3/29/16
Patterson, James 15th Affair 5/02/16
Roberts, Nora The Obsession 4/12/16
Sandford, John Extreme Prey 4/26/16


ADULT NON-FICTION
 

AUTHOR TITLE PUB. DATE
Andersen, Christopher Game of Crowns 4/19/16
Grandin, Temple Temple Talks About Autism and the Older Child 4/03/16
Moore, Debra The Loving Push  3/01/16
Osteen, Joel Fresh Start 12/29/15
Raichlen, Steven Project Smoke  5/03/16
Williamson, Marianne Tears to Triumph 5/03/16


Marcia Ledin




Friday, November 20, 2015

New Music CDs

New music CDs have been added to the catalog. Click here to search for and place your holds on these popular artists.


Artist Title Street Date
 
TOP 40
Coldplay A Head Full Of Dreams 12/04/15
Sivan, Troye Blue Neighbourhood 12/04/15
COUNTRY
Cash, Johnny Man In Black: Live In Demark 1971 12/04/15
Cam Untamed 12/11/15
Campbell, Glen Love Songs 12/04/15



Marcia Ledin, Technical Services Manager






Thursday, November 5, 2015

STEAM

STEAM or STEM programs are one of my favorite programs! For those who do not know, STEM programs are common in libraries and schools across the country and stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Some choose to incorporate art into their program, making it STEAM.

Why are STEM (or STEAM) programs so important? According to the National Math and Science Initiative, “STEM job creation over the next 10 years will outpace non-STEM jobs significantly, growing 17 percent, as compared to 9.8 percent for non-stem positions.  Jobs in computer systems design and related services – a field dependent on high-level math and problem-solving skills – are projected to grow 45 percent between 2008 and 2018. The occupations with the fastest growth in the coming years – such as biomedical engineers, network systems and data communications analysts, and medical scientists – all call for degrees in STEM fields.”

But I’m not a teacher, how can I encourage STEAM education and development? Early STEAM
activities require little to no scientific background on the part of the program provider.  LEGOS and other block activities encourage spatial reasoning and early engineering skills, as do gingerbread houses and sandcastles. Easy chemistry experiments are also fun. At the Chisago Lakes Area Library we’ve experimented with invisible ink and candy. Throughout the experiments we ask questions, such as “which invisible ink will work better?”, “what happens to the candy corn when we submerge it in soda?” Thinking critically and asking questions are imperative in science. Early experiments like these also get children used to words like Hypothesis, Experiment and Analyze.

Examples of other simple STEAM programs are listed below:

Heart Science
We made stethoscopes out of two liter bottles and paper towel tubes, and listened to our heart beats standing, after light exercise and after more intensive exercise.

Pirate Science
Jello, baking powder, water, and various beads/trinkets, were frozen in ice cube trays. The pirate scientists (ages 3-8) had to figure out the best way to get the treasure out of the "treasure chest." They especially enjoyed watching the chests fizz once vinegar was added. After retrieving their treasure, the pirates had to distribute their loot, working on math and sorting.

Build a concert venue with toothpicks and marshmallows
The structures were modeled on different concert venues, and they talked about the different designs and the best way to build a solid structure.

Coding
Patrons discussed the Caesar shift code, and binary code. Patrons made their own code wheel and binary code bracelets. This program focused on patterns and simple math.

Bottle Music
Glass soda bottles were filled with different levels of water. Patrons blew over the rim of the bottles making different sounds. We discussed why some bottles had lower pitches and some had higher. We then poured in more water or poured out water to change the sound.


By Elizabeth Shirek, Chisago Lakes Branch Librarian


Thursday, October 22, 2015

New Music CDs

New music CDs have been added to the catalog. Click here to search for and place your holds on these popular artists.







Title Artist Street Date
TOP 40
What's Inside - Songs from Waitress Bareilles, Sara 11/06/15
Delirium Goulding, Ellie 11/06/15
Heart Blanche Green, CeeLo 11/06/15
Get Weird Little Mix 11/06/15
Purpose Bieber, Justin 11/13/15
Made In The A.M. One Direction 11/13/15
Royalty  Brown, Chris 11/27/15
COUNTRY
Front Row Seat Abbott, Josh Band 11/06/15
21 Project Hayes, Hunter 11/06/15
Damn Country Music McGraw, Tim 11/06/15
Meat and Candy Old Dominion 11/06/15
I'm Comin' Over Young, Chris 11/13/15

Marcia Ledin, Technical Services Manager

Forthcoming Titles

Click here to search for and place holds on your favorite authors.

ADULT FICTION


Author Title Pub. Date
Albert, Susan Wittig Blood Orange 4/05/16
Berry, Steve The 14th Colony 4/05/16
Bunn, T. Davis The Fragment 2/02/16
Carr, Robyn What We Find 4/05/16
Chiaverini, Jennifer A Memoir of the Assassin John Wilkes Booth 4/12/16
Coben, Harlan Fool Me Once 3/22/16
Copeland, Lori The Preacher s Lady 3/01/16
Graham, Heather Flawless 3/29/16
Hunter, Denise The Goodbye Bride 3/08/16
Lewis, Beverly The Atonement 3/29/16
Michaels, Fern No Safe Secret 3/29/16
Miller, Linda Lael Once a Rancher 3/29/16
Roberts, Nora The Obsession 4/12/16
Sawyer, Kim Vogel Room for Hope 2/16/16
Scottoline, Lisa Most Wanted 4/12/16
Woods, Stuart Compromising Positions 4/05/16


LARGE PRINT

Author Title Pub. Date
Hoag, Tami The Bitter Season 1/06/16
Michaels, Fern Point Blank 1/06/16
Peterson, Tracie Beyond the Silence 1/06/16
Robards, Karen Darkness 1/06/16
Roberts, Nora Stars of Fortune 11/04/15
Woods, Stuart Scandalous Behavior 1/06/16

ADULT NON-FICTION

Author Title Pub. Date
Burroughs, Augusten Lust and Wonder 3/29/16
Cruise, Jorge Tiny and Full 12/29/15
Trump, Donald Crippled America : How to Make America Great Again 11/03/15

BOOKS ON CD

Author Title Pub. Date
Archer, Jeffrey Cometh the Hour 2/23/16
Beaton, M. C. Death of a Nurse 2/23/16
Berry, Steve The 14th Colony 4/05/16
Coonts, Stephen The Art of War 2/02/16
Cussler, Clive The Gangster 3/01/16
Deaver, Jeffery The Steel Kiss 3/08/16
Feehan, Christine Dark Promises 3/15/16
Gardner, Lisa Find Her 2/09/16
Jackson, Lisa Revenge 2/23/16
Kellerman, Jonathan Breakdown 2/02/16
Macomber, Debbie A Girl s Guide to Moving On 3/08/16
Patterson, James NYPD Red 4 3/14/16
Robb, J. D. Brotherhood in Death 2/02/16
Scottoline, Lisa Most Wanted 4/12/16
Steel, Danielle Blue 2/23/16
Woods, Stuart Compromising Positions 4/05/16

Marcia Ledin, Technical Services Manager


Friday, October 16, 2015

ECRL Historical Image featured in DPLA Exhibition

You may have seen our previous post in September announcing that historical images from the ECRL archives had been added to Minnesota Reflections, the online collection of the Minnesota Digital Library (MDL) as part of the Digital Public Library of America’s Public Library Partnerships Project (PLPP).

One of the requirements of the PLPP grant, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, was the creation of online exhibitions.  DPLA Hubs and public librarian participants researched and curated 10 exhibitions showcasing content digitized through PLPP. 

As a result, we are pleased to announce that an exhibition featuring an ECRL image is live on the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA)!


This exhibition tells the story of the American public library system, its community impact, and the librarians who made it possible—from the founding of the first US libraries through the first one hundred years of service. Can you spot the ECRL image? Images from other Minnesota libraries?
Courtesy of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources
The exhibition was written by Franky Abbott, Project Manager for DPLA.  I was lucky enough to be able to be involved in the process by serving as a reviewer for a draft version of the exhibition, providing feedback to revise and improve the exhibition before it went live.
Take some time to look through A History of Public Libraries and the other interesting exhibitions.  We'd love to hear what you discover! You can see the list of all 10 PLPP exhibitions here, but you may also want to pay extra attention to:

Courtesy of the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board

The exhibition on Urban Parks grew out of PLPP materials contributed from the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, the Parks Department of Washington County, Stillwater Public Library, Duluth Public Library, and other park-related items already in Minnesota Reflections.  The exhibition was built by Carla Urban, PLPP Grant Coordinator for MDL.





Courtesy of the East Polk Heritage Center

This exhibition on patent medicine was built by Greta Bahnemann, Metadata Librarian for the Minnesota Digital Library. It includes a section focusing on patent medicine in Minnesota, and was inspired by materials from the East Polk Heritage Center in Fosston, Minnesota.  It also includes significant images from the Winona County Historical Society and the University of Minnesota's Wangensteen Library on the History of Medicine.




Stand by for ECRL's final PLPP collection to go live in Minnesota Reflections.  Part 3 of this blog series coming soon!

Sarah Hawkins, Resource Librarian

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Big Library Read: October 7 – 21, 2015

Offered several times throughout the year, Big Library Read provides participating OverDrive libraries such as East Central Regional Library free simultaneous access to a selected title that any reader with a library card can instantly start reading without holds or waitlists.

For the first time ever, Big Library Read is offering two titles! Read a sample of the tween and teen novels below, and check them out via ECRL's Digital Library.

The Door in the Hedge by Robin McKinley

Ensorcelled princesses . . . a frog that speaks . . .a magical hind—Newbery Medal winner Robin McKinley opens a door into an enchanted world in this collection of original and retold fairy tales.

Suitable for ages 10 and up.  Click here for discussion questions for The Door in the Hedge.








In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters

Featuring haunting archival early-twentieth-century photographs, this is a tense, romantic story set in a past that is eerily like our own time.

Suitable for ages 14 and up. Note: Contains mature themes/language. Click here for discussion questions for In the Shadow of Blackbirds.




Big Library Read
is the first-ever “global eBook club,” connecting readers around the world who read the same eBook at the same time. Since the first Big Library Read in 2013, thousands of libraries and millions of people around the world have joined the fun.  You should too!


To learn more about the authors, join the discussion, or find read-alike books, go to biglibraryread.com.  Happy eReading!


Sarah Hawkins, Resource Librarian

Thursday, September 24, 2015

New Music CDs

New music CDs have been added to the catalog. Click here to search for and place your holds on these popular artists.



Title Artist STREET DATE
TOP 40
Unbreakable Jackson, Janet 10/2/15
Now That’s What I Call Music 56 Various Artists 10/23/15
Confident (Edit) Lovato, Demi 10/16/15
What Dreams Are Made Of (Edited Version) R. City 10/9/15
Pentatonix Pentatonix 10/16/15
Sounds Good Feels Good 5 Seconds Of Summer 10/23/15
Revival Gomez, Selena 10/9/15
COUNTRY
35 MPH Town Keith, Toby 10/9/15
thirty-one Kramer, Jana 10/9/15
Reloaded: 20 #1 Hits  Shelton, Blake 10/23/15
Storyteller Underwood, Carrie 10/23/15
Buy Me a Boat Jansen, Chris 10/30/15


Marcia Ledin, Technical Services Manager

Forthcoming titles

Click here to search for and place holds on your favorite authors.

ADULT FICTION

Title Author Pub. Date
Cometh the Hour Archer, Jeffrey 2/23/16
Death of a Nurse Beaton, M. C. 2/23/16
Off the Grid Box, C. J. 3/08/16
The Revelation Brunstetter, Wanda E. 2/01/16
On Lone Star Trail Cabot, Amanda 2/02/16
Joshua s Mission Chapman, Vannetta 2/01/16
Devonshire Scream Childs, Laura 3/01/16
The Gangster Cussler, Clive 3/01/16
The Steel Kiss Deaver, Jeffery 3/08/16
A Heart Once Broken Eicher, Jerry S. 2/01/16
Dark Promises Feehan, Christine 3/15/16
Wedding Cake Murder Fluke, Joanne 2/23/16
A Son s Vow Gray, Shelley Shepard 1/26/16
Gone Again Grippando, James 3/01/16
Keeper of the Stars Hatcher, Robin Lee 1/26/16
Clawback Jance, Judith A. 3/08/16
A Girl s Guide to Moving On Macomber, Debbie 3/08/16
Fancy Dancer Michaels, Fern 10/01/15
NYPD Red 4 Patterson, James 3/14/16
A Treasure Concealed Peterson, Tracie 3/01/16
Blue Steel, Danielle 2/23/16
Behold the Man Thoene, Bodie 3/01/16


ADULT NONFICTION

Title Author Pub. Date
The Way I See It Grandin, Temple 11/01/15
The Last of the President s Men Woodward, Bob 10/13/15

LARGE PRINT

Title Author Pub. Date
Death of a Nurse Beaton, M. C. 2/23/16
House of the Rising Sun Burke, James Lee 12/02/15
All Dressed in White Clark, Mary Higgins 12/02/15
The Pharaoh s Secret : A Novel from the Numa Files Cussler, Clive 12/02/15
The Last Midwife Dallas, Sandra 11/01/15
The Mistletoe Promise Evans, Richard Paul 12/01/15
The Survivor Flynn, Vince 11/01/15
Playing With Fire Gerritsen, Tess 12/01/15
Gone Again Grippando, James 3/01/16
Fear the Dark Hooper, Kay 11/01/15
Ashley Bell Koontz, Dean R. 12/08/15
Secret Sisters Krentz, Jayne Ann 12/02/15
A Girl s Guide to Moving on Macomber, Debbie 3/08/16
Christmas in Mustang Creek : Brides of Bliss County Miller, Linda Lael 12/01/15
Wyoming Rugged Palmer, Diana 12/16/15
Nypd Red 4 Patterson, James 3/14/16
Blue Steel, Danielle 2/23/16
Who Do You Love Weiner, Jennifer 11/01/15

BOOKS ON CD

Title Author Pub. Date
The Bitter Season Hoag, Tami 1/12/16
After She s Gone Jackson, Lisa 12/29/15
Point Blank Michaels, Fern 12/29/15
Darkness Robards, Karen 1/12/16

Marcia Ledin, Technical Services Manager