Last-Minute Election Information

If you’ve suddenly realized that you’re not quite prepared for the upcoming elections, your friendly local librarians are ready to help you out. Except where it’s noted otherwise, all of the following information comes from the Minnesota Secretary of State's web page.


Register to vote in Minnesota
http://www.sos.state.mn.us/index.aspx?page=204


Find your polling place
http://pollfinder.sos.state.mn.us/


Need a ride to your polling place?
http://www.sos.state.mn.us/index.aspx?page=1631


Interested in absentee voting?
http://www.sos.state.mn.us/index.aspx?page=211


Need to know how to return your absentee ballot?
According to the MN Secretary of State, there are four ways you can return your absentee ballot:
1.   Mail back your ballot in the pre-paid envelope provided by your local election official.
2.   Up until 5 p.m. on the day before the election, you may deliver your ballot in person to your local election official.
3.   You may also have someone else return your completed ballot, sealed in its envelope, to your local election official until 3 p.m. on Election Day. Persons delivering ballots may not do so for more than three voters.
4.  If you are worried about your ballot not arriving on time using First Class mail, you may choose to pay for package delivery service to return your ballot. Ballots must be received by your local election official by 3 p.m. on Election Day.


Find your local election official
(which will also tell you where you can submit an absentee ballot):
https://minnesota.overseasvotefoundation.org/vote/MN-ElectionOfficialDirectory


Find out which candidates and issues you’ll see on your ballot
http://myballotmn.sos.state.mn.us/Default.aspx


Interested in Political Fact-Checking?
http://www.factcheck.org/ (a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, a nonpartisan, nonprofit “consumer advocate” organization
http://www.politifact.com/ (a project of the Tampa Bay Times newspaper)


Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about elections and voting
http://www.sos.state.mn.us/index.aspx?page=1530


Wondering about other voting and election topics that you don't see here? http://www.sos.state.mn.us/index.aspx?page=134  (Main page for Minnesota Voting Info)



As always, if you need anything else, don't hesitate to contact your local ECRL library branch (http://www.ecrlib.org/branches.html). We're happy to help you find the information you need!

Robin Duple
Branch Librarian, Pine City Public Library

OverDrive eBook & eAudio updates!

Update #1: OverDrive Media Console app for NOOK

Finally!  The OverDrive Media Console app is finally available for NOOK Color, Tablet, and the new NOOK HD and NOOK HD+ models.

The app is available through the NOOK Store under apps.   Once the app is downloaded, patrons can download eBooks and eAudiobooks directly to their NOOK over a wireless connection, similar to using the app on an Android phone or tablet, rather than downloading to their computer via Adobe Digital Editions and then transferring to their device.

Updated Help articles have been posted to the ECRL Digital Library website.  The version of OverDrive Media Console available in the NOOK Store is for Android.  Any instructions related to Overdrive Media Console for Android will apply to the NOOK app.   While the app is free, users will need a valid NOOK account in order to download the app.

***Important: The app is not available for NOOK 1st Edition or the NOOK Simple Touch – those users still need to download books to a computer via Adobe Digital Editions and transfer the book to their device. See Update #2 below. ***

Update #2: Adobe Digital Editions 2.0

Adobe has officially released Digital Editions 2.0. It’s a new version of the software patrons use to read eBooks on their computers and transfer eBooks to eReaders like the NOOK Simple Touch, NOOK 1^st Edition, and many more.  Adobe Digital Editions 2.0 comes with a bunch of improvements and changes.

Each eBook is now represented by a simple tile. There are no more hover-over context menus. Instead, Digital Editions uses the standard right-click (or control-click for Mac) menu for individual eBook options.

Activating compatible eReaders has also become much easier. You just plug in the eReader you want to activate, and then drag the book you want to read over to the device. That’s it. The Adobe ID is automatically registered, and the book is transferred all in one step.

Another bonus, Digital Editions 2.0 works with screen readers for low-vision and visually impaired users.

The Digital Editions 1.0 will still work for patrons that already have it.  New users will be downloading the Digital Editions 2.0.

Update #3: OverDrive Media Console app is now available to Kindle Fire users in the Amazon App Store for Android.

If you have any questions, check out the updated Help articles posted to the ECRL Digital Library Website.  If you can’t find an answer there, contact any ECRL branch or send email to ecregion@ecrlib.org.

Sarah Biro, Branch Librarian, Chisago Lakes Area Library

Projects for Pets, Wild Birds, and More!

As it gets a little colder outside, I've been answering a lot of reference questions about planning and constructing animal shelters. Some of these questions have been about building projects for pets, like doghouses and rabbit hutches, and other people have asked about building outdoor structures for wild animals, like birdhouses. Whether you're catering to domesticated animals or wildlife, we've got books for you!

Searching the ECRL catalog by the subjects “Pets” and “Housing” will help you to find a couple of books on pet projects, including one called Making Pet Palaces: princely homes and furnishings to pamper your pets by Leslie Dirks, which has lots of fun ideas for amateur builders.

 

Photo by Flickr user libraryrachel; used under Creative Commons license

If you're more interested in helping out your fine, feathered friends, we can help you with that, too. Try searching by subject for “Birdhouses” and “Design and Construction,” and you'll find many books on building birdhouses. Here's just a sample of what we have on that topic:

ñ  Birdhouses: From Castles to Cottages—20 simple homes and feeders to make in a weekend by Alison Jenkins     

ñ  Architectural Birdhouses: 15 famous buildings to make for your feathered friends by Thomas Stender 

ñ  Rustic birdhouses and feeders: unique thatched-roof designs built to Audubon specifications by Colin McGhee with Tracy Breyfogle  

Photo by Flickr user virtualphotographystudio; used under Creative Commons license

 

If you're interested in making shelters for wildlife other than birds, you might try the book titled
Beastly Abodes: homes for birds, bats, butterflies, & other backyard wildlife by Bobbe Needham. There's also Woodworking for Wildlife: homes for birds and mammals by Carrol L. Henderson.  

 As always, we're happy to help you find what you're looking for at the library!

-Robin Duple, Branch Librarian, Pine City Public Library