Book a book from your reading nook!

Say you just got home with your library haul. You have a huge stack of books and dvds  to keep yourself out of trouble and in your reading nook for the next 3 weeks. You settle in, and start at the top of the pile. It’s an impulse pick that happens to be something by an author that you’ve always been meaning to check out but never have.  It grabs you. You DEVOUR it. You’ve closed the back cover before the snow has melted on your boots by the door.

Here’s the thing. You have 3 weeks before the rest of your books are due and you will probably find a few in your pile that are just great, but this one was something special. You start to wonder; how many more are there by this writer? Does my favourite library branch have them? Will they be on the shelf for me next time I’m there? Will I even remember to look for them after 3 weeks of (insert your busy thing here) passes by?

Time to climb out of your reading nook (or pick up your phone/ipad). Time to BOOK A BOOK!

Placing a hold at www.valleylibrary.ca can be fast and easy as long as you don’t get sidetracked and end up browsing through titles that you didn’t know you wanted to read.

Here’s what you do:

1. Grab your AVRL library card and go to www.valleylibrary.ca

2. Find the search field and type in the title. Don’t know the title? How about the author? Or the series name?

3. Clicking on the search button sends you to our online catalogue. Now it’s time to narrow the search. We can choose to search for title, author, subject, or series. Then, we can narrow our search even more, with a number of drop down menus.

4. Scroll down until you find a title that looks interesting and...

5. Wait! You must be logged in to place that hold! You need your library card number and your PIN. Don’t have a card? Get one here: http://valleylibrary.ca/get-library-card Forgot your PIN? Contact any branch for help.

6. Aha! The hold can now be placed.

7.Choose a pickup location. And that's it!

Now the hard part. Waiting until it’s ready for pick up!

Tips:

• Sharing a computer? Don’t forget to log out!
• Looking for a popular new release? Try a less popular format. Maybe the Large Print version is available. We also have audiobooks and eBooks through our Overdrive for Libraries service. 
• Keep your search simple, then narrow the search. You might see something unexpected and interesting with a broader search. Second, you could be too specific with your search terms and come up with nothing.
• Looking for DVDs? Choose format-DVD. Click the Find button. All the DVDs in our catalogue!
• Suspend holds: Want to watch a TV series in order and season 3 has a shorter waiting list than season 2? Place a suspended hold. You will keep your place in line for the item, but it won’t come to you before you need it. Also great if you are going to be away on vacation. Just suspend your holds until you get back.
• Don’t forget that the Annapolis Valley Regional Library shares our catalogue among 11 branches and the Bookmobile. If a book is in Windsor, we can have it sent to any of our other locations for pick up.
• If we don’t have it, Interlibrary Loans are also available. Separate rules apply.

Daisy Players needed

Hello fellow readers! I know that many a stormy night this winter I have enjoyed curling up with a good library book. This winter of heavy snows and unpredictable weather has lead many of us to enjoy our library books even more than usual. Now just imagine that you have the winter blahs, you love to read  AND you are print disabled. Imagine that you can’t hold a book properly, or you can’t see the print in your favourite book anymore. This winter would be even more tiresome under those circumstances wouldn’t it?

This is what our print disabled patrons face every day. This is why the Annapolis Valley Regional Library has a Special Needs Service to help talking book users to enjoy their favourite books. The problem is, if they have an older cd/mp3 machine that does not play the newer formats and they can’t afford to purchase a new machine, their audiobook options are limited.

There is a wonderful but expensive machine called a daisy player. It plays all the new formats and is very easy to use with large buttons and simple instructions. These are like the Mercedes Benz of audio players. Here's what one type of daisy player looks like.

Most talking book users can’t afford the expense of one of these wonderful machines because they are several hundred dollars. There are some families who may have a player that is no longer being used. We would love it if they could donate this item  to AVRL.

AVRL will give you a tax receipt for up to half of what the player cost you when new. You can rest  assured that you are bringing happiness and enjoyment to many AVRL print disabled users who want to be cozy and enjoy a good book on a stormy day!

Even if you don’t have a player to donate you can pass along this information to someone who does have one. Or, if you would like to make a cash donation towards one of these players, that is also an option.

Thanks very much!

Sherie Keans
Special Needs Clerk
Annapolis Valley Regional Library

NNELS (National Network for Equitable Library Service)

NNELS is a growing collection of downloadable audiobooks and other accessible formats provided for use by persons with print disabilities. Nova Scotia Public Libraries are pleased to provide this new service to library customers in our communities.

You might be thinking that this doesn’t apply to you, but maybe it would be helpful to a friend or family member. 

The Canadian Copyright Act defines a print disability as:

·             Severe or total impairment of sight or the inability to focus or move one's eyes

·             The inability to hold or manipulate a book

·             An impairment relating to comprehension

This can be a temporary situation, maybe as a result of eye surgery or a broken wrist, etc., if so, you would qualify for the duration of the situation.  You can fill out our online application. 

This service is different from other downloadable audiobook services.  These titles do not have a due date.  You can keep these!!  They never expire and you can burn them to a CD.  There are several formats available, MP3 and Daisy.

Want to use this on a tablet?  There are some great apps you can purchase to use this service on a tablet or mobile device.  Use the Darwin Reader app ($14.95) to listen to this material on an Android device.  Or, the Voice Dream Reader app ($9.99) on an Apple device to have the option of listening to the audio or following along with the text as it is being read to you.  

There are more than 12,000 titles to choose from.  Some are narrated by a person reading the book, while others have a computer generated voice.  This site offers some local material that cannot otherwise be found in an audiobook format.  Try a search and see what’s available.  You’ll need to register with us in order to see all of the details on a title, but guess what?  It is all FREE!

Charlotte Janes,
Head of Systems and Administration

New eBook Feature

We are now entering our third year of offering eBooks and downloadable audiobooks.  Over these few years the collection has grown to over 3,700 unique eBook titles and over 1,300 downloadable audiobook titles.  When the level of demand for a particular title is high, another copy is purchased.  Currently there are over 5,900 copies in the collection.

We subscribe to this service from OverDrive, which can be accessed directly here .  Some recent changes to the site included the addition of a new service called OverDrive READ (this works best in Google Chrome).

Just over 3,000 of the 3,700 eBook titles are in this new format.  After you borrow the title you are able to click on the Read button next to the cover, the book then opens in your browser.  The title will function in your browser similarly to an eReader.  Bookmark where you stop reading then you can pick up where you left off, on any device you choose.  To do this go into your account and click on the Read button from whatever device you wish to continue reading on.  There is also an option to read off-line.

Oh, I shouldn’t forget to mention “samples”.  Now you can click on most covers of our books to get a sample of the audiobook or eBook.

Charlotte Janes,
Head of Systems and Administration

Our Annual Staff Development Day

Every year, one day a year,  AVRL closes its branch libraries in order that all staff can be brought together for a professional development day.   This year, it's Monday, May 27^th.

While we may have other training days for smaller groups of staff during the year, this is the single chance for all staff to take part in the same workshops, share their work experiences,  and the common joys and challenges of the public library workplace. 

In the past we've enjoyed, and benefitted from, information sessions on Customer Service, Mental Health, Service to Seniors, Children's Storytimes, Outreach Services,   and Self-Defense.

This year, our staff development day is all about technology.    We're just like everyone else;  it proves challenging to keep abreast of the technology gadgets, software, and lingo that our patrons discuss with us!

Now that libraries offer OverDrive (a downloadable eBook and audiobook service),  staff are often approached and expected to be familiar with that person's particular brand of tablet, eBook reader, laptop, etc., and how it interacts with OverDrive.    (We should note here that our expectation for staff is only that they are familiar with the basic downloadable service itself and that they can direct patrons to "Help" functions and documents.  They are not expected to be technology trainers or support staff for the public's equipment. )    This can be very frustrating for everyone involved, especially those new technology owners who are experiencing support challenges from the makers and providers of their tablets and eReaders!

Along with the OverDrive workshop, we'll also have "APPy hour".   Our Youth Services Librarian Angela Reynolds regularly reviews apps for kids and parents in her Valley Storytime blog posts.   She looks for apps that are low-cost or free, educational yet fun, book-related, or ones that can help develop early literacy skills such as drawing, storytelling, and vocabulary. She likes apps that take good children's books and make them even more fun, such as Good Night Moon, The Three Little Pigs, or the Sandra Boynton books.   Angela will be sharing some of these with staff.

In addition, there will be a general workshop on New Trends in Technology, and one on Photo Editing.  All in all, it promises to be another rewarding and enjoyable day of professional development.

While we are sorry for the inconvenience of the closure on May 27^th, we are pleased and grateful to take part in these opportunities.  We hope to serve you better because of them!

--Wendy Trimper, Head of Branch Services

What is YA? - Tear Jerkers

Some readers just love a good sob. You know who you are. You pine for a book that makes you cry. A tissue box at hand, you settle into the comfy chair, and dig in. This summer I read two new YA books that fit the bill for you tissue-box readers. And both are amazing audiobooks, too, though I do caution against driving while crying. Tears get in the way. 

First off is John Green's new book, The Fault in our Stars.  Hazel meets Augustus at a Youth Cancer group, so you know the outcome of their relationship is going to be tearful. Hazel is a survivor, though; she has been living with cancer for years. Augustus has had a leg amputated and appears to be doing ok, too.  I don’t think I'm giving too much away when I say that they fall in love, albeit slowly, and this is the beauty of the book. Their relationship is filled with smart and savvy perspectives on life that most YA books just don't provide. The reader falls in love with Hazel, who calls it like it is. Behind the cancer story is Hazel's obsession with a book, and Augustus' desire to make her happy.  Be ready to cry for the last 50- 100 pages of the book, non-stop. 

In a completely different setting and time, there's Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein. Two girls in World War 2, Britain. One is a pilot; the other is a wireless operator. The British Army is so desperate for help that they allow girls to fly planes and learn code!  The two meet and become BFFs, which wouldn’t have happened if there wasn't a war on. You see, one girl is Scottish aristocracy, the other a girl from Manchester. But they do become friends, and again, it is this relationship that makes the reader reach for the tissues. This book is not for the faint of heart; there are awful truisms of war that demand a mature reading level. In fact, while reading, I wondered why this was a YA book, not adult. I decided that because the two main characters are still young (under 21), and the real gist of the novel is their friendship, it is more YA than adult. It moves, too, in a way that adult novels do not—the inner thoughts of the narrators are still young.  The proof of their friendship is one of the saddest and bravest scenes I've read in a long time. 

What are your favourite tear-jerkers? Let us know in the comments! 

WHAT IS YA? Will be a monthly feature, published on the 15^th of each month, written by Angle Reynolds, our Head of Youth Services.  We are giving away YA books to go along with it! Make a comment below about one of the books we talked about, and you’ll be entered into a monthly draw for a YA review copy. Must be able to pick the book up at one of our branch libraries; no books will be shipped or mailed.