Updates coming to OverDrive!!

OverDrive

There are some updates coming soon to OverDrive Read, OverDrive Listen, and the OverDrive app.

OverDrive Read & OverDrive Listen

 
Updated Menu icon with new icons (like Overview and Search) next to it for quick and easy access from the reader.

• Added a new, highly visible bookmark icon to the top-right corner of the screen in OverDrive Read for mobile devices. For OverDrive Listen, the bookmark icon has moved to the top-right corner of the player as well.
• Added a History tab to the menus that will list the places you’ve visited in a book by searching, scrolling, selecting a chapter, or opening a link.
• Renamed the "Assistive" font to "OpenDyslexic."
• Updated the look of the seek bars.

 

 

• Added icons to menu.

OverDrive app

 
The new version coming soon, v3.5, will be speedier and address many issues users have experienced, like the app crashing during download, losing your position in an audiobook, or issues with syncing. The app will natively support larger phone screen sizes (formerly iOS would scale the app to fit) and Apple’s Dynamic Type, a technology that allows visually impaired users to increase the size of the text throughout the app–not just in the eBook reader.

In addition, we’ve made visual upgrades throughout the app, including the Home menu, bookshelf, eBook reader, audiobook player, video player, and Settings menu.

OverDrive Help will be updated to support these releases. Keep an eye out for these updates coming soon.

Charlotte Janes,

Systems and Collections Access Coordinator

 

  
 
 
 

What do you know about Labour Day?

Most of us only think “long weekend” when we hear the words Labour Day,  but have you ever wondered how it came about?  This holiday that we are all so accustomed to having was the result of many years of struggle. 

In the year 1869 in an age of rapid industrial expansion and growth a small movement began in Hamilton, Ontario.  Referred to as the 9 hour movement ( to protest the 12 hour work day ) it grew in size until in March 1872 the Toronto Typographical Union  went on strike over hours of work.  

Unlike Britain which had abolished laws criminalising union activity, Canada still had these laws on the books and employers pressed police to act, arresting 24 leaders of the Typographical Union.  Sir John A. MacDonald made a swift move to gain public support and only 4 short months later the Trade Union Act was passed.  Although there were still many, many restrictions it paved the way for unions to legally represent the worker.

In December 1872 a parade was staged in support of the Toronto Typographical Union's strike for a 58-hour work-week. The Toronto Trades Assembly (TTA) called its 27 unions to demonstrate in support of the Typographical Union who had been on strike since March 25.  These marches in support of the 9 hour workday gained support and grew in size and popularity every year.  

After attending one of these labour festivals in Toronto, U.S. labour leader Peter J. McGuire went back to New York and established the first U.S. Labor Day on September 5, 1882. In June 1894 Canadian Prime Minister John Thompson made Labour Day an official holiday to be celebrated in September.

Change did not come quickly or easily and many people lost their jobs in the process, but as a result of that small movement 145 years ago the majority of workers today have access to union or to other labour representation for their concerns.  

Ready for some fun? Take the Labour Day quiz! 

--Patricia Milner, Head of Reference Services

African Heritage Month

Every year, African Heritage Month is a time for people and communities to come together to celebrate African Nova Scotian history, culture and achievements. February is a time to reflect and to look forward, and we have books that you can share with your children to help with this. 

How can reading children's books help us learn about African Heritage? In Dorothy Perkyns' book, Last Days in Africville, we can put ourselves in the shoes of a 12-year old girl about the lose the only home she's ever known, helping us to understand a little bit of Nova Scotia's history. Reading Christopher Paul Curtis' novel Elijah Of Buxton gives us a glimpse into what life was like for slaves and their families who escaped into Canada. Read Fifty Cents and A Dream by Jabari Asim to step into the world of Booker T. Washington, or Viola Desmond Won’t be Budged to remember a Nova Scotia woman whose actions gave strength and inspiration to Canada's black community.

Picture books like Ellen's Broom can teach even the youngest about some old traditions; Jacqueline Woodson's brilliant Show Way gives us a little history lesson about the use of quilts. This book is available as a short film as well, and includes a wonderful interview with the author. 

Contemporary stories such as Shauntay Grant's Up Home and Jen C. Johnson's Seeds of Change show us the strength and beauty of community. Shana Burg's recent novel, Laugh with the Moon takes us to a modern-day Africa where a city girl has to learn to live in rural Malawi. Books can lead us down many paths and into journeys we never expected. 

Find these books and more on our list of African Heritage books for kids here,  and for a Black History timeline, visit this website from the Dominion Institute.

 --Angela J. Reynolds, Head of Youth Services

Ancestry Library Edition

       "In all of us there is a hunger, marrow-deep, to know our heritage - to know who we are and where we have come from. Without this enriching knowledge, there is a hollow yearning. No matter what our attainments in life, there is still a vacuum. An emptiness. And the most disquieting loneliness." Alex Haley

Have you ever thought about exploring the amazing history of you?  To help you discover your unique story the library is offering this special database to help.

For the next year as a pilot project, Ancestry Library Edition will be offered at 4 of our branches - Windsor, Wolfville, Berwick and Annapolis Royal.  This can be accessed at the branch itself or by wi-fi in the vicinity of the libraries mentioned. Remember to book your computer time if you are going to use it inside the branch.

There are millions of records from the basic Census, Vital Statistics, Court Probate documents to Passenger Lists, Passport Applications, Military Records, Photos and Maps.   Documents cover the U.S., Canada and the UK.  There is also some coverage for Germany, France, Sweden, Italy, Australia and China.  The Canadian collection alone boasts nearly 60 million records which includes the Drouin Collection ( the largest French Canadian family history resource available).

Search tip bookmarks and fact sheets will be available at the branches to help you begin your search.  Make sure to download or print the charts that are offered on the site under Charts and Forms at the top of the homepage. These will help you document the information you find and will come in handy on your next visit.  Come prepared with a little or a lot of information and let Ancestry take you on an incredible journey.



--Patricia Milner, Head of Reference