March Break is just around the corner

Not heading to warmer climes for March Break? No worries, mate. We have you covered. Our libraries have all sorts of programs, from Magician Al Bernard to pizza parties. All our March Break events for kids and teens are gathered here in one handy link.

What are we most excited about this March Break? Our #SafeSelfie Campaign, in partnership with the Cops-n-Kids program in Annapolis County, for ages 11-17 will be hosting a Pizza Party on Monday, March 14.  Teens are invited to stop in, grab a slice, take a #SafeSelfie, hang out, play some board games, and check out some of the cool new tech toys we have.

You know you want to find our more about the Naked Mole Rat Whimsical Day in Berwick, which you can do right here. In Wolfville, the Tantalizing Tattoo Table will certainly be something to check out. From 10 - 2 on Thursday, you can decorate yourself, pain-free, in the library. There are lots of LEGO Robotics programs, you can create with 3-d pens, and play music on tablets.  We are celebrating Spring in Berwick, Bridgetown, and Middleton. And some of us can hardly wait for Family Fort Night in Bridgetown. (I think our staff are as excited as the kids.) And what about life-size Candyland? YES!

We are also hosting a contest on Facebook. Tell us which book you'd like to see turned into a movie, and you could win a $15 Cineplex gift card. You could go see a movie during March Break with that. Maybe even get some popcorn to go with it. Contest ends March 10 at 1 PM.

So, do not be sad that you are not sitting on a beach getting sunburned. Head to your local library and have some March Break FUN!!

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

Mobile Cloud Computing

Have you ever been told that you have your head in the clouds?  Well, maybe that phrase isn’t too far off.  You can easily put a picture of your head in the clouds at least.  Mobile cloud computing is adding a whole new dimension to our use of mobile devices.  As we use our phones as cameras more and more, we quickly run out of room to store all the pictures, or inevitably you want to show someone a picture that is not on the device you happen to have in your hand.  Mobile cloud computing solves these and many other issues around the many mobile devices we have. 

When purchasing a new mobile phone with either an Android or Apple operating system, you will be setup automatically for a free backup service.  This service will back up your phone whenever it is connected to a power source and wifi.  This is one feature of the mobile cloud computing world.  There is more.  You can also activate Google Drive for your Android phone or iCloud for the iPhone.  This will allow you to easily share files.

For the Android devices, download the Google Drive app.  With this app you can store your photos and files from your devices to Google Drive then access them with any of your devices.  You can also install the desktop version for Windows or Mac and share these files with your computer.

For Apple devices/computers activate iCloud, setting up access to store and share files with all of our Apple products.   If you own a Windows computer you can download the iCloud Control Panel (for Windows 7 or 8) and share in this service. 

** What is cloud computing?  It is simply the use of computers hosted on the Internet to store, manage and process data, rather than a local or personal computer being used for that purpose.

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

Searching for Your Roots

Do those commercials for Ancestry.com leave you longing to search for your roots?  Do you wish you knew more about your ancestors but don't know where to start?

Tracing your family history just got a whole lot easier.  Effective immediately, all branches of the Annapolis Valley Regional Library are offering free access to the Library Edition of Ancestry.com. 

Ancestry.com offers access to tons of genealogical information such as censuses, vital records, immigration records, family histories, military records, court and legal documents, directories, photos, maps, and more.

Last year AVRL offered the Library Edition of Ancestry.com in four branches as a pilot project to gauge public interest and it proved to so popular that we have expanded it to all locations. In fact almost all public libraries in Nova Scotia now offer it.  It's a great resource for the novice or the serious genealogist.  It's also kind of neat to find documents relating to your long lost relatives.  I found a listing for a ship that regularly travelled from Lunenburg to Boston that my grandfather worked on in the 1920's.  He was listed as a "legal alien" and it even included a physical description of him including height, weight, hair and eye colour so no illegal aliens could stow away on the ship and get into the U.S.!

You can find the link to Ancestry.com on the lower left-hand side of the AVRL website .  This can only be accessed from inside the library using the library computers or you can use your own device with our wireless network.  Come on in and try it! 

Posted by Frances Newman, Regional Librarian