Random Acts of Libraryness by James Laitinen at Salmon Arm Branch

As the great Austin Powers once said, “Allow myself to introduce myself”.  I am the new Branch

James & Roswitha at Roswitha's
Retirement Party

Head Librarian at the Salmon Arm Library.   Having grown up in Salmon Arm, it’s great to be back.  Thanks again to Roswitha Klawitter for her 18 exuberant years as Branch Head, and we wish her all the best in her new adventures.  We also bid a fond farewell to Colleen Smith, who worked 16 years at the Circulation Desk.

Random Acts of Libraryness

Maybe I’m being lazy with my first column, but I thought I would start off by highlighting some of the many services offered at the library:
• We’re more than just books (although we have a lot of those).  We have movies, TV series on DVD, audiobooks on CD, free Wi-Fi, workstations with internet access and Microsoft Office.  And people to help answer your questions (because Google and Siri just haven’t mastered the personal touch).
• Looking for something to read, but the library is closed?  You can download hundreds of magazines for free from our Zinio magazine collection.  Just a small sample of available titles:  Car and Driver, Rolling Stone, Knitters Magazine, Harvard Business Review, The Walrus, Shape, Us Weekly, Wood Magazine and many, many more.  Click on the ‘Zinio for Libraries’ icon on our homepage (www.orl.bc.ca), and start your own personal collection.
• If you’re having problems downloading eBooks or audiobooks to your eReader or tablet, you can make an appointment with myself or Alice, and we can show you the process from start to finish.  Just phone the library at 250-832-6161 or email us at salmonarm@orl.bc.ca
• Many of you audiobook-philes have probably discovered our collection of OverDrive downloadable audiobooks, but don’t forget our OneClick collection, which includes a number of Canadian titles
• Are you looking after kids yet in August, but have run out of reading ideas for them?  If you’re looking for advice, just head to the ‘Custom Booklist’ link on our website.  One of our librarians will create a booklist of 5 children or young adult titles
• Do you need to scan and email a document?  Our photocopier can scan and email a PDF copy of any document you need to send
• Did you know that we have books in other languages?  Our collection includes books in French, Chinese, Dutch, German, Japanese, Punjabi and Spanish.  We just got a brand new batch of books in Spanish.

Roots and Blues

If you’re going to Roots and Blues, and want to preview some of the performers, dig into our deep CD collection.  We have a wide range of titles, from headliners such as The Sheepdogs and Ian Tyson to emerging talents like Shad and MonkeyJunk.

Staff Picks

Ardie, our Youth Services Librarian, recommends Glimpse: The Dean Curse Chronicles by Steven Whibley, a Canadian author whose style is reminiscent of Gordon Korman and Sigmund Brouwer.    This is a thriller for ages 9-12 about, as the author describes “24 hours to save a life”.

And In Other Library News

• Saturday Afternoon Book Club:  Join Alice on Saturday, August 23 to discuss The Golden Spruce:  A True Story of Myth, Madness and Greed by John Vaillant, which won the 2005 Governor General’s Literary Award for Nonfiction.  Check out our branch webpage for upcoming book club titles (http://www.orl.bc.ca/branches/salmon-arm)
• We will be launching a new version of our catalogue and website in early October.  If you have been using the Enhanced Catalogue, the new catalogue will be quite similar in look and feel. 

Column by James Laitinen, new Head Librarian for the Salmon Arm Branch
This column was first published in the FRIDAY AM Paper

Listen to a Good Book from the ORL!

Let’s celebrate Spring with the sounds of eAudiobooks from the ORL!

Most know about the eAudiobooks found in popular digital book collections like ORL eBooks (and BC Libraries’ Library to Go), but did you know that eAudiobooks can also be found in some of the library’s other digital collections?

Check-out and download eAudiobooks from OneClickdigital

OneClickdigital is a fantastic source for eAudiobooks because you can find thousands of titles, including quite a few popular titles and bestsellers. Best of all, most of the eAudiobooks in the collection are always available for you to borrow, so you don’t have to sit on wait-lists.

eAudiobooks can either be downloaded to the free OneClickdigital Media Manager program, which is used to transfer the book to a compatible MP3 player or iPod, or they can be downloaded and enjoyed using the OneClickdigital App on iOS, Android, or Kindle Fire mobile devices.  

Find out how to get started with borrowing eAudiobooks from the OneClickdigital collection on the ORL website: http://www.orl.bc.ca/online-resources/help/oneclick-digital.

Stream eAudiobooks from the TumbleBookCloud & TumbleBookCloud Junior collections

Did you know that there are over a hundred eAudiobooks that you can listen to by streaming them on the internet browser of a computer, from TumbleBookCloud and TumbleBookCloud Junior? The eAudiobooks in these two collections can even be enjoyed on the browser of a tablet* and the books are great for kids and teens.

TumbleBookCloud features books for tweens and teens in middle and high school (and have a lot of titles found in language arts curriculum). Many of the titles can be enjoyed by adult audiences, too, as it can be a great way to consume the classics of literature.

TumbleBookCloud Junior features books that are fun for kids that are in grade three to six.
Some of the perks of these two collections are that there is no need to check-out the book or download extra software. After choosing a book, just hit the “Listen Online” button to start the book right away. Every title in these collections are always available – you just need an internet connection to listen to the book.

To find the eAudiobooks in TumbleBookCloud: Click on the “Audio Books!” link found near the top of the site.

To find the eAudiobooks in TumbleBookCloud Junior:  Click on the “audio books” link found underneath the Our Collection heading.
 

*Some of the book types offered in TBC and TBC Jr, such as ebooks marked as Read-Alongs and Graphic Novels (which feature sentence highlighting and narration) require Flash, so are not mobile device compatible. TumbleBooks is working on making all of their titles mobile compatible, though!

 

 

 

You can visit each of the collections mentioned above by clicking on the “View all Digital Resources” button found on the ORL homepage, www.orl.bc.ca. Library membership gives you lots of ways to enjoy eAudiobooks, try one out today!

 

 

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Each month, the ORL will be featuring one or some of its eResources. Library membership gives ORL patrons access to a wide range of eResources that can be accessed from home and in the library. These eResources can be used for reading and enjoyment, to help you with your research needs, or to learn new things.

Bring the library to your home today!