Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Scheduled Site Maintenance - Wednesday, May 23

The library will be performing scheduled maintenance on Wednesday, May 23. As a result, the catalog, databases, and eMedia will be unavailable from 9:30 p.m.-10:00 p.m. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Database Access Issues - Resolved!

It appears we are having issues with access to our databases. We are working to resolve the problem but it looks like it may be tomorrow before we have any answers. Sorry for the inconvenience and thanks for your patience!

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Novelist Plus

If you haven’t used Novelist Plus in a while, you will notice a much transformed interface. Novelist Plus has enriched the screen with useful links and, as you will discover, it has simplified the process of finding series and read-alikes.

One outstanding feature in the current version is the Recommended Reading Lists. These are divided into fiction and non-fiction and can be customized by age group. Adult fiction lists are
arranged according to genre such as Romance, Westerns, etc. Teen and older children’s lists are arranged by topic and also include a read-alike feature heading: “If you liked. “ Young readers 0-8 years have their own topics including Fairy Tales, Stories of the Seasons, or Animal Stories, for example. Thus, in just a couple of clicks you can find suggested readings based on individual interests and age group.

Finding read-alikes has never been easier. You can browse the suggested author read-alikes or search for your own, specifying author or characteristics you would like to see in the read-alike such as tone, storyline, location, etc. For author read-alikes, Novelist Plus offers an analysis of the given author and indicates how suggested authors compare, thus helping you make an informed decision about what to read.

Series are easy to locate as well. Just select “Series” in the search choices and type the name of the main character in the search bar. Click on the series and the books come up in chronological order, making it easy to know what to read next. There are often large selections of reviews to consult and, of course, there is a popularity rating for each book.

Novelist also provides assistance to book discussion group leaders. There are 500 Book Discussion Guides available. Each guide gives information about the author, a summary of the book followed by thought-provoking discussion questions with answers. Finally, suggestions for further reading and additional sources of information about the book are listed.

--Alice R., Reference

Scheduled Site Maintenance - Wednesday, May 9

The library will be performing scheduled maintenance on Wednesday, May 9. As a result, the catalog, databases, and eMedia will be unavailable from 9:10 p.m. - 1 a.m. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Monday, May 7, 2012

Gale databases - Scheduled Maintenance 5/12

As part of ongoing product enhancements, on May 12, 2012, between the hours of 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. CST, users accessing Gale, Cengage Learning resources may experience a brief interruption in service during this time.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Scheduled Maintenance - Thursday, May 3

The library will be performing scheduled maintenance on Thursday, May 3. As a result, the catalog, databases, and emedia will be unavailable from 11:00 p.m.-5:00 a.m. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Fix It Yourself!

I’m an inquisitive person (a little cheap, too), so I like to do things on my own before I call in the experts. This is why, of course, I only seek advice and information from reliable sources, right? Wrong!
The first time my car window wouldn’t roll up or down, I surfed Youtube and watched several videos on repairing it. The next afternoon pieces of my door were scattered on the front lawn while I struggled to make the window motor work. Before I knew it, I broke the motor even more and had to install a wooden cutting board to keep the window from falling down. Yes, classy, all the way. If I went through a car wash without checking the window thereafter, my interior would get wet or riding over bumps would cause the cutting board to slide out of place. I should have checked out ALLDATA!
My husband and I were trying to mow the lawn for the first time this spring when our “new” lawnmower wouldn’t start. He tried to change the oil by pouring an entire quart into the engine. It started the next time with enough toxins to cause another hole in the ozone! If we had perused the Small Engine Repair Reference Center, we wouldn’t have had to bother our kind neighbor to fix it for us.
This just goes to show that before you take on any project you should do your homework and our databases can help you do that!
--Anna H., Jamestown Bluffs Branch