Apps Can Make Your Life Easier -- 3 top picks to have on hand

These time-saver apps offer easy shortcuts to many of the tasks that you do every day.
Clear through daily clutter with apps that will help you stay productive:
     Get organized. The "Remember the Milk" app creates master to-do lists, sets reminders and sorts your tasks by due date, priority or subject. (Works with Android, Blackberry, iPhone and Windows Mobile; free)
     Get a handle on your budget. The "Lemon" app scans and catalogs receipts, letting you track where and when you're spending. You can organize spending in a chart, based on retailer or over a period of time. (Works with both Android phones and iPhone; free)
     Get a human on the line. The "Fast Customer" app is the answer to getting caught in a maze of countless keypad options when trying to reach a real-life company representative. With this app, you select one of 2,000 companies, type in your contact number, and a rep will call you! (Works with Android and iPhone; free)

Let Your Social Network Help You Find A Job

Social networking can help you do more than stay connected with friends -- it can get you a job.
Networking is the No. 1 way to get hired, says Pete Leibman, author of I Got My Dream Job and So Can You. Here are a few ways to put your connections to work:
     'Like' pages.  Clicking the "like" button for a page related to your field keeps you in the know and can connect you with potential employers. When you subscribe to the page, you'll get updates on your news feed.
     Tweet, Tweet.  Follow potential employers and relevant associations on Twitter, Leibman suggests. But don't let them do all the work -- tweet your own tips and links related to your field. That will help you build your networks and get noticed.
     Get grouped.  Join your school's alumni association or a professional society group on LinkedIn to receive information on networking events.

Brain implant helps paralyzed woman drink coffee

Watching the BBC News the other night they were talking about a new breakthrough for people that are paralyzed. There were two patients that had chips implanted into their brains that reads the signals and transmits them to a computer that translates the signals and moves a robotic arm. The lady was able to think about drinking a cup of coffee and with the chip she was able to do so. It's incredible and the advancement in technology would allow more independence to people with disabilities. If you want more information or to watch the video here's a link to a Technology Review article.

USTREAM...Watch it live!

Ever wanted to stream video live from your phone? If you have a smart phone or are just curious about seeing what crazy things people are doing then USTREAM is worth checking out. It's very similar to YouTube, but everything is being streamed live. All you need is an account to stream live or view current content that they have divided by categories for easier browsing as well as a search option.

Espresso (Book) Machine

The always forward thinking Tattered Cover Book Store is once again making news with their Espresso book machine, a groundbreaking digital press that prints books on demand for self-publishing authors and customers looking for an unstocked or out-of-print title.  About 10 full sized Trade paperback books can be printed per hour for approx. $11.00 each and are indistinguishable from other books on the shelves.  The TC LoDo store has one of only nine of these machines in the U.S. out of the fifty in the world.  The Espresso is sponsored by On Demand Books where books are ordered up and sent to a printer via a computer keyboard and its monitor.  The Tattered Cover is participating in a program with Harper Collins that offers the house's entire backlist of books in instant digital access.  To read the entire article about Joyce Meskis, owner of the Tattered Cover Book Store and more details about the Espresso machine, go to the Sunday, 5/28 Arts & Culture section of the Denver Post.

Great Gardening Source

It's that time of year again when we're wondering what to do about planting tomatoes, miller moths, what goes where.  My favorite source of info is the CSU extension service.  Their very informative website is http://www.ext.colostate.edu/.  I recently recommended it to a couple new to Colorado, boy were they impressed!

Autism Assisted Apps

For iPad and other iOS devices there are now many apps available that reach out to the individuals that are affected by autism spectrum disorders.  So many have proliferated recently that there is now a specific app (Autism Apps) that provides a comprehensive list for those searching for such assistance.  Various apps are targeted to motor skills, eye/hand coordination, learning facial/ verbal expressions, learning how to verbalize wants and needs.  They aid in conversation between parents and children and help in learning words or social skills.  For those of us engaged in providing Storytime sessions for our youngest patrons we encounter those that may be affected by autism.  This is wonderful and beneficial information that we can share with these families to offer assistance of a unique type.

"Board Games You've Never Played"

A library in Texas didn't have enough money ot buy or upgrade their gaming laptops resulting in their games to have no appeal. The teens did show interest in board games leading the director to go all out on board games adding titles that were new or less well known and "Board Games You've Never Played" was born.  Games were chosen that encouraged cooperation, strategic thinking, abstract thinking skills and, of course, fun.  Word quickly spread and soon 12 to 20 teens were showing up each time, also making it easier to get them interested in going to other events.
As this library in Texas did, we always ask the same question for each event: What do we want people to take from it? The kids tried out new games, made new friends and improved their gaming skills.  They also learned cooperation, critical thinking, conflict resolution, friendly competition, all within a fun, safe, environment. Their advice for a board-game group is to do your research. A good recommended review site  which their director consults fequently is: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/

Playaway Options

I have spoken to several patrons about how great our Playaways are and one of them asked if they can be played in the car.  The answer is "yes, if you have the right adapter".  The proper adapter will depend on how modern their stereo happens to be.  The simplest one connects directly from the headphone jack on the Playaway to the jack in the stereo.  It is just like the adapter for using an Ipod. 

You (and patrons) can find more information on the Playaway website http://www.playaway.com/

There are some great resources there for libraries such as posters that can be printed, samples of displays at other libraries and even an opportunity for a library to win $500 in Playaway products.  And thank you, Jody, for recommending that I research it further!

Challenges with placing a Prospector hold

A SG patron could see an item as available in Prospector. But the system would not let her place the hold. It kept saying that the item was not requstable. After much work with David Britt, we found a few times that this happens. Here is David's bottom line: "So, the lesson learned here is that when an item is in a status that the Prospector system sees as “non-circulating” it will not allow a hold to be placed. This includes the status of “in transit” and “on holdshelf”, which isn’t always obvious when viewing the item on the Prospector catalog. As soon as the item is checked out, or back to an “Available” status the hold can be placed. This generally only becomes an issue when there is a single copy attached to the title. When there are multiple copies, the odds are more likely that one is in one of those “circulating” status codes to keep Prospector happy." So try not to be frustrated and encourage the patron to place the hold at a later date.

What Do Children and Young Adults Read Next?

Throughout the past couple of months we have been promoting Gale Virtual Reference Library to our patrons, and in that database I found a really great reader’s advisory tool for staff and patrons alike.

What Do Children and Young Adults Read Next?: A Reader's Guide to Fiction and Nonfiction for Children and Young Adults is available in GVRL and is one way, of many, to refer our patrons to their next read. It’s a 2012 publication and features summaries of books published 2009-2011, reviews, age ranges, and subjects. It surely isn’t the quickest way to access information, but it would be a great resource for proactive parents seeking a ready made list. I really enjoy how it covers non-fiction as well, which is something our Novelist K-8 can not do.

Subpar Skype call quality?

Although our busy libraries may not be the best place to carry on a Skype conversation, our iMac's are great computers for that purpose.  I've had a couple of patrons ask about poor sound quality while "Skyping".

There's not much we can do about background noise, and I don't think we'll be providing headsets with built-in microphones any time soon.  Internet traffic and congestion can hamper call quality.  And wireless connections are often slower than wired ones, so you might suggest that your patron move from his laptop to one of our wired patron PC's, or give her an ethernet cable to use while Skyping.

History Fabricated Online

This article in "The Atlantic" once again reminds us not trust everything we read online. Professor T. Mills Kelley teaches an undergraduate course called "Lying About the Past" at George Mason University. Students in the course take a historical event then fabricate stories around it--going so far as to make fake websites, documents, and Wikipedia entries--in an effort to better understand history and how easy it is to manipulate information. The lesson for teens and adults who use the Internet for research: "On the Internet, where identities are malleable and uncertain, we all might be well advised to err on the side of skepticism."

Old Car Model Values

Recently I had a patron come in and ask for a value of an older car.   An online website is  Kelly Blue Book located at  kbb.com goes back as far as 1992.  They will ask the make, model and mileage of the car after you have selected the year.  Then you select the style and various options that are listed for the car.  They will ask if you are considering a Private Sale or Trade In for the car.  The condition of the car makes a difference on the price also from Excellent, Good to Fair.  

The patron I encountered wanted information on a 1986 Toyota and that was not in the Kelly Blue Book.   A suggestion I learned was to look at Craig's list under vehicles and find the type of car in this area by zip code.  That way you can compare prices or see a value for another older car hopefully with the same features, mileage, and condition.

WMA Audiobooks on iPad

The other day I helped a patron learn how to download audiobooks on her iPad.  What I did not know was that WMA books can not be downloaded directly to the iPad.  After reading through Overdrive's FAQ's (very helpful), and emailing Nick, this is what I found out.  Patrons can check them out, but need to download the audiobook to Overdrive on their computer, then transfer the audiobook via the cord connection to the iPad.  If patrons want to download directly to the iPad, they need audiobooks in the MP3 format.  

Kids Encouraged to Lie Online?

Social networking sites, like Facebook, have been reporting an alarming number of underage kids (ages 7-12) creating accounts and using their sites. Studies indicate that 87% of parents are aware that their underage child is on Facebook, while 66% of them helped their kid lie to bypass age restrictions. This becomes a problem when kids are encouraged to lie and disregard safety policies at such a young age. In the same way that we teach kids to be aware when crossing the street, we need to teach them about Internet safety.  

World Cat

WWW.worldcat.org is a gobal network of library content that is available to help patrons find that book...not matter what!It functions similiar to Gale research library, but the neat thing is that it accesses local academic sources that people can drive to go get when they need a book right away. You can search by keyword, title, etc., and then can limit your search further. When you click on your desired source it will list all of the local Denver and surrounding libraries where the item is available. Thank you to Kathleen Rainwater for teaching a recent reference class and including it as a helpful avenue to follow when someone needs something right away. It is a great way to get that book for a patron, no matter what!

Printing google docs

During final exam time it seems like students are furiously printing all of their last assignments at the library. Most recently a young patron came up to me with two blanks sheets and said, "The computer didn't print my pages." Sure enough he was holding two blank pages. I looked at his screen and I could see his two page documentthat should have printed. It was too obvious of a solution: he had not actually opened the document to print it. He had gone to 'file' on the menu at the top of the screen instead of opening the document and clicking on print from the google doc menu. It was so obvious, that he had just missed it! Motto: always open the document before printing ;)

Printing Select Pages on a Mac

If you have a Mac computer devoted to actually running the Mac operating system, like we do here at SG, it may be more difficult to print selected pages than you think.

I had a patron ask me if he could print only pages 1-5 on his document of 20+ pages.  However, when you go to "File" and "Print" the only options it gives you is which printer you would like to send the job to. 

What you have to do is go to "File" and "Print Preview."  On the right you should see all of the pages in your document (all 20+ pages in this case).  From there you have to select each page that you would like to print (using the special Apple "Command" key you can select multiple pages at once).  FINALLY, from there you can click "File" and "Print Selected Pages."

This was the only way that I could figure out how to print select pages out of a large document.  Do you have any suggestions on how you have done this in the past?

Geotagging

Pictures taken with smartphones are automatically embedded with geographic location (latitude and longitude).  Keep this in mind next time you are posting a picture on Facebook, Craigslist or any other website.  Anyone viewing this photo can get your location and use this information.  There have been instances of thieves using this information to rob valuable items posted on Craigslist.  Most digital cameras do not automatically add this information.  You can disable the geotagging by going into your settings and disabling this feature on your phone.  For more information, here is a link to a New York Times article about Geotagging NY Times Geotagging Article .  Visit the website I Can Stalk U for information about disabling geotagging icanstalku geotagging.          

Facebook + Instagram

Within the last month Facebook threw down $1 billion to acquire the hipster-friendly free photo editing app Instagram.  This app is available for both the iPhone and (finally) Android phones...and while this app allows you to edit photos it is also another form of social networking (just what we need!).  After editing your photos other users in the Instagram community can view your pictures.  With 50 million users, and 5 million additional users each week, it's no wonder why Facebook wants to get in on the action.

Instagram currently has 18 different filters and allows you to instantly upload your newly edited photo onto Facebook, Flickr, Foursquare, Posterous, Twitter, and Tumblr.

If you haven't used the app before I recommend it.  Here's a beginner's guide to Instagram:
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19512_7-57414563-233/a-beginners-guide-to-instagram/?tag=mncol;4n

And if you're curious as to WHY Facebook would spend $1 billion on an app that isn't making money this article is interesting too:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31322_3-57411422-256/facebook-buys-instagram...but-for-what/?tag=featureLead

Keep an Emergency Photo Album in Your Phone

Your phone's photo album is probably filled with pictures of a fun night out, family events, and too many pictures of your pet, but the most important snapshots are often of things you wouldn't naturally think to include. You might already use your email or notes apps on your smart phone, but your camera app and photo album can be just as useful as a memory aid. Capturing photos of your prescription medication can be incredibly useful as a reminder or an indicator when you're in an emergency. On top of that, add the following:
   1. A picture of your photo ID (blurring out the any sensitive information you don't want to share - the
       goal is just to identify who you are).
   2. Your health insurance card.
   3. Your auto insurance card.
   4. Your car's license plate.
   5. Your library card!

Here are a few things that can easily be remembered with a quick snap of your camera phone's shutter button:
*  A reminder of where you parked.
* Your printer cartridges.
* The measurements of your furnace filters.
* Pictures of current medications.
* A recipe from a book or magazine that you want to use soon.
* Travel confirmation numbers.
* Anything "borrowed" that you might want to buy later.

Do you have any other suggestions? I'm sure you "smart" folks can think of plenty more ideas for photo reminders to leave stored on your smart phone. Please leave a comment and share it with everyone!

A New eBook Library Lending Service

I found this current article about the new 3M Cloud Library service. Like Overdrive, it enables patrons to browse the collection, check out, hold, and send ebooks to their devices. Plus, it uses what they deem "Discovery Terminals" set up in libraries for patrons to browse on!The article states that 3M has secured some great publishers for the service as well.

"Many libraries will love this solution because customers mostly do everything themselves. Overdrive warrants trained staff that know how to handle the content loading on your device and troubleshooting common problems." <- Don't we know it!

Google Chrome

When a patron comes up and tells me they can't sign on to our WiFi with aldhotspot.   I ask them if they are trying the browser Google Chrome to sign on. Many patrons can not use Google Chrome with our WiFi.    Google Chrome is a free web browser started by Google in 2008.   It is supposed to be faster than other browsers and about 25% of world wide usage is through Google Chrome. 

When I suggest they use another browser like Firefox they get on our website fine.   I had this happen a couple of times, so now I am comfortable suggesting another browser and it works for the patron.

A Call for xml HELP!

Hey everybody!  While helping a patron at SG she was trying to print her daughters algebra homework.  The teacher had saved the file as an xml document.  After trying everything I knew and everything google had to offer...I'm still at a loss.  Any suggestions?

Here is the link to the teachers site http://arapahoe.littletonpublicschools.net/Default.aspx?tabid=10840

Scroll down to Wednesday, April 25th and open the "Homework WS"

Any help would be appreciated!
-Julie