Monthly Archives: May 2019

As announced in March, the new eLibrary website is up and running! The site is a big change from the earlier “erec” version, but thankfully, there is an eLibrary Training Webinar available. Find it under the Training Resources tab on the Virtual Lexicon site.

In order to promote the new eLibrary site to library patrons, there are marketing materials available that can be printed, posted online, or shared on a website. Materials include graphics for Instagram and Facebook, printable bookmarks and flyers, and kid-friendly promotions.

Find all of the new eLibrary promotional materials under the Marketing Materials tab of the Virtual Lexicon blog.

OverDrive’s Digital Bookmobile is making stops in Allegheny County in June!  Come aboard the 42-long truck and explore OverDrive’s resources and get help borrowing an ebook or audiobook.  This is a high-tech update to the traditional Bookmobile and has several interactive stations.

• Monday, June 10: Northland Public Library
• Tuesday, June 11: Mt. Lebanon Public Library
• Friday, June 14: Baldwin Borough Public Library
• Saturday, June 15: Penn Hills Public Library
• Tuesday, June 18: South Park Township Library

It’s a great way for patrons to test out different devices, get exposure to OverDrive, learn about Libby and ask eBook and audio book questions.

I volunteered on the digital bookmobile last time it was in Allegheny County and I was blown away with how interactive and engaging the digital bookmobile is.

If possible, I would highly recommend taking a trip to one of these libraries or encouraging patrons to do so!

• Pam, Baldwin Borough Public Library

Science-Based Medicine is a website dedicated to evaluating medical treatments and products in a scientific light. The editors and the blog’s regular contributors are prominent skeptics, doctors, researchers, and communicators. They believe that online information about alternative medicine is overwhelmingly credulous and uncritical, and that mainstream media and even medical schools have failed to rigorously examine its claims.

The posts on Science-Based Medicine do not pull any punches. Here is what it said Medical Medium Life Changing Foods: “I expected it would be bad, but I was positively gobsmacked by how phenomenally bad it was. I was outraged that he could get away with spreading such egregious nonsense, that a publisher would agree to publish it, and that many readers apparently accept his fairy tales as legitimate health advice (89% 5-star customer reviews on Amazon). It’s a sad demonstration of the fact that common sense is not common, and that critical thinking skills are sorely lacking in our society.”

The authors of Science-Based Medicine claim “We provide a much needed “alternative” perspective — the scientific perspective.”

Ebooks and audio-books are great for traveling.  They are portable and accessible across lots of different media.  Using a Kindle, iPad, iPod, iPhone, PC or Mac, patrons can take their library with them wherever they go.

The free Libby app is the easiest way to get started.   Libby has the same resources as Overdrive — but Libby is an app that is more user-friendly.  Libby offers adult, teen, and children’s fiction, nonfiction, popular authors in eBooks, audio-books, and even magazines.

It is easy to get started with Libby – here’s how:

Step 1:

Install the Libby app from your device’s app store.

• Apple App Store
• Google Play
• Windows Store

Or, visit libbyapp.com in your Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge browser.

Step 2:

In Libby, follow the prompts to find your library and sign in with a valid library card.

Step 3:

Browse the library’s collection and borrow a title.

Step 4:

Borrowed titles appear on under Shelf > Loans.  Titles will download to the app automatically when connected to Wi-Fi so they can be read offline.

From Loans, you can:

• Tap Open Book to choose where you’d like to read the book (Kindle or Libby), then finish sending to Kindle (U.S. libraries only) or start reading in Libby.
• Tap Open Audiobook or Open Magazine to start reading or listening to that title.
• Tap the Due Date to see options like Renew and Return.

Need a little help?  Libby offers help with things such as searching, borrowing, downloading or streaming, returning, renewing, and lots more.  For more information, visit:  Libby Help.

Happy reading!

Lisa DeLucia, USC Library