Tips & Tricks for ACLA Databases and Downloadables

Goodreads now a part of the Novelist database

I thought of writing this post after a patron sent an email to me asking if the library would consider training library patrons on the features of  the Goodreads site. I reacted instinctively. Goodreads? what about Novelist, does she not know about that wonderful database?  So now I can happily have a training session that combines the two because…. the Novelist database now includes links to Goodreads, the largest reader’s social network which contains reader reviews and ratings. If you haven’t used Novelist, this database is a great  resource for finding information about fiction titles for all ages. Two Novelist databases are currently available, Novelist and Novelist K-8. 

Links to Goodreads can be found in your Novelist search results and on the title detail page

Goodreads in Novelist

 Clicking on the link to Goodreads in Novelist takes you to the Goodreads review section for that book. If you have a Goodreads account, you can add a review, or if you don’t have one, you can create one from this page. The link to Goodreads opens in a separate window so you can easily return to Novelist.

For more information on this and other new features of Novelist, go to the Novelist Support Center. And take a look at the new Novelist Facebook page for tips on doing things with Novelist you may have never considered.

Ann

Continue ReadingGoodreads now a part of the Novelist database

eBooks roasting on an open fire….

(Reposted from the 11th Stack Blog, with permission from the author.) 

Having trouble choosing the right eBook format? Click on the teeny pictures for a step-by-step guide to checking out an OverDrive ePub eBook. And remember, if you do happen to get snowed in this winter – burn* your paperbacks first. If you burn your eReader, your house will smell like charred plastic for weeks.

– Amy

* No, not really. Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh does not condone book burning. Especially not library book burning.

Continue ReadingeBooks roasting on an open fire….

TumbleBooks for iPad

Susan from CLAV offered an overview of TumbleBooks in her November 11th blog post, Tumble Into Reading.  As she noted, stories, informational texts, puzzles and games are available 24/7 from any ACLA library’s website. The good news is that TumbleBooks has just announced that our patrons will be able to access the TumbleBooks picture book collection on the iPad and iPhone 4. The bad news is that so far, at least, things don’t always work quite as smoothly as they should, at least not in my limited explorations.

To get to the currently available iPad-compatible TumbleBooks, go to your library’s website on your iPad and click on the TumbleBooks link. (At CLP, you’ll find the TumbleBooks icon at the bottom of our Kids Page: http://www.carnegielibrary.org/kids/.) Click on Story Books then on the phrase “Click here for iPad-compatible titles.”

Select a title and click on the “iPad” button to launch the book of your choice. The book will appear in a small window at first. To expand, tap the “full screen” button. The books aren’t as interactive as some apps, so they may disappoint some savvy iPad aficionados. Still, it’s another way to make the engaging stories, animation and audio that TumbleBooks offers available to our users. And the fact that it’s all free should appeal to plenty of parents.

Currently there are 44 iPad books to choose from. Eventually TumbleBooks plans to create iPad content for the entire animated picture book collection by making non flash videos especially for the iPad. Unfortunately if you click on the green button that says “iPad Books” you’ll be taken to a page the features only a few of the iPad compatible titles. Hopefully that’s a glitch that will be corrected soon, but for now be aware that some users may be confused (and even cranky).

Another potential problem is that while some books played perfectly, others were quite buggy—including, ironically enough, Ace Lacewing, Bug Detective. Frequent pauses required pressing “play” repeatedly, though this may have been attributable to a weak Wi-Fi connection rather than an actual defect in the programming.

Lisa, Coordinator of Children’s Collections, CLP

Continue ReadingTumbleBooks for iPad

Visual Search Feature in GreenFILE

Database search results can be overwhelming.  Especially when users are searching a broad topic.  A search for solar power in EBSCO’s GreenFILE database returned a list of 6,275 results.

GreenFILE Basic Search Results

Thankfully, there is a feature in the left-hand sidebar which allows users to filter by subject to refine their search.  However, users may find that once they choose a subject it is not what they were looking for and must backtrack!

GreenFILE Visual Search


GreenFILE’s visual search feature cuts down on backtracking and makes it easier for users to filter their search results.  In visual search, the results are immediately broken down into subject categories.  This clean display makes it easy for users to browse article titles and their related subject headings in order to choose the best subject filter, or filters.

In visual search, the resulting squares are only big enough to display the article title (or a portion of it) and the publication date.  Clicking on a square lets users view the article title, date, journal, author, and abstract without navigating away from the search results page (pictured below)!

-Kelly R, Sewickley Public Library of the Quaker Valley School District

Continue ReadingVisual Search Feature in GreenFILE