Tips & Tricks for ACLA Databases and Downloadables

Professional Development with WebJunction

No matter how long you have worked in a library there are always new things to learn. Many of us are able to go to state and national library conferences, but many are not. And while there are many free webinars available sometimes you want to learn at your own pace in and in your own time. A great source for this is Web Junction.

There are many great articles, webinars and trainings available to all of your staff including volunteers. You can look at past and upcoming webinars, the course catalog or search by topic.

To take advantage of this great resource all you have to do is sign up for a free account. You then all set to start exploring and enhancing your career!

Tracy – Monroeville Public Library

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Celebrate Women’s History Month with Gale!

March is Women’s History Month and if you’re looking for an educational, passive activity to share with your patrons, then Gale has got you covered with a themed scavenger hunt. 

Patrons can search the Gale in Context: World History database for the answers to a five-question quiz. Along the way, participants will explore a wide breadth of information and practice their research skills. Gale offers information in a variety of formats ranging from images to academic journals, and this scavenger hunt highlights the database’s offerings.  

To add a bit of extra fun, consider offering an incentive to those who complete the scavenger hunt, such as a bookmark or small treat. If patrons inquire, Gale has included an answer sheet for the scavenger hunt. 

-Erin Weaver, Bridgeville Public Library 

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Taxes and Consumer Reports

Tax time is upon us and if you’re lucky, you’ll be getting a refund. If you are looking for some guidance in spending that money, look no further than Consumer Reports.

Maybe you’re going to put the money towards a new vehicle – Consumer Reports can help with that. Perhaps your spending will be a bit more modest and you’ll get a new espresso machine – again, Consumer Reports has unbiased ratings on the best product for your caffeine fix.

Consumer Reports may be accessed through the eLibrary link. The list of resources is in alphabetical order so scroll down to Consumer Reports. You will need to enter your library card number if you are using it from home. Once you connect, simply enter the type of product you are looking for in the search window and press ENTER. Full text articles, charts, graphs, and ratings guides will load for you. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact your local library for assistance.

Lisa @ Northland Public Library

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Exciting Libby News 

On March 21st Libby will be getting a shiny new update for libraries and their patrons to enjoy! This news means that Libby is introducing two new features called deep search and notify me. The deep search feature will allow patrons to find more titles, ones that may not be in the library’s collection yet. And Notify Me tag is actually a part of the tags feature that already exists within Libby now!  

Deep search will allow everyone to see titles that may not be in the collection. Once you find something you are interested in but is not in the collection you can then use the Notify Me tag to let the libraries know you are interested in that title. And in turn if that title is added you will then be notified of its addition so that you can read or listen to that title! 

This does mean that the Recommend to Library feature that some people may be familiar with is officially going away. This is going hand in hand with the OverDrive App’s formal sunset at the end of April.  

So, this is a good time to remind everyone – if you are still using the OverDrive App and have not yet switched to the Libby App – now is the time! OverDrive will be going away officially at the end of April along with its Recommend to Library feature but fear not Libby will still be here with its handy new deep search and Notify Me tags to help us meet your library needs! 

P.S. For those not yet familiar with Libby’s tag feature please take a peak at their handy help page here all about tags and how to use them: https://help.libbyapp.com/en-us/categories/tags.htm . And to get more familiar with Libby please don’t forget to checkout https://libbyapp.com/library/acla .

Happy Reading  

~Adrianne 

Northland Library 

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