Upcoming WVLS Co-sponsored Webinars Available To All WVLS Libraries Staff and Trustees

January 16, 2013, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Wisconsin Valley Library Service along with 13 other systems in the state is co-sponsoring the Wild Wisconsin Winter Web Conference. This event will feature six webinars in one day with presenters from California to Maine. Attend what you want – one….four….or all six! Participate from the comfort of your own chair or join others at the WVLS office where we will host the event in our meeting room.

View the programs being offered and register at: http://nicbits.blogspot.com/p/wwwwc.html#!/p/wwwwc.html

January 31, 2013, 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. The One Organizing Strategy That Will Triple Your Efficiency At Home and Work Webinar

Imagine 2013 as the year when you stop spending time looking for things on your desk, and when your office is an efficient sanctuary instead of a place that makes your stomach knot up. Professional Organizer Heidi DeCoux Giron will help us come up with systems and processes that will help make sense of our offices, our desks, and our lives to help ensure we can spend more time doing the things we love. This webinar is co-sponsored by IFLS, NWLS and WVLS.
Reserve your webinar seat at: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/635381118

February 12, 2013, 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Five Powerful Email Techniques For Emptying Your Inbox and Keeping It Empty Webinar

Join professional organizer Heidi DeCoux Giron for some tips to manage the flood of emails you receive. This webinar is co-sponsored by IFLS, NWLS and WVLS.
Reserve your webinar seat at: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/441154878

February 28, 2013, 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Readers' Advisory: Spotlight on Nonfiction Webinar

Sarah Statz Cords is an author, presenter, and blogger with plenty of public library experience. Her specialty is Readers' Advisory. Learn about some basic, easily-applicable readers' advisory techniques, and then we'll hone in on nonfiction readers' advisory. This webinar is co-sponsored by IFLS, NWLS and WVLS.
Reserve your Webinar seat at: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/956951502

All webinars will be available from the WVLS office on the day of the event.

Juanita Thomas, WVLS Outreach Coordinator

Reading Between the Lines

"As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do.”  -- Andrew Carnegie

 

The first news bulletins from Littleton, Colorado on the car radio were sketchy at best on April 20, 1999. My husband and I were driving toward the Twin Cities to visit the historic Titanic Exhibition. In a bizarre twist the two events, 87 years and six days apart, were to become indelibly connected in my mind.

 

It was after 9 p.m. that evening before we finally tuned into CNN from our hotel room. Commentators attempting to make some sense out of the shooting and bombing at Columbine High School switched back and forth between Colorado and the refugee crisis in war torn Kosovo, another tragedy suddenly relegated to second place in the infotainment food chain. The images of stunned people living half a world apart in places numb from unimaginable calamity wrought by modern weaponry were almost interchangeable. 

 

Among those interviewed was Marion Wright Edelman of the Children's Defense Fund. She stated that in most communities it was easier for a teenager to get a hold of a gun than a library book. I thought about the parental permission forms required to obtain a library card under the age of 18 and supposed she could be right.

 

Twelve hours later saw us stepping back in time to the last hours of the doomed Titanic. We managed to cover about half the exhibit before several classes of fourth graders poured in. Carrying some sort of worksheet, the girls and boys darted in between display cases and the few adults in the gallery like minnows schooling around pier pilings.

 

Remembering the Rhinelander District Library’s chapter of Junior Historians, I was initially excited at the prospect of observing these youngsters reacting to their surroundings. Sadly, the majority of them didn't seem to be connecting at all. The paper they clutched was a checklist designed to make sure they "saw" everything, but their visit quickly become a frenzied scavenger hunt focused on filling in the blanks to earn access to the gift shop.

 

After the wall of 2,226 passenger names, the last thing the kids passed before entering souvenir land was the visitors comment book. Many of their reactions were surprisingly thoughtful considering the frantic atmosphere. However, the first page I flipped to contained these words in childish scrawl:

 

"It was pure crap. No guns."

 

I wondered then, as now, how the personal reality of the child writing those six words in the Titanic Exhibition guest book would someday be translated into the pages of time. By my reckoning that 1999 grade-schooler was only a couple years older than Adam Lanza of Newtown, Connecticut.

 

Flash forward twelve and a half years to another story unfolding on the car radio as I drove home to Rhinelander from the WVLS office on a December evening. Another massacre in another school in another quiet, above average income community. Only this time it was elementary school children and teachers. I gripped the steering wheel, remembering all the bright, eager gap-toothed smiles I’d seen during twenty-seven years as a children’s librarian, and felt physically ill.

 

Over the weekend that followed, we learned their names and faces.

 

Charlotte. Daniel. Olivia. Josephine. Ana. Dylan. Madeleine. Catherine. Chase. Jesse. James. Grace. Emilie. Jack. Noah. Caroline. Jessica. Benjamin. Avielle. Allison.

 

Rachel. Dawn. Ann Marie. Lauren. Mary. Victoria.

 

Nancy. Adam.

 

As an anxious public reaches for answers that may never be known, Adam Lanza has been described as autistic, possibly challenged by Asperger’s syndrome, and home schooled. ABC News even reported that geneticists have been asked to study his DNA for “abnormalities and mutations.”

 

Caught up in the furious media driven stew that has mixed the voracious debate over guns, massacres and mental illness, it’s vital that we don’t create additional stereotypes for struggling children who are every bit as bright and loving and deserving of our nurture as those who died in the first grade classrooms of Sandy Hook Elementary.

 

Isolation and misunderstanding, hubris and blame create invisible wounds. We are passengers all together on this journey.

 

There are striking similarities between our world of 2012 and the gilded age of a century ago that launched the Titanic, a veritable calamity of human failing. Captains of industry still plot a full throttle course under cover of darkness without binoculars in the crow’s nest, paying more attention to the dictates of marketing than to warnings of potential submerged danger. Life boats for all simply aren’t a priority. Those not berthed in first class are expendable.

 

Icy water and bullets are equally unimpressed by social strata. Terror cuts across all boundaries of race and place. Thousands of Americans are slaughtered annually in less picturesque communities than Newtown but their loss doesn’t capture public notice. 

 

Enough! 

 

May our lifeboat libraries welcome all children, making it easier to obtain a library card than a gun. May librarians overcome fear with knowledge, providing answers to tough questions while recognizing all points of view. May we continue to address poverty of the mind, enfold lonely spirits and give support to those who grieve.

 

Kris Adams Wendt

Mark your calendar for upcoming CEU events/webinars/meetings in 2013

System Events:

January 16 – Wild Wisconsin Winter Web Conference (all day Webinar)

January 31 – The One Organizing Strategy that will Triple Your Efficiency at Home and Work (Webinar sponsored by IFLS, NWLS, and WVLS) Watch for email to sign up.)

February 12, 2013 – 5 Powerful Email Techniques for Emptying Your Inbox and Keeping It Empty Webinar sponsored by IFLS, NWLS, and WVLS) Watch for email to sign up.)

February 28, 2013 – Readers’ Advisory: Spotlight on Nonfiction (Webinar sponsored by IFLS, NWLS, and WVLS) Watch for email to sign up.)

March 4 & 5, 2013 – Children’s Book Fest in Rhinelander and the WVLS Grassroots Gathering is scheduled for March 5, 2013 in Rhinelander following the Children’s Book Fest.

March 14 – Planning and Leading Effective Meetings (Webinar)

April 18 - WVLS Director’s Retreat

Happenings around the State:

January 16 – Lake Superior Libraries Symposium Mid-Winter Un- Symposium at UW Superior

February 5 – Library Legislative Day in Madison

May 1- 3 – WAPL Conference, Grand Geneva Resort & Spa in Lake Geneva

June 7 – Lake Superior Libraries Symposium, WITC in Superior

DPI Webinars for school and public libraries:

January 8 – 3 to 4 p.m. Summer Library Programming with BadgerLink

February 13 – 3 to 4 p.m. School and Public Library Collaboration

Heritage Preservation offers free, online collections care courses – “Caring for Yesterday’s Treasures -Today”, an online series about the preservation of archival and historical collections.   

Webinar Courses Schedule:

January 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, & 23 – 1 to 2:30 - p.m. Collections Care Basics: Where Do I Begin?

February 5, 7, 12, & 14 – 1 to 2:30 p.m. - Risk Evaluation: First Step in Disaster Planning

March 5, 7, 12, & 14 – 1 to 2:30 p.m. - Protecting Your Collections: Writing a Disaster Response Plan

BadgerLunch Webinar Series - Spanish Language Resources:

January 17 - EBSCO

January 24 - Encyclopædia Britannica

January 31 - EBSCO (en español)

February 7 - TeachingBooks

February 14 - EBSCO Recursos de Salud (en español)

February 21 - LearningExpress Library

As more information becomes available and registration opens email notices will be sent via the WVLS listserv.

Juanita Thomas, WVLS Outreach Coordinator

OverDrive - "Recommend to Library" Feature Coming to the Wisconsin Digital Library

A new feature is coming soon to the Wisconsin Digital Library. "Recommend to Library" opens up a book search to the entire OverDrive catalog and offers the patron an option to send the WPLC a request-to-purchase for titles not already owned. We can set a limit on how many suggestions each patron can make (for example, no more than 5 requests per month).

There are a couple of screen shots below, as well as the our development site URL and login credentials. Please take a few minutes to log in and test it out. Send your questions and comments to me by Tuesday 12/18, as we'd like to launch next week (*before* Christmas).

If you need a quick example, in the advanced search in the test environment, put "cooking" in the keyword box and click on "Additional titles" at the bottom.

     RTL is now added to your site and available for you to preview in development:

URL: http://wplc.bookaisle.com

Login: wplc.midas.preview

Password: d3w3y

You will now see the option for “Additional titles” on the Advanced Search page, as well as all search results page. Clicking on “Additional titles” includes search results that are not in your catalog with the option to “Recommend to library.”
 

 

 


 

Screen shot of search screen:

 

Jane Richard
Wisconsin Library Services
Wisconsin Public Library Consortium
jrichard@wils.wisc.edu
728 State St., Room 464
Madison, WI  53706-1494
608/263-5051

OverDrive Training - Hot eBook Devices for the Holidays

Hot eBook Devices for the Holidays!

Prepare to meet the holiday rush! Your users will soon flock to the library with the season's most popular eReaders, tablets and more.

In this special session, we'll bring you up to speed on the latest eBook devices and how your users can use them to enjoy your OverDrive collection.

Register for a FREE webinar:

Wednesday, Dec. 12 @ 11 am EST

Wednesday, Dec. 12 @ 3 pm EST

Thursday, Dec. 13 @ 11 am EST

Thursday, Dec. 13 @ 3 pm EST

Can't attend? Visit our Learning Center beginning December 21 for a recorded session.

Questions? Please contact training@overdrive.com.

Schools (and Libraries) Helping Schools in Need

About three weeks ago, a Facebook Friend and fellow graduate of my high school alma-matter started up a new page on Facebook called Schools Helping Schools in Need.  I noticed it as I was scrolling through my news feed the next morning, a surprisingly rare occurrence these days.  This Facebook page is intended to connect schools struggling through the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy with other schools around the country (or world) which wish to help out.    I immediately liked the idea, "liked" the page, and then shared it on my wall.

Last week I received a specific request, asking if I'd reach out to the Wisconsin Library community and ask for help.  There is a school on Long Island, Lido Elementary School, which lost three of seven buildings in its district and is running them without supplies.  It appears they are being housed (at least partially) in another school, Lindell Elementary School.  This school's need for used fiction and non fiction books to rebuild and supplement the school library(ies?) was the specific focus of that request.

This effort got me curious and so I've started asking some questions of the originator of Schools Helping Schools in Need.  Reading through their page, I'm seeing a handful of cases where schools are adopting classrooms or other schools.  I'm going to learn how these efforts are going, how they're being coordinated, and just what capacity exists for handling any sizable influx of donors and donations.

The request last week reminded me that Sandy is still there for hundreds of thousands, well millions actually  of people.  Displaced students and teachers;  displaced workers of all sorts; displaced families.  There is so much happening over in that part of the country that I (and I'm sure many others) can't quite wrap our heads around.  It would sure be easy to turn my head back to my own big projects and claim lack of time as a "reasonable" excuse for sitting this one out.  But I'm not sure that's something my conscious will let me get away with anymore.  In fact, the longer I've had to dwell on it over Thanksgiving (of all holidays), I'm quite sure of the opposite.

I am interested in learning what other Wisconsin librarians are already doing or have already done to help out.  Please contact me if you are interested in learning more about the state of schools and libraries affected by Hurricane Sandy, and in working to discover how our vibrant and active Wisconsin Libraries Communication Network might reasonably and most effectively be put to use in collaborative regional efforts, or better, a state-wide effort.  I can be reached through the normal WVLS channels, however, as all time I spend helping in any cooperative effort will be personal, I feel it prudent to provide some personal contact info:

I can be emailed at solutions@joshuaklingbeil.com.  You might also contact me via Facebook or Twitter.

WVLS Is Now On Facebook!

I know all of you have been waiting for WVLS to be on Facebook.  Well we have good news for you.  Starting with the week of November 19, 2012, we will be posting on a weekly basis with news that will be of interest and helpful to you. We hope you will "like" us and be our "friend".

In the future, you will find information about WVLS and other systems in the state, trends in "LibraryLand", the V-Cat Migration process and more.  So please join us and keep up-to-date on the latest WVLS adventures.

Please check it out at:  http://www.facebook.com/wvls.org

Reading Between the Lines

Much of what we think we know about the traditional Pilgrim Thanksgiving is myth. Clothing, food, traditions and guests are largely a mish-mash of Victorian romantic poetry and pageantry.

 

According to Karin Goldstein, a curator at historic Plimouth Plantation, “Thanksgiving school plays, as well as images of a single long table from textbooks and art, have become part of our holiday traditions. From a tool used to teach school children and immigrants, this simplified view of Thanksgiving has become a familiar symbol in American culture, used in all sorts of media from cartoons to greeting cards. It is important to remember that this view is part of the history of the holiday, rather than historic fact.”

 

What took place at Plymouth in 1621 was a traditional English harvest celebration – without buckled shoes, cornucopias, farm factory turkeys, cranberry relish or Native Americans wearing (mistakenly Plains Indian style) headdresses. This simple event did not turn into a national Thanksgiving holiday until the nineteenth century.

 

The Pilgrims, Wampanoag and Thanksgiving were first linked together in 1841, when historian Alexander Young rediscovered Edward Winslow’s account of the 1621 harvest celebration. The account was part of the text of a letter to a friend in England, later included in A Relation or Journal of the Beginning and Proceedings of the English Plantation Settled at Plimoth in New England, a narrative published in 1622. Although Young isolated the description of the harvest celebration, and identified it as the origin of the New England Thanksgiving, at this point Young’s claim had little impact on the popular concept of Thanksgiving.

 

Our modern perception of the mythical Pilgrims is actually due in large part to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, author of the epic poems “Courtship of Miles Standish” and “Midnight Ride of Paul Revere.” When “Courtship” was published in 1858, the poem was an overnight success, casting a dramatic glow on the Pilgrim story and feeding popular imagination. It was based on a narrative originally set down by Rev. Timothy Alden in 1814.

 

Ten thousand copies of “Courtship” were sold in London in a single day! Women swooned over the image of handsome bookish John Alden being asked by his friend Captain Standish to plead his case with the maid Priscilla Mullins, Alden’s own secret heart song. Priscilla’s gentle rebuke, “Why don’t you speak for yourself, John Alden?” passed into folklore as “Courtship” brought the Pilgrims to life for American readers and gave them new roles in the historical drama of the young nation. Miles, John and Priscilla put a youthful romantic face on the previously stern Pilgrim fathers and mothers.

 

Other than Rev. Alden’s traditional anecdote, no historical basis for the soap operatic story of New England’s famous first love triangle appears to exist. Researchers tracking the life of Captain Standish and genesis of the “Courtship” poem trace its antecedents to a bit of doggerel attributed to a Moses Mullins that appeared in a Boston magazine in 1843, fifteen years before Longfellow expanded it into the Victorian equivalent of a TV mini-series.

 

Writing for the Harvard Alumni Bulletin in 1976, Rev. Peter Gomes had this to say about Longfellow’s influence on the popular perception of American history in general and the Pilgrims in particular: “Had Henry Wadsworth Longfellow devoted himself to the Romance languages, of which he was Smith Professor at Harvard, rather than to mediocre but memorable verse, the perception of American history may well have been quite different. Paul Revere would have remained an unknown Boston artisan, and the Pilgrims of Plymouth would be little more than aggregate virtue. It was Longfellow’s disciplined meters and undisciplined history that launched them both into immortality.”

 

All of which only reinforces the librarian’s creed when it comes to recognizing the difference between belief and knowledge...and being able to research the turkey’s true giblets. 

 

When the family I married into gathered around the Thanksgiving table in years past, there was a flesh and blood link to the first Plymouth feast. My late mother-in-law’s ninth great grandfather was Mayflower passenger Francis Cooke (1583-1663). It was a thrill to see his name on the National Monument to the Forefathers while visiting Plymouth in 2005.

 

Besides Eleanor Cross Wendt, other famous descendants of the venerable Pilgrim Cooke include three presidents (Franklin D. Roosevelt, George Herbert Walker Bush and George W. Bush), artist Anna Mary Robertson “Grandma” Moses, the Beach Boys brothers Wilson, and actors Orson Welles, Richard Gere and Dick Van Dyke.

 

That’s OK.  The forebears of my Germanic great grandfather, Friedrich Wilhelm Adam, were celebrating their own Erntedankfest (“harvest festival of thanks”) long before the Pilgrims passed through Holland on their way to the big rock. 

 

Sie sind willkommen!

 

 

Read more about it: 

 

The Evolution of Thanksgiving 

 

Thanksgiving at Plimoth Plantation 

 

Erntegankfest and Thanksgiving

--Kris Adams Wendt

Attention: Wisconsin Valley Library Service along with 13 other systems is sponsoring a Wild Wisconsin Winter Web Conference.

Thanks to the effort of Jamie Matczak, WVLS is able to take advantage of this great opportunity. This will be a state-wide virtual conference available to any WVLS library staff and trustees. The all-day conference features six webinars with speakers from across the country.

The webinar conference is set for January 16, 2013, so MARK your calendar and enjoy this conference from the comfort of your own chair…or come to the WVLS office where the conference will be broadcast in our meeting room and hot chocolate served.

Link for more information and to register: http://nicbits.blogspot.com/p/wwwwc.html.

Juanita Thomas, WVLS Outreach Coordinator

 

Bad River Ojibwe With PATTY LOEW

Bad River Ojibwe

(This event is co-sponsored by the Wabeno Public Library and The Wabeno School District) 

Event: Guest Speaker Patty Loew
When: Friday, November 16 at 10a.m.
Where: Wabeno Elementary School Auditorium

4346 Mill Lane, Wabeno WI

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Patty Loew, Ph.D., is a professor in the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Life Sciences Communication as well as a documentary producer. For twenty years, Loew produced short and long-form documentaries and hosted news and public affairs programs for Wisconsin Public Television.

A member of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe, Patty is the award-winning author of Indian Nations of Wisconsin: Histories of Endurance and Renewal. The book won the Wisconsin Library Association's 2002 Outstanding Book Award. Her second book, Native People of Wisconsin, won the 2003 Best Juvenile Non-fiction Award from the Wisconsin Writers Council. Her documentary, “Way of the Warrior,” which received the 2008 Unity Award from the Radio and Television News Directors Association, aired on PBS stations across the country in the fall of 2007.

U. S. Libraries Weather the Storm

 

More Americans than ever are turning to their libraries for access to essential technology services including free computer and Internet access, technology training, and assistance with job-seeking and e-government service.  The U.S. Public Libraries Weather the Storm issue brief outlines how strategic vision and careful management have helped public libraries “weather the storm” of the Great Recession, supporting their role as a lifeline to the innovative technology resources essential to building digitally inclusive communities that enable full participation in civic life and in the nation’s economy.

Libraries continue to transform lives by providing critical services and innovative solutions to information access, in spite of years’ worth of consecutive and cumulative budget cuts. More Americans than ever are turning to their libraries for access to essential technology services not found elsewhere in their communities, including free computer and Internet access, technology training, and assistance with job-seeking and e-government services.

Strategic vision and careful management have helped U.S. public libraries “weather the storm” of the Great Recession, supporting their role as a lifeline to the technology resources and training essential to building digitally inclusive communities that enable full participation in civic life and in the nation’s economy.

The successes and challenges faced by U.S. public libraries are outlined in the U.S. Public Libraries Weather the Storm  (2012 Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study), produced by the American Library Association (ALA) and the Information Policy & Access Center (iPAC) at the University of Maryland.
(American Library Association, October 2012)

Continuing Education Ideas

Continuing Education Ideas

Trying to remember what is needed for CE credits? Is this class going to fill the requirements I need for my CE credits? How many times can I take the same class before it is one too many times to qualify for CE credits? If you have ever asked yourself any of these questions or just want to refresh your memory about continuing education and Library Director Certification go to: http://dpi.wi.gov/pld/cert.html or contact Marla Sepnafski msepfnaf@wvls.org.

This week the 2012 WLA Conference is being held in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Hope to see you there. Can't make it this year? Look into online webinars to fill the void. Checkout the following for ideas:

http://www.infopeople.org/training/view/webinar/archived

http://will.state.wy.us/ldo/webinararchive.html

http://lj.libraryjournal.com/

http://www.ala.org/alcts/events

WVLS member library directors and staff are invited to a free workshop hosted by T.B. Scott Free Library on November 1^st from 9 am – 12 noon.  3 CEUs will be granted for this workshop. Lunch will be provided at noon for interested participants.

 

National speakers Gail Johnson and Pam Parr from Face to Face Communications and Training will delight attendees with their humor, insights, and experience from around the world on the all important topic of Customer Service.

 

This fun, fast-paced interactive workshop will have you on your feet as you learn what it takes to hear your customers consistently say, "Wow, your service was unbelievable - thank you!"

Please RSVP to Stacy Stevens 715-536-7191 or stevens@wvls.lib.wi.us

Wisconsin Valley Library Service is planning a workshop on Interlibrary Loan in November. Watch for further details.

Wisconsin Library System continuing education links:

http://als.lib.wi.us/ALS/continuing_education.htm

http://www.ifls.lib.wi.us/Default.aspx?tabid=1221

http://www.lakeshores.lib.wi.us/site/

http://www.nfls.lib.wi.us/Events.htm

http://nwls.wislib.org/index.php/administrative-services/calendar

http://www.owlsweb.info/ce/default.asp

http://www.scls.info/

http://www.wrlsweb.org/member-services/2012-ce-schedule/

http://www.winnefox.org/education.html

Statewide CE Provider lnks:

Cooperative Children's Book Center Distance Learning, webinars, live workshops around the state http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/

School of Libraries and Information Studies--UW-Madison Has some online CE offerings, conferences, and other options http://www.slis.wisc.edu/continueed.htm

School of Information Studies UW-Milwaukee Also has a slate of offerings for librarians http://www4.uwm.edu/sois/CE/

Juanita Thomas, Outreach Coordinator jathomas@wvls.org

 

 

E-Book Settlement and WPLC OverDrive Program

We have received a few inquiries as to how the ebook settlement announced by Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen will affect the WPLC.  It is important to know that only individuals are eligible for compensation. Libraries are excluded from this settlement. The case details are as follows:

• Three Settlements have been reached with certain publishers in an antitrust lawsuit filed by State Attorneys General about the price of ebooks.
• The lawsuit claims there was a conspiracy involving three of the nation’s top publishers and others to fix and raise retail prices of E-books.  These three publishers have agreed to settle the lawsuit. A separate lawsuit with similar claims continues against two other publishers and Apple Inc.
• If you purchased one or more E-books from April 1, 2010 through May 21, 2012 that were published by any of the five Publishers (listed in Question 2 of the FAQ's), you may be eligible for a partial refund of the purchase price.
• The Settling Publishers deny they did anything wrong, but have agreed to settle to avoid the cost and risk of a trial.

A full list of action steps for consumers can be found here: https://ebooksagsettlements.com

Certain people or entities are not included in the Settlements, as follows:

•  Residents of Minnesota are not eligible to recover anything under the Settlements because the Minnesota Attorney General chose not to participate.
• Residents of countries other than the United States and its territories and commonwealths are not included in the Settlements.
• Only individuals are included.  Business, governments, libraries, non-profits, and other entities are not included.
•  Rental E-books, free E-books, and E-books received as gifts are not included.  (Only purchasers are included in the Settlements.  If you received an E-book as a gift, you are not included.  The person who purchased it for you may be included.)

The site has a comprehensive list of  FAQ's to provide additional information. Please share this information widely with your libraries.

(Sara Gold, WPLC/WILS October 22, 2012)

Microsoft brings Apps to the PC and the first "Microsoft Computer”

Hello everyone,

Microsoft is scheduled to release Windows 8 for October 26^th, 2012, and with it the launch of their very first Microsoft branded PC called a “Surface Top” or “Surface Tablet”. Microsoft plans to fiercely compete with Apple for market share using their new upcoming Surface Top.

What does this mean for libraries? The Microsoft Surface Top combined with the new Windows 8 Operating System will be a gem to have in any library. A primarily App based Operating System; Windows 8 will attract mobile-adept patrons of all ages. The Windows Surface Top will be mainly used as a touch screen device, but it will support a keyboard and mouse. This will be an excellent alternative to Apple’s iPad, with most of the features of other similar tablets and fully functional desktop computers. Libraries will be able to incorporate touch screen computers for patron use at an affordable price.

The Microsoft Surface Top will launch with two configuration options: the Windows RT Surface Top and the Windows Pro Surface Top. The Windows RT Surface Top is Microsoft’s new configuration and will mainly be for limited or simple tasks. It will not be compatible with any x86 (32-bit) legacy applications due to the Nvidia Tegra ARM Processor. Such x86 applications include Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Visio Professional, and numerous other enterprise level software. Windows RT will not have native support for Remote Desktop which is used for training, software installations, sharing applications, and other collaborative tasks, but such support may be found through web based remote access tools and 3rd party apps. Windows RT will require software (or Apps) specifically written for it, already such software (Apps) have been written for Windows RT in the Windows App Store. Windows RT will come with its own unique version of Microsoft Office called Office Home and Student RT. Microsoft is working with software developers to port over legacy applications into the new Windows RT format, so you should see applications like Adobe Photoshop become available some time after the Surface Top launch. The Windows 8 Pro Surface Top being an Intel i5-Core Processor will be able to use x86 based applications just like a normal PC.

The major differences between the Windows RT Surface Top and the Windows 8 Pro Surface Top are the following: The Windows RT Surface Top won’t provide support for x86 applications, and the screen resolution is only 720p. Meanwhile, the Windows 8 Pro Surface Top will provide x86/x64 application support and have an awesome screen resolution of 1080p.

Windows RT vs. Windows 8

 

Windows RT contains many of the same features as Windows 8:

 

 •Fluid, intuitive, and easy-to-use interface design that you can easily customize.
 •Built in apps like Mail, Calendar, Messaging, Photos, and SkyDrive with many more apps available in the Windows Store.
 •Internet Explorer 10, for fast, intuitive browsing.
 •Touch-enabled so you can interact with Windows in a whole new way.
 •Mouse and keyboard–enabled so you can be as productive as you need to be.

Windows RT also includes some different features:

 

 •Windows Update and Windows Defender are always on and up to date making your PC more secure.
 •Device encryption provides advanced data protection to help keep your information secure.
 •The PC can turn on instantly with connected standby.
 •Office Home & Student 2013 RT Preview is pre-installed.

 

Some features aren't included in Windows RT:

 

 •Windows Media Player
 •Windows Media Center
 •HomeGroup creation (you can join an existing HomeGroup but you can't create a new one)
 •Domain join

 

(Source: http://surface.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/Content/pbpage.Surface?ESICaching=off&WT.mc_id=FY13WinHH)

Specifications:

Windows RT Surface Top (Configurations may vary)

CPU: Nvidia 1.4GHz Tegra Quad-Core Processor

RAM: 2GB DDR3 RAM

Weight: 676 g (est. 1.5 pounds)

Thickness: 9.3 mm

Display: 10.6” ClearType HD Display

Resolution: 720p (Anticipated Resolution 1366 x 768 pixels)

Energy: 31.5 W-h

Connectivity: microSD, USB 2.0, Micro HD Video, 2x2 MIMO antennae (WiFi)
Included Products (Apps and trial software): Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013 RT Preview (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, OneNote); Windows Mail and Messaging; SkyDrive; Internet Explorer 10; Bing; Xbox Music, Video, and Games.

Included Accessories: VaporMg Case & Stand

Optional Accessories: Touch Cover, Type Cover

Storage (Solid State Drive): 32 GB, 64 GB

 

(Source: http://www.microsoft.com/Surface/en-US/surface-with-windows-rt/specifications)

 

Windows 8 Pro Surface Top (Configurations may vary)

CPU: Intel 2.7GHz i5-Core Processor

RAM: 4GB DDR3 RAM

Weight: 903 g (est. 2 pounds)

Thickness: 13.5 mm

Display: 10.6” ClearType Full HD Display

Resolution: 1080p (Anticipated Resolution 1920 x 1080)

Energy: 42 W-h

Connectivity: microSDXC, USB 3.0, Mini DisplayPort Video, 2x2 MIMO antennae (WiFi), 3G/4G Support (Still need confirmation if 3G/4G LTE will be supported)

Included Products (Apps): Windows Mail and Messaging; SkyDrive; Internet Explorer 10; Bing; Xbox Music, Video, and Games.

Included Accessories: VaporMg Case & Stand, Pen with Palm Block
Optional Accessories: Touch Cover, Type Cover

Storage (Solid State Drive): 64 GB, 128 GB

 

(Source: http://www.microsoft.com/Surface/en-US/surface-with-windows-8-pro/specifications)

 

Now that I’ve captivated your interest with Microsoft’s new upcoming computer, I’m sure you’re wondering, “What will this cost?”. Well, Microsoft just released the price of the Windows RT base model starting at $499.99 (other configurations are priced at $599.99 and $699.99). A week ago, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said pricing would be in the ballpark of “$300 to about $700-$800”. The price for Windows 8 Pro Surface has not yet been released. My opinion is the Windows Pro Surface Top will have a base cost of $700-$800 and up to $999.99 based on the configuration you choose. This should give Microsoft a chance at seizing a respectable share of the Tablet market.

 

Here is a brief overview and tutorial of Microsoft’s new Surface Top. http://www.microsoft.com/surface/en/us/default.aspx

 

Look for Microsoft’s Surface Tops October 26, 2012!

 

Kind regards,

Shaun

OverDrive App for Nook and New Promo/Help Materials Available

Click the poster image to download printable PDF.

 

Since we announced the availability of the OverDrive MediaConsole app for NOOK HD, NOOK HD+, NOOK Tablet™ and NOOK Color™, we’ve received several requests for promotional materials and help instructions. 

You want it, you got it! Use the poster and web graphic on the right to inform your patrons about the availability of OMC for NOOK. (Click the poster image to download printable PDF.) Print the poster, place the web graphic on your site or Facebook page, and spread the word to NOOK users in your community!

We’ve also created a step-by-step Help article on how to installOverDrive’s mobile app on the NOOK. Once the app is installed, it functions just like OverDrive Media Console for Android. Please reference Android Helparticles for more information about functionality and features.

 

(Use this Web Graphic)

As always, if you have any marketing or outreach questions, feel free to email librarypartnerservices@overdrive.com.

Cassie Renner is a Marketing & Outreach Specialist at OverDrive.