Lauren's blog

ELPL collects Graphic Novels for three different audiences:  kids, teens and adults.  These collections include fiction, non-fiction, biography, science, history and more.

New Kids Graphic Novels
New Teen Graphic Novels
New Adult Graphic Novels

My new favorite website is Quora.com  Quora is a place for people to post questions and receive responses from some of the most fascinating people in the world.  I know, you are thinking "Wait, doesn't Yahoo! Answers do this?"  Yes, it does, but badly, and is made fun of so often and so viciously online that I'm not even going to provide any links for you to follow.  Plus, many of the "questions" posted to Yahoo!

 Heads up to our iOS (iPad, iPhone, iPod, etc.) Overdrive users.  On May 29 Overdrive will release an update for the Overdrive app but before you hit that update button you'll want to review the instructions I've pasted below.  

The short story is that this update of the Overdrive app will require you to re-authorize your Adobe ID after the app has updated. 

We are hard at work getting ready for this summer's Code Camp!  We have been busy brushing up on our coding skills, trying out differnet robot builds for our project and getting everything set for our campers.  We are pretty sure this is the robot that campers will be building and programming:

The Memory Thief is the debut novel by North Carolina native Emily Colin. The story is basically Into Thin Air + Ghost but without Whoopi Goldberg, which is unfortunate because her presence might have helped.  I didn't hate this book but I certainly didn't love it. Colin's writing is at her best when describing the character's mountain climbing and out of body experiences (remember, said it was like Ghost). I found her dialog less compelling.  I also felt all three main male characters were much more engaging then Colin's female lead, Madeleine.  She seemed flat and this hurt the book's rhythm as the plot and resulting romantic tension hinge on all three of the male characters being in love with her. That being said, I did find myself up late one night wanting to finish the book, so I think I can recommend it to lovers of romantic fiction and poignant family drama.  

ELPL has The Memory Thief in eBook format, on the Cloud and on Overdrive.

 We are very happy to announce that eBook selection will soon expand rapidly for ELPL patrons.  In the last few weeks two major publishers, Simon & Schuster and Hachette, have agreed to allow libraries access to their catalog of eBooks.  This means that all six of the Big Six publishers (Hachette, Macmillan, Penguin, HarperCollins, Random House and Simon & Schuster) now allow libraries fair

 access to purchase their titles.  Previously libraries were limited to a very small number of titles from a small number of publishers.  This severely limited the selection of eBooks that we were able to provide to patrons.

The rules and practices of eBooks for libraries are byzantine and confusing. This article by Anthony W. Marx which appeared in the NY Times on May 1 does a wonderful job of explaining the confusion of the last few years. And while he applauds the publishers recent decisions for more fairness and equity he also, rightly so, calls them to task for their part in creating a very confusing landscape for libraries, library users and the publishers themselves.  

When should you, as an eBook user, see an expanded selection?  Very soon, with selection continuing to expand over the next year.  ELPL patrons have access to eBooks from two catalogs - Overdrive and 3M Cloud Library.  Having access to two eContent collections is important because only 3M has deals with all six of the Big Six.  All of our eBooks from both collections, as well as all our print books, DVDs, audiobooks and music are all listed in our online catalog.  It remains your best bet for browsing all that the library has to offer.  

Here are some easy links to get you started:
 

New 3M Cloud eBooks for May 

New Overdrive eBooks for May

New Overdrive eAudiobooks for May

Today Overdrive, the company that hosts the Woodlands Download Library, updated ELPL's Overdrive site to the next generation of Overdrive software. This means that the next time you visit the Woodlands site to browse for eBooks and eAudiobooks you will undoubtedly see some changes.

In addition to offering a cleaner more modern website Overdrive now offers Overdrive READ, a technology that allows you to read eBooks in a web browser (click here for a list of compatible browsers). 

Not all of the eBook content availble on Overdrive is compatible with Overdrve READ.  Here's an example of a search for Romance:

Notice that only half the titles are available in the Overdrive READ format. 

What does this mean for you?  Here are some tips to keep in mind when browsing for eBooks on the Overdrive site:

Last year, after reading Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl, I expressed the desire to read her earlier works.

Do you have your new eReader or tablet in hand? Good, now get reading! ELPL has thousands of eBooks ready for checkout from two eBook collections, Overdrive and ELPL’s Cloud Library from 3M. Here’s a quick guide to get you started, and places to call and email for help if you need it.

Kindle Fire users - To use Overdrive go to the Amazon appstore and download the free Overdrive app (search “Overdrive”).  To use the Cloud Library follow these instructions.

Android phone and tablet users - To use either Overdrive or the Clould Library visit the Google Play Store and download the free apps.  Search “Overdrive” and “3M Cloud Library”.

iOS users (includes iPhones, iPads (mini and regular), and iPods) - To use either Overdrive or the Cloud Library visit the Apple App Store and download the free apps.  Search “Overdrive” and “3M Cloud Library”.

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the land
eReaders and tablets were pent up with demand;
To checkout, for free, from the public library,
Romances, New Fiction, and SciFi that’s so scary;

Okay, I have to admit, that’s all we could come up with.  We’d have to drink way more egg nog to complete the poem.

But, whether you are receiving or giving a Nook Tablet tomorrow for Christmas, or already received your Kindle Fire for Hanukkah a few weeks ago, or you were given an iPad mini to celebrate Diwali in November, or you are giving someone a Google Nexus 7 tablet on Wednesday for Kwanzaa, rest assured that ELPL has thousands of eBooks ready for checkout from two eBook collections, Overdrive and ELPL’s Cloud Library from 3M. Here’s a quick guide to get you started, and places to call and email for help if you need it.

Kindle Fire users - To use Overdrive go to the Amazon appstore and download the free Overdrive app (search “Overdrive”).  To use the Cloud Library follow these instructions.

Android phone and tablet users - To use either Overdrive or the Clould Library visit the Google Play Store and download the free apps.  Search “Overdrive” and “3M Cloud Library”.

iOS users (includes iPhones, iPads (mini and regular), and iPods) - To use either Overdrive or the Cloud Library visit the Apple App Store and download the free apps.  Search “Overdrive” and “3M Cloud Library”.

Nook Tablet and Nook Color users - Visit the Nook Apps store and download the free apps.  Search “Overdrive” and “3M Cloud Library”.
If your device isn’t listed above check out the Overdrive and 3M lists of compatible devices.
You can use the apps to search for favorite titles and authors or you can find titles in the library catalog.  Just search as you normally do and then narrow your results by clicking the eBook link on the left side of the page (see screenshot at the end of the post).
If you need help check out Overdrive’s help page or 3M’s support page.  If you run into problems you can email us
and a library staff member will email you back on Wednesday when the library opens back up for business.  On Wednesday you can also call 517-351-2420 and choose the option for Technical Support.  Techies will be answering voicemail for that phone number for your eReader and tablet questions.  

We also have One on One Tech help appointments available.  Email
or call 517-351-2420, and choose the option for Technical Support, to reserve an appointment.

Happy Holidays and Happy Reading!

I spent an hour of my afternoon unpacking and cataloging a box of brand new books for the library (love that new book smell!) and I came across Children of the Night by Dan Simmons.  I was immediately intrigued because I absolutely loved his 2009 novel Drood.  It scared the daylights out of me and I've always meant to read more of his novels. 

Children of the Night gets good reviews on Goodreads and Amazon.com so if you are looking for a good scary read for winter break, this might be the book for you.

We have two new copies and they will be out on our New Book Shelves just as soon as I ge them labeled.  Oh, you can place your hold here.

Happy Reading!

 If you are worried that the rush to eBook is killing the printed word this book is for you.  Check out our copy of:

This is not the end of the book