New & Noteworthy @ WHPLibrary

If you usually handle your renewals from home, please be aware that on Tuesday June 29, the online catalog for the entire Nassau Library System will be unavailable for 24 hours for a major system upgrade. In the library, we will use a manual system to handle CHECKOUTS ONLY. We will NOT be able to checkin or renew materials on June 29, so you will not incur late fees for books or other materials due on that day.

We expect the catalog to be available again starting Wednesday June 30. Thank you, in advance, for your patience and support.

Thirty four patrons answered our question about their use of Social Media websites for our February 2010 survey. This was a much smaller set of responses compared to the 77 who answered our January survey, so it's apparent that there was some self-selection based on interest in or familiarity with the subject.

Question: How often do you use Social Media websites such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube , Flickr, Shelfari, Kaboodle? Here are the results in rank order:

17 = Use at least one site as often as I can
12 = Use at least one site a few times a month
4 = Never heard of them or Never use them
3 = Try them out, but don't like them much

An overwhelming number of our respondents (80%) indicate that they use at least one site, "as often as I can" or "a few times a month". The most favorite social site is Facebook (18), followed by YouTube (10), with only a passing nod to Twitter (1), MySpace (1) and LinkedIn (1). One vote was cast for music sites, although no particular site was specified.

Interest in learning more about social media was directed mostly about Twitter (5) and Facebook (4). The West Hempstead Public Library has a presence on both Twitter and Facebook, but so far we have focused mainly on Facebook where we maintain Fan Sites for the Children's Room, the Teens, and the Main Library/Reference Desk. This is part of our effort to bring our products and services closer to our public and to interact with our patrons when and where they are most comfortable. Become a Fan, and let us know how we are doing!

Here are links to some other popular social media sites:
LinkedIn: a professional networking site used by jobseekers and human resource personnel. (example: search on "Bill Gates")
Shelfari: a social network for people who love books and sharing reviews about what they are reading and getting suggestions about what to read next. (example: Shelfari community). See also GoodReads.com, LibraryThing.com
Kaboodle: this social shopping site has been redesigned lately to allow online shoppers to search and discover products according to popularity among other shoppers in the Kaboodle community and consumers in general.
And finally, here's a guide to social media music sites.

The West Hempstead Public Library is proud to be part of the Nassau Digital Doorway (NDD) service which provides online access to best-selling and classic audiobooks for your listening pleasure.
Download and listen to content from your home computer, transfer the digital media to your compatible MP3 player, or burn them onto a CD (when allowed by the publisher). Patrons may check out up to five titles at a time, and at the end of the seven day lending period, the audiobooks will expire from the PC and automatically be returned to the digital collection, so you never have to worry about late fees.

To access the West Hempstead Public Library digital audiobook collection you will need:
      1. A valid West Hempstead Public library card in good standing
      2. Access to the Internet (high-speed connection preferred)
      3. Free downloadable software that transfers audiobooks to your computer

Please note that digital downloads can be enjoyed at home, at work, or when you travel, but are generally not for use on the computers in your library.

Before you get started, be sure to read the Quickstart Guide and the Digital Help-FAQ found in the upper right corner of the Nassau Digital Doorway's homepage. If you have the time, and a high speed connection, view the Guided Tour for an easy introduction to this convenient new service!

What if you could have fun, educate yourself, and help feed the hungry...? Would you try it?"

Here's your chance to play a game to fight World Hunger. For each answer you get right, sponsors of the website, Free Rice, donate 10 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Program.

The English vocabulary game on the homepage is designed to help you think, write, and speak more effectively. (And maybe score higher on tests like the SAT, GRE, LSAT and GMAT?) If your computer has speakers, you can even hear how the words are pronounced. But you don't have to stop there. If you click on the Subjects link, you can choose math, science, geography, art history, other languages and more.

Anyone can play this game, young or old. The computer will adjust to your skill level and keep it challenging. Give it a minute, and you may come back for more.

FreeRice began on October 7, 2007. Over 66 billion grains of rice have been donated as of August 9, 2009.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009 is the date when our new service begins.

Email reminders with the subject line "LIBRARY COURTESY NOTICE" will be generated automatically from the Nassau Library System catalog to help you manage your library transactions and avoid fines! Notices will be sent 3 days before an item is due. Don't worry, we won't annoy you with reminders for any items lent for 3 days or less.

If you would like this service, make sure that your email id has been entered as part of your contact information. You may add, update, or delete your email address in your personal account by using the "My Library Account" page in the library catalog. Click on the icon that says "Modify Personal Info".

Have you heard about our new Book-a-Librarian service?

Whether you need help tracking down consumer information, tracing your family roots, or exploring ideas on what to read next, we can help.

With our Book-a-Librarian service you may reserve a free 30-minute session with a professional reference librarian to help you navigate through the many informational resources available to you in the library, through our catalog, in our databases and on the internet.

Just fill out a Book-a-Librarian Request Form in the library or email or call the Reference Desk at 516-481-6591 to request the service. Each request will be given to a Reference Librarian who will schedule your personal appointment at a mutually convenient time

Book-a-Librarian appointments must be scheduled in advance and are restricted to West Hempstead Public Library cardholders.

Here is an excellent opportunity to get help researching your family history.

Our workshop on Wednesday, April 9 from 10-11:30 am, will focus on the valuable resources your library provides to help you dig through the myriad records that exist scattered in bits and pieces in various hard-to-access records. The Ancestry Library Edition provides a wealth of information in one convenient place and is available only in the library.

Bring your genealogy questions and our experienced reference librarian will help you find the answers to help you identify your kin.

If you can't make it to the workshop, you might consider using our new Book-a-Librarian Service, which allows West Hempstead patrons to reserve a free 30-minute session with a professional librarian to focus on your research interests.

Call the library 481-6591 or email us for more information.

February 29, 2008 is a Leap Day, also known as Leap Year Day.

(photo downloaded from Leapzine.com)

Browsing the Internet is a great way to learn about both the science and the traditions associated with Leap Year. Using a search engine, like Google, when you enter the words "Leap Year" you get approximately 2,180,000 results, far more than most people would have the time to research. A quick review of the ten on the first page and a cursory look at the ten on the second page gives a taste of what can be found on the subject.

To help you focus your research, Google has included additional search terms at the bottom of the results page under the heading "Searches related to: Leap Year". Use these hints to modify your own search terms, based on your specific interests. For example, adding "trivia" to your search, reveals a set of appproximately 110,000 results or adding "traditions" reveals another 138,000 results.

The Yahoo search engine also provides related searches under the heading "Also try:..."

These are some of my favorite picks:

Leap Year 101 for an overview.
If you were born on a Leap Day, check out the Leapzine website and Leap Year Capital of the World.
Sadie Hawkins Day which is actually celebrated in November.
Online Conversion Calculator for figuring out which years are Leap Years.

Check out the visual cues included in our Online Catalog to help you make sense of the different types of materials you may find in our Library System or from our Online Library Resources.

When you do a title, author, keyword or any search that brings up a list of items, in the rightmost column you will see icons that indicate that we offer much more than just books. Take a look, and see!

Icon for books and magazines in the library

Icon for audiobooks - sound recordings in audiocassette or CD formats

Icon for electronic resources linking directly to full-text online books
HINT: Try a Keyword/Simple Boolean search on "Gale Virtual"

Icon for musical recordings - cassette or CD formats

Icon for videorecordings - movies or tv shows in videocassette or DVD formats

Icon for special combination kits, such as "Bookclub in a Bag" or children's multimedia packages

Our new website name www.whplibrary.org is now operational and identifies us as a unique entity, rather than an appendage of the Nassau Library System. Email names associated with our new website have been assigned, to make it easier for patrons to communicate with us. We will be making improvements to the website as the year progresses. Watch for changes!

Our first blog is just the start of what's new at the West Hempstead Public Library. We'll use this new communications tool to update the library community about what we do in our respective departments and to share our plans and preparations for the changes that the new building will bring.