Waiting for Mumford & Sons?

Are you waiting for Mumford & Sons' new CD Babel? No reason for the music to stop playing... here is a list of artists that are considered similar to Mumford & Sons.

Mumford & Sons suggestions

Love reading in the bathtub

Do you love reading in the bathtub but fear getting your book wet?

Then check out this 8yr olds invention to prevent a wet book.

Inspired? For more inspiration check out these titles:
Inventions

Think Romance Novels are too steamy?

If you think romance novels are too steamy than you have not heard about the new trend in romance lit (and it does not involve vampires or witches). The hottest trend is called, Bonnet Rippers and they are romance books set in the Amish country.

Authors include:
Beverly Lewis
Wanda E. Brunstetter
Jerry & Tina Eicher

Check the WCCLS catalog for a listing of Amish Fiction.

Another Diet Book?

No. This is not another diet book. This is a nutrition book that examines the relationship between diet and disease. According to the book jacket, "The China Study presents a clear and concise message of hope as it dispels the multitude of health myths and misinformation." Read it today and make your own decision.

Integrating Audio and Text on your Device

Do you like having text read to you? Many people have reasons for wanting words on a screen also play a recording. Some people who are learning to read or who have other learning curve needs do enjoy such features.

The audiobook and ebook craze has just begun, and there are hundreds of devices that are trying to provide access to audio and text.

Gale Virtual Reference Library which WCCLS provices, can be an app on your device, and it finds your location as long as GPS is on. If all your settings are a go, then you can click Listen in any of your search results and hear the text read along as you read.

Gale Virtual Reference Library is a huge reference shelf of books and encyclopedias.

You have to have other apps to make it work. You have to have Adobe Flash Player. By the way if you have a Galaxy 7, which is what I used to try this on, it might be set up so that it can't shop in any place other than Google Play. If that happens just change those settings -- Go to Settings. There are settings called Personal Settings, go under Security. then go under Device Administration. Then under that is Unknown Sources. Just put the check box into that setting and enable access to apps that are elsewhere on the web. Because Adobe Flash Player (on today 4-11-13) was not Google Play app store material.

Oregonian Historical Archive

I normally don't promote a database that is not owned by WCCLS member libraries, but because so many Washington County residents also own a library card from the Multnomah County Library, I wanted to let patrons know about this resource if they were not aware of it. 

I received a phone call from one of our patrons who requested information regarding an Odus Bales, the founder of Bales Thriftway in Cedar Mill.  Apparently Mr. Bales was involved in a robbery/shooting  in the 1980's and my patron needed information regarding the incident.  The Oregonian database owned by WCCLS doesn't go back far enough, so I whipped out my MCL card and started searching the Oregonian Historical Archive on the MCL website.   This database contains full text and full-image of every page of the Oregonian from 1861 to 1987, cover to cover, in downloadable PDF format.  Within just a few minutes, I had found several articles regarding the incident and was able to send the information to my patron.

My point on all of this is that back in my library school days (I hate to admit in the 1970's) we were always taught to try to get the needed information to our patrons.  If we didn't have the resource locally, then to refer the person to an appropriate agency or organization or to use the many resources that we had available to us, including the resources of other library systems from which a valid library card is obtained. I've always tried to follow that  principle, and as a result, I think that I have promoted library resources in general and have given patrons good service.

Directory of Trade Schools

With businesses and for-profit schools competing on the web, it is hard to find a plain nonbiased listing of trade, industrial, and vocational schools just by googling. But you can get to some of that information in the resource called Oregon CIS. Washington County provides access to this. It contains trade schools here and in the other states too. For how CIS decides which schools to add, read on