Art Books at the Library Have Their Own Room

What Does This Sign Mean?

Art books, or as we in the library biz call them in Dewey Decimal-ese, the 700's, have their very own room at Berkeley Heights Public Library. If you are browsing in the non-fiction stacks and have wandered from the 010's (Bibliography, not to be confused with Biographies), through the 100's (Philosophy and Psychology) and so on through the 600's, ending up in the 690's (Buildings), you will jump right into the 800's (Literature.) So we put up a sign explaining where in the world the 700's are. See photo. But you might wonder what a 'Circ Desk' is. Again with the Library Land Lingo. Circ is short for Circulation which refers to the library department whose intrepid staff members are the front line in library customer service; they check books in and out all day, put books on hold for patrons, create library cards, shelve new materials, find lost books, send out overdue notices, create book displays, and collect fines :-( among many, many other responsibilities. The closest I can describe working at the Circ Desk is that it is a cross between working retail and being a bartender, but without the fun of serving beer. We take your fines, but you do not get beer. We do listen to whatever stories you may have while we wipe down the counter with seltzer, or at least we wipe down the computer monitors with anti-static cloths.
So anyway, BHPL has a terrific collection of art books, craft books, books on knitting, holiday crafts, hobbies and collecting of all kinds and at the end of the 700's are books on photography, music, sports and games. So come on in and browse in the 700's room which is the room behind the big glass window near your friendly library Circulation Staff.

Related websites:
The Dewey Decimal System explained 

Library Terminology Glossary  

Do you like those quizzes on Facebook? Do you like libraries? Try these fun library quizzes.

Captain Obvious at the Library

Captain Obvious, the spokesperson for Hotels.com, is known for stating the obvious, obviously.

I was oblivious to Captain Obvious until I said something obvious to my son and he said,
"Thank you, Captain Obvious." Which got me thinking, We could really use this plain-speaking military type at the library. Just think, I thought, it's so obvious that libraries can save you money, we need this fellow as our spokesman. I really think the American Library Association should jump on this idea. Maybe Captain O. would even do some public service announcements for American libraries. Suggested scripts for Captain Obvious to recommend public libraries to the public:

Captain O: The Berkeley Heights Free Public Library is free, so it saves you money!
Captain O: If you borrow a book from a library, you don't have to pay for it, so it's free and that saves you money!
Captain O: Don't buy ebooks, borrow them for free from the library. It will save you money not to buy them!
Captain O: Don't buy DVD's, borrow them for free from your library to save money!
Captain O: A library card never charges fees like a credit card! That saves you money.

Thank you, Captain Obvious!

How do libraries save you money?

Preschool and Elementary School Online Learning for Children

Last week while visiting my grandchildren I spent time walking backwards, chasing downhill and up, reading stories and, yes, watching shows on the Nickelodeon TV channel. I was surprised to see 'ABC Mouse' advertised during a show about humanoid monster trucks that my three year old grandson loves. "Wait!" I felt like saying, "don't buy that stuff, parents, get it free from your local library."

Whether you are reading this from your cozy spot in Berkeley Heights, NJ or have stumbled upon this blog post by Googling and are somewhere else in the world, here is what librarians want you to know:

Your library has so many resources available for free and librarians hate for you to spend money on something we can teach you how to use without getting out your charge card. 

Libraries have done a pretty good job letting people know that we have books. Most people realize that libraries also have DVD's and books on CD. Many people realize libraries have downloadable e-books for free. Students may know that we have databases that can be used for researching term papers. But libraries also offer streaming and downloadable resources for children. So if your child or grandchild really, really NEEDS to be entertained so you can cook that Mac 'n' Cheese in peace, you can turn on a fun and educational library resource and know that the child will not be bombarded by commercials or unsuitable content while you boil up that orange goop or even tackle something more challenging.

 

Several online educational resources for children including ‘ABC Mouse’ are offered free from the Berkeley Heights Public Library.

Go to our Database links at http://www.bhplnj.org/databases-for-children/ to find ‘ABC Mouse.’ Sign up for a free account and start learning!  Preschool to elementary age children will learn pre-reading and reading skills through fun online games. Other children’s online resources include:

‘BookFlix’: Animated children’s books and read-alongs. 

‘Hoopla Kids’: Movies, TV programs, music and e-books that can be viewed on your computer, tablet or mobile device. Use the Hoopla Kids Mode by toggling to ‘Kids’ in your Hoopla app settings. Hoopla offers content for adults and children. Parents can toggle from adult mode to children’s mode in the app. Each BHPL card holder can view, stream or download up to eight free Hoopla items per month. One item may contain a TV series or musical album but that only counts as one item. Lending periods vary by title and format.

‘TumbleBooks’: animated storybooks that also work on iPads. Children will be entertained and learn while using ‘Tumblebooks’ and the other library resources for children. There are no fees and no advertisements! If you watch Nickelodeon TV and see ‘ABC Mouse’ and other resources advertised, don’t buy them before checking out the free access that your local library provides. 

 I wrote about these online resources in our monthly email newsletter, The Buzz, which can be found on the library website here. You can read the Buzz online or you can have a link to it emailed to you monthly. Come in to talk to the children's librarian or reference librarians about these fun online learning activities and other library resources which are free, free, free, did I mention that? It's hard to compete with talking monster trucks, but libraries are trying.

End of Year Clean Up: What Questions Have We Answered?

Do you love watching the TV quiz show Jeopardy? Do you yell the answers out when Alex Trebek asks questions? If so, you may be a reference librarian wannabe. At library reference desks around the world, reference librarians answer questions for a living. Many questions are about how to use the library, how to research a topic, what book to read, but other questions can be, well, anything at all. And all reference librarians savor the really difficult and really weird questions. We keep a file of questions in case the question, or questioner, pops up again. We take questions in person, by phone, by email and by text message. At the end of the year, we go through our file of saved questions and throw most of them out. Here are some gems, edited to preserve the privacy of the questioner. Enjoy; these reference question sheets are headed for the trash.

Q:How do I file in small claims court in NJ?
A: Read this six page information brochure about Small Claims.It gives links to the forms, the fees, and explains the whole process. We printed out the instructions for the patron and wished him luck.

Q: My printout is pink, can you fix it? How do I print in color? How do I print in black and white? How much do printouts cost? How do I print an attachment to email?
A: Questions about printing from the public computers are very common. We make signs and tip-sheets, but, because each question and each questioner is unique, the one-on-one approach works best when it comes to ornery printing problems. As for those pinko printouts: they come and go and we have not yet solved that problem, but not for lack of tinkering with the printer cartridges and cleaning sheets and test printouts. Grrrrr...

Q: I heard on the radio about a book about Israeli economists. Do you have it?
A: The Undoing Project by Michael Lewis. They were psychologists and the author was not Lewis Marshall, as the patron told me. That threw me off, but when she mentioned the radio show she heard it on, I could work backward from there.

Q: Another, I heard it on the radio question: what is the organization that will take your stuff and then return it? We thought https://makespace.com/nyc/, but later the patron told us it had the words 'bread and clutter' in it and she heard about it on the radio.
A: clutter.com Again, we traced it back from the radio website. Google was not helping us with these radio questions and the patrons had both misheard the vital keywords in each instance. By the time we thought we had the right anti-clutter answer, the patron called back to say she had called WOR and got the answer from them. Still not sure what bread had to do with it though.

Q: We get lots of medical questions and we often use medlineplus.gov to answer them. Usually patrons want information on alternative medicine. The worst questions were the one about the abcessed tooth, followed closely by the skin rash question.
A: I am not a doctor, I am just a librarian, please talk to your doctor or healthcare professional about this matter. Here is an article from a reputable source (Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins, National Institutes of Health, etc etc,) that explains your condition in layman's terms. Please don't show me your rash, thank you. Good luck. Feel better soon.

So 'I heard it on the radio' (or misheard it on the radio) followed closely by medical and legal questions with a whole bunch of help me with the computer/printer/my tablet/the library catalog are some of our most frequently asked reference question categories. Before the internet came along, reference librarians would keep card files of frequently asked questions and answers so we would not have to look up the names of the Seven Dwarfs or the word for fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth. Those are actual examples of the file we had at Richmond Public Library when I worked there years ago. It seems as though whenever a reporter has a slow day they will write one of two librarian/library stories:

1: Weird reference questions asked at libraries. Just  Google that phrase for some funny reading, or here is an example from a Paste article about the New York Public Library reference files.
Reference librarians love those articles.

2:  Aren't libraries and librarians obsolete now that we have the internet is the other article that appears routinely about our profession. Librarians do not like these articles. We don't like them because they are often poorly researched and just untrue. Reference librarians are still answering questions all over the world, for people who do not use the internet or who use the internet but still can't find the answer. It's true that libraries have changed since computers and the internet came along, but we are still here to help.

Where is the Internet?

Selecting Research Databases for the Library

Librarians are raised on selecting books,but database selection is another kettle of fish entirely.    Professional journals contain reviews of new and updated online research resources and comparisons to similar products.  Some databases are necessary because they have replaced commonly used print resources.  Like books, new or recommended databases are brought to our attention by patrons, visits to other libraries, professional development webinars and advertisements. 

Our database subscriptions, other than those provided through the New Jersey State Library, are reviewed annually before it is time to renew.  We consider usage, upgrades, competition, overlap with other resources and price. When we purchase a new database we try our best to promote it through in-house demonstrations, word-of-mouth to patrons, website advertising and an article to the local on-line paper.  Classes are held periodically to introduce the public to our electronic resources.  We normally give a database two years to prove its worth. Depending on the outcome of the review, some databases are eliminated completely or, depending on the content, a similar resource may be considered.

We request a staff demo or trial when a new database is being considered.  Staff will then spend time navigating around, clicking on buttons, uploading or downloading, and following links.  They will consider if the product fills an informational or instructional need and if it provides what is promised.
First impressions are important – is the user welcomed in or overwhelmed. Ease of navigation is equally important so that no one will become frustrated and feel the need to leave a trail of breadcrumbs.  The information housed in a database is only as important as a user’s ability to access it. 

Purchasing a database is more complicated and labor intensive than simply placing an order and waiting for a box to be delivered.  During the implementation period we work closely with the vendor in hopes of a smooth roll-out.  Questions about SIP, patron authentication methods, our ILS provider, and firewalls must be answered.  Are we paying for a defined number of seats or unlimited concurrent users?  Can the database only be used in-house or is remote access available?  Will the database cooperate with our aging LINUX system or should we wait for the installation of a Microsoft based system?  What about the logistics of staff training?  All of these questions must be answered.

A final and very important consideration in subscribing to a new database is the cost.  As our annual budget continues to decrease, adding a new resource normally involves canceling an existing subscription.  As an example, I am currently researching a new resource for language instruction which, if successful, could replace two existing databases and save money.  That would be a win-win for the budget – adding one site to be used by both children and adults.  At this point in the 2015 budget year, that savings will help us plan and possibly increase what we can offer in 2016.

-S. Bakos

To use databases from the Berkeley Heights Public Library from home, have your library card handy and go to these pages on our website to see lists of databases:

Databases and Articles

Children's Databases

Business and Career Databases

All Things 'E' (Downloadables)

Upcoming Databases in September 2015:

Language learning database will be available remotely

Streaming TV, movies, music, books and more

Projected Shortage of 2015 Tax Forms at Libraries

2015 Tax Forms at the Berkeley Heights Public Library

The Berkeley Heights Public Library is always happy to receive free tax forms to hand out to our patrons yearly around this time through April 15. But this year, cutbacks to the IRS budget may result in a shortage of available tax forms for our patrons. We received an email from the IRS stating that because of budget cuts, the IRS Tax Forms Outlet Program has reduced the number of forms and publications they will provide to the Berkeley Heights Public Library and other U.S. public libraries this year. Only Forms 1040, 1040A, and 1040EZ will be available in paper form for library patrons to
take home. They are projected to  be shipped at the end of January or early February.

As in past years, our reference librarians will help patrons find tax forms online and print them out. We charge ten cents per page for printouts.  Unfortunately, the instruction booklets which are so popular will not be sent by the IRS this year to libraries. We have printed a copy for patrons to use in the library and the instruction booklets can be viewed online and downloaded from the IRS website.

Copies of tax forms and instructions are available online for viewing and downloading at irs.gov/forms. For forms and instructions to be delivered by mail, the IRS suggests ordering online at
irs.gov/orderforms or by phone at 800-829-3676. If you are ordering by phone, expect long waits due to the IRS staff reductions.


As in previous years, New Jersey tax forms will not be mailed to the library, but can be printed from the New Jersey Department of Taxation website.


If you have questions or need help locating and printing tax forms, please
talk to our reference librarians
- in person at 290 Plainfield Avenue,
- by email: reference@bhplnj.org
- or by phone 908-464-9333

Library staff are putting together a binder of printed forms and instruction booklets for patrons to photocopy or use in the library. We can show patrons how to find forms or print them out for patrons, but we cannot give tax advice.

Related websites and articles

IRS Forms and Publications page

New Jersey Division of Taxation tax forms

AARP Tax Help locator

AP Article about IRS budget cuts

Federal Times report on IRS budget cuts

A Day at the Reference Desk

Q: Does the library own a well-known university's alumni directory.
A: We do not own any alumni directories, but we can search the 'Reference USA' database for people in the U.S. and Canada and we can teach patrons how to access that database from their home computer or by using library computers. Go to our 'Databases and Articles' page, find 'Reference USA', type in your library barcode number when directed.

Q: Can we find an obituary in a local newspaper?
A:We will be glad to look through online databases of 'The Star Ledger' and 'The Independent Press' and other resources that we have at the library, or we can teach patrons how to access these databases so they can search them. See above for how to get to our 'Databases and Articles' webpage.

Q: Can you help me download an ebook to my device?
A:Yes, we can help you do that. The best way is to stop by with your tablet or smartphone, and be sure to have all your usernames and passwords handy. We will help you download ebooks or e-audiobooks to your iPad, Kindle, Nook or other portable electronic device. Go our our 'All Things E' webpage for a list of library ebook providers.

Q: Can you tell me the resale value of a certain car?
A:Yes, we have the so-called 'blue books' which are really orange and called the 'NADA Official Used Car Guide.'  Ask at the Reference Desk where we keep them or we can look up a car for you if you know the model and make and year.

Q:Where do wildfires occur the most, what is the cost of wildfires and who has lost the most from wildfires.
A:The National Interagency Fire Center has a page of statistics that we found helpful to answer these and other wildfire-related questions.

Q: How can I find which cookbook has the recipe I want?
A: We recommend the app 'Eat Your Books' which has indexed millions of recipes. You can even enter the ingredients you have and it will find recipes to match. You can enter the cookbooks you own and it will find the recipes in those cookbooks.

Q: If BHPL does not own the book I want, can you find it for me?
A: Yes, we can tell you which local library owns it by looking in their online catalog and/or we can request it on interlibrary loan.

Q: Do we have downloadable travel books?
A: Yes, we have some travel books available from eLibraryNJ.com and we also have a database called 'A- Z the USA' and 'A - Z World Travel' which has information for travelers.

Q: What are the latest audiobooks you have gotten at the library?
A: If you look on our Wowbrary list, you can find what audiobooks were acquired by the library in the last week and then click back week by week to see what was acquired in past weeks. You can also subscribe to wowbrary.com to get a weekly email of new library materials.

Dave Coverly cartoon http://www.speedbump.com/index.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Parnassus on Wheels

"Oh, you're a librarian..," they say.
Followed inevitably by,
"You must read a lot."
Or,
"I'd like to read all day at my job..." wistfully.
"Ha ha, yes, so would I," is my not so clever rejoinder that is always ignored.
How did I get to this librarian place? It might have been in seventh grade when Mrs. Quinn, my English teacher, assigned a 1917 book by Christopher Morley, Parnassus on Wheels, which begins: 

CHAPTER ONE


I wonder if there isn't a lot of bunkum in higher education? I never
found that people who were learned in logarithms and other kinds of
poetry were any quicker in washing dishes or darning socks. I've
done a good deal of reading when I could, and I don't want to "admit
impediments" to the love of books, but I've also seen lots of good,
practical folk spoiled by too much fine print. Reading sonnets
always gives me hiccups, too.

I never expected to be an author! But I do think there are some
amusing things about the story of Andrew and myself and how books
broke up our placid life. When John Gutenberg, whose real name (so
the Professor says) was John Gooseflesh, borrowed that money to set
up his printing press he launched a lot of troubles on the world.

You can read the entire book on the Internet Archives  or The Gutenberg Project. You can even download it to a Kindle or other portable electronic device from there. The Project Gutenberg Project reviews it nicely here. So I'll just say it's the story of a woman who takes off in a mobile bookshop, an old-fashioned bookmobile/caravan to get a taste of freedom from the drudgery and responsibility of working on her farm with her rather pretentious brother, a budding author. It is written with tongue firmly in cheek in a rather old-fashioned style. I don't think I liked reading it at the age of twelve or so, but maybe it planted the seed of an idea in my mind. I still think it would be fun to drive a bookmobile around neighborhoods and a horse-driven one would be even better. If you like that idea, take a look at some of the modern incarnations of that dream.

My copy of the book looks like this

Biblioburro which you can follow on Facebook
FabLab in the Netherlands
Mobile libraries on Pinterest

More Apps for That - a blog update

About a year ago I posted about the apps I have on my smart phone in There's an App for That! 
Over a year ago, my children had encouraged me to update from an embarrassingly uncool and pre-Diluvian flip phone to a really cool smart phone from a well-known and very cool company that is known for cool computers, cool phones, cool portable electronic devices and advertisements that are so cool I don't really know what they are trying to get me to buy. (But has a very catchy tune from the 'Pixies', watch the Gigantic ad here.)
Before I go any further in my update, let me just say that this is relevant to a library blog, because libraries are now really cool too. The Berkeley Heights Public Library has a phone app, downloadable e-books, a website of course, this really cool blog (ahem) and a very strong presence on social media (ie: Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest etc)
So anyway, in the last year I have added a mini-tablet to my arsenal of techie stuff. The mini-tablet is from the same cool company referred to above. The idea is that my phone and my tablet will 'sync up' with each other, sharing content and reporting it all to the same 'cloud' where my stuff (photos etc) is stored. And my devices and my kids' devices are made by the same company so we can video talk with each other easily without having the battle of rival hardware/software occur. At least that's the idea and that is generally the case except when it's not working, but of course, one always assumes that if one was just 'cool' enough it would all work seamlessly and I would be singing 'Gigantic' and not cursing when both my personal and work to do lists appears on my phone, but not on my tablet.
Here are some of the apps I have added in the last year to my phone and tablet. I'm not saying I couldn't live without them, but they are really cool.
Merlin Bird ID - (free) a bird identifying app that allows you to look up a bird by characteristics and then gives you a best guess list and the calls of the bird plus maps of where it can be found and other information about the bird. That bird with the little beret look? It's a Black Capped Chickadee. Who knew?
BuzzFeed - (free) which is basically the biggest time-waster ever and really fun. If you have ever seen those fun quizzes being passed around on Facebook about which Jane Austen character would you be, or what country fits you best, BuzzFeed is probably the source of those little quizzes.
GasBuddy - (free) for finding the cheapest gas nearby.
United Airlines - (free) for keeping track of my flights and getting a mobile boarding pass.
For real estate searching, I have Trulia and Zillow  (free) which are useful for house-hunting or just for snooping about house values in your neighborhood.
Animoto - (free + fee version) which allows you to make free 30 second slide shows set to music. You can use photos from your phone or device, upload them to your account and make a really nice little slide show very quickly. For a fee, you will be able to make longer videos.
Overdrive Media Console - (free) allows me to borrow ebooks from eLibraryNJ through the library website. The reference librarians help patrons set this up on their devices all the time and it is hugely popular when people find out they don't have to purchase ebooks and e-audiobooks.
Zinio -(free) also available from the library website allows patrons to download magazines to their devices. I love this, the magazines look great on a tablet and they do not ever expire or come due.
I also have the apps for Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and GoodReads so I can post to my personal accounts or follow what other people are posting.

What apps do you like? Click on 'comment' below to let us know.
Here is the link to one of the library's Animoto slide shows
and below is another library Animoto video. You can embed the HTML into a blog or website. How cool is that?


Going to the Library

What's New at the Library? Use Wowbrary

Have you ever wanted to poke around the super-secret room at BHPL where all the new stuff is "in process"? Now you can, virtually. BHPL has teamed up with Wowbrary to provide you with a weekly email about all the new books, audiobooks and DVDs that have been added to BHPL's catalog in the past week. It's your chance to put a hold on a book, often before it even hits the shelf. Just click on the title you want in Wowbrary, then click Hold Request. To sign up for the email newsletter, go to the Wowbrary site.

Originally posted by Ellen in March 2009

Learn Languages on Your Smart Phone

Berkeley Heights Public Library Book Blog: Learn Languages on Your Smart Phone:   The Berkeley Heights Public Library offers free online language tutorials from Mango Languages. Patrons with smart phones (iPhones or Android..)

Click here for the rest of the post about our Mango Language Learning online software program - available to Berkeley Heights Public Library patrons.



Original post:

http://bhplnjbookgroup.blogspot.com/2012/02/learn-languages-on-your-smart-phone.html

College Guidance Online with Library Databases

The Berkeley Heights Public Library subscribes to Infobase (formerly Facts on File) databases which include history, science, and literature materials for students as well as a  career and college guidance information which can be found in Infobase's  Ferguson's Career Guidance Center.
Ferguson's Career Guidance Center includes a database of more than 4,000 undergraduate institutions and a wealth of valuable new career information.
BHPL patrons may search the database for schools based on a number of factors--such as admissions difficulty, curriculum offerings, housing options, location and setting, student body, and tuition--to identify ones that best match their career aspirations, educational needs, and personal preferences. All schools included have full accreditation or are pre-accredited and grant degrees at the associate's and/or bachelor's level. College data is provided by Peterson's, a leading producer of educational databases and planning information.



All databases should be accessed through the library's "Databases & Articles" link where you will be prompted to enter your library barcode number and pin. Choose Ferguson's or Infobase from the list of databases to find college and career information.

The library also has college guidance books to check out and in the Reference Collection, such as Peterson's, College Board, and Barron's guide books. The Dewey Decimal number is 378.73.

 

 

 

 

 

College and Financial Aid searchable database available from the library

Financial Aid resources searchable database available from the library

        

Getting Ready for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving, like most holidays, has many traditions. Here in library blogville, the tradition is to post the infamous Thanksgiving shaggy dog story, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.That's coming next week. Another tradition is to put up displays of Thanksgiving themed books for patrons to browse and check out. In the Children's Room, there are picture books explaining the origins of the holiday. Upstairs we put out cookbooks to address the menu bewilderment of our patrons. We used to keep the Butterball turkey hotline number front and center, but now many people look online for the answers to their turkey-roasting questions. Still, we'll keep that number handy next week and have the FAQ's for how not to poison yourself with old stuffing kept at bacteria-friendly temperatures overnight.  The image is a collage of books we have on display on the slatboard display upstairs featuring a cookbook, a history of the holiday, a general Thanksgiving instruction/history/FAQ book and a 'Murder She Wrote' mystery based on the TV series with a Thanksgiving theme. Oh that Jessica Fletcher, what has she gotten herself into now? It may be difficult to find the time to read with the holidays coming up, but maybe you could just browse in a spare moment. This year marks an incredible confluence of holidays: Thanksgiving and Hanukkah coincide, so we have added Hanukkah books to the mix in our displays.

Related websites:
Hanukkah information
Butterball's turkey and trimmings information
FDA Food Safety tips and information
USDA Turkey Basics

Hotlines:
The FDA Food Information Line
1-888-SAFEFOOD (1-888-723-3366)
The USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline
1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854)
TTY 1-800-256-7072
Butterball Turkey Talk-Line 1-800-butterball

Tracking blog usage: how did you get to our blog?

You may have been searching for some random factoid on the internet and ended up on this blog. Why would that be? According to the Blogger statistical/analytics tool, the most common search phrases recently used which led to our library blog are:

spanish in action
george r.r. martin new book
how many trees does it take to make a book
if you liked a thousand splendid suns you'll love

mutant message down under controversy
kenny george shoe size
the calligrapher's daughter discussion questions
the watchung reservation weird story
authors in the style of agatha christie
berkeley hights train station


Is the Dewey Decimal System still used?
Cialis bathtub meaning
Onion snow
Gloria Guinness

Some of these search phrases lead to posts which are among our perennial favorites, such as Ellen's post about how many books can be made from a tree ? Also, Ellen's post about the famous black and white party always turns up in the top ten posts of all time. My post about books similar to Agatha Christie's mysteries is a biggie too. And of course, that ace reporting bit where I actually called the makers of Cialis to ask why they have people in bathtubs in their advertisements brings us a lot of blog readers, at least in passing. The telephone operator at the drug company seemed to expect the question but had an unhelpful scripted answer from which script she refused to budge.That was an actual reference question. Reference librarians always have a store of weird reference questions they have been asked in their careers. If you know any reference librarians, you have probably heard some of these stories. It's fun. It might not be fun to help people over and over and over how to use the copier or print out an email, but it is fun to get an unusually challenging question. So, fire away with your questions, but don't feel as though you have to think up questions just to keep us busy. We have one patron who thinks he needs to keep us hopping so he gives us riddles to solve. Meanwhile, if you landed on our blog 'by accident' or by a whim of Google's search algorithm, welcome, we hope you stick around to find out about what's going on in libraries these days.


Inspired by a post from 'Always Order Dessert'
http://www.alwaysorderdessert.com/2013/11/12-weird-frequently-asked-blog-questions.html

Zinio: get magazines free online!

The Berkeley Heights Public Library offers online magazines through a service called Zinio. The popular magazines we subscribe to are free to library card holders and appear on your computer or digital device exactly as they do in the original news-stand format. Downloading them is really easy. Trust me on this; other than a slightly redundant double check-in/registration process, Zinio is a cinch to use. Once you sign up for a free account, you can just click on the magazine you want to browse and download it right away. There are no waiting lists in this digital cloud. I just downloaded the free app to my smart phone and got a magazine to look at with absolutely no cursing or urge to throw my phone out the window at all. For those of you with more patience than me, you will be in downloaded nirvana instantly. Here are the instructions, that I cadged and rewrote a bit, from the Zinio 'help' pages. You can even watch a video on their website, but this should do the trick. If not, give us a call or stop in at the Reference Desk and we will get you up and running with Zinio post-haste.

The Zinio Cheat Sheet:

Zinio, the digital magazine service, is available from the Berkeley Heights Public Library website. Zinio titles include ‘Car & Driver’, ‘Country Living’, ‘Consumer Reports’, ‘The Economist’, ‘Forbes’,’ Macworld’, ‘Gluten-Free’, ‘PC Magazine’  and more.

These digital magazines can be viewed on your computer, or downloaded and used via the Zinio app on mobile devices like Kindle, iPad, iPhone, Android and Windows 8. Users have simultaneous access to the content, and it stays on your device forever until you delete it. This means that you never have to return it, or wait for someone else to return it before you can download.

From our homepage www.bhplnj.org  click on  ‘All things e’  and then click on ‘Zinio’ on the list of digital content providers that the library uses. To create a free account takes 2 steps:

1 1.)     Click where it says “Create New Account” and follow the instructions. When you have created a free account, you can browse the Zinio magazine collection. Choose a magazine that you would like to read and click on the cover. 

2 2.)    Next you will asked to create a Zinio.com account. You can use the same email address and password as you used earlier. Click on Register.

Now you can read the magazine in your internet browser or in the zinio app on your mobile device.

FAQ’s about Zinio:

• Current Issues — New issues are released simultaneously with the print and are ready for immediate download.
• No limits — Check out as many issues as you want and keep them in your account as long as you wish. There are no waiting lists.
• Patrons will create a total of TWO (2) accounts; a Library Collection account to check out magazines; and a Zinio.com Reader account to read checked out magazines via streaming online with computers and/or downloaded offline via mobile apps.