Glendale Daily Planet

Promote Your Page Too

FACEBOOK! JOIN US!

Nook beams down to the Yucca District!

By Ed Sharpe Glendale Daily Planet www.glendaledailyplanet.com

...some day libraries will loan out tablets rather than books!! - J. Clark

 Stardate 8130.4.   -     KIRK ... By the way, thank you for this. (He lifts the book). 

     SPOCK I know of your fondness for antiques.

 KIRK (reads) 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...' 

I find it particularly prophetic back in 1982  that there is a scene in STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN where Spock gives Kirk a copy of Charles Dickens’ A TALE OF TWO CITIES as a birthday present.  This book appears to be the ONLY bound copy of manual or literature  onboard the Starship Enterprise.

Everyone else onboard... gets a tablet to read! As a mater of  fact, if you flash back to the original Star Trek Television series people seemed  to wander around   with tablet or electronic clipboards there too.

Of course on the other ship...  The film’s main villain, Khan, has copies of MOBY DICK and KING LEAR on the shelves of his cabin and has a habit of spouting out paraphrased lines  ripped from Melville and Shakespeare.   

Tonight... Earthdate 8.24.2011 at 7pm, Council person Joyce Clark,, assisted by Yoman... ah.. er...   I mean Council Assistant, Barbara George, ushered Glendale into the future!

The Library of our parents is certainly not  what exists now, nor will the library of twenty years from now be as as ours is presently.

The 'e reader' pilot program is a 'game changer'  Clark observes, "The stereotypical library is dying -- and it's taking its shushing ladies, dank smell and endless shelves of books with it." she continues, "Books are being pushed aside for digital learning centers and gaming areas. "Loud rooms" that promote public discourse and group projects are taking over the bookish quiet. Hipster staffers who blog, chat on Twitter and care little about the Dewey Decimal System are edging out old-school librarians."

With the high cost of printing, disturbing, and housing vast quanities of hardback books, massive  resource information collectives were scarce and precious.  Today, that very same amount of information is  readily available, stored electronically and in many cases, free for the downloading.

The citizens that  patronize their local library will soon have the resources available to them electronically of vast academic research libraries, not just  from their region but from all of the  world..

Search technology and strategy  currently is  simple  consisting of text and some forms of audio and video but...Clark predicts,  "... next generation search technology will include the ability to search for such attributes as taste, smell, texture, reflectivity, opacity, mass, density, tone, speed, and volume."

In this future world, librarians will not become obsolete, but will offer assistance in other ways. Clark sees that, "People will not have the time and skills necessary to keep up on each new innovation in the search world, and they will need a competent professional to turn to."

Libraries  are becoming cultural centers not just a place to read books.

Clark explains, "A culture-based library is one that taps into the spirit of the community, assessing priorities and providing resources to support the things deemed most important. Modern day cultural centers include museums, theaters, parks, and educational institutions. The library of the future could include all of these, but individual communities will be charged with developing an overall strategy that reflects the identity and personality of its own constituency."

"I believe that this e reader pilot program is the start of a new future for Glendale’s libraries. These readers provide the capability of reading all kinds of books for free from our library without ever going to it. This new form of acquiring free material to read from the library will free capacity to move in different directions based upon community needs."

The initial list of residents from the Yucca District to try the new digital e readers are: Robert Grimes, Missi Schreiber, Bert Schwind,  Kathy Boubek, Judy Anderson and Ray Miles.   

Clark addressed the recipients, "You are my pioneers. You will use these e readers free of any charge for the next 2 months. You will fill out a survey form monthly to share your experiences in using these e readers along with who in your family used them. This information is important in determining future directions for Glendale’s library system. I want to thank you for your willingness and eagerness to participate and we look forward to hearing about how well – or not- these e readers fit your individual lifestyles."

After 2 months have passed another group of Yucca district citizens will be able to  use the   'e readers' 

We have just taken that "giant step" and  Stardate 8130.4. is just a bit closer... ---Ed Sharpe

On Wednesday, August 24^th six Yucca residents were the first to receive NOOK E-Readers as part of Council Person Clark's Virtual Library program. In an effort to make it easier for Yucca residents to access the resources of the Glendale Library, she is offering this pilot program. The Glendale Library system has an expanding collection of items in electronic format. This digital media includes thousands of titles of fiction and non-fiction, bestsellers and technical manuals, as well as books for teens and children. There are more than 26,000 titles available for checkout using the Greater Phoenix Digital Library.  Participants of the program may borrow E-Readers for a period of two months and will be asked to complete a short survey so the program can be evaluated for future use. All Yucca district participants need a valid library card and a personal computer – either Windows or Mac will work.

Bette Sharpe/Glendale Daily Planet no. 04426. Bert Schwind  (middle) tries out his new NOOK as Council Assistant Barbara George(left) and  Councilperson Clark (right) look on..

Bette Sharpe/Glendale Daily Planet no. 04408.The Barnes and Noble NOOKs are due back to Councilmember Clark's city hall office on October 19, 2011. In each envelope are some instructions on how to use the NOOKs and information on how to find checkout e-books at the Glendale Public Library. A Glendale Public Library card is required to participate in the program.

Bette Sharpe/Glendale Daily Planet no. 04415

From the left: Robert Grimes, Missi Schreiber, Bert Schwind, Councilmember Joyce Clark, Kathy Boubek, Judy Anderson and Ray Miles.  These six residents from the Yucca District in Glendale are ready to give the new digital readers a try.  For most, this is their first time reading library books on an e-reader.  Each member of the Virtual Library Pilot Program was excited about using the new digital device, but with a little honest skepticism.  After all, using the e-readers will be a new experience. 

The readers are on loan for a two months.  As part of their agreement to participate in the Virtual Library Pilot Program with Councilmember Clark, a monthly survey is to be completed.  Will the new Barns & Noble NOOK E-Readers be a success?  If you would like more information or you would like to participate in the Yucca District NOOK E-Reader Program, please contact Councilmember Clark's office at 623-930-2250.  About twenty Yucca residents wanted to be among the first.

Bette Sharpe/Glendale Daily Planet no. 04426. Council Assistant Barbara George shows Bert Schwind how easy it is to use the NOOK as Councilperson Clark looks on..

Kindle? Nook? iPad? Sony Pocket Reader?

Glendale Public Library Offers a New Free Workshop

“Introduction to E-Book Readers”

Marlene Jacobson, digital librarian from Glendale Public Library will discuss the differences between five of the top-rated e-book readers in a new workshop beginning this fall at the library. – Photo by Valerie Rupp

Glendale, Ariz. - There’s no question that people are reading e-books. In virtually every coffee shop, waiting room, nail salon, airport terminal, classroom, food court or public library, someone is bound to be holding an e-reader, scrolling or clicking their way through the millions of titles available for digital download.

            Reading is changing and many people are embracing the technology, often finding that they read more because the print quality and font-size adjustment capability is easier on the eyes than old-fashioned paper and ink.

E-readers are also more portable and easier to hold than most books. Leo Tolstoy’s epic tome War and Peace weighs the same on an e-reader as a short and sweet Harlequin romance tale.

While it’s clear that the reading experience is changing, it’s not as clear which e-reader delivers the features that are best suited for a range of different consumers with a variety of tastes, preferences and expectations.

Glendale Public Library is offering a workshop to help potential e-reader buyers sort out the differences between five of the top-rated devices: the Sony Pocket Reader; the Barnes & Noble Nook; the Barnes & Noble Nook Color; the Amazon Kindle; and the Apple iPad.

The free workshop, “Introduction to E-Book Readers,” will be held on Wednesday, September 14 and repeated on October 12, November 16 and December 14 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. in the large meeting room at the Glendale Main Library, 5959 W. Brown St.

Presented by digital librarian, Marlene Jacobson, the session will overview the features, specifications and functions of each device. Participants will also have an opportunity to explore each of the devices.

 “Glendale Public Library currently has over 48,000 titles available in digital format, and last May Amazon.com announced that its customers buy more e-books than printed ones,” says Jacobson. “E-reading is a clear trend, and we hope these workshops will help people choose the best e-reader for their needs.”

There are significant differences in the devices that the workshops will cover, including screen types, navigation, wireless capability, screen size and weight, supported file formats, price, library borrowing compatibility and vendor bookstore selection.