How to Choose an eBook Reader*

1—Know what eBook readers are  An eBook reader is a device for browsing electronic files representing books. Not all eBook readers can handle the same formats. In addition to certain seller-specific proprietary formats, many readers support HTML, plain text, and JPG but not all support the open standard ePub.^[4]This is an important distinction if you want to check out ebooks from your library, or to read the vast library of copyright-free (in the United States at least) ebooks at Project Gutenberg with nicer formatting than plain text files can provide.^[5]

2—Know what to look for in an eBook reader

     Memory: How many eBooks or other documents does the eBook reader have the capacity for?

     Format type: Can the eBook reader handle a variety of file types or only one type (see previous step)? Is this ability (or lack of it) reflected in the price?

    Connectivity: Does the eBook reader have 3G and WiFi connectivity?

    Screen friendliness: Here you need to be concerned about viewability, color, size, and reflectiveness (glare).

     Additonal concerns = Weight and comfort / Battery life / Ease of downloading/  Shareability / Extra features (can you add notes, etc.)

3—Read online product reviews—ask friends who may have one

4—Be careful about the ability to find eBooks and download them to your eBook reader—does it use wi-fi or USB? Can you download from the library?

5—Check the eBook provider's breadth of published content access

6—Visit the store to try the eBook reader—try BEST BUY they have many eReaders all in one place that makes it easy to compare

7– Check the warranty

*This information was provided by wikiHow, a wiki building the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. http://www.wikihow.com/.  Content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons License.

The information supplied here is meant to educate library patrons who may be considering purchasing an eBook reader and is not intended to endorse any particular product.

  The Northfield Public Library subscribes to Overdrive—an ebook supplier. Free ebooks are available through the library website with a library card. Overdrive has a list of devices that you can use to download free ebooks. If you plan to use the library to check out ebooks we recommend you follow this link  -
http://selco.lib.overdrive.com/2681F00B-52C9-4BA3-9BB1-5241B4C4A48F/10/698/en/Default.htm

CHECK OUT THESE ONLINE RESOURCES FOR MORE INFORMATION:

http://www.the-ebook-reader.com/nook-touch.html

http://www.epubbooks.com/ebook-readers

http://www.wired.com/reviews/2011/06/nook

http://willapse.hubpages.com/hub/purchase-ebook-reader

http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/collection/1985/top_e-readers.html

Kindle vs Nook
http://www.pcworld.com/article/244282/kindle_fire_vs_nook_tablet_which_should_you_buy.html

Read Consumer Reports discussion list:

http://forums.consumerreports.org/n/pfx/forum.aspx?webtag=cr-computer08

Also, check the Dec. 2011 issue of Consumer Reports. There is a good review of 21 e-book readers.
See the printed issue in the library or read it online by going to www.northfieldmn.info and clicking on "Electronic Resources" - choose EBSCO and search for Consumer Reports under "Publications" (questions? call the library at 645-6606)

Go to the web site of the reader you are researching and read the consumer reviews posted there. Read the good AND the bad reviews.

   

Educated and unemployed or underemployed

One of the reasons that the unemployment rate is stuck above 9% is that some of America’s best-educated workers are unemployed.  The weak economy is the biggest contributing factor to high unemployment levels (consumer demand for goods and services is down and therefore fewer workers are required), but there are many workers with specialized skills who are out of work because their skills do not match the skills that employers are looking for.

It is estimated that the unemployment rate is about 4.3% for people with a college degree and over 25 years of age.  This is up from 2.2 % that was the rate when the recession began in December 2007.  About 1/3 of the increase is due to a skills mismatch. 

Workers without a high school diploma are experiencing a much higher rate of unemployment of 14.3% which is up from 7.7% when the recession began.

In general,  there are a shortage of jobs overall for less-educated workers, but for those with higher education there is also a job gap between people with some specialized skills and those with other specialized skills.  For example, in September 2011, nationwide there were 1,874 jobs postings on the Internet for civil engineers and 157,384 job postings for computer-software engineers.  This reflects the reality that some employers are having difficulty finding workers to fill some high-paying positions.

So what about unemployed people with a skills mismatch?  They face the choice of taking a lower-skilled job or returning to school to learn additional skills.  Unfortunately both of these choices do not to take full advantage of some of the most productive workers in the country. 

Theoretically, realignment should take place over time with more people gravitating toward training for careers with a shortage of workers.  The demand for specialized skills will continue to change however as the employment structure in the United States changes in response to consumer demand, improvements in technology and a host of other factors. 

The Northfield Public Library has a great Reference book in the Business and Employment collection titled the Occupational Outlook Handbook (2010-2011 edition).  Published by the U.S. Department of Labor, this book is a treasure trove of information that provides detailed employment projections in all sectors of the economy.  It is a must consult resource for anyone considering embarking upon a new career.  In addition to detailed job descriptions, it discusses training, current employment information, earnings, and sources of where to obtain additional information are also provided.

 Sources:  Wall Street Journal (online version), October 3, 2011 and the Occupational Outlook Handbook 2010-2011. Washington, D.C.:  U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, c2010.

For more information call the library at 507-645-6606.

Building Computer Skills @ the Northfield Public Library

Whether you need to strengthen your computer skills for work or just want to learn how to take advantage of all your computer has to offer, you'll find the tools you need at the Northfield Public Library on Learning Express. Learn at your own pace with interactive tutorial courses on today's most popular software and operating systems including Microsoft Access, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Word, Adobe Photoshoop, Illustrator, Publisher and more.  Each course offers detailed, easy-to-follow instructions with audio and captions for the program and skill levels of your choice.  All you need to do is go to www.northfieldmn.info and click on "Electronic Resources".  Scroll down to Learning Express.  Some of the benefits include:

*Online access 24/7 from any computer

*Instructor-led videos from your "own" personal software coach

*Step-by-step lessons with full voice and animation

*Interactive practice labs to test-drive new skills

This resource is brought to you by the Northfield Public Library and is free with your library card.  For more information call the library at 645-6606.

Social Media

The Northfield Public Library has a great collection of instructional materials related to social media programs on the Internet.

 

We also offer over 8 Internet accessible computers available for public use.

 
A Concise Timeline of Social Media (so far)

Source:  Entrepreneur Magazine, May 2011

1.     June 1999 -      Napster is launched by Shawn Fanning and Sean Parker.  This free music file-sharing program is named        after Fanning’s haircut.  Napster shuts down due to a lawsuit for copyright infringement brought by the Recording Institute of America.

2.   January 2000 –  Savage Beast Technologies, a music genome project, is launched by Tim Westergren.  It becomes Pandora Radio in 2005.

3.   March 2002 –   Friendster, a social networking site is founded by Jonathan Abrams.  Abrams is a friend of Sean Parker.

4.   April 2003 –   Apple opens iTunes music stores. 

5.   August  2003 -   Myspace is launched by Chris deWolfe and Tom Anderson.  It gains popularity as unknown musical artists use the site as a free promotional tool.

         6.   February 2004 - Facebook is started by Mark Zuckerberg.

7.   July 2006 – Twitter is launched by Jack Dorsey

8. October 2010 - A new version of MySpace is launched.  The focus of the site is entertainment.

Books in the Northfield Library Catalog on Web 2.0 Social Media

     Content Rules:  How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos, eBooks, Webinars, and More That Engage Your Customers and Ignite Your Business by Ann Handley and C.C. Chapman.  Hoboken, NJ:  Wiley, c2011. Northfield Employment and Business 658.872 HA

     Facebook Advertising for Dummies by Paul Dunay, Richard Krueger, and Joel Elad.  Hoboken, NJ:  Wiley, c2011 Interlibrary loan

     Facebook for Grown-Ups by Michael Miller. Indianapolis, Ind. : Que Pub., c2011 Interlibrary loan 

         Facebook:  The Missing Manual by E.A. Vander Veer. Sebastopol, Calif: O'Reilly Media, c2008. Northfield 004.69 VE

          Guerilla Marketing for Job Hunters 3.0:  How to Stand Out from the Crowd and Tap Into the Hidden Job Market Using Social Media and 999 Other Tactics Today by Jay Conrad Levinson and David E. Perry.  Hoboken, NJ:  Wiley, 2011. Interlibrary loan

          How to Find a Job on Linkedin, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and Other Social Networks by Brad and Debra Schepp.  New-York: McGraw-Hill, c2010 Northfield Employment and Business 338.707 SC

             New Rules for Today’s Workplace by Sheryl Lindsell-Roberts.  Boston,   MA:  Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, c2011 Northfield Employment and Business 650.0285 LI

      Sams Teach Yourself Facebook in Ten Minutes by Sherry Kinkoph Gunter.  Indianapolis, IN:  Sams Pub, c2011 Interlibrary loan

     Social Networking for Genealogists by Drew Smith.  Baltimore:  Genealogical Pub. Co., c2009 Northfield 929.1 SM 

     Twitter for Dummies  by Laura Fitton, Michael E. Gruen, and Leslie Poston ; foreword by Jack Dorsey.  Hoboken, NJ : Wiley Publishing, c2009. Northfield 006.754 FI

      Youtube for Dummies by Doug Sahlin and Chris Botello.  Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Pub., Inc., c2007. Northfield 004.6 SA

     Likeable Social Media: How to Delight Your Customers, Create an Irresistible Brand, and be Generally Amazing on Facebook (& Other Social Networks) by Dave Kerpen.New York:McGraw-Hill, c2011 Northfield Employment and Business 6589.8 KE

Public Libraries are Popular Places!

If you didn't see the segment last night on Kare 11 TV (Sept. 6,2011) check out this link about the popularity of public libraries. (The Roseville Library is highlighted.) Libraries offer so many services that the public sometimes isn't aware of - in addition to books there are videos, music cds, programs, job clubs, ebooks, internet computers, online resources that can be used 24/7, homework help and so much more.


http://www.kare11.com/news/money/article/936531/329/Save-money-by-using-your-local-library

Read and Ride day at the Fair on Aug. 31!

Read & Ride Day
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Celebrate Summer Reading with Your Public Library
in Carousel Park @ the Minnesota State Fair
Show your public library card for discounted admission
when you purchase a ticket at the gate. (One discount per card.)

On Stage
10:00 – Super Why & Princess Presto*
Meet favorite characters from favorite PBSKids show Super Why!
11:00 – Radio Disney Dancers
Young dancers from tiny to teen delight audience with their musical moves.
12:00 – Clementown
It’s poetry put to music when Clementown performs songs from their CD, Polkabats and Octopus Slacks – the Music.
1:00 – The Okee Dokee Brothers
Share music and fun with the Okee Dokee Brothers. Enjoy their bluegrass sound for the younger set.
2:00 – Dazzling Dave – National Yo-Yo Master
A tornado of whirling tricks and tips designed to dazzle audiences of all ages.
3:00 – Magician Matt Dunn
An action-packed comedy magic show for the whole family.
4:00 - Douglas Wood & the Wild Spirit Band
The Wild Spirit Band draws you in with American standards, bluegrass, jazz, folk songs, commercial hits, and original compositions.
*Super Why and Princess Presto will be back for 20 minutes at 11:30, 12:30, 1:30, 2:30, 3:30 near the stage.

Under the Tent

• Get Carded! There’s no limit to the rewards of your library. Show your card at the tent and get your I Got Carded button.
• Libraries of Minnesota
  • Scavenger Hunt: Find the 10 photos from Libraries of Minnesota (Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2011) around Carousel Park. Then find them in the book and get an I’d Rather Be at the Library key chain or mood pencil.
  • Book Giveaway and Signing: Copies of Libraries of Minnesota will be given away starting at 1:00. Photographer Doug Ohman will be on hand to sign copies. One copy per person, while supplies last.
• Maintain Your Brain
  • Brain games to try out. You public library can help keep your brain healthy and active!
• Spin & Win
  • Test your knowledge and win a library card holder.
• Story-On-A-Stick
  • Save your State Fair memories on a fan custom designed by you.
• Minitex
  • Celebrating 40 years this information and resource Sharing Program of the Minnesota Office of Higher Education and the University of Minnesota Libraries assists all libraries in Minnesota. Find out how they make your library better.
• Minnesota Parent
  • Pick up the latest issue of Minnesota’s premier parenting magazine!
• Twin Cities Public Television (tpt)
  • Join your friends from Twin Cities Public Television (tpt) for fun take-away activities. Learn about kids shows that promote reading. Don’t forget to tell them “thanks!” for bringing Super Why and Princess Presto to the Fair.

10 Reasons to Visit the Northfield Public Library in August

1. Find a great book to lounge with at the lake, beach or in your backyard!
2. You are about to take that grand road trip with the family and you need books or music to listen to.
3. It's too HOT to do anything else but watch movies!! We have LOTS of movies for kids and adults.
4. Use one of our 11 public computers to search the web (Don't forget your library card!)
5. Genealogy - do you finally have a few weeks to work on your genealogy? Use Ancestry.com in the library or HeritageQuest from home to research those family genes.
6. School is still a month away and the summer reading program is over but your kids still need books to read. Stock up!
7. Your gardens are full of produce - come in and take a look at our great cookbook collection to get ideas for meals or canning or freezing.
8. Planning a trip in August or this fall? We have lots of travel books from trusted publishers like Frommers, National Geographic and Fodors.
9. We have over 150 magazines and newspapers. Come spend an afternoon catching up!
10. Last but not least - it's a great place to hang out or meet friends... AND IT'S AIR CONDITIONED!
Hope to see you soon!