This blog is about new paperless reading materials like downloadable audio books, ebooks, and online magazines, made available to you through the Appleton Public Library. I plan to provide helpful tips on using these new products, along with reviews of audio books, music on cd, and movies on DVD and Blu-ray. There may even be an occasional post on genealogy. The library is changing as rapidly as your access to media and the Internet. We want to keep on top of the trends and bring you information and entertainment in a way that fits your life today. -Diana
New features for Wisconsin’s Digital Library!Wed, Feb 27, 2013 The upgrade to the OverDrive site makes access to downloadable ebooks and audiobooks even easier to use on computer, phone, tablet or iPod. Sign in with your InfoSoup library card to view over 30,000 titles in ebook and audiobook format. The Read feature allows you to read directly in your browser, or you can download your title to be viewed or listened to offline on an ereader or tablet, mp3 player or computer.
You can see whether a title is an ebook or audiobook as well as whether it is available for checkout by the symbol in the upper right. The book symbol means ebook, and headphones show that it is an audiobook. If the symbol is light gray the title is checked out but you can place a hold. If the symbol is dark, the item is available to check out now. If you can’t see part of the title, hover over the book cover to see title and author.
Each person is allowed to check out 10 titles at a time, and may place 10 on hold at a time. If you are interested in a book but don’t want to check it out yet, you can click the ribbon extending from the bottom of the book cover to add the title to your wish list. The ribbon turns red to show it is on your Wish List. To remove a title, simply click on the ribbon again.
Both keyword search and an advanced search option are available to find a book you like. Both can be filtered to find exactly what you need. “Library collection” means you are viewing all titles in the Wisconsin’s Digital Library collection. “Available Now” are those titles currently available for checkout. “Additional titles” shows all titles which have the potential to be added to the collection. Many of these titles are already owned, so you may want to use it only to search for titles you desire, rather than trying to browse.
To learn more about the new features, check out the video “Discover the Next Generation experience” at the top of the Wisconsin’s Digital Library page.
Enjoy the new, easier to use Wisconsin's Digital Library! |
The Academy Awards are arriving in less than two weeks; what are your predictions?Fri, Feb 15, 2013 The list of nominees can be found at the Oscar site. They even provide a virtual My Picks ballot, if you choose. The ceremony on February 24, 2013, will showcase films which arrived in theaters in 2012.
If you’d like to see who won in the past, here are pdf lists of the past winners in four major categories—Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Picture. The date is the year the film was released; the awards were presented the following year. The Appleton Public Library owns nearly all of these films on dvd, and some as Blu-ray. Check the catalog at www.infosoup.org for availability, as some are no longer in print.
Good luck on your predictions! |
Music awards are just beginning!Mon, Feb 4, 2013 While we are in the midst of the film award season, the music award season is just beginning.
The Grammy Awards honor artistic achievement, technical quality and overall excellence in the recording industry, without factoring in album sales or position on the charts. They have been presented by musical peers for 55 years. “Music’s biggest night” is February 10, 2013.
The Latin Grammys (in Spanish) are presented by the Latin Recording Academy, usually in November. It is a non-profit organization of artists, musicians and recording professionals. The 2013 awards show will be the fourteenth. Awards are based on the quality and musical excellence of recordings which were recorded in Spanish or Portuguese languages. For instrumental recordings, eligibility is determined by the composer of the music, or that the artist interpreting the music fits the language requirements.
The BRITS are the British equivalent of the Grammys. The awards show is organized by the British Phonographic Industry for pop music. This year the show is on February 20.
The Juno Awards are presented by The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, for artists born in Canada or who have immigrated to Canada. The 42nd Juno Awards will take place in April in Regina, Saskatchewan.
The American Music Awards show was created by Dick Clark in 1973. While the Grammys are based on votes by members of the Recording Academy, the American Music Awards are chosen by a poll of the public, and by sales. This show is usually late in the year.
Gospel music is honored by the Dove Awards, recognizing outstanding achievement in Christian music. The Gospel Music Association presents the awards in Atlanta, and features live music performances in a variety of musical styles, including pop, rock, hip hop and country.
The 34th annual Blues Music Awards will be presented May 9, 2013 in Memphis, Tennessee. These awards celebrate excellence in recording and performance of blues music, and represent many styles: delta, east coast, west coast, harmonica, Chicago, Texas, modern and country blues.
The Academy of Country Music presents the 48th annual Academy of Country Music Awards on April 8, 2013. They honor country music’s best artists and also introduce new artists. It is associated with an all-star concert TV special.
The Americana Music Association presents six member-voted awards plus Lifetime Achievement Awards during its music festival in Nashville. The 14th annual event will take place September 18-22, 2013 and will include four nights of live performances by artists from all over the world, celebrating the authentic voice of American Roots music.
The above list is only showing the main awards. No matter what type of music you like, there is a festival or award out there.
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Glitter and glamour brighten dark winter daysWed, Jan 23, 2013 The award season for film and television is well launched, with the Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globes behind us. Having watched several, I began to wonder how many film and tv awards there really are. The following is a list of major American awards. The Academy Awards are often called the Oscars, named after the statuette handed to the winner. They are probably the best known award for motion pictures, and will take place on February 24, 2013 for the 85th time. The Annie Award is animation's highest honor. The 40th Annual Annie Awards will take place February 2, 2013 in Lost Angeles, California. The BET Awards are presented annually on the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate African Americans and other minorities in the field of entertainment. They are one of the newer awards, having been established in 2001. The Golden Globe Awards are presented by the Hollywood Foreign Correspondents Association. They recognize achievements in 25 categories for both motion pictures and television. The 70th annual Golden Globe event took place January 13, 2013. The Gotham Independent Film Awards, presented in New York in November, showcases independent films. The winners are selected by jury. They are considered by some to be the first major awards ceremony of the film season. People's Choice Awards are given in categories such as music, movies and television. The most recent ceremony was January 9, 2013; the 39th annual event. The Saturn Awards were founded by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films in 1972. They honor genre films, television, international cinema and home entertainment. Winners are chosen by Academy members The Screen Actors Guild Awards are the only televised awards shows to honor performers exclusively, providing thirteen awards for acting in films and television. The nineteenth annual event will take place in Los Angeles Sunday, January 27, 2013.
The Sundance Film Festival, while a different type of event, has a big impact on the film world. Not as flashy as the big award ceremonies, the focus is on screening independent and foreign films, shorts, and documentaries. Started by award-winning actor Robert Redford, it is currently running in Park City, Utah, from January 17-27, 2013. There are also panel discussions, live performances of music from film, and multimedia installations. This year the Festival will expand to local audiences on January 31, when ten unique films from the 2013 festival will be screened in ten cities across the U.S. Each filmmaker will be on hand to discuss the film. There is also a spinoff, called Sundance London, which will take place April 25-28, 2013.
Television has separate awards, called the Emmys, which are awarded by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
The Primetime Emmy Awards are awarded for the best in prime time television programs. The event in September 2013 will be the 65th year.
The Daytime Entertainment Emmy Awards are chosen in recognition of excellence in American daytime television. Ceremonies are often in June.
Theatergoers will be happy to view The American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards. They began in 1947, and are awarded for excellence in theater performance.
There are many smaller award ceremonies, such as the local Chicago International Film Festival. When it comes to Awards time, there truly are a lot of choices for your viewing pleasure. |
New OverDrive featureMon, Jan 14, 2013 Wisconsin’s Digital Library has a new feature—its users can now recommend titles for inclusion in the collection. This appears as a choice when you do a search, if you are logged in. There will be a bar where you may click to search for Library Collection (all titles currently owned), Available Now (currently available for checkout), or use the new feature Additional Titles.
You may access it from Advanced Search by clicking the button at the bottom of the search page.
The Additional Titles search refers to titles which are available to be purchased by the Wisconsin Public Library Consortium for inclusion in the Wisconsin’s Digital Library collection. Choosing this search provides a list of all titles available for purchase, even those already purchased by Wisconsin’s Digital Library. You can do a search for the title, author or subject. When the list comes up you can tell which items are already owned by the listing of formats available to download and the choice Add to my cart or Place a hold. For a title not currently owned click the light blue Recommend button to send this suggestion to the selectors.
A window will pop up giving two choices. You can choose to be notified if the book is purchased and/or you may choose to be placed on the waiting list. You will be prompted to type in your email address for a notice to be sent.
Recommendations for purchase will be reviewed by selectors. A window will pop up showing you have recommended a title.
When a book you recommended is purchased you will be notified according to your choices. You may view titles you have recommended by going into My Account and clicking My Recommendations.
While not every title or author is available to be recommended, you will find new titles you are eager to read by using this new feature. |
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