GET MORE EBOOKS THROUGH FREADING – NO HOLDS!

This new service will allow the Library District to increase the size and diversity of its eBook collection by offering over 20,000 titles, none of which require you to place on hold and wait to use! This service provides simultaneous use of all titles.

Here's how Freading works:

• Library patrons can download free books for a two-week loan period with a two-week renewal option.
• Multiple users can simultaneously check out the same book.
• Patrons are allotted five tokens per week to check out books. Patrons can accumulate up to 20 tokens in a month but they expire at the end of each month.
• Each book has an established token value of one to four tokens, depending on its popularity and release date. In most cases, newly-published books are valued at four tokens. Older books are valued at either one or two tokens.
• One token is needed to renew any book.

Freading works with Nook, Android, Mac iOS and the Kindle Fire

Go to our NEW webpage at www.poudrelibraries.org/download to access all of our downloadable materials.

POUDRE LIBRARIES AND POUDRE SCHOOL DISTRICT WIN NATIONAL AWARD

From over 300 applications submitted, the Board of the National Book Foundation has awarded its fourth annual Innovations in Reading Prizes to five individuals and organizations that are demonstrating passion, creativity, dedication, and leadership in the service of creating and sustaining a lifelong love of reading.

The winners are: Bookends, a book-centric television program created by and for teens; Lilli Leight, a fifteen-year-old who established a "giving library" for the children at a homeless shelter, developed a "reading ecosystem" within her community to continually stock the library, and started a teen book club that gives her peers the opportunity to discuss books, meet authors, and volunteer at the homeless shelter; Literacy Chicago for Reading Against the Odds, a discussion group dedicated to enhancing the reading and critical thinking skills of diverse adult literacy learners by introducing them to intellectually challenging books and cultural events; Street Books, a bicycle-powered mobile library that gives people who live outside the means to check out books and the opportunity to have conversations about literature; and Inger Upchurch for Real Men Read Storytime and Mentoring, a program in which African-American men volunteer to read books and act as positive role models and mentors to children between the ages of three and five enrolled in urban child care centers.

The winners hail from Fort Collins, Colorado; Coral Gables, Florida; Chicago, Illinois; Portland, Oregon; and Memphis, Tennessee. Each winner will receive $2,500, a framed certificate, and an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City to attend a special luncheon at the Ford Foundation, where they will present their work to funders, other people in the field, and reporters, as well as attend the National Book Awards Ceremony and Benefit Dinner at Cipriani Wall Street on November 14, 2012.

The local winner is:

Bookends: A Television Program for Teens Who Like to Read

Started in 1999, Bookends is a television program for teens who like to read. With two Teen Services Librarians from the Poudre River Public Library District, Diane Tuccillo and Sue-Ellen Jones; one Director & Video Production Coordinator from the Poudre School District’s Channel 10, Herb Saperstone (plus assistant, Matt Gohl, Video Producer); and teens from the Interesting Reader Society (IRS), the library teen advisory group, the program documents reading-related information and activities for viewers of Channel 10 and also via the Internet (Teen Lounge, PSD Bookends, YouTube). The IRS Bookends shows, hosted and presented by the teens themselves, allow teens to share reviews of favorite books and interview local YA authors. The aim of the IRS Bookends shows is to promote reading among their peers through a forum to which fellow teens can relate. Parents, teachers, librarians, and other adults can also learn what teens are reading through the show and use it to promote teen reading in schools and beyond.

For more information on the awards and the other four winners go to: http://www.nationalbook.org/innovations_in_reading.html

NOOKS NOW CIRCULATING!

Color Nooks and Simple Touch Nooks are here, preloaded and available for you to check out. We currently have 60 Nook Simple Touch and 30 Nook Color eReaders for circulation. Nooks are wireless, portable, and easy to use.

We have preloaded many wonderful books for you. We have chosen new and popular bestsellers, mysteries, biographies, and YA novels and loaded them onto our Nook Simple Touch eReaders. For families with young children, we have chosen wonderful titles aimed at a younger audience and loaded them onto our Nook Color eReaders.

Any library cardholder in good standing may check out a Nook for three weeks. One of our goals of this project is to bridge the digital divide; we encourage responsible use for all patrons. Please be aware that the Nook provides unfiltered access to the Internet. Please do not enter personal data on the Nook, including email, passwords, credit card numbers, etc., as they may become accessible to other patrons.

Just like a book, circulation is three weeks. Renewals are allowed, if the Nooks are not on hold to someone else. You may also put an eReader on hold, as you would a book. You will be notified when one is available to come and pick-up.

A list of loaded books is available on our website at http://www.poudrelibraries.org/catalog/ereaders.html.

If you're unsure about eReaders and switching to digital books, check out a Nook in time for your spring vacation and give it a try!

FREE COMPUTER CLASSES

Need to brush up on your computer skills? Poudre River Public Library District is offering a variety of basic computer classes that will teach you how to manage Windows, Access, Facebook, Microsoft Office 2010, and the Internet so you can feel at ease with your computer.

All classes are held at Harmony Library, 4616 S. Shields. Classes are free but registration is required - please call 221-6740 to register. View complete class schedule or pick up a brochure at one of the libraries.

HARMONY LIBRARY REMODEL

The excitement is building... again! The Harmony Library Remodel is underway as well. This remodel will bring an improved entrance through the atrium area, a more attractive entrance to the quiet reading room and children's area, more lighting to accommodate later night hours, and increased acoustics for a quieter library.

There will be new colored carpeting and improved signs to help you find what you are looking for, increased space for tables and chairs, and mobile displays for easy readjusting when needed. The staff will be able to assist customers more quickly and become more mobile due to smaller staff desks, and if you like to look at the Secret Garden and Sunlight Peak, 40 additional countertop seats, equipped with electrical outlets, will be added for your enjoyment. The remodel will start in December 2011 and is expected to be completed by February 2012. The majority of the remodel efforts will be accomplished during the closed hours, but please excuse our mess as the staff needs to shift books and do other tasks during their shifts.

CHECK OUT A METER READER FROM THE LIBRARY

1.21 Gigawatts. That was the amount of energy needed to send Michael J. Fox's character through time in the movie Back to the Future. One gigawatt is one billion watts. One kilowatt is one thousand watts. Your average refrigerator won't use as much energy as the flux capacitor, but can consume upwards of 1,000 kilowatts per year.

Other appliances, especially if they are older, can use up copious amounts of energy. Now you have the opportunity to find out just how much electricity these appliances are using and how much they are costing you with the Kill-A-Watt or Watts Up? meter reader.

You can check out a Kill-A-Watt or Watts Up? meter reader through the Poudre River Public Library District. Please ask for them at any of the three libraries information desks. It is easy to use. Plug it into an outlet then plug the appliance to be tested into the meter. With this information, you can find out how much electricity is used by the appliance. Find out if that old refrigerator is costing you too much. The meters can be checked out for a week at a time with your library card or placed on hold through the library catalog like other materials.

For questions about checking out the meters, please call the Library information desk at (970) 221-6740.

DOWNLOAD MUSIC FROM YOUR LIBRARY

Freegal Music - Choose from hundreds of thousands of songs in over 100 genres of music from the Sony Music Entertainment catalog. Download and keep up to three songs per week for free! The Library District is using the next 5 months as a trial period for this service. In order to access the website, you will need to enter your library card number. You can add titles to "My Wishlist" to download songs in the future. Every song has a sample clip so you can listen to it before deciding you want it. Enjoy the music and let us know if you like this service.

FLASH YOUR LIBRARY CARD!

Library members get extra benefits around the city, just by flashing their Library Card! As a card carrying member of the Poudre River Public Library District, you have access to a world of information through not only books, but Internet research, eResources, programs and events as well. And now as an added benefit you can also use your card to get discounts at area businesses with our "Flash Your Card" program. For a list of participating business partners go to www.PoudreLibraries.org/FlashYourCard .

RICH RESOURCES ON THE LIBRARY WEBSITE

Check out the NEW Research and Information page of our website. The newly designed page includes the following resources: An Online Resources Center that groups together online databases, eResources, and web links that range from art to weather. From this center you can access very helpful databases like JSTOR, an archive of significant professional journals, and EBSCO, an academic research database, which are perfect for students and anyone who needs to do research.

The Genealogy and Family History Center offers historical information about the names and places of Fort Collins as well as your own familial name. Find databases and books about Genealogical information and find out where your family name came from.

The new Reading Room link is brimming with great book suggestions and lists that include books by awards won and the New York Times Bestsellers list. There is even a link to a digital library where you can download an entire book to listen to. This "room" is one great place to find out which book you should read next.

The Web Link of the Month and Reference Book of the Month links offer ideas and books every month that you might find useful. Check out these new pages and links as your first stop for great information that you might not know you needed!

YOUR DOWNLOADABLE LIBRARY - FREE E-MEDIA AT YOUR LIBRARY

Many library users agree that nothing can compare to the feel of a book in your hands, the crinkle as you turn the pages, or the way it falls open flat when you set it down, showing how many times you have read it. However, we live in a world of constant change where the introduction of new technologies is the norm and convenient service is expected. As use of hand held devices and e-book readers for reading, viewing and listening increases, the Poudre River Public Library District is increasing its collection of downloadable media to meet a growing demand. In April the Library District introduced its "Downloadable Library", featuring videos, e-books and music in addition to the extensive digital audio book collection of over 2000 titles provided by NetLibrary.

The Library has purchased a collection of e-media from OverDrive, a distributor of digital content. Library card holders will have 24/7 access to this new downloadable collection that features hundreds of popular film, book and music titles. OverDrive downloads are supported through PC, Mac, Sony Reader, Nook, BlackBerry, Android, and iPod. This collection of e-media is accessible remotely from the comfort of your home or office.

A second electronic resource recently added is the foreign language tool, Language Learning by Byki Online (short for Before You Know It and pronounced bye-key). Byki is a rapid learning system employing spaced interval repetition for learning a foreign language. The Byki learning method takes users through a series of simple steps to memorize words and phrases in a new language, including their meanings and proper pronunciation, in the shortest possible time.

Language Learning by Byki Online offers exercises in listening, reading, writing and speech recognition to help English speakers learn over 80 languages including: Spanish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese & more. Likewise, this resource helps speakers of Spanish, Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese & Japanese learn English. Byki Online also provides personal progress tracking, proficiency tests, picture /word associations, grammar videos and more.

The library will always be here to offer the tangible comfort of books and materials, but the tech savvy will now have access to a growing collection of e-media and electronic information to use on a variety of devices. The Poudre River Public Library District is excited about the possibilities that technology provides in making our many resources available to the public in new ways.

For more information go to http://poudrelibraries.org main page and look for the "Downloadable Library" link under Quick Links.

SUBSCRIBE TO LIBRARY E-MAILING LISTS

The Library District sends out weekly e-mail updates every Wednesday about current events and happenings for kids, teens and adults offered through the Poudre River Public Library District. If you are interested in receiving these updates please subscribe today!

ANNIE THE RAILROAD DOG

"Annie" was a stray collie mix who was adopted by railroad workers in 1934. She spent her life as an unofficial ambassador to Fort Collins, greeting passengers at the train depot and bringing a bright, welcoming presence during the bleak years of the 1930's and 1940's. According to Phil Walker's Visions Along the Poudre Valley, everyone loved her. Newcomers were often amazed to see local people get off the train and run to greet the little dog before greeting their families. Today she is a cherished local legend and the bronze statue commemorating her memory will welcome visitors to the Old Town Library. Local artist Dawn Weimer created the 29" bronze statue which portrays a dog with a paw raised in greeting. Annie's gravesite, located on Mason Street, near the intersection of Laporte Avenue, is a historical landmark.

Check out the book Annie, the railroad dog : "a true story" by Arlene Ahlbrandt and learn more about Annie.