Yearly Archives: 2014

Let’s face it–between work, school, and all the other hectic things going on, it can be hard to commit to working out regularly. When I had free time, I’d just as soon read a book or watch a movie as exercise. So, a couple of years ago I found myself wandering around the Internet looking for new ways to motivate myself to commit to exercising. Through my wanderings, I stumbled across EowynChallenge.net. This website provides different challenges based on the journeys taken by the characters in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The distances were determined by Karen Wynn Fonstad, and published in her book, The Atlas of Middle Earth. I thought it was the coolest thing! I have to admit, I am a MAJOR Tolkien nerd: I have read all of the books several times, own every movie, and always see the movie at a midnight release. That made the EowynChallenge the perfect way for me to motivate myself to exercise, because I could measure my distance against the distances traveled in my favorite books! I even started listening to audiobooks while exercising, so I didn’t “lose” my reading time.

A few weeks after I started the first challenge of walking from Bag End to Rivendell, I realized that it would make a great library program because it merges exercising and literature. Last year, we held our first Fit for Fall challenge, with about 30 participants walking nearly 350 miles in just over 3 months. Our version has a few tweaks–we base the distance on time so that people who prefer other types of exercise (running, swimming, raking leaves even!) would easily know how to count their efforts. Participants who completed at least 75% of the challenge received a t-shirt, and those who completed the entire thing (100 hours of walking or equivalent exercise!) were entered to win tickets to see the movie. Once a month, a group of walkers gathered at the library and took a walk through Dover, which turned out to be a great way to enjoy the fall foliage while also making some progress towards completing the challenge.

This year, we are hosting Fit for Fall 2014: The Return Journey. Like last year, participants are challenged to complete 100 hours of walking or equivalent exercise. This year, those who complete the challenge will have “traveled” with Bilbo Baggins on his way home from Rivendell to Bag End. Also like last year, we are hosting monthly “walking parties.” We just enjoyed our second walk through Dover last Saturday, and we have two more walks this fall on November 15 and December 13 at 10 AM. Whether or not you are participating in the challenge, I hope you will come out and join us one Saturday for a nice walk through Dover followed by a light snack. Like I said, it’s a great way to get out, see the fall foliage, and enjoy some great conversation. Hope to see you soon!

-Kathryn, Adult  Services

I have 2 Nooks, a tablet, a smartphone, an MP3 player, and a desktop computer, all of which, at one point or another, I have used to download and read an ebook or audiobook from the library.

I hear you. You love the feel of a real book. That new book smell is to die for. You don’t have to charge a print book, its software won’t malfunction, and you don’t need wifi to check it out. I understand.

But, ebooks can’t be stolen. They can’t be eaten by pests, damaged by spilled Kool-aid, torn apart by a two-year-old. You can’t get fined for a late ebook; they return themselves. And if you finish book one in a series at two in the morning, you don’t have to wait for the library to open to check out the next one. You can check out from anywhere, any time. Even in your pajamas at three in the morning.

Not that I’ve done that…

Take ten library books with you on vacation, and fit them all comfortably in your purse. Read always-available classics for school or just for fun. Highlight and take notes directly in the book and erase them when you’re done. Change your font size to whatever you want, no waiting for a special edition. Adjust the brightness of the screen to read in bed without the hassle of a book light. Save your spot without bending pages. Keep track of books you’ve read, share your reviews, and save a wish list of books you want to read.

Now, because of two new additions to our ebook resources, we’re saying goodbye to long waiting lists on popular titles. One is Axis 360, a completely new collection just for Dover Public Library patrons.  The other is our special Advantage collection through the Ohio Digital Library. These titles are also only available to Dover Public Library patrons. Can’t find The Fault in Our Stars on the shelf? Want to read Linda Castillo’s books on your Kindle? Try the Ohio Digital Library and Axis 360!

Don’t get me wrong, I still have print books. I still love print books. I still love going into bookstores. After all, it’s harder for an author to sign a digital book. It’s harder to loan a friend your digital book. And a tablet sitting on the table is less impressive than a complete set of hardcover Harry Potter books on a bookshelf. There’s just more than one way to read a good book.

Need ebook help? Check out our ebook page on this website, email me, Liz, at strausel@doverlibrary.org, or call us at 330-343-6123. We’ll be happy to help you get the most of our ebook collections!

Happy e-reading!

Liz

Teen Librarian