DPL Blog

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

Last evening Dr. Rick Niece spoke at Kent State Tuscarawas about his book, “Side-Yard Superhero: Life Lessons from an Unlikely Teacher.” In the book, “trust and friendship can go no deeper when a small-town newspaper boy befriends a young man with cerebral palsy, and a lifetime of adventure unfolds.” Niece and his wife Sheree, a Strasburg High graduate, spent the week visiting book discussion groups, schools, and libraries discussing the book with members of the community. One student at Claymont told Niece: “I never read a book before but I read yours. It made me want to read more!” Can it get any better than that? One Book, One Community is about bringing people together. We hope that you can join in the conversation in 2015! In case you are interested, “Side-Yard” is the first volume of the Hometown Series. If you liked “Side-Yard” then you won’t want to miss “The Band Plays On” and “As We Gathered Around Her.”

In preparation for our Awesome Apps Tech Class, I’ve compiled the following list of freebies from staff suggestions. You can find them in the iTunes App Store or on Google Play. Have fun exploring all the awesome apps!

News

Wall Street Journal
ESPN Sportscenter
ESPN
Newspapers

Education
Duolingo – Language learning
Luminosity – memory, brain games
You Version Bible
Local School Districts – Dover, New Phila, etc

Fitness
My Fitness Pal
Weight Watchers

Photos
Dropbox – stores pictures on the cloud to access anywhere
Flipagram – create short videos
Color Splash Photo

Social
Facebook
Email apps – Gmail, Yahoo
Photo Collage Editor
Instagram

Convience
Overdrive – eBooks
axisReader – eBooks
Gas Buddy – Local gas prices
Super Bright LED Flashlight
Rain Rain – Relaxing sounds
Banking Apps
Lookout – If you lose device, helps you locate it from another computer. (screams, locks, GPS)
Keyring – So you don’t have to carry all your cards.
Pandora – Music
Allrecipes.com – Cooking

Games
Where’s My Water?
Subway Surfer
Despicable Me
Flow Free
Fruit Ninja
Candy Crush
Sand Slides

Our Awesome Apps class will be held on Tuesday, October 14 at 6:30 PM in the Technology Room. Call the library at 330-343-6123 to register or for more information on our Tech Classes.

– Mary, Technology Room Manager

Let’s chat about the 641’s. I don’t like to shelve the 641’s. I don’t like to take people to the 641’s. I don’t want to look at the 641’s. See, when I see them, I take them home with me. That’s my problem. The 641’s are the cookbooks.  I love to cook, and most of all, I love to eat.

If you know Dover Public Library, then you know we have an awesome collection of cookbooks. You like to bake? We have cake books, cookie books, bread books, step-by-step how to bake cookbooks. We have pizza, pasta, pies and tarts cookbooks. Southern, Northern, Mid-western cookbooks, Irish, Greek, Italian, Mexican cookbooks. Serious Barbecue cookbooks. Home cooking, restaurant chefs, vegetarian and Amish cookbooks. Cookbooks on soup, how to make it, store it, enjoy it. Want to learn to make jam? Put your own food up for the winter? Butcher you a cow or pig? We have a book for that.

Just get a crock-pot? Well, let me help you with some great crock-pot recipes! Check out 365 SLOW COOKER SUPPERS by Stephanie O’Dea. I Like this book because the author uses fresh ingredients in the recipes. Her daughter has food sensitivities, so the mother must really watch what the family eats. The recipes are quick and very easy to pull together, and oh so good.

THE COMPLETE IDIOT’S GUIDE TO EATING WELL ON A BUDGET by Lucy Beale and Jessica Partridge is good, too. I liked 365 WAYS TO WOK by Linda Drachman as well. If you have a picky eater, try DECEPTIVELY DELICIOUS by Jessica Sienfeld. I like quick and easy, so JUST ONE POT from the editors of Reader’s Digest, or any books with the words “One Dish Meals” are good if you don’t want to spend the time scrubbing pots and pans.

I could go on, but I think you’ve got the idea.

Check out a cookbook next time you’re in the library and mention this blog post to the librarian at the Circulation Desk. I will have a home-made treat for the first two people who mention this blog!

Denise,

Adult Services & Interlibrary Loans

As the newest addition to the Dover Public Library staff (and just as new to the field of local history), I find it necessary to seek out opportunities for continuing education. While visiting the Tuscarawas County Genealogical Society in Dennison, I discovered one such opportunity promoted by flyer: The Ohio Genealogical Society conference in Sandusky, OH. As expected, I met researchers and librarians and began to understand some of the more common dilemmas faced on both sides of the desk. I became aware of general resources and how to make the most of them. What I didn’t expect was to connect with an absolute treasure trove of Tuscarawas County records. At a presentation entitled “Ohio Local Government Record Collections,” I discovered that The University of Akron holds many old Tuscarawas County records that are not available elsewhere. During the presentation, copies of old court docket records flashed across the screen with location names like “Dover Township,” “Goshen Township,” and “Newcomerstown.” What was the content of this record group? The presenter was using these records as a way to illustrate how one can track down ancestors that may not have been wealthy enough to leave wills and deeds, and/or who stepped outside the boundaries of the law. In these books one can find examples of paternity suit petitions, assault claims, still owners, and more. While trying to fill in the gaps along the branches of our family trees, these and other records in the collection at University of Akron may help us locate missing relatives who may have strayed a little off the beaten path.

I paid a visit to the archives at U of A to see these records for myself. The staff, especially Mark Bloom, was very courteous and willing to help. While the handwriting in some of the docket books requires special deciphering skill, there is plenty of fodder for local history buffs and genealogists, including some old newspapers (one written entirely in German) on microfilm that are not currently held by Dover Public Library.

Mark was kind enough to send me some images of the resources they have available, and here is the link to their website: http://www.uakron.edu/libraries/archives/
I highly encourage those of you with the means and the desire to make the trip to Akron and spend an afternoon rediscovering the Tuscarawas County of your ancestors. You never know what treasures you may find!

Der Deutsche Beobachter June 10 1869

Goshen twp clerk of court page 100 and 101

I have always been one of those readers who rereads favorite books. For those most part, every book I read is one I would consider rereading, and I have occasionally finished a book only to immediately restart it. I find that I pick up on more the second (or third, or fourth…) time around, especially when it comes to the humor in a book. Sometimes, you just can’t appreciate all the puns and foreshadowing until you actually know what happens. Basically, I love rereading books.

That being said, rereading has led me into major reading ruts and slumps. I’ll stand there, looking at my bookshelf of usual choices and think, “Maybe I’ll read Harry Potter again. Nah…what about ‘Salem’s Lot. Eh, just not in the mood for that either. Jane Austen? Grrrr!” Frustration ensues. At times like this, I miss being in school, where at least I was told a few new books to read each semester. Even if I didn’t always like them, at least I was reading something new.

I’ll admit, I always considered myself someone who could pick my own books and who wasn’t interested in reading books because someone else told me to. In reality, though, a little guidance is sometimes really helpful! Enter book clubs. I’ve only started getting into book clubs this year. As I said, in theory I dislike <em>having</em> to read a book that I didn’t necessarily choose myself. Fortunately, we have a variety of different types of book groups here at the library. From our traditional CLSC and Tuesday Night book clubs to the new B.Y.O.B., where I choose a book within a specific theme, to the 100 book club where the only rule is no rereading, there really is something for every reader. Participating in a book club gives me the guidance and incentive to broaden my reading horizons, and I haven’t had a bad experience yet. Instead, I’ve had a chance to discover some new titles that I <em>never</em> would have picked up on my own, but loved just the same. I still love rereading books–now I just have more titles to pick from. 🙂

-Kathryn, Adult Services

Most of the books I take home from work have a nice bright red YA sticker on their spine. It’s rare for me to geek out over an adult fiction title, so I almost marked June 24, 2014 on the calendar. Because I saw a book come in that made me jump up and down. There may have even been dancing. And it wasn’t even by Meg Cabot.

The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet by Kate Rorick and Bernie Su is a print adaptation of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, an online, transmedia adaptation of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, which happens to be my favorite book of all time.

But, wait. I may have lost you at “transmedia.”

For those of you who don’t waste hours on Tumblr, Twitter, and Facebook, here’s how The Lizzie Bennet Diaries works. The Lizzie Bennet Diaries is a series of short videos featuring Ashley Clements as Lizzie Bennet, a graduate student studying communications. The videos are part of a project for one of her classes, but soon grow to include not only her classmate Charlotte (played by Julia Cho), but also her sisters, their friends, and eventually, yes, Mr. Darcy. There are 100 core videos from Lizzie Bennet, but other characters have their own videos, as well as social media accounts for viewers to follow and comment on. In this way, viewers become part of the story, and even get some of their questions answered by the characters in special FAQ videos. Unlike a TV series, where the viewers only have access to the characters in one way, the characters of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries come alive through their own social media accounts. Sometimes viewers even get to know the characters better than they know each other.

Who in the world thought of that? That would be Hank Green, brother of John Green. (You know, the author of The Fault in Our Stars.) Hank wanted to retell a novel through a video blog and chose Pride and Prejudice. And why not? It’s funny, romantic, and, very importantly, public domain. Which means anybody can retell it anyway he wants and not get sued.

I first heard about The Lizzie Bennet Diaries here at the Dover Public Library. It was during our first ever Read-In, and a young woman read from Pride and Prejudice and talked about how great an adaptation The Lizzie Bennet Diaries was. Well, that was a Saturday. By the wee hours of Sunday morning, I was hooked.

Skip ahead about a year and a half, and The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet crosses my path. There weren’t many surprises in it for me, as I’d watched and re-watched the series on YouTube, but it was one more new way to connect with the character of Lizzie Bennet. Even though the videos are her “diary,” there are things viewers don’t get to see on the Internet, or on the DVD set. For instance, the contents of Darcy’s letter. Pride and Prejudice fans, I know you know what letter I’m talking about.

I might not be the most objective reviewer in the case of Lizzie Bennet, but if you liked Pride and Prejudice, give her secret diary and her videos a shot. You might find something new to love in your favorite characters.

And, if you think this transmedia thing sounds kind of fun, check out Emma Approved, an adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma from the creators of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries.

Liz

Teen Librarian