Research Blog : evpl.org

Website Unavailability on November 12 & 13

professor.knowsitall@evpl — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:05:00 GMT

Encore, an online catalog we introduced in December 2008, is currently being upgraded! There may be brief outages this afternoon while the upgrade is completed.

Shortly after closing on Friday, November 13, additional upgrades will be performed. During that time, approximately 6:00pm to 10:00pm, the following sections of our website will be unavailable:

New versions of our library software are released periodically. These upgrades add new functionality to our website & fix issues our users have encountered.

We appreciate your patience during the downtime and apologize for any inconvenience it may cause.

If you have questions or comments, please submit them below!

November is National Diabetes Month

SuDocQueen@evpl — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:07:00 GMT

Considering the prevalance of diabetes in America today, I suspect the disease has touched many, many families in the Evansville and tri-state area. It is certainly a topic near and dear to my heart since I have had family members and friends afflicted with both Type 1 and Type II. For those who have never encountered diabetes, or those newly diagnosed, it can be a frightening disease. So what better time to learn more about the disease than during the month dedicated to it?

To be honest, it had slipped my mind that November was National Diabetes Month until I got an email update from www.usa.gov talking about it -- check out www.usa.gov's website to find out about all the great email updates and RSS feeds people can sign-up for. The email included a great link to their FAQ section on diabetes. That section in turn offers several ways to get information on diabetes. They include phone, address, and email for the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse as well as several links for different websites like National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse, National Diabetes Education Program, and the American Diabetes Association.

You can find even more online information from www.usa.gov by browsing or keyword searching from the website's main page. To browse, scroll down the main page until you see "Health and Nutrition." Clicking will take you to a further breakdown of the subject. Scroll down to "Health Topics A-Z" and click. Then click on "D" and scroll down until you get to "Diabetes." You'll see about twelve different topics on diabetes from diabetes and pregnancy to diabetic diet, kidney problems or even nerve problems. Each topic leads to great information from Medline Plus that includes additional links on things like prevention, related issues, and research as well as links to videos, tutorials, and pictures where available.

You can also do a keyword search on diabetes by typing the term into the search box at the top of www.usa.gov's main screen. You'll get a results page reminiscent of Google but without all the extraneous hits from questionable websites. The neatest part of the results page is the topic breakdown on the left-hand side of the page. The topic list is a breakdown of the search results into individual topics. The numbers in parenthesis indicate how many hits your search had under that topic, and the plus button to the right indicates that the topic can be broken down even farther. Clicking on the plus button will show that further breakdown while clicking on the topic itself will change the results list to the hits for just that topic. Also, take a look at the Agencies breakdown. If you didn't know, www.usa.gov searches state as well as federal websites. Looking at "Agencies" will give you a concise picture of the places your results are coming from. For example my "diabetes" search showed that the majority of my results came from the National Institutes of Health, but if you click to see "All" results for Agencies, you can scroll down and discover that Indiana has a page on diabetes coming from the IHS Division of Diabetes Treatment and Prevention.

If you're not on information overload yet, or if you prefer your information in a more tangible format, EVPL has an amazing collection of print material on diabetes ranging from books on the disease, complications, and diet to cookbooks for the diabetic. My simple keyword search using the term diabetes then limiting to books turned up over 400 books. Or, if you'd like to see magazine articles you can go back to the computer, go to our databases, and select a general database like Masterfile Premier, (see it under our list of "Popular Databases" or find it through our "Alphabetical Sequence") and do a keyword search for articles on diabetes. You can also choose "Category Sequence" and click on Health and Medicine to see a list of databases that will narrow your search to just medical journals.

Changes to EVPL eNewsletters

professor.knowsitall@evpl — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 18:17:00 GMT

For several years, we've offered an assortment of eNewsletters. On our eNewsletters page, patrons have subscribed to eNewsletters and received them via email.

Unfortunately, our content providers have discontinued the following eNewsletters:

BooksTV
Chapter-A-Day
Meet the Author
Meet the Illustrator
Pearl's Picks

Email subscribers have already received the final issues of these eNewsletters and won't receive new issues in the future, as there won't be any.

On the brighter side, we have added a new eNewsletter: New DVDs. Movie buffs can subscribe to be notified of new releases every month!

Visit our eNewsletters page today to check out the changes, view current issues, and sign-up to receive future issues via email!

Encore unavailability on Monday, July 27

professor.knowsitall@evpl — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 14:48:00 GMT

Encore, a new online catalog we introduced last December, will be upgraded to a new version on Monday, July 27. Encore will be temporarily unavailable during the upgrade process. We don't have an exact time yet for the upgrade, but I will update this post once our vendor lets us know what time to expect it.

The new version of Encore introduces new features, some cosmetic changes, and fixes for pesky bugs.

What do you think about Encore? Post your thoughts in the comments section below, or complete our online survey.

Grown-up dollhouses…

SuDocQueen@evpl — Thu, 21 May 2009 01:28:00 GMT

Have you stopped by Oaklyn to check out their Miniatures display yet? Or at least taken a look at the great pictures we have online? I admit I haven’t gotten over to Oaklyn personally, but I have enjoyed looking at the pictures on our website. They reminded me of how much fun I’ve had looking at other miniature collections, like the Thorne Rooms in various museums around the country, Colleen Moore’s Fairy Castle in the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, and the Museum of Miniatures in Carmel, Indiana.

But just as you don’t have to actually go to Oaklyn to enjoy Marian G. William’s Miniature Collection, you can also enjoy other miniature collections through our books. There’s the Period Rooms of Ruth McChesney, Treasures in Miniature, Dollhouses, Miniature Kitchens, and Shops from the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Center, and for a bit of whimsy Fairy Island: an Enchanted Tour of the Homes of the Little Folk.

And if your tastes run more to doing than looking, try these subject searches. An easy start is dollhouses. You’ll find books from A Beginners’ Guide to the Dolls’ House Hobby to The Modern Dolls’ House and The Dolls’ House Wedding Book. Another good search is doll furniture. You’ll get some overlap with your dollhouses search, but you’ll find additional books like 55 Embroidery Projects in Miniature and Simple Country Furniture Projects in 1/12 Scale. If you’re more into making accessories rather than building furniture miniature craft would be the search for you. You’ll get embroidery, cross-stitch, and needlepoint projects as well as learn how to make miniature food.

Services available to laptop users at EVPL libraries

professor.knowsitall@evpl — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 18:31:00 GMT

Do you have a laptop? Bring it in on your next visit to the EVPL to take advantage of the following services!

Wireless Internet Access

Wireless internet access (aka Wi-Fi) is available for free at all locations. If your laptop has a wireless network card (odds are that it does), you'll simply need to enable it and connect to the "evpl-public" network.

Wireless internet access is compatible with Windows & Mac laptops, and most portable devices containing a Wi-Fi radio (such as cellphones, PDAs, etc). Check out our Wireless Internet Access page for step-by-step instructions on connecting with your specific operating system.

Wired Internet Access

If your laptop doesn't have wireless capabilities, wired internet access is also available at all locations. Bring an ethernet cable with you and ask a staff member for assistance. Wired internet access is compatible with Windows & Mac laptops.

Laptop Printing

A service we just recently added, laptop users can now print to library printers while at any EVPL location! By running a small print client from our website, library printers at the user's current location will appear on their laptop just like locally-connected printers would. Upon printing from the laptop, the print job can be paid for & retrieved from any Print Release Station at the user's current location.

Laptop printing is compatible with Windows laptops; Mac compatibility is not available. Check out our Laptop Printing page for step-by-step instructions on using the Mobile Print Client on your laptop. As the Mobile Print Client is only available on personal laptops used within the library, the "Launch Mobile Print Client" button is purposely disabled on all other computers.

With the increasing popularity of laptops, netbooks, and other connected portable devices, we're pleased to offer these connectivity options to our users. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please post them in the comments section below!

Local Yearbooks at EVPL...

SuDocQueen@evpl — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 16:11:00 GMT

Just this week I was helping a library user who was very grateful, but surprised to discover we had a collection of local yearbooks. Their surprise and gratitude made me wonder how many others out there aren't aware of this wonderful resource.

So for those who didn't know or have forgotten, yes, we have a very nice collection of local yearbooks in our Indiana Room at Central. Made up primarily of high school yearbooks, the collection also boasts some local college yearbooks and even a couple for elementary/middle schools. Looking at them can be a hilarious and poignant walk down memory lane as well as a handy resource for those doing research.

Now, before you rush downtown to view yourself in all your high school glory, I need to give you a couple of caveats. First, be sure the Indiana Room is open before you make the trip here (if that's the only reason you're coming to Central). The Indiana Room is only open when our Special Collections Librarian can be present to help you with your research, so be sure to check here for the Room's hours of operation.

And, the second caveat, before rushing down, you might also want to make sure we have the yearbook you're interested in. Our collection has been built from donations and unfortunately we are missing some years for all the schools. Here is the list of those books we have.

Speaking of those missing years, we're always looking to fill those holes and continue to grow the collection. If in your spring cleaning you run across an old yearbook you no longer want and wonder what to do with it, donate it to us! We'd be thrilled to have it.

NEW security feature for EVPL patrons: PINs

professor.knowsitall@evpl — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 21:59:00 GMT

On Tuesday, March 3, the EVPL will be implementing a new security feature to protect patron accounts: PINs. Similar to using a PIN at the ATM, EVPL cardholders will be required to enter their name, library card number, & PIN when accessing their account online. Since your library account displays your name, address, phone number, and any items checked out or on hold, your PIN protects your privacy in the event your card is lost or stolen.

When the feature is enabled on Tuesday afternoon, a third textbox prompting for you PIN will appear on the login page. Refer to the image above to see what it'll look like.

What You Need to Do

Once the PINs feature is enabled, you'll need to create a personalized PIN the first time you log in. Here's how to do so:

Access the My Account page.
Type in your name & library card number, LEAVING THE PIN FIELD BLANK! Click the "Submit" button.
You'll be prompted to create a PIN. PINs must be between 4-30 numeric digits and not be overly-repetitive. Type your desired PIN in both boxes (to prevent against typos) and click the "Submit" button.

Once this is complete, your PIN has been set! In the future, use it (along with your name & card number) to log in to your account. For more information about PINs, including instructions on changing your PIN and what to do if you forget your PIN, visit our PINs Help page.

The EVPL cares about your privacy, and PINs are a way to safeguard it. Beginning Tuesday, only the "My Account" section of our website will require you to log in with your PIN; in the future, your PIN will also be necessary to use in-library computers and self-checkout terminals.

If you have any questions or comments about PINs, please post em in the comments section below or contact us via Ask EVPL.

Library Elf now a paid-subscription service; here's our free alternative!

professor.knowsitall@evpl — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 23:07:00 GMT

Library Elf, a free service that library patrons all around the world could use to keep tabs on their & their family's due dates, is no longer free. Check out their announcement here, which details the reasons for the change.

Since Library Elf began, we've been adding features to our own "My Account" section, many of which duplicate Elf's features. This means two things:

The EVPL is not currently planning on subscribing to Library Elf.
You don't need to either!

As long as we have your email address on your library account, you'll receive these email notifications free of charge! Follow these steps to make sure we have your correct email address on file:

Hit up the My Account page and log into your account using your name & library card number.
Click on the "Modify Personal Info" button.
Make sure the "I would like to receive my notices from the library by" option is set to "Email", and ensure we have your correct email address.
Click the "Submit" link.

Once this is completed, you'll begin receiving the following notifications via email:

Hold Pickup Notice: When an item you've had on hold is available at the requested library, you'll receive this notice within 24 hours.
Due Date Reminder: These emails get sent out 2 days before an item is due. A nice reminder to avoid those late fines!
First Overdue Notice: Sent out when an item is 4 days (for feature DVDs & Bestseller Express titles) or 7 days (all other materials) overdue.

Patrons are still free to subscribe to Library Elf's Premium service; however, the need to do so has greatly diminished. Those with Library Elf accounts who will be relying on our own email notifications from now on have been asked to close their Elf accounts; instructions on doing so can be found at http://www.libraryelf.com/FAQ.aspx#closeAcct.

If you have any questions or comments about our email notifications, please post them in the comments section below. Questions, comments, or feedback about Library Elf should be submitted to them. Library Elf is and has always been a third-party company with no affiliation to the EVPL, offering their notification services to patrons at libraries all over the world.

Introducing Encore: A better way to search the catalog!

professor.knowsitall@evpl — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 16:54:00 GMT

Last October, we discontinued AquaBrowser. Today I am happy to unveil its successor: ENCORE!

The catalog widget at the top of our webpages now searches Encore. In a nutshell, Encore works very similarly to Google. In the search box, simply type in words about the items you're looking for; this can include a subject, title, author, or a combination of them. Then click the search button.

On the search results page, items will appear in the middle column. Click on a title to find out more about it.

The left-hand column will give you many options for refining your search, such as format, location, and publication date. Clicking on any of the available options will update your search results accordingly.

The right-hand column contains a tag cloud with related keywords. The graphic to the right shows the tag cloud when searching for "puppies". But say I'm more interested in adopting a puppy. "Dog adoption" appears in the tag cloud, and by clicking on it I'll be able to view "puppies" items about "dog adoption".

After trying Encore, please let us know what you think! Feel free to post your comments below or complete our official survey. We're excited to offer Encore and hope you find it to be a useful tool for searching our catalog!

OverDrive @ EVPL now Mac compatible!

professor.knowsitall@evpl — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:31:00 GMT

OverDrive @ EVPL is a collection of downloadable materials (including audiobooks, eBooks, movies, & music) available free of charge to all EVPL cardholders. Since launch, patrons with Windows PCs have been downloading countless items from this digital collection...unforunately, Mac users were out of luck.

That is no more, as a Mac version of the OverDrive Media Console (the software required to download items) has just been released! Mac users can now download MP3 audiobooks and transfer them to iPods.

Unfortunately, there are a couple caveats for Mac users:

OverDrive MP3 Audiobooks are the ONLY compatible format available for Mac users. OverDrive WMA Audiobooks, OverDrive Music, & OverDrive Video all use Microsoft-based DRM and therefore are not compatible with Macs. Unless Apple were to license this DRM, which is very unlikely, these formats will never be playable on Macs.
OverDrive Media Console (aka OMC) for Macs can only transfer content to Apple iPods. Transferring to a MP3 player/portable device other than an iPod requires the Windows version of OMC, which only runs on Windows-based PCs.
OMC is unable to transfer content to the iPod Shuffle. Owners of these devices can transfer content to their device using iTunes.
Windows users with iPods will continue to use the Windows version of OMC to transfer content to their device. The Windows version of OMC is also compatible with a wide variety of additional devices, including the Microsoft Zune, Creative Zen series, and more.

Visit OverDrive @ EVPL, browse our collection, install the required software, and download to your heart's content! If you have any questions about the recently-added Mac compatibility, or if you have any questions/comments about OverDrive in general, please post them in the comments section below or contact us via Ask EVPL.

More Information

OverDrive @ EVPL: Visit our OverDrive site to start downloading our digital materials!
What is OverDrive?: Check out this guided tour of OverDrive to discover what it is and how to use it.
Compatible Portable Devices: A list of compatible portable media players that can be transferred to using the Windows version of OMC.

AquaBrowser to be discontinued on Monday, October 27

professor.knowsitall@evpl — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:15:00 GMT

AquaBrowser, an alternative interface for searching our online catalog, will be discontinued on Monday, October 27. At that time, the Classic Catalog will be the only way to search our catalog.

We'll soon be implementing a new search interface in AquaBrowser's place. Stay tuned for more info!

Have questions or comments? Please share them in the comments section below or contact us via Ask EVPL.

Recent changes to our website

professor.knowsitall@evpl — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 15:32:00 GMT

Ever since launching our new website on May 1, we've been implementing minor tweaks based on feedback from patrons and staff. One suggestion I've received regularly was to make our digital materials easier to locate.

As of this morning, our "Virtual Library" section has been replaced with a redesigned "Downloads" section. Click the "Downloads" tab above to check out this new section, featuring the following content:

OverDrive @ EVPL: While we've offered downloadable WMA audiobooks & eBooks for some time, our new OverDrive section also features downloadable MP3 audiobooks, video (including movies & TV shows), and music! All it takes is a library card and installation of some free software. OverDrive @ EVPL replaces the EVPL Digital Catalog and MyLibraryDV services previously on our site.
EVPL Toolbar: Installing this toolbar on your home computer gives you one-click access to important areas of our website, as well as searching our online catalog! An optional scrolling ticker also keeps you up-to-date on library happenings.
eNewsletters: We have 25 different newsletters, on a wide variety of topics, that you can subscribe to via email. Receive lists of recommended titles, with links to our online catalog, in your inbox!

We're committed to making our website have the best browsing experience possible. If you have questions or comments about our new "Downloads" section, or have suggestions for improving other areas of our site, we'd love to hear them! Please submit them in the comments section below, or submit them via Ask EVPL.

Website Unavailability on Friday, September 19

professor.knowsitall@evpl — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 20:02:00 GMT

On Friday, September 19, shortly after closing at 6:00pm, the following sections of our website will be unavailable due to site maintenance:

We'll be updating library software to fix issues our users have encountered, as well as to prepare for adding new functionality in the future.

These sections will be accessible once again no later than Saturday morning. We appreciate your patience during the downtime and apologize for any inconvenience it may cause.

If you have questions or comments, please submit them below!

UPDATE!!!: As of 10:30pm on Friday, September 19, all sections of the EVPL website are once again accessible. Thanks to Computer Services for all their hard work!