Research Blog : evpl.org, Web 2.0

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.

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.