Holiday Card Craft - Bound Brook Library

Holiday Card Craft
Saturday, November 19 at 10:00 am
Bound Brook Library
402 E. High St.
Bound Brook, NJ 08805
 
Directions: http://www.somerset.lib.nj.us/boundbrook.htm
 
Do you have leftover holiday cards that you can’t bear to throw away?  Join Nancy Leary as she shows you how to craft a holiday tree out of those old cards, recycling them into a keepsake to enjoy for years to come.  
ADVANCED REGISTRATON REQUIRED  
Limited to 25 people  
Cards will be provided.  But we ask you to provide some of your own cards to personalize the craft. 
 
This program is free and open to the public.  Registration is requested.  Call (732) 356-0043 to sign up or click on  http://www.libraryinsight.net/EventSignUp.asp?t=722963229&jx=jbp&lmx=217044 to register online.

Hitchcock: 'The Master of Suspense' Program

Hitchcock: 'The Master of Suspense' 
Saturday, November 19 at 2:00 p.m. 
Bound Brook Library
402 E. High Street
Bound Brook, NJ 08805
 
Directions: http://www.somerset.lib.nj.us/boundbrook.htm
 
Sir Alfred Hitchcock directed over 60 films spanning more than half a century. With a distinctive style, both in front and behind the camera, his movies have influenced generations of filmmakers. Watching classic scenes from 'Rear Window', 'North by Northwest', 'Psycho', and 'The Birds', we will discover what made Hitchcock 'the master of suspense'.  
Presented by Chris Messineo, Director of the New Jersey Film School
 
This program is free and open to the public.  Registration is requested.  Call (732) 356-0043 or click on http://www.libraryinsight.net/eventdetails.asp?jx=jbp&lmx=226070&v=3 to register online.

Library & Schools Consortium Provides Shared Online Resources

News from the Somerset County Board of Chosen FreeholdersP.O. Box 3000, Somerville, NJ 08876-1262Contacts:  Linda Van Zandt / Joanne Vuoso / Lisa Krueger908-231-7020 / publicinfo@co.somerset.nj.us

 A new shared-service initiative, launched with the support of the Somerset County Board of Freeholders, is providing online resources to students throughout the county in libraries and in schools.            

The Somerset County Library System and the Somerset County Superintendent of Schools, along with most school districts and municipal libraries in the county, have joined forces to provide a set of common online databases that are accessible to all students in the county.  

Following a planning meeting with school media specialists and public librarians in October 2010, a purchasing cooperative was formed for Somerset County to procure a set of common online databases to be shared and accessible to all Somerset County students. 

In addition to being available in schools, the electronic reference tools will be accessible through almost every library in the county, including independent municipal libraries that are not part of the county system. 

“Through economies of scale, each participant will pay significantly less than if they purchased the services individually,” said Freeholder Patrick Scaglione, liaison to the county Library Commission.  “More importantly, every student in Somerset County will have access to a common suite of online resources.”  

Based on a survey of school media specialists throughout the county, the consortium included resources most frequently requested and for which the most cost effective pricing was available: World Book Encyclopedia, Facts on File and Grolier.  The shared-service consortium was able to lower the per-pupil cost for these key reference tools. 

“Last year’s threatened state cuts to library services were the impetus to link common needs for libraries and public schools,” said Somerset County Library Director Brian Auger.  “Previously, database vendors sold identical products to different organizations which collectively serve the same clientele.  With budget caps in place, all public entities must scrutinize expenditures. Libraries and school districts reached out across the agencies within the county to reduce costs to Somerset County taxpayers, while expanding the level of service for all students.”

For more information, contact Somerset County Library Director Brian Auger at 908-526-4016, ext. 129, or Beverly Hetrick in the Superintendent of Schools’ Office at 908-541-5738.

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Watchung Library Closed 10/31/2011

The Watchung Library is closed today, 10/31/2011 due to power outages from the snow storm on 10/29/11.

Smartphone App Makes SCLS Mobile

Somerset County Library System (SCLS) is accessible on the go!  The SCLS mobile app powered by Boopsie, now available, gives users access to the library’s catalog and their account.  Library cardholders can access the catalog anywhere they use their phone, run searches and place holds on materials that they want to borrow.

The app also allows users to access and download e-books and e-audio the library’s digital media collection in one step.  Downloads can then be done immediately or can wait until the user is on a computer.

In addition, the SCLS mobile app allows users to find branch locations and hours from wherever they are and even ask a librarian for help.  Choosing library programs at each branch and making reservations for the event are also a part of what the app can do.

“Content and information are mobile.  We recognize this and that our patrons increasingly need to access information on the fly.  The SCLS app is one tool that allows us to provide that content where, when and how our patrons need it.”  Richard Loomis, Electronic Services Librarian at SCLS explained while discussing the features of the app.

The app is available for Android, Blackberry, and other internet enabled mobile devices.  The app for the iPhone will be available soon.  It can be downloaded at popular application market places as well as on www.sclsnj.org, the library’s web site.

Patrons with further questions can call SCLS at (908) 526-4016 or enter the website at http://www.sclsnj.com.  The Somerset County Library System has branches in Bridgewater, Bound Brook, Hillsborough, at the Mary Jacobs Library in Rocky Hill, North Plainfield, Peapack & Gladstone, Somerville, Warren Township and Watchung.

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SCLS and Kindle®: eBook Heaven

Somerset County Library System (SCLS) cardholders with a Kindle^® are in for a real bonanza: Amazon has finally made its Kindle readers compatible so that ebooks can now be borrowed from public libraries.  Readers with other devices such as the Barnes & Noble NOOK™ or the Kobo™ have long enjoyed borrowing ebooks from SCLS.

Users will log onto www.sclsnj.org, select digital media on the right hand menu and then browse for reading material that is available for the Kindle.  Once readers make a selection, they will be directed to Amazon’s website to download the reading material.  The transfer can occur over a WiFi or USB cable connection.  All nine branches of SCLS provide WiFi access within their buildings.  A library card account number and pin, along with an Amazon account are needed to complete the transaction.

Kindles are not the only devices that can be used to download e-materials.  MP3 players, smartphones and computers (both pcs and Macs), can be used, including most ereaders that accept Overdrive’s small software downloads to activate and accept the ematerials from SCLS.  The library has access to over 50,000 ebooks, audio books, music and video selections. Lending periods are up to 14 days on all electronic materials. 

“We are here to give our patrons access to information in the format they most desire,” states SCLS director Brian Auger.  “Even though SCLS has the largest collection of ebooks in New Jersey, we have stepped up our purchasing because our customers are asking.  We anticipate a huge surge in demand over the holidays and are taking steps to be prepared.  Don’t forget, we’ve been buying ebooks for only a few years – we had an 80 year head start buying traditional books!” 

Rich Loomis, SCLS electronics librarian adds that “We are always on the look out to obtain electronic resources that provide the high quality of information sources our patrons are used to from our system.  Access for Kindle device owners to selections through SCLS is just another service we are thrilled to be able to offer our patrons.”

Patrons with further questions can call SCLS at (908)526-4016 or enter the website at http://www.sclsnj.org.  The Somerset County Library System has branches in Bridgewater, Bound Brook, Hillsborough, at the Mary Jacobs Library in Rocky Hill, North Plainfield, Peapack & Gladstone, Somerville, Warren Township and Watchung.

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New Mobile Connectivity Options at the Hillsborough Library

Google Chromebooks are now available to borrow within the Hillsborough Library.  The size of netbooks (small laptop computers), Chromebooks rely completely on cloud computing to operate and for hosting all the productivity software that a user might need.  The computers connect to the internet and other devices via WiFi, which is already available at the Hillsborough Library.

The Chromebooks will allow patrons of the library to move around the interior of the facility without having to sit in any particular spot.  Lent out for four hour periods with one renewal period of two hours, users will need to use a Google account or log in as a guest will in order to save any work or information accessed on the web.  Information and documents can be saved in the Google Docs environment, in Picasso for images or through a cloud storage app.  Google Docs is a cloud-based productivity suite which takes the place of Microsoft Office and other such software tools.

“We’re thrilled to be able to add more computers to the mix for patrons at the Hillsborough Library,” notes branch director Edward Hoag.  “We get to offer more services without needing to claim additional space in the library for a desktop computer set up.  Because the Chromebooks’ battery charge lasts about eight hours, we also don’t need to worry about having additional electrical outlets out on the floor.  We’ll charge them in the back office areas of the library and have the computers all set to go when patrons borrow them.”

Rich Loomis, Electronic Services Librarian sees additional benefits for patrons and library staff.  “Updates for all the software, including antivirus and firewall protection is all done automatically through the computer’s instant connection to the internet.  There is virtually no software maintenance meaning that patrons will be able to have more time with the Chromebooks as library staff will not need to spend time on fixing or upgrading the computers.  Another benefit of the computers is their quick start-up time of about eight seconds.”

Chromebooks are available to all Somerset County Library System card holders at the Hillsborough Library through the Circulation Desk there.  Driver’s licenses will also be needed to borrow Chromebooks.

Patrons with further questions can call SCLS at (908)369-2200 ext. 13 or enter the website at http://www.sclsnj.org.  The Somerset County Library System has branches in Bridgewater, Bound Brook, Hillsborough, at the Mary Jacobs Library in Rocky Hill, North Plainfield, Peapack & Gladstone, Somerville, Warren Township and Watchung.

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