The Public Library may look and feel a bit different from the library you remember of your youth, but many of the changes have actually made the library much more accessible to senior users. See what the Defiance Public Library System has to offer for the golden years.
29. Computer Classes Top Excuses & Why They’re Baloney: 1. I can’t learn it We have NEVER failed a student 2. I can’t afford it They are FREE classes 3. I don’t have any use for it We just went over all of the cool stuff you could do online! 4. I’ll break it You will NOT break a computer
30. How to Get Started Get a Library Card Sign-up for Homebound Services Take a step towards learning the computer
31. What Will You Discover? The Defiance Public Library System Stephanie Small, PR Coordinator for Defiance Public Library System
Hinweis der Redaktion
I am Stephanie Small, Public Relations Coordinator of the Defiance Public Library System. We handle library services across the county with 3 locations, one in Defiance, one in Hicksville, and one in Sherwood.We call ourselves the Defiance Public Library System or DPLS. So if you hear me say DPLS I’m just talking about our county-wide library system.Just a note about my presentations, I LOVE to be interrupted! Ask questions, tell me I’m talking too fast, or not loud enough. Don’t be shy about interrupting me.
I hear a lot of people say ‘The Library just isn’t what I remember it to be. Everything is different. I feel so lost there.’ So I’d like to start by hearing from you directly. What are your favorite things about the library? What are you favorite memories? (books, quiet, comfy space, getting your own things!, the people?) CLICKWell let’s go through that list and see how much has changed. …… So really, a lot of what you loved about libraries is still there! We’ve kept all of those good things! Granted, there have been some changes, but they are all things that can help you and make your life easier.
For this presentation, I’m going to focus on what the library can do for you personally as Senior Users. 1. The library of today has a lot of added convenience for Senior Users and we’ll go over how the library can fit conveniently into your life.2. I’ve got three main things to touch on: Materials, Online, Services.3. Now, let me give a disclaimer – I’m going to go over a lot of stuff today! It will seem overwhelming, BUT, these are all things you can learn and there is always a librarian that can help you with any of this. 4. Let’s start with Materials, because books are what everyone thinks when we say ‘library’. (Which is great! And won’t be changing any time soon)
1. How many actual items do you think you have access to at with a Defiance Public Library System card? (Like Jeopardy: ‘You have access to this many materials with your DPLS Library Card.” – What is 6,000,000, Alex! We have access to over 6,000,000 items through our online catalog. 2. That means we can find pretty much anything for you. This also includes Magazines, Newspapers, Nonfiction on any topic, and Fiction for every taste. (We’ll talk about how to find exactly what you are looking for in a minute.)3. If you find small print bothersome, we have a huge collection of Large Print materials. Large Print has to have at least a size 16 type. (Regular books use size 10-12 type.)4. I couldn’t find a statistic on how many published books are also published in Large Print edition, but, I can tell you that all the titles currently on the New York Times Bestseller Fiction List are available in Large Print. 6. Some magazines are even available in Large Print like Reader’s Digest & Time.
Audiobooksare my new found love. (Does anyone here useAudiobooks? –When do you like to use them?) Myfavorite times to use them are when I’m cleaning or getting stuff done around the house or my room (makes laundry go soooo much quicker) and when I want to do something else like knitting or cooking or baking.Audiobookscan be used on your computer, on your stereo, in your car or in a personal player. A Playaway is the newest thing in Audiobooks. (Has anyone used a Playaway yet?) <show playaway> This tiny thing holds an entire audiobook. There are no tapes or discs to change out and it is really portable
Lots of times we think the smaller things get, the more complicated they become – not true with the Playaway – Can you push a button?, then you can operate a Playaway. The simple buttons on the back let you start/stop, turn the volume up and down, skip forward and back, and even change the talking speed meaning you can make it talk fast or slow. (It’s even better than a book because it remembers where you left off!) Just pop in some batteries and some earphones and you are set to go! This is great when you are walking, riding in a car, or if you want to listen to something different than whomever else is in the room.
Forthose of you who want more than books we have just as many multi-media items. Like – CDswhich cover all types of music (classical, rock, jazz, gospel)Movies(Entertainment, Blockbusters, Travel, Instructional – Learn to Knit, Learn French, why not both at once! – Workout videos, Documentaries).If you use your computer, check out the software that we have like games and computer and typing tutorials, even legal documents and resources that come with all of the forms built in. <Speaking of computers. I know some of you tune out everytime I say something about computers or going online. But you have NOTHING to worry about and I’ll tell you why at the end of the presentation. But, just as a reminder everytime I say ‘ONLINE’ I want you to say ‘I CAN HANDLE THAT.’ Okay, let’s practice ‘ONLINE’ – ‘I CAN HANDLE THAT’> We really do have something for every taste. We still have the books you love, but we have so much more now to offer! <END OF MATERIALS>
The biggest change in libraries in the last 50 years has been the technology. And that can be the scariest change to deal with. So I’m just going to walk you through some of the amazing things you can do now with libraries online just to get you interested. And, don’t forget, we’re not scared of online things. I’ll tell you why in a bit, but just keep that in mind. You can handle all of this. We’ll start with the online catalog. I know it’s a big change from the card catalog we remember. I was trained on the card catalog too! But, let me give you 3 reasons you will LOVE the online catalog.
#1 Find What You Are Looking For Immediately.Wouldn’t it have been great to walk up to that Card Catalog, tell it what you were looking for, and it would spit out the card that you needed? Well, that is exactly what the Online Card Catalog does. Type in a word or phrase “Card Games, Yugoslavia, Apple Pie Recipes, Westerns” and the catalog, in a matter of seconds, brings up everything that matches your search to help you find what you are looking for immediately.
Like here. I just typed in a general searchfor ‘Westerns’. Within seconds the card catalog got me 805 items that match ‘Westerns.’ Now, not only can I find maybe a favorite Western that I’ve read before by Zane Grey or Louis L’amour, but, this catalog also includes more than just books. It searches movies (here I’ve got the John Wayne Video Collection on VHS and Turner Classic Movies’ Greatest Classic Western Films on DVD), CDs(I might find great western themes to shows like Bonanza) or great art books that maybe contain great Western art like Frederic Remington’s Western sculptures. The possibilities are endless! So quick and easy searches.
#2 is Read Reviews and Get Read-Alikes for each book. It’s tricky finding a new favorite book. There are so many to choose from! And we’ve all picked up a new book from a favorite author that just wasn’t as great as we thought it would be. Well, with our online catalog that will never happen again! Once you look up a title, you will see any reviews that have been published on it and get a list of read-alikes for that title.
Forexample. Here is the record for Beverly Lewis’s “The Secret.” Just by clicking on this title we get a list of similar titles (will display up to 10), A summary of the story, A listing of Series titles if this is one of a series, and any published reviews about it. All in one place.
#3 is Request, Track, and Renew Items from AnywhereBecause the card catalog is now online, you are able to access it from any Internet computer (and the comfort of your own home!). (Literally, you could be in Wyoming and renew all of your items with the click of a button!) All of the services we’ve just talked about, and including requesting items (ordering them in so you can pick them up at your convenience) and renewing items is available online, there’s no need to travel to the library to do that.
Let me show you how its all done (and how easy it really is)Request Items: Very simple, just a few clicks and you can request any one of our over 6,000,000 items. All you need is your library card and the last 4 digits of your phone number. (Of course, you can always call in and have a librarian do this for you!)
Tracking Items:Keeping track of all of your items coming in and going out.This is my hold list right now. These are the titles that I am either on a waiting list for or have ordered from another library through our catalog. This shows me the title of the item, the status of the hold (so whether I am still waiting, its on its way in transit, or has come in), what position I am on the list, and when the hold is set to expire. I have the option here to Cancel a request or even suspend a request to get it at a later date.
Renew Items: Here are the items I currently have out. (It’s nice to always have an up to date list of what materials you have.) This tells me the name of the item, When I checked it out, When it is due, and how many times I have renewed it. You can renew items up to 2 times if no one else has it requested. And, it is so simple to do this. Just click the checkbox next to the item and click the renew button. Done! That is just a quick overview of some of what the catalog can do. Any questions?
Something else that you can do online through any Internet computer is use our databases. Before I started working at the library I used to think that databases were just for students. Boy, was I wrong. The databases of today are amazing and can actually be fun! Magil’s Medical Guide is a great medical reference. The best part of it is that all the information you can find on it is trustworthy!
According to a study published by the Archives of Diseases of Children, over 60% of medical information found on the Internet through a Google Search was found to be NOT correct and NOT consistent with published recommendations. BE CAREFUL where you search for information on your health. The Magil’s Medical Guide is a great resource that is trusted, updated regularly and reviewed constantly. (http://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/health-med-fit/fitness/article_b6ab52a2-6bf4-5ac8-9a17-448b2fcaab81.html) Search for everything from ailments to treatments to nutrition information.
Has anyone ever tried to do a family history? Lots of time was spent pouring over books, looking through tiny, cramped handwriting, and a lot of time hoping that you were looking in the right place! Well nowadays we have wonderful, comprehensive databases that allow you to type in a family name and receive immediate results. They aren’t perfect (genealogy will never be perfect) but they cut your research time at least in half if not more. This is just one of our Family History databases – HeritageQuest. Search Census records, Search already published family and local histories, Search Revolutionary War records and more
And no worries – VERY simple to use. Here is an example of a Census search. All you have to do is enter in the surname and the given name. Here I’ve entered in the name of my mother’s ancestor who came from Ireland – Mary Kain. If you want to narrow the search, if you know the census year, you can choose that and choose the state (I knew Mary was in Michigan). Or you can just leave blank. Then just click Search.
I find out there were 9 Mary Kains recorded in the 1880 census in Michigan. She was from Ireland and I know she was in her 50s or 60s, and we think she was in Montcalm County, so I narrow it down a bit and voila! I can see my great-great grandmother’s signature. I can print this off, frame it, show it to others, anything I want. This search literally took me about 5 minutes to do. Just think of the possibilities.
NovelistPlus is my FAVORITE database. I am a reader. I devour books. And I am always looking for something good to read. And nothing really irks me more than devoting time to a book that I don’t absolutely love. That is why I hardly ever check out a book without first going to NovelistPLus. I’m going to list just a few things that Novelist can do. Novelist has 100s of already made lists for reading types. For example here is a portion of the list devoted to Romance in a Small Town. This list contains 20 titles that fit this description and will give you in depth information about each title.
If you can’t find a ready-made list, then make up your own. I typed in a very random search: Spies in Victorian England. It brought up 55 titles that match that description. That’s pretty amazing. AND I can narrow these down in several ways: by Pace, Writing Style, Audience, Award Winner, or Publication Date.
Now let’s say you have a Title or Author that you LOVE. Well, why not get specialized recommendations? Just type in the title or author (here I used John Steinbeck) and see the Read-Alikes. Here is a personalized list of authors and titles that you will probably love.
The Bronson Digital Archives are something brand new. Does anyone know about the Bronson Photo Collection? Edward Bronson was an incredible Defiance area photographer during the early 20th century. 798 pristine panoramic photos were donated to the Defiance Public Library and have been in our care for several decades. You used to only be able to see these photos by coming into the Defiance Public Library and flipping through our 5 giant albums. But now – now you can go online and see them for yourself in their perfect condition. ALSO, you can search these photos. So if you want to see photos that feature military personnel (or the library!) you just type in your search and there you go!
One of the best things about a library is the people. We have a whole staff devoted to helping you find whatever it is you’re looking for. And that includes whether you are in the building or not. We have specialized Reference staff that you can talk to in person or by phone who can answer your general questions, get a phone number for you, or request materials or find the perfect read for you. I’ve answered everything from ‘How do I set up a home telephone line?’ to ‘How can I get a painting appraised for its value?’ to ‘I’ve read everything by C.S. Lewis, what do I read now?!’
Homebound Delivery is how the library comes straight to you. If for any reason you are not able to come into the library on a regular basis, we will deliver up to 20 items to you every 2 weeks for absolutely no charge. How does it work? Just call into a DPLS library and sign up for the program. During sign up we will ask you what you like to read, watch, or listen to. Do you like Travel shows? How bout reading biographies? Maybe you listen to romances on audiobook? No problem. And how many items would you like checked out to you every 2 weeks? 1? 10? 20? No problem. Then using your recommendations, a librarian will choose items for you, check them out on your card and have them delivered to your door. Then after 2 weeks they will pick up your used materials and drop off brand new ones! Pretty awesome! And if there is a title or movie that you want requested, No problem, just write us a quick note. And, this of course, includes all libraries items: Books, Movies, Audiobooks, etc.
Remember how I said we weren’t going to freak out when I said the word ‘online’? Well, this is why. The library offers entirely free one-on-one computer classes for all ages. It is just you and a teacher, so you don’t have to worry about getting behind in a class and you can ask as many questions as you would like to. The classes truly go at your pace. When people ask how many classes it takes, we answer, as many as you would like. And these classes can be tailored to your interests whether you have never touched a computer before and need the basics or if you want to learn Facebook or Google. And of course, it is all free!
Now for those of you who want to give me excuses, here are the top 4 excuses that I get and why they are baloney. #1 I can’t learn it – I taught computer classes at the library for 2 years and someone else taught them for 1.5 years. In 3.5 years we have NEVER failed a student. There was not one person that we said to, ‘you cannot learn a computer’. #2 I can’t afford it – We are a library which means they are FREE and you can take as many as you want! #3 I don’t have any use for it – We just went over all the cool stuff you could do! And that just includes library stuff. Think about getting video and pictures of your loved ones, connecting with old high school friends, and basically having the world at your fingertips. It’s all possible. #4. Probably should have been my #1 excuse, I’ll break it – You will NOT break a computer. Unless you come at it with a sledgehammer, you will not break it. They look complicated and expensive, but they have so many safety nets built in that it is nearly impossible to break or damage.
So, how do you get started doing all of this that I just talked about. Well, first of all - why not get a library card? That will give you access to everything. How about signing up for Homebound Services to start getting brand new items to keep you busy every week? And finally, for those of you who believe in yourselves, start learning the computer. There are resources available to you
Phew! That’s a lot! And those are just SOME of the services we can offer you (I had to cut some things out if you can believe it!) The gist of it is, the library really is here for you. We’re here to serve you; offer you information, entertainment and help; and make all of it as convenient for you as possible. The bottom line is we’re here for you so What Will You Discover?
