The Month Ahead: February 2013

Here's a look at the month ahead for February 2013.

Do you love exploring the past? Then you’ll love your historical newspaper collections. With resources like the ProQuest Historical newspaper archives, you can learn how people in the past celebrated Valentine’s Day.
http://dppl.org/features/newspapers.html

If you’re a movie lover, then check out our new streaming movie collection, New World Cinema. You’ll find a selection of interesting, award winning films from around the world. It’s available from your computer and your smartphone or tablet.
http://dppl.org/edppl

Bring your kids to a live performance of Alice in Wonderland on February 17th. Presented by Emerald City Theater, follow Alice’s wild journey down the rabbit hole to Wonderland.
http://calendar.dppl.org/evanced/lib/eventsignup.asp?ID=18104

Speaking of falling down rabbit holes, it’s not too early to start thinking about your taxes. Come to our workshop on February 18th to learn how to find federal and state tax forms online.
http://calendar.dppl.org/evanced/lib/eventsignup.asp?ID=19079

If the thought of taxes depresses you, then cookies and candies can help. Come to our “Vintage Cookies and Candies” program on February 28th. You’ll learn the answer to questions like “When were brownies invented?” and sample cookies and candies from the past.
http://calendar.dppl.org/evanced/lib/eventsignup.asp?ID=19436

For more information about the month ahead, check out our website at http://dppl.org.

Music: Donor, "stereotype" http://archive.org/details/txtn024

New MyMediaMall Makes Downloading eBooks Better

Downloading eBooks just got easier (and nicer looking) with the new MyMediaMall. If you go to MyMediaMall now, you'll find a visually rich, an easy to navigate experience, and the ability to read right in your browser (plus all of the familiar features). Let's take a closer look at the new MyMediaMall.

MyMediaMall's new homepage

Right at the top you'll see a list of helpful categories to browse. You'll also see lists of titles that are popular on MyMediaMall right now. You can click directly on one of these covers or use the ribbons below the cover to remember the item for later.

Browsing a list of books with the new MyMediaMall

Here's a list of "all eBook fiction." One of the best new features is prominent "Available Now" button. Clicking this shows you everything that is available for download. The filters to the left are easier to use now too.

Viewing books in the new MyMediaMall

When you click on a book, you get a very nice display showing the cover, information about the book and related picks. The "Borrow" button is front and center, enticing you to read the selection, in this case Haruki Murakami's 1Q84.

The new bookshelf makes downloading and reading online easier

I selected the book to borrow and can view my bookshelf. The bookshelf makes it easy to see what you have checked out, when it expires, and how to read the content. In this case, you can read 1Q84 right in the browser by selecting "Read (for your browser)" or download it for Kindle.

The newest feature--reading in your browser!

The in-browser reading experience is pretty nice. Here's the first page of the book. There are options for resizing the text, changing the line spacing, just like an eReader.

We think that the redesigned MyMediaMall is a great improvement. It is bright and visual, easier to navigate, easier to return items early, and easier to fill your basket and begin reading. So, go to dppl.org/eDPPL now and look for MyMediaMall to get started!

The Year Ahead: 2013

This month, library director, Holly Sorensen, gives you a look at the year ahead for 2013 at the library.

2012 was a great year at the library. Over 500 thousand people visited the library last year. They checked out over 1 million items and came to our popular events and programs.

Usage of our eBooks, downloadable music, and magazines continued to grow as well.

We appeared on Library Journal's list of Star Libraries in 2012. We're one of 20 libraries in Illinois offering you great materials, services and programs.

In 2013, we're going to work to make the library even better for you.

We're upgrading our computer area on the 4th floor. Computers will be centrally located. Finding computers and asking for help will be easier.

We're looking at other ways to improve how you use the library. We're performing a space study to make sure that every part of the library is being used in the best way possible.

It may be virtual, but our website will be upgraded as well. We want to make it timely, easy to use, and beautiful to look at.

We'll continue to expand our collections, offer great programs, and be the best library we can be. So stay tuned for these changes and check our website at dppl.org for information about all of the things we do every day.