The South Central Library System is moving into a new building, and as a result we will be experiencing some service outages from Friday, November 20 through Monday, November 23. On November 20, LINKcat and digital catalog information will be inaccessible. Outages are possible through the remainder of the weekend and the following Monday.
Please call your library to check on the availability of materials when LINKcat is down. We apologize for the inconvenience.
In the last week we’ve answered our first two reference questions via Twitter. While it might not be the fastest or most private way to contact us with a question, we’re happy to answer the questions we see via Twitter or Facebook or our other social media accounts.
Which brings us to the answer to one of those two reference questions, which is more complex than Twitter’s 140 characters allow… One of our followers, in response to a post announcing our excitement that we now offer e-book and iPod compatible audiobook downloads through the OverDrive Digital Download Center, requested that a sidebar search category be created for Mac users to find compatible downloads.
Madison Public Library is part of a statewide consortium that runs the OverDrive Digital Download Center, a collection of nearly 5,000 downloadable audiobooks, video, music and now e-books. We can’t update the sidebar options to say “Plays on Mac” but if you look at the sidebar, you can choose either “iPod-compatible Audiobooks” or “View all MP3 Audiobooks” to find titles you can use. iPod-compatible audiobooks can be transferred to an iPod or iPhone through iTunes on either a Mac or a PC. MP3 audiobooks can be played on a Mac OR transferred to iPod or iPhone. Also, if you do a title or author search, there are icons for each title showing what formats the title come in. Screenshots of menus and download steps for getting OverDrive Media Console are on our Flickr photostream.
Background info: Audiobooks comprise the largest part of the Digital Download Center collection. Most are - for various digital rights management reasons - available only as WMA (windows media audio) files for playing on a PC or WMA-compatible devices. Recently, one fourth of the WMA titles became iPod compatible when users access the files using the most recent version of the OverDrive Media Console (software required to use OverDrive). As of today, there are 4065 WMA audiobooks, 218 MP3 audiobooks, 1000 iPod compatible WMA audiobooks, 318 videos, 178 music albums, and 232 eBooks in the collection.
This year, teens are encouraged to experience something out of this world, expand their horizons, and Read Beyond Reality for Teen Read Week 2009, occurring October 18 - 24 at the Madison Public Library. The Library has scheduled a number of programs for teens in grades 6 through 12 to help celebrate teen literacy, including costume parties, a poetry slam, and more.
The festivities start early with a screening of the popular film “Twilight” on Friday, October 16 at 3:30 p.m. at the Lakeview Library. Pizza will be served. Space is limited; register online or by calling 246-4547. A permission form signed by a parent or guardian is required for entry to this PG-13 film.
It will be a “bloody” good time at two Twilight-themed costume parties celebrating the upcoming November release of the “New Moon” movie. Join other vampire fans for movie clips, trivia, food, and more. Dress as your favorite characters and be sure to brush up on Twilight facts: the winner of “Best Costume” will take home 4 tickets for the upcoming release of “New Moon,” and the “Twilight Trivia Star” will receive a full set of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight books! Register in advance to save your spot at one of these parties:
Funding for Twilight costume parties is provided by the Friends of the Meadowridge Branch Library and the Friends of the Pinney Branch Library.
Bring your friends to the Hawthorne Library on Tuesday, October 20 from 3:30 - 5 p.m. for a Guitar Hero free-play. We’ll provide pizza and soda to keep you energized for playing, singing, and rocking to your favorite songs.
On Friday, October 23 at 7:00 p.m., young writers are invited to bring their poetry to the Alicia Ashman Library for an evening of reading, writing, and fun at a “Bad Poetry Nite.” Register online or call 824-1780 to reserve a spot onstage.
Teen Read Week is a national literacy initiative of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association. Teen Read Week will be celebrated at thousands of public and school libraries, classrooms, and bookstores across the country. Although teens realize the importance of reading, they have a huge menu of activities to choose from when deciding how to spend their free time, and reading often gets lost in the shuffle. Teen Read Week serves as a weeklong reminder to teens that reading for pleasure is fun, free, and can be done anywhere.
Add comment October 16th, 2009 Alicia
If you have the need or desire to collect demographic data, you must try DemographicsNow Now! So easy to use–you can customize results by geography, choosing the area best suited to your needs. Established businesses, prospective entrepreneurs, business students, and anyone who needs to identify cultural patterns or sociological trends will benefit from this ultra flexible marketing tool. Listen to a 3 minute introductory webcast or be guided through more detailed search tips. Access to DemographicsNow is made possible through a Madison Community Foundation collection grant to the Central Library for small business and entrepreneurship. The database was chosen with the input of several area business and entrepreneur groups.
And there’s more! If you’d like to search both Madison Newspapers or the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, whether it’s for an article, an obituary, or just to browse a day’s events, you’ll find NewsBank to be just the ticket. NewsBank is an easy-to-use newspaper archive containing full text articles from the Wisconsin State Journal (1989- present), Capital Times (1989- present), and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (1990-present). Updated daily, entries exclude advertisements, employment ads and classifieds. You’ll find detailed searching information here. Due to licensing restrictions, both DemographicsNow and NewsBank are only available to customers who visit a Madison Public Library and remotely to Madison residents with valid library cards. We are in the process of arranging access through the library’s wireless networks for those who want to use the database in the library but on their own machines.
These are the newest additions to the library’s extensive list of databases. Searching from home has never been easier.
Add comment October 7th, 2009 terrymc
Each year our librarians spend hours preparing for, conducting, and evaluating our Summer Library Program. Why do we do it? Research shows us that summer is a time of learning loss for many students who don’t have access to summer learning opportunities. By providing Madison students with a no-cost, self-paced program based on reading incentives, we’re encouraging students to continue learning and practicing their reading skills throughout the summer. This is central to our mission as a library.
Special thanks to this year’s sponsors for their financial or in-kind support: Madison Public Library Foundation, Friends of the Madison Public Library, Olbrich Botanical Gardens, Overture Center for the Arts, Rocky Rococo’s Pizza, Noodles & Company, Madison Mallards Baseball, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA), EdVest, KnowHow2GoWisconsin, and the South Central Library System. Thanks also the 6,064 participants for their enthusiasm, to parents, teachers and caregivers for their encouragement, and to our many community partners.
For more about this year’s Summer Library Program in Madison, read Samara Kalk Derby’s Capital Times recent article For love of books: Reading program aids kids.
Photo by Peter Patau.
Add comment September 15th, 2009 Tana
Madison Public Library is teaming up with the Open Art Studios to offer hands-on creative workshops with local artists this September and October. Madison Area Open Art Studios is a celebration of the diversity and vitality of the visual arts in the Madison-area. Local artists will be on hand at multiple Library locations to demonstrate technique and help visitors create their own masterpieces. These events are open to visitors of all ages.
Photographer Angela Johnson will appear on Saturday, September 12, 1:30 - 3 p.m. at Hawthorne Library for a family-friendly hand colored photography workshop. Using provided black and white images of nature photography, learn how to hand color and cardstock mount to give the image your own creative spin.
Fiber and felting artist Jaroslava Sobiskova will be available on Saturday, September 19, 1 - 4 p.m. at Alicia Ashman Library for a demonstration of felting artistry and techniques. She will be creating art throughout the afternoon and will be available to answer questions. Her creations include beautiful tapestries, scarves, shawls, and other objects, and a selection of her work will be on display.
On Saturday, September 26, learn jewelry-making from two local artists appearing at two library locations. Join Judi Werner at Central Library for jewelry making from 1 - 4 p.m. Participants will make bracelets, earrings, wig jig animals, and other fun jewelry items. Rachael Brooke Winkley will appear at Pinney Library from 2:30 - 4:30 p.m., demonstrating how to make “upcycled jewelry” from salvage yard scrap metal and gathered natural materials.
Clay artists Sandra Belozercovsky and Meredith Green will be providing hands-on demonstrations of the art they create on Saturday, October 3, 1- 4 p.m. at Sequoya Library. Finally, explore the art of picture taking with photographer Janis Nussbaum Senunetuk on Saturday, October 10, 1 - 4 p.m. at Pinney Library.
Other area libraries will also be holding Open Art Studio events, and artists will be opening their own studios for visitation the weekend of October 17 and 18. An exhibit of works from each of the artists participating in Open Art Studios 2009 will be on display at the Overture Center for the Arts from September 21 through October 16. For more information, visit the Open Art Studios website.
Add comment September 11th, 2009 Alicia
September is Library Card Sign-Up Month, and Madison Public Library wants to make sure that Madisonians have the smartest card of all - a free library card. A library card gives you access to the library’s many materials and resources, including computer access, research databases, job and business resources, free movies and music, and much more. During the month of September, Madison Public Library will be giving a small gift to everyone who signs up for a new library card, adults and children alike. Madisonians are encouraged to take advantage of the many free resources offered at their public library, and will receive a fun reminder thanking them for using the smartest card around. For more information on signing up for a library card, visit one of Madison’s nine public libraries or visit us online. Read more.
Add comment September 2nd, 2009 Tana
All Madison Public Library locations are closed for Labor Day on Monday, September 7. You can still use the library when we’re closed: place holds in LINKcat, return items to our bookdrops, or use our 24/7 online reference service, AskAway.
Add comment August 19th, 2009 Alicia
We are midway through the Summer Library Program and it’s been great fun seeing children and teens come in with their reading records. Whether or not your family has participated in the program, you can still attend our two big end-of-summer program events:
Be Creative Concert & Picnic
Tuesday, August 4, 6:30 p.m. at Olbrich Botanical Gardens
Pack a picnic supper and head to the Gardens for a fun-filled family concert. Come rain or shine at 6:30 p.m. to find the hidden artists and play with bubbles. At 7 p.m., David Landau will get you singing and laughing while you munch.
Summer Library Carnival!
Tuesday, August 11, 10:30 a.m. at the Overture Center for the Arts and the Central Library
Celebrate reading at this event co-sponsored by the Overture Center for the Arts and the Madison Public Library. Enjoy the magical and comedic stylings of Miller & Mike during a performance at 10:30 a.m. at Overture. At 11:15, go next door to the Central Library for carnival games, crafts and more. Preschools, summer camps and other groups are welcome to register for a special pre-performance carnival from 9:30 - 10:15 - for more information or to register your group, please call 266-6345 prior to August 7.
Add comment July 23rd, 2009 Tana
Preschool and elementary aged children participating in the Summer Library Program can now use one of their second prizes: a Blooming Butterflies pass! Free passes to the popular annual exhibit were generously donated by Olbrich Botanical Gardens. The exhibit runs July 15 - August 9 and is open 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. daily. For more information, visit the exhibit web site. Curious readers can also check out the Butterfly Fact Sheet, explore behind the scenes at the exhibit or read more in these books:
Gotta Go! Gotta Go! by Sam Swopes (ages 3-6)
Waiting for Wings by Lois Ehlert (ages 2-6)
Nic Bishop Butterflies and Moths by Nic Bishop (ages 4-8)
[see more butterfly books for kids]
More than a dozen species of butterflies, native to both Wisconsin and the more tropical areas of the southern United States can be seen at various times during the exhibit. After spotting bright butterflies inside the Bolz Conservatory, children can follow butterfly stencils on the paths through the outdoor gardens on a quest to fill their Butterfly Passports with stamps. Find the stamping stations, read a few fun facts, then answer a few simple questions. Fill up the passport and earn one free junior cone from Michael’s Frozen Custard, valid at the 3826 Atwood Ave. location.
Visitors to the exhibit can be amazed by hundreds of exotic butterflies in local collector Dan Capps’ fascinating collection. Part of Capps’ collection will be on display in the Olbrich Botanical Gardens lobby for the length of the exhibit. Capps has traveled the world to build one of the most impressive displays of exotic insects in North America. His collection now totals more than 7,000 insects ranging from butterflies to beetles to bees, and includes specimens from every continent. Meet Dan Capps in person on the following days: July 21st 2:30 p.m., July 28th 2:30 p.m., August 4th 2:30 p.m.
Photograph courtesy of Olbrich Botanical Gardens.
Add comment July 17th, 2009 Tana
