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.
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
Join Mayor Cieslewicz and other city officials at noon on Sunday, September 27, at the official re-opening of the Monroe Street Branch Library. The library will be open special Sunday hours from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for an open house and a book sale as part of the Monroe Street Festival.
The remodel includes a fresh look for the popular neighborhood library, including new carpet and paint, a new ceiling, energy-efficient lighting, and new locally-purchased furniture and shelving. A revised floor plan features “open holds” shelving and a reconfigured and relocated service desk. The newly remodeled library also offers two additional computers for public use.
The book sale, hosted by the Monroe Street Library League, features hundreds of books for adults and children at bargain prices. The Monroe Street Festival is an annual fall celebration showcasing the businesses on Monroe Street, including bargains from many merchants and activities for the whole family. The Monroe Street Festival is held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information and pictures, see the Monroe Street Branch page or the Monroe Street Festival site.
Add comment September 22nd, 2009 Tana
Join us for the second annual Conversation & Cocktails, featuring guest speaker Michael Feldman, held on Saturday, October 24 from 5 - 7 p.m. at the Sundance Cinema Bar Bistro (403 N. Midvale Blvd.).
Michael Feldman, Madison’s own premiere conversationalist and interviewer as host of NPR’s radio show, “Whad’ya Know,” will share his wry observations on life at this intimate event. There will also be time for “turning the tables” on him and getting in a few questions of our own. Our evening of good talk and laughter will begin in the Sundance Cinema Bar Bistro with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres followed by Feldman’s talk in the theater.
Conversation & Cocktails benefits the operations of the Madison Public Library Foundation, which in turn supports many important services of the Madison Public Library. This event is your opportunity to have a great time and contribute to the many needed resources and programs the Madison Public Library provides our community.
Tickets to Conversation & Cocktails are $75 per person. Sponsorship opportunities are available. Space is limited. Download the reservation form in PDF format. For more information, contact Terrie Goren, Foundation Director, at 266-6318 or by e-mail at mplfoundation@cityofmadison.com.
Add comment September 18th, 2009 Alicia
Hooray! The renovations are complete, and the Monroe Street Branch will reopen today, Friday, September 18, at 1:00 p.m.! Hold pickups have been transferred back to Monroe Street, as well, so if you’ve been waiting to pick up hold materials, you’ve got a wonderful excuse to come in and check out the new additions!
Add comment September 18th, 2009 Alicia
Anyone who’s worked on a construction project knows that even with the best planning, delays sometimes happen. We are grateful to the patience of the Monroe Street area residents who continue to wait to use their newly-remodeled neighborhood library.
As of today, we are waiting for our new desk to be finished and installed. You can see pictures of the progress last week on our Flickr account. If you would like to be notified when the library reopens, please sign up, or follow the library on Facebook or Twitter.
Plans of the new Monroe Street library (though some modifications have been made since these were printed).
2 comments September 16th, 2009 Tana
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
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
