Showing posts with label audiobooks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label audiobooks. Show all posts

Thursday, March 2, 2017

Caring for Library Media

Regular borrowers of DVDs and audiobooks on CD know that from time to time they encounter a disc that doesn’t play properly. We have a special machine for polishing and cleaning discs, but we do not subject them to this treatment unless there is a reported problem, as the process shortens the useful life of the item. The effect is similar to what happens to fine china if it is run repeatedly through the harsh elements of hot water and strong detergent in a dishwasher – over time important surface elements are worn away.


To help us maintain these items in the best condition possible, we rely on borrowers to let us know of problems, so we can address these specific situations by cleaning, polishing or replacing discs as needed.  To make this easier, we are now inserting a form into the cases of DVDs and audiobooks to allow users to report problems when they return the item, without having to come to the Circulation Desk in person.  Just indicate on the form which disc(s) did not work properly and describe the nature of the problem (skipping, sticking, garbled sound, whatever). We’ll take it from there!  Thanks for your help.

Thursday, December 22, 2016

Keeping Kids Entertained Can Be Easy

The kids are home from school because of vacation or a weather cancellation, and they are getting bored.  Here are a couple of suggestions to keep them entertained, accessible for free with a Ridgefield Library card.

Tumblebooks are eBooks for the very young that let you enjoy the illustrations onscreen as you listen to favorite picture books read aloud.

Bookflix from Scholastic is an online literary resource for children that pairs video storybooks with related non-fiction eBooks. Imagine a film of a Curious George story paired with a non-fiction book about monkeys, plus word games, a profile of the author, suggestions for individual or group activities and links to additional resources.

Hoopla offers downloadable and streaming music, movies and TV shows in addition to eBooks and audiobooks and even comic books. And the Kids Mode setting features content that has been deemed suitable for children up to 12 years of age.

OverDrive offers eBooks and audiobooks from many of the best authors, narrators and publishers in the business, and also has a special “Kids Collection” interface.


Check www.ridgefieldlibrary.org/children for more information and links to get you started (some also have apps for enjoying on a smartphone or other device).

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Laszig Fund and Library Join Forces to Assist Ridgefield Seniors

The Library shares with the founders and administrators of the Paul and Johanna Laszig Fund for the Elderly a commitment to supporting Ridgefield residents aged 62+ in the many needs they experience as they become older.  For many, one of the first and often most troublesome is the development of difficulty with their vision.  For the avid book lover, diminishment of the ability to read traditional books can be devastating.  Large print books and audiobooks can help extend a lifelong love of reading. With the support of a recent grant from the Laszig Fund, the Library is pleased to announce the addition of several dozen new titles for its large print collection.  It has also purchased a number of Playaways, which are an innovative format that combines a player and an audiobook in one small, easy-to-use device.


Playaways purchased include hot new titles such as John Grisham’s latest, “The Whistler,” and the award-winning “The Underground Railroad” by Colson Whitehead. New large print acquisitions include the runaway hit “My Brilliant Friend” by Elena Ferrante, Martin Walker’s latest Bruno, Chief of Police mystery and Liane Moriarty’s bestseller “Truly Madly Guilty.” Ask at the Circulation or Adult Services Desk for help finding these and many more large print books and Playaways.

Thursday, July 7, 2016

Searching for the Bard, and the Boss @ the Library

Looking for Kenneth Branagh or Laurence Olivier?  What about Placido Domingo or Bruce Springsteen?  Look no further than the Fine Arts and Literature collections in the historic front part of the Library.  Opera CDs and performance DVDs, Shakespeare audiobooks and performance DVDs, and non-fiction and documentary DVDs on art and artists, music, movie-making and other fine and performing arts topics are now located in the Goldstone Special Collections Room and the Ruggles Fine Arts Reading Room right inside the Main Street entrance.

This change puts all of our printed and media materials related to these topics in one convenient location. Pick out a coffee table volume on the Impressionists, then select an episode of a made-for-TV art appreciation series or a documentary film on the life of Degas or Monet.   Also here are live concert recordings by pop icons like Springsteen and Paul Simon and recorded live performances of musicals like CATS.


This is a great place to brush up your Shakespeare (or Verdi or Tchaikovsky) before Live in HD film presentations at the Ridgefield Playhouse of productions by the National Theatre, Met Opera and Bolshoi Ballet.  Then show your Ridgefield Library card at the box office and get the special member discount price. 

Thursday, June 23, 2016

First Stop on Vacation: The Library

Hitting the road for vacation?  Make the Ridgefield Library your first stop!

Check out the Library Store for roomy book bags to hold all your gear.  Pick up a blank journal to record your travel impressions.  And don’t forget a portable power bank for emergency re-charging of electronics.

Booklists, displays and staff recommendations will help you fill up that bag with great leisure reading choices.  If you are away for some time, many borrowed items can be renewed online (as long as there is no waiting list).  And don’t forget you can log your Summer Reading online while you are on the road, then come in to claim your rewards when you return.

If all the members of your traveling party can agree on a title, the Library has many wonderful audiobook recordings on CD and Playaway, as well as downloadable material available from hoopla and OverDrive which can be played through many car stereo systems.  If your companions have different tastes, you can enjoy individual choices of downloadable and streaming offerings such as eBooks, audiobooks, TV, movies and music – each on your own personal device. 


Just remember to pack your Ridgefield Library card and check in at ridgefieldlibrary.org!

Thursday, June 9, 2016

June Is Audiobook month @ the Library

On the go or on the track? In the car or in the kitchen?  These are just a few of the places you can enjoy listening to audiobooks any time.  And the Ridgefield Library can help you find a wealth of titles for all ages available at no cost to you.

Almost every kind of book is now available in audio format, from romance and science fiction to memoir and non-fiction. You can learn a language, catch up with a favorite series character, explore the ideas of great thinkers, sample a new author or re-visit a beloved classic.

Our newest offerings are downloadable audiobooks from OverDrive and Hoopla, two subscription services available to Ridgefield Library cardholders.  Learn how to access these from most computers or devices by asking at the Adult Services desk or visiting our Digital Library Page at www.ridgefieldlibrary.org.

Many listeners are partial to the convenient Playaway format, which incorporates a playback mechanism into the packaging of each title, so you don’t have to have yet another device.

And, of course, we also have the traditional book-on-CD format featuring adult, teen and children’s titles, along with read-along kits for youngsters including a book and an audio narration.


Happy listening!

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Get Outside the Lines @ your Library

September 13-19 is the week when libraries around the country are showcasing how they help their patrons get “outside the lines” – and the walls – of the traditional library building.  In Ridgefield we are using this as an occasion to launch our latest digital collection.  hoopla digital is an online service, available anywhere with your Ridgefield Library card for login, which offers music albums, movies and television shows to stream or download, as well as audiobooks, eBooks and even comics.  It is easy to use and works with both Apple and android apps as well as on most PC browsers.  You can get all the details on our website at ridgefieldlibrary.org.

To cap off the week, Friday the 18th is International Read an eBook Day.  All you have to do is download one of the thousands of eBooks available to Ridgefield Library patrons through the OverDrive service. Then post about it on social media with the hashtag #eBookLove, and our library will be automatically entered into a drawing for $2,500 of credit towards additional eBooks for you to enjoy.


September is also Library Card Sign-up Month – what a great time to make sure you can take advantage of everything in the Library – and outside the lines!

Thursday, August 20, 2015

Opportunities for Lifelong Learners

Ridgefield students head back to school soon, but youngsters are not the only ones who can expand their horizons with new academic challenges.  In addition to our myriad scheduled programs, we invite adult Ridgefield Library card holders to explore two self-paced options for lifelong learning.

Thanks to the Friends of the Library, we continue to add to our collection of “Great Courses” audio CDs, featuring popular and highly respected teachers from the best colleges and universities in the country.  Each set consists of a complete series of course lectures, along with printed study guides.  Recent additions include 1066, After the New Testament, Art of War and Skepticism 101.

The Library has also served as a “meet-up” site for several Massive Open Online Courses, or MOOCs.  This summer several dozen people, from preteens to senior citizens, gathered each week to view and discuss excerpts from a course entitled “The Rise of Superheroes and their Impact on Popular Culture.”  Those who missed taking the full course online will have another chance, when it is repeated starting August 12th.  Stay tuned for announcement of future opportunities to join with fellow scholars to take part in MOOCs on literature, art history or other topics.

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

June Is for Audiobooks

June is a perfect time to celebrate National Audiobook Month, as family vacations get underway and folks spend more time in outdoor pursuits like gardening.  At the Ridgefield Library, we offer an extensive collection of listening material on CD, mp3 and Playaway and in several digital formats. Options include fiction and non-fiction for adults, favorite children’s and teen titles, recommendations for family listening, language learning material and even lecture courses by celebrated college professors.

Audiobooks are a great boon for commuters who want to put their travel time to good use catching up with the latest bestseller.  They can also be of great benefit to beginning or reluctant readers who need a helping hand.  Playaways in particular, with their self-contained player and simple one-button operation, are popular with those whose vision or dexterity may be less than 100%.

Some listeners seek out audiobooks read by particular narrators. Some readers are such a perfect fit with the material they present that they add immense pleasure to the listening experience.

Look for audiobooks in physical formats in the adult, children’s and teen areas. For a quick start to using digital audiobooks, just click on the square blue “Download Audiobooks” icon on our homepage at www.ridgefieldlibrary.org.  

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Digital Media Survey Underway

Do you use the Library's OverDrive downloadable audiobook and eBook service?  Have you come to one of our Tech Topics sessions on e-readers?  Do you stream music or video you find on the Internet? The environment for content creators and consumers is in a constant state of change, with new delivery systems and devices coming on the market almost daily. Here’s an opportunity for you to help shape the future of digital content at the Ridgefield Library.

We are fortunate to have been chosen as the site for a research project on digital media use in libraries, undertaken by graduate student Dawn Zimmerer, who is completing her Masters in Library Science at Southern Connecticut State University.  We invite you to participate in the brief survey she has put together and look forward to learning the responses of our patrons on this very timely topic.

Thank you for considering this request.  To participate, you may pick up a paper copy of the survey at the Library or take the survey online at www.ridgefieldlibrary.org. Average completion time is less than 15 minutes. The deadline is June 18th, so do it today. Thank you for your input.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

OverDrive eReading Room for Young People



Do you enjoy the Ridgefield Library’s downloadable media collection?  Have you put eBooks on your Kindle or iPad? Downloaded an audiobook to your phone or MP3 player?  Now your children and teenagers can enjoy doing all that too! 

The Ridgefield Library has just expanded our OverDrive digital collection website to include an eReading Room for children and teens. Our downloadable collections now have a separate site to provide a safe and easy browsing experience for young people. It includes ebooks and audiobooks, and browsing can be done by subject, reading level or interest level. Of course, this does not mean that our younger patrons are limited to only the downloadable content in the eReading Room. There are many other audiobooks and eBooks in the general OverDrive collection they would like. But the children’s / teen collection site filters the overall digital collection to just show children’s and teen content, so our younger patrons do not have to wade through all the adult titles to find The Hunger Games or Percy Jackson. All you need is your Ridgefield Library card. And downloadables are especially convenient, as titles expire automatically when “due,” so there’s no need to worry about late fees or losing them under the couch cushions.

Contributed by Teen Services Librarian and head of Children's Services Geri Diorio

Thursday, January 2, 2014

New Year’s Resolutions

It’s the time of year for New Year’s resolutions.  If yours is to make more time for reading, here are some suggestions:

  For some, deciding what to read is the biggest obstacle.  Whether you’re looking for a light or a literary read or something in between, our staff is here to help you find the perfect book for your reading enjoyment and edification.

Listen to an audiobook.  Finding the time to read is often a challenge, and audiobooks provide a great way to enjoy the content of a book while driving, exercising, or multi-tasking at home.  The library offers a large selection of audiobooks on CDS and in downloadable formats that are compatible with most computers, tablets, and smartphones.  

Join a book group.   The structure of a book group can provide the impetus to make time for reading.   The Ridgefield Library offers a variety of ongoing book groups, and their monthly selections offer something for almost every interest.  No membership is required, and new readers are always welcomeStop by the library or check our website for more information. 


On our side, our resolution is to continue to provide the best resources for readers in 2014.

Contributed by Adult Services Librarian Dorothy Pawlowski.

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Can You Talk Like a Pirate?



September 19th is celebrated by enthusiasts worldwide as “International Talk Like a Pirate Day,” with attendant shenanigans.  Mango Languages, the provider of the Library’s online language learning programs for adults and children, has jumped on board with its Pirate language course, containing everything you need to know to “parlay” in perfect Pirate. You’ll learn a bit of Pirate history, the finer points of swashbuckling and all sorts of practical Pirate lingo.

In addition to Pirate, Mango offers over 60 world languages for English speakers, plus courses for those learning English as a second language. Perfect for leisure travelers, business people, students and the just plain curious, Mango’s conversational approach teaches practical, relevant content focused on four key areas of language learning: vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation and culture.  It is available remotely around the clock, including in an app version for mobile devices – all you need is your Ridgefield Library card to log in. Mango is also the provider of Little Pim online language instruction programs developed specifically for children ages 0-6. You’ll find links to both on our website at www.ridgefieldlibrary.org.

Ask a staff person how to get started speaking Pirate – or French or Arabic or Mandarin Chinese.  Aarrr!

Thursday, December 16, 2010

The Care of Library Materials


Here are a few tips for the care of materials loaned out by the Library. Let’s pretend I am a book. Please keep me clean. Use a bookmark to keep track of where you are in me. Bookmarks are available at the library – just ask at the circulation or service desks. Please don’t crack my spine when you open me up.


Now let’s pretend I am a disc such as a DVD, CD or CD-ROM. Keep me away from the sun in your car. My case will distort from the heat, and I can fall out onto the ground. I appreciate being handled in a gentle manner by the outer edges.  Lift me out of my case by releasing the center button - no yanking please.
If you have a problem with me, report it when you return me and the staff in Technical Services will inspect me.  Please alert the folks at the circulation desk which disc and track is defective.  The Technical Services department uses a machine to polish and clean me when I am soiled or scratched. Unfortunately, I can only be polished about three times. So the cleaner you can keep me, the longer I can be borrowed.

Contributed by Bobbie Hermann, Technical Services Supervisor

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Why Come to the Library this Summer?

Why come to the Ridgefield Library this summer?

• It’s convenient: Our Summer Reading Programs for children, teens and adults mean that the entire family can “Dive into Reading” together, with one easy stop at the Library.

• It’s a great deal: All our programs are free – a real boon when many families are still being cautious about their finances.

• It’s fun: From Teen Friday Films to PJ Storytimes to folk music concerts, we offer a wide variety of activities and events that are entertaining as well as educational.

• It’s rewarding: Dozens of local merchants and organizations have joined our major Summer Reading sponsor, the Friends of the Library, to provide great gifts and goodies as reading incentives or raffle prizes. Stop by soon and see all the wonderful things you might win – just for telling us about the books you are reading.

• It’s helpful: You can pick up audiobooks to keep the family occupied during a long car trip, sign up to try out a Kindle or other eReader before you invest in buying one, or borrow a museum pass for some “Staycation” fun.

• It’s cool: The Library is air-conditioned!

See you @ the Library soon!

Thursday, May 6, 2010

It's Older Americans Month at the Library

May is Older Americans Month, an annual celebration of the legacies and ongoing contributions of America’s “seniors,” a demographic group that now spans three generations and continues to grow. Of course, not all seniors are alike, and the Library has a range of services to accommodate the spectrum of interests and abilities of Ridgefield’s older residents.

For the active older adult, we have many programs allowing one to pursue lifelong learning (book discussions, films, scholarly series like the current “Enjoying Joyce” program) and to keep up to date in critical area such as retirement and estate planning and health and medical issues (authoritative medical and financial databases and expert reference librarians). Books, magazines, DVDs and online how-to databases help the curious learn new skills or take up new hobbies in retirement. Volunteer opportunities allow one to give back to the community.

For those whose activities may be somewhat curtailed by the effects of aging, we offer large print books and audiobooks in a number of convenient formats. Many popular programs are offered in daytime sessions for those who prefer not to drive after dark. And for those unable to get to the Library themselves, we will bring our riches to you through our Homebound Delivery program.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Great Courses Now Available in DVD as well as Audiobook

For many people, libraries serve as a center for lifelong learning. To fulfill that mission, the Ridgefield Library is proud to offer the popular Great Courses products from The Teaching Company and the Modern Scholars series distributed by Recorded Books. Both lines feature scholarly lecture courses as delivered by some of the country’s best college professors and are a great way to make good use of commuting time or to exercise your mind along with your body at the gym.

Housed all together in a special section in the Fiction Room, our collection now includes videotaped lectures on DVD as well as audio recordings on CD and cassette. Among these are “America and the New Global Economy” from Professor Timothy Taylor of Macalester College and “American Ideals: Founding a Republic of Virtue” as taught by Daniel Robinson of Oxford and Columbia Universities, donated by the League of Women Voters in memory of a long-term member. Special thanks also to the Friends of the Library for funding the ongoing acquisition of new “Modern Scholars” titles. For more information about this collection or the Library’s tribute gift program, visit our new website at www.ridgefieldlibrary.org or contact me as below. Happy learning!

Friday, December 11, 2009

Library Holiday Closings

Mark these dates on your calendar as you plan your schedule for the holidays. The Library will be closed on Thursday, December 24th and Friday, December 25th. We will, however, be open for business as usual on Saturday the 26th (9:00 AM to 5:00 PM) and Sunday the 27th (1:00 to 5:00 PM).

The next week, we will close at 3:00 PM on New Year’s Eve (Thursday) and will remain closed on January 1st. Regular hours resume on Saturday the 2nd.

Our program schedule will be lighter than usual over the holidays, but some activities will continue, including Saturday morning Drop-in Storytime on December 26th and January 2nd. And, of course, we have plenty of DVDs for family viewing, good reads to enliven vacation hours, audiobooks for long car trips, cookbooks for last-minute entertaining tips and quiet study space and online reference tools for the college student trying to keep up with class assignments over the break.

If your life gets hectic in the next few weeks, don’t forget you can reserve or renew items online or by phone. Check www.ridgefieldlibrary.org for other helpful resources you can access any time without leaving home.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Downloadable Audiobooks Now Available for the iPod

Here's some good news from Adult Services Librarian Dorothy Pawlowski.

The Ridgefield Library is pleased to announce that NetLibrary, our downloadable audiobook service, is now iPod compatible.

The Library offers Ridgefield residents a wide selection of downloadable audiobooks, or eAudiobooks as they are known in the trade, that can be accessed from our website www.ridgefieldlibrary.org. Until now, eAudiobooks were only available to those with Windows-based computers and portable players. However, now over 500 titles in NetLibrary are in MP3 format, making them Apple and iPod compatible.

We wish we could tell you that all of the over 1,800 titles on NetLibrary can be played on an iPod, but due to the world of digital rights management, only a portion of the offerings are available. These titles do include a wide range of fiction including mysteries by Alexander McCall Smith and Anne Perry, contemporary fiction by the likes of Anne Tyler and John LeCarré, and non-fiction including selections from the Modern Scholar series, college courses in audio format.

Upgrades to NetLibrary have streamlined the procedure for downloads. The new Media Center, available from the NetLibrary homepage, makes it a one-click process and formats titles with multiple tracks for listening convenience. So if you haven’t tried an eAudiobook recently, visit the Library’s website and see and hear what you’re missing.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Turn to Your Library When Times Get Tough

I was intrigued by the special coverage in the Danbury News-Times recently about the local impact of the shaky economy. Libraries were mentioned in article after article as great places to save money while still enjoying many favorite activities. In fact, libraries typically experience a surge in use when times are tough, and the Ridgefield Library’s usage statistics over the past few months bear this out. Here are a few of the ways the Ridgefield Library can help you weather these trying times.

· Instead of spending $50 or more taking the family to the multiplex, come to our Hollister Film Series every other Tuesday afternoon and evening. We’ll even throw in the popcorn for free!

· Give up on Netflix and get your DVDs from the Library. We don’t deliver to your door, but we will call or e-mail you when the title you have requested is available for your use.

· Why buy that expensive audiobook you will only listen to once? Borrow one for free on cassette or CD or available for download anytime, anywhere to an MP3 player.

· Take in a concert, lecture or art show locally instead of spending precious gas money on trips to the big city. Our Ridgefield Folk concert series features world class talent, and the artists on exhibit in the Dayton Program Room Gallery are top notch.

· Do you really need all those magazine subscriptions? The Library carries over 200 popular titles in print (available for borrowing) and offers full-text editions of hundreds more online.

Of course, we don’t want to dissuade you from patronizing local businesses or arts organizations, but if you are looking for ways to stretch your dollar to afford their offerings, make the Ridgefield Library a regular part of your family’s routine.