Learning a Language Just Got Easier

Pronunciator, an online language learning product that provides instruction for all ages in over 80 languages, is now available to Library cardholders.  With its wide range of features, Pronunciator replaces Mango, our previous online offering, and is made possible by the Friends of the Library.

Pronunciator provides instruction for learners ranging from beginners to those seeking advanced conversational skills. For structured learning, Pronunciator includes eight-week interactive courses at all levels that offer five days of study each week consisting of one to two 30-minute sessions per day.  For those who prefer to customize their own learning, Pronunciator makes it easy to select areas of focus such as core vocabulary, essential verbs or conversational practice along with the flexibility of mastering a language by topics of interest.  When using a microphone-enabled device, feedback on pronunciation skills is available.

Also included are units specifically geared toward both early learners (3 to 6-year-olds) and young learners (7 to 12-year-olds) and for those seeking to master vocabulary targeted toward travel, workplace or English as a second language.   Download lessons with apps for Apple and Android phones and tablets for access on the go.  Pronunciator also offers a wide range of special features such as movies, music and poetry to enhance study.  

Contributed by Dorothy Pawlowski, Head of Adult Services

WSJ Article from Home with your Library Card

Did you miss the Wall Street Journal coverage of the Super Bowl?  Want to read Gear & Gadgets reviews or just curious about a WSJ article you heard about?

Did you know that you have free access to full text Wall Street Journal articles?  The Wall Street Journal from ProQuest is a research resource available on Library computers, from the Library’s website, ridgefieldlibrary.org and from researchitct.org.  It covers the Wall Street Journal Eastern edition from 1984 through current, and includes same day coverage.

This Wall Street Journal research product is different from the wsj.com online product in that photographs and illustrations are excluded, but the complete text of each article is available and it is printable and free.

To find the Wall Street Journal link on the Ridgefield Library website click on Research & Reference and then on Magazines & Newspapers or on Databases A-Z to find WSJ listed alphabetically. You will need to enter your Connecticut library barcode number. To help find your articles, we recommend doing an “Advanced Search” to search by keywords, subject headings, names of companies and people, and by publication date or a range of dates.

We hope you make use of this Wall Street Journal resource!

Contributed by Adult Services Librarian Christie Mitchell

Wall Street Journal Articles Available from Home

Did you miss the Wall Street Journal coverage of the Super Bowl?  Want to read Gear & Gadgets reviews or just curious about a WSJ article you heard about?

Did you know that you have free access to full text Wall Street Journal articles?  The Wall Street Journal from ProQuest is a research resource available on Library computers, from the Library’s website, ridgefieldlibrary.org and from researchITct.org.  It covers the Wall Street Journal Eastern edition from 1984 through current, and includes same day coverage.

This Wall Street Journal research product is different from the wsj.com online product in that photographs and illustrations are excluded, but the complete text of each article is available and it is printable and free.

To find the Wall Street Journal link on the Ridgefield Library website click on Research & Reference and then on Magazines & Newspapers or on Databases A-Z to find WSJ listed alphabetically. You will need to enter your Connecticut library barcode number. To help find your articles, we recommend doing an “Advanced Search” to search by keywords, subject headings, names of companies and people, and by publication date or a range of dates.

We hope you make use of this Wall Street Journal resource!

Contributed by Adult Services Librarian Christie Mitchell

Keeping Those New Year's Resolutions

2017 New Year’s Resolution #1: Get everyone in your family their own Ridgefield Library card and use it to take advantage of so many resources at the Library (details available at www.ridgefieldlibrary.org).

·         Try JobNow for online help with resume writing, interviewing, and job search; career assessments; and live online coaching and feedback.

·         Sharpen your work and personal productivity skills with hands-on classes such as LinkedIn 101 and Introduction to 3D Printing. Try lynda.com online video tutorials for dozens of additional business and computer applications.

·         Learn or brush-up one of 72 languages with Mango online language learning programs for use on a computer or on the go.

·         Seeking to be a better parent? Our Parenting the Selfie Generation: Instilling Resilience series offers lectures and discussions on topics from teen social media behavior to breaking free of the overparenting trap.

·         Been thinking of finally turning that great idea into an actual business? Check out our SkillsBox workshops, including the upcoming 5-part Simple Steps for Starting a Small Business series beginning in February.

·         Take a deep breath and relax with Yoga workshops, adult coloring, musical performances and more activities to promote a calmer approach to life.

On the Road with the Ridgefield Library

I’m getting ready for a vacation trip to Canada, and the following services from the Library have been a great help.

• A dedicated section of travel books and DVDs, covering destinations around the world, has hints for where to go and what to do.
• I can brush up on my French with language learning materials on CD and accessible online with Mango.
• Luckily, my travel documents are in order, but if I needed passport processing, the Library is a very convenient and friendly alternative.
• A long train trip will allow me to catch up on months’ worth of The New Yorker downloaded through Zinio without having to haul a lot of paper copies around.
• Thanks to eBooks from Hoopla and Overdrive, I will be able to keep up with book group assignments, again without carrying weighty tomes.  With selections like Vanity Fair and Huck Finn, this can add up to a lot of pounds of baggage!
• Lists prepared by the library staff have given me some great ideas for themed reading.  A pamphlet on “Crime in a Cold Climate” has some perfect suggestions for a trip to Canada!

Wherever you may be traveling, make the Library your first stop!

New Digital Magazines Available

Have you tried Zinio yet? This online service gives Ridgefield Library card holders access to several dozen popular magazines in a convenient downloadable format for reading anywhere, any time, on a computer, laptop, smartphone or tablet.

The full content of every page of the magazine is reproduced, in full color and with added interactive navigation features. Once you have downloaded them, there is no due date, so you can continue to enjoy them indefinitely (great for cooking magazines with tempting recipes!).

While not all publications are available for library subscriptions, we have tried to select an appealing and diverse selection.  Joining perennial favorites like The New Yorker, Cook’s Illustrated, Newsweek and Kiplinger’s Personal Finance are new selections including Clean Eating, Entrepreneur, ESPN, Every Day with Rachel Ray, Harper’s Bazaar, and Rodale’s Organic Life.

Zinio also has a commercial interface, so make sure you are signing up for Zinio for Libraries for free access courtesy of the Ridgefield Library. Instructions on setting up and using your account are available at the Adult Services desk or on the “Library on the Go” page at ridgefieldlibrary.org.  Happy reading!

Digital resources for Kids Now @ the Library

The Library’s digital collection isn’t just for adults anymore.  Along with audiobooks and eBooks for children, the Library also offers literacy resources to support emerging and reluctant readers.  BookFLIX is a new addition to our digital offerings that is specifically designed to support a child’s interest in reading.  It pairs classic fictional video storybooks with related nonfiction books to strengthen a love of reading and learning for children in PreK to 3^rd grade.  The digital library is quite extensive with 110 popular video storybooks paired with a related nonfiction eBook, such as the popular “Click Clack Moo, Cows that Type” storybook video paired with a nonfiction eBook about cows.  BookFLIX will help early readers develop and practice essential reading skills while introducing them to a world of knowledge and exploration.  Tumblebooks is another digital resource offering hundreds of popular storybooks and chapter books.  Both of these quality resources allow children to read the eBooks on their own or choose to read along.   Some of the benefits of the audio component include helping all children build fluency skills, improve sight word recognition, and build comprehension.  These digital resources are another way of introducing the love of reading to children.  

Contributed by Gayle Pulley, head of Children's Services

Historical New York Times: Your 24/7 Access to History

 Curious about events that happened on your birthday or another day in history? Interested in first-hand accounts of historical events? Want to see actual styles of various decades? The New York Times captures momentous occasions as well as the substance of everyday life.

The Historical New York Times is the definitive digital archive of the New York Times and covers the newspaper from its first issue published on Sept. 18, 1851 through 2011. Every part of every page including articles and front-page headlines, advertisements, birth, marriage, and death announcements, editorials, photographs, comics, classified ads, and more is available. Full-page and article images are easily downloaded in PDF format. This treasure trove of historical information is a great resource for anyone including history buffs, students, and genealogists.

Ridgefield Library cardholders may access the Historical New York Times 24/7 on our website ridgefieldlibrary.org –click on Research & Reference and go to the History webpage.

A demonstration and hands-on training session on using the Historical New York Times will be held on Friday, October 23 from 1:00 – 2:30 PM in the Library’s Donofrio Family Technology Center. We invite you to explore the Historical New York Times and get easy access to the past!

Please register on our website’s Events Calendar.

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 18^th 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!

Online Learning with Lynda.com

Do you want to keep up to date on the software you use?  The Ridgefield Library’s newest online resource lynda.com is for you.  This powerful learning tool offers over 3,400 video courses for professional and personal development.

These instructional videos, taught by experts in their fields, can be accessed anywhere an Internet connection is available.  Topics offered include business and management skills, software training, design and web development, 3D and animation, and computer programming.   You’ll also find a wealth of instruction on photography and multimedia editing. Videos are searchable by topic and can be viewed in short segments. 

Seeking a job or professional advancement?   Lynda.com is a powerful tool for information on job search strategies, designing a resume, preparing for an interview, and managing your career.  Once you’ve finished a course, upload a Certificate of Completion to your LinkedIn profile.

All you need to get started is a Ridgefield Library card.  We will be offering training sessions on using lynda.com on June 17th, June 18th, and June 19th in the Library’s Donofrio Family Technology Center.   To register for one of these sessions or to start learning, visit our website at www.ridgefieldlibrary.org.  

Contributed by Dorothy Pawlowski, Head of Adult Services

Get Magazines on the Go

Looking for the latest issue of a magazine? Zinio is an online resource offering beautiful full color, interactive digital magazines accessible from computers and from a wide range of smartphones and tablets.   Ridgefield Library cardholders can now download current and back issues of 48 magazines including National Geographic, Newsweek, The New Yorker and a range of specialty magazines such as Cooks Illustrated, Eating Well, ARTnews and The Family Handyman.   Some titles offer enhanced elements such as audio and video that bring content to life.     

These magazines are available from anywhere with an Internet connection and, once downloaded, can be read offline.   The Zinio interface has just been updated, streamlining the process for checkout and reading on a computer, and the new Zinio for Libraries app has been redesigned to improve ease of access to magazines on most mobile devices.   Select as many current and back issues as you like and retain them for as long as you like.

Drop by the Donofrio Technology Center on Thursday, May 7th between 1 and 3 PM or on Wednesday, May 20^th between 4 and 6 PM for a demo and one-on-one help in getting started with Zinio or visit our website for more information. 

Contributed by Head of Adult Services Dorothy Pawlowski

What Have I Read?

At the Ridgefield Library Circulation Desk, it’s pretty common for us to hear, “Can you tell me if I took this item out before?”  Unfortunately, we have to say that we don’t have that information, as our Integrated Library System does not maintain details of older transactions.  The good news is that you can now keep track of this information yourself, and the details are private and not accessible to anyone else, even Library staff.

Each patron can keep track of previously checked out items and items that they have previously put on hold.  Simply log into your account online at www.ridgefieldlibrary.org, go to the Account Preferences Tab, click on Search and History Preferences and check the little box after Keep History of Checked Out Items and/or Keep History of Holds.  Then click the Save button, and you are done.

You can access this information at any time by clicking on the Items Checked Out tab and then clicking on the Check Out History tab or clicking on the Holds tab and then the Holds History tab.  The information is at your fingertips.  It’s as simple as that.

If you have any questions, come to the Circulation Desk and we will be happy to work with you one-on-one.

Contributed by Circulation Clerk Mary Louise Cardosa

LearningExpress Library

LearningExpress Library is an online resource providing comprehensive test preparation, academic skills improvement resources, and career and occupational information for students in grade 4 through adult learners. It offers practice tests, exercises, skill-building courses, eBooks, and information you need to achieve the results you want at school, at work, or in life.

·         Boost academic skills in core subjects such as math, reading, writing, vocabulary and social studies and more.

·         High school students have access to practice tests for PSAT/NMSQT, SAT, ACT, and AP exams. Tests are timed and scored with correct answers provided. Tutorials are recommended based on your score. Other exams include CLEP, ACCUPLACER, GRE, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT and PCAT.

·         Learn about careers and prepare for occupational exams such as the PSI Real Estate Salesperson exam, the Praxis and ParaPro Assessments for teaching, EMT, Firefighter and ASVAB exams. Also included are exams for air traffic controller, civil service, commercial driver’s license, cosmetology, culinary arts, dental assisting, Homeland Security, law enforcement, nursing, pharmacy technician, physician assistant, plumber, veterinary technician, and more.

Start at www.ridgefieldlibrary.org then click on Research & Reference, then Databases A-Z. Log in with your Ridgefield Library card. For more information, please contact Adult Services.

Contributed by Adult Services Librarian Christie Mitchell

Celebrating eBooks

Thursday, September 18^th has been designated the first International Read an eBook Day.  According to Pew Research, the popularity of eBooks is increasing, and in 2013, 28 percent of adults 18 and older read at least one.  

   

In recognition of this celebration, the Library will be hosting an open house in the Donofrio Family Technology Center to help Ridgefield Library cardholders get started with OverDrive, the Library’s eBook platform.   Whether you’ve never tried downloading an eBook or haven’t done so in a while, drop-in anytime between 1 and 4 PM when staff members will be waiting to answer your questions and offer assistance.

OverDrive eBooks can be accessed and read on a computer and on most smartphones, eReaders and tablets.  OverDrive has added many new user friendly features including OverDrive Read offering the option to easily download and save an eBook in a browser or “see book, read book.”   The Kids Collection and Teens Collections enable easy searching for age appropriate selections for every member of the family.   And, as more publishers make their eBooks available, the selection of titles continues to grow. 

If you can’t make it on September 18^th, our staff is always ready to answer your eBook questions.

Contributed by Dorothy Pawlowski, Head of Adult Services

Digital Magazines Now Availalble

The Ridgefield library is pleased to announce the availability of Zinio, a new online resource.  Now Library cardholders can read complete full color, interactive digital magazines on computers or on a range of mobile devices.

Getting started with Zinio is easy.  Just go to our website to browse our Zinio for Libraries collection and follow the instructions for setting up your Zinio account with a username and password. Select from 46 magazines covering a wide range of interests including Newsweek, O the Oprah Magazine, Eating Well, The Atlantic, Rolling Stone, and Kiplinger’s Personal Finance.   Current issues are released simultaneously with print versions and available for instant browser streaming and app-driven offline viewing.  Check out as many issues as you want and keep them in your account as long as you wish with no need to worry about due dates.  Recent back issues are also available for most titles.

Zinio’s stunning interface recreates a magazine page for page, including full color pictures, intuitive navigation, and key word searches for articles.  Some titles such as National Geographic also offer enhanced elements such as audio and video that bring the content to life.   

The Library’s Adult Services Staff is happy to provide assistance in getting started with this convenient new way to access your favorite magazines.

Contributed by Head of Adult Services Dorothy Pawlowski

Take our Photo-A-Day Challenge

During the month of March, for those who are teens, or those who are teens at heart, the Ridgefield Library is offering a Photo-A-Day Challenge. On the New Ridgefield Library’s Facebook page, you’ll find a bright green photo offering daily “prompts” – ideas to inspire you. Take a photo of your interpretation of the suggestion and share your photo using social media.  You can use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Flickr, your own blog…the choice is up to you! But when you share your photo, please add the hashtag #ridgefieldlibpix so that the rest of us who are playing can follow along and see all the photos inspired by the prompt. Today’s prompt is “throwback,” will you photograph something that takes you back to good memories? Tomorrow’s is “upside down,” will you be literal or figurative with that one? Ringing in the month, the prompt was “lion or lamb” and one photo showed a rather adorable pet cat, definitely a lamb, not a tiny lion. Want to play along, but concerned about forgetting a day, or two, or twelve? No big deal, you can play catch up, or just start up again from today’s date. The idea is to inspire creativity and have some fun!

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

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

Happy Holidays from the Ridgefield Library

The Library will be closed on Tuesday, December 24 and Wednesday the 25^th but will be open our regular hours the rest of Christmas week.  We will also close early at 3:00 PM on December 31^st and remain closed on New Year’s Day.

Don’t forget that there are many great resources on our website at www.ridgefieldlibrary.org , even when we are closed.  College and high school students with pending deadlines for research projects will find academic databases such as Literary Reference Center or GreenFILE.  There are downloadable audiobooks and e-books for family and individual enjoyment, including e-picture books from Tumblebooks for the new reader.

Please Note: The service we use for print and time management on our Public Access Computer workstations is being discontinued as of the end of this month. We will switch to an honor system for paying for print-outs and monitoring fair time allowances until we move to the New Ridgefield Library this coming spring. If you believe you may have a credit towards printing on your card, please check at the Reference Desk now about getting a refund; after 12/31 we will no longer have access to this information and will not be able to issue refunds.

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!