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

New Access to an Old Favorite

Consumers Union has checked out some 155,000 products in their test labs since 1936. These include the highfalutin’ and the ho-hum. Sports cars and sneakers. Computers and corn poppers. Cognacs and colas. CU's engineers and technicians eyeball, heft, measure, weigh, taste, use, and abuse those products. They take them apart, leave them out to weather, drop them, crash them, and put them through accelerated-wear tests to assess their durability. All this to determine the best, and sometimes worst, products for all of us to use.

For many years, the Ridgefield Library has offered Consumer Reports monthly magazine and annual index. This heavily used resource has been a boon to redecorators, those with ailing appliances, those needing new cars or suggestions for good used cars and a multitude of things from computers to insect repellent.

Now we are very happy to be able to provide online both Library and home access to this great service. You will find the trusted articles, ratings and even more on the Library website ridgefieldlibrary.org.   Click the Catalog and Collections button and choose Magazines and Newspapers. Keep your Ridgefield Library card handy as the barcode is needed to log in, and read your way to great products and services in the comfort of your home!

Contributed by Adult Services Librarians Victoria Carlquist and Christie Mitchell

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!

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!

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

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