eReader comparison

I may be young and techy, but I am pretty old-school when it comes to books; I have little to no desire to obtain an eReader.  However, being the aspiring librarian that I am, I recognize that eReaders are proving to be a respectable portion of the technology market as well as providing an interesting challenge and opportunity for libraries of all kinds.  Whether it is a device dedicated to providing access to e-books such as Barnes & Noble's Nook or a gadget that has multiple media capabilities like Apple's iPad, people are catching onto the eReader trend.  However, with competing companies comes differing options that sometimes limit the eReader's ability to access some e-books or other downloadable media.  More and more frequently, patrons come to the Newberry Branch Library seeking advice on which eReader to purchase (or whether they should get one at all).  Often, they are asking for suggestions in relation to the library's downloadable media.  Thus, my latest blog post for the library is all about comparisons of eReaders with special emphasis on which are compatible with the library's media databases.  And what better time to think about getting a new techy toy than right before Black Friday and just in time to add to your holiday wishlist...or as a last-minute gift idea.

Veterans' Day/America Recycles Day storytime

On Wednesdays at 11am, I present Pre-School Storytime at the Newberry Branch Library.  Following my mom's suggestion (my mom is a school library media specialist), I choose holidays to determine the theme for each week's storytime.  Sometimes this is a legitimate holiday such as Veterans' Day or Halloween but more often than not, these are pseudo-holidays such as America Recycles Day (Monday, November 15th, for the record) or, say, Dinosaur Month (October, in case you were interested).  I originally wanted to do just Veterans' Day for this week's storytime, but there are not many good pre-school storytime-worthy picture books relating to said holiday.  So, I combined these two holidays into one storytime.  First, I read Michael Recycle by Ellie Bethel.  Then, in honor of Veterans' Day, we decorated bookmarks with crayons, colored pencils, and stickers to send to the troops overseas. 

Luckily, the Tower Road Branch Library (where I worked for five and a half years as a library page) participates in the Books for Soldiers program which sends books, magazines, and other requested materials to troops overseas.  Thus, I will be taking the bookmarks we made to the Tower Road library to be sent off in the next care package.

After making our bookmarks, we read The Garbage Monster by Joni Sensel.  And after a "Read another one!" request, I also read Drummer Hoff by Barbara Emberley.  

Next week's storytime: Thanksgiving, of course!

Don't forget about your extra hour this weekend!

My latest blog post for the Newberry Branch Library is up and the topic is Daylight Saving Time.  Click here for the full post.