Computer Classes Resume at The Library: Sign Up Today!

Classes to be offered include Basic Computer Skills, Microsoft Office Suite and Internet Navigation

 Registrations are now being accepted for computer training classes to be held at the Library’s newly renovated Training Center. Classes are 2 hours in length and are limited to 12 students per class.

The Library offers a full array of hands-on basic skills computer training classes, including: 

• PC Literacy for students who have little or no computer experience
•  Introduction to the Microsoft Office suite of programs (MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint). 
• 2 part introduction to email using free web-based email accounts (Yahoo), 
• 3 levels of introductory Internet training (Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced)
• Specialized Internet searching classes on topics such as travel and genealogy 

 
Basic computer classes are offered on a regular monthly schedule, posted by the 15th of the prior month. Specialized training classes are offered intermittently throughout the year. Please check the library calendar for the most up-to-date class schedules.
 
The Library is also an accredited Professional Development Provider. Teachers and school librarians who need continuing education credits may receive a 2-credit certificate for any class taken.
 
Registration is required for all classes. Classes are free to Library cardholders and $10 to non-cardholders, payable at the time of registration. Our cancellation policy is strictly enforced and requires registrants who cannot attend to call the information desk at 732-390-6767 or cancel online at least 24 hours in advance of class. Cardholders who fail to do so will have a $5 fee charged to their library accounts and non-cardholders will forfeit their $10 registration fee.
 
For more information or to register for a class, please call 732-390-6767 or visit the Information desk in The Library.

Volunteering Opportunities : Only a Click Away on The Library’s Website

The word “volunteering” conjures up images of helpfulness, kindness, and a passionate drive to better one’s community. Did you know that the library website is a great place to start for finding volunteer opportunities?

Introducing All-in-One Search, Your Personal, Online Research Assistant: the All-In-One Search

Not sure which database to search for articles about global warming, the life of Allen Ginsberg, or that history assignment about Roosevelt’s New Deal?

Try All-In-One Search, the library’s answer to searching across all of the library’s online database with a single, powerful search.  All-In-One takes the guess work out of doing online research.  Searching is as simple as entering your search terms in the box, then wait as the system does your research by picking the databases that match your  terms.  You can search multiple databases in the categories of Books & E-Books, Basic Research, Business, Health, History, Newspapers, and People & Genealogy, or you can pick individual databases that you want to search at one time.  It’s like having your own personal research assistant.

Simply click on Research Tools in the left hand navigation column, then All-In-One Search, and click Begin to start searching.  [You will need to enter your library card and PIN numbers if you are accessing this database from outside of the library. ] 

Find the Information You Need in The Library's Online Databases: Scientific American Archive Online

Are you an avid reader of Scientific American, the oldest published magazine in America for exploring the world of science and technology? The Library now brings you Scientific American Archive Online, a stand-alone database that contains every issue of Scientific American from 1993 to the present.

You will find more than 4,000 articles from one of the world’s most trusted scientific sources.  Each article can be viewed online or downloaded in scanned PDF, and is presented with colorful graphics, exactly as it was originally printed in the magazine.  Among the topics covered in the archive are: health and medicine, cosmology and astronomy, chemistry, life sciences, physics, oceanography, medicine, mathematics, archaeology, and much more.  In addition to monthly updates, users will find all of the Scientific American special issues included in the archive as well.

Simply click on Research Tools in the left hand navigation column, then Find Information in Online Databases, and scroll down to Scientific American Archive Online.  [You will need to enter your library card and PIN numbers if you are accessing this database from outside of the library. ] 

Library Website Changes Make Finding the Information You Want Easier!

Are you looking for the Book Discussion Group schedule? Would you like to know the schedule for the International or Popular Film Festivals?
Changes have just been implemented to The Library website that will make it easier to find the information that you need. Here are the highlights of the changes:

The Website Login button is now in the very left of the green (or yellow) bar that runs across each page.  It is also a toggle button.  This means that you click it one time to bring up the login page and when you click it again it automatically logs you out and brings up another login page. 

You have to do less clicking and scrolling now that the menu for Great Books and Films is built out to show its contents.  This part of our site includes tools for finding a good book, staff picks, library reading services, kids and teens reading services, library film festivals and requesting materials.

Would you use catalog tools that will make very easy to search the library catalog directly from your browser? A new Tech Tips page in the Services menu under Computers & Technology contains information about library catalog plugins that you can use with IE7 and Firefox.  More Tech tips will be coming shortly.

You can now find information About the library in the navigation, a duplication of the contents from the very top of every page.  This includes the About us, Contact us, Hours and Directions; as well as menu links to the library policies.  And, you can find the online version of our popular Library Newsletter in the News and Events.

The Kids and Teens menus mirror the changes from the main navigation.  Go to Great Books and Films to find descriptions of Kids Storytimes, Book Discussions, staff picks, Film Festival information, and permanent links to the Summer Reading pages and more.

We hope that you will find that these changes make our website easier  and more intuitive to navigate.  Please look for more changes coming shortly.

Questions? Please contact the library webmaster or call the Information Desk at 732-390-6767.

Media Area and Computer Training Lab Renovations Scheduled to Begin January 28th through February 22nd: Access to Public Computers Limited during this Time

Long planned renovations and improvements to the Media Area and the Computer Training Center are scheduled to begin January 28th.

The computers available for public use will be limited during this time.  From January 28th to February 8th while the walls are painted and wallpapered, the computers in Media area of the library will be not available.   This includes the PCs that are in the computer lab area and the 2 PCs in the small typing rooms.    
Seven computers will be temporarily relocated to the Youth Services.   Four will be set up on a table in the Café next to the column.    Since there will be fewer computers available, there will be a 30 minute time limit per computer session if others are waiting.  Two Internet/Printing Express PCs will be set up in place of two of the library catalog PCs across from Circulation.  These two PCs will have a 10 minute usage limit.   Color printing and the scanner will also not be available during this time.

Please bear with us during the first stage of the makeover of the Media area.  Thank you for your patience.

January, February and March Computer Training Classes Discontinued during Media Area and Computer Training Lab Renovations

The Library will not offering any computer training classes during January and February while the Media area and the Computer Training Center are being renovated. The training schedule will be posted in the website Calendar as soon as the construction is completed. A notice will be also be posted when they resume. For additional questions about the schedule, please call the Information desk at 732-390-6767.

The computers available for public use will also be limited during this time.  From January 28th to February 8th while the walls are painted and wallpapered, the computers in Media area of the library will be not available.   This includes the PCs that are in the computer lab area and the 2 PCs in the small typing rooms.    
Seven computers will be temporarily relocated to the Youth Services.   Four will be set up on a table in the café next to the column.    Since there will be fewer computers available, there will be a 30 minute time limit per computer session if others are waiting.  Two Internet/Printing Express PCs will be set up in place of two of the library catalog PCs across from Circulation.  These two PCs will have a 10 minute usage limit.   Color printing and the scanner will also not be available during this time.

Please bear with us during the first stage of the makeover of the Media area.  Thank you for your patience.

New: Register Online for Library Programs!

It’s fast, easy, and online. Look at The Library Calendar for programs that interest you. If advance registration is required, there will be a little Sign Me Up link next to the event name. Click on it to begin your sign up process. How’s that for easy?

Cardholders

Events limited to cardholders only will display a login screen requiring entry of your library card and PIN numbers for validation. Fill out this form with your information and click on the Login button. Once your information is authenticated, you will be taken to the Event Registration screen. Fill out the registration form as completely as possible and click on Register. You will now see a confirmation page. If you have included your email address (Please do!) a copy of the confirmation will be emailed to your email account. If you did not, you may print out the confirmation screen. Please note that there is a Logout button on the event confirmation screen. If you have finished signing up for events you should click on that to log yourself out.

To sign up for another event, go back into the calendar, find another event and repeat the process. If you are still logged in, your information will still be retained and the registration screen will be automatically populated with your information.

Non cardholders

Non cardholders may only register online for events that are open to all. (Computer training classes are an exception. However you must register and pay for the class in person.) To register, find an event in the library calendar and click on the Sign Me Up link. If the event is open to all you will bypass the library card validation screen and go right to the Event Registration page. Fill in the requested information as completely as possible, (including your email address please!) and click on the Register button. Sign up for another event or be sure to logout when you are done.

Logout when done

When you have finished signing up for events for yourself you should click on the Logout button on the event confirmation screen to log yourself out. To register another family member you must log in with their library card and PIN numbers.

If you do not log out, you may overwrite your own information. Logging out will maintain the integrity of your account. All library events, with the exception of those for pre Kindergarten children who might not yet have library cards, only allow one registration per event per library card.

Just a little bit about Website Accounts…

When you enter your library card and PIN numbers and register for an event you are creating a Library Website Account. This account will allow you to sign up for library events that require registration quickly and easily. It will also allow you to view a list of the events for which you have registered (My Events) and to edit your personal information or cancel your registration for an event should it become necessary for you to do so.

You may reach your My Events screen from the left purple navigation menu where it says Website Login. When you supply your library card and PIN numbers and they are validated, the My Events screen will display. You may also reach this any time you are logged in for the drop down menu when you are on the Calendar page. It will contain a list of all events for which you are registered and your status in that event. If you signed up and were placed on a waiting list you will see a class is full note in red next to the event. You may also cancel your registration for an event from this page.

Please note that if you sign up for an event that is open to all, not just cardholders, and you do not register using your library card and PIN numbers, you will not see these events listed on your My Events screen.

Questions?

Please email the library webmaster. The Sign Me Up feature is the newest website improvement and offers convenience and around the clock functionality. Watch for additional enhancements coming soon.

All-in-One Search Scheduled for Maintenance

The All-in-One search will be down from 12 AM to 7 AM one day between December 11th-13th.
Auto Graphics, provider of the All-in-One search that searches multiple library online databases in a single search, will be performing server upgrades from December 11 through 13th. This may mean that you will not be able to use this search feature at some time during this time period.
The All-in-One Search feature is available from the navigation menu under Research Tools.

Defensive Driving Class to be Offered Again in December

Erase your points, and save money on your car insurance by signing up for a NJ-approved class taught by an experienced police detective/accident investigator.
Next Session Dates: December 10th & 11th, 6:30 - 10 p.m.
Attendance is limited to 30 people and you must attend two consecutive evenings in order to be eligible for credit.

Attention Defensive Driving Registrants:
Please stop by The Library and pick up a registration form at the Circulation Desk or click here for a printable copy. The form should be received by December 5th. As class size is limited to 30, applications will be taken on a first-come, first serve basis. Kindly direct any questions to 732-485-9714.

Storytelling Festival Featuring Ed Stivender -- Tickets Still Available

ADULT PERFORMANCE: Sat., Nov. 17, 7:30 p.m. $15 including dessert buffet
FAMILY PERFORMANCE (ages 7 and up) Sun., Nov. 18, 2 p.m. $3 each or maximum $7 per family

Tickets are on sale now at the Circulation desk or you may download the form [here] which you can fill out and bring in or send to the Circulation desk for two shows by award-winning storyteller Ed Stivender, called “the Robin Williams of storytelling” by The Miami Herald. A perennial favorite at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee, he has delighted audiences from Ireland to Indonesia with his appealing way with a story while accompanying himself on banjo. He won the Most Original Character award at the Philadelphia Mummers Parade and worked with that city’s Historic Philadelphia Inc. to create a colonial reenactment for the lauded “Once Upon a Nation” project. Besides being an internationally popular raconteur and musicia

Try the latest ‘Thing’! LibraryThing for Libraries makes finding the books you want much easier!

Finding books similar to those you have read is now much easier using the new LibraryThing for Libraries service in the library catalog. When you view the search results information for most books in the library catalog, you will see a list of similar books in the left column. Click on any title for more details. You will also see a list of tags that categorize the book. Click on a tag to find books on the same topic or that have similar themes.

Clicking on a tag launches a tag browser that lists other books that have tag. Once the tag browser opens, you can scroll through the list and click on any title for more information. You can also search the tag browser for other tags.

Tags are very useful to help find books on some subjects that don’t have a subject heading for that subject. For example, if you are looking for fiction books on adoption, you will find more titles by using the tag browser than by searching the library catalog for the subject adoption-- fiction. If you search the tag browser for the tag ecology, you will get a different list of books than if you search for ecology as a subject or keyword in the library catalog. Tags can also be used to identify books in certain genres such as cyberpunk that are not categorized that way by libraries.

The list of similar books and the tags are the result of the collective efforts of the 280,000+ members of LibraryThing, a social networking website for people who read books.

Teen Space Grand Opening Party -- Sept. 16

The community is invited to join in the celebration of the Grand Opening of the East Brunswick Public Library’s new Teen Space on Sunday, September 16, at 2 p.m. Library, municipal, and state government officials will be on hand to mark the event, which includes a ribbon-cutting, refreshments, and live musical entertainment.

"This day has been years in the planning,” said Carol Nersinger, Library Director. “We have been looking forward to giving teens their very own area in which to read, work on a computer, study, play board games, watch films, participate in various other Library programs, or just hang out. We value the teen presence at The Library and are pleased that everything has fallen into place for their benefit>"

The area houses ten computers as well as diner-style booths, small tables, and comfortable sectional seating. Teens will find hardcover and paperback books geared to their interests as well as audiobooks, graphic novels, and manga.

The Teen Space is for use by teenagers only. After the Grand Opening, one must be a teen or accompanied by a teen to gain admittance.

A Grand Opening carnival solely for students in grades 8-12 is scheduled for the previous evening, Saturday, September 15, 5-9 p.m. “The Mysteries of the Paranormal” will be presented by the founder and director of the New Jersey Ghost Hunters Society, L’Aura Hladik. She will explore ghosts, crop circles, psychic phenomena, mysterious creatures, and spontaneous human combustion. Following her talk, there will be a paranormal carnival with palm readings, ESP tests, a Ouija board, tarot cards, and other entertainment.

Primary funding for the Teen Space was provided by a State of New Jersey Livable Communities Grant, the Friends of The Library, and a donation in memory of the late Stanton Levy.

The celebration and carnival are sponsored by the Friends of The Library. For more information, please call Youth Services at 732-390-6789.

Help Us Make Our New Website Even Better

We are looking for a few individuals to volunteer to take a usability test of our new website (time required is appr. 1 hour).
Volunteers do not need to be expert searchers but need to be able to comfortably use a computer and navigate the Internet. Please contact the Library Webmaster and provide your name, phone number, email address and hours available.
OR, you can help by taking the following survey to give us your opinion. Tell us what you like and don't like about it.
Thank you
More Information

A Few Quick Tips on Using Our New Web Site!

Looking for The Library Catalog on our new website? Look no further on the home page than the Catalog Quick Search box. It is at the top of the right column above the How Do I? and the Events Calendar. You can now search the catalog right from our home page. Just enter your search keywords, choose your search type in the drop down box below that, and then hit your key. You can also renew, see a list of everything you have checked out, or place a requests right from this box by clicking on the Renew/Check My Account button.

Find Articles and More…

Reading The Library Web Site

New Library Web Site Debuts
Notice Anything Different?

Now that The Library is full tilt into upping its service quotient to the community with more weekend hours and programming than ever before, what better time to do a little spring clean up on The Library web site? We’ve highlighted the most vital news and events stories to make them easier to find and read, including this box containing the “featured” item that you should know about now. The colors are brighter and the presentation is cleaner. The new look should make the site more navigable and user friendly than ever, while better reflecting the energy and commitment of Library staff to providing you with the finest possible service.