We know that some people find apps a bit confusing. And the more current the library becomes, the more apps we have available to our patrons. But what if you’d like to use them and find them too tricky to figure out? No problem! We’re having a library apps workshop to help you figure things out.
Please call us to register for this workshop which takes place on Saturday, July 22 at 10:30am. Spaces are limited, so please call early.
Internet and cell phone safety is a big concern for most parents. And with kids getting their own devices and being online from an early age, they need to know some smart facts about what they need to do to protect themselves online.
Kim Schreader, from our local TELUS location, will join us on Tuesday, March 14th from 2-3pm for a fun and informative session about Internet and Smartphone safety for kids. They’ll learn about all kinds of things that they probably aren’t aware are causing them to broadcast their locations, what actually stays online even after a post is deleted, and much more.
This is going to be a popular program, and is aimed at kids in Grades 4-6, so call the library today to sign up. 257-2702
If you follow us on Instagram, you’ll know that last week, we posted photos with plastic dinosaurs, yarn, and yes…books. Did you know that we often post things on Instagram regarding new books, fun programs, or just interesting things that come into the library…and we don’t post these things anywhere else? If you’re not following us, you’re missing out.
Drop by to see what’s going on with us this week. We’ve got our photos ready!
It’s always been a little tricky to find our website in a Google search online. But now it’s easy! We have a great new web address:
That’s right! We can now be found at http://www.carletonplacelibrary.ca
If you have older bookmarks, please change them now to stay current. Pretty soon, you won’t be able to use the old web address, and we wouldn’t want you to lose touch with us. The site looks and functions exactly the same way, so you won’t notice anything different once you’re there, but we feel different…more like ourselves!
Tell everyone you know!
While it’s fun to post things on Facebook, it’s also interesting to see what other people are posting. Our library follows local businesses, town Facebook pages, other libraries and many “bookish” sites. We can learn a lot about libraries, the book world, and also our community by looking at posts from all of these pages. Recently, we discovered:
The Carleton Place Town Hall was asking for photos taken by local residents capturing the beauty of winter in our area. Did you send a photo and use the hashtag #myCP ? Why not! You might be featured.
The Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum is always posting amazing photos of Carleton Place back in the day, and this week, they shared with us a fabulous black-and-white of Findlay Foundry as it was at its heyday.
CBC Books is always a great source of information about upcoming books, authors, featured topics, and just delightful reads. This week, they shared a list of children’s author Barbara Reid’s favourite children’s books. She’s got some of my favourites on there. Does she have yours?
And the NAC English Theatre page had a great post about their English Theatre production of 12th Night, happening now until February 6th at the NAC. It has puppets!
But one of the best things about following a variety of pages is that often, we find out something of importance that we can share with our readers. This week, it was a call out to the community from our local food bank for non-perishables that will soon be needed. While the Food Bank is well stocked at the moment, thanks to Christmas food drives etc., the shelves will empty quickly as people tend to forget about donating. Don’t forget, food is needed year round, so when you visit your local grocery store, pick up a can or two of the following and place it in one of the Food Bank bins on the way out of the store.
A BIG thanks to The Blossom Shop for sharing this with their readers, so that we could share with ours.
Start following some of our favourites, and share some of your favourites with us in the comments below so that we can add to all of the great communication going on between readers!
Are you having trouble figuring out your email? Finding that new tablet confusing? Wanting to learn how to download eBooks or Audiobooks? We can help!
We’re now offering “Tech Thursdays at the Library!” Sign up for a one-on-one session, and we show you the basics, or help you get past that stumbling block. Give us a call to reserve your space with Caroline, starting today!
TheTeen Book Club at our library (aka The Nerd Herd) read and discussed John Green’s PAPER TOWNS. In it, a character obsessively edits a fictional online resource very similar to Wikipedia. His complusiveness is a funny part of this book, but it seems that real life has taken a page from John Green.
Recently, at a presentation regarding Wikipedia and its users, employees were asked who actually edits this site? If you’ve ever used Wikipedia, you’ll know that it is full of great information—some true and some not—most of which is contributed through user content alone. That means someone out there who knows a lot about a subject has taken the time to add his or her knowledge to the site regarding that topic. Is it always correct? No. Which is why many schools ban the use of Wikipedia when their students are doing research.
But for the most part, the content is probably pretty strong. However, the Wikipedia people set out after this presentation to find out exactly who was editing their site. And they came up with some very interesting facts. First, they conducted interviews with people who regularly contribute to or edit the site. They learned that a lot of these people were happy to work on a variety of subjects—whatever pleased them at the moment. Others were more specific and moved in one direction….like a user named Giraffedata, who had more than 15,000 edits to his credit…all for the same incorrect use of the term “comprised of” in articles. The Wiki people were VERY interested in Giraffedata, almost a God to some of them in the world of edits. So, they set out to find the person behind the screen name in hopes of honoring him with their own version of the Oscar in the Wiki editing world…a Barnstar.
And it turns out, Giraffedata is a 51-year-old software engineer names Bryan Henderson who has contributed more than 47,000 edits since 2007. And most of them are simply that one correction…..”comprised of”, which he replaces with “composed of” in proper form. He goes through articles systematically, week by week, and makes the change, determined to rid the world of his singular pet peeve. He even wrote a piece of software to help him find the newest additions to Wikipedia, and does his corrections each Sunday night. It won’t change the world, but in his own way, he’s making a mark in a unique way.
You can read more about Mr. Henderson and his quirky connection to Wikipedia right here. The article is full of pie charts, photos, and fascinating information not only about why Henderson does what he does, but how it impacts what you read. And if you are interested in making your own changes or additions to the information website, you can find out how to do it…well, on Wikipedia! It’s an arduous process, but once you learn how to do it, you’ve got a new skill. Give it a try!
