New eBook Service launched at Leicestershire’s libraries

Leicestershire County Council’s Library Services has launched a new, free eBook Service for library members.

There are no charges to borrow an eBook or reserve a title, and eBooks are never returned late. Library members can borrow up to 3 eBooks at one time, borrow or reserve them for free and can choose to keep them for any length of time from one to 21 days.

This service is only available to Leicestershire library members and is accessible only through Leicestershire Library Services website by visiting: www.leics.gov.uk/ebooks

The eBook Service provides a range of fiction titles for adults and children, and non fiction titles for adults. Popular titles include:Michael McIntyre’s Life and Laughing, Lee Child’s DieTrying and Jacqueline Wilson’s The Longest Whalesong

The eBook service is easy to use and is compatible with most eBook readers in the market except Amazon’s Kindle.

For more information please visit your local library.

Servants and surfers at Charnwood Libraries

There’s a lot to learn about in Charnwood Libraries over Adult Learners’ Week, from digital photography to pre-historic life to what it was like to be a servant in Victorian times.

At Loughborough Library you can travel back to the days of pre-historic Britain with Leicester University lecturer Nick Cooper on Tuesday 17th May, as he gives a taster of the archaeology course he teaches. This takes place  12 noon – 2pm and is free to attend, but tickets should be bought in advance by contacting the library on 0116 305 2420.

Bringing things more up-to-date there is a free course on digital photography, also at Loughborough Library, on Thursday May 19th  10am – 12 noon. Visitors can learn how to get the most out of digital imagery and pick up some basic computer skills too.

More computer skills are on offer that same day at Birstall Library, with four separate Silver Surfer sessions for people who want get online but might not be sure how. These free hour-long taster events take place at 10am, 11:15am, 2pm and 3.15pm.

And that evening in Birstall Library a fascinating talk will take place on what life was like for a servant in a Victorian household, with local historian Nick Marshall shedding light on the upstairs/downstairs existence. This is another free event, though tickets should be booked in advance, and takes place  7:15- 8:30pm.

Tales of crime, war and mobile phones coming to Coalville Library

Tales of crime, war and mobile phones coming to Coalville Library

 

R.J. Ellory, writer of seven bestselling crime novels including the award-winning A Simple Act Of Violence, is appearing at Coalville Library to discuss his work and sign copies of his books.

 

His talk takes place on Saturday March 5th at 2.30pm, and will cost £1.50 per person. There will also be other crime-fiction related events at the library in March, including a talk on the queen of the genre, Agatha Christie, on Tuesday 15th March at 7pm for just £1.

 

Later in the month, war veterans can bring their photos, films, badges and Royal British Legion memorabilia to Coalville Library to discuss the fascinating stories behind these objects with a historian.

 

This free workshop, which takes place between 10am and 1pm on Saturday 19th March, is part of a landmark project, led by Leicestershire County Council, designed to mark the 90th anniversary of the Legion.

 

To find out more about the project please contact Margaret Bonney, Project Coordinator, at The Record Office on 0116 257 1080 or email margaret.bonney@leics.gov.uk . More details are available at www.leics.gov.uk/britishlegion

 

Also at Coalville Library there will be a free taster session for complete beginners who want to know how to use a mobile phone. This Myguide course takes place on Wednesday 16th March between 10am and 12noon.

 

There will also be bargains galore from Wednesday 16th March until Monday 21st March when Coalville Library has its Big Book Sale. Surplus books, CDs and DVDs will be on sale at discounted prices throughout the day.

 

Get online at Coalville Library

Coalville Library is celebrating Get Online Week (18th – 24th Oct) by inviting people to come along and find out  how you can use Ancestry Library edition website to start your Family History Research.

To book your free place, or for more information about Get Online Week events in Coalville Library contact the library on 0116 3053565.

Guide to gaming culture at library

From Donkey Kong to Pokemon, the modern phenomena of video games and their impact on society will be explored in a free talk at Loughborough Library, followed by the chance to design your own game and win a prize.

Dr. Alex Wade, expert on the sociological effects of video games, will be looking at this increasingly popular, yet often misunderstood pastime, in a talk entitled Power Play: The Ultimate Guide to Gaming.

It will offer parents and children the opportunity to learn about the debates surrounding gaming and concludes with a game production session. The audience will have a chance to design a game, with a prize for the best effort.

David Sprason, Leicestershire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Adults & Communities said; “Video games are becoming part of mainstream culture, and this talk by Dr. Wade promises to be a fascinating look at their influence.”

The event be held at Loughborough Library on Granby Street between 2pm and 4pm on Tuesday October 19th 2010. Booking is necessary due to limited space and places can be booked by either visiting the library or calling 0116 3052420.

www.leics.gov.uk/libraries

Free computer and internet courses

Free online courses for anyone looking to upgrade their computer and internet skills will be available in Leicestershire’s libraries during Adult Learners’ Week.

Leicestershire County Council’s Library and Adult Learning Services have teamed up to offer the courses from a Government website called Myguide during the week which takes place from May 15 to 21.

The Myguide website offers a wide range of online computing, internet and basic skills courses.

Library and Adult Learning Service staff will be available during Adult Learners Week to help learners who are either looking to boost their computing online skills to improve their job prospects or are simply looking for a new hobby or interest.

To find out more visit a Leicestershire library or the Library Service’s website during Adult Learners’ Week at: www.leics.gov.uk/adultlearnersweek

Adult Learners’ Week is a national campaign encouraging people who might not have thought about learning to give it a go. 

During the week libraries across Leicestershire will be highlighting how they support learning through free book loans, free use of computers, study space, information on local learning opportunities and activities within libraries.

Find out more about Adult Learners’ Week at your local library.

Try something new at Coalville Library

During the Adult Learners Week the public are invited to try the following for free

• Drop in to talk to about doing local classes or online courses.
• Book with the library to have a go on the internet and computers with the help of a tutor.
• Book with the library to try a free taster session learning a new language such as French or Italian or a new skill such as painting or jewellery making.
• Book with the library to join a free fun Maths World Cup Workshop, to brush up on numeracy skills.

As well as all that, those over 50 can take advantage of Silver Surfers’ Day on Friday 21 May and try IT with the help of a tutor from 12.45 – 2.15.

To book a free place, or for more information on Adult Learners’ Week, events in Coalville Library contact the library on 0116 3053565.

http://www.leics.gov.uk/coalville_library

To find out more visit a Leicestershire library or the library service’s website during Adult Learners’ Week – www.leics.gov.uk/adultlearnersweek

Social Media becomes more engaging!

Social media websites like Twitter, Facebook and online blogs are allowing people to engage more with Leicestershire libraries and museums. People are increasingly using social media to keep up to date about news and events happening in libraries and museums across the county. The trend is definitely growing for two way communication!

Fans, followers and ‘virtual visits’ have grown in numbers over the last year with some Facebook pages being more popular than official website pages. Holiday times and special events are notably peak periods for visits and activity, but statistics show that accessing easy to find, fast, reliable and up to date news and information, along with the ability to comment and receive a response, are proving to be very popular.

Collectively, during December, there were over 10,000 visits to Leicestershire libraries’ and museums’ Facebook pages. During 2009 their blogs were read by over 16,000 ‘virtual visitors’.

Launches, book sales, special events and activities, or changes in opening times are just some of the things that social media sites enable people to find out about and comment on if they wish. They also provide an opportunity for people to connect with like-minded people.

People can follow Leicestershire libraries on www.twitter.com/leicslibraries read the blog on www.leicestershirebooks.wordpress.com or become a fan on www.facebook.com/yourlibrary

The museum’s blog can be found at www.leicestershiremuseums.wordpress.com; the Twitter address is www.twitter.com/leicsmuseum. Each museum has its own Facebook page where people can become fans:
www.facebook.com/bosworthbattlefield
www.facebook.com/snibston
www.facebook.com/harboroughmuseum
www.facebook.com/charnwoodmuseum
www.facebook.com/doningtonleheath
www.facebook.com/meltonmuseum

Links to all the above social media sites are available online at www.leics.gov.uk/libraries and www.leics.gov.uk/museums

Have you found your library on Facebook?

Are you an avid fan of Facebook like millions of others around the globe?  Would you like to know more about what’s happening in our libraries online?

If you enjoy surfing the Internet, check out our new user-friendly weblink address where people can see what’s happening in Leicestershire libraries on the popular social networking site, Facebook. Visit www.facebook.com/yourlibrary to find all sorts of information about your libraries.  You can add your own thoughts and keep up to date with news and events being planned.  So far we have 100 fans who have signed up with more adding to the list every day.

Social Networking Sites

Ernie White, Cabinet Leader for Better Places, said, “This is a great opportunity for anyone tech-savvy to join in the social networking phenomenon and mingle with others who have a common interest.”

Other social networking sites include our library blog, where customers can leave their comments, get involved in a debate and put their views across or just find out information.

You can also follow us on Twitter – just visit http://twitter.com/leicslibraries and you can join in with 276 followers to keep up to date with what’s happening in Libraries.

Our useful internet links can also be found on Delicious – see http://delicious.com/leicslibraries to search our helpful link resources for homework, research, and various subject areas like finance and health.

Librarians are being trained in internal social media focusing on Web 2.0.  This enables library staff to:

• Understand Web 2.0 which can help communicate with our (younger and more technical savvy) customers
• Better understand the future of digital library services
• Web 2.0 helps us to learn and think in new and creative ways

For further details, pop into a Leicestershire library, email libraries@leics.gov.uk or visit www.leics.gov.uk/libraries.

Find us on Delicious.com

Now you can find all of our internet links on Delicious.com.

Visit http://delicious.com/leicslibraries