Language of Love

Mango_colorDo you want to impress your sweetheart with your ability to say “I love you” in a different languages?  If so, the library can help!

The Davenport Public Library subscribes to a database called Mango Languages which can help you learn several different foreign languages.  So if you want to know how to say, “I love you” in another language this Valentine’s Day, you should take a look at Mango.

Mango Languages offers courses in  71 different languages.  But if you want to learn the “Language of Love”, you might want to try French. Or Italian.  Or possibly Spanish or Portuguese.  Those four languages have entire lesson plans dedicated to “Romance”.  Not only will you learn how to say, “I love you” in your chosen language, but you will also learn terms of endearment.  The lessons in the Romance section also teach you how to introduce yourself, offer to buy someone a drink, and other phrases that could be useful on a date.

I find that it is very easy to learn new foreign phrases on Mango Languages.  The lessons are interactive.  You can see the word and hear how it is pronounced at the same time.  You can play back the word as many times as you need to in order to get the pronunciation right.  And the best thing about Mango Languages is that you can learn at your own pace.  All you need is an Internet connection and a Davenport Public Library card in order to access Mango Languages!  Go to the Online Resources section of our website.  Scroll down alphabetically until you see Mango.  It is best if you sign up for a FREE account and all you need is an email account and password.  You can also find Mango Languages on Google Play and the App store.

Good luck with learning your new foreign phrases!

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Atomic Training: eReader edition

atomicDid you get a new eReader for Christmas?  Are you having trouble figuring out how it functions?  The library may be able to help you!

Davenport Public Library subscribes to a database called Atomic Training.  This database has thousands of videos that will teach you how to use your Kindle, iPad, Nook or Android device.  And since you have a library card from the Davenport Public Library, you are able to watch these videos at your convenience!

If you have an iPad, you can learn about the different settings and how to install iBooks.  Also, there are tutorials about the Kindle app and the Nook app that you can install on your iPad.  You can also watch videos about finding apps to read newspapers and magazines.

If you have a Kindle, you can learn how to manage your Kindle library, share content on multiple devices, and the different settings and features available.  Also included are videos on how to locate free materials for your Kindle.  Tutorials about Amazon Prime and apps available for Amazon Prime.  You can also find help for how to use your Kindle Fire as a tablet and its Internet Browser.

Nook users can find help on a variety of topics.  You can learn how to set up your Barnes and Noble account along with the different features.  Also, there are are tutorials about using Chrome and Google Play.  Videos have information on how to find newspapers, magazines and other free materials.

To access Atomic Training, go to Research Tools on our website. From there, go to Online Resources. Once you are there, you will find Atomic Training. You will have to set up a free account to access the database.  All it requires is an email adress and password.

Holiday Shopping Ideas

Even if you haven’t actually started your holiday shopping yet, it is bound to be on your mind. Shopping for the holidays can be very stressful, especially when you are shopping for someone that has everything. If you have teenagers, maybe you aren’t sure what’s really “in” right now. Budgets are always a factor too. If you have a lot of people on your list, you may be looking for great gifts that don’t break the bank. There are many resources available to help shoppers find great gift ideas. The best part is, you don’t have to leave home to find them.

Let’s talk about a database called Zinio. Zinio is a magazine internet database that is free for Davenport library card holders. All you need is your library card number and you can create a free account. Once your account is created, you can check out magazines and read them online in your browser.  This database is a no limit, permanent check out. Which means you can check out as many as you like and keep them for as long as you like.

More and more libraries are subscribing to this database. If you are a patron of a different library, check with your library to see if they subscribe. Below are some of the magazines available right now through this database. Not only are there tons of gift ideas inside, but it is a one stop holiday destination. To get started browsing magazines, click here.

If you are just looking for some quick ideas, check out the links below.

For Him... Top 25 Gifts for Him    Gifts for Boyfriend    Top 32 Gifts for Men this 2015 Holiday Season

For HerBest Christmas Gifts for Her in 2015    100 Best Christmas Gifts for Women 2015    Gifts for Her

For TeensGifts for Teens    Best Christmas Gifts for Tweens

Gift Guides for EveryonePopsugar Gift Guide    2015 Holiday Gift Guide    Zumiez Holiday Gift Guide

Gifts that won’t break the bank…Unique Gifts Under $25    Cool Gifts Under $10

July 20th is Moon Day

full_apollo11On July 20, 1969, man landed on the Moon for the first time.  Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first two human beings to step onto the Moon and they spent two and a half hours on the surface of the Moon. During that time, Armstrong and Aldrin took pictures, did experiments and collected 46 pounds of Moon rocks.  They left behind an American Flag, a patch honoring the crew of Apollo 1 and a plaque.  The plaque reads, “Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the Moon. July 1969. We came in peace for all mankind”.

NASA had been challenged by President Kennedy to put a man on the Moon before the decade was out and NASA met that challenge. The Moon landing was a great technological achievement, perhaps the greatest achievement in human history.

 

New MoonIf you are interested in learning more about the Moon, check out The New Moon: Water, Exploration and Future Habitation by Arlin Crotts.  Crotts is a professor of astronomy at Columbia University. This book explores the history of exploration on the Moon and discusses discoveries that are being uncovered.  It is the complete story of mankind and the lunar experience.  Crotts presents little-known, but significant events in lunar science for the first time.  He also explains the environment on the Moon and the possibility of making the Moon habitable for humans.

The Davenport Public Library owns many more books about the Moon!  To learn more, visit any one of our locations.  Most books about the Moon are located at 523.3 in the non-fiction section of the library.

Did you know that you can read newspaper articles about the moon landing from 1969?  Check out our Newspaper Archives, one of our databases. Go to our homepage at www.davenportlibrary.com and look for Online Resources.

 

Celebrate Notable African-American Women!

As African-American History Month draws to a close and Women’s History Month begins, celebrate both by discovering these turn-of-the-twentieth-century African-American women activists on your library’s shelves:

 

IdaBWellsJournalist Ida B. Wells-Barnett (1862-1931) first spoke out against the lynching of blacks in the South from the pages of her own Memphis, Tennessee newspaper. This act began her fierce campaign to end the injustice through her lectures and writings. On Lynchings collects three of her influential publications on the subject.

 

 

 

TerrellIn her 1940 autobiography, A Colored Woman in a White World, Mary Church Terrell (1863-1954) describes her career as a speaker dedicated to advancing the causes of civil rights and women’s suffrage.

 

 

 

 

 

Callie houseHistorian Mary Frances Berry rescues Callie House (1861–1928) from obscurity in My Face is Black is True: Callie House and the Struggle for Ex-Slave Reparations. Founder of the National Ex-Slave Mutual Relief, Bounty and Pension Association, House began a grass-roots movement calling for Congress to compensate former slaves for the labor they performed during centuries of captivity.

 

 

 

 

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Explore the lives of other remarkable African-American women with Biography in Context. This online database conveniently gathers information from reference works, academic publications, newspapers, magazines, radio broadcasts, websites, and other sources to create”media-rich” profiles of historical figures, writers, artists, celebrities, and other prominent individuals.

DPL’s 2015 Zinio Magazine Titles

Zinio - New Titles - ImageTwo dozen new titles have been added to our Zinio magazine offerings. That brings this year’s total to over 90 great periodicals that you can download with your Davenport Public Library account.

Unfamiliar with Zinio? Now is a great time to take a look at downloading full issues of great titles.  Interested?  Then be certain to create a new account and check out a magazine during your visit.

Heads up, even after creating an account, during your first checkout you’ll be asked to create an account for your downloads.  Tip:  Use the same username and passwords for both logins.

These issues are always available; no need for reserves. Once checked out, they stay on your account indefinitely, meaning you can go on a wild checkout spree, then read them at your convenience. Once finished, simply remove the issues from your account.

You’ll find both current and past issues are available. That is, back issue availability is based upon when our subscription began.   You’ll even find older issues for magazines to which we no longer subscribe still available to you.

 

Current titles:

100 Ideas Real Rooms,   Allrecipes,   American Cowboy,   American PHOTO,   AppleMagazine,   Autoweek,   Backpacker,   Backyard & Garden Design Ideas,   Better Homes and Gardens,   Bicycling,   BirdWatching,   Bloomberg Businessweek,   Bon Appetit,   Car and Driver,   Chicago Magazine,   Cosmopolitan,   Cottage Life,   Country Gardens,   Country Living,   Discover,   Do It Yourself,   Dogs Life,   Dwell – Best Homes in America,   EatingWell,   Elle,   ESPN The Magazine,   Esquire,   Every Day with Rachael Ray,   Family Circle,   Family Handyman,   FamilyFun,   Food Network Magazine,   Forbes,   Good Housekeeping ,   Harper’s Bazaar,   HGTV Magazine,   House Beautiful,   Interweave Knits,   iPad & iPhone User,   iPhone Life,   Kiplinger’s Personal Finance,   Knit Wear,   Macworld,   Marie Claire,   Martha Stewart Living,   Martha Stewart Weddings,   Maxim,   Men’s Fitness,   Men’s Health,   mental_floss,   Midwest Living,   MOTHER EARTH NEWS,   Motor Trend,   National Geographic Interactive,   National Geographic Traveler Interactive,   Newsweek,   O, The Oprah Magazine,   OK! Magazine,   Organic Gardening,   OUT,   PC Magazine,   PCWorld,   Popular Mechanics,   Popular Science,   Prevention,   Reader’s Digest,   Redbook,   Rolling Stone,   Runner’s World,   Running Times,   Shape,   Smithsonian Magazine,   Soap Opera Digest,   Spirituality & Health Magazine,   Star Magazine,   Storage,   Taste of Home,   The Atlantic,   The Economist,   The Writer,   Town & Country,   Traditional Home,   True West,   TV Guide Magazine,   Us Weekly,   Weight Watchers,   Woman’s Day,   Women’s Health,   WOOD Magazine,   Woodcraft Magazine,   Yoga Journal

 

 

 

 

Zinio: Now Available from DPL

zinio logoDo you love magazines? Do you have a Davenport library card? Now, you can get Zinio – the world’s largest newsstand, available through DPL! This service offers free online access to more than 150 current and popular magazines, and DPL patrons can access them on any internet-enabled device. To access Zinio, visit our digital gateway. From here, you will set up both a Library Collection Account and a Zinio.com Viewer Account: we suggest using the same email/password for both accounts. Now you’re ready to start reading! (for detailed instructions, email reference@davenportlibrary.com)

Whether you’re using a tablet computer, smartphone, laptop, or desktop, DPL’s free Zinio selection is the same. A few of the great titles that come free with your DPL card:

  • Rolling Stone
  • House Beautiful
  • Brides
  • Consumer Reports
  • Martha Stewart Living
  • Mental_Floss
  • O, the Oprah Magazine
  • Seventeen
  • Dwell
  • Cosmopolitan

…and more than a hundred others, covering every interest from gaming and technology to business and economics, the outdoors, lifestyle and fashion, fitness, science, spirituality, sports, scrapbooking, cooking, woodworking, and many more! There truly is something for everyone. Browse our Zinio pin board for another look!

A new look for eBooks and eAudiobooks!

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WILBOR has a new look and now it is even easier to enjoy your favorite eBooks and eAudiobooks!  A few of the highlights:

-An icon in the corner of a book cover will tell you whether the title is an eBook or an eAudiobook.  If the icon is black, the title is available.  If it is gray, the title has a wait list.

-Click on “Borrow” to choose your title.

-After you have logged into your account and accessed your “Bookshelf” you will be given the option to download your selection or return your title (once you download your selected format, you may only be able to return the title via the software).  Clicking the “Download” button once will allow you to select your desired format.

Overdrive Read is available for select titles, which allows you to open your eBook selection immediately and read from a browser on your computer or mobile device.

Questions?  Contact the Reference Department!

 

New eAudiobooks at the library – introducing Recorded Books One Click Digital

The Davenport Public Library is pleased to announce a new way to download eAudiobooks to your mobile device through Recorded Books One Click digital.

Visit our website and click on “Downloadable eAudiobooks and eBooks” on the left side of the page, which will lead you to Recorded Books One Click digital.

Recorded Books One Click digital offers hundreds of titles that can be downloaded to a computer or transferred to a listening device and all the titles are iPod compatible.  Begin by creating an account with your Davenport library card number and you are ready to start listening.

Enjoy!

 

 

Check out library eBooks on your Kindle!

It is finally here – our library’s eBooks are now available for Kindle users through WILBOR! It’s really easy to use- just log onto Wilbor with your Davenport Public Library card and start searching for eBooks.  Simply choose the Kindle version of the book you would like and after you complete the checkout process you will be transferred straight to Amazon.  Log in to your Amazon account, choose where you would like the book delivered and the next time you connect to a wi-fi network – voilà –  your eBook will be waiting for you.

For additional information, visit the WILBOR site for tips, tutorials and frequently asked questions or please contact the Reference Department at the Davenport Public Library.