Debra Mann

Have you discovered all of the cool things you can do in the library’s new catalogue? Your librarians have been exploring how we can use lists to help us share our recommendations with you. For example, our Caledon Staff Shelf Indulgence list lets you know what Caledon PL staff members have been reading and watching each month: https://caledon.bibliocommons.com/list/share/2014879329/2081381639

Here’s why we like making lists from right inside the library catalogue:

• We can collect our faves all in one place, which makes it really easy to share links to our lists on places like our Reasons 2 Read Facebook group
• There’s room to add annotations and talk about why we decided to include a book on our list (and hopefully convince you that you’ll love it too!)
• If you’re interested in an item on one of our lists, you can place a hold with a single click and we’ll have it delivered to the branch of your choice

The best part of all? You don’t have to be a librarian to make a list! You can make your own lists, and keep them for yourself or share them with other readers who might enjoy your recommendations. To learn more about making lists, visit https://help.bibliocommons.com/030lists/

To see our curated lists for readers of all ages, visit https://caledon.bibliocommons.com/ and click Staff Picks & Lists. Follow us to get updates on new lists as they’re published!

You may not know Niche Academy, but chances are you’ve used it – if you’ve ever clicked on a question mark in our Digital Library, watched a walkthrough of our new catalogue, opened a side tab on one of the pages of our website, or watched a recording of one of our programs for adults, you’ve visited our portal for online tutorials on all kinds of topics. We launched Niche Academy two years ago with the goal to help you connect to online learning right where you need it on our website. What began as a small collection of tutorials related to our digital library has grown to include custom information on various aspects of library life, like borrowing library Chromebooks, using accessibility services, and requesting books from other libraries.

Now that Niche has gotten so full of good stuff, we’re introducing Category View, a new way to explore our tutorial collection. Category View allows you to jump to the category you need using a menu on the far right of the page. Click Categories at the top right to open the menu, or simply scroll down the page to see them:

• About Your Library is where you’ll find tutorials about using library services and accessibility tools, including the ever-popular Library Basics tutorial
• CPL’s Digital Library includes tutorials for your favourite online library tools like Ancestry, Creativebug, Kanopy, and Mango Languages
• Google Apps has tutorials for Google products like Gmail, Sheets, Forms, and Photos
• Library of Things is where you’ll find tutorials for some of our borrowable kits and collections, like musical instruments and GoPros
• Microsoft Office has tutorials for Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Outlook
• Research Essentials includes a set of tutorials to help you develop your research skills, as well as guide to combatting misinformation and disinformation online
• Social Media & Online is where you’ll find tutorials on things like Facebook, Zoom, and Tinkercad
• Can’t find what you’re looking for? Select the magnifying glass at the top of the page to search for a particular topic

Want to explore further? You can view our full list of tutorials at https://my.nicheacademy.com/caledon, and click Categories to get started!

Big Library Read begins today! Visit our OverDrive digital collection to borrow the featured title ‘Music Is History” by Questlove with no waitlists or holds.

You might know Questlove from his work in The Roots, or as the musical director for The Tonight Show, or his Academy Award-winning film Summer of Soul. Music Is History combines Questlove’s deep musical expertise with his curiosity about history, examining America over the past fifty years:

“Focusing on the years 1971 to the present, Questlove finds the hidden connections in the American tapestry, whether investigating how the blaxploitation era reshaped Black identity or considering the way disco took an assembly-line approach to Black genius. And these critical inquiries are complemented by his own memories as a music fan, and the way his appetite for pop culture taught him about America. A history of the last half-century and an intimate conversation with one of music’s most influential and original voices, Music Is History is a singular look at contemporary America.”

Get your copy today! Visit https://odmc.overdrive.com/odmc-caledon/content or use the Libby app on your mobile device, then Join the discussion online at https://discuss.biglibraryread.com/

If you’re a library power user, you’ve likely used our OverDrive collection of ebooks and eaudiobooks; maybe you even knew that you can now access the old RBDigital collection of magazines and our Kanopy collection through OverDrive as well. What you may not know, however, is that until now, OverDrive has had two mobile devices, one called OverDrive and one called Libby.

Why are we mentioning this now? It’s because the original OverDrive app for your mobile device is about to ride off into the sunset, and the Libby app for OverDrive will take over as your main way to access OverDrive on your mobile device.

We bet you have lots of questions about this, so we’ll do our best to answer them:

Q. I’ve never used the Libby app before. How can I learn more about it?
A. Lots of ways – you can watch this quick video, take a guided tour with a CPL librarian, try this tutorial, or check out the Getting Started page of the Libby Help website. When you’re ready to get started, download the Libby app from the App Store or Google Play.

Q. What’s better about Libby?
A. Where do we start?! It’s easier for new users to get started, supports multiple library cards from multiple libraries, includes push notifications so you will never miss a hold again, and has better accessibility features. Plus, it gives you easy access to the Libby Help crew – real people who can help you with your Libby questions!

Q. I use the OverDrive app all the time – when will I have to make the switch?
A. The OverDrive app will no longer be available in the App Store or Google Play by the end of this month, but will continue to work for at least a little while longer. Consider this your advanced notice to start exploring Libby and getting a feel for how it works – we think you’ll be pleasantly surprised!

Q. Can I use Libby on my Kindle?
A. The only Amazon device that allows any Canadian access to OverDrive is the Kindle Fire, and you can access it only by going to libbyapp.com on your device’s browser. Let us know if you have questions about this – believe me, your librarians have PLENTY of opinions on it too.

Q. I don’t use my mobile device for OverDrive, I always use my computer. What does this mean for me?
A. You can still use OverDrive directly from the library’s website, or you can visit libbyapp.com to access the collection on your computer using Libby’s user-friendly interface. It’s your choice!

Q. What if I need more help?
A. You can visit the Libby Help site, download the Libby Basics guide with clickable help links, or Ask a Librarian!

Hopefully you’ve already heard the great news that CPL is unveiling a new library catalogue – we’re hoping you’re as excited about the changes as we are! If you’re not sure why we’re doing this or what to expect, here’s a top ten list of the ways we’re about to make your reading a life a whole lot easier:

1. Your catalogue just got smarter! It’s now able to use natural language to figure out what you’re looking for. Throw in phrases like “new kids movies” and it brings back the right stuff, right away.
2. You get a username – you get a username – EVERYBODY GETS A USERNAME! When it’s time to log into your library account, you don’t need to dig out your library card and type in that loooong number with all of those zeroes in it. Create a unique username, and use it and your regular library PIN to log in. Your username unlocks all kinds of new features that help you connect with other library lovers around the world, if you wish, without using your full name.
3. Easier to see! Look at that big print, that white space, that easy to read font…on your phone, tablet, or screen of any size, it sure is easy on the eyes.
4. The Explore dropdown menu opens up all kinds of new ways to dig into the library’s collection. Peruse our newest titles, award winners, best sellers, and featured language collections, and place holds with a click!
5. You’ve got the power to add to the catalogue – rate books, make comments on them, add tags, and more. You’ll also be able to see what other library lovers around the globe are saying about titles in the library collections too. It’s a real community of readers like you.
6. Keep track of your reading right from within the library catalogue – fill up your virtual ‘shelves’ to track the books, movies, and music that are In Progress, For Later, or Completed.
7. You’ve got a dashboard now – your one-stop-shop to see your borrowing information, items on your For Later shelf that are available to borrow right away, recent activity, and more. It’s all of your library life in a glance!
8. Check out the main page of the catalogue to see Recent Staff Lists from your librarians. Whether it’s themed lists, hot titles, or recommended reads from a program, you’ll find lots to enjoy from our lists, and it’s quick and easy to place a hold.
9. Lists aren’t just for library staff – you can make them too! You can create private lists for your own personal enjoyment, or you can make them public and share your love of dark academia romance thrillers with library users all over the world. You can even follow other library users who have reading interests similar to yours and see what they’re putting on their lists.
10. Privacy matters – you can adjust your privacy settings to your own comfort level. Share only what you want to, or nothing at all! The choice is entirely yours.

The new catalogue is in public preview stage right now, and we’d love to know what you think about it! Please go in and kick the tires; you can access the catalogue at https://caledon.bibliocommons.com/ in advance of its launch on December 20. Need some help? Give this tutorial a try or ask a librarian.

CPL usually has a few events a year when we can all read the same book at the same time, but I’m not sure we’ve ever had two right in a row before! This year we’ve got back-to-back read-together activities: Together We Read runs from  Oct. 18-30, and then Big Library Read runs from Nov. 1–15. Both reading events provide unlimited digital copies through CPL’s Overdrive collection or the Libby app. Let’s meet our contestants:

On October 18, Together We Read is featuring the acclaimed book of short stories Frying Plantain by Zalika Reid-Benta, published by House of Anansi Press. A short story collection set in Toronto’s Little Jamaica neighbourhood, Frying Plantain was longlisted for the 2019 Giller Prize: ”Kara Davis is a girl caught in the middle — of her Canadian nationality and her desire to be a “true” Jamaican, of her mother and grandmother’s rages and life lessons, of having to avoid being thought of as too “faas” or too “quiet” or too “bold” or too “soft.” Set in “Little Jamaica,” Toronto’s Eglinton West neighbourhood, Kara moves from girlhood to the threshold of adulthood, from elementary school to high school graduation, in these twelve interconnected stories”.

On November 1, Big Library Read is featuring the New York Times bestselling young adult suspense thriller Five Total Strangers by Natalie D. Richards: “Mira needs to get home for the holidays. Badly. But when an incoming blizzard results in a canceled connecting flight, it looks like she might get stuck at the airport indefinitely. And then Harper, Mira’s glamorous seatmate from her initial flight, offers her a ride. Harper and her three friends can drop Mira off on their way home. But as they set off, Mira realizes her fellow travelers are all total strangers. And every one of them is hiding something. Soon, roads go from slippery to terrifying. People’s belongings are mysteriously disappearing. Someone in the car is clearly lying, and may even be sabotaging the trip—but why? And can Mira make it home alive, or will this nightmare drive turn fatal?”.

For both events, CPL card holders can borrow the ebook and audiobook for free without waiting by downloading the Libby app or by visiting https://odmc.overdrive.com/odmc-caledon/content.