Thank you, Library2Go

Ever find yourself at a loss for something to read, but unable to get to the library? If you have a home computer or other compatible device, the library can come to you!

Last week I was stuck at home in the snow, but a quick search on Library2Go for currently available eBook mysteries led me to a list of reading options.  (To limit your search to available items, use "advanced search" and check the box that says "only items with copies available.")

Newer bestsellers won't show up on this list, because they generally have patrons waiting.  However, Library2Go has a large enough collection that there’s always something worthwhile available, if you take the time to look.

For instance, Anne Holt was unfamiliar to me, but her books sounded intriguing.  It turns out she's a Norwegian author who’s been nominated for an Edgar Award and won the Norwegian Bookseller’s Award.  I checked out and downloaded two of her books, What Is Mine and the sequel, What Never Happens.

Holt's work is notable for gritty, finely-detailed characterization and an emphasis on relationships, which made up for a slightly rambling plot in What is Mine, the first in a series of mysteries featuring Johanna Vik and Adam Stubo. Vik is a researcher and profiler, in an unofficial consultant capacity. She shares custody of a special needs child with her caring but immature ex-husband. Stubo is a police detective, who lost his wife and only child to a terrible accident. The two are drawn together during an investigation of child disappearances, when Vik agrees to profile the killer. A lot of time is spent developing the dynamic between Stubo and Vik, exploring their histories and current circumstances, and fleshing out the factors that affect their attitudes toward each other and the case.

What Never Happens, the second book, isn’t quite as well done. The concept is a little too pat—the perfect murderer, Johanna Vik tells Stubo at the beginning, would be a woman with no motive and no empathy, circumventing the standard lines of inquiry of the police, able to act coldly, without guilt or fear. And voila—one appears, killing random celebrities in a grotesque and unlikely fashion. Despite that, and an ending I found much too abrupt, I still enjoyed the characters and the way their relationship grew and changed in the years between the two stories.

Library2Go and Anne Holt saved me from hours of daytime television, and for that, I will be forever grateful. For more information on how to use Library2Go and what devices are compatible, please check out their website, stop by the library, or call us at (541) 265 2153.  Anne Holt's books are also available in hardcopy at the library-- see our catalog.

Let your fingers do the walking...to the library!

When your parents were young, telephones were used to converse with another person. One could dial the library to ask whether a book was available, and the librarian would nimbly flip through a drawer of dog-eared catalog cards. Or one might inquire about magazine articles for a report, and the librarian would thumb through the subject index of a hardbound Readers' Guide.

The stolid card catalog and printed Readers' Guides are no more. Today's library is continuously morphing, and many services are available not just through computers, but also through phones in ways our parents could never have imagined!

Have a question? You can text a librarian, 24/7, through LNet, the statewide librarian network. Just send the word answers to 66746 and enter your question. A librarian will reply as soon as possible. More information is available at http://www.oregonlibraries.net/sms.


Library2Go is the service that offers free downloadable audiobooks, videos, and eBooks. Until recently, you had to download files to your computer, then transfer them to an external device. Now Library2Go has an app for downloading eBooks and audiobooks directly to the Android, Blackberry, iPhone, and Windows Mobile phones. Go to http://www.overdrive.com/software/omc/ to download the right program for your smart phone.

Our library subscribes to a suite of Gale databases, which include reference books, magazines, scholarly journals, and newspapers. Gale now has "Access My Library" apps that let you search these databases directly from your phone! Need a story from Time Magazine, a biography of Marie Antoinette, or the latest articles on salmon fisheries? You don’t need to use your computer if you have a compatible device and the Gale app. http://www.gale.cengage.com/apps/aml/PublicPatron/.

I still have a plain old vanilla cell phone, which I only use when I travel. But it’s exciting to know that when I finally break down and get a smart phone, I’ll have some smart apps to use with it!

A Spoonful of Sugar

To motivate myself to exercise, I signed up for a walking program, with a goal of walking 101 miles in 100 days. Sessions on an elliptical machine can be deadly dull, though, and even walking can seem like a chore when I have to keep checking my pedometer. It's amazing how much more pleasantly the time goes by when I am listening to an audiobook.

Ever since our library subscribed to Library2Go, I've been an avid fan of downloadable audiobooks! Of course, I still love to read regular books, but I find that I get much more "reading" done with my ears, listening to my tiny little Mp3 player while I'm driving, washing dishes, or exercising. It's a little smaller than a credit card, and holds over a dozen books.

Not every device is compatible, but Library2Go provides a list of players that are: http://www.overdrive.com/resources/drc/#compatible. If the model you want isn't available locally, you can get it online or at an electronics store.

So what do I listen to? Right now I'm reading Starburst by Robin Pilcher, and I recently finished Shanghai Girls by Lisa See and Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. I've been through many of the classics, and have also enjoyed titles written for teens and middle school kids, like the The Giver trilogy and the Ender's Game series. Whatever your taste in books, Library2Go has something for you. Go to http://www.beachbooks.org/uhtbin/library2go.pl and see what is available. You might even be inspired to exercise more!

eBooks @ the Library!

The Newport Public Library joins libraries across the state in offering free, downloadable eBooks. From the comfort of your home, you can go to Library2Go at library2go.lib.overdrive.com, browse the collection, and check them out!

eBooks are growing in popularity, and we are excited to offer this new format in addition to the thousands of downloadable audiobooks and videos currently available. Hundreds of best-selling and classic eBook titles are available, all of which can be read on your computer or on a compatible portable reading device, such as the Sony Reader and Barnes & Noble nook. You just need to download free software called Adobe® Digital Editions, and if you transfer the book to a reader, you will also need to load the software for your reader.

Library2Go’s eBook collection features thousands of titles in various genres and subjects, including mystery, romance, science fiction, literature, biography, business, self-improvement, health, and science.

If books on electronic devices are not your cup of tea, don’t worry; we don’t plan to replace traditional books with eBooks. But if you like the idea of carrying a shelf of books in a single lightweight reader, eBooks might be just the thing for you!

4 Tips on Getting the Most out of Library2Go

Library2Go is a terrific service-- free audiobooks! If you're a dedicated Book on CD listener, and always wishing we had more in stock, it may be time to add digital audiobooks to your repertoire. Even if it seems a little bit intimidating, the rewards are great. In the past 2 weeks, Library2Go has added 23 new fiction books, including Nevada Barr's 13 1/2, Debbie Macomber's 92 Pacific Boulevard, and Linwood Barclay's Fear the Worst. For me, it's been extremely worthwhile to use Library2Go, although I did initially find it frustrating because many popular books have a holds list, so there's not usually instant gratification.

How did I overcome that? I learned to work with the Library2Go System. Here are my tips:

1. Store as many books as possible on your player. Many reasonably priced players these days have 1 or 2 gigabytes of storage, and you are allowed to have 6 books checked out at a time. The books will expire from your hard drive in 7 or 14 days, depending on the checkout period you select. Personally, I can't listen to that many books in that amount of time-- they used to expire before I could get to them. Then I realized: the books will not expire from my MP3 player once they are transferred. If you have enough memory on your player, check the book out as soon as it's available, download it, and listen at your leisure.

2. Keep adding to your holds list. You may have 6 books on hold at a time, meaning you are waiting in line for each of those books. Your account will always tell you what number you are in the queue. You will see ridiculously high numbers sometimes, which is why you need to keep your list full, so that you are always approaching the front of the line for at least a couple of items.

3. Use your wish list. Whenever you receive a notice that something is available to check out, check it out and download it. It will disappear from your holds list. Immediately go to your wish list and move one of the items to the hold list. The wish list does not have a limit of items; fill it whenever you browse, and use it to keep your holds list full to the brim.

4. Browse every couple of weeks. (At least if you're a fiction fan. Once a month or so is probably adequate to check for new nonfiction, they seem to expanding that side of the collection more slowly.) Use the advanced search option, select Fiction, (or Mystery, or Thriller, or Fantasy, or whatever you'd like to limit your results to,) and then choose "within the last 14 days" in the "Date added to site" field. I do this because I feel fairly sure I've exhausted the backlog of books I'm actually interested in; you may choose to browse more generally. Anything you're interested in goes into your "Wish List".

*Note: Instant gratification is possible. If you absolutely need something to listen to on the car trip you're taking later today, choose a genre and then mark off the "Only show titles with copies available" box at the bottom of the page. Chances are, the bestselling Dan Brown book you wanted won't be there; but you might find an intriguing new book or an old favorite which doesn't have a holds list, either because no one knows how wonderful it is, or because Library2Go is allowed to loan many multiple copies at once on that book's particular licensing agreement.

We have "How to" sheets available at the library to help you with the technical side of starting out with Library2Go, and you can always call us or stop by the reference desk with questions as well. Library2Go is terrific entertainment at an unbeatable price-- well worth the effort.

"Reading" with my ears

I don't save audio books for road trips, I use them everyday, just around town.

I also like to listen to books I've already read. I find I discover things I didn't catch the first time through. Interesting turns of phrases, or passages previously skimmed come to life with a good reader.

Audio books are also a great way to try something new. New author, new genre, new subject that just doesn’t seem very lively on the printed page, all can be much more exciting when given a "real" voice.

Readers differ, and in the end some are better than others, or maybe just better to my ears. When you have favorite readers, it's like having an old friend sit with you and spend some time with a good book.

The Newport Public Library has a wonderful collection of audio books on CD waiting on the shelf, and a download service available called Library2Go, which provides direct access to downloadable audio books and videos. These audio books and videos are downloaded to a PC, and can be played directly from the PC, or on a variety of mobile audio devices (often called MP3 players).



Oh, and by the way, some listeners use audio books while they exercise or do housework – I wouldn’t know anything about that. - Jan