Free scanning at the Library

Have you ever found yourself in the position of needing to scan a document but no access to a scanner?  The Delaware County District Library can help!

At the Delaware Branch, we have provided a scanner with the ability to scan nearly any document to transfer to a thumb drive to print, email, upload, or simply save it.  There is absolutely no cost to use the scanner, and it is very simply to operate.  If, however, you have any questions, Library staff are always available to help you.

Why would you need to scan something?  If you have a letter or other important piece of paper that you’d like to share with family, friends, or colleagues, you can quickly scan it to be emailed to them.  Or if you’d like to preserve a document that is fragile or irreplaceable, scanning it allows you to convert it to digital format and download it to a thumb drive for safe -keeping.  For example, if your kindergartner wrote his name for the first time, or created his first crayon masterpiece, you can scan it to email to Grandma and Grandpa.  Need to keep important insurance papers safe?  Scan them to a thumb drive, upload them to your computer and safely file them away.  Photographs are easy to scan, share or save, too.  The scanner provides both black and white and color options, as will as a variety of formats (pdf, tiff, etc.).

Please stop by often to take advantage of this great free service at the Delaware Library.  And, if you need a thumb drive, we have those available  for sale at a nominal cost in the computer room.

As the needs of the public evolve and change, your Library strives to provide services and materials to meet new demands and requests.  Adding this scanner is one example of  meeting those challenges, providing you with technology that is user-friendly and state-of-the-art.

Reference–eBook Style

“Upgrade technology.”  Those words were spoken resoundingly by the public when the Library administration asked them what changes they wanted at the Delaware County District Library.  We couldn’t agree more with that assessment.  The technology at the Library was behind the times, with old, persnickety computers in the lab, along with a lack of print and time management; no color copiers; and, a paucity of online subscription databases.  The passing of the Library levy in 2009 has help us to remedy many of these technological challenges.

You will now see new, state of the art computers in each of the branches; Envisionware (time/print management software) installed at the Delaware Branch and soon to be installed at the other branches including the Orange Branch; color copiers and printers ready for use or soon to be; and several new online subscription databases such as “Morningstar” and “Consumer Reports” added to the Library’s research arsenal.  We recently added yet another reference tool that I think you will find user-friendly, efficient and helpful:  “Gale Virtual Reference.”

You will find the link to the Gale Virtual Reference collection on the Library’s home page (www.delawarelibrary.org) and when you click on the link, you will open a welcome page with a bookshelf of titles currently available through DCDL.  Each of the covers is a hyperlink to the actual resource, and there is additional links on either side of the page that will take you to other eBook reference materials.

Gale Publishers has long been a trusted source for information, and the eBook reference collections has the added advantage of having their titles available 24/7 and to multiple users at the same time, along with these features:

• ReadSpeaker technology (text-to-speech) allowing text to be read aloud to users and downloaded in MP3 format
• Cross-searchable with select periodical databases and Gale Resource Centers
• No special reader or hardware required
• Unlimited simultaneous use
• Ability to print, e-mail and download articles
• On-demand content translation into 11 languages

Log onto the Library’s web site today, and explore the search features of Gale Virtual Reference collection.  I think you’ll find it handy and easy to use, but as always, if you have any questions regarding this exciting new electronic addition to the Delaware Library or any other electronic database, please don’t hesitate to ask one of the librarians.

Do you receive email and text messages from the Library?

“Spend money wisely” have been the watchwords of the Delaware County District Library for its more than 100-year history.  Study after study show that public libraries are conservative and smart stewards of the public funds with which they have been entrusted, using those funds to generate the best return in services and materials for their customers. At the Delaware County District Library, for every tax dollar that the public invests, the return is about $3.60.  In other words, through careful consideration of expenditures, the Board of Trustees of the Library returns to the community in services and products  more than three times the amount that your taxes provide for us.

Having said all that, I would like to ask you to help us save even more money by simply supplying an email address for us to send hold notices, courtesy reminders and overdue notices to you electronically. With more than 47,000 active library card holders, the Library saves thousands of dollars on the cost of postage, printing, and staff time needed to stuff and stamp envelopes by replacing the mailed notices with emailed ones.

The Library does not share your email address with anyone.  We consider protecting your confidentiality a trust, and your personal information is only used for administrative purposes.

The next time you’re in the Library, please update your card information to include an email address.  You can also update your information on the Library’s web site at http://www.delawarelibrary.org and clicking on “My Account.”  If you prefer using your cell phone,  you can receive notices from us via text messaging by adding your cell phone number as an email using this formula: [your cell phone number with no dashes]@sms.oplin.org.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns about modifying your record in these ways, simply ask a librarian.  We’re delighted to help, and thank you in advance for helping us to save money so we can buy more books, DVDs and other library items.

Coffee Anyone?

Judging by the number of customers who expressed their disappointment to me when the coffee shop in the Delaware County District Library closed a few months ago, I understand how much people miss enjoying a hot cup of coffee while they are in the Library.  So, I am delighted to tell you that there is a new coffee shop now at the Delaware Branch—the Coffee, Tea and Energy Café.

The cafe has been open for a few weeks, and they owners, Jamie and Bill are excited about the response.  Specializing in different types and flavors of coffee, the Coffee, Tea and Energy Cafe also has a variety of teas, energy drinks, juices, hot chocolate, bottled water and pop for sale.  Jami and Bill have plans to expand the menu and are soliciting feedback from you to help them tailor the menu to what you want.

Opening a business such as the Coffee, Tea and Energy Café is a lifelong dream for Delaware residents Jami and Bill.  They are excited to be part of Delaware’s business community and especially to be part of the Library.  I think customers will be pleased with their friendliness as well as their delicious beverages.

Stop by the Coffee, Tea and Energy Cafe soon to meet Jami and Bill and to enjoy a great cup of coffee at a very reasonable price.  And remember, drinks with lids are permitted in the Library (except by the computers), so you can sip away while checking out the latest issue of your favorite magazine, reading a bestseller, or simply enjoying the ambiance of the Library.

And I know I speak for the Library staff when I say, “Welcome Jamie and Bill!  Fill ‘er up!”  (We’ve really, really missed having fresh brewed coffee and tea in the Library.)