"eBooksHub" at Fredricksen
Did you know that you can download library eBooks, accessed from Fredricksen Library’s home page, to your eReader or iPad? Capital Area Library District offers a great selection of books in downloadable media for Fredricksen Library patrons, and all you need is a valid Cumberland County library card to get started in a whole new direction of library patronage.

The Reference Department at Fredricksen Library is pleased to announce the arrival of “eBooksHub”, a learning center focused on helping patrons navigate through the Capital Area Library District eBook download process.  The Reference Staff offers a kiosk at the Fredricksen library entrance Fridays from 1 to 3 pm and 5:30 to 6:30 pm dedicated to helping patrons who have questions regarding Library System eBook downloads. We will also offer informal instruction at the “Hub” section of the Reference Desk. We will have a variety of devices on hand for the demonstration process: Kindle Touch, Nook Touch, Kindle Fire and an iPad (special thanks to Friends of Fredricksen for their generosity in purchasing some of these items for us!).

If you own an eReader, or similar device, please feel free to bring it with you on your quest for help—we will require that your device has been through the registration process, and ready for the eBook download process prior to your visit with the eBooksHub. We are able to demonstrate basic eBook downloads, and will have a variety of print and online resources to help guide you through the world of library eBooks. If you have questions regarding this program, please contact us at 761-3900 ext. 225. We look forward to seeing you at the “Hub”!

Leap the Line @ Fredricksen Library
& East Pennsboro Branch!
Read the latest bestseller OR enjoy newly released DVDs & CDs for just $10 AND help your library at the same time!
Are you tired of waiting through long lines of “holds” (reserves) on books at the library?
Does your favorite bestselling author come out with a new book while you’re still waiting for your name to come up for the old title?
Do you get frustrated waiting for a new DVD to become available for you? Why not Leap the Line?

Here’s how it works. You are tired of waiting in the holds line for a book or DVD or CD of music. You decide to Leap the Line. You fill out a form on our brochure (available at the libraries and on our website) instructing the library to Leap the Line for that title.

• As soon the form is received at our front desk or online, your name Leaps the Line to the front of the holds.
• Within one week, the item is purchased, received and you are notified.
• You arrive at the library and pay just $10. This is considered a library donation, since you have made it possible for the library to buy an item which has been added to the collection. The library pays the balance.
• The item is checked out to you for twice the normal borrowing time. If it’s a book, you get it for four weeks. If it’s a DVD, you get it for two weeks.
• At the end of that time, or before that if you’re finished, you return the item to the library. It goes into our regular collection and the long holds line resumes where it left off.
By Leaping the Line, you enable the library to add high-demand titles while making a donation. You receive the item first, for a longer borrowing period. You have the satisfaction of knowing that you have helped the library. Thank you and enjoy your Leap! 

Download a Leap the Line brochure/form

Complete a Leap the Line form online

NOW AVAILABLE! Leap the Line LARGE PRINT - Read More!

eBooks @ Fredricksen Library & East Pennsboro Branch
Ebooks crept upon the library world quietly. In 2009, librarians saw an occasional Kindle, perhaps a Nook or Sony product. In 2010, iPad burst upon the scene with Microsoft quick to counter. The library world began to wonder how to best to deliver ebooks to patrons. Patrons sometimes asked if ebooks might substitute for libraries.

Rather than foretell a doomsday scenario, digitalization has transformed libraries and their borrowers. Information can now be delivered almost instantly, with no space requirements beyond the size of a hard-drive. The downside is that the digital world presents “an embarrassment of [information] riches.” Librarians are indispensible in helping users to find the most appropriate digital answer from a seemingly infinite pool. Fredricksen and East Pennsboro Branch Libraries have sought to meet the information needs of our borrowers while simultaneously creating community through programs, collections and service. This goal is enhanced, not threatened, by our new role as provider of ebooks. Access to ebooks is available literally by a click on our website. Give it a try!
Get more information

Thank You Mr. Craumer!
As a thank you to Mr. Craumer, who has sponsored the Writer’s Workshop for the past 8 years as a memorial to his late wife, Natalie, the current class presented him with an original painting by Mr. Pineda. The painting depicts themes from great literature and is signed on the back by all class participants and Ms. Stewart, the workshop leader since its inception. In 2010, Mr. Craumer’s generosity also made it possible for Fredricksen to buy 46 new books on creative writing for our collection. 

DOWNLOAD a list of the Creative Writing books recently added.

Looking for Health Info?
by Jackie Barton, Assistant Director
If you or a loved one is looking for health information, stop by Fredricksen Library or East Pennsboro Branch Library. We have the most up-to-date books on a wealth of health and wellness topics, and over the past year, we have further expanded our collection of health materials. Thanks to a $15,000 LSTA Grant, we have added 467 books for checkout at Fredricksen and 254 books for checkout at East Pennsboro Branch Library. We also updated our Reference materials by adding 37 titles at Fredricksen and 17 titles at East Pennsboro Branch Library. Remember, in addition to our book collection, we also have many health-related DVDs and access to health databases.

Before we began selecting materials, we conducted a patron survey. The most popular topics at both Fredricksen Library and East Pennsboro Branch Library were exercise, women’s health, diet, alternative therapies, and aging. We bought heavily in these areas, and also bought material to fill gaps and update information. As always, if you are interested in a particular title (current or upcoming), please let us know by filling out a purchase suggestion in person or online.

We have increased our collection of the ever-popular diet and fitness books but have also added new titles that cover high-interest health topics, many of which were written or edited by authors with medical degrees, doctorates, or some affiliation with health care.

It’s great to see the positive impact of our new health materials. One patron wrote, “The newly added books in Fredricksen Library’s health section helped me personally in my quest for health information. When my husband and I decided that we were ready to begin thinking about having children, I began doing research on conceiving. When I found out that I was pregnant, I continued my research at Fredricksen Library. This included reviewing the books Babycenter Pregnancy and The Mommy Diet. Throughout my pregnancy, I have been determined to make sure that I’m doing everything I can to provide my baby with a good start, which includes the foods I eat, my daily activities, and knowing when to relax. Currently, I have checked out Heading Home with Your Newborn, Superbaby: 12 Ways to Give your Child a Head Start in the First Three Years, and Baby Bargains: Secrets to Saving 20% to 50% on Baby Furniture, Equipment, Clothes, Toys, Maternity Wear and Much, Much More! The last book has especially been helpful as we shop and register for various things that we will need to have in the nursery; we originally purchased a crib a month ago, only to find through this book that it has an ‘F’ rating. We quickly returned it, opting for a crib that the authors mentioned was excellent for our little one due in November. Once our baby arrives, I am planning on checking out the following books: Complete Book of Breastfeeding, Iyengar Yoga for Motherhood, and You, Raising your Child: the Owner’s Manual. Knowing that there are resources at my library is a relief; free access to these resources at Fredricksen Library means I don’t have to run to the nearest bookstore to find and pay for the information I am looking for!”

This project has been (partially) funded with federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funds administered by the Office of Commonwealth Libraries.

DOWNLOAD a printable list of the new materials

Social Media for Readers
Alana Bubnis
One day, as I leafed through piles of clippings from magazines, Bookpages, the New York Times Book Review in what ended up as a futile attempt to locate the review of a book that I wanted to recommend to the friend I was talking to, but couldn't remember the title of, she looked at me quizzically and said, "Why aren't you on Goodreads?" With that question, I gained entry into the world of social media dedicated to reading.
At first glance, Goodreads can be overwhelming. Founded in 2006, it now boasts 4.7 million members (and counting), over 150 million book titles, and features including giveaways for advance copies, an author program, trivia, reading challenges and endless groups. Users often do better by starting out using Goodreads for its primary and most basic utility: cataloging what you've read, are reading, and want to read. After setting up a profile, the site generates three default bookshelves for your profile: to-read, read, and currently reading. Beyond that, you can create as many bookshelves as you need to suit your literary habits (I've now divided mine to include to-read fiction, to-read non-fiction, to-read cookbooks, to-read memoirs, among others). Those with Facebook accounts can sign in using the Facebook feature, use the Goodreads app on Facebook, and post their reviews to their Facebook wall, if they so desire (Goodreads also has Twitter and Google sign-in features, as well as apps for iPhone & iPads). You also have the option to keep it completely separate, and add friends that are unique to Goodreads - yes, Goodreads also has a friends feature that updates you on books that your friends are reading or have added to their shelves. For me, the first task was sitting down with my endless clippings and entering titles on my to-read shelf. In doing so, I saw some books' ratings (averaged by overall reviews) were below what I identified as my lower "threshold" and I decided not to add the title; if one was on the cusp, perusing the written reviews by other Goodreads users often helped me decide whether I thought I would enjoy the book or not. I am now tracking 412 books that I have read or want to read, and often consult my to-read list against the CCLS catalog to locate copies at Fredricksen Library or other system libraries to place on hold.
After three years, I am now navigating more of the enhanced features of the site, like its author program, which allows Goodreads users to engage in Q&A sessions with authors of books they've read (Goodreads authors include James Patterson, Jonathan Franzen, Ken Follett, Sara Gruen, Janet Evanovich, Tana French, and Isabel Allende, among 18,000 others), perusing various lists like "Best Historical Fiction" and discussions, checking out my reading "stats" and setting reading challenges for myself. A wildly popular feature is its giveaway program, which distributes free copies of books in advance of publication. A recently added algorithmic book recommendation can generate suggestions for a reader based on their previous reviews; friends also have the ability to make recommendations to each other.
In short order, Goodreads has staked out its claim as my favorite social reading network, although others like Librarything and Shelfari exist for you to try. Booklovers have always viewed reading as a social act, joining book clubs, making recommendations, and gifting books to friends and family. In the era of social media, networking sites like Goodreads provide not only an excellent way to find new books to read, but also to share good books with your social network.

Find more information about Goodreads at http://www.goodreads.com/about/how_it_works

Page updated April 30, 2013