First Posted: 4/29/2011
e had an electronic petting zoo at the library this past week. During our monthly meeting, staff members were able to handle and play with all types of e-readers, such as Kindles, Kobos, Nooks, and Sony Readers. The majority of the staff has never touched an e-reader, so this was a chance to see up close and personal what an e-reader is and what it can do.
An e-book or e-reader is a hand-held device that allows people to store many electronic books. They are relatively small and lightweight. People can download titles that they purchase online or they can check these books out from the library off our NC Live database. Once on NC Live, look for Net Library, which has e-books that can be downloaded for free onto your e-reader. The books then can be read on these devices.
Some people do not like e-readers for various reasons. These devices can cause eye strain from looking at a computer screen in order to read a book. These e-readers do not like water or sand, so they do not do well at the beach or by the pool. Some devices require 3G connectivity to download the books, which we do not presently have in Robeson County. You have to go to Fayetteville in order to get 3G connectivity. Plus they are electronic so if they are dropped, they can break. Otherwise, they can store a couple of hundred books, depending on the size of the hard drive on your device.
I think that these devices are perfect for students who have to carry a lot of text books. Instead of carrying very large history, literature, and math books, imagine only having to carry a single device. Boy! I wish I had one when I was in high school. It was difficult carrying six textbooks home every day for homework.
I would like to thank the following people for donating items to the library recently: Betty Kinlaw; Alisa Allen; Annie Lindsey; Butch Lennon; and Hester Blue. Mr. Lennon brought over a very large set of the Bible and hymnals all in Braille that belonged to Nettie Ruth Floyd. Thank you all for your thoughtfulness.
Auditions will be held on Tuesday for the summer children’s play “Into the Woods.” My son Allen will be directing the play with supervision from our Youth Services Librarian, Bill. The audition will be held in the Osterneck Auditorium from 4 to 6 p.m. Please come prepared to sing a song of your choice (CD player will be available). Actors will also read from the script. The audition should take about 10 minutes per actor. We are looking for actors from ages 13 to 19. The performance will take place the week after July Fourth at all of the library locations across the county as well as at the Carolina Civic Center. For information, please contact Bill at 738-4859 or [email protected].
n Tina Stepp is the director at the Robeson County Public Library and can be reached at (910) 738-4859 or [email protected].
