Good Reads Blog

Come in to the library and use associations unlimited!

Ever been looking for specialized knowledge about a hobby or profession, or even a specialized type of equipment? One resource in the library that you might not have thought about using in your search is the Associations Unlimited database, available from any computer used in the Portage District Library. It is a digital version of The Encyclopedia of Associations.

How is it helpful? Well, lots of times the real experts on a topic are enthusiasts and practitioners. They band together in associations which have web pages, newsletters, and other publications which emphasize a more specialized niche of a subject.

An example I use in classes I teach is that all of us are interested in keeping cold foods cold. We look for information on refrigerators and freezers in general interest publications like Consumer Reports, which suit our needs perfectly.

However, the people who operate ice cream trucks have a much more specialized need for powerful, dependable, portable freezer machinery. They might need reviews that would not appear in Consumer Reports. To find the publications that would contain these types of reviews, you might look for associations of ice cream vendors.

You can choose an international, national, or state and regional group. You find their web pages, their publications, their newsletters, upcoming meetings and conventions near you, etc. Whether you are looking for information on that traveling freezer, or on a breed of dog you might be considering adding to the family, this is an excellent resource—for the businessperson, the hobbyist, or the specialized information seeker.

The library has made an agreement with the Air Zoo for all registered library cardholders to receive a 50% discount on regular admission rates. To take advantage of this offer, you must present your library card when purchasing your admission. Adults must also present a photo ID. Discounts can only be offered to each cardholder, not to all members of a party. This promotion is in effect through December 31, 2007, at which time the agreement will be reviewed for possible extension.

The next Friends of the Library book sale is Saturday, June 2 from 9 am to 3 pm at the Portage District Library, in the lower level meeting rooms. If you are a member of the Friends, you are also eligible to attend an “early bird” sale on Friday, June 1 from 4 to 5:30 pm. For more information or to volunteer to help at book sale, contact Arlene Norman, Book Sale Chairperson at 327-2525. To become a member of the Friends of the Portage District Library, click here to link to the Friends online registration form. Book sale dates for the rest of 2007 are as follows: August 4, October 6, and December 8. Come join the fun and help support your library!!

Some experience is necessary

What we generally mean by this is that you’ve touched a computer before, used a computer program, and are comfortable using a mouse.

If you’ve never used a mouse before, it requires a whole different kind of dexterity, so practice is a good idea if you want to take one of our other classes. You can use the computers at the library to get mouse practice if you don’t own a computer. If you know how to use a search engine, Google “mousercize” to find a selection of web pages that offer learn-as-you-go practice tutorials. Or ask a librarian at the desk how to mousercize, and they’ll get you started on one of our computers in the library.

Portage Computer Users Group

Join the Portage Computer Users Group Thursday mornings, from 10-12, in the meeting rooms at the Portage District Library. Share information about computers and learn new things about your PC with live demonstrations.

Every Thursday morning, June-August
10 AM – 12 PM
No registration necessary.

Computer Classes For Seniors and Other Beginners

June 11^th - How to Use a Mouse
2 – 3:30 PM
No experience necessary

Take the time to find out how to use a mouse, sometimes the trickiest but always the most basic computer skill. Learn how to use the device that opens most other computer functions in a hands-on computer class.

June 25^th – Using the Internet
2 – 3:30 PM
Some experience necessary

Learn how to surf the web, finding informational and recreational resources in a hands-on computer class.

July 9^th – Customizing the Look of Your PC
2 – 3:30 PM
Some experience necessary

Learn how to change the pictures on your desktop, as well as the size of text on your desktop or in your browser.

July 30^th – How to use a word processing program
2 – 3:30 PM
Some experience necessary

Learn how to create and save a document, and some simple formatting techniques, in a hands-on computer class.

August 13^th – How to use cameras and music players with your computer
2 – 3:30 PM
Some experience necessary

Do you have a device that you can’t quite get to work with your computer? We’ll help you with some of these, including cameras and music players that attach to your computer through a USB port. We’ll show you how to attach and detach the device, show you examples of some of the handiest ones, and show you how to find and recognize a drive for a portable device.

August 27^th - Finding Newspapers and Magazines on the Web
2-2:30 PM
Some experience necessary

The library buys online subscriptions to magazines and newspapers for the public just the way we buy paper subscriptions – except we can keep a lot more titles and back issues in electronic format! Learn how to access thousands of magazine and newspaper articles from library databases, both in the library and from the comfort of your own home.

Items can be delivered to your home library, usually within two to three business days. Available from the library or from your home, business or school at http://elibrary.mel.org/search, this service provides access to millions of items, including valuable local history materials and audio visual items not available at your home library.

For more information about accessing materials through interlibrary loan at Portage Distirct Library visit our Interlibrary Loan page.

Portage District Library is now a member of MeLCat for statewide lending of library materials. MeLCat allows registered borrowers at participating libraries to search for, locate and request materials from a comprehensive catalog that includes the holdings of libraries around the state.

May 15th 6 – 8:30 p.m. at the Portage District Library

What is ‘green building’ and what does it have to do with you as a community member? Following opening remarks by Mayor Peter J. Strazdas of the City of Portage, Jim Nicolow, AIA, LEEDAP leads us in a community discussion with a diverse panel of experts to learn about these new trends and how they relate to us. Experts will include a residential contractor specializing in green building, landscape architect, Energy Star home inspector, architect, and representative of the Kalamazoo Nature Center. Join us for this informative presentation and lively community discussion. Refreshments will be served and additional take-home resources will be available to share with family and friends. The event is free of charge. It is co-sponsored by AIA Southwest Michigan, City of Portage & Portage District Library.

Jim Nicolow, AIA, LEEDAP is a nationally recognized expert on sustainable design strategies. Jim is a frequently published author and noted presenter at conferences nationwide. He leads the sustainability initiative of the Ann Arbor architecture firm of Lord, Aeck & Sargent.

Gardening mysteries to put you in the mood for spring. Susan Wittig Albert: Herb shop owner China Bayles solves crimes in Pecan Springs, Texas. Bloodroot, Love Lies Bleeding, seventeen more on our shelves M.C. Beaton: Dry humor makes Agatha Raisin and her Cotswalds neighbors a delight. Death of a Snob, The Skeleton in the Closet, 59 more on our shelves Jill Churchill: Cat-loving housewife Jane Jeffry solves Chicago-area mysteries. War and Peas, Grime and Punishment, 12 more on our shelves Carola Dunn: Daisy Dalrymple’s husband is Chief Inspector of Scotland yard; these couldn’t be more English. The Winter Garden Mystery, Mistletoe and Murder, nine more on our shelves Richard Forrest: Death Under the Lilacs, Death in the Secret Garden Janis Harrison: Missouri florist Bretta Solomon deals with trouble in River City. Roots of the Murder, Murder Sets Seed, 3 more on our shelves Cynthia Riggs: Martha’s Vinyard is home to 92 year old deputy sheriff Victoria Trumbull. Deadly Nightshade, Jack in the Pulpit, eight more on our shelves Ann Ripley: Louise Eldridge is the host of a PBS gardening show who keeps digging up mysteries. Death of a Garden Pest, Summer Garden Murder, six more on our shelves

Also, I updated the list of Awards Pages for Science Fiction. Browse for the best!

Election May 8, 2007 Oversight and stewardship of the Portage District Library is a very important responsibility and on May 8th, citizens will have the opportunity to go to the polls in Kalamazoo County to elect representatives to assume four vacant seats on the library board. The candidates whose names will appear on the ballot for the 2007 election are: Laurie DeHaven, Betty Lee Ongley, Scott Pierangeli, Alisha Siebers, Babbette J. Smith and Samuel Stoneburner. The four candidates who are voted onto the 7-member Library Board will be sworn in and will take oaths to serve their four-year terms according to the requirements of the 1989 Michigan District Library Public Act 24, the Michigan Open Meetings Act and the Freedom of Information Act. Trustees also follow guidelines in the Michigan Public Libraries trustee manual and conduct their meetings using Roberts Rules of Order. Library trustees fulfill various duties such as: adopting and maintaining board bylaws, setting library policies, appointing, super-vising and evaluating the Library Director, approving an annual budget, controlling expenditures and establishing a long range vision for the library. Operating with the Carver Policy Governance method, trustees determine "Ends" (outcomes to be achieved) for the library and formulate "Executive Limitation Policies" to direct library administration. These policies are monitored for compliance at board meetings held every 4th Monday of the month at the library. Portage District Library has been very fortunate to have devoted advocates on its board and that will surely continue with the trustees elected in 2007. Please remember to vote!