Wednesday, September 13, 2017

In a World of Browsers, Be a Reader!


















The JBM-HH Library, although small, is mighty and the staff is not your average, old-school librarians. Oh, if you haven’t been to the JBM-HH library or gotten your library card, you are soooo missing out!  Our library offers a wide range of services and resources to the community. We know other businesses and companies say that all the time but we really mean it.
As a member of the JBM-HH workforce, be you service member or civilian, you and your family have access to paper books, audiobooks, and DVDs, including Blu-rays. For those with e-readers, we offer downloadable content including eBooks, eAudiobooks, magazines, eMusic, and eVideos. We can also help you access online databases for research and homework help. The library’s dedicated staff will make sure you find what you are looking for and are able to utilize all of the resources available to you.

Let me just interject a little sidebar about our librarians. They aren’t just people off the street who needed a job. They are college educated and trained librarians. They have degrees in the Library Sciences. They are passionate about education, reading, and the importance of libraries in the community.  …and they have a sense of humor! It’s not like in school when Mrs. Turtleneck and Vest would frown at you over her glasses and look down her nose at you. You will absolutely feel comfortable working with and like talking to our librarians. They’re even up-to-date with the latest technology. Oh, my friends, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, if you haven’t visited our library, you are soooo missing out.

…and here’s the part you’ll find pretty cool…

You already have our library card. Yep! You probably aren’t even aware that you have the Army’s library card in your possession already. The Common Access Card (CAC) you have to enter the installation…the CAC you use to access your computer…THAT’S your library card! Unbelievable, right? How convenient is that? There’s no additional card to keep track of. All you need is your CAC and you’re ready to take advantage of, well, all of this: computer stations with internet access, personalized help with your projects and questions, meeting/study rooms, a kid’s room, a young adult’s room, plus copy, fax, and print services.  And it’s all free for you and me!

Now, for the fun part. You probably want to know exactly what you can access with your CAC library card. Am I right? Check out the following list of just a few of the super cool things that outside of the gate may cost money to use.

Novelist Plus
How many times have read and loved a book and want to try something similar? Or you’ve read one book in a series and you want to read the others? Novelist is an online resource that allows you to search for an author, title, series, and/or keyword and find more about books and get suggestions on similar titles.  Each page includes a short synopsis of the book, as well as reviews from sites like Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly. No need to wait for the Sunday book review (if the even still have those. I think I just dated myself.)


Overdrive
OverDrive Media is a free application that will unlock the Matrix of libraries for you. Basically, it’s an app that enables users to access eBooks and audiobooks borrowed from libraries and schools—or purchased from book stores. What’s really awesome about this app is that you don’t need a tablet or smartphone to use it. It will open on your PC.  Awesome sauce!














Zinio
I’m a magazine reader. I love pretty images so I’ll always have a magazine tucked somewhere. Zinio is a multi-platform app that provides you access to well over 5,000 magazines from a wide range of publishers. It’s an e-newstand!...at your fingertips.













Ancestry.com
Who doesn’t want to know from where they hail? We’re affiliated with the military so I don’t mean the place of your birth but the birthplace of your family? I knew a woman who was able to trace her family tree back to 1600’s Scotland. She even found out what her family tartan looked like. Imagine the information you can find about you and your family!















Rosetta Stone
In today’s world, if English is the only language we speak, we’re missing the opportunity to know and love another culture! You can learn Latin American Spanish, French, Italian, German, American English, Arabic, Chinese Mandarin, Dari, Dutch, Filipino Tagalog, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Indonesian, Irish, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Pashto, Persian Farsi, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish (Spain), Swahili, Swedish, Turkish, Urdu, and/or Vietnamese. Imagine all of the good food you can try when you can read the menu!















Visit the JBM-HH Library and let one of our Super Hero Librarians register your CAC for an account today. It is, after all Library Card Month. After registering, you can use the catalog to manage your account. The “My Account” feature allows you to renew and request books, access online content, create wish lists, write reviews, and more.


Go, on! Those literary classics aren’t going to read themselves…although, audiobooks are pretty close!



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