Will You Sign My eBook?

Authors love to sign books and their adoring fans will wait in line for hours to acquire a swipe of the pen. But what becomes of these relics in the digital future? It's time for writers to put their pens down and pick up a stylus for the dawn of the electronic signature age. Barnes & Noble has their first ever "e-book signing" scheduled in New York. Authors will sign directly on a Nook Color, imprinting their fancy scrawl on a digital copy of the book and visible to anyone who reads it. Some things never change; they merely jump formats. Digitally signed high school yearbooks anyone?

From Page to Screen -- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

The much awaited, much anticipated... Here's the trailer for the last official Harry Potter!

But don't worry--rumors are already circulating about a documentary about the making of the HP movies. And Daniel Radcliffe is already hard at work on other projects, including a film release of Susan Hill's The Woman in Black (it's a teaser of a trailer, but in case you need to know more, you can reserve the book here).

Great news for Kindle owners!

It has long been a disappointment to Kindle users that they can't access library books on their Kindles like the owners of Nooks and other devices can. Well there is exciting news on the eBook frontier.

Sometime in the coming year, Kindle compatible library eBooks will become available. The truly great news in this announcement is that we will not have to stretch our funds any further by purchasing yet another format. According to our sources all of our currently available OverDrive eBook titles and any titles we purchase in the future will be supported by Kindle.

A user will be able to browse for titles on any desktop or mobile operating system, check out a title with a library card, and then select Kindle as the delivery destination. The borrowed title will then be able to be enjoyed using any Kindle device and all of Amazon’s free Kindle Reading Apps.

We will keep our ear to the ground and let you know when we expect them to become available. In anticipation browse our OverDrive collection.

From Page to Screen -- The Help

If you are one of the many that have been waiting in earnest anticipation...



The movie is scheduled to open on August 12 and you know what that means... There's still time to read the book!

Facebook 101

So you've heard about it, but never tried it? Ready to get your feet wet with Facebook?
Great news! Our teaching volunteer Timothy is ready to push you in the puddle! Okay, not really, but she'll help you wade in comfortably!
Call the Reference Desk now to sign up for one of the three Facebook 101 sessions:
Saturday, May 14 9:30-11:30
Monday, May 16 9:30-11:30
Monday, May 16 2:00-4:00
Before the class, you'll need to have an email address and a Facebook account. If you need help with either of those items, stop by the Reference Desk for some extra help before the day of your session.
Questions? Call the Reference Desk at 355-3720!

Latest on Lynda

Welcome

Windows 7 Tips and Tricks | by David Rivers

View this entire course and more in the lynda.com Online Training Library®.

American History in Video

Having survived another tax day and considering the current political discussions going on at the federal and state level, here are a couple of glimpses into the our historical discussion on taxes coming to you from your American History in Video collection.

Newly Notable -- The Union Quilters

With the 150th year commemoration of the Civil War happening in 2011, Jennifer Chiaverini has tackled the Civil War in her latest addition of the popular Elm Creek Quilts series set in Pennsylvania. Her historical fiction account of the activities of the women left behind in The Union Quilters is as accurate and moving account of the fears, hopes and actions that the community of women encountered during the siege. Her characters come in alive in the daily life, the news and conflicts of pacifists and patriotism during the troublesome times interspersed with quilting, fund-raising, social justice and women's rights. The Union Quilters by Jennifer Chiaverini is an excellent read for both lovers of quilting and historical fiction.

Pulitzer Prize News

Now on the "Notable" list again... Jennifer Egan's newest title A Visit from the Goon Squad was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for fiction today!

For more Pulitzer winner information, click here. To request a copy of the winning materials, contact the Reference Desk at your library branch!

Maybe it was Two Cups of Tea?

For those following author Greg Mortenson's career, this segment aired on CBS 60 Minutes last night.


Several short responses have floated around online since the piece aired, but the most extensive interview was given to Outside online magazine. You can read that interview here.

Newly Notable -- One Hundred Names for Love

In case this one hasn't come across your radar yet, Diane Ackerman's One Hundred Names for Love has been making an incredible splash (including--but hardly limited to--an incredibly warm interview on NPR's The Diane Rehm Show). On the off chance that neither that or the plethora of great reviews has piqued your interest, check out this accolade, from Abraham Verghese (of Cutting for Stone fame):

This book has done what no other has for me in recent years: it has renewed my faith in the redemptive power of love, the need to give and get it unstintingly, to hold nothing back, settle for nothing less, because when flesh and being and even life fall away, love endures. This book is proof.

For more of the review, click here.

Support Your Library in Tough Economic Times

Check out Author Sharon Draper's comments on the importance of libraries. To contact your legislators about important issues, including the need to continue to fund libraries, click here.

Celebrate Arbor Day

Stop by Friday, April 29 to celebrate Arbor Day! Free seedlings are available to our patrons and you can sign up to win a free potted tree! Also, don't miss "Thinking Green: Ethics for a Small Planet" presented by Author and GVSU professor Karel Rogers on Saturday, April 23 at 3:00pm at the library! Learn more at http://www.herrickdl.org/.

Business Book Group Meets on April 19

Join us Tuesday, April 19 from noon-1:00pm at the library to discuss The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work by Shawn Achor. The Business Book Group is sponsored by Herrick District Library and the Holland Area Chamber of Commerce and is facilitated by the President of Keystone Coaching & Consulting, Mark DeRoo. Bring a lunch or purchase one from the library's cafe. Register at http://www.hollandchamber.org/. Check out this brief video to learn more about the book. Books are available to check out from the library.

Attention Book Groups - Eat, Pray, Love

If your book group is looking for more reading ideas, Herrick has added a new Book Group To Go Bag -- Eat, Pray, Love. Elizabeth Gilbert embarks on a long journey after a painful divorce. She travels to Italy, India and Indonesia and consequently writes an entertaining memoir about her experiences. Her book has also been made into a movie starring Julia Roberts.

Genealogy Gems - Heritage Quest

If you would like to search the census at home and have a Herrick District Library card, you can go to our website to the Research tab, then Genealogy and Local History, move the cursor to your right and down and click on Genealogy Electronic Resources. Go to Heritage Quest Online and enter your library card number and PIN and you will be able to search the census online from home. Heritage Quest offers access to other genealogical information including books and Revolutionary War pension files. Herrick also subscribes to Ancestry Library Edition which is available only at the library.

From Page to Screen -- Water for Elephants

Sara Gruen's book, "Water for Elephants", has been made into a movie that will be released April 22. Her book about circus life during the depression has won numerous awards, the Quill and Alex Awards to name a few. It was on the New York Times best seller list for 12 weeks in 2006. There is much anticipation about this film especially with the well known actors in it. There's still time to read the book before the movie.