Parents can help their children begin to learn a language in the comfort of home using the Library’s subscription to the award winning Little Pim language learning series. Parents and kids alike enjoy Little Pim because it uses the entertainment immersion method, an online, engaging and interactive way to learn.

Through the library, we offer ten different languages through Little Pim: Russian, German, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Hebrew, English, Spanish and French.

Oh, and for you grownups that want to learn a language, we offer Mango Languages as an online product in addition to the hundreds of language learning resources we have ready for check out on site.

Posted by Lindy, a second floor librarian

Dracula by Bram Stoker
Take a bite out of the Twilight series by sinking your teeth into this literary work, very loosely based on the life of Vlad the Impaler. Listen to the dramatized LibriVox audio book.

Fall Of The House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe
A classic Poe short story. The quintessential Gothic, haunted house tale! Watch the surrealist silent film from 1928.

Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Be afraid of doctors that keep to themselves… Listen to the LibriVox audio book.

The Monkey’s Paw by William Wymark Jacobs
Beware of what you wish for in this short story. Listen to a Radio Drama of the story.

Shapes in the fire by M. P. Shiel
Shiel was an early master of the supernatural novel. This is a fine collection of creepy short stories. My favorite is Vaila. In addition, I’d recommend the PDF version for the drawings and original formatting.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
A story of split personality and a potion that brings out the worst in a certain benevolent Doctor. Listen to the LibriVox audio book.

The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe (contained in the Collected Works of Poe)
Another great Poe short story. “I think it was his eye! Yes, it was this.”  Listen to this and several other Poe classics.

Posted by Christopher, a spooky second floor librarian.

Once you borrow an ereader, you will need something to read. We include some public domain classics on the device, but why not make a foray into Library2Go?

Be sure to log in before you search for an ebook. This way you will not only see all that is offered statewide (and available to you) but also the ebooks that we have added to the system just for Corvallis-Benton County library users.

As of right now, we have 12,421 ebooks and the list grows by the day. Don’t forget that we also offer audiobooks! We have 13,148 titles right now.

I just got back from an ereaders conference and from what I saw, this holiday season should be lots of fun. Many new ereaders and display technologies will soon be available and the prices keep dropping! I have already been seeing ereaders for under $100 and with a CBCPL library card you can get ebooks at no additional charge!

If you plan on purchasing an ereader, be sure it is on the compatible devices list for OverDrive (our source for Library2Go ebooks). As always, check our ebooks page for the latest news.

Posted by Christopher, a second floor librarian

Kindle users, to get started go to Library2Go and log in. Choose the available ebook you want and select “Get for Kindle”. You will then be directed to an Amazon login page.

For assistance check out our ebook help pages or call the reference desk at 541.766.6793

Posted by Christopher an ereading second floor librarian!

Ebook/ereader growth has been incredible. On a recent trip, I saw people ereading nearly everywhere I went. I saw ereaders in the airport, on the plane, by the hotel pool and even in an amusement park! I saw iPads, Kindles and nooks all being read and enjoyed. It would be dishonest to say that I didn’t see traditional paper books being read in those places too, of course. The difference is in the fact that ereading has finally reached the point of broad acceptance.

A recent survey reported that “e-books grew from 0.6% of the overall book market in 2008 to 6.4% of the total in 2010.” Harper-Collins (the company that brought us the despised 26 use ebook model) reports that ebooks now makeup 11% of its total revenue!

Kindle update: Kindle owners take heart! One of the Second Floor Librarians recently attended a digital media conference and reports that although we still have no firm date for Kindle compatibility, The CEO of OverDrive said it would be “very soon.”

Other news: OverDrive plans on revamping their entire interface. The changes, called OverDrive WIN Platform are touted as offering a “Streamlined User Experience & Access to More Content”. It should prove even better for librarians and library users alike!

Posted by Christopher, a second floor librarian

Fisheye Ring by sleepychinchilla on flickr

Not only are we offering another download clinic this Saturday [June 11th @ 3-4PM] but librarians are available to help with your specific download questions or troubleshooting.  You are welcome to call [541-766-6793], chat or come in during open hours. Otherwise send us an email. We’re also glad to set up a 1-on-1 appointment to walk you through the necessary steps if need be. If you have a wireless laptop, bring it in and we can show you how-to live!

On the other hand, if you are a technology stalwart and want to “go it alone“, that’s fine too! We have developed specialized ebook pages with all the helps, hints and tricks we can find. OverDrive (the ebook content provider for our Library2Go service) also has great help pages available 24/7 online.

Posted by Christopher, a second floor librarian

Our website has a new page that gathers information about all library craft resources in one place.  Take a look and fill out the little survey box to tell us what you think.

Photo by Nickolas Murray “McCall Magazine , homemaking cover, knitting lesson” on Flickr

Posted by Alex, a second floor librarian

On our Local History guide, under the Corvallis tab, you will see three such Corvallis directories. Currently directories for 1934, 1937 and 1947 are featured. Keep watching as we grow our online local history collection!

Posted by Christopher, a (history searching) second floor librarian

IMG_6931 by I am I.A.M. on flickr

What should you know about ereaders? I’m glad you asked! There are quite a few on the market right now. There are also some good prices out there if you check around. When making your choice it is important to know it will work with our Library2Go ebooks.

For the sake of discussion, I will define an ereader as a device designed for reading ebooks (which means I will not be discussing multi-use devices such as tablets, phones or audio players).

Here at the library we have encountered people using Sony Reader (we loan the PRS-300 model), nook, Cybook Opus and Kobo. These devices are all known to work with Library2Go. The key is that they are compatible with Adobe Digital Editions.

On the other hand, we know that the Kindle does not work with Library2Go. The Kindle is an Amazon product and works exclusively with their Digital Rights Management not Adobe Digital Editions.

In my opinion the strength of an ereader resides chiefly in its display. Most ereaders use a technology called eink. The display is described by the manufacturer as made up of “millions of tiny microcapsules, about the diameter of a human hair.” The newest ereaders employ the latest generation of eink displays, offering even more contrast than the original screens. Eink acts like ink on paper. It is not backlit like a computer screen, rather is read in room light like a newspaper or book would be.

What else sets a particular reader apart from the pack? Page turning speed, memory size, battery life, wifi connectivity, 3G connectivity and physical size are other factors to consider when choosing an ereader. Library2Go requires the user to hook the reader to a computer via a USB cable to transfer books, so wifi or 3G are not necessary.

Since Christmas is around the corner, don’t be surprised to see sales on nearly all of these devices. As new models come out, previous models go on clearance. Check our ebooks guide for the latest news on models and trends.

Posted by Christopher, a Second Floor “ereading” Librarian

A Guide To Trails In The Corvallis Area by Phillip R. Hays is a favorite for local hiking information. Unfortunately this much loved book is no longer available in print (although there is a Reference copy at the library – REF 917.9534 HAYS READY).

Your library and the author to the rescue! Mr. Hays has generously allowed us to host a PDF of this fine book for your downloading pleasure! Check it out on our Local History page. It is located at the bottom of the left column.