New technology at Langsdale



Printing Press circa 1811; Deutsches Museum Munich, Germany


Technology has become a part of our everyday lives. With the growing desire for faster and easier technology, the staff at Langsdale is always striving to keep up with the latest technologies.

Here are a few of the newest technologies available at Langsdale:

Slingbox: The library has found a novel use for something really designed for personal use, called Slingbox. The service is supposed to let you stream to your PC or Mac what is currently playing on your TV at home. We use it to let you watch one of our Reserve DVDs from home!

My Account: You can monitor what you’ve borrowed from the library, as well as get information on books you’re waiting to receive.

E-reserves in Sakai: Get all your class e-reserves without leaving Sakai.

Research Help: Have a question about an upcoming paper? No problem, students can chat with a librarian from anywhere on campus or from home.

Borrowing Laptops: You can now borrow a Lenovo laptop or netbook for a few hours. Instead of lugging around your laptop, you can simply check-out a laptop and find a space where you’re comfortable and return when finished.

New technologies coming to Langsdale:

Mobile Printing: You’ll soon be able to print from your smartphones! If you’ve typed notes or need to print out directions, you’ll be able to print and go.

Smartphone Apps: Soon you might have the option of searching the catalog, renewing your books, checking computer availability, reserving a group study room, or even accessing your course reserves from an application on your cell phone!

e-reader ownership up substantially

Did you know that almost 1/5 of Americans polled own tablets or e-readers? According to a new Pew Internet & American Life Project report, ownership of both type devices almost doubled during the holiday season. As of January 2012, 19% of those polled indicated that they have a tablet, and 19% indicated that they have an e-reader, both up from 10% in December 2011. Not surprisingly, the greatest level of ownership is seen in those with salaries over $75,000 and college educated responders.

Will Apple change the future of textbooks?

News is flying around Apple's new tool to create multimedia textbooks for the iPad. Last week Apple announced its iBooks Author, which allows anyone to create an e-book on the ePub3 platform. Touted as the "Garage Band" app for authors, many think that this could cut e-textbook publishers out of the production loop and make ebooks more affordable for students.

For more on this story, read the arsTechnica article and campus responses to the news in the Chronicle of Higher Education.

What are your thoughts? How will this change the e-textbook landscape?

(Image from Apple iBooks Author)

Google enters e-book market

We've had several postings about e-books this semester, trying to get a sense of user interest. In that vein of discussion, it seems that Google may be getting into the e-book market. Check out this Wall Street Journal article on Google's plans.

Burn This Book

Published in conjunction with the PEN American Center, Burn This Book explores the meaning of censorship, and the power of literature to inform the way we see the world, and ourselves. Contributors including Toni Morrison, Salman Rushdie, Orhan Pamuk, David Grossman, Nadine Gordimer and other literary heavyweights, discuss the importance of writing from various views, both political and social. They illustrate the need for freedom of speech and human rights, and they emphasize the target writers become in a tyranny.

Provided through the generous support of HarperCollins Publishers, Burn This Book will be available free to Langsdale Library patrons October 1-31. To access this title from the Langsdale Library homepage, click on NetLibrary (E-Books) and follow the links. Once in NetLibrary, click on the e-book of the month on the right side of the page. You will need your library barcode to access Burn This Book.

E-Book of the Month

Flatlined lifts the veil of secrecy on twenty-first century health care and delves into the realities of good people caught in a bad medical system. Dr. Guy L. Clifton, a practitioner as well as a policy advocate, reveals first-hand accounts of needless tragedy, such as the young man who died after a car wreck for lack of a bed in a qualified hospital and the surgeon who was dejected by the scarcity of resources needed to enable him to perform heart surgery on an uninsured man.

Arguing that a lack of coordinated care and quality medical practice benchmarks result in high levels of redundancy and ineffectiveness, Clifton proposes that the key to reducing health care costs, improving quality, and financially protecting the uninsured, is to reduce wastefulness, and offers a solution for achieving success.

Provided through the generous support of Rutgers University Press, Flatlined will be available free to Langsdale Library patrons September 1-30. To access this title from the Langsdale Library homepage, click on NetLibrary (E-Books) and follow the links. Once in NetLibrary, click on the e-book of the month on the right side of the page. You will need your library barcode to access Flatlined.

#1 Student Handbook is August E-Book of the Month

In The Naked Roommate: And 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into in College, best-selling author, syndicated columnist and professional speaker Harlan Cohen provides a behind-the-scenes look at everything students need to know about college (but never knew they needed to know). Completely revised and updated, this essential guide used by hundreds of thousands of students is packed with expert advice on everything from managing money to managing stress—plus hilarious, outrageous, and telling stories from students on over 100 college campuses.

The Naked Roommate is the #1 bestselling college life guide, and Harlan Cohen is the top voice on college life. Through his speaking engagements, college tour, music, and Website, he has reached thousands of students with his message of relaxing, being yourself, and making the most of the college years. With calendars, planners, and The Naked Roommate being used as the first year experience guide at colleges across the country, The Naked Roommate is the top name in college life advice.

Provided through the generous support of Sourcebooks, The Naked Roommate will be available free to Langsdale Library patrons August 1-31. To access this title from the Langsdale Library homepage, click on NetLibrary (E-Books) and follow the links. Once in NetLibrary, click on the e-book of the month on the right side of the page. You will need your library barcode to access The Naked Roommate.