Photo from The Library of Congress

The Darien Library's Spring 2010 Adult Technology Classes begin on Tuesday, March 2. We're excited about our spring offerings and hope you are, too. For those of you who missed our registration lottery, you're in luck. There are still a few seats available in some of our classes. We will list openings here over the next few days. If you'd like to sign up, call our Help Desk at 203-669-5238 or email Judy at jsgammato@darienlibrary.org.

Current Openings

• Learning Express/lynda.com, Friday, April 30, 10 a.m. - 12 noon -- 3 seats
• BlackBerry Boot Camp, Tuesday, May 4, 6:30-8:30 p.m. - 3 seats
• Twitter, Wednesday, May 12, 10 a.m. - 12 noon - 3 seats

See you @ the Library!

See our tips when you check in!

From the Darien post office to your grocery store of choice to, of course, the Darien Library, there's a lot of places you visit in a day.  What if you recorded - checked in - where you went daily on your mobile phone and what if you were given points for those visits?  Sounds like the making of an interesting game...

That's the exact premise behind the online game foursquare!

Play along with your fellow community members to see what places are of interest in the area.  When you check in other folks may have left tips for you at different locations - called venues.  The library staff has put together a nice list of things to check out while in the library at our venue on foursquare.

The more you check in, the more points you get.  Check in enough times and become mayor of that location!  If you become mayor of Darien Library please stop by the Welcome Desk and speak to Erica Leone to claim your very own Darien Library tote bag (a $25 dollar value)!

One bag per mayor please :) 

Our Computers Are "Good to Go!"

There may be snow in the air, but there are thoughts of spring on the minds of the Darien Library staff. Our Spring 2010 Adult Technology Education Registration Lottery opens at 9 a.m. this morning, and runs through 9 p.m. on Tuesday, February 23. Browse our brochure and then click here to access our online registration form. Sign up for as many classes as you want. Classes begin the week of March 1st. We'll let you know by March 1st what classes you'll be attending.

We have an exciting lineup of classes planned for this spring. iPhone and Blackberry users can each attend a "Boot Camp" designed to answer their unique questions, while job seekers and business professionals can link up with LinkedIn, learn how to develop their online presence, explore advanced features of Facebook, and put together a business presentation in PowerPoint that will wow their boss and their clients! Our popular Travel Resources on the Web class will be back, along with classes on Web 2.0, eBay, Skype, and Twitter. We've included two 3-part, in-depth digital photography courses and a 4-part class on editing photographs using Photoshop Elements for all our digital camera enthusiasts. And, to complement a full slate of classes on Office 2007, we're offering an introduction to Google Docs--a great source for free word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation applications.

So, don't miss out! If you have any questions, just call our Help Desk at 203-669-5238 or send an email to jsgammato@darienlibrary.org.

See you @ the Library!

Photo courtesy of flickr user phool4XC

The answer to this frequently asked question is "No." However, although the Darien Library does not have a fax machine per se, we do offer free outgoing fax service to our patrons. How, you ask? Through Fax.com. If you need to send a fax, just come down to the Power Library on the Library's Lower Level. The Help Desk staff will assist you.

In order to send a fax using Fax.com, you will need to have an electronic copy of the document to be faxed. You can bring your document in on a floppy, CD/DVD, or flash drive, or you can download it from your email account. If you have a printed document, we will help you scan it into the computer. Once this is done, we'll log you in to Fax.com and help you fill out the information for your fax and prepare a cover sheet, if needed. Once the fax has been sent, we can print out a confirmation for your records.

You can send faxes to any destination in the United States and Canada for free. Faxes sent outside of the United States and Canada are billed according to Fax.com's standard international price list on a per-minute basis in one-minute increments, and these charges are added to your Library account as a fine. If you need to send a fax to an international destination, check with the Help Desk staff first. We will look up the pricing for you.

More questions? No problem. Just call the Help Desk at 203-669-5238, and we'll do our best to answer them!

See you @ at the Library!

January 10th, 2010 will mark the one year anniversary since the New Darien Library opened its doors. To commemorate our fascinating journey leading up to the occasion, take an interactive media tour with the "Darien Library Media" application on the Microsoft Surface table in the Children's Library. This hands-on activity lets you explore some of our many photo sets from the Darien Library on Flickr, through zooming, resizing, and rotating, as well as viewing videos from our Feature Films Channel on Vimeo.

Photo sets include:

• History of the Library
• History of the Heron
• Groundbreaking 2007
• Building the New Darien Library
• The Finished Building
• Our Grand Opening
• The Heron's New Home
• ...and more!

So stop on by, and enjoy this fun, social and exciting experience like you’ve never had before.

Enhanced-Vision Workstation

Job #1 for the Darien Library is providing excellent customer service to all of its patrons. Now, thanks to a generous contribution from The Darien Lions Club, we are able to extend a helping hand to those among our patrons who are vision-impaired. Located on the Library's second floor within easy reach from the elevator, our new Enhanced-Vision Workstation is well-equipped to meet a wide range of visual impairments.

The workstation consists of a Dell Optiplex 760 computer, a 24-inch monitor, a Topaz magnifier with hand and foot controls, stereo speakers, and a portable scanner. The Topaz magnifier allows the user to enlarge printed material for easy reading on the attached monitor. The Dell computer has a variety of specialized software installed, including ZoomText, which allows the user to magnify and/or highlight the information displayed on the monitor, and OpenBook, which can be used to scan and to read aloud printed material. Vision-impaired individuals can browse the Internet, check the Library's catalog and web site, read a book, watch movies, and more. The portable scanner provides access to more personal printed materials, such as bills and letters, all of which can be scanned in and magnified or read aloud. Headphones are provided for privacy.

If you or someone you know is vision-impaired and would like to use this special equipment, please contact Judy Sgammato at 203-669-5256 or at 203-669-5238. We will set up an appointment to get you started.

(Image by flickr user csaila)

By the end of this week, you may find yourself with some brand new gizmos and gadgets that you're not quite sure how to operate. Thankfully, you will not have to wait long for help!

On Saturday, December 26th, from 1 to 2 p.m., we will present “Getting a Grip on Gadget Gifts."

It’s not surprising that the majority of “Top Ten Most Popular Holiday Gifts” lists are heavily populated with technology-heavy items. Digital cameras, digital video cameras, GPS systems, smart phones, and MP3 players were some of the most sought-after gifts this holiday season. Not surprisingly, these gifts often pose the most challenging post-holiday questions. To answer that challenge (and all of your questions), our tech-savvy Gadget Masters will be available on Main Street, located just inside the Library's main entrance. (These are a few of the people that we personally turn to when we experience our own tech-terror!) The Gadget Masters will offer assistance on items such as the Kindle and Kindle 2, the Nook, iPhones and iPod Touches, as well as digital cameras and digital video cameras, smart phones, and MP3 players. 

Also, during that time, we will discuss and demonstrate the electronic devices that the Library has available for circulation. These items include a GPS system, MP3 players, Kindles, and Mino HD cameras. There will also be a demonstration on how to access the Library’s downloadable books and audiobooks. 

See you on Saturday! 

Photo courtesy of Flickr user George Eastman House

The old holiday song, "All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth," has been replaced with a new tune--as in ITunes, iPods, and all things electronic. On a recent train ride into New York City, I observed almost every passenger within view holding some sort of electronic device. It's not surprising, then, that electronic gadgets top many holiday lists this year. But with so many to choose from, how does one decide? Luckily, there are many online holiday buying guides available to help you sort out what to buy this holiday season.

Here are my top picks:

• cnet.com's Holiday Tech Guide
• consumerreports.org Holiday Shopping Guide
• nytimes.com Personal Tech Holiday Gift Guide
• wired.com’s Wish List 2009

And, for those of you who prefer to browse in print, take a look at these articles, all of which are available in the Library's Magazine Reading Room on the second floor:

• "Holiday Gift Guide," Smart Computing. December 2009, pages 52-71.
• "The Macworld Gear Guide," Macworld. December 2009, pages 34-54.
• "What We Want," Wired. December 2009, pages 85-128.

Happy Holidays!

Photo Courtesy of the Powerhouse Museum Collection

Just in time for the holidays when extra money is in short supply, the Darien Library is pleased to announce a new, free downloadable audiobooks service available through the Connecticut State Library. A component of iCONN, the State Library's re-search engine, this new resource is made possible by a PEGPETIA grant from the Department of Public Utilities. Provided by Ingram Digital Group, the service includes over 1300 digital audiobook titles. You'll find fiction and non-fiction, classics and newer titles, as well.

To search the database, open an internet browser and go to:

http://connstatelib.myilibraryaudio.com/

In order to place holds or check out titles, you will need a a valid, unexpired Connecticut public library card number. If you've lost your library card, or it's expired, just stop by the Welcome Desk on your next visit to the Library, and we'll take care of it for you. Each title checks out for 2 weeks and you can check out a maximum of 2 titles at a time.

You can download titles to either a PC or a MAC, but before downloading any audiobooks, you will need to download and install a small piece of software called Ingram Media Manager. Once you've done that, you can download any titles and listen to them on your computer or sync them to your MP3 player (iPods, included).

If you'd like to try out this new service but prefer not to "go it alone" at first, call Judy Sgammato at 203-669-5238 and she'll set up an appointment to work with you. Once you're comfortable, the Help Desk staff will be here if you have any questions.

Happy Holidays!