CCPL News

Library Journal reports that Florida Gov. Scott has vetoed the 2012-2013 budget of the Southwest Florida Library Network (SWFLN) — of which Collier County Public Library is a member — and the other four multiple library consortia in Florida.

The elimination of the $1.5 million (of the state’s overall $70 billion budget) would affect key interlibrary loan services, group volume purchasing, and staff training opportunities.

The chief impact would be to interlibrary loan delivery around the state. The present courier service is coordinated by the Tampa Bay Library Consortium, which calculates that the service

saves Florida’s libraries about $750,000 annually, compared with the cost of shipping the same volume of items through the U.S. Postal Service. These savings, alone, would have accounted for half of the $1.5 million in FY12-13 Library Cooperative Grants that were vetoed.

One project, the Southeast Florida Municipal Libraries Digital Consortium, is a model of how library consortia help smaller community libraries afford downloadable ebook access through volume purchasing.

SWFLN has already suspended work on an existing project, Digitizing Southwest Florida’s Heritage, a project coordinated with the University of Florida.

The second annual Money Smart Week is April 23-28, 2012.

Money Smart Week is a collaboration of the American Library Association and the Federal Reserve Bank, focusing on practical money management information.

View CCPL Money Smart programs below, or for more details view (and print) our PDF. Then register online.

THE IMPACT OF RISING DIVIDENDS
Monday, April 23, 2 p.m. Headquarters Regional Library
Presenter: Larry E. Leppo, Managing Director, Investments, Wells Fargo Advisors

BEGINNERS GUIDE TO COUPONING (COUPONING 101)
Monday, April 23, 6 p.m. South Regional Library
Presenter: Ruth Soukup, founder of Living Well Spending Less

AVOIDING THE AUDIT LOTTERY
Tuesday, April 24, 10 a.m. South Regional Library
Presenter: Thomas L. Eastwood, retired IRS special agent

FINANCIAL LESSONS FROM THE GREAT RECESSION
Wednesday, April 25, 2 p.m. Naples Regional Library
Presenter: Terry Cala, CFP, banker, author of Money Talks: A Banker Speaks out on the Great Recession.

RETIREMENT PLANNING
Thursday, April 26, 10 a.m. South Regional Library
Presenter: Carlos Amaris, Merrill Edge Representative

IDENTITY THEFT
Friday, April 27, 10 a.m. Naples Regional Library
Presenter: Julie Pekrul , Membership Advantage Specialist, Fifth Third Bank

GARAGE SALE STALKER BY SUZI WEINERT
Friday, April 27, 2 p.m. South Regional Library,
Presenter: Suzi Weinert, novelist; includes book signing

DOCUMENT SHREDDING
Saturday, April 28, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. South Regional Library
Sponsor: Adera On‐Site Security Shredding

The Ft. Myers News-Press reports that the Lee County public library system pays approximately half a million dollars to hire security personnel at 6 branch libraries.

A private security firm plus off-duty police officers are hired due to incidents ranging from “fights, disturbances by patrons, substance abuse, weapons brought on library property, theft, children left unattended or the destruction of library property,” according to library director Sheldon Kaye.

A recent Pew Internet report offers detailed data on ebook reading trends. Among the highlights are these findings:

• 17% of adults have read an e-book in the past year;
• 29% of Americans age 18 and older own at least one specialized device for e-book reading – either a tablet or an e-book reader.
• The average reader of e-books reports reading 24 books (the mean number) in the past 12 months, compared with an average of 15 books by a non-e-book consumer. Some 78% of those ages 16 and older say they read a book in the past 12 months. Those readers report they have read an average (or mean number) of 17 books in the past year and 8 books as a median (midpoint) number.
• 30% of those who read e-content say they now spend more time reading, and owners of tablets and e-book readers particularly stand out as reading more now. Some 41% of tablet owners and 35% of e-reading device owners said they are reading more since the advent of e-content. Fully 42% of readers of e-books said they are reading more now that long-form reading material is available in digital format.
• The prevalence of e-book reading is markedly growing, but printed books still dominate the world of book readers. In our December 2011 survey, we found that 72% of American adults had read a printed book and 11% listened to an audiobook in the previous year, compared with the 17% of adults who had read an e-book.

The complete report is chock-full of interesting data, including reading trends by demographics, device ownership, and reading interests.

The latest version of OverDrive Media Console for iOS devices features an updated app for iPhone and iPad users. The update includes a dictionary look-up feature with Wikipedia integration. Just tap a word with your finger to find the definition. You can also navigate to the corresponding Wikipedia page for more information.

Using a previous version of OMC for iOS on your device? Look for the update appear in your App Store. New users can download the app from the Apple App Store.

The New York Public Library’s Milstein Division of United States History, Local History & Genealogy is promoting its resources and services with a video in the style of a mystery-suspense movie trailer.

An important online tool for genealogy research is Ancestry.com, one of the largest commercial resources of genealogy-related documents in the world. View a 4 1/2 minute video describing the behind-the-scenes work at Ancestry headquarters.

NOTE: At CCPL, Ancestry Library Edition is available online only from computers in our Genealogy Collection room, Naples Regional Library.

Pew Internet & American Life Project has released the results of a survey of search engine use. Users report that while they appreciate the thoroughness of today’s search engines, they are concerned about the collection of private information and the prominence of targeted advertising.

Over 90% of surveyed search engine users were satisfied with the results of their searches. But three-fourths of  surveyed users were displeased about search engines tracking their searches, even if the alleged intent is to improve search success, and two-thirds of users considered the tracking a bad thing, especially if being used to target advertising.

Not unexpectedly, Google remains the most popular search engine with 83% of use, while the next nearest competitor Yahoo! was used by only 6% of surveyed users. When the same question was asked in 2004, Google was top with 46% with Yahoo! second at 26%.

Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc. announced Tuesday, March 13, 2012 that it will stop publishing print editions of its flagship encyclopedia for the first time since the sets were published in 1768.

The company will sell the remaining print stock of 4,000 copies at the cost of $1,400 per set. Digital copies presently cost $70 per year, with a variety of apps available for a nominal $1 to $5 per month.

Encyclopaedia Britannica has sold an Internet version since 1994. Because of its scholarly reputation, the company indicated that it has not been affected at all by free information sources like Wikipedia.

EB offers a 2 and a half minute video overview of its current status. The New York Times provides a fuller article on the fate of the print version in a digital age.

The Naples Daily News reports that Lee County public library system has lowered its overdue fine threshold from $25 to $10. Lee patrons with $10 in fines will be unable to check out or download materials.

Collier County has maintained a $10 threshold for the last 3 years. Other changes to fine and fee policies at Lee County Public are being implemented.