As the year winds down, I have spent some time thinking about all the changes at the library this year. Moving into the our brand-new beautiful building with a whole floor dedicated to technology was definitely the highlight of my year. Working with my amazing staff has also added much to my life this year and then of course, there are our patrons who after all are the reason we are all here!!

Every day we are witnesses to amazing moments in our patrons’  lives.

• Watching the wonder on someone’s face as they discover the internet and the world beyond it
• Seeing the frustration disappear as we help someone who has no computer skills file for unemployment or food stamps
• Spending time with a patron who is paralized and can hardly speak and seeing the joy on her face when we understand what she wants and find her dvd.

These and many similar events happen every day here at the library and sometimes we are so busy that we don’t stop and realize the difference we do make in the lives of many people.

So, I am going to take a deep breath and prepare myself for another crazy, busy, often frustrating year…but I am going to remember those faces and look forward to the many others I will see in 2010!

See you in 2010…we have lots of good stuff coming up…just for you!

Janice – Supervisor -Technology Floor

Put a little jingle in your pockets this holiday season. Whether you are looking to buy or sell, Craigslist is a great free resource to find holiday bargains, sell some stuff or both! The West Palm Beach Public Library will be having a class on Learning to Use Craigslist on December 8, at 10:00 am.

Looking around the About Us page on the Craigslist site had some interesting info. Click on the Avoiding Scams & Fraud link to learn about online site safety recommendations. Their # 1 suggestion – deal locally! You can also find the FAQ’s, Best of, Help Section and even the Craigslist Blog.

So check it out and then come to the library to learn how to use this popular website where you can view or post classified ads for free.

Technology ~ it takes you there

~ Janet ~

Whether you need help with resume writing or job searching, assistance filling out government forms or acquiring new computer skills, all of these resources are offered at the West Palm Beach Public Library. To provide additional support for local businesses and job seekers, the library is also offering a series of QuickBooks classes. QuickBooks is a business accounting and bookkeeping software program designed to help make your business more profitable and organized, and knowing QuickBooks will give job searchers an extra “edge.” 

 The classes offered are a three-part series: 

• January 27^th – Creating the QuickBooks Company Profile
• February 3^rd – Recording Transactions
• February 10^th - Reports

The classes will be taught by a certified QuickBooks Pro and are sponsored by the Friends of the West Palm Beach Public Library. Admission price for the entire series is $30.00. If you would like to reserve a seat in class please call 561-868-7760 or click here for more information.

Technology ~ it takes you there

~Tracie

Okay, sorry for the Rocky Horror Picture Show reference, but the song lyric comes to mind when I think of Google labs. Those folks always have something cooking. According to the site, “Google Labs is a playground where our more adventurous users can play around with prototypes of some of our wild and crazy ideas and offer feedback directly to the engineers who developed them. Please note that Labs is the first phase in a lengthy product development process and none of this stuff is guaranteed to make it onto Google.com. While some of our crazy ideas might grow into the next Gmail or iGoogle, others might turn out to be, well, just plain crazy.” I love this stuff.

One of my favorites is Fast Flip.  You can get overviews of headline pages from top newspapers all in one place. You can also search by section like Travel or Sci/Tech. Something else that seems to be gaining attention from students is Google Squared. “Google Squared is an experimental tool that takes a category (like US presidents, roller coasters, or digital cameras) and attempts to create a starter “square” of information, automatically fetching and organizing facts from across the web.” After you get your results, you can tweak the search by adding or deleting rows and columns.

If you have a Gmail account, there is a lab section for that, too. It has handy email based features that can be enabled like “Forgotten Attachment Detector” or “Message Translation.“

Come up to the lab and experiment a little. You never know what you might find.

Technology ~ it takes you there

~ Janet ~

  It’s that time of year again when all the ghosts and ghouls big and small get ready for Halloween. But as usual there are things you must adhere to like safety. But you also want fun and creativity to be apart of the holiday season. With all these things in mind, the “Tech Talk” on October 20, 2009 sought to share some fun sites that deal with all those things. Check out the sites below to find fun, useful and in some cases little known resources.

IVillage This site is a cool resource for moms and women in general to use for day to day life, as well as the holidays. Check out the halloween section.

eHow This site is just what it says –  a ” how to” site that can be used for many things, in this case halloween safety. Feel free to search it for others things though.

Parents.com  This site is a fun resource for arts-and-crafts, DIY projects health and information in general for parents. Covers infants to big kids with great variety. We used it this particular time to zero in on halloween fun. Click on the link and check it out.

Food Network Many people watch Food Network shows so are familiar with this channel. We used it to help find some fun recipes to help make your Halloween a tasty and unique one.

Hauntworld If its halloweenesque, creepy, spooky, or grotesque, you should be able to find it on Hauntworld. It seems to be one stop shopping for locating all things spooktastic. It even boasts its own magazine. Give it a look-see if you love a good scare.

For extras on the Tech Talk menu these two sites seemed fun as well.

Rouxbe If you ever wanted to wow your friends Rouxbe can help. Its a online cooking school site. You can view videos and get receipes without a premium membership but for different fees you can sign up for specific types of memberships and get cooking lessons that even cooks partake of. Who ever thought there would be an online cooking school!

Holiday On the Menu What a fun way to travel!  A vacation for the food connosieur out there. Book a trip that has lush landscapes,hands on sessions with you and a gourmet chef or local, and you learning to prepare a gorgeous meal based on the country you’re visiting. It’s a rarity to find a trip like this and should be taken advantage of. Like all things travel, do your homework on the company first and the customs of the place you’re visiting. Its always better to travel smart.

So, Ghosts and Ghouls have a Happy Halloween.

By LaShonda

If you’re looking for a job and need some great tips or you want to polish up your interviewing skills, be sure to register for the last two classes in our Life Support Series at the West Palm Beach Public Library.

Job Search Strategies on Friday, October 9^th will teach you productive strategies for job hunting online.

On Friday, October 16^th is Interviewing for Success.  Join experts in the field who will teach you how to arrive at your interview feeling positive, confident, and prepared to land that job!

Click on the links above to register or call 561-868-7760.

Technology ~ it takes you there

Tracie

I must admit that when I think of recycling, the first thing that comes to mind is not necessarily electronics.  But with our growing reliance on electronics (just look around your home and add them up!) we should consider ways to recycle and reuse them so they don’t end up crowding our landfills.

The eCycling Web site offers basic information on recycling electronics, regional and state programs, organizations and retailers with donation and recycling programs, regulations for handling equipment, and an FAQ on electronic waste. 

Want to know where to recycle your TV? Visit End-of-Life Electronics  which provides contacts for reuse and recycling here in Florida.

Technology ~ it takes you there

Tracie

I love learning new things! Just this morning I was privileged to be given a tour of the Workforce Alliance Central Career Center facilities here in Palm Beach County.  Center Manager, Gary Hawkins and Holly Finch, Manager with Public Affairs gave me an exciting look at what the center has to offer jobseekers and employers. From assessments to counseling, the Workforce Alliance has something for everyone seriously searching for work .

A few things I learned:

v  Clients must arrive dressed in business attire. No flip-flops, shorts or bathing suits, please.

v  There are unique assessment and training services available for eighteen to twenty-one year olds who qualify.

v  Professionals with a Bachelor’s Degree and management experience have access to counselors geared toward their particular situation.

v  Free phones, fax machines and computers are available to use for job related needs.

v  Workforce Alliance will work with employers to screen for qualified applicants.

v  …more and more!

The West Palm Beach Public Library is looking forward to partnering with Workforce Alliance to better serve our community. They provided me with some great resources I will be distributing at our upcoming Life Support Job Seekers series.

Finding the Right Job for You ~ Sept. 25, 10 am -1:00 pm

Resumes to “Get that Job” ~ Oct. 2, 10 am -1:00 pm

Online Job Searching and Applications ~ Oct. 9, 10 am -1:00 pm

Interviewing for Success ~ Oct. 16, 10 am -1:00 pm

We also offer ongoing computer training and workshops to develop computer literacy for today’s workplace. So come over to the library and learn something new!

Technology ~ it takes you there

~ Janet Norton ~

Tech Talks are meant to be informative and fun. Giving the public a little bit more insight into websites we have found to be helpful, practical and generally easy to use. These sites are searched out or come across in day to day life and shared with the patrons at our library. Topics have ranged from gadgets, budgeting, and social networking to going green.

After hearing of the multitude of patrons seeking out doctors and/or prescriptions and information, I felt a new concept come to mind.

I’d have a Tech Talk devoted to medical websites that empower and inform our patrons. I thought, “If there are so many sites on gadgets, games, social networking and the like I should be able to provide the same where medicine is concerned.” Then I set to work to make it happen. 

I, by no means am a font of knowledge when it comes to medicine but, I was lucky enough to run into a good source of information in the form of a great nurse named Janet. With all the pieces having fallen into place, I am happy to announce that on Tuesday, September 22nd from 12:30 pm-1:30 pm, we will be having a Tech Talk on sites that seek to help you take control when choosing doctors, be informed about alternative medicines & healthy foods, and find programs on discounted prescriptions.  Hope To See You There!!!

For more information please call the West Palm Beach Public Library @ 561-868-7760.

By LaShonda

Yes, it’s that time of year again.  Back to school time! Summer is over and the juggling begins for parents, educators and students with busy schedules.  In preparation for returning to school, we have provided you with the following links in order to make your life a little easier (and fun too).

Mom’s Homeroom is packed with tools to help your kid succeed in school.

Author James Patterson created Read Kiddo Read, a website dedicated to make your kids reader for life!

Common Sense Media is a trustworthy source when deciding which movies or other media are right for your family.

TeensHealth is a teen-friendly site to get dependable health info.

Penzu is an electronic private diary to record thoughts and important events.  Journal writing is great for kids and can improve grades!  

Combine all of your social networking accounts (Twitter, Facebook, Gmail chat & more) with Digsby, a one stop shop. 

These links were featured in our recent Tuesday Tech Talk!  You can join us for the next informative chat about the coolest stuff on the web on Tuesday, Sept. 8th at 12:30pm or stay tuned for the latest Tech Talk links posted on our blog.

Technology ~ it takes you there.

Tracie & LaShonda