In April 2023, the library held a virtual program via Zoom called Libby 101. The program was a basic intro to the Libby app, which is the app created by OverDrive to read and listen to e-books, audiobooks, and magazines. If you were unable to attend the virtual program, you’re in luck! The presentation was recorded and uploaded to our YouTube channel.
To watch the entire presentation, please view the playlist on our YouTube channel.
Part One: Getting Started With Libby: Getting started with the app and the steps to take after downloading the app and opening it for the first time.
Part Two: Browsing and Searching: Browsing and searching for content on the Libby app.
Part Three: Borrowing and Placing a Hold: Borrowing an item and how to place a hold on an item.
Part Four: The Shelf: Loans: The loans section of the Shelf section of the Libby app.
Part Five: The Shelf: Holds: The Holds section of the Shelf on the Libby app.
Part Six: Reading and Listening Settings: Adjusting the settings used while reading and listening to digital content.
Part Seven: Settings: The settings section of the Libby app.
If you have any questions about the Libby app, please call the library or ask a librarian when you’re in the library.
Do you use the Libby app? Let us know in the comments.
NextReads is a service provided by the East Greenbush Community Library to its members. Through NextReads, you can sign up for email newsletters that contain reading suggestions based on your interests. Frequency differs based on topic. Use these newsletters to help you find your next great read!
Newsletters are offered in various fiction genres, nonfiction subjects, and other specialty categories. To learn more about the newsletters we offer, head to the sign-up page and select the information icon next to a title to read a description of the newsletter (including frequency), or click a newsletter title to read the latest issue:
Screen shot of the NextReads Fiction section
Residency is not required to sign up for newsletters, and the email you use to sign up will not be used for any other purpose. Simply check the box next to any newsletters you are interested in and scroll to the bottom to enter your information, prove you’re not a robot, and subscribe. If a newsletter doesn’t turn out to be your cup of tea, you can always unsubscribe by scrolling to the bottom of an issue that has been emailed to you and clicking the unsubscribe link.
The new newsletters
This February, two new newsletters became available for subscription:
Page to Screen: Is the book better? Decide for yourself with this list of books that inspired recent or upcoming movies and TV shows. Bi-monthly.
Must-Read Books: A monthly list featuring the top ten books loved by librarians across the U.S.
How can I get these newsletters?
To sign up for either of these lists, or to check out other member favorites like Biography and Memoir or Fiction A-Z, head to the NextReads sign-up page and subscribe to as many as you’d like for free! Are you already a subscriber? Let us know your favorite newsletters in the comments. Looking for more personalized recommendations? Fill out this form to have a librarian select items for you based on features of books you’ve already enjoyed. Don’t want to wait for a newsletter? East Greenbush and Schodack residents have access to NoveList, an online recommendation engine for books and audiobooks. Happy reading!
Canva is an easy-to-use freemium image editor that can be accessed in any modern browser, without downloading software. One of the best parts about Canva is how many features are available on the free plan, including working with a team. Pro plans offer branding, access to additional templates and stock media, more cloud storage, and a few advanced editing options. The Pro plan is currently $120 per year, which may be worth it if you want a robust feature set to generate images for a small business or club. Take a look at the Canva pricing page to find out more about the features available at different subscription levels. Hot tip: Canva offers free Pro subscriptions for educational and nonprofit institutions.
Why would I need Canva?
Whether you post regularly to social media or just want to create a pretty newsletter for your family once a year, almost everyone can find a reason to use Canva. The intuitive interface makes it easy to create memes, promotional graphics, infographics, presentation slides, invitations, flyers, signs, brochures, videos – you name it! There are plenty of ready-to-use templates, but you can also start creating something from scratch. If you already have an image you want to incorporate into a larger design, you can do that, too!
Canva is especially helpful if you’re not a graphic designer. The built-in templates are perfectly sized for any medium and can be used as-is or provide inspiration for your own design. Drag-and-drop images, fonts, borders, backgrounds, and other elements to create your perfect design. Then download the image in the format of your choice.
Where can I learn more?
Tech-Talk, a resource provided by the East Greenbush Community Library to its members, has created several resources for learning the ins and outs of Canva. Here are a few examples:
If you’ve tried Canva, let us know what you think about it! Do you have an image tool that you love? We’d love to hear about it! Let us know in the comments.
If you post to a blog or social media, it is likely you need the same image in several different sizes to maintain a consistent branding experience across platforms. Manually resizing an image can be a frustrating and time-consuming experience, especially when social media networks keep changing their optimum sizing requirements.
If you are a Canva user, you may have already seen automatic resizing in action. When it was first introduced, Canva’s tool was a breakthrough. Our library relied on it for messaging across platforms. Canva requires an account and login, though. If you are looking for a free tool you can use without creating an account, Biteable’s tool may be for you. It also contains a feature that goes one step beyond Canva’s resizer.
What Is Biteable?
Biteable is a freemium suite of tools for creating and editing videos. The free tier includes puts a Biteable watermark on your videos (but not in the image resizer) and limits the resolution of your video. It does include access to stock clips and images, as well as allowing unlimited exports. For more information about features in the paid plans, visit Biteable’s pricing page.
You will need an account to create and edit videos, even at the free level. But their offer their image resizing tool with no account needed and no strings attached.
Don’t worry about setting the width and height here unless you have a specific size in mind. The magic starts when we scroll down a bit to set our focal point. This is the extra feature that sets it apart from Canva’s tool, in my opinion.
Set the Focus Point
Drag the white circle around the most important part of your image. Canva assumes the most important part is centered, but that is not always the case. In this image, the most important thing is a bit off to the right:
Scan the Results
After setting the focus point, scroll down. First you will see all 10 different sizes Facebook requires for their image areas:
Keep scrolling and you will see standard sizes for:
Instagram (6)
Twitter (6)
YouTube (4)
Pinterest (5)
LinkedIn (9)
Google Display (8)
Email/Blog (3)
Handily, the focal point selector sticks with you as you scroll down the page, so you can adjust on the fly, if needed.
Download Some or All Images
In the focus point selector, there is a button that allows you to download all of the images for all platforms at once. These will arrive as a compressed file on your computer.
Images can also be downloaded individually by clicking on the download icon in upper right of each image:
Download icon in the upper-right
Conclusion
Have you used Biteable’s image resizer? Do you have an image resizing tool you love? Let us know in the comments.
As a service for our patrons, we’re changing the way we handle renewals. Starting February 1st, eligible items that have reached their due date will be renewed automatically. This means you won’t have to lift a finger to have your loan period extended!
There are some exceptions, including materials that have already been renewed twice, those that another patron has requested, and high-demand, non-renewable items like museum passes.
When you receive your due-date reminder, it will show the items that have been automatically renewed along with the new due date. You will also see which items cannot be renewed and must be returned to the library.
Got questions? We have put an FAQ page on our website. If you don’t see the answer to your question in the FAQ, you can post your question below or contact us at the library.
