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The Library Now Has Creativebug

You’re more creative than you think.

Creativebug has thousands of award-winning arts and crafts classes taught by recognized design experts and artists. The classes cover a range of topics including quilting, paper crafts, baking, jewelry making, and more. You also have access to print patterns, coloring pages, and recipes for free. Note: this service is available only to residents of East Greenbush or Schodack. Not a resident of EG or Schodack? Anyone can use Creativebug at the library on one of our computers or on a device connected to our WiFi network.

Creating Your Account

Visit Creativebug and begin creating your free account with your library card.

Screenshot of Creativebug login page with library card entry bar on the right side of the page next to a photograph of a woman in a blue shirt.

After entering your library card number you will be directed to an account creation page. Fill out the required account information with your name and email address, and create a password for yourself. Creativebug will send you an email to confirm the account. Now you have access to hundreds of video classes and resources to begin your crafting adventures!

Getting Started

Once you have logged into Creativebug you can explore all the classes and resources it has to offer. Next to the Creativebug logo are different sections of Creativebug: Classes, Daily Practice, Learning Journeys, and Resources. Moving your cursor over Classes and Resources, you’ll see various drop down menus. Mousing over Classes shows the various types of crafting classes Creativebug offers. Mousing over Resources shows sections such as calendar, instructors, and more. On the home page you’ll see featured classes and recommended videos. Clicking on the Creativebug logo at the top of the screen will bring you back to the home screen from any section.

A quick menu is accessible by clicking the circle in the top right-hand corner with the first letter of your name in the center. Here you can find your recently watched, your watchlist, your gallery, and the community tab. You can also access your account and logout.

Screenshot showing the dropdpwn menu showing the account options for Recently Watched, My Watchlist My Gallery, Community, Access My Account, and Log Out.

The notification icon is directly to the left of your profile and is represented by a bell. A small circle with a number in it will appear on the icon when you have a new notification. Clicking on the notification icon will open a sidebar on the right side of the screen showing more detail about each notification.

Screenshot showing an example of a notification.

Clicking on Manage will take you to your profile where you can manage your notifications feed. The notifications feed displays updates about new classes, blog posts, and live events, as well as notifications when members leave comments or share gallery images on classes that you have watched or saved to your watchlist. Any of these notifications can be enabled or disabled to suit your preferences.

Classes

Creativebug offers 1,000+ classes on a variety of topics. You can click on Classes to display all of the classes available, or you can search for a class in the search bar at the top of the screen.

Mousing over the Classes tab displays a drop down menu that lists class topics.

Screenshot of dropdown menu for Classes at the top of the homepage. The dropdown is directly below the Classes tab listing Art+Design, Sewing, Quilting, Paper, Knitting, Crochet, Food+Home, Jewelry, Holiday+Party, and Kids.

Mousing over each class topic displays a drop down menu showing topics within that particular class subject.

Screenshot of second dropdown menu for Art+Design from the homepage.

After clicking on Classes or a class topic you will be on the page showing the video lessons. The videos have a thumbnail for the class, the name of the class, the class instructor, and rating. In the thumbnail for each class you will be able to see if the class is new or upcoming in the right-hand corner, and see the length of the video in the top left-hand corner.

Screenshot of two classes with information on the instructor, name of the class, and playing time for the video.

Results can be filtered further to find the classes you are looking for. At the top of the results page is a drop down tab to filter results. Clicking it will display a menu where you can filter results by Category, Class Type, and Instructor.

Screenshot of the all classes page with the Filter Results options expanded for Category, Class Type, and Instructor.

At the top of the results page for the video classes you can sort the results by release date, popularity, and rating.

Screenshot of the all classes page with the Sort Results options expanded showing Release Date (Newest to oldest, Release Date (oldest to newest), Most Popular, and Top Rated.

When you click on a particular video, you will see the video divided up into different sections, allowing you to easily go back or skip ahead to a particular part of the video. There is also an add to watchlist button to save for future viewing.

Screenshot showing the screen when you click on a video, which has the video divided into sections.

If you are interrupted while watching a video on Creativebug you can pick up where you left off by clicking on My Classes on the home screen. Next, click on the Recently Watched tab to see videos you have recently viewed.

Screenshot showing the My Classes tab with recently watched selected. My watchlist is to the left and recently watched is to the right.

Daily Practice

Creativebug also has a Daily Practice Tab that will take you to a page with longer videos that challenge crafters with 30 day prompts.

Learning Journeys

Learning Journeys are a curated experience designed to help you master new skills and guide you along in your creative practice. In each journey, you’ll follow a series of classes and techniques that build upon each other, allowing you to gain knowledge at your own pace.

Clicking on a particular Learning Journeys takes you to a page with the classes listed in order to begin your new crafting experience. At the top of the page is the curator of the Learning Journey and the total time of the classes in the list.

Screenshow showing examples of learning journeys.

Resources

Creativebug provides many free resources for users. From the Resources tab, crafters can access a calendar of recent and upcoming classes, view instructor profiles, check the blog, explore Creativebug TV, access patterns & printables, and find class collections.

Calendar

The Calendar lets you look at the most recent classes as well as upcoming classes. You also have the opportunity to register for live virtual classes. You can use either a Zoom account or an email address to register for the classes.

Instructors

If you have an instructor that you have enjoyed you can find them on the Instructors page. Clicking on the Instructors tab will bring up the list of Creativebug instructors. Clicking on an instructor’s profile will bring up more information on that instructor and will have their video classes posted below.

Screenshot displaying an example of an instructor page.

Blog

There is also a Creativebug blog where you can catch up on all things crafting. The blog has content on crafts fairs and conventions, gives seasonal ideas, and provides more instruction for future crafts.

CBTV

CBTV lets you take a closer look into the lives, arts, and studios of your favorite artists and crafters on Creativebug. This page is also where you can look at previews of upcoming videos coming to CBTV.

Patterns & Printables

Creativebug lets you download and print knitting patterns, coloring pages, recipes, and more. Patterns & Printables can be filtered by topic and craft such as sewing or crochet.

Screenshot showing the knitting portion of the patterns and printables page.

When you click on a particular design, you will get more details on that pattern or item as well as the ability to download it as PDF. There is also a link to video instructions for certain printables and patterns.

Screenshot showing an example of a downloadable and printable knitting pattern with details about that particular pattern.

Class Collections

Creativebug also offers class collections where classes are curated to cover one crafting topic to give you all the videos you will need to get started on a new craft. An example of a class collection offered is Adventure Begins at Your Library, which features 16 videos on that topic.

Screenshot showing an Adventure Begins at Your Library as an example of a class collection.

Inspiration

Share with the Creativebug community by clicking on the Inspiration tab on the homepage to share photos of your crafts and see other shared photos from fellow crafters on Creativebug.

There are three areas in the Inspiration tab. The first tab is My Gallery where you can upload photos of your crafts and projects. The second tab is Community Gallery where you can view photos that other crafters on Creativebug have shared. The third tab is Pinterest Boards where Creativebug shares link to curated Pinterest boards.

Screenshot of the inspiration tab, highlighting the Pinterest board section.

You can take Creativebug on the go. Visit the Google Play store or Apple App Store to download the app on your mobile device. Stay tuned for a post detailing the app.

Have you tried Creativebug yet? Let us know in the comments!

A New Way to Print from Any Device with Princh

Starting March 11, the library will offer a new service called Princh for wireless printing. In the past, we had used a service called PrinterOn.

Princh is accessible on any device including your computer, smartphone, or tablet.

Selecting an Item to Print

To begin, visit our printing portal.

Click/tap “click here to select and upload a file” to choose the item you are printing. Accepted file types include Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, etc), Apple’s iWork (Pages, Numbers, etc), images/screenshots and more. Check out the full list of accepted file types here.

After selecting the item you are printing, there are more options.

Screenshot showing the file name of what is being printed. The settings button is next to the file name.

Changing Print Settings

To change the displayed language, tap English in the top right corner for over 10 language options. If you would like to change the number of copies, the color settings, the paper size, or more print settings, click/tap on the blue and white gear icon next to the file name of what you are printing.

Screenshot showing the settings screen, allowing settings such as black and white or color, number of copies, page range and duplex options to be changed.

There are a variety of options available to change including paper size, color or black white white, page range and more. You can also preview the document or remove it if you change your mind about printing it. Also displayed is the total number of pages and cost of the print job. After you have made your changes, click/tap on the green accept button.

Next, click/tap on Accept Terms and Conditions check box and click/tap on the continue button.

Enter your email address to continue. You will get a conformation email once the job has been processed. Use the same email address at the print release station at the library to pay for and release your print job.

After the job has been processed successfully, a status of ready is displayed in the print queue next to the file name.

Screenshot showing item has successfully submitted to be printed.

Once you’ve received the ready conformation, head on over to the print release station at the library, located next to the Reference Desk.

Our printing prices remain the same:

Black & White, single-sided: 15¢ per page
Black & White, double-sided: 30¢ per sheet
Color, single-sided: 50¢ per page

Have you tried out Princh yet? Let us know in the comments.

Learn a New Language with Mango!

The library now offers access to a new language learning program called Mango. Mango can be accessed on a computer or through an app on a mobile device. Note: this service is available only to residents of East Greenbush or Schodack. Not a resident of EG or Schodack? Anyone can use Mango at the library!

There are two different ways to start using Mango. The first is by visiting the library’s landing page on a computer or in a mobile browser:
https://connect.mangolanguages.com/eastgreenbushlibrary/start

Visit the Google Play store or Apple App Store to download the app on your mobile device.

Start Using Mango

When using Mango for the first time, there is a prompt to either login or sign up for an account. Click sign up to proceed.

If accessing Mango from outside of the library, you will also have to enter your library card number. Once you have created your account, choose a language to learn.

Screenshot showing language list, starting with popular languages.

The most popular languages are first. To see a complete list of languages, scroll down. There are many languages to choose from, including both Latin American and Castilian Spanish, Italian, Korean, Russian, Urdu, Greek, Japanese, American Sign Language, and many more.

Navigating the App

Once you have made your language choice, you have the option to access the main learning section, which contains a placement test to gauge your familiarity the language. The learn tab contains the main units, which have five sections: introductions, connections, community, lifestyle, and ambitions.

Screen shot showing a Mango lesson with Italian. There are main units shown: introductions, connections, community, lifestyle, ambitions

To begin, tap on one of the lesson headings. The first time you access this section within the app, there is a tutorial about Mango and the different features it offers. Also in the learn section are specialty units specific to the chosen language.

Lessons and Chapters

Once you’ve gone through the tutorial, you’ll see the lessons within that chapter. Tap each number to get to that section of the lesson. To pick up where you left off, tap the blue triangle icon in the bottom right corner. When you open a chapter, the lessons are downloaded automatically and can be accessed with or without an internet connection. The number displayed next to the downloaded lessons label shows the amount of data the downloaded lessons take up on your device with the option to delete the data. Deleting the data does not remove your progress.

Lessons that have not been downloaded yet will have a black down arrow next to the lesson number. There are also sections with only listening lessons and only reading lessons.

Screenshot showing Chapter 1, divided into lessons.

In the Vocabulary tab, there are Mango curated vocabulary cards or create your own cards for particular words or phrases.

The Review tab contains a personalized review to catch up on your lessons.

To change which language you’re learning, tap on languages in the top left corner. The progress made with previously chosen languages is automatically saved. To access previously chosen languages swipe left or right.

To access more features, tap on the three lines in the top right corner. Here, there are options to edit your profile, change the language you are learning, an option to set up study reminders, and more.

Desktop Version and Mango Movies

The desktop version of Mango is only slightly different from the app. There are still Learn and Vocabulary tabs. The review tab is within the Learn and Vocabulary tabs. On the Explore tab, there is also a feature that is exclusive to the website called Mango Movies.

Mango Movies are videos that contain culture-packed content to help you learn a language. Once you click on play on a title, you can choose if you would like movie mode, which contains interactive content and no interruptions, or engage mode, which allows you to learn more about the dialogue with short lessons and interactive content throughout the movie.

On the subtitles screen, choose whether you want to see no subtitles, English subtitles, the subtitles of the language you’re learning, or both.

In the immersive mode, each scene starts with an introduction to the scene. Next you can view the scene, after that there is a follow up section, and then the option to view the scene again.

Screen shot of Mango movies showing an Italian movie with subtitles in English and Italian.

Another feature exclusive to the website is the translate section. You can access the translator by clicking on tools in the top navigation bar.

Screen shot showing translator on Mango's website.

To change the learning language on the desktop website, click on the name of the language in the top left corner.

Family Profiles

In both the app and the desktop site, Mango offers a feature called Family Profiles. You can add up to five family profiles. This may come in handy if you have children or other members of your household that want to learn different languages (or even the same language at a different pace). In the app, Family Profiles is accessed by tapping on the three lines button in the top right corner and then tapping on Family Profiles. On the desktop site,

Little Pim

In both the Mango app and on the desktop website, there is a section of Mango for younger language learners. Little Pim is especially designed for children aged one to five years old. To access Little Pim on the app, scroll to the left on the bottom black navigation bar. On the desktop website, click on Explore, then click on Little Pim.

Little Pim features videos in the language you have previously chosen when you started using Mango.

Adios, Ciao, Au Revoir

Mango is a language learning program. Mango can be accessed either through a computer or a mobile device. With Mango, you can learn a variety of languages through interactive lessons, movies, flash cards, and more.

Mango is for all levels of learners, from beginner to advanced.

Have you tried Mango yet? Let us know in the comments!

Quick & Easy Tech Tip: Edit or Unsend iOS iMessages

Starting with iOS 16, you can unsend or edit a sent message when texting someone who also has an Apple device. An easy way to tell if you are messaging a person with iMessage is the color of the messages. If the person also has an iPhone or iPad, the messages are blue. If the person you are messaging is not using an iPhone or iPad, the messages are green.

In order to unsend a message, it needs to be within two minutes from when the message was originally sent. To edit a message, it needs to be within 15 minutes of when the message was originally sent.

Unsending a Message

Screenshot of context menu that is shown when a message is long pressed.

To unsend a message, long press on the message you want to unsend. Next, tap on either undo send.

If you unsend a message, the message will disappear from the other person’s message view. Please note: the person you are messaging must have iOS 16 or higher installed on their device. Additionally, they will see a notification that you unsent a message.

Screenshot showing the view when a message is unsent.

If you edit a message, there will be a note next to your message saying it was edited. A video example of a message being unsent:

If the person is looking at their phone, they will see a message notification and be able to see the message, but will no longer be able to see or read it once the message is unsent (as long as they have iOS 16 or higher).

Editing a Message

Screenshot showing the view when a message is edited.

If the person who received the message taps on the edited text, they will be able to see a history of the edit or edits.

Screenshot showing how previous edits are displayed when a message is unsent.

The previously edited message or messages will display slightly faded. If there are multiple edits, they will all be shown.

Have you unsent or edited a message? Let us know in the comments!

Be More Productive with Easy Windows Keyboard Shortcuts

If you’re using a laptop, you may want a quicker way to get things done. Luckily, both Windows and Macs have a huge list of keyboard shortcuts. In this post, we’ll go over Windows keyboard shortcuts. Stay tuned for a Mac edition!

Windows

On a Windows computer, most shortcuts involve a combination of keys which often include the Windows key, CTRL, and ALT.

With keyboard shortcuts, press multiple keys on the keyboard at the same time to preform actions.

Control Keys

CTRL + C = Copy. First, highlight a word, block of text, or click on an object. Next, hit CTRL+ C. Copy adds the object to the clipboard so it can be inserted (pasted) later.

CTRL + V = Paste. Paste inserts the copied text or object to the current place in the document or into a new file explorer location. Go to the area where you want to insert the copied or cut text or object. Next, hit CTRL+V to paste the copied text or object.

CTRL + X = Cut. Highlight a word or block of text in an editable document such as a Word document, Google Sheets or Excel Spreadsheet. Using Control + X will delete the selected text and add it to the clipboard. When you are ready to paste it, use CTRL+V or other methods for pasting.

CTRL + F = Find. To find a particular word or phrase in a document or on a webpage, hit CTRL+F to open up a search box. If the word or phrase is found, the document will advanced to the first instance of the word or phrase. Depending on what program you’re using, the word or phrase may be highlighted as well.

Copy, cut, and paste can all be used in File Explorer as well. To duplicate or move files around, click on the file and use any of the keyboard shortcuts.

CTRL + Z = Undo. Made a mistake? CTRL + Z undoes whatever action was last performed.

CTRL + Y = Redo. Hit CTRL+Z by mistake? CTRL+Y redoes what was undone.

Windows and Alt Keys

ALT + TAB = Switch between the current open window to the most recently accessed window. Quickly hitting ALT+TAB will automatically go to the most recent window accessed. To access a different window, hit ALT+TAB, hold down ALT and then tap TAB to choose a particular window.

ALT + Windows Key = See all the current open programs on one screen. This is also a way to easily create separate desktops. For more info on separate desktops, check out this helpful article from Microsoft.

screenshot of what happens when you hit ALT+Windows. Picture shows the desktop background and mini views of the two open windows.

Windows key + L = Lock your PC. This will show the screen seen when you first log on to the computer. If you use a password to get on to your computer, you will need to re-enter your password to access your computer after hitting Windows + L.

Windows key + D = Show or hide the desktop. If you have any Windows open, this will minimize them all and show your desktop. If you are viewing the desktop, hitting CTRL+D will switch to the most recently used window.

Function Keys

If your keyboard has a row of Function Keys (F1, F2, etc), there are also some helpful shortcuts using those keys.

F2 = Rename a file or folder in Windows Explorer. Select the file you want to rename, and then hit F2. You can quickly rename the file.

F3 = When using web browser (such as Chrome, Firefox, or Edge) or Windows File Explorer, quickly pull up a search box to search the web page or for a file or folder.

ALT + F4 = Close the current window.

Those are just a sample of the many, many keyboard shortcuts available. To see a complete list, check out this helpful article from Microsoft.