Blog Post
Learn @ AADL
by Stewart
You can pick up a new class brochure at any library location or review the schedule online. Here are a few of the classes that are available:
Etsy - Learn about the online marketplace from Kate Kehoe. Kate owns Chicalookate, and has been selling on Etsy for more than 5 years.
Wednesday, December 7, 7 - 9 pm, Malletts Creek
New Class! Writers' Resources on the Web - Are you an aspiring writer? Learn how you can enter writing contests, submit materials, and join writing groups online.
Tuesday, January 24, 3:30 - 5:30 pm, Traverwood
New Class! Intro to Buying & Selling Online - Learn the basics of making purchases and selling your items using the popular websites eBay and Craigslist.
Wednesday, January 25, 7 - 9 pm, Malletts Creek
Registration in not required. Classes are filled on a first-come, first-served basis and the rooms will open 15 minutes before the class begins. See you in class!
Blog Post
OverDrive eBooks now available on Kindle!
by manz
AADL card holders can now check out OverDrive ebooks onto Kindle. Read Amazon's announcement for the scoop.
To get started, browse the OverDrive collection. Find an eBook you're interested in and add it to your cart. While in your cart you’ll then click on “Get for Kindle” and will be directed to Amazon.com. (This requires logging into your Kindle account at Amazon, if you’re not already logged in.) You can then read the book on your Kindle device or the Kindle app for smartphones or computers! Use OverDrive's a href="http://ebooks.mcls.org">help if you run into any trouble, or contact us if you have any other questions.
For more information on eBooks at AADL, for Kindle and other devices, see our dedicated eBooks page, with links to where you’ll find answers to your questions.
Blog Post
Braille Translator Technologies
by Stewart
NFBTRANS is an open source braille translator (BT). Due to a collaboration for the common good of blind people, NFBTRANS has been updated (the updated version is known as WinBT 2.0) to be compatible with 32-bit and 64-bit computers. The bad news is that NFBTRANS still does not translate HTML, Daisy, or Microsoft Word Files. (Check out the braille translator by John Boyer, part of the Braille Blaster project, that will translate HTML, XML, DAISY, or Word documents requiring little or no expertise.)
The NFBTRANS software is not officially supported by the National Federation of the Blind. Those interested may find support and stay informed by subscribing to the ProgrammingBlind listserve.
Click here for the Updated version.
Click here for the WinBT installer.
Click here for the zipped files.
Blog Post
New Computer Classes in August and September!
by Stewart
umjobs.org: Join Kathleen McCollum, a Business Systems Analyst from the UM Human Resources office, to learn how to search and apply for jobs at the University of Michigan.
Thursday, August 11, 7 to 9 pm, Traverwood
Tuesday, September 20, 3:30 - 5:30 pm, Malletts Creek
Research Database Training: Need to support an argument or write a paper for school? Need a primary source? Take advantage of the research databases available @ AADL. Learn how to gather information beyond your personal experiences and observations, and explore what other people have learned.
Tuesday, September 13, 3:30 - 5:30 pm, Downtown
Tuesday, September 20, 3:30 - 5:30 pm, Pittsfield
Word Review & Edit: Learn how to track changes, add comments, compare two versions of a document, and restrict editing.
Friday, September 29, 1 - 3 pm, Pittsfield
Health Information on the Web - Finding the Good Stuff: Presented by UM Taubman Health Sciences Library. Learn which websites are the best resources for your health. From the library's databases to free online resources like the National Library of Medicine's Medline Plus, you will learn how to access this information and keep your family safe and healthy.
Wednesday, September 28, 1 - 3 pm, Malletts Creek
Pick up the latest computer class schedule at any library location, review the schedule online, or call 734-327-4555 for more information. Registration is not required. Classes are filled on a first-come, first-served basis and the classrooms will open 15 minutes before the class begins. See you in class!
Blog Post
June/July Computer Classes
by Stewart
The June/July computer class schedule is available! You can check out the schedule online or pick up the brochure at any library location.
We'll offer a new class for June and July named Etsy. What's Etsy? Etsy is a hip online marketplace for vintage goods, handmade crafts, and supplies. Etsy will be instructed by local artist Kate Kehoe, owner of Chicalookate.
All computer classes are open to the public. In other words, you don't have to have a Ann Arbor District Library card to attend a class. Registration is not required and classes are filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
See you in class!
Blog Post
Cyber-Safety Series -- Identity Theft
by MariaK
It’s every Internet user’s worst fear – to wake up one day find that someone has found your personal information, drained your online account, and ruined your credit rating. Identity theft is surprisingly common –the FTC estimates that up to 9 million Americans may be victims of identity theft each year. You don't have to be one of them!
Here are some simple ways to prevent identity theft:
1. Practice social network safety. – You may be sharing more personal data than you know. Check out this blog post for more information.
2. Be a skeptic. – When in doubt, it’s better to play it safe. This Lifehacker article provides some excellent suggestions for avoiding the most prevalent online scams.
For more on scams, take a look at There’s a Sucker Born Every Minute, which explains many online and offline cons, along with steps to protect yourself.
3. Make security a habit. – Safe Internet practices should be a part of everything you do online. This article provides some great suggestions for securing your online life from all angles.
USA Today’s book, Stopping Identity theft: 10 Easy Steps to Security, has more tips on everyday security practices.
4. Destroy! Destroy! – Make sure you know the right way to get rid of old credit cards and sensitive paperwork.
If identity theft strikes – you have resources! Take a look at The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Recovering From Identity Theft and Identity Theft For Dummies for suggestions on getting your life back.
For more information on identity theft and your options, check out The Federal Trade Commission’s identity theft website, with more information and resources on identity theft prevention and response.
Blog Post
Cyber-Safety Series -- Big Brother is Watching You
by MariaK
Do you shop online? Send e-mails? Participate in social networks? Then, like it or not, you have accumulated a substantial digital footprint. Controlling this footprint is a good idea, whether you’re worried about employers reading your disparaging remarks, salesmen finding your phone number or Big Brother tracking your un-American activities. Here are some resources to help you learn more about online privacy:
Get to know the issues:
Here's a roundtable on PBS.org about the recently-introduced Do Not Track bill, that would prevent businesses from collecting browsing data automatically from people who visit their sites.
You can also read Margaret Jasper’s book Privacy and the Internet: Your Expectations and Rights Under the Law, which includes a directory of consumer protection agencies, the real text of relevant acts, and suggestions for improving your online privacy.
Investigate your digital footprint:
Take a look at this series of articles from CNet.com, with techniques for finding – and manipulating – your online presence that go waaaay beyond Googling yourself.
And, to find out how your online persona may actually be damaging your life, read Virtually You by Elias Aboujaoude.
Privacy is holistic:
Online privacy, like love, is a many-splendored thing. No single magic bullet is going to perfectly cover you online behind. Look at this Lifehacker article to get ideas for diverse ways you can protect your information.
After you learn all about online privacy, you may feel like getting a new identity and vanishing off the face of the Earth. No worries! The book How To Disappear – by a man who was an investigator hired to find people who really don’t want to be found – will lead you, step by step, through the process of creating a brand new identity. Read this great summary online for the Cliff’s Notes version. (Note: Please return all library materials before burning your ID and moving to Fiji.)
Blog Post
Affordable Office Documents
by Stewart
Do you need to create professional office documents but your budget doesn't allow for expensive software programs? If you have a computer that is connected to the internet join Windows Live to create, edit, and store up to 25 GB of office documents. Other options? Sign up with Google and attend a computer class on how to use Google Documents or download OpenOffice from OpenOffice.org.
Blog Post
Man Vs. Machine
by breaking_glass
For the first-time ever, Jeopardy! Champions will be challenging a machine. Next week, renowned Jeopardy! Champions Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter will take on “Watson”, an IBM computing system. Watson, named after IBM founder Thomas J. Watson, is very unique. Designed by a team of specialists, Watson will have the ability to analyze “subtle meaning, irony, riddles and other complexities in which humans excel and computers traditionally do not.” All winnings from the game will be donated to charity.
Journalist Stephen Baker has written about this project as it developed in the new book, Final Jeopardy: Man vs. Machine and the Quest to Know Everything. Learn how Watson works, and what it took to develop the project with Jeopardy!. And be sure to watch the competition next week, taking place February 14, 15 & 16. For more information, you can also visit jeopardy.com.
Blog Post
Cyber-Safety Series -- Parenting in the Digital Age
by MariaK
With the rapid evolution of technology over the past few years, children are growing up in an incredibly new and unique environment. In fact, a whole new term has been coined for today’s youth – “digital natives.” For digital natives, born after the development of digital technology, the fantastic gizmos and gadgets of the modern age are seamlessly integrated into everyday life, altering learning and social interaction. Of course, for parents who are not digital natives, the virtual world where their children live may seem like a lawless frontier, inscrutable to outsiders. Fortunately, there are plenty of resources to help digital immigrants to be involved in their children’s online lives:
Background on digital natives: Born Digital by John Palfrey.
Understanding your digital kids:
What in the World Are Your Kids Doing Online?
Totally Wired: What Our Teens and Tweens are Really Doing Online
E-Parenting: Keeping Up With your Tech-Savvy Kids
Cyber-safety issues and kids:
Cyber-Safe Kids, Cyber-Savvy Teens
Generation MySpace: Helping Your Teen Survive Online Adolescence
MySpace, My Kids – a Christian writer offers guidance to parents about MySpace.
And, for kids themselves:
A Smart Girl’s Guide to the Internet
For more information, here’s a Frontline documentary/workshop on digital parenting that you can watch at home.