eBook and AudioBooks!
Over the last week, it feels like I have had about 100 conversations with different people, students and teachers, regarding eBooks or AudioBooks. As part of my motivation to go for a daily workout is that I get to listen to my current book selection. It is like having someone tell me a story, and it takes my mind off of the hard work. I do feel it mentally relaxes me.
At ISB we use Sora with students and teachers. The quality of the app and the information it provides users is extremely robust. Students can explore different titles by the genres that the team at Sora builds as well as the ones we as librarians, maintain for students. Other features include the ability to see the your history of books read, create a reading list for yourself and even create holds if your book is already checked out. It is a self service library. However, the more powerful information is the information specific to the student. It captures the Total Number of Books Opened, Time read/listening, Average Time per session, Average Timer per book and even their Current Daily Streak. It is really a powerful motivator. There are then Achievements and badges students can earn.
If you are a parent, we typically do not provide access. However we encourage parents to use Libby, which is the public library version of Sora. It is a bit more sparse and lacks all the powerful motivational tools. However it gives you suggestions, has a very powerful filter and keeps your history. To use Libby, you can sign up for an account yourself. It is free to users with a library card. Some libraries will issue you a card or a number. Here are the FAQ’s about Libby.
The other tool I use is Audible from Amazon. For a small fee you get access to literally millions of eBooks and Audiobooks. I get 10 credits a month, and each book is generally one credit, so I can honestly say I’ve never gone over my monthly credit.
The main story here is if you haven’t given eBooks or Audiobooks (I love the audiobooks) a try you should. It is a really great way to expand your reading options. This is not to say that reading a physical book is going away, as you will likely find, that there are physical books you want to read for visual, content, or just pleasure purposes. The quality and ease of use of eBooks and Audiobooks is amazing right now and worth the experiment. Let us know if you need help or have suggestions.
Bell’s Recommendation
A Wish in the Dark is by Christina Soontornvat
This is a great book about young Thai kids in the magical town of Chattana. Most people get around on boats, much like the floating markets here in Thailand. It is Young Adult and sits in the Fantasy Genre. It is a fun book about a couple of orphan boys who struggle with life in a world where light comes from orbs and fire is outlawed. The characters face dilemmas that force them to make difficult decisions. It is a beautiful book, and as a side note, Ms. Soontornvat is coming to ISB in a month! Grab this one or one of her other books and get ready for the visit. The ES Library is also selling some of her titles.
Tech Tools
macOS Ventura is out and it really does have some nice new features. However it is a major change and will take a little getting used to. The download itself is about 12GB so you will need to prepare your computer for this upgrade before installing. Link to Download
Digital Citizenship
DeCluttering Your Computer. Ughhhh, if you are like me, your desktop might be a little embarrassing. I tend to save loads of things that I am using now or some things I want quick access to and often times I download items there. Basically, my desktop has become this massive dumping ground or as ‘Doom Piles’ as Jancee Dunn who wrote a really great article on how and why we should clean up or declutter our desktops for all kinds of reasons. One of the biggest reasons is to speed up your overall computer performance. Have a look at this New York Times Article.