Setting up iPad/iPhone to work with DCL's compatible eContent

Overdrive eContent:

In order to successfully download Overdrive eContent, the iPad/iPhone will need the Overdrive App.  To be able to open and read an ePub file, the device will also need to be authorized by Adobe Digital Editions.

1. Access App Store and download free Overdrive app.  Often you will need an iTunes/Apple password to access the App Store.
2. Once installed, access the Overdrive app.  Select "Menu" in order to "Get Books." You will be asked to "add a library."  Search Douglas County.  Select "Douglas County Libraries, Colorado."
3. Select "Douglas County Libraries" from "Get Books" list.  The Overdrive page will appear.
4. Using "Browse" or "Search" button, locate an ePub or MP3 audiobook available for checkout (note: the "Advanced" search feature is only available after selecting the "Search" button).
5. Select "add to cart" button, then "Proceed to Checkout" button.  Select desired lending period: 7, 14, or 21 day checkout. Select "Confirm Check Out" button.
6. Once the title is checked out, you are ready to download.

• If downloading an MP3 file, the download will begin once "Download" is selected.

• If downloading an ePub file, the device will ask for an Adobe ID.  If you do not have an Adobe ID, you will be required to create an Adobe ID.  **You will only need to do this once!**
• Once the device is authorized, select "download" again. 

      7.  Select "menu," select "book shelf" and downloaded items will be listed.

3M eContent:
In order to successfully download 3M eContent, the iPad/iPhone will need the 3M Cloud Library App.  Watch short video on installing 3M Cloud Library App.

1. Access App Store and download free 3M Cloud Library app. Often you will need an iTunes/Apple password to access the App Store.
2. Once installed, access the 3M app. You will be asked to select country, state, and library.    Select "Douglas County Libraries, Colorado."
3. You will be asked to enter library card # and PIN #.
4.  Use "Search" button to locate an ePub available for checkout (note: the "Refine" search feature allows search to locate titles that are currently available for checkout).
5. Select desired item and select "Check Out."  Item will begin to download.  Once download is complete, the item will open to the cover page.
6. **If the device has not yet been authorized with Adobe Digital Editions, you will be asked to enter your Adobe ID before the item will download.**

DCL owned eContent:
In order to successfully download DCL owned eContent, the iPad/IPhone will need the iDCL Reader app.  It's very easy to install the iDCL Reader App on your iPad or iPhone:

1. Turn on device and access App Store. Often an Apple/iTunes password is necessary to gain access.
2. Search for iDCL Reader.
3. Download free iDCL Reader App to device.

Features available when using iDCLReader

How to install iDCL Reader to iPad/iPhone

Zinio on iPad (Jill's Quick & Dirty Directions)

1.  On your iPad go to the App store and download the free Zinio app.

**   If you opt-in to push notifications for your Zinio App, you should be sent a notification to your iPad every time one of your magazine titles has a new issue available. When you click the notification it should take you to the Zinio app automatically download the title and open the magazine title for you.

       2.  Open the Zinio app after it has downloaded and create a Zinio account

**   Remember your email and password

           3.  Then go to douglascountylibraries.org

      4.  Click on the blue downloadables tab.

      5.  Click on Zinio icon.

6.  Click on

      7.  Click on

      

          8.  Type in Douglas County Library card number and click validate.

9.  Enter in the following information; email, (create) a password and your name.

**   Click

      10.  A confirmation email will be sent to your email address. Email confirmation will be sent by “Your Library”

**   Click the confirmation link.

**   You will be confirmed as a member. 

**   If you do not see the email, check your Spam folder.

       11.  Click the link to login screen.

       12.  Enter your email address and new password and login. "Already a member" will pop-up and route you to the DCL/Zinio magazines.

       13.  Click on a wanted magazine title. A window will open up in a new tab to sign in with your Zinio account. (This links your DCL Zinio magazines to your Zinio account.)

**   Sign in with your Zinio email and password. Your magazine will be sent to your “DCL Zinio Library” online and to your Zinio Account. Open your Zinio app to view all of your magazines.

**   When you click to download a magazines on DCL’s Zinio site it will bring you to your “online library” in a different tab. If you would like to go back to browsing click on previous tab.

**   After subscribing to your magazine titles leave the internet browser and click on your Zinio App. Your library (“Read” button) will show all of your magazine titles with a little downward pointing arrow in the middle of the magazine. Click on the magazine to download from the internet.

**  Once you have completed the downloading of the magazines you can read them anytime anywhere; you do not have to be on the internet.

iDCL Reader & DCL To Go Apps

From Kyra:

Have you checked out the DCL To Go & iDCL Reader apps lately?  If not, I encourage you to do so, like ASAP!!!

So I was helping a patron with both an IPad & IPhone yesterday, and a question came up of "can I read my stuff on both of my devices"?

YES you can!!!  And it was easy!!!

All you have to do is the following:

• Download the DCL to Go app
• After downloading, it will automatically prompt for Adobe ID account creation, if needed. 
• Authorize all applicable devices with your Adobe ID 
• Download the iDCL Reader app
• Enable Adobe eBooks

You're now good to go to read your eBook or eAudio content on both your IPad & IPhone! 

 

Returning an ebook through Adobe Digital Editions

In Adobe Digital Editions, you can return ebooks before the due date. 

Here’s how to return eBooks early if you downloaded them to Adobe Digital Editions.
1. Open Adobe Digital Editions on the computer where you downloaded the eBook.
2. Click on the Library View. Titles you have downloaded appear on the right. Click on the small triangle in the upper left corner of the title. Select Return Borrowed Item on the list of options. A dialogue box will pop up. Click Return. The eBook will disappear from your bookshelf in Adobe Digital Editions.
3. The next time you log into Overdrive, the eBook will be checked in, and your account will be updated. If you don’t return the book early, it will expire on its due date.

Installing DCLToGo App on iPad/iPhone

It's very easy to install the DCLToGo App on your iPad or iPhone:

1. Turn on device and access App Store.  Often an Apple/iTunes password is necessary to gain access.
2. Search for DCLToGo.
3. Download free DCLToGo App to device.

Features available when using DCLToGo


DCLToGo screen as it will appear on device:

Return a Kindle Book Through Amazon

Returning a Kindle title through Amazon is pretty easy.  The main things to know are where to find the items in the patron's Amazon account, and to know that even when returned, the item will still be listed in the Amazon account until it is also deleted.

Here are some screen shots to help you out:

A) Find Kindle items in the Kindle Library/Manage Your Kindle portion of the patron's account.

 

B) Identify the title that needs to be returned and access the "Actions" dropdown.

C) Select "Return this book."  An additional dialogue box will come up to confirm the return.  Simply select "Yes."  The screen will refresh, but the title will still show up in the account list (which might be a nice thing for those people who like to keep a reading history).  However, the item is returned and will no longer be accessible.

D) If you want to completely remove the title from the list, use the "Actions" dropdown again and select "Delete from library."  An additional dialogue box will come up to confirm the deletion.  Simply select "Yes."  The screen will again refresh, and the title should be gone from the account list.



Pixlr - awesome photo editing application

www.pixlr.com

Pixlr is a robust application that can be used via web, or downloaded app to your computer or phone/tablet. It is constantly updating with many options for tweaking photos and adding various effects. In this example, we will be looking at some bare bones easy to use basics of Pixlr to do basic photo editing. I find it much easier than any other free applications with more options for creativity as well.

In this video** example, follow the steps to easily:

1. Crop photo (or increase size)
2. Adjust levels/color
3. Add text with color

For more creativity, try pixlr-o-matic from the home page for various tinting, borders, and wild effects.

*Thank you to Jeremy for submitting this post! Please see him if you have any questions about Pixlr.
**I apologize for the quality of this video. For some reason when I uploaded it, it doesn't appear very clear. The original is on the G-drive and looks great!  Just go to All Staff Access, LT Documents, and scroll down to Pixlr Tutorial.

What the heck is phone bumping?

Find out by clicking here.

Pretty cool!

For a more detailed explanation, click here.*

*The Bump app is not one of the technology competencies, just a fun FYI!

Many thanks to Natalie for suggesting this post and providing a video for it!

Apple - An introduction to the iPad Mini

Many thanks to Natalie for finding this video! It's a great short introduction to the iPad Mini.

Check it out

Pop Up Blockers - The Low Down

Wanting to know more about those little screens that "pop up" while you're working on the Internet?  Some of these screens, known as pop-ups, are annoying advertisements that may lead you to unsavory sites or that might try and install bad things on your computer.  Other pop-ups, however, are helpful additions to the website you're using.  Pop-ups can appear on top of the screen you have open, or they can open behind the screen you have open (this type may also be referred to as "pop-unders").

Most web browsers, such as Internet Explorer and Mozilla, have built-in pop-up blockers that are part of the browsing security settings.  The pop-up blockers are intended to help keep your web browsing experience safer and smoother by stopping pop-up screens from opening.  However, the blockers can sometimes stop pop-up screens that we need to use a website properly.  In these cases, you will want to be able to either override the pop-up blocker or adjust the pop-up security settings for the website you're using.  Browser pop-up blockers may also be supplemented with anti-virus software.

Both the Internet Explorer and Mozilla websites have great FAQs pages about pop-ups and how to adjust settings on and override the built-in browser pop-up blockers.  The Mozilla page also has a good section called "Is it a true pop-up window" that discusses why some weird ads and other things that look like pop-ups cannot be blocked by the pop-up blockers.  If you're really wanting to know more about the history and inner-workings of pop-ups, Wikipedia, has an entry about pop-up ads that may tell you more than you want to know!

 

Image from Wikipedia

Print Queue - Viewing, Pausing, Cancelling, and Resuming Print Jobs

Occassionally you may need pause, resume, or cancel print jobs that have been sent to the printer. In order to do these actions you will need to view the print queue. The print queue displays information about documents that are waiting to print, such as the printing status, document owner, and number of pages to print. You can use the print queue to view, pause, resume, restart, and cancel print jobs.

To view the print queue:

1. Open Printers by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking Hardware and Sound, and then clicking Printers.
2. To open the print queue, double-click the printer that you're using.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/View-the-print-queue

 

To pause, cancel, or resume a print job:

1. Open Printers by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking Hardware and Sound, and then clicking Printers.
2. Double-click the printer that you are using.
3. In the print queue, right-click the item that you want to stop printing, and then click pause, cancel, or restart.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Pause-or-resume-printing

http://freewindowsvistatutorials.com/meetWindowsVista/printingAndPrinters/i/img84.jpg

Photos Exposed: Dowloading & Resizing

How to save files from a digital camera to a hard drive?
Here's how

Photo the wrong size?
How to resize photos using Windows 7 Paint

Creative Commons image courtesy of Floris M. Oosterveld on Flickr

Overdrive and iPad/iPhone

Needing a refresher on some of the basics of using Overdrive on an iPad/iPhone?  The following video from Orange County Libraries has a quick overview of what's involved:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBtKx8ZSe68&feature=plcp

Note: The video shows the App Store icon to download the Overdrive app.  You may also use iTunes to download apps for Apple products.

Word 2010 Tutorial

Word 2010 is a software for word processing in the new Microsoft 2010 Office Suite. Word allows you to easily create professional-looking documents using various themes, visual designs, formatting tools, sharing features and more.

Word 2010 Tutorial

It will look like this:

Self-Paced Learning on the DCL Website

Need to know more about what self-paced learning options DCL provides on the website?  The DCL eLearning page is the place to go!  You'll find some cool options, including Mango and Ed2Go. 

What is Adobe Reader?

Adobe Reader is free downloadable software that enables the user to open, view and print PDF files or documents.

Adobe Reader allows a document that has been created, to be opened, viewed and printed on a computer that does not have the same software program in which the document was created.  As an example, a document that is created in Microsoft Word on a Windows device (Windows OS) can be converted to a PDF file, and then opened on a Linux device (Linux OS).  The Linux user can use Adobe Reader to open, view and print the document; they do not need to have Microsoft Word on their device. 

What is Adobe Digital Editions?

Adobe Digital Editions is a free, downloadable software (from Adobe.com) that allows the user to aquire, view and manage ebooks, digital newspapers, and other digital content.  Using Adobe Digital Editions, ebooks can be downloaded from a library website or popular bookseller, and can be read online, offline, or on a personal device.

Adobe Digital Editions uses a proprietary digital rights management software that limits the number of devices on which the user can view digital content.  The user is allowed to view content on as many as six devices.

Get Started with Adobe Digital Editions

Returning eBooks Through Adobe Digital Editions

Twitter 101

http://www.gcflearnfree.org/twitter101

Still don't get Twitter? More and more this micro-blogging network is becoming a very useful tool for finding out what's going on with the people and things that matter to you the most. With our simple and engaging tutorial, you can learn all the various ways you can use Twitter to enhance your own life.

Facebook 101

This is a great tutorial from GCF. It was created to get you up to speed on how to create, use, and maintain a Facebook page of your own, including understanding the complex Facebook privacy policies and settings.

http://www.gcflearnfree.org/facebook101

Finding Instructions for Using USB Cord with Kindle

Natalie provided this information on getting to instructions for using the Kindle with a USB cord (necessary with Penguin titles in Overdrive).

Calculator accessory

If you ever need to do some quick math and need a calculator, look no further than the accessories menu on your computer.

You can use calculator to perform simple calculations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Calculator also offers the advanced capabilities of a programming, scientific, and statistical calculator.

You can perform calculations by clicking the calculator buttons, or you can type calculations by using your keyboard. You can also use the numeric keypad to type numbers and operators by pressing Num Lock.

Using Task Manager to Shutdown Applications

Windows: End Task on the Task Manager

To close a program that's frozen on Windows:

• Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to directly open the Task Manager.
• In the Applications tab, click on the program that's not responding (the status will say "Not Responding") and then click the End Task button.
• In the new dialog box that appears, click End Task to close the application.

These instructions were found on LifeHacker.com.  If you've never used the Task Manager to close applications before, I would recommend opening a few programs (Word, Internet Explorer, etc) and try closing them using Task Manager.  Don't forget that this feature is often helpful when a program has frozen and will not let you close it down in the regular fashion.

Downloading Device-Compatible Books from Project Gutenberg

When using a site with a variety of ebook titles, like Project Gutenberg, one of the most important things to pay attention to is the file type.  File types are the indicator of what devices each file will work with.  Choose file types that you know are compatible with the device you want to use. 

Find information on using Project Gutenberg titles with various devices on the Project Gutenberg website. 

This is a great topic to try out yourself with a device.  There are a variety of options: you might try it out on LT's Kindle (located in the sups' office), request a device from HI, try it out on your own device, or coordinate with a helpful coworker to try it on their device.

iPad-compatible TumbleBooks

You can use iPad-compatible TumbleBooks by accessing TumbleBooks through the DCL website on your iPad/iPhone and going to the Story Books section.

Just below the "Story Books" heading, there is a link called "Click here for iPad-compatible titles". Click on this link, and the iPad books will be sorted for you. Now, simply click on the "iPad" button to launch the book of your choice! The book will appear in a small window at first, but to expand, simply click on the "full screen" button.

-from http://www.branchdistrictlibrary.org/node/531

File Extensions

Here's a list of some common file extensions: .doc - Microsoft Word document .docx - Microsoft Word open XML document .txt - plain text document .wpd - WordPerfect document .pps - PowerPoint slide show .ppt - PowerPoint presentation .xml - XML file .mp3 - MP3 audio file .wma - Windows Media audio file .flv - Flash video file .mov - Apple QuickTime movie .mpg - MPEG video file .wmv - Windows Media video file .bmp - bitmap image file .jpg - JPEG image .pdf - portable document file format .xls - Excel spreadsheet .com - DOS command file .exe - Windows executable file .htm/.html - hypertext markup language file Check out this website for more extensions, as well as detailed explanations of all of these file types.  If you need to search for a specific extension on the web page, don't forget Ctrl F!

Windows Media Player

The following link will take you to the Microsoft website page that explains basics of the what, how and why of Windows Media Player:

Getting Started with Windows Media Player

QuickTime PictureViewer - QuickSummary

PictureViewer is a component of QuickTime for Microsoft Windows and the Mac OS 8 and Mac OS 9 operating systems. It is used to view picture files from the still image formats that QuickTime supports. (from Wikipedia)

Windows: If you have QuickTime Pro, you can use PictureViewer to import and export various types of still image file formats and to rotate images. PictureViewer is in the QuickTime folder on your hard disk. (from Apple.com)

Google Earth

Google Earth allows you to virtually travel the world.  Google Earth’s geographical content includes satellite imagery, maps, and terrain, as well as 3D building imagery. A few things you can do with Google Earth: discover the Earth, explore the sky, dive in the Ocean, walk on the moon, and even visit Mars!

A New 3D Frontier In Google Earth  For Mobile 

iTunes

iTunes is installed on all DCL public computers and is widely used by patrons.  Check out the following videos for basic information regarding what iTunes is and how to use it.

Introduction To using iTunes     

How To Download Music With iTunes  

How To Add Files to iTunes Library 

What is Microsoft SharePoint?

Although Microsoft SharePoint is not one of the software programs installed on DCL public computers, it is referred to in the Microsoft InfoPath videos.  Also, SharePoint is currently installed on all DCL staff computers.

So what is SharePoint?

SharePoint is a software framework that was developed by Microsoft to support the development of websites and web applications that can be useful for most orgaizations, backed by a common technical infrastructure. SharePoint has a Microsoft Office-like interface, and it is closely integrated with Microsoft Office suite.  The tools available are designed to be used by non-techy users.  SharePoint can be used to provide intranet portals, document and file management, collaboration, social networks, extranets, and websites.

Microsoft InfoPath Designer & InfoPath Filler

Microsoft Office InfoPath is a software application for designing, distributing, filling and submitting electronic forms containing collected data.  InfoPath was initially released as part of Microsoft Office 2003.  In 2010, Microsoft released a new version that split InfoPath into two applications: InfoPath Designer 2010 is used to create forms and define data structures; InfoPath Filler 2010 is used to fill out and submit forms.

Check out the following videos to learn more about InfoPath.

InfoPath 2010 Overview  

Difference Between InfoPath Designer and Filler 2010