More ebook options for library patrons

Enki ebooks

The latest offering on the Kansas State Library’s Digital Book eLending page is Enki, an ebook lending platform created by libraries in California and Colorado to manage ebooks purchased by participating libraries directly from authors and small publishers. Using Enki, you can checkout up to five books at a time for two weeks with the option of early return. It follows the traditional library model -- one person at a time can check out a book, and you can place a hold on books that are currently checked out.

To checkout from Enki, go to http://ksl.enkilibrary.org and log in with your Kansas Library Card. Kansas Library Cards are not the same as regular local library cards. They are free to any Kansas resident and can be obtained from any Kansas library.

Once logged in, search the website using the browser on your device. After you find something you want, click Checkout, then choose Download. It will ask you to open the book with whatever reader you have installed on your device -- Bluefire Reader or the Freading app both work well. For more detailed instructions and for instructions for different kinds of devices, go to the Enki ebooks page on the Kansas State Library website http://www.kslib.info/digitalbooks/enki.html.

Unite for Literacy - Free ebooks for kids

Douglas County Libraries, the Colorado Library Consortium, and Unite for Literacy have teamed up to provide access to free ebooks for kids. Unite for Literacy’s ebook library is designed to be read from a web browser, either on desktop computer or mobile device. They wish to take advantage of the spreading usage and availability of mobile internet access to get books into the hands of emergent readers.

These online early literacy picture books are each available with optional narration in different languages. Currently they offer over a hundred books narrated in up to 15 different languages, but their goal is to support all the languages that are spoken in U.S. homes.

These ebooks can be accessed through our library catalog (http://catalog.lmlibrary.org) by searching for “Unite for Literacy” or directly from the website at http://uniteforliteracy.com.

Tumblebooks

Another source of online read-aloud picture books is Tumblebooks, made available to all Kansas residents free of charge by the State Library of Kansas and by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services.

The Tumblebooks website includes story books, chapter books, videos, puzzles and games, and a language learning section. As stated on their website “TumbleBookLibrary is an online collection of animated, talking picture books which teach young children the joys of reading in a format they'll love.”

Tumblebooks can be accessed by any Kansas resident through the library’s website, http://lmlibrary.org, the Kansas State Library’s website, http://www.kslib.info/digitalbooks.html, or by using your Kansas Library Card.

Beginning Computer Classes

The library offers beginning computers classes every Tuesday at 11:00 a.m., downstairs in the computer lab. The classes are for both English and Spanish speakers and walk-ins are welcome. It is a basic introduction to keyboard and mouse and eventually builds up to creating email accounts and other helpful basic tutorials.

Mango Languages

Mango Connect is part of the new look of the Mango website. Kansas residents can use the website to start learning their choice of over 50 different languages free of charge. Creating a username and password is optional, but doing so will allow you to pick up where you left off between learning sessions.

The website now offers two apps -- Mango Conversations and Mango Premiere.

Mango Conversations uses real-life situations and conversations to teach a new language. Users listen to and repeat conversations, not just learning the individual words and phrases, but also learning how they're used in practical situations and conversations.

Mango Premiere uses movies to more effectively teach a new language. Users watch these feature films with or without subtitles in both their own language and the language to be learned. Mango Premiere gives the viewer the ability to break down scenes and subtitles, combining both spoken and written learning. It also brings in cultural notes and quizzes for an in-depth look at the language in the film. Premiere currently offers feature films in 7 languages.

How to Grow a Reader

I love Jim Trelease’s book The Read-Aloud Handbook.  As the title suggests, the book is about the importance of reading aloud to your child.  I’ll give you the most important parts of the book (doing the book little justice, because it really is a great book that will help every parent).

Q:  When should you start reading to your child?  When should you stop?  What if you don’t have time to read?

You should start reading to your baby from day one.  Don’t worry if you haven’t been reading, you can always start today.  When a child is very young, the main goal is to show that reading is fun.  If they want to hear the same book over and over again for a month, read it to them.  Don’t pressure a child to memorize words or to start reading before they are ready.  Remember, this should be fun for both of you.

Just because your child can read, doesn’t mean that you should stop reading to them.  If your child is in middle school (or even high school) you should still read to them.  Children and teens’ reading skills are still usually lower than their understanding skills so they are getting access to stories that they can’t read themselves.

Reading to a child doesn’t have to be before bedtime, it can be any time of the day.  You can always combine reading and chores.  For example, while an older child is dusting the living room or cleaning their room, you could be reading to him or her.  The rule of thumb is that kids should be read to at least 20 minutes a day. 

Q:  What if my kid doesn’t like to read?

The Read-Aloud Handbook stresses three things.  The first is that reading is a skill and that it does take practice.  The second point is that children can learn to love reading even later in life.  What usually changes those teens who aren’t readers is a special book.  Keep recommending books (or getting recommendations from librarians, teachers and friends) even if they claim that they hate to read.  Finally, children and teens who love to read are usually those who have been read to, so keep reading.  

Q:  What if you can’t read or if you aren’t a good reader yourself?

In the past, this was a bigger problem than it is now.  Now, there is technology to help parents.  Liberal Memorial Library has a subscription to TumbleBooks, which is a collection of e-books for children.  Parents can either read to the child or turn the sound on and have the story read to them.  When each word is spoken, it’s highlighted to try to reinforce the connection between the words and sounds.  For parents that don’t have Internet access, check out a kit from the library that contains a CD and a story book.   Of course, don’t forget about story time and other activities at the library!

The main reason that I like The Read-Aloud Handbook is that it stresses the joy of reading.  Talk to your children and teens about your favorite books that you read when you were their age, let them read magazines and choose what they want to read, and most importantly, make reading to your child or teen a priority by making it part of your whole family’s lifestyle.