Database Of The Month: OverDrive!

If you are a fan of eBooks and eAudiobooks (especially when they're free!) then you probably have already taken advantage of the downloadable collection the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System has through OverDrive. This fantastic resource has just gone through a few updates that make checking out and reading eBooks even easier, especially if you are using this database to read fun picture books with younger children! We hope all of our users will enjoy these new enhancements, including direct Tech Support from OverDrive Frontline Support. 

OverDrive is excited to announce that a new version of OverDrive Read, the browser-based eBook reading experience, is coming on October 15, 2014. Earlier this year, OverDrive introduced support for fixed layout eBooks using EPUB3 and HTML5 technology, which allows books never before available in eBook format to be enjoyed digitally. The fixed layout nature honors the book's original layout, image display, and fonts which are required for titles like The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, and Humans of New York. This update means that never-available-before eBooks like these are now available to your library or school! Textbooks, children's classics, cookbooks, travel guides, and more can now be enjoyed on any web-enabled device using OverDrive Read. To find fixed layout eBooks in OverDrive Marketplace, simply choose "Fixed layout" from the special features drop-down menu under Advanced Search.

The enhanced OverDrive Read reading experience that is currently used for fixed layout eBooks will soon be extended to all eBooks. The interface eliminates distraction from the page layout because the newly-designed menu is now behind the eBook pages rather than to the right of the book. The new OverDrive Read also offers a two-page display on large screens for a true reading experience, and a single-page view on smaller screens (unless otherwise required by the publisher). This update retains all of the great features users are currently enjoying in OverDrive Read, such as the ability to read offline, bookmarks, notes, search, and custom readability options. And, best of all, OverDrive Read is available with just one-click in any major modern web browser, and doesn't require any software installation or device registration. In order to adopt this new technology required to support fixed layout eBooks, OverDrive Read will no longer work in older versions of Internet Explorer (i.e., any IE version less than version 10) beginning October 15. Less than 0.2% of OverDrive Read usage is from a version of IE less than 10, so the few users impacted by this change will simply need to upgrade to a newer version of IE or switch to the most current versions of Chrome, Firefox, Android, Safari, or the standard browsers on devices like Kindle and Nook.

Database Of The Month: Literature Resource Center!

It's back to school season, which means back to homework season as well. But the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System is here to help give you and your grades a boost! Not only can you seek assistance from any of our librarians in our 34 branches, we also have a ton of free databases available 24/7 that will provide you with the tools you need to succeed. Literature Resource Center is an essential one-stop-shop experience for students or researchers in English and Literature. Need to find literary criticisms of Gone With the Wind? How about a biography of Hemingway? Or maybe you wanted to listen to that NPR interview you missed with Tina Fey when she talked about her book Bossypants? Well, you're in luck! Literature Resource Center can find all of this and much, much more.


The world’s most current, comprehensive and reliableonline literature database, Literature Resource Center is uniquely relevant to today’s researcher. Its rich critical, biographical and contextual content supports interdisciplinary approaches, information literacy and the development of critical-thinking skills. 

In this database you will find full-text articles from scholarly journals and literary magazines combined with critical essays, work and topic overviews, full-text works of poems, essays and stories, biographies, and more to provide a wealth of information on authors, their works, and literary movements. Students and researchers at all levels will find the information they need, with content covering all genres and disciplines, all time periods and all parts of the world. And as with many of our other databases, Literature Resource Center makes your research even easier by offering the ability to save, print, email and cite the articles you use. You can even listen to the article being read and download the MP3! 

This resource is free to all library card holders and can be accessed through our website. Simply follow the steps below and get started!

1. Go to www.afpls.org
2. Click on the link to A-Z Databases on the right hand side of the page under Books, Research & Databases. 
3. Click on the icon for Literature Resource Center 
4. Enter the GALILEO password. (If you don't know the current password, find it by following these instructions!)
5. Start searching!

September Is Library Card Sign-up Month

September is Library Card Sign-up Month! If you don't already have a library card with the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System, then it is certainly about time you got one! Library Card Sign-up Month is a time when libraries across the country remind parents and guardians that a library card is the most important school supply of all. Thousands of public and school libraries join together each fall in a national effort to ensure every child signs up for their own library card. A library card is also an excellent tool for adult continuing education and recreation. If you already have a card, now is a good time to make sure all of your personal information (address, phone number, email) is still correct and current in our system. Encourage your friends and family to get their own cards to discover all of the wonderful resources their library has to offer them, for free! For more information on how to sign up for a library card, visit our website.

Top 10 Reasons A Library Card Is The Smartest Card In Your Wallet:

1. Download ebooks and audiobooks anywhere you are.
2. 24/7 access to online databases for homework help, test prep, research, and career building.
3. Use your local branch as a WiFi hotspot or use one of our public computers.
4. Attend programs like toddler storytimes, yoga classes, health seminars, or celebrity book-signings.
5. Reserve and enjoy thousands of books, CDs, DVDs, and BluRays.
6. Check your investments, search your family tree, or update your resume all from one location.
7. Register for GED preparation classes, take the test, and pass!
8. Check out the Zoo Pass, Georgia State Parks Pass, Go Fish! Pass, or the Kill-A-Watt monitor.
9. Reserve a meeting room for your book club, nonprofit group, or for quiet study time.
10. Get help from the ultimate search engine - a librarian.

Spotlight on NoveList!

Have you ever had trouble figuring out what the next title in your favorite series is? Or been searching for a book just like the last one you read? Or maybe you've been searching for authors like the one that finally got your child to sit down and read happily for hours? Well, one of the best resources to answer all these questions (besides your local librarian, of course!) is a database called NoveList. All Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System card holders have free access to this database through the library's website, twenty-four hours a day. NoveList makes it easy to find series, title or author recommendations based on books you've previously read, or genres you particularly enjoy. Here's how you get started:

1. Go to the library's homepage at www.afpls.org.
2. Under Books, Research and Databases, click on A-Z Databases.
3. Scroll down the list and click on NoveList. Note, if you are outside of the
library you will be asked for your library card number!
4. In the search box type in your description of a book you'd like to read, or
search for specific authors, titles, and series.
5. Each result from your search will also give you 9 author read-alikes and 9 title
read-alikes.
6. Print or save your lists and use them to search the library catalog for your next great read!

Database Access On The Go!

Have you ever been away from your computer and suddenly found yourself needing the answer to a reference question? Or wanted to listen to a downloaded Ebook while waiting in line at the grocery store? How about practicing your language learning skills while sipping your morning coffee at the local cafe? Well, now you can do all of these things by using library database apps on your smartphone or other mobile device! You can guarantee that there will be more of these coming out in the future, but for now, check out what you already have access to through the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System and some of our database providers.

Mango Mobile - Mango Languages Library Edition on the go!

Available on the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, this free mobile language app gives you access to all of the languages and features available through the library in the palm of your hand!

OverDrive eMedia Console - OverDrive downloadable eBooks and eAudiobooks on the go!

Available on the iPhone/iPad, Android, BlackBerry and Windows Phone 7, this free app will give you access to all of the titles available for download through the AFPLS collection. Anytime, anywhere access for all your favorite titles!

EbscoHost - EBSCO online research databases on the go!

Available on the iPhone/iPad/iPod touch, BlackBerry, Android Smartphones, Windows Smartphones, Dell Axim, Palm and Pocket PC this mobile research tool will give users all of the functionality of the databases that AFPLS has in its EBSCO collection. Popular research databases such as Academic Search Complete and MasterFile Premier can now be easily searched anytime and anywhere!

GALE Access My Library - GALE online research databases on the go!

Available on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Android, this mobile research app uses GPS technology to locate libraries within a 10 mile radius of the user, then gives the user free and unlimited access to that library's GALE resources without even needing a library card number. Access library systems in other states while traveling!

We hope you will take advantage of these mobile tools and will take your library with you everywhere you go!

Mango Visits AFPLS!

One of Mango Language's language learning specialists, Ryan Soble, recently visited a branch of the Atlanta-Fulton County Public Library to speak to students from two high schools regarding Mango and E-resources offered by the library. The visit was targeted for students who are taking a Chinese course in their school, and everyone involved learned a lot from this partnership.


AFPLS's Twana Cannon, the coordinator for the event, deserves an extra special shout out for arranging and facilitating this program!


If you're interested in learning a foreign language and are looking for a fun, interactive way to pursue your language learning goals, (all for free and from the comfort of your own home, no less!) why don't you try Mango for yourself?

1. Start by visiting the library's homepage.
2. Under Search Options, select A-Z Database Search from the dropdown menu.
3. Scroll down and click on Mango Languages (Remote Access).
4. Enter your library card number.
5. Set up your free account and get started!