September 21st marks the official launch of the new digital branch of the John Jermain Memorial Library. A cooperative project of the public libraries of Suffolk County, the new branch is named Līve-brary.com, and can be found on the web at live-brary.com. Expanding the library experience beyond the four walls of the library building, Līve-brary consolidates all the online content that we have been providing in one user-friendly location, that is oriented to general consumer interests with clear, easy-to-understand buttons and links.
Līve-brary.com addresses the realities and the excitement of a changing world, as well as a new generation of library patrons accustomed to accessing information and entertainment digitally. (One key indicator of the way we’re heading: Amazon.com reports that in July, 2010, eBook sales exceeded sales of hardcover books…for every 100 hardcovers sold, Amazon sold 143 eBooks that month. (In August, the difference increased to 180/100.)
So, what will you find in our digital branch? Here’s a partial list:
- Free downloads of Audiobooks, eBooks, music and movies.
- Over 500 free research tools such as the historical archives of the New York Times (from 1880 to the present), several Encyclopedias, Consumer Reports, Mango Languages (learn a foreign language), and much, much more.
- Live homework help for students in grades k-12
- Live help for college students, and a college-level skills center resource library
- Test Prep — help preparing for College Entrance Exams, Graduate School Entrance Exams and other standardized tests
- Career help for adults
- Ask a Librarian — ask reference questions even when the library is closed (24/7)
- Lots, lots more.
One important note: while you don’t have to set foot in the library to access these services — they’re all available from your home computer — you will need a library card to log-on to the service. So, if you don’t have one, you will have to make at least one trip to 201 Main Street, Sag Harbor, to sign up for your very own library card, which will then become your virtual passport to a digital world of information and entertainment.
As noted above, the official launch date for Līvebrary.com is September 21, 2010, however most of the services are up and running now, so you can visit the John Jermain home page (https://www.johnjermain.org) for links to key Līve-brary services, or just go directly to Līve-brary.com. And, for those of you who spend most of your online time on social media sites, you’ll be happy to know that you can access virtually all Līve-brary services directly from Facebook too.
Welcome to John Jermain Memorial Library’s Digital Branch! We’ll see you online.