Your Public Library Can Travel with You

June 27, 2011 Your Public Library Can Travel With You! Eight Ways to Make Your Vacation More Fun & Save Money, Too! School’s out, the temperature’s climbing, and families are heading out on vacation. While you’re packing keep in mind that the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County is equipped to be one of your best travel companions. Whether heading to the beach or journeying to a national park, your travel time will seem much shorter and less taxing with these helpful tips. Plus, you’ll discover new ways to make the trip more memorable and less expensive. 1. The Library’s travel collection takes you near or far. Why spend money on travel books when you can check out and return them at the end of your trip? The Library’s extensive collection includes the latest from Fodor’s, Frommer’s, Rough Guides, and more. Specific topics like traveling with kids and pets or how to accommodate special needs while away from home are also available. Whatever your travel information needs, think of the Library first. You won’t miss anything on your trip except the tourist traps. 2. Lighten your load and pack eBooks and audiobooks. The Library’s collection of downloadable ebooks and audiobooks includes thousands of bestselling titles. Enjoy these books on CAPTION: Jamie Hurtubise and his daughters Rylie (left) and Rowan of your eReader (Nook, Sony Reader, iPad, etc.) or Anderson Township make use of the download some to your mobile device (Android, iPhone, Library to get ready for their upcoming BlackBerry, etc.). Available to download 24/7! No late fees! To find out how, go to http://www.cincinnatilibrary.org/downloadables/ebooks.html. Get FREE eBooks, a s an added bonus . You’re halfway through the Library’s Summer Reading Program and there’s so much reading left to do! Not sure what to read next? From July 1-9, let the Main Library’s TechCenter staff help! Bring your Nook, Sony Reader, Kindle, flash drive, or blank CD and we will give you 45 free eBooks to help you get through the next month! Classics, computers, philosophy, history, and more are all included. No library card or registration required. 3. Check out Playaways. At about half the size of a deck of cards, Playaways come preloaded with an entire audiobook. You don’t need a separate player to listen to the book and you don’t have to worry about keeping track of several CDs or cassettes—just press play! Check them out at your neighborhood branch. Everyone in the car can listen to their own. Or, with an audio cord, plug one into the radio so they all can listen in. 4. Go portable in print. Besides paperback books, don’t overlook the wide variety of magazines the Library has to offer. Other paper portables to check out include graphic novels and manga. 5. Theme read to go along with your travels. Going to Disney World? Read Walt Disney’s Alice in Wonderland. Traveling to Key West? Read some Ernest Hemingway. The Library’s staff can recommend authors, novels, and books based on the history or culture of your destination. You can even get these as audiobooks on CD to listen to in the car or on your portable CD player. - more - 6. Download FREE music. Don’t get stuck trying to tune into a radio station that may not play your kind of music. Instead, download free music from the Library’s website. Whether you have an MP3 player, iPod, iPhone, BlackBerry or other device, choose from thousands of songs from the Sony Entertainment Catalog in over 100 genres. Best of all, they’re yours to keep forever. For more go to http://www.cincinnatilibrary.org/news/2011/downloadmusic.html. 7. Remember, participating in Summer Reading can follow you anywhere. It’s as easy as packing your toothbrush. First off, if you and your family haven’t yet signed up for this year’s program, it’s not too late to Join Team Read. Just log onto www.CincinnatiLibrary.org/SummerRead/ and sign up online. The 8-week Summer Reading program is set up so that you can jump in at any point and start reading. Team Read continues at all 41 locations of the Public Library through July 31, which means there’s still plenty of time left to win prizes like the 656 Cincinnati Reds tickets to be given away! Or score big with one of 123 Nook Color eReaders awarded to the Team Readers who read the most. 8. Get ideas! Browse through thousands of book reviews. Once you’ve signed up for Summer Reading, you can literally browse through thousands of book reviews readers share with each other through the Library’s online registration and tracking system. It’s not only a great way to record your reading; it’s THE place to find out what’s hot and what’s not from other Summer Readers. To date, there are nearly 100,000 reviews. You, too, can join in and share your thoughts about your favorite reads. Log onto www.CincinnatiLibrary.org/SummerRead/ and sign up today!