Have Your Heard about TumbleBooks?!?!

TumbleBooks!? Isn’t that what happens when books fall off the shelf? Not in this article. Just like adult books have leaped into the digital age, so too have children books. Therefore, TumbleBooks are talking books and games designed specifically for kids and is offered online for FREE by Bossier Parish Libraries.

TumbleBooks takes a unique approach in presenting books to children. The books literally come alive right on the computer screen. Each book is full of animation, talking characters, music and sounds. We all know that in today’s world, children basically grow up with a computer mouse in their hand. Why not let them “play” on the computer and learn at the same time? So now let's take a quick peak to see what all the fuss is about.

TumbleBooks is loaded with great features, such as Storybooks, Read-Alongs and Nonfiction books (as shown to the right). One feature I find pretty cool is the ability to download Ebooks and Audio Books to the computer. In no time, your child could download their favorite Ebooks & Audio Books and read/listen to them right from your home computer for 90 days! Now isn't that cool?!? You don't even need to worry about installing any special software once you've downloaded them. That's because TumblePad 2.0 is an application that comes preloaded with the first download of an animated book, eBook, TumbleGame or audio book. In other words, each time you download an eBook or audio book, the TumblePad application comes right along with it. Oh yeah! The TumblePad app is also available for download via an hyperlink located at the bottom of the TumbleBooks website.

A couple of other features your child might like is the collection of learning Puzzles and Games that accompanies each book they read. These Puzzles and Games reinforce concepts from the book, allowing for a fun and educational experience. So what if you find a book or a game your child really enjoys and they want to save it? Well, TumbleBooks has taken care of that. From the navigational menu bar (as shown below), items can be saved and stored under the My Favorites. Kids can even save and store their favorite songs into their TumbleBooks playlist. From the navigational menu bar, the My PlayList option works just like an online music player allowing them to save and playback their favorite songs either collectively or selectively.

So now that I’ve told you all about TumbleBooks. Here's how to access it along with a few recommendations for your home computer or laptop that ensures that it works properly. Two easy steps to gain access to TumbleBooks:

1. Open your favorite web browser and visit http://www.bossierlibrary.org/.
2. In the right-hand column, look for the TumbleBooks logo (as shown to the right) and click it you will be take to the Tumblebooks website. Feel free to bookmark this page in your favorite for easy access later.

Now before you venture into the world of TB, it is recommended that you use a broadband internet connection like DSL or "high speed". You will also need to make sure that your home computer has Adobe Flash Player (unless you are using Google Chrome). You can easily tell if your computer have Adobe Flash installed because as soon as you visit the Tumblebook web site, if you don't see the big blue Tumblebook character surrounded by the six menu options (see large picture above), then you don't have Flash installed on your home computer. In this case, you can either follow the on-screen instructions or you can download Flash right here (it’s free!).  Once you have both of these features, your child can begin exploring books, educational games and more in the wonderful world of Tumblebooks.

---

Charlie Ashby is the I.T. Customer Support Liaison for the Bossier Parish Library System. He has held this position since August 2009 and has worked for BPL since mid-2006. Charlie is not a parent, but he does have a six-year-old sister-in-law who has used TumbleBooks and she absolutely loves it.

---

Have You Checked Out "Dear Reader" Yet?!?

Have you ever wanted to join a book club, but just can’t find the time? I can’t attend book clubs during the day because I work. I can’t attend book clubs during the evening after work because of responsibilities at home!

Have you read every book by your favorite author, and want to find other books that interest you, but have no idea what other author writes books you might want to read? Do you hate checking out a book from the library and, after reading a few pages, you realize you just can’t get into the book?



Through the Bossier Parish Library website, I found solutions to these problems – a FREE online book club called Dear Reader! You can choose from several different genres of books, including: fiction, nonfiction, teen, business, romance, science fiction, mystery, thriller, audio, and classics. Dear Reader offers something for everyone! It is a great way to discover new authors that write books you want to read. There is even a Book Club Forum you can participate in so you can discuss books just like you might at an “in-person” book club meeting. You can also sign up for the AuthorBuzz newsletter. It introduces about 5 new books per week, and usually at least one (but usually more) of the authors has posted a prize giveaway you can enter! I recently won a signed and personalized copy of a book! One of my co-workers won the grand prize which consisted of a gift basket of specialty items from the author’s home state in New England!


HERE'S HOW IT WORKS:

Every day, Monday through Friday, I receive in my email a five-minute selection from a chapter of a book. Since it is in my email inbox, I can read the selection whenever I have a few minutes to spare, whether early in the morning or late in the evening when I’m at home in my PJ’s! By the end of the week, I will have read 2-3 chapters of a book – usually just enough for me to decide whether or not I would be interested in reading the rest of the book. If I’m interested in finishing the book, I just search for it using the Bossier Parish Library online catalog, and usually the book is available for check-out from the library. If the library does not own a copy of the book, then it can easily by found it at another library. All you need to do is submit an interlibrary loan request to have a copy from another library system.



HOW TO SIGN UP:

To sign up for the Dear Reader online book club, go to http://www.bossierlibrary.org/, in the right-hand column and scroll down into you see the "Online Book Clubs" icon (as shown). Click the icon, then just enter your email address and check the boxes beside the genres of any selections you want to receive. You can choose as many as you like. New books are started each Monday. But the best thing of all - you don't need a Bossier Parish Library library card to enjoy this email book club service. It is open to any and all! Happy Reading!

---

Leslie is an Administrative Assistant for Bossier Parish Library. She has worked for the library (and has been a subscriber to Dear Reader Online Book Club) for a year and half!

---

Gateway SX 2801-11e Review

*Click on the table to enlarge.*

Gateway SX 2801-11e Desktop

This week we will be discussing the Gateway SX 2801-11e desktop. Gateway has been building and selling computers for awhile. It’s no surprise that they have designed this new desktop system with price in mind. The SX 20801-11e starts out at $499. It comes with a duel-core processor, which means using multiple programs at once is easier, Windows 7, 6GB RAM, and a 640GB hard drive. Like our other desktop systems, this Gateway does not come with a monitor or speakers. But compared to our other desktop systems, you get more for your money with the Gateway SX 2801-11e.

Check back later this week as we compare the Gateway desktop to other desktops. Until next time, happy teching!

HP Pavilion p6510t Review

*Click on the table above to enlarge.*

HP Pavilion p6510t

This week we will be blogging about the HP Pavilion p6510t. This desktop starts out at $349. HP has always manufactured quality computer systems and this desktop is no exception. In comes with Windows 7 Home Premium, a decent Celeron processor, 2GB of RAM, a 320 – 500GB hard drive, and a nifty graphics card. Like the other desktops we are discussing, the HP Pavilion p6510t does not come with a monitor or speakers. These items can be purchased when customizing the machine on the manufacturer’s website (www.hp.com in our case).

Be sure to check back later this week to see how this desktop compares to others. Until next time, happy teching!

Dell XPS 7100 Desktop

Over the next few weeks, we will be discussing desktop computer systems. These are the computer systems where monitors, keyboards, and the mouse are separate. Desktop systems are also most popular among businesses and moderate computer users. We will be discussing economical desktop systems that pack a punch.

This week, we will be discussing the Dell Studio XPS 7100 Desktop. To start off, the price of this desktop is fairly cheap. The Studio XPS 7100 starts at $499. But do not mistake its low-end price for low-end manufacturing. This desktop comes with Windows 7 Home Premium (Microsoft’s current operating system), a great AMD graphics card, 3GB RAM, and a 500GB hard drive. All this will keep you up and running for a while. You can store you pictures on this computer, play games, and store files with ease. Again, we are discussing economical desktops. When purchasing a computer system of any kind, you can go to the manufacturer’s website (www.Dell.com in our case) and customize the system to fit your needs. Keep in mind the monitor and speakers are sold separately. In saying that, monitors are becoming cheaper, around $100, and you can get a good set of speakers for $20.

Be sure to check back at the end of the week for an overview of this system and how it compares to other desktop systems.