Ancestry

Good news, Ancestry has extended its remote usage until the end of the year. It was previously set to expire in September.

Wordpress 5.8

The new WordPress update added some new features. Block can now be used in the widget areas. This should make it easier for you to adjust your site if it has a sidebar.

Style and Colorize Images

Colorize your image and cover blocks with duotone filters! Duotone can add a pop of color to your designs and style your images (or videos in the cover block) to integrate well with your themes. You can think of the duotone effect as a black and white filter, but instead of the shadows being black and the highlights being white, you pick your own colors for the shadows and highlights. There’s more to learn about how it works in the documentation.

File Block Change

One new feature to look out for as it seems a little buggy and has been causing some confusion is the update to the File block.

It used to be that if you used the file block you would upload your file and get something easy to manage that included the file name and a download button, like this:

Instead, the default is now to embed the document into the page itself. The good news is that it is easy to turn this feature off. After you've uploaded your document simply turn off the switch on the right-hand side of the page that reads Show Inline Embed.

Libby Updates and Overdrive App Sunset

The big news from Overdrive is that there is now a date and plan in place to end the use of the overdrive app.

For the first step, we will remove the OverDrive app from the Apple App Store, Google Play, and Microsoft Store in February 2022.

How this initial change will impact users

• Current OverDrive app users can continue to use the app.
• New users looking for the OverDrive app will be directed to Libby.
• All users can continue to use, borrow, and open titles from your library’s OverDrive website via a browser.

What happens next

• We recommend that all partners actively promote Libby and remove references to the OverDrive app from library websites and promotional materials

Updates to Libby

Refined navigation bar: We have updated each icon in the navigation bar for clarity and consistency. The active icon displays in your library’s colors. There is also an option in the new Settings menu (more below) to add labels to the icons, if desired.

Library home organization: We continue to evolve the library home screen into a space that reflects your library’s voice and highlights your curation. Later this year, we will offer options in OverDrive Marketplace to further customize this area—stay tuned!

You can view these updates before they take effect here: https://libbybeta.com/library/salon

Search enhancements: When a user taps the search icon, they will see a new “Explore with filters” section, with options to easily browse by format, availability, skip-the-line titles, and more. Advanced search filters are available with the + more button on this screen.

Upcoming Webinars of Interest:

New York Heritage Bits & Bytes: Ivy Gocker, Adirondack Experience. I thought this looks super interesting. "The Adirondack Mountains are known by many as a pristine, rugged wilderness uncorrupted by industry and development. Not true—and we have the maps to prove it! While the region is famous today as a space for outdoor recreation, it was first exploited for its lumber and mineral resources. Ivy Gocker, Library Director at the Adirondack Experience, the Museum on Blue Mountain Lake, will share recently digitized historical maps from the Emporium Forestry Company, which operated in the northwest corner of the Adirondack Park in the late 19th- and early 20th centuries."

Problematic Award-Winning Texts: Daniel Boone, the Newbery Award, and Children’s Librarianship. According to Melanie D. Koss and Kathleen A. Paciga, “Newbery Medal winners rarely go out of print… since its inception, only one book is currently out of print, Daniel Boone by James Daugherty (1939), due to extreme racism and perpetuation of stereotypes” (2020).* But after 100 years, are all the Newbery titles still relevant to today’s young readers? Should librarians continue to keep Newbery award-winners as part of their collection, no matter how old they are? What do we do with Doctor Dolittle?

To find out more info and to register be sure to visit the SALS' calendar: https://salsblog.sals.edu/calendar/

Tech After Lunch

Our next installment of Tech After Lunch is scheduled for September 15th, 1pm-2pm. This is a virtual meeting where we will go over some of the basics of google drive. Using it to share documents, embed forms on your website, and some other fun things. We will use the first 10 to 15 minutes as a walkthrough and I'll show some practical examples. Then we'll use the remainder of the time to get some hands-on practice.

Egg Carton Portraits

I came across these the other day and I just can't stop thinking about how awesome they are. I had to share. I absolutely adore the animals.