With all of the
new and exciting online technologies out there, it's
hard to keep track of what's what! This page will
introduce you to the web-based technologies and services
offered by the Flint Public Library.
How do I receive library notices by email? 1. Visit the "My Account" section of the Library Catalog.
2. Log in with your library barcode (found on the back of your card) and PIN.
3. Click on the "Profile" link at the top of the page.
4. Scroll down to the "Email Information" section and enter your email address. Then, click the "update" button.
What information will be sent by email? All library notices will be sent by email, including items on hold, overdue and fine notices and other library correspondence. You will also receive email reminders about upcoming due dates.
Can I get a list of library events by email? Yes! You can
sign up to receive a weekly email of FPL events through
our web calendar. To sign up, click
here and then
choose "subscribe."
What's
a Database? A database is a collection
of information on various topics organized like
an electronic filing system. The system allows quick
retrieval of information through keyword searching
or browsing by topic. The databases include articles
from reference books, encyclopedias, magazines,
journals and newspapers, and in some cases, entire
books.
Can't I
just "Google®" and
get the same thing? NO! This
is valuable information, organized by topic, from
magazines and newspapers who do NOT give it away
for free on the Internet. Flint Public Library has
purchased access for its patrons to a number of these valuable databases. In
addition, all Michigan residents can access databases purchased by the Library
of Michigan, including articles from over 1,600 popular, business and health
magazines and newspapers. Also, read over 10,000 e-books on various topics.
You can access ALL these databases through the Flint Public Library database
pages.
Why
should I use a database instead of a search engine
like Google®? The Internet is full of information. Search engines like Google® can
help you find information on a particular topic. But how do you know that the
websites Google® finds contain accurate information?
The answer is you don't. Anyone can put information up on the Internet, and
search engines don't check to see that the information is accurate before directing
you to the website. That's where databases come in. The information found in
databases has been thoroughly checked for accuracy, so you don't have to worry.
What is Instant Messaging? Instant messaging (IM) is communication
between two or more people, using typed text. The
text is conveyed via computers connected through the
Internet. Unlike email, instant messaging happens in
real time, right before your eyes. With IM, you can
keep a list of people you interact with. You can IM
with anyone on your buddy list or contact list as long
as that person is online. You type messages to each
other into a small window that shows up on both of your
screens.
How does it work? Before you start IMing your friends, you must set up
an account with one of the many IM services, like
Google Talk or AOL
Instant Messenger. You may
have to download a program onto your computer as well.
Other services allow you to IM right within your web
browser.
What is that window on your web page? It's called a widget. It allows library patrons to
IM a librarian without setting up an account with
one of the IM providers. It's a convenient way to
communicate with library staff if you're already
online.
What is Flickr? Flickr is an online photo sharing service. Members can
upload their photos and store them online. You can
choose to make your photos public, and share them
with everyone, or private, so only you can access
them. When you upload your photos, you add "tags"
to the photos that describe what they are. This helps
you (and others if your photos are public) find them
later.
Why would I make my photos public? When your
photos are public, you can share them with family
and friends. People can even give you feedback
about your photos by leaving comments. You can even
join a group on Flickr to let even more
people
see
your
photos.
Groups are
a way for people to come together around a common
interest,
be it a
love
of
small dogs,
a passion
for food, a recent wedding, or an interest in exploring
photographic techniques. And if you can’t find
a group which interests you, you can start your
own.
Why is the library posting photos on Flickr? We want to
share photos of library programs and historic photos
from our collections with as many people
as we can! Posting them online enables us to reach
many more people than we would through an exhibit
at the library or even from posting them on our
website. Click
here to see what we've posted so far.
What is online photo sharing?
Watch this video below to find out!
What is a blog? A blog (a
contraction of the term "web log")
is a type of web site, usually maintained by an individual,
with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of
events, or other material such as graphics or video.
Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological
order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb,
meaning to maintain or add content to a blog. Many blogs
provide commentary or news on a particular subject;
others function as more personal online diaries.
A typical blog combines text, images, and links to
other blogs, Web pages, and other media related to
its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments
in an interactive format is an important part of many
blogs. Most blogs are primarily textual, although
some focus on art, photographs,
videos, or music.
Can I start a blog? Yes! Anyone can start a blog. Two popular free blogging
websites are Blogger and Wordpress.
Unless you need extra security or more storage space,
it
is free to create a blog.
I'm interested in reading a blog. How can I find
one that suits my interests? The search engine Technorati indexes blogs by subject.
Follow
this link to find a blogs that interests you.
Does the Flint Public Library have a blog? We do not have a blog at this time, but we are planning
to create one in the near future.
What's a blog?
Watch this video below to find out!
What is RSS? RSS (Rich Site Summary OR Really Simple Syndication)
is a format for delivering regularly changing web
content.
Many
news-related
sites, weblogs
and other online publishers syndicate their content
as an RSS Feed to whoever wants it.
Why should I use RSS? RSS solves a problem for people who regularly
use the web. It allows you to easily stay informed
by retrieving
the latest content from the sites you are interested
in. You save time by not needing to visit each site
individually. You ensure your privacy, by not needing
to join each site's email newsletter. The number of
sites offering RSS feeds is growing rapidly and includes
big names like Yahoo News.
What do I need to do to
read an RSS Feed? Feed Reader
or News Aggregator software allow you to grab
the RSS feeds from various sites and
display
them
for you to read and use. Some popular
feed readers include Amphetadesk (Windows,
Linux, Mac) and NewsGator (Windows
- integrates with Outlook). There are also
a number of web-based feed readers, like My
Yahoo,
Bloglines, and Google
Reader.. Once you have your
Feed Reader, it is a matter of finding sites that
syndicate content and
adding their
RSS feed to the list of feeds your Feed Reader checks.
Many sites display a small icon with the acronyms
RSS, XML, or RDF to let you know a feed is available.
Does the Flint Public Library offer RSS feeds? Yes! You can get an RSS feed of our calendar of events.
Click here for more information. As we add more
web services, we will offer other RSS feeds.
What is Delicious? Delicious
(formerly del.icio.us, pronounced "delicious")
is a social bookmarking website -- the primary use of
Delicious is to store your bookmarks online, which
allows you to access the same bookmarks from any computer
and add bookmarks from anywhere, too. On Delicious,
you use tags to organize and remember your bookmarks,
which is a much more flexible system than folders.
What is social bookmarking? Delicious is a social bookmarking website, which
means it is designed to allow you to store and share
bookmarks on the web, instead of inside your browser.
This has several advantages.
First, you can get to your bookmarks from anywhere,
no matter whether you're at home, at work, in a library,
or on a friend's computer. Second, you can share your
bookmarks publicly, so your friends, family or coworkers
can view them for reference, amusement, collaboration,
or
anything
else.
What are tags? Tags are one-word descriptors that you can assign
to your bookmarks on Delicious to help you organize
and remember them. Tags are a little bit like keywords,
but they're chosen by you, and they do not form
a hierarchy. So, tagging can be a lot easier and
more flexible than fitting your information into
preconceived categories or folders. This is great
for organizing and finding personal data, but it
goes even further when someone else posts related
content using the same tags. You begin building
a collaborative repository of related information,
driven by personal interests and creative organization.
How do I get started? Visit delicious.com to
set up an account and start saving bookmarks.
Does the Flint Public Library use Delicious? Yes! We have bookmarked our favorite reference sites
on Delicious. Click
here to visit our bookmarks.
fpl.info