Library Elf

Are you using Library Elf? If you use our services to place materials on hold, occasionally have an overdue or have multiple family members all checking out materials at the same time, Library Elf is for you.

Library Elf is a third-party web service the library pays for that allows you to get overdue and hold alerts from the Durham County Library. You can get this service in addition to our phone and email reminder system, as Library Elf provides additional features that complement our service. These features include email and RSS alerts before the items are due; alerts on overdues and holds; the ability to set up a consolidated list of your family’s library loans and holds; and cellphone text message alerts for your holds. If you would like to sign up for this third-party service, you can create an account at Library Elf. Please be sure to read their Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Our notification system often has hiccups and this causes issues with notification, please sign up for this free service to make sure you are getting your hold and overdue notices  in a timely manner. — Jill

Have You Noticed the Reviews in the Catalog?

The next time you do a search in the catalog and click on a title, look on the left hand side of the page under Item Information.  For many titles, you can read excerpts from the first chapter, see reviews from Publishers’ Weekly, Library Journal and others, read a summary, and/or see the table of contents.  Try looking under Item Information for When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris and see what you find.  – Kathy

Learn a Language at Your Library

The library has lots of services to help you learn a new language both from home and inside the library. Here are a few:

Tell Me More is one of Durham County Library’s newest online databases. Tell Me More teaches Dutch, English, French, Italian, German and Spanish (Spain and Latin America). Practice reading, writing, listening and speaking for beginning through advanced users. Learn everyday and/or business vocabulary. You will need your library card number to log in. There are detailed instructions if you need them.

NetLibrary is an NCLive Database which contains ebooks and eaudiobooks. It includes the Pimsleur Language Learning series as downloadable audiobooks which you can play on your computer or mp3 player. There are forty different languages available as well as many audiobooks for those who are learning English as second language and would like instruction in their native language. Call your local Durham County Library branch if you need the NCLive password or need additional help using NetLibrary.

The Library’s Catalog also has many books, audiobooks and some videos to learn another language. If you go to the catalog and choose the Subject Keyword search, type the name of your language followed by the word language and self instruction.

For example: spanish language self instruction would list records for items that teach you Spanish.

Once you click on the title, you will see which locations own the item and whether or not it is checked in. If you are at home and the item(s) you want is on the shelf, please call your local library to reserve the copy for quick pickup. If the item you want is checked out or you would like it to go to another location, click on Request First Available Copy to have the item sent to the branch of your choice. You will get a phone call or email when it is ready for pick up.

English as a Second Language classes are available for free at many branches. Check the events calendar to see what is available at your branch or call Judy at 560-0157 for more information.

Please leave any questions you have as comments to this post. – Kathy

Renewing Books Online

Did you know that you can renew your books online even when the library is closed?

• Go to www.durhamcountylibrary.org
• Click on My Account in the upper right corner.
• Type in your library card number without any spaces.
• Type in your pin number (the last four digits of your phone number). Click on Login. Call your local library if you have trouble getting in to your account.
• You will now be on the account overview page. Click on Checked Out/Renew Items.
• You will now see a list of all the items that you currently have checked out on your library card with their due dates.
• Check the little boxes next to the individual items that you would like to renew, or click the box directly underneath the Renew button to select all the items at one time.
• Click Renew.
• You will now see the new due dates after the items that you renewed.

Please feel free to add comments to this post with any questions about how to use the catalog. – Kathy