“How do I phone home?” asked a patron from Melbourne, Australia. I told her about the website,
How To Call Abroad.com International Calling Guide.
On the left hand side of the page you will see “Choose Country,” she clicked on “A” for Australia. A second page comes up which is; “How To Call Abroad.” She saw the link for “How To Call Australia” and clicked on it. Automatically, the cell phone and telephone instructions appeared on the screen. Our patron was able to call Melbourne without a hitch! Try this site when you need to make an overseas call to anywhere in the world.

We are always ordering new books. We love books and are always looking for ways to share new titles with our patrons. Besides featuring lists of hot new titles in the Library, which are very hard to keep current, we suggest you check out the information found on our website. Under the category, “Everything for Book Lovers” you can connect to a page that lists our “Newest Arrivals.” After you have selected a genre, you will be connected directly to the online catalog. The catalog displays the title and from this point you can browse the new selections and reserve the titles that interest you. You can also send in a book review or register to subscribe to a monthly newsletter on “Book News.” Add another dimension to your reading life on the Plainview-Old Bethpage Public Library website!

Are you tired of having to save Microsoft Word files on a flash drive, hard drive, or even emailing documents to share them. You might want to consider Google Docs which is a “free, Web-based word processor, spreadsheet presentation, and form application offered by Google. It allows users to create and edit documents online while collaborating in real-time with other users.” (Wikipedia) You may pick who can access your documents. There is also a Google Docs template for the holidays. (Create free greeting cards, labels, party invitations, and more).

Shopping for toys is hard enough without the worry about the safety of the purchases you make. Lately the dangers and poisons in the manufacture of toys have been in the news. Fortunately there is help in the form of the web site www.healthytoys.org. They rate the safety of many popular toys and will list the toxic chemicals in the particular toy. There is a list of “best toys” and “worst toys”. Check this site out before you buy to avoid buyer’s remorse.

Hi, I’m Janice, your Local History Librarian. I’m excited to announce that the POB Library is now officially part of the Long Island Memories Digitalization Project. This project is a visual and oral record of Long Island history compiled by Long Island archives, historical societies, libraries, museums, and organizations. On the homepage for the project, use the drop down menu under program participants and select Plainview-Old Bethpage. You can see some old photographs of our community and reminisce about how our area has changed.

Click on the pictures for a larger view. You can also find the pictures by searching on the internet. There will be a lot more photographs, as soon as I can put them up on the site. I’m having a lot of fun deciding which photographs to put up first. Let me know what you think of them. Also, if you have any old pictures of our neighborhood that you might want to donate to our Local History Photograph Collection, you can reach me, Janice, at the Reference Department of the library (516-938-0077 x1221).

I love podcasts because, even if I’m out all day, I can still listen to some of my favorite radio (you remember that old fashioned technology) programs.
Podcasts are files that can be downloaded from the internet to your computer to listen while you work and/or downloaded to an MP3 player if you want to make them portable. All you have to do is connect the player to the computer and your media player (such as iTunes or Windows Media Player) will guide you. Podcasts are FREE and can be subscribed to and automatically updated as new shows are broadcast. In order to subscribe, one place you can go is iTunes, (even if you don’t own an IPod) and go the Apple store and click on Podcasts. You can search by types of programs you like such as Public Radio programs, short stories, news programs, Oprah, etc. If you subscribe, then every time you open iTunes on your desktop, new podcasts will be downloaded.

I recently came across a small article in Newsday, entitled “Change Your Life – go to the Library.” It was a reflection on why libraries are such wonderful places, and how they can help launch you into a new career, a new place, a new perspective. Public libraries are the unsung heroes of our time. There is one in almost every community, always there to serve you, and asking little in return. The hours are long – the Plainview-Old Bethpage Library is open 76 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, and closes for just a few holidays – the building is simple, the staff is friendly, there’s always someplace to sit, and there is always something going on. Beyond books, the Library offers computers, homebound book delivery, lectures, concerts, exercise classes, DVDs, books on CD, fax and copy machines. We even have a coffee/hot chocolate machine and a small café for relaxation.
“Opening the door to the library is like pulling the ribbon off a gift,” wrote Susan Marie Davniero from Lindenhurst in her Newsday piece. We feel the same way.

Last week’s annual Friends of the Library Book Sale was a resounding success. The Friends worked hard all week preceding the sale to sort and organize the over 9,000 items that were donated for sale. They arranged and classified hundreds of titles. They solicited local businesses for raffles. They were up early and stayed late. And the results of their labors were record breaking profits! Many thanks and much appreciation goes to this dedicated and devoted group of men and women whose mission is to support the Library by presenting programs and purchasing materials outside the scope of the tax-approved budget.

Some of their recent contributions include the grand piano in the auditorium, the oversized computer screen that displays program announcements, a caterpillar display unit in the Family Center and the donation of seed money for the Bea Shacknow garden. The Library Board and staff thank the organization for being real “Friends of the Library,” and urge others to join them. The Friends meet monthly on the first Wednesday, and invite to become a part of their vibrant group. Make a difference in the community – join the Friends!

Have you wondered what those abbreviations in an email, text message or instant message mean? Webopedia, an online encyclopedia geared to computer technology, has a website called Text Messaging Abbreviations: A Guide to Understanding Online Chat Acronyms & Smiley Faces. There you’ll find a list of abbreviations with their meanings. For example BFF means best friends forever, LOL means laugh out loud, LTNS is long time no see, :) is a smile or a smiley face, and :-D is laughter. With this guide you’ll finally know what your friends or children are saying in their messages. Use this guide and you’ll be up and “chatting” like a pro in no time!

Family Center has put together “Kits to Go”, a wonderful selection of themed backpacks for preschoolers and their families to enjoy. These kits are backpacks which feature a variety of themes, such as “Bugs,” “Farm Animals,” “Fish,” and “Tools.” Each backpack contains two books, one a story and one factual, as well as a game, a toy and a craft, all based on the particular theme.

“Kits to Go” are perfect for a grandparent spending time with a visiting child or a parent and child on a rainy day. You can check out the kit for a week, have fun reading the stories and playing with the game and toy. The craft is yours to complete and keep.

Come into the Family Center and check out the whole collection!