9.21.2007

More than 2,000 eAudiboooks for you - free!

Thanks to the hard work of the Idaho Commission for Libraries, everyone in Idaho will soon have access to more than two thousand eAudiobooks through a company called NetLibrary. Get your mp3 players ready! The service goes live on October 1st.

An eAudiobook, if you don't already know, is identical to a book on CD but without the CD! Instead of burning the audiobook files to a bunch of discs, the publisher simply makes them available digitally. You can download the audiobook files and play them on your computer or transfer to a supported mp3 player (deep apologies, but iPods don't work). We'll also have a bunch of mp3 players available for checkout if you don't have a compatible device.

In case you want to start browsing now, here's a list of books that will be available on the 10/1 go-live date:
  • 1,326 titles in the NetLibrary Core Collection

  • 425 children's and young adult titles

  • 197 literary classics

  • 162 titles from the Pimsleur language series

  • The Bible, broken down into 30 sections
If you have questions about this service or want more information, feel free to ask us or review NetLibrary's help pages. I hope you enjoy the new service -- I know I will!

9.13.2007

Library Contest!

Picture by: Ivan Castro GuatemalaThis semester Albertsons Library is sponsoring a contest for Boise State University students to develop a piece of online media or poster which promotes the library and its services. The contest theme is:

Pick a positive experience, resource, or service in the Boise State University Libraries and create a unique poster or piece of online media about it.

Example of Possible Entry Topics:

  • I like the Albertsons Library because…!
  • The West Campus Library staff is extremely helpful!
  • The Library has great online resources!
  • A librarian saved my bacon on a homework assignment!

First prize is a $300 gift certificate to the BSU Bookstore / BroncoTec. The deadline is November 7th, 2007.

For official contest rules, entry examples, and entry forms please see the contest website:

http://library.boisestate.edu/staff/librarycontest.htm

9.06.2007

Time Capsule Opened Today

The contents of the 1963 library time capsule (and the capsule itself) are on display in the exhibit case, next to the entrance to Starbucks on the first floor of the Albertsons Library.

9.05.2007

Librarians in the News

Alan Virta, head of Special Collections, was co-author of an op-ed piece in the New York Times on Sunday September 2 about the 1955 "Boys of Boise" scandal and its parallels to the current news surrounding Senator Larry Craig. He also was interviewed in the Sunday Idaho Press-Tribune and in Wednesday's Boise Weekly on the history of Boise State University as part of their coverage of the university's 75th anniversary. The New York Times piece may be viewed at www.nytimes.com/2007/09/02/opinion/02randal.html?_r=1&oref=slogin or at http://tinyurl.com/384gcj .

Get a Piece of Cake @thelibrary Today!

It's the Library's birthday today and you're invited to celebrate with us by getting some cake! We'll be giving away cake slices on the front steps of the library starting at 10:00 am until the cakes are gone.

In 1990 J. A. and Kathryn Albertson and Albertsons, Inc. donated six million dollars to enlarge and remodel the library (completed in 1995) to what you see today. We've come a long way since, so stop by the library and get yourself a treat!