The Electronic Newsletter of the Palm Beach County Library System

Contents:
1/ Introduction to Books & Bytes
2/ INFORM - Community Information Database
3/ Read Together Palm Beach County
4/ Useful Web Links Section Highlight
5/ Reader's Advisory Section Highlight
6/ Event Listings to be distributed monthly
7/ In Next Month's Issue

1/ Introduction to Books & Bytes

Welcome to the March issue of Books & Bytes where we will focus on INFORM, the Community Information Database. This March, we are in the midst of our Read Together Palm Beach County campaign, so we wish to highlight the special activities that will occur this month. This will be followed by an exploration of the new design format for Useful Web Links. The “Online Reader's Guides" in our Reader's Advisory will be examined. Finally, we will notify you about a new event listings service to be offered through e-mail.

We hope you enjoy receiving Books & Bytes. Please let us know what you think of our publication by writing to: webmaster@pbclibrary.org

2/ INFORM - Community Information Database

Are you interested in volunteering your time to help a local animal rescue society? Do you need to track down the telephone number for the orchid club? Or do you want to spread the word about your non-profit
organization? Then you will want to become familiar with INFORM.
http://wpalmb.pbclibrary.org/db/inform/inform-kwd.html

INFORM is a database listing of over 900 local clubs and organizations in Palm Beach County. The INFORM Database Project was begun seven years ago  in an effort to provide timely club and organization information to the general public. The information in each record includes the following:

Name of the club or organization
Address
Phone Number
Contact person
Times and dates of meetings, if available
Brief description of the club or organization
Web address, if available

The club and organization information is collected from the following
sources:

Palm Beach Post
Sun Sentinel
Miami Herald
Input from branch libraries

INFORM can be accessed at any library catalog. In addition, INFORM can be searched from home through the library's web site. Clubs or organizations can be located by searching the name of an agency or by subject heading. Best of all the information is free! Just drop on by and give INFORM a try:
http://wpalmb.pbclibrary.org/db/inform/inform-kwd.html

3/ Read Together Palm Beach County

Chicago’s done it. So have Seattle, Rochester and Buffalo. Now Palm Beach County’s doing it!

Everyone is reading Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and debating the hottest topic of the year!

During March and April, book discussion groups will be meeting across the county, in homes, schools, community centers, and of course, @ your library. Even if you have never participated in a book discussion group, we invite you to join in. Or if you want to start your own discussion group, we are ready to help you out.

Don't have your copy of the book yet? There is no need to worry. The library system has over 1000 copies of the book in our collection. Drop by your local branch to check out Fahrenheit 451 today. You can listen to the story as well, since we have audio books of Fahrenheit 451 available for check-out. Listen to this classic tale anywhere, be it at home, the beach, or in the car during one of those long morning rush hours. For those wanting a different perspective on this story, we have copies of the 1966 movie version of Fahrenheit 451. Check out the free video from your local library to determine for yourself whether the book is better than the film!

The library will be offering Fahrenheit 451 discussion groups throughout April. The groups are free and everyone is welcome, but we encourage you to read the book first! In addition to these groups, we will also have movie screenings of Fahrenheit 451 plus a touring group of Reader's Theater performers.

With our Read Together campaign in full swing we are encouraging the formation of book discussion groups. One of our librarians produced a wonderful study guide for Fahrenheit 451, which can be found at:
http://readtogether.palmbeachpost.com/study_guides.html

Continue to watch our web site for more information on Read Together Palm Beach County. You can also check out the official campaign site at:
http://readtogether.pbpost.com/

4/ Useful Web Links Reorganization

If you have recently looked at our home-grown web directory, Useful Web Links, you will have noticed a few changes. In order to improve access to our directory, we have reorganized the categories and subcategories. All the great content remains in place, but now it is even simpler to access.
http://www.pbclibrary.org/internet.htm

There are now twelve main category headings to select from when browsing through Useful Web Links. These categories are:

Beliefs
Culture
Directories
The Economy
Florida
Health
The Home
The Internet
Science
Society
Words
The World

Each category has at least three subcategories to choose from for more precise searching. Next month we will continue our profiles of individual sections of the directory, as well as providing useful tips and tricks to get the most out of your research. We hope you will enjoy the new format for Useful Web Links.
http://www.pbclibrary.org/internet.htm

5/ Reader's Advisory Highlight

Looking for more information on famous and not "so" famous literature? Do you want to delve deeper into a genre? Or do you simply want to read a good book? As a regular feature each month, we examine one page of our Reader's Advisory. This month, we will explore our "Online Reader's Guides."
http://www.pbclibrary.org/read-groupguides.htm

This month, many new book discussion groups will form to discuss Fahrenheit 451. When they are done, many will be eager to continue onward with new books. Our "Online Reader's Guides" was compiled to help book discussion groups do just that.

Understandably, publishing companies are very eager to help discussion groups by providing guides to their books. The Ballentine Reader's Circle is one such guide. Also, Simon and Schuster provide the "Simon Says Reading Guides" for readers of their books. Additional readers guides are available from Harper Collins, Time Warner, Bantam, Broadway, Dell, and Doubleday and Vintage. If you are looking for something less commercial, check out Rebecca Wells’ guides to "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" and "Little Altars Everywhere." Finally, the Multnomah County Library provides a great listing of book discussion guides for kids. In addition to discussing the books, it features activities and even snacks to go along with the talk.

We encourage everyone to join a book discussion for Fahrenheit 451. Then when you are done, continue the fun by browsing through our "Online Reader's Guides."
http://www.pbclibrary.org/read-groupguides.htm

6/ Event Listings to be Distributed Monthly

Did you know that over 100 unique programs happen in your library system any given month? These events range from children’s story times, to computer training, to genealogical research. In order to let you know about these exciting programs, we will soon deliver the information right to your computer!

At the first of each month, you will receive a listing of all the library events happening during the month. The list will be divided into adult and children’s programming. Our events are presented free of charge and open to all members of the public. Keep in mind that many of our programs require pre-registration or many have limited space available, so sign up early.

Watch for the first listings of library events to arrive in your e-mail inbox April 1st. You may also check out our listings online at:
http://www.pbclibrary.org/news.htm
 

7/ Next Month in Books & Bytes

Do you know all there is to know about your library system? Next month we will explore “About the Library” to learn more about the Library Advisory Board, Friends of the Library, and Volunteer opportunities.