The Electronic Newsletter of the Palm Beach County Library System

Contents:
1/ Introduction to Books & Bytes
2/ News and Events
3/ Database of the Month – NewsBank Newsfile
4/ Independence Day Closing
5/ In Next Month's Issue
________________________________________________
1/ Introduction to Books & Bytes

Welcome to the June issue of Books & Bytes. This month, we will look at the “News and Events” section of the web site and investigate the NewsBank Newsfile in our Electronic Databases. Finally, we will alert you to a July holiday closing.

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

When many people think about the library, they imagine a quiet place filled with books. While this is still true, there is much more happening at the library than reading and reference. Every month, the library hosts hundreds of programs, ranging from story times, to movies, to computer classes. We are also adding new services, databases, and materials constantly to our collections. To learn about our latest offerings, take a look at the “News and Events” section of our web site.

The main “News and Events” page contains links to this month’s programs that are happening across the Library System. Every branch is listed on this page. To see the programs, click on the library name. This page also lists the latest stories and news about the Library System and our web site.
http://www.pbclibrary.org/news.htm

Last November voters overwhelming approved a $55 million bond referendum for the expansion of the Palm Beach County Library System. Approximately 187,000 square feet will be added by expanding five existing branches and adding new branches in the Acreage, West Lantana, and West Boca areas. The Library Expansion section highlights the current status of our building program. Check in on a regular basis for updates on our expansion plans.
http://www.pbclibrary.org/lep.htm

The Library offers a wide variety of regular programs and special events for adults. Most of our programs require preregistration. Please call the host branch for more details about these special events and activities. When you reach this page, click on your branch to discover this month’s adult programs.
http://www.pbclibrary.org/adult.htm

The Youth Services staff offers a wide variety of children's programs and special events each month. Every branch offers story times. Please call your local branch for more details on these programs. When you reach this page, click on your branch to discover this month’s children’s activities.
http://www.pbclibrary.org/children.htm

The Palm Beach County Library also offers a wide variety of computer training at our Main Library and in all our branches. We offer free lecture-based learning classes and hands-on training in our two computer labs – one at the Main Library and the other at North County Regional. All our computer classes are explained on this page. It also links to a schedule of our classes.
http://www.pbclibrary.org/computer.htm

On our Publications page you can link to the latest edition of the Happenings Monthly Newsletter, which contains detailed articles and a calendar of events for the entire Library System. Visitors may sign up for Books & Bytes and view back issues of this electronic newsletter. Also, you may look at Update News - a bimonthly review of the resources and services available through Government Research Services. Finally, we invite you to browse through our archives to review stories from previous weeks and months.
http://www.pbclibrary.org/publications.htm

Keep current with the latest happenings in the Library System by visiting the “News and Events” section of our web site.

3/ Database of the Month – NewsBank Newsfile

What do you do when you missed a news item that everybody else is talking about or when you wish to follow up on a story that is no longer in the headlines? For news, turn to The NewsBank NewsFile Collection, a computerized compilation of news stories available in our Electronic Databases.
http://www.pbclibrary.org/edb/patronlinks.asp

This collection contains the complete text of news stories from 500 American and Canadian newspapers and other news outlets going back to 1992. The day’s most prominent stories are selected from major newspapers such as The Washington Post, USA Today, and The Miami Herald. Local stories are pulled from smaller papers nationwide and the editors include a few stories from each newspaper every day. Our area is represented by The Palm Beach Post, The Sun-Sentinel, and The Stuart News. Stories from The New York Post and The New York Daily News will also be of interest to many of our readers.

Remember that news is more than just world events and politics. Science, medicine, the performing arts, sports, business, and celebrities are covered in our nation’s newspapers. For example you may find out about newly-discovered species of dinosaurs or regions of outer space. Learn what critics are saying about the latest play, best selling book, or generation-y music group. Or find out how your favorite stock is faring in today’s shaky business climate.

You may search for articles by topic, date, or newspaper title, or any combination of these. Type in any topic and see a series of stories on that topic from start to finish. Or type a date and discover what really happened in local communities all around the country on that day. You can restrict your search to one news source or many. Of unusual interest are complete transcripts from the news shows “60 Minutes” and the “CBS Evening News.”

You may use NewsBank Newsfile in any library location, or from home. Please be aware that you will be prompted for a valid Palm Beach County Library card if you access the database from home.

To start using this valuable database, please visit our Electronic Databases page.
http://www.pbclibrary.org/edb/patronlinks.asp

4/ Independence Day Closing

All Palm Beach County Library System locations will be closed on Friday, July 4, in observance of Independence Day. No materials will be due on this day.

All library locations will be open for business on Saturday, July 5.

5/ Next Month in Books & Bytes

Next month, we will continue exploring our web site in further detail. We will spend the next issue looking at our Research Resources section, and we will profile Reference USA in our Electronic Databases.

Books & Bytes is published on the third Monday of each month.

To unsubscribe from Books & Bytes, send an e-mail message to
listserv@co op.pbcl.lib.fl.us
with the words "signoff books and bytes" in the body of the message.

Please direct any questions or comments about Books & Bytes to: webmaster@pbclibrary.org

You may contact us by regular mail at:
Webmaster, Palm Beach County Library System, 3650 Summit Blvd., West Palm Beach, FL, 33406