Did you know that you can subscribe to the John Jermain Memorial Library’s online calendar of events so that you’ll always have the most updated version of the calendar available to you without having to visit JJML’s website?

This is accomplished using RSS (Really Simple Syndication), but don’t worry if you don’t know what RSS is or how to use it, we’ll explain all. Once you’re subscribed to the “feed” You can add it to your browser, a stand-alone feed reader or one of the many popular websites that support RSS feeds including, Yahoo, MSN, Google, Bloglines and more. In the example below, we show you how to add the feed to Internet Explorer 7’s “Favorites Center.” Here’s how:

Open Internet Explorer (must be version 7.0 or higher) and navigate to http://sagharbor.suffolk.lib.ny.us/calendar/index.php You can also get there by visiting the Library’s home page (http://sagharbor.suffolk.lib.ny.us) and clicking on the Calendar link in the menu on the left. Once you’re there, look for the “RSS buttons” on the left side of the page. They’re circled in red in the illustration below.

In this example we will click on the top button, the one labeled RSS 2.0. That will open the calendar’s RSS Feed page, a section of which is pictured below.

Now click on the link that says “Subscribe to this feed,” which is circled in red above. A small box (see below) will open on the screen with all the relevant information already filled in. You can change the name of the feed to JJML Calendar or something similar if you wish, otherwise leave everything as is and click on “Subscribe”.

You will then see a confirmation message indicating that you have successfully subscribed the feed.

Now lets test the feed. In Internet Explorer click on the “Favorites Center” button (indicated by the upper red circle in the illustration below). Then click on the “Feeds” tab indicated by the lower red circle in the illustration. You should now see a list of feeds to which you have subscribed. If this is your first feed you will only see “All Events–This Month,” or whatever you changed the name of the feed to. Click on the name of the feed and all JJML events for the current month will be displayed in the browser. Click on any one you in which you are interested for more information. From now on, whenever the calendar is updated, your feed will also be automatically updated as well.

Remember, you can view this feed in Internet Explorer regardless of the page you are viewing in the main browser window. After you’re done reading the feed, just click on the browser’s “Back” button to return to the page you were viewing.

By the way, you can also subscribe to the RSS feed for this blog (It’s Germane) by clicking on the “Subscribe in a Reader” button above on the right. The process is the same.

Along with today’s official rollout of SuffolkWave, JJML is also making six Creative Zen Nano 512MB digital media players (see photo at right) available to library patrons. Any adult JJML patron, or any juvenile patron with a signed permission slip, may borrow one of these players so that he or she may listen to media downloaded from SuffolkWave while on the go.

The player can be used to listen to either digital audio books or music downloaded from SuffolkWave. Other digital audio books and music may also work on the player. The players are loaned without headsets; users must provide their own. Earbud type headsets are available for purchase from the library for $3.00. Once purchased, the headsets become the permanent property of the purchaser.

As this is written the players are being given barcodes, and entered into our online cataloging system. This may take a day or two to complete, so they may not be available immediately. More information is available at the John Jermain and SuffolkWave websites.

We have two (Dell) computers that we recently removed from service that we are making available to the public for a nominal charge. We had three, but one has already sold.

While they’re not even close to state-of-the-art, they are serviceable. If you don’t currently have a computer, and purchasing a new one is not in the cards right now, you could get by with one of these for a while. They’re just fine for word processing (wordprocessing software not included), e-mail and Internet browsing.

The cost of the computer, with a keyboard and mouse is $30. Except for the operating system (Windows 98), there is no other software installed on the computers. We also have one 17″ and one 15″ monitor available for $20 and $15 respectively. If you buy either monitor with a computer, will take $5.00 off. So, you could walk away with a complete, old but working  computer setup for as little as $40.00.

We have two used printers, one inkjet and one laser, for sale cheap, too. Complete specs and prices for all the equipment are available at the library, or by calling Eric at 725-0049, extension 37.

Unfortunately we only had one person sign up for the blog class, so we had to cancel it this time. I guess the Hamptons are just not ready for blogs. We’ll try again later.

Blogging is all the rage here at the John Jermain Memorial Library…and everywhere else, too. Find out what all the buzz is about at our three-session course, All About Blogging, which begins on Thursday, August 3rd from 8:45 to 9:45 a.m., and continues on the following two Thursdays at the same time. (There was a mistake in our newsletter, which indicated that this was a five-week course.) In this class will discuss what Blogs are, who writes them, where to find blogs of interest to you, how to subscribe, how to write comments on blogs, and even how to create your own blog. By the end of this class you’ll be ready to become part of the blogosphere. Call 725-0049, ext. 0 to register, or ext. 37 for more information.

In addition, we’re reprising our popular one-session class called Protecting Your Computer. With threats to your computer and your identity multiplying daily, taking appropriate steps to protect your computer is not longer optional. In this class you’ll learn about all types of threats including viruses, hackers, spyware, phishing, spam and more. In addition will arm you with the information you need to set up appropriate protections against all these threats. This lecture with visual aids is presented in our third-floor rotunda, and can accommodate up to 25 students. Pre-registration is required. Call 725-0049 ext. 0 to register, or ext. 37 for more information.

We recently upgraded our the calendar of events feature on our website so that all events can be viewed at once, instead of having to switch back and forth between different calendars for adults, young adults and children. Now when you click on any calendar link on our website you will be taken to a cleanly designed, yet eye-pleasing page on which you can see everything that’s scheduled for the current month. You can also look ahead, to future months, or backward to see what you’ve missed. (Although, right now, you can only go back to mid-June, when we started to put this new calendar together.) It is also possible with two clicks to switch from the “All Events” view to a different view that only shows age-appropriate events. For example, you can just see events for kids, or just events for adults, etc. This calendar also has features for the staff, that will make our work-lives a little easier, or at least we’ll be a little better informed!

You can check it out right now by clicking here –> Calendar of Events

As announced in the May-June issue of the JJML newsletter, the next session of computer classes will be offered in August. The exact courses to be offered will be announced in the July-August newsletter which will be mailed to all residents of the Sag Harbor School District during the first week of July. As always, there will be an official day on which registration opens. For this session that day will be Tuesday, July 18th at 10:00 am. You may register in person here at the library or by phone. Call 725-0049, ext. 37 on or after July 18, 2006 at 10:00 am. No registrations will be accepted before that time. Around the time the newsletter is mailed, we will also post a list of the courses being offered here, and on our website.

UPDATE:
The courses being offered in the summer session are:

1. Computer 101 (4 sessions)
2. Computer 102 (5 sessions)
3. All About Blogging (5 sessions)
4. Protectiing Your Computer (1 session)

More information is available in the July-August newsletter and on our website.

Due to the ever rising cost of paper, ink and printer maintenance we are raising the price of color printing from our public access computers to $.50 per page effective immediately. The cost of monochrome printing (black and white) remains unchanged at $.10 per page.

By the way, as long as we're talking about printing; JJML's color printer is really amazing. Even at the higher price per page, the results are well worth it. We have a Xerox Phaser 8500, which employs a wax-based ink technology that results in high-resolution, printed pages with vibrant colors and a smooth wax-like (who'd a thunk it?) sheen over the entire page. The pages this printer turns out are really something to behold. Check it out next time you have something in color that you need to print, and are looking high-quality output.

JJ's computerguy will be conducting a one-session class on using e-mail on Monday, June 5th from 8:30 to 10:00 am in the Rotunda (3rd floor). Please enter through the front door.

This one-session course looks at the various e-mail services available on the web including Hotmail, Yahoo, AOL and Suffolk Web, as well as at Outlook Express, the free e-mail reader that comes with Windows. Students will learn how to connect to their e-mail service, read and write e-mail, forward and reply to messages, manage the address book, download or send attachements such as photos, and more. This is class consists of a lecture with visual aids. It is not hands on. There is no charge for this course.