Just a brief note… An area for general discussion has now been created. If you have a comment you would like to make and just don’t know or can’t find an appropriate place to post it, you can use the general discussion area. You can find the “General Discussion” area in the left sidebar or by clicking here. Just scroll to the bottom to add a comment.
Free and Open-source Software
There are many software programs available on the internet for your use. Many of these are programs are released for free. Often, these programs can be just a good or even better as propriety software. However, they can also be harder to find. Below are some terms that can be associated with free software and some lists of free or open-source software.
- Freeware – Software made available at no cost to you for personal use.
- Open-source – Software whose source code (programming) has been made freely available for use or modification as users or developers see fit. This means that you can use the software for free and modify it if you so desire.
Windows –
Mac –
Also, you can check out SourceForge.net. A repository for open-source software. Some well-tested, some new, and some little more that an idea. If you find a program that would like to check out, try clicking on “Project Web Site” for a possilby easier to understand webpage. (Little down from the top on the right-hand side.)
What software do you use and can’t live with-out? Do have somewhere you go to find free software? Feel free to discuss in the comments…
The Kite Runner
The Kite Runner, by Kaheled Hosseini, tells the story of a friendship between two boys growing up in Kabul, Afghanistan. Hassan is Amir’s kite runner, exceptional at judging where a kite will land after having it’s string cut. (Kite flying in Kabul often results in bloody hands after trying to cut the strings of competitors kite’s. They often fly kites with glass coated string.) While Hassan is going after a kite that Amir has won, he suffers an attack that Amir witnesses. Amir shuts Hassan out of his life and attempts to move on. However, even after he and his father flee from the Russian occupation to America, he still feels shame and regret. Finally, he heads back to Afghanistan in an attempt to make things right and help Hassan’s son. The Kite Runner is a novel of fathers and sons and of friendship and betrayal that goes from the final days of Afghanistan’s monarchy to the atrocities of the present.
The Kite Runner is also available at the Vermillion Public Library. Check it out and let us know what you think with a comment!
The Manhattan Mercury
The Manhattan Mercury has launched a new version of their website. Check it out at http://www.themercury.com/.
Some of the highlights are:
- No login required to read articles
- More interactive features, including message boards and the ability to discuss articles
- Improved search, including local business directory listings
- Better organization
- K-State sports coverage merged into one site on TheMercury.com.
Can you help?
The library has received a e-mail asking about a building in Vermillion.
Happy New Year, dear Librarian–
Would you happen to know the name of the building in Vermillion, Kansas, where touring theatrical productions were shown during the late 19th and early 20th centuries?
The INDEX TO MUSIC IN THEATER [a not-for-profit academic theater reference database] carries several citations for touring productions that were seen there but we have been unable to attach the name of the venue to each of these citations [i.e. opera house, town hall, high school auditorium].
Your response is very important to our research.
Thank you, Ed Chilcott–INDEX coordinator
Would you happen to know the name of the building in Vermillion, Kansas, where touring theatrical productions were shown during the late 19th and early 20th centuries?
The INDEX TO MUSIC IN THEATER [a not-for-profit academic theater reference database] carries several citations for touring productions that were seen there but we have been unable to attach the name of the venue to each of these citations [i.e. opera house, town hall, high school auditorium].
Your response is very important to our research.
Thank you, Ed Chilcott–INDEX coordinator
If know anything about this, please comment on this post, email the library at vplibrary@bluevalley.net, or contact the library directly.
Thank you
Post Script:Â Information from the 1969 Centennial book indicated that the name of the building was the Vermillion Opera House and it was built in 1904.
With your Kansas Library Card
Did you know that you are not limited only to the books you can find at the library? Using your Kansas Library Card (KSLC) you can access thousands of e-Books, audio files, and much more. All for free! Here is a summary of some of what you will have access to.
- HomeworkKansas – Live tutoring for Kansas students.
- OverDrive – Digital Audio Books and Digital Music available for you download and listen to on your computer, MP3 Player, or CD.
- FirstSearch – Access to full-image articles from electronic and full-text journals.
- Infotrac Web – Access to citations and articles from scholarly, business, and trade journals, and other news sources.
- NetLibrary eBooks – More that 12,000 eBooks covering a wide array of subjects.
- ProQuest – Includes Nursing Journals Database, The ABI/Inform suite of Business and Economics resources and Research Library.
- ¡Informe! – Una colección de revistas hispánicas con textos completos. Abarca negocios, salud, tecnologÃa, cultura, temas de actualidad y otras materias.
- Heritage Quest – A genealogy database including 1790-1930 Census data and much more.
- Literature Resource Center – Author biographies, literary essays, critical essays covering many subjects and much more.
- Custom Newspapers – Full-text database of over 160 U.S. and foreign newspapers.
- WorldBook – Includes every article in the 22 volume print edition and more.
*Interpreted from the information for the KSLC on kslc.org.
There may be further explanation to some of these services at a later time.
To obtain access to these services, provided by the State Library of Kansas and KAN-ED, see a librarian and ask for a Kansas Library Card. All you need is to be a resident of the State of Kansas.
Commenting
One benefit of the new website is the ability for you to place comments on any of the posts or pages you see here. Commenting is quite simple to do. Let’s take an example, let’s say you wonder if “An Ocean Apart” came in on the book van on the 2nd. This is how you would ask this question using the commenting system.
- Click on the title of the post you want to comment on. This is the blue text above each entry on the site. For our example, we would be clicking on “Book Van Brings New Books.” If you are wanting to comment on a page, under the “On this site…” section to the left, simply click on it so you are viewing the page.
- Scroll down to the bottom of the page. This is where you create a new comment.
- Fill out the fields and create your comment. Name – you must put in some name. It doesn’t need to be your real name or even relate to you in anyway. Mail – is required, but will remain private. Website – not required, if you have a website that associates with you, you can place it here. If you do place one, you name will appear as a link that links to your website. Comment – can you guess? This is where you place your comment! “Hi, wondered if “An Ocean Apart” came in on the book van?” (Note to administrators and authors – if you are logged in, you will not see the above fields, but only the Comment section. If you wish to post under a different name, you must first logout)
- Click the button titled “Submit Comment.” This will publish your comment under the post or page you are viewing. When someone that knows the answer to your comment, they can comment and give you the answer.
Now you know how to comment on this website. We will generally not edit or delete your posts, but we do reserve the right to do so for any reason. That said, bear the following general rules in mind.
- Respect others
- Do not impersonate anyone else
- Do not post profanity or anything that could be deemed inappropriate
- Keep the comment relevant to the topic you are commenting under
Any questions or problems, please contact the library.
Flickr!
The library now has a Flickr page. You can view the photos on the left by clicking on them or you can view the full Flickr album by clicking here. If you you have some photos that would be good to have in the album, you can e-mail them to the library at vplibrary+website@bluevalley.net.
Community Contacts
Information for the contact page is needed. If you know of something or someone that needs to be added to the list, please use the comment function for this post or on the Community Contact page. To get there you can click on “Community Contacts” in the left-hand column, or click here. You can also email the library at vplibrary+website@bluevalley.net. Thanks!
A new website!
As you can see, the library website has a new look. It was created using the blogging software WordPress which also makes it much easier to update when compared with the old website. We will try to keep the site current with the happenings around the library. It is still (and probably always will be) a work in progress so comments or e-mails are welcome. In the meantime, check out some of the links and pages to the left and right of this post. Enjoy!