Orlando library lets teens' voices be heard

By Chris Wellander | Special To The Sentinel
June 22, 2008

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/community/news/azaleapark/orl-orteens2208jun22,0,672947.story

Downtown Orlando on a Thursday evening. A band is tuning up to play a set; the crowd is seated and waiting; the refreshments are overflowing.

But when this band of teenagers performs, its music will ring out through the cavernous first floor of the Orlando Public Library -- not exactly what one would expect from a place known for telling folks to keep quiet.

Programs like open-mike night go on all the time at the library and would not exist without the library's teen programs, many created by the teens themselves.

The original Teen Voices council was made up of students from Howard Middle School. Since then the group has grown to include teens throughout Orange County.



"Teen Voices is our teen advisory group," said Heather Pippin, the teen-council coordinator. "We go to them to ask questions about programs; they come to us and ask us to hold programs that they think other teens would be interested in."

The program started about five years ago as a way to get more teenagers involved in the library. According to Pippin and Danielle King, the library system's first teen programming coordinator, these young people have a huge amount of input into what goes on at the libraries.

"None of the library's programs would have happened without Teen Voices," said King, now an assistant manager at the Alafaya branch. "Sometimes we think we have a great idea, and we go to them and they say, 'Uh, no, teens won't go to that.' "

"One girl I remember was really shy, and in three years she was president of Teen Voices and started the Animanga Club," said Danielle King. "It also gives the younger teens someone to look up to."

Teen Voices meets every month to decide on upcoming programs and to talk about related teen issues. Every club the library has developed, from the robotics club to the performing arts club, were originally developed by Teen Voices.

Douglas Rintoul, 16, is Teen Voices president and a University High School student.

"It's a lively discussion," Douglas said. "Everyone's bubbling over with ideas, most of the time, and we usually end up narrowing it down to three or four choices and then voting on them."

Events such as the video gaming competitions, teen movie nights, and even parties for the volunteers were all chosen and planned by the group. They have a hand in setting the summer reading list by picking the theme and even selecting some of the books. They even picked out the furniture in the lounge area, known as Club Central.

The students also find that Teen Voices has helped them develop skills that might have remained dormant if they hadn't gotten involved.

Vanessa Williams, vice president, said Teen Voices and the library's other programs help teens stay out of trouble.

"It gives teens something else to do," Vanessa said. "Like right now, I could be at a club or something, like some other people I know, instead of being at the library."

Vanessa is home-schooled and has been with the group for four years.

Modern libraries aren't just books anymore

by Etan Horowitz | User's Guide
June 28, 2008
Orlando Sentinel

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/technology/orl-horowitz2808jun28,0,6419231.column?track=rss

Everybody knows that in a down economy, one easy way to save money is to check out books, CDs and DVDs from the library instead of buying or renting them.

But that's only the beginning. The Orange County Library System is one of the most innovative libraries in the country, and it offers lots of free ways to satisfy your technology, entertainment and information cravings.

Here's a sample:


Catch a flick -- on DVD or on your computer



Etan Horowitz E-mail | Recent columns

The library's DVD collection rivals any neighborhood video store and even Netflix. There are about 145,000 titles to rent and the library carries every one of the 100 most popular rentals on Netflix. There's also a ton of classics, independent and foreign films and even popular TV shows such as The Sopranos.

Like Netflix, you can have DVDs delivered to your door, but you have to return them yourself or pay the postage. New DVDs are shelved on Tuesday morning, so get there early if you want a jump on everyone else.

And if you can't wait for your DVDs to arrive in the mail, the library lets you download about 700 movies, TV shows and community programs to watch instantly on computer through a downloadable program called MyLibrarydv.

There aren't any new releases, but there are about 90 movies from Sony Pictures Entertainment, including quality flicks such as Donnie Brasco, Philadelphia, Taxi Driver and Jerry Maguire.

Once you download a movie, you can watch it without being connected to the Internet. So before you go on a trip, you could download a few movies to your laptop and then watch them on the plane.

For more on MyLibrarydv, including the system requirements, go to www.ocls.info, click on "Library Catalog" and then click on "MyLibrarydv."


Computer classes

Always wanted to learn how to create a Web page, use Photoshop or edit a video? Or do you need to brush up on PowerPoint, Excel or Outlook? The library offers about 1,000 computer classes a month in English, Spanish and Haitian Creole. There are even classes you can take online.

Recently, the library added a Mac lab with nine new Apple iMacs. Classes are taught on topics including GarageBand, Keynote, iPhoto, iMovie and iWeb.

Some of the other interesting classes offered include: "Basic Computer Maintenance and Security," " eBay Buying and Selling," "Podcasting Basics," and " Google Earth and Google Maps." For a full schedule of classes, go to www.ocls.info and click on "Classes & Programs" or get a copy of the library's monthly newsletter.


Audiobooks

Audiobooks are a great way to pass the time if you are traveling or if you prefer to do your reading with your ears.

The library has more than 40,000 audiobooks in nearly every form imaginable, including cassettes, CDs, MP3 CDs and downloadable files.

But perhaps the coolest type of audiobook that the library offers is one that doesn't require a separate player and fits in your pocket. It's called a "Playaway" and it's a pre-loaded digital audiobook that weighs about two ounces. All you need to listen to a book is a pair of headphones. You can also hook it up to external speakers or your car stereo. Each Playaway has all the controls you need to listen to your book and you can adjust the volume or speed. The device also remembers where you left off.


Video games

If your kid has been bugging you for an Xbox 360 or a Wii, send them over to the library. Each library location has an Xbox 360 that children under 17 can play. They also have Nintendo Wiis, which they occasionally bring out.

The branches also frequently hold gaming nights where teens compete on the Nintendo Wii and in games such as Guitar Hero and Dance Dance Revolution. There are even gaming nights for adults and seniors.

If you have a Nintendo DS, Xbox, Xbox 360, or PlayStation 2, the library has about 300 games that you can check out.