Let Lynda Teach You

Do you want to improve your job skills in order to be eligible for advancement or a raise in 2017? Are you interested in learning new applications that will improve or add a creative touch to your life?

The specialty teaching platform, Lynda.com, can guide you through a large number of classes and videos tailored to your needs, and we offer this online service FREE to our library members. Simply find the Lynda link on our website, create an account, and begin exploring the learning possibilities! With your Lynda.com library account you can access over 4,000 courses in areas ranging from photography and web development to general business and design courses. Taking advantage of this free, self-improvement opportunity is the first step towards a smarter YOU!

Learn With Lynda

What a busy fall this has been for us! 

First we added Rosetta Stone, the language immersion program, to our roster of important resources that are free to Bernardsville Library members. Rosetta Stone enables you to learn up to 30 languages online in self-paced sessions that cater to your needs. Do you want to learn enough vocabulary to get by on a trip abroad? Maybe you want to improve grammar and conversation skills in a language you previously learned? You can do all that with ease and totally for free with Rosetta Stone and your library membership.

How about going to the head of the line every time you want to borrow a popular item from the library? With hoopla, the digital lending service we added in October, you no longer have to wait on a reserve list for the newest book, movie or music album to become available. Hoopla membership entitles you to borrow a number of audiobooks, ebooks, comics, music, and movies per month without the wait or hassle. Simply sign up on our website and begin downloading right away.

Now that November is here, we're topping off this fabulous fall with the exciting addition to our website of the online tutorial service, Lynda.com. Lynda provides you with over 3,000 courses taught by industry experts in the areas of technology, business, and creativity. You can tune up your skills in web design, software development, or business management. With more than 100,000 instructional videos, Lynda will teach you how to photoshop your images, how to build an app, and many, many other creative skills. 

These three resources would cost you a significant amount of money to subscribe to on your own, but through your library membership with us, it's all free. Yes, free. All you have to do is click on the Rosetta Stone, hoopla, and Lynda icons on our website, sign up with your library card number, and expand your world of knowledge and entertainment. We hope you do.

Hoopla, A Lending Service Worthy Of Its Name

This month we're making a big hoopla about offering Bernardsville Library members free access to an exciting digital lending service called hoopla. Hoopla enables you to instantly borrow digital media which you can stream or download to a computer, tablet, or smartphone using the hoopla app. This product is also compatible with Chromecast and viewable on Apple TV.

One of the most exciting features of hoopla is that it allows you to borrow music, movies, audiobooks, ebooks, comics, and TV episodes without a waiting period. There are no holds lists with long waiting times. YOU are always first in line! Listen to more than 270,000 albums, watch thousands of TV episodes and movies, and take your pick from over 100,000 audiobooks, comics, and ebooks. And it's so convenient for you because your items will be automatically returned at the end of your loan period.

To begin your new adventure with hoopla, simply visit our website http://bernardsvillelibrary.org, click on the hoopla link, and sign up using your library card number. While you're on our website, please take advantage of our many other resources that will add value to your life. Among them are the Cloud Library for ebooks and audiobooks, Rosetta Stone for language learning, digital magazine lending through Zinio and Flipster, and our many research and collection resources.

Broaden Your Horizons With Rosetta Stone

Here's a unique opportunity for you to broaden your world by learning another language. You'll feel more confident when you travel internationally if you can be understood by people in their native language. Shopping, sightseeing, dining, conducting business, and seeking assistance will all become easier if you're multi-lingual, so we invite you to take this opportunity to learn one of thirty languages available to Bernardsville Library members through Rosetta Stone Library Solution's online-learning program. Learn at home, on the go with the app, or in the library.

Of course, you can't become conversant in just one lesson, so advance yourself incrementally with Rosetta Stone's well-paced lessons. Follow their tips below to help you achieve your goals. To sign up for Rosetta Stone, visit our website, click on the Rosetta Stone image, enter your library card number, and start the adventure!

Reach for the Top

The pinnacle of success in life is built upon a foundation of hard work; it's nearly impossible to achieve goals without it. Whether you're a student writing a research paper, an adult seeking career advancement, a foreign-language speaker learning English, or a curious mind expanding your knowledge base, the public library provides you with the tools and inspiration necessary to get to the top. Best of all, these resources are abundant and free to you. 

We think the first step on your way to success should be the acquisition of a library card. To become a member of Bernardsville Public Library, you must live, work, go to school or pay taxes in the Borough of Bernardsville or qualify through joint memberships with certain library associations. You also have the option of purchasing a nonresident card. Your Bernardsville library card accords you full access to what would otherwise be a very costly set of books, resources, subscriptions, and online services if you had to purchase them on your own. 

To further help you meet your goals, a good library website loaded with reference and research databases makes working from home possible when a library visit is not feasible. At Bernardsville Public Library, these databases are open to you 24 hours a day with the simple input of your library card number. Make yourself familiar with our website, bernardsvillelibrary.org, find out whether you qualify for a library card, and start laying the foundation for your next success in life. We're here to help.

Takin' It To The Streets

Bernardsville Public Library is going on the road in September to sign up new members during Library Card Sign-Up Month. You could even say we’re “takin’ it to the streets” of Bernardsville to show you just how easy it is to get a library card!

Our information tables are popping up at such Bernardsville locations as Starbucks, Kings, Shoprite, and Penguin Ice Cream where staff members greet shoppers and acquaint them with the many benefits of having a Bernardsville Library membership. These benefits include full borrowing access to our incredible free resources; exciting, educational programming for children and adults; tools for online learning and homework help; numerous volunteer opportunities; and a career skills center.

As a thank you, new members will receive our library tote bag, information pamphlets, and tokens such as library cups, notecards, or rubber bracelets – something for everyone! But wait, there’s more! Did you know that you don’t necessarily have to be a resident of Bernardsville to get a library card? Anyone who works in Bernardsville, though not a resident, is entitled to a card, as are certain non-resident students. People from neighboring towns or towns in our library federation are also entitled to a card. All you need do is ask! Show us your ID, fill out a short form, and you’ll be a card-carrying member of Bernardsville Library in no time!

Become Conversant in Icelandic or Hawaiian!

Bernardsville Public Library continues to offer the free, online language-learning resource, Mango, which has recently been upgraded to Mango Connect.  This user-friendly portal offers improved graphics and is considered to be a more intuitive way to learn a language.  Mango Connect offers a base of more than 50 foreign languages from which to chose, including Bengali, Scottish Gaelic, and Tagalog.  In addition, non-English speakers may learn English with instruction in one of 17 native languages.

Another feature of Mango Connect is Mango Conversations which allows you to hear and repeat social conversations you might encounter while travelling abroad.  Learn a few helpful words or phrases in Icelandic or Hawaiian before you take that next vacation!  If you've studied French of Spanish in high school and now want to advance your language abilities, take Mango Connect's placement tests to know which level of study you should enter.  It's all very simple; begin by setting up your account online through our website.  All you'll need is your Bernardsville Library card number and an email address.  First, go to this link and click on Mango Languages, then initiate your free account.  You may also download the App for Mango Languages Library Edition onto your smartphone or tablet. How cool is that?!

The Past is Present in Our Local History Room

Thanks to the dedicated work of some Bernardsville Public Library volunteers, a large trove of Somerset Hills family histories, artifacts, photographs, and books have been preserved in the library's Edwin S. Spinning Local History Room. Significant collections in the Local History Room include the Fred Pitney Crater negatives from the early 20th century. Hundreds of these negatives have now been scanned and are viewable on our website. These negatives document town life in the early 1900's and include marvelous images of various well-known mansions built for industrialists seeking country living on a grand scale.

Decorative holiday cards and postcards dating approximately from 1905 make up another extensive collection in the Local History Room.  Postcards of area sites and state-wide views are particularly of interest.  Maps, manuscripts, old medicine bottles, and crockery comprise some of the other items donated to the library for preservation.  Oftentimes, these donated items have been found in home basements or attics long after having been left behind by their original owners.

The Local History Room also maintains a file of obituaries dating back to the 1800's for genealogists in search of family histories.  For those who want to revisit their youthful days in Bernardsville or research a family member who graduated from Bernards High School, a collection of high school yearbooks dating back to 1907 may be looked at on days when the Local History Room is open.  Our dedicated volunteers are present on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 1:30 - 4:00 p.m. to show you these items, discuss local history, answer questions or receive donated materials pertinent to Bernardsville's past.  Please keep this wonderful resource in mind.

Affordable Care Act Resources

Bernardsville Public Library now offers online resources to assist you in understanding the Affordable Care Act, also referred to as ACA.  These resources have been pooled by the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, and we are providing a link to their Middle Atlantic Region data on the ACA.  These same resources may also be accessed from within our website by following links from "Collections & Resources" to "Research & Learning" and finally linking to "Health."

Transitioning?

Summer ends, children return to school, and it might just be time for a change in your life.  Maybe you’re ready to transition into or out of a career.  Perhaps you are looking for some fulfilling way to spend a few hours a week outside the home. Let Bernardsville Library assist you in finding opportunities for full and part-time employment.  There are numerous online resources accessible from our website which may prove very useful to you.  For New Jersey residents you'll find a special menu, NJ Work Tools, offering information and links for job seekers including veterans.  Bernardsville Library's website also offers many business resources which are searchable online, such as Reference USA, Ferguson Career Guidance, and EBSCO BusinessSource Premier.  Don't forget The Job and Career Accelerator tool and its test preparation platform, both of which are designed to get you on the fast track.  For those able to come into our library, we also make available the Foundation Directory Online, which a librarian will access for you.  In fact, our librarians are eager to help you in your career search, so please seek out our guidance.  We'd love to work with you!