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What’s the “A” All About?

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Library Staff in History, Library Blog, Local Happenings

Many times I have had visiting friends and family ask me what that giant “A” up on the hill is all about. Of course I am happy to divulge the tale of the white symbol above our city, but I also wonder how many of our locals may not really know what that “A” is all about.

The “A” comes to us courtesy of Colorado State University as one of the longest standing traditions at the school. But why would CSU place an “A” on the hill; CSU was founded in 1870 as the Colorado Agricultural College. The “A” stands for the Aggies; the original team name/mascot for the college. The “A” was first created on December 4, 1923. In just 6 hours of construction a CSU tradition was born. “The following year, on Sept. 20, students lengthened and widened the “A” to its present size of 450 feet high and 210 feet across.” Each year the “A” is maintained by freshman football players and several other campus organizations. They hike up to it with buckets of white paint, truth be told- getting themselves whitewashed also.

The name change from Colorado Agricultural College to Colorado State University officially took place in 1957. A newer sports tradition is the “Orange Out” where team members and fans wear the original color of the Aggies – Pumpkin orange. Another fun fact is according to CSU “in 1946, the Aggies adopted a Rocky Mountain bighorn ram as the official mascot. The original ram was named “CAM” for Colorado A&M, and one of his descendants remains our mascot today.”

Go Rams!

By Charlotte Lakamp

More Resources:

http://www.colostate.edu/features/csulogos.aspx
http://www.colostate.edu/features/history.aspx
http://www.csurams.com/trads/the-a.html

 

Aggies, CAM, CSU, Local history Read More

The Pros & Cons of eReaders

Posted on April 21, 2013 by Library Staff in Library Blog

Ever since eReaders debuted in 2007, critics have debated their significance in the publishing world. Do they represent the extinction of traditional publishing? Or the dawn of a new era of more convenient, accessible reading? However you look at it, eReaders have sparked a new way of reading.

Still on the fence about whether or not an eReader is right for you? Here is an in-depth list of pros and cons that might help you decide.

Pros of an eReader

1. It’s eco-friendly. No paper = less toll on the environment. No physical books also means that the lifetime carbon footprint of your “library” is drastically lessened. (eBooks don’t need to be physically shipped to you!)

2. You can download books almost instantly, from almost anywhere. Heard of a new book you’re dying to read? With one click of a button, it’s yours. Talk about instant gratification!

3. eBooks are often cheaper than print books. Because the publisher is able to take out the overhead expenses of printing, storing, and shipping the books, the prices of eBooks are often much lower than print books.

4. It saves space. Do your bookshelves runneth over? eReaders come in a variety of sizes, with the smallest having a 5-inch screen, measured diagonally (for comparison, an iPad has an 9.7-inch screen). This website compares eReaders by size.

5. It’s much easier to travel with. If you travel (and read) a lot, an eReader might be a smart investment. This also makes it a good option for students who need to get a lot of reading done on the go.

6. You can download more than eBooks. Most eReaders also let you download newspapers, magazines, and even audio books to your device. Many newspapers offer eReader subscriptions, letting you flip through the pages of today’s New York Times without the fuss of spilling coffee on the crossword puzzle.

7. You can change the text size. Having trouble reading the fine print? eReaders allow you to change the font size at will, making reading more enjoyable for those of us with less than 20/20 vision.

8. You can find out-of-print books more easily. Books that are out-of-print gain new life in the eBook world, which is fantastic for bibliophiles who have been searching for a copy of a book no longer being published.

9. It allows you to search for text and look up words. This is particularly useful for students, or for anyone who wants to find a particular word or phrase in a book, or someone who reads with a dictionary next to them.

10. More independent authors and publishers are able to get their books out there. This has leveled the publishing playing field a bit, as some of the past few years’ hit novels started out as humble eBooks. (Fifty Shades of Grey, anyone?)

Cons of an eReader

1. It’s expensive. Although the price of an eReader has come down considerably over the years, the cheapest eReaders on the market are still $100 or more—and that’s not including a cover, which you’ll need to prevent scratches.

2. It’s electronic. This means that your eReader needs something that traditional books don’t: regular battery charging. And, unlike your favorite paperback, if you drop an eReader, it might break.

3. It doesn’t have the same physical presence as a traditional book. Who wants a house with no books on the shelves? It may be the diehard paper lover in me, but when I think of a cozy home, I think of shelves packed with well-loved books.

4. You can’t flip through the pages. Sometimes I like to flip through a book I’ve read to remind myself of the main points, or to find a passage that I particularly like. While eBooks let you search for words, they only let you flip page-by-page, or chapter-by-chapter, so you lose part of the “flip” appeal of a traditional book.

5. It just doesn’t have the same feel as a traditional book. There is something to be said for paper books. The smell of ink, the feel of the pages, the excitement of getting closer and closer to that last page. eBooks will never be able to replace that!

6. It’s not great for gift-giving. Sure, you can give someone an eReader as a gift. But what if you just want to get them the latest bestseller that you know they’ll love? You probably wouldn’t want to give them an eBook.

7. Not all titles are available in eBook form. Keep this in mind when you have a specific book in mind, and suddenly can’t find it through the library or in the eBook store!

8. Speaking of stores…eBooks are a threat to booksellers. The ease and availability of eBooks has (in part) led to a decline in bookstores, since consumers have stopped visiting their local booksellers to find titles they want.

9. Some books just don’t work as eBooks. Anatomy textbooks without images? Children’s books without the color illustrations? Depending on your eReader device, some books just don’t translate to electronic form that well.

10. It can’t be autographed by the author. In fact, eBooks are completely divorced from the author’s social context—there will never be a “first edition eBook” that will become a collector’s item. If this matters to you, you’re officially a bibliophile. Go pick up the latest hardcover and check out that author signing, stat!

Still not sure if an eReader is right for you? The Poudre River Public Library District has 60 Nook Simple Touch eReaders and 30 Nook Color eReaders available for loan! Click here to reserve one today and try it out for yourself.

By Molly McCowan.

Molly is a professional writer and editor living in Old Town, Fort Collins. When she’s not working with words, she can’t wait to get to the nearest river and cast the perfect fly for a hungry trout, accompanied by her Shetland Sheepdog, Misty. Contact her at molly@inkbotediting.com.

ebooks, ereaders Read More

Top Apps for Preschool Literacy

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Library Staff in Library Blog

Do you have an iPhone or iPad AND a preschooler? If you do, chances are that your child has already discovered some fun things they can do with it. While it is important to limit your child’s interactions with this media, it seems to be almost intuitive for them to figure out how to make it work. Touch screen technology is how they are learning and I think it will be the way they will continue learning as they get into school. Trying to find the best apps, however, can be quite a struggle as there are so many – good and not so good – available.

Here are some places to find reviews: Common Sense Media has some solid suggestions. Children’s Technology Review at has some free reviews, but to get to all of them, there is a paid subscription. A good blog by Cynthia Chiong at gives some great reviews. There are many more sources; these will give you a start.

There are game apps and book apps. Here are a few that I’ve found successful with a couple of my grandchildren. The Going to Bed Book by Sandra Boynton has fun interactive things to do and the reader’s voice is soothing. Nosy Crow’s Cinderella: A 3-D Fairy Tale has the traditional tale with some added fun elements. Always popular is The Monster At the End of This Book by Jon Stone. A new combination of book app and regular app using an actual book is Imagnotron. It uses The Fantastic Flying Books of Morris Lessmore by William Joyce to combine the app experience with the physical book for some really interesting results.

Games that have proven popular are I Hear Ewe where kids touch the animal or vehicle and hear its sound. Everyday Grooves has songs for routines in a kid’s life like wake up, brush your teeth, read a story and more. You can set it to automatically play at a time you specify. Pet Factory has been the most popular as kids design their personal pet and can even save a picture of their creation. Kids Karaoke has some great sing-along titles such as If You’re Happy and You Know It, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and more.

Letter School is a fun game that guides children in how to draw the letters of the alphabet. Build and Play takes apart vehicles like cars, train engines and robots and lets kids rebuild them, one part at a time. Cutie Monsters includes monsters from 1-10 and simple jigsaw puzzles. The Wheels on the Bus takes the familiar song and extends it to include some other additions like fish and dogs. And finally, Angry Birds is a fascinating app for all ages. Younger kids will need to figure out how a catapult works by pulling back on the birds, but once they do, they rapidly make those little birds fly.

Some of these are free while others have a low cost. Check them out. If you have an app that your preschooler just loves, I’d love to hear about it. Tell me in the comments below or email me at vhays@poudrelibraries.org

By Vicky Hays – Early Literacy Librarian

 

apps, early literacy, games, preschoolers Read More
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