Tag Archives: search

General, Public

GRRL has a new catalog

mushroom photoContrary to popular belief, change CAN be a good thing! At the beginning of this month, the Great River Regional Library premiered a new catalog system. This new catalog has a responsive design, meaning it adapts to the format of whatever device you are viewing it on. This makes it mobile friendly!

When searching on the new catalog, you may find that you get more results. These are broken down into different topic areas, and even by format (so you know which are DVDs, eBooks, etc). There is also an autocomplete function that brings up suggestions based on what you are typing, so your search may go even faster.

And not to worry, they are continuing to run the original catalog for a time while people get accustomed to the transition. Have you used the new catalog yet? Be sure you offer helpful feedback to GRRL as you test out this new exciting tool.

 Image credit: https://unsplash.com/ (Manuel Barroso Parejo), licensed under CC0 1.0

 

 

 

 

 

 

Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Recommended Apps: Shazam and SoundHound

Image by Berlin Career College. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons' licensing.
Image by Berlin Career College. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons’ licensing.

Have you ever been listening to the radio, heard a great song, and wondered about the title and/or artist? CMLE recommends using Shazam or SoundHound. Both of these apps identify songs and other media utilizing special sound recognition software. Results can be made available  in under a minute, allowing the user to view lyrics with an option to purchase the song. Interested in learning more about a song that you can’t seem to stop singing? SoundHound has an added feature in which the user is able to hum or sing the lyrics to initiate a search.

Note: Both of these products have a free version compatible with Apple, Android and Windows operating systems.

Tip: If you receive a device for the holidays, this is a quick and fun app to kick-start your learning.  Incorporate this technology into a mini research/trivia activity to engage your library users.

Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

GRRL’s Online Catalog Just Got Better!

Image retrieved online from GRRL. 11/18/13
Image retrieved online from GRRL 11/18/13.

A recent press release shared an exciting new development in our region. In addition to the expected bibliographic data we see in our GRRL search results, that information is now fortified with a service called NoveList Select!

According to the press release….” It makes book searches fun by providing recommendations readers will see as they browse online. For example, readers who look for Catching Fireby Suzanne Collins will not only see that the library owns multiple copies, but also that it is the second book in a series: the Hunger Games trilogy. They will also see covers of other series and other books recommended for readers of Catching Fire. Additional enhancements include listings for recommended authors, reader ratings and reviews, a link to the NoveList website, and extras from NoveList in the form of award winner listings and booktalk links.

NoveList Select turns a static catalog into a place for book discovery. The recommendations are created by a large team of experts at NoveList including numerous professional librarians. “Traditionally, readers would speak with their local librarian to get book recommendations,” said Jake Grussing, the library’s associate director for collection development. “That reader’s advisory still takes place, but large numbers of patrons now visit us online, and the addition of NoveList Select makes it possible for us to provide an equivalent kind of service to the online browser.”

Great River Regional Library’s website address is griver.org. GRRL provides library services at 32 public libraries in Benton, Morrison, Sherburne, Stearns, Todd and Wright Counties. It provides Central Minnesota residents with nearly 1 million books, CDs and DVDs, 250 public computers, programming and information services.