We’ll be publishing additional features in future posts on the web page and will hold a training class.  For now, take a look, do some fun research (no, that’s not an oxymoron!) and indulge your sense of adventure and your love of learning.

Here’s a partial list of reference works by publisher (be prepared to be awed!!):

A&C Black
1)Black’s Medical Dictionary
2)Black’s Veterinary Dictionary
3)Dictionary of Contemporary Slang
4)Word Origins

ABC-CLIO
5)African-American Writers: A Dictionary
6Animals and Science: A Guide to the Debates
7)Encyclopedia of Women Social Reformers
8)Guns in American Society: An Encyclopedia of History, Politics, Culture and the Law
9)Immigration and Asylum from 1900 to Present
10)Martial Arts of the World

Andromeda
11)A Biographical Dictionary of Artists
12)Concise Atlas of World History

Barron’s Educational Series
13)Dictionary of Finance and Investment Terms
14)The New Food Lover’s Companion
15)The New Wine Lover’s Companion

Bloomsbury Publishing Ltd.
16)Bloomsbury Dictionary of Myth
17)Bloomsbury Thesaurus

Bridgeman
18)The Bridgeman Art Library Archive

Cambridge University Press
19)The Cambridge Dictionary of Scientists
20)The Cambridge Guide to Children’s Books in English
21)The Cambridge Guide to Literature in English
22)The Cambridge Guide to Theatre

Chambers Harrap
23)Chambers Classic Speeches
24)Chambers Film Factfinder

CIA
25)CIA World Factbook

Columbia University Press
26)The Columbia Companion to the Twentieth-Century American Short Story
27)The Columbia Encyclopedia

Continuum
28)Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World:  Performance and Production

Dorling Kindersley Publishing, Inc.
29)The Human Body Book: An Illustrated Guide to Its Structure, Function and Disorders

Edinburgh University Press
30)Philosophy of Science A-Z

Edward Elgar Publishing
31)The Nobel Memorial Laureates in Economics
32)Who’s Who In Economics

Elsevier Health Sciences
33)Churchill Livingstone’s Dictionary of Nursing
34)Dorland’s Illustrated Medical Dictionary
35)International Dictionary of Homeopathy
36)Jablonski’s Dictionary of Medical Acronyms & Abbreviations
37)Mosby’s Dictionary of Complementary and Alternative Medicine
38)Mosby’s Handbook of Herbs & Natural Supplements
39)Natural Medicine Instructions for Patients
40)Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary

Elsevier Science & Technology
41)Academic Press Dictionary of Science and Technology
42)Elsevier’s Dictionary of Psychological Theories
43)Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs
44)Encyclopedia of Insects
45)Encyclopedia of the Solar System
46)Rivers of North America

Faber and Faber Ltd.
48)The Faber Companion to 20th Century Popular Music

Gale Cengage
49)Great American Court Cases, Gale

Greenwood
50)Encyclopedia of Classical Philosophy
51)Handbook of United States Economic and Financial Indicators

Dutchess Reads is a subscription service that you can sign up for and receive regular notices of newly published and older books.  Pick the topic you’re interested in such as Armchair Travel, Home & Garden, Fitness, Audio Books, and just wait.  You’ll get regular emails with a variety of titles; and you can go straight to the catalog and place a hold.  It really doesn’t get much easier than this.

About the Collection
The only format we have is downloadable audiobooks.

• An audiobook is a recorded reading of a book that can be downloaded and enjoyed on a computer or portable device. It is not an eBook. An eBook is a digital book, magazine, or graphic novel that can be downloaded and read on a computer or portable device.

A large part of the collection will work with i-pods as well as mp3 players. Most will be MP3 (OMA) because it is most compatible, some will be WMA (OAB) if it is the only way an important title can be included.

Most are popular fiction targeted to adults.  All are unabridged.

There are currently 267 titles in the collection.  More will be added during the year.  Only single copies of each item will be purchased at this time.

You will not be able to check out an downloadable audio book if your card is expired or you owe over $10.

The PIN  OverDrive uses is the same PIN as the PIN you use for your library account.

How Check-out Works
The majority of items in the collection (except for those indicated as ‘Always Available’) can be checked out by one patron at a time.
At checkout, you’ll  pick a loan period of either 7 or 14 days.

At the end of that time period the item will expire automatically and will return to the collection automatically. You can’t ‘return’ it early.

You can have up to 2 titles checked out at one time.

If the title you want is already checked out you can get on the waiting list. You can have up to 2 items on your waiting list at one time.

When a title you’ve placed a hold on is ready, you’ll get an e-mail from noreply@midhudson.org At this point, you’ll have 3 days to check out the title, otherwise it goes to the next person on the waiting list.

A Little Explanation
Are you wondering how WMA Audiobooks and MP3 Audiobooks differ?
MP3 Audiobooks are considered the “most compatible” as they are compatible with many devices including most cell phones, PDAs, and MP3 players.

If you wish to transfer audiobooks to a device (other than the Apple iPod or iPhone) that plays MP3 audio files but does not support DRM-protected WMA files, you must pick MP3 Audiobooks.

WMA Audiobooks are about half the file size of MP3 Audiobooks but maintain the same level of audio quality. They are generally compatible with portable devices that support DRM-protected WMA files encoded at a bit rate of 32kbps.

Many OverDrive WMA Audiobook titles can be transferred to Apple devices (where permitted by the publisher).

• Guest passes for the computer will now cost $1.00.
• If your hold items are not picked up within 7 days and we have to return them the cost is $1.00 per item.  This will not apply if you contact us to cancel the hold or if you cancel online.
• New cards continue to be free but replacement cards will cost $3.00

The per item charge for not picking up holds was added to discourage patrons from keeping resources that other people may need.  East Fishkill patrons place thousands of holds per year and that is very good.  However, there is a cost to get all of those titles pulled and delivered.  Because many of those holds are for books and DVDs that are in high demand we want to get them on their way as quickly as possible if it turns out that you no longer need them.

We think that your library card is the smartest card in your wallet and we encourage you to use it on a regular basis.

Just bring your discs in and we’ll send them for a spin.

You’ll also be able to check immediately whether the items are available at your local Library or whether they’ve been checked out.  Just click on the Hudson Valley Reads button on the front page of the catalog or click here.