What would you do if your friend was in an abusive relationship?  How do you deal with a friend who is avoiding you?  Find help with these questions and more, including how to lose weight safely and how to get your parents to trust you at Teen Health & Wellness!

You can easily visit the Teen Health & Wellness website by visiting the Bossier Parish Library website at http://www.bossierlibrary.org and clicking on the Teen Health and Wellness link on the menu on the left.  This link will log you in automatically so that you can access all of the features.

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Tonya Oswalt has worked with the Bossier Parish Library since April of 2007, including 2 ½ years in teen services.  She strives to make the library a more interesting and entertaining place for teenagers by providing them with new books and regular teen programming, including a monthly get together on the first Saturday of each month, a teen summer reading program, and four lock-ins a year.  For more information about any of the Bossier Parish Library’s teen programs, contact Tonya at 746-1693 or toswalt@state.lib.la.us.

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Image Source: nataliedee.com

Times are tough!!! Did you know that it was recently reported that the unemployment rate was 9.4 percent which means that approximately 14.5 million people were out of work (Bureau of Labor Statistics)?  However, there is some good news.  Also according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 3.2 to 3.3 million jobs available for the taking.  Those statistics tell me that jobs are available for about 4.5 percent of those 14.5 million people, and this is where the Bossier Parish Library can help!!!!  

The Bossier Parish Library is now offering a free online job resource tool called Career Cruising. Career Cruising uses a comprehensive approach in planning a successful career.  This leading online career exploration and portfolio development system provides detailed occupation profiles, comprehensive post-secondary education information, and industry-leading assessments. With these tools, you are able to determine your interests, job related strengths, and educational requirements for your desired occupation.  After exploring various career choices, you are then in a better position to decide on which career best suits you.  Career Cruising also assists with interviewing skills and resume writing.  How great is that?!

Image Source: careerealism.com

Career Cruising allows access to hundreds of detailed occupation profiles. The Career Matchmaker component is based on an internationally acclaimed interest assessment that is used and respected around the world, while the My Skills component matches patrons’ skills to careers. Personalized Feedback will help you understand how careers relate to your skills and interests. You can input and store career and education related documents and your professional looking resumes on the site by simply creating a Portfolio.

As you can see, Career Cruising can help everyone from the recent high school graduate trying to figure out what he or she wants to do after graduation to those who are changing careers mid-life either by choice or necessity.  With all of the wonderful features in Career Cruising, anyone can easily determine which careers interest them, what is required in order to obtain that career, and even how to make a good impression at the interview!

How to Access Career Cruising:

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Connie has been the Reference and Education Coordinator since August 2010 and has been with the Bossier Parish Library since 2006.  Since becoming the Reference and Education Coordinator, she has been training staff and the general public on how to take advantage of Career Cruising.  There has been a lot of positive feedback from everyone including the local high schools that have introduced the database to their students. 

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Image Source: http://blog.coverofthemonth.com

Have you ever wanted to expand your horizons and learn a new language? Maybe you have tried buying or checking out books from the library. Maybe you have thought about getting Rosetta Stone but was turned off by the hefty price tag. Well, look no further because Bossier Parish Library now offers an online foreign language learning service that’s FREE for active library cardholders.

Through our website, you can gain access to Mango Languages, which is the easiest and fastest way to learn a new language. If you will be visiting a foreign country soon or just want to take a quick lesson or two, then try out the Basic version of over 30+ languages. Or if you want a more in-depth teaching at a slower pace, try the Complete 1.0 or 2.0 version of most languages.

Once you delve inside of Mango, you will notice that with each chapter lesson, you will be introduced to a new word, phrase, or sentence, that you can see and hear, then it’s your turn to practice saying it aloud. Similar to Rosetta Stone, Mango Languages now has a Voice Comparison tool, that enables you to record your pronunciation and compare it against the "native speaker" via the software. Now needing computer speakers and/or headphones, you would also need a computer microphone to utilize the Voice Comparison tool. To be honest, for the nontechnical user who might not be use to record sounds via their computer, this part might be a bit cumbersome. But even without it, you still have fun trying out a new language. The following video takes you behind the scenes of  Mango and gives you a brief tutorial of a lesson.

1. DEAR READER - Did You Know You Could Sample Book via Email!?! (1/18/2011)
2. TUMBLEBOOKS - Have You Ever Seen a Book Tumble?!? (1/19/2011)

TumbleBooks!? Isn’t that what happens when books fall off the shelf? Not in this article. Just like adult books have leaped into the digital age, so too have children books. Therefore, TumbleBooks are talking books and games designed specifically for kids and is offered online for FREE by Bossier Parish Libraries.

TumbleBooks takes a unique approach in presenting books to children. The books literally come alive right on the computer screen. Each book is full of animation, talking characters, music and sounds. We all know that in today’s world, children basically grow up with a computer mouse in their hand. Why not let them “play” on the computer and learn at the same time? So now let's take a quick peak to see what all the fuss is about.
A couple of other features your child might like is the collection of learning Puzzles and Games that accompanies each book they read. These Puzzles and Games reinforce concepts from the book, allowing for a fun and educational experience. So what if you find a book or a game your child really enjoys and they want to save it? Well, TumbleBooks has taken care of that. From the navigational menu bar (as shown below), items can be saved and stored under the My Favorites. Kids can even save and store their favorite songs into their TumbleBooks playlist. From the navigational menu bar, the My PlayList option works just like an online music player allowing them to save and playback their favorite songs either collectively or selectively.

1. Open your favorite web browser and visit http://www.bossierlibrary.org/.
2. In the right-hand column, look for the TumbleBooks logo (as shown to the right) and click it you will be take to the Tumblebooks website. Feel free to bookmark this page in your favorite for easy access later.

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Charlie Ashby is the I.T. Customer Support Liaison for the Bossier Parish Library System. He has held this position since August 2009 and has worked for BPL since mid-2006. Charlie is not a parent, but he does have a six-year-old sister-in-law who has used TumbleBooks and she absolutely loves it.

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Have you ever wanted to join a book club, but just can’t find the time? I can’t attend book clubs during the day because I work. I can’t attend book clubs during the evening after work because of responsibilities at home!

Have you read every book by your favorite author, and want to find other books that interest you, but have no idea what other author writes books you might want to read? Do you hate checking out a book from the library and, after reading a few pages, you realize you just can’t get into the book?

HERE'S HOW IT WORKS:

This week we will be talking about the Droid 2. This is Motorola’s newest Android phone. It is also one of the most powerful phones on the market. Verizon Wireless is the only carrier that offers the Droid 2. The Droid 2 is equipped with a 1GHz processor. This allows for fast internet surfing and video streaming. It also quicker response time when accessing apps. The Droid 2 supports up to a 32GB removable SD microSD card. This allows for tons of storage for music, pictures, videos, and apps. The Droid 2 is also a 3G mobile hotspot. This allows multiple devices to connect to the phone to gain 3G access to the internet. The greatest thing about the Droid 2 is that it runs Android 2.2 (Froyo) out of the box. The is Android’s newest and fastest operating system. It allows for faster “phone” speed and Flash 10.1. To simplify it, it utilizes the phones core components.Overall, the Droid 2 is a great phone. Until next time, happy teching!

Staying with our Android blogs, this week we are going to talk about the Motorola Droid X. The Droid X is the 2^nd “super phone” released by Motorola and one of the most powerful phones Verizon Wireless offers. Like the previous Android phones we have discussed, the Droid X is great. It comes loaded with tons of features and is one of the fastest phones on the market. The Droid X has a 1GHZ processor and can store up to 32GB of information. The Droid X also has a dedicated GPU. What does that mean? This phone has its own graphics card! This means the videos you watch, the games you play, and the pictures you take will be crisp and unmatched by other phones. The Droid X is also a 3G hotspot. You can connect up to 5 devices (laptops, phones, etc.) to the internet. Not to mention, the Droid X is also wifi capable.

Overall, this is a great phone. With the technology in the Droid X, not many phones can match it? Until next time, Happy Teching!

Staying with our Droid topic, this week we will be blogging about the HTC Droid Incredible. This Droid Incredible was the second release of the Droid phones that Verizon carries. This phone was the first of its kind to have a 1 GHz processor and 512MB RAM (that’s fast). Your basic desktop computer has a 2 GHz processor. My first computer had a 1.3 GHz processor with 256MB RAM. Although the original Droid was dubbed the iPhone killer, the Incredible was the device that gave Apple’s product a run for its money. The HTC Incredible is 100% touch screen and comes with a ton of features; Bluetooth, 8MP camera, WiFi, and they even added a lot of cool features to their social networking apps. This device also come standard with Google Maps.

Over all, this is a great phone. Be sure to check back this week as we compare the Incredible to the Droid. Until next time, happy teching!

A few weeks ago, we did a blogging series on popular cell phones. There was one model of cell phones we did not cover. This week, we will start our series on Android phones.

Android got its big break in September 2005 when it was purchased by Google. Android was a startup company then, but already had a lot of money invested into it along with some big names to support it. In November 2007, the Open Handset Alliance, OHA, was formed. This increased the popularity of the Android operating system. Some of the members of the Alliance include Google, HTC, Texas Instruments, and Qualcomm. In December 2008, the OHA added 14 members including Sony, Toshiba, and Asustek. I tell you all this so you can understand the interests in open source development for mobile devices. The first release of the os was in February 2009 with Android 1.1.

Android is a Linux based operating system. Linux is a free, open source OS. Because it is available to the public, programmers and software writers are developing new software daily to utilize the power of the Linux kernel. Android is a mobile based Linux OS that can be found a number of devices such as netbooks, tablets, and the purpose of this blog, mobile phones. This week we will be talking about the Motorola Droid which was released in November 2009. The name Droid is a trademark of Lucas Films. Verizon Wireless is the only carrier in the US that carries the Droid. The Droid is loaded with features. The Droid is a touch screen device with a QWERTY keyboard that slides out. The Droid also doubles as a turn-by-turn GPS, which comes standard and is free. Droid was released with Android 2.1, but an update for Android 2.2 was released in early August 2010 for this device. The update increases the phone speed and utilizes its core for better performance. Also, because of the update, the Motorola Droid is also one of the first phones to have Flash 10.1. This is a solid device with virtually limitless capabilities.
Be sure to stop by daily as we give you more info about the Motorola Droid. Until next time, happy teching!

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_(operating_system)

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Last week, we discussed the Kindle 3. This week we are going to stay with Kindle, but go bigger. By bigger I mean the Kindle DX. The Kindle DX is as reliable as the smaller Kindles out there. The Kindle DX also has a bigger screen at 9.7 inches. This makes the Kindle DX one of the largest ereaders available for purchase. The Kindle DX weights just over 1 lb. You would think because of the bigger screen and bigger everything that it would hold more books. This is not true. The Kindle DX still hold 3500 book, which is a lot any way you look at it. With wireless off, the Kindle DX will last 2-3 weeks on one battery charge. With wireless turned on, the Kindle DX only lasts 7 days on one charge. The good thing about the Kindle DX is that there is only one version of it; which means the Kindle DX is both WiFi and 3G. Just like the other Kindle, the Kindle DX 3G is free. All in all, the Kindle DX is a good buy. If you are looking for a bigger screen and willing to compromise with the weight, then the Kindle DX is for you.

Be sure to check back later this week as we compare the Kindle DX to some of its competitors. Until next time, happy teching!

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This week, we are continuing our discussion about ereaders and will be talking about the Kindle from Amazon. There are 3 versions of the Kindle, but we are only going to talk about 2 of them; the WiFi and WiFi+3G. Both are affordable and both have some awesome features!

The Kindle was first released on November 19, 2007. The day Kindle was first released Amazon’s stock ran out in 5 and a half hour and stayed out for 5 months! That just goes to show how highly anticipated this device was. The crazy thing is, the Kindle starting price was $399. That’s extremely high compared to what it is today. The Kindle 3, 3rd generation, is scheduled to be release later this month, August 3, at a steal; $139 WiFi and $189 WiFi+3G. If the new Kindle does what Amazon.com says, then the Kindle 3 is a nice piece of equipment. It still carries the 6” screen, but it packs some awesome features. The storage space has been doubled to 3500 books! The battery life is truly amazing as well. The Kindle 3 can go a month on a single charge; of course that’s with the WiFi turned off. Overall, this is an awesome device even for the casual reader.

Keep a watch for our review later this week. Until next time happy teching!

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Continuing with our discussion on eReaders, this week we will be talking about the Sony Reader. Like we mentioned in our Walkman blog, Sony has done a good job in keeping up with technology and is competitive in many fields; the ebook field is no exception. Sony has designed three ereader models. Today we will be talking about the Touch Edition.

The Sony Reader Touch Edition is 1 of three readers Sony offers. Starting out at around $169, this ereader was PCWorld’s #1 ereader in 2009. In saying that, let’s look at the feature and specs to see why it was rated #1. The Touch Edition comes in 3 colors: red, black, or silver. It also supports audio files for listening to music. The Touch Edition comes with 512MB of user storage and users can add 16GB with a microSD card. It has a 6 inch grey level display that allows it to be read in the brightest of places. A user can also view multiple file formats with the Sony Touch Edition. For example, you can view files in PDF or Word formats. The battery lasts up to 2 weeks on a single charge.

Over all this is a good device. If you are in the market for an ereader, do not rule Sony out. Sure they have great TVs, computers, and mp3 players, but there ereaders are top of the line as well. Until next time, happy teching!