Special Services
Elf Child Safe Browser
Elf Child-Safe Browser which provides 100% safe Internet use for your child, conveniently in your home.
The Elf browser allows your children to safely explore carefully chosen, highly engaging free-use educational resources on the Internet. Your children can work on their own and you can feel comfortable knowing that they are visiting ONLY sites that are wholesome, educational, and fun.
This is ALWAYS accomplished because Elf checks every piece of content before it is displayed to ensure that the material is coming from a site that has been specifically approved them.
Elf maintains these high quality links in the areas of math, science, geography, reading, music, arts, writing and reference. Children have a chance to vote for their favourite sites within the Elf browser and these “Top Links” are listed on the main page. In addition to the educational content, there is a fun/riddle area filled with safe activities for all ages of children.
For more information about this new service, please contact us 613-342-3936. In order to obtain a copy of Elf, please email us at info@brockvillelibrary.ca. We will need your first and last name, library card # and your email address. We will then send you the file to install Elf browser on your computer as well as supporting documentation.
Supporting Documentation
If you do not have an email address or do not wish to provide us with it, you can download ELF from our Early Children's Literacy station using your own thumb drive. If you do not have the Internet at home at all, we provide free access in the children’s area of our library.
Book Club Kits
Book Club Kits are now available and can be reserved and borrowed. Each kit contains 10 copies of the book and can be checked out for a 6 week period. Search our catalog for "Book Club Set" to get a list of titles, or ask at the circulation desk for more details.
iBistro Features
Novelist Select
More and more people are using the library from home to find books they have heard about. But what do you do if the book is checked out or there's a long hold queue? We have recently added NoveList Select to our online catalogue. Now when you search for a book, a listing of similar titles and authors is listed. You will find this below the call number information. Currently Novelist offers suggestions for over 4 million titles. Click here for a screen shot.
Available right in the results, Novelist Select also provides:
- Links to Recommended Reads lists,
- Author Read-alikes,
- Book Discussion Guides
To make it even easier, books suggestions only include titles owned by our library!
ChiliFresh
What is ChiliFresh?
ChiliFresh Review Engine is a tool that allows users to read and write reviews for items in our online catalogue. If you’ve ever searched major online booksellers for user reviews to see whether
something was worth reading, you can now cut out the middleman because Chilifresh
brings that feature right into our online catalogue.
This easy-to-use tool adds an element of social interaction to the catalogue.
How do I use ChiliFresh?
Using ChiliFresh is easy! Perform a search for an item as you normally would
There will be a very subtle difference to the records you retrieve. Under the picture of the
book jacket (if there is one) there will be a Reader rating with a link to the reviews (see screen shot). In addition to reading all the reviews you can also add your own review, read all the reviews that a particular patron has written, sort the reviews and select whether you found the review helpful or not. Instructions
Energy Meters Borrowing Program
The Brockville Library is partnering with the Brockville Climate Action Group to circulate energy usage meters.
What's an energy meter?
It calculates the cost of energy consumed by an appliance.
How does it work?
Any 120V appliance that plugs into a standard wall outlet may be plugged into the monitor. The monitor gives a reading of energy consumption in kilowatt hours. Sample items you may test are refrigerators, tv's, freezers, computers, lamps, fans and more. Only non-120 V appliances, such as your stove or clothes dryer, cannot be tested. A booklet to calculate the cost of energy consumed by the appliance will circulate along with the monitor.
How do I use it?
Simply plug in each appliance to the meter, type in the current cost of electricity and the large LDC display will show you your operating cost. Calculate by day, week, month or full year of costs for each appliance in your home based on your consumption (kWhs). We hope the energy meters will help you in your energy saving efforts by providing you first hand information in an easy-to-understand way.
How can I borrow one?
To borrow one of these devices please visit the Brockville Public Library. You must have a valid library card to borrow a meter. Meters may be borrowed for 1 week. To place a hold on the energy meter, type "Energy Meter" as the title in our catalogue.
Internet & Computer Training:
Through its Community Access Program, the Government of Canada provides funding for FREE one-on-one Internet and Computer training to library patrons.
** Please check back in September 2010 for details about our 2010-2011 training program.
Exhibit Space
The library has three different display areas available for public use. The YA corner welcomes artwork and photography from students. In the adult department there is wall space available for paintings, photography, quilts, etc. There is also a display case for your collectibles. Display areas are booked on a monthly basis.
Meeting Rooms
Our large meeting room is available during library hours for use by profit and non-profit groups for a fee. Our group study room can be booked, free of charge, for 2 hours during library hours, for groups of 6 or fewer.
Homebound Service
Coordinated by library staff and delivered by volunteers, this service is geared toward those who are home-bound and unable to visit us. It is designed for patrons who are confined to their homes for more than three months due to age, disability or illness. The library will deliver regular and large print books, talking books on CD as well as music CD's. This service is not available to people living in retirement or nursing homes.
Faxing Service
We are now offer outgoing faxing in Canada and the U.S.
Local and all of Ontario:
$2 for the first page, $1 for each additional page
Canada (outside Ontario) and the U.S.:
$2 for each page
Government Documents
Consult provincial and federal publications such as census reports, statistics and statutes.
Business and Legal Collection
We have Canadian, American and International business directories, as well as guides to Ontario & Canadian law such as landlord/tenant and wills.
Genealogy and Local History
At the hub of the community, the library has a wealth of local history and genealogical materials. Other rich sources of genealogical information include:
Leeds & Grenville Genealogical Society
5 Henry Street
Brockville, Ontario K6V 6M4
http://www.leedsandgrenvillegenealogy.com/
Ontario Genealogical Society
Microfilm
The "Recorder & Times" newspaper is on microfilm from the 1830's to the present day. Book a microfilm reader for a two hour session.
Local History Files
The materials in the Library's local history files illuminate many corners of Brockville's past and date back to the 1800's. It is an ongoing project to add to the existing information found in these files. The collection includes, but is not limited to pamphlets, and newspaper articles on the following topics:
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Online Databases
We currently subscribe to three databases and are a part of the Knowledge Ontario initiative which provides us with additional access to many academic resources. More details...
Instructions for access our online databases from home
Monthly Newsletter
The library puts out a newsletter on a monthly basis listing displays, new materials, news from the Board and the Friends of the Library group, favourite patron picks, and a calendar of events for the upcoming month.
Children's Services
The Brockville Public Library Children's Department has books for children of all ages: board books, picture books, beginning-to-read, fiction and non-fiction for recreation or research. There are also music cassettes, cd's, story books on tape and magazines. There is also 3 children's educational and recreational computers with children's programs. The library also has one listening station available for children.
Children's programs encourage children and parents to explore the pleasures of reading through story hours that include puppets, videos, fingerplays and games. Children can sign up for our Reading Club during the summer months.
The Children's Department also offers a Reading Buddy Program.
The Library's open access policy allows children access to all of the library's resources.
Related Links:
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Accredited Ontario Public Library
