Better than Starbucks

Yes, Starbucks has free Wi-Fi, but does Starbucks have free books? Free Movies? Free research help? Well, the Dayton Metro Library offers all of those at every location. That's right, every DML branch offers free Wi-Fi. To enjoy the service, your wireless card settings should be:

SSID = Library
WEP= disable WEP encryption
Mode or Network Type = intrastructure mode or access point, not adhoc

On a Windows machine, right click on "wireless network connection," view "available wireless networks," choose "library," and click connect. Mac users select "Apple menu," "system preferences," "network" button. Then select the TCP/IP tab and "configure using DHCP." You may also need to select "configure via Airport" or "other wireless ethernet." The current acceptable internet use policy for library computers applies to wireless use as well. We might not be able to configure the great variety of machines out there, but we'll do our best to help get you set up.

Phone Numbers

One of the most frequent reference calls we get at Dayton Metro Library is a request for a phone number. Sometimes, someone needs a number they can't find in the phone book. Sometimes, there isn't a phone book handy. Other times the caller will want to know who is attached to a particular phone number. If you've a mind to find out on your own and an Internet connection, here are some links to free websites that you can access yourself:

First, if you have a valid library card, you can access Reference USA here. We pay to subscribe to this service so that you can access phone numbers of businesses and people across the country. This is like all the US phone books accessible through your computer with NO ADS! You can search by first or last name or even phone number if you are looking for a person. If you are looking for a business, you can search by company name, state, city or phone number. If you are looking for a business, the database will also give you some further information about the company.

You can do similar searches on the Internet at switchboard which is maintained by the "Yellow Book" people and anywho which is maintained by AT&T. These sites make their money through ad revenue, so there are some ads. If your search has no results, they will direct you to other parties who will require payment to further your search. There are tons of sites out there that SAY they offer free searches for this type of information. Most of those just offer you a minimum of info and ask you to pay for more. The sites mentioned above are your best BETs.

American Music Awards

This year's American Music Awards featured four multiple award winners. You can get this hot music free from us! Here are the winning albums with links to our catalog records:

Chris Brown - Exclusive

Alicia Keys - As I Am

Rihanna - Good Girl Gone Bad

Kanye West - Graduation


At the other end of the musical spectrum, the country winners were:

Brad Paisley - 5th Gear

Rascal Flatts - Still Feels Good

Taylor Swift - Fearless

Carrie Underwood - Carnival Ride

National Book Awards

The 2008 National Book Awards have been announced and, of course, we have them all available for checkout. The winners' citations are displayed below. They are:

Fiction: Shadow Country by Peter Mathiessen. "An epic of American rise and descent—poetic, mythic, devastating. From his Everglades trilogy Peter Matthiessen has coaxed a masterpiece, a wrenching story of familial, racial and environmental degradation stretching from the Civil War to the Great Depression. His E.J. Watson emerges through a dazzling array of voices as a singular figure in our national literature, the looming personification of manifest destiny within the dark reaches of our history."



Nonfiction: The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family by Annette Gordon-Reed. "In the mesmerizing narrative of Annette Gordon-Reed’s American family saga, one feels the steady accretion of convincing argument: Her book is at once a painstaking history of slavery, an unflinching gaze at the ways it has defined us, and a humane exploration of lives—grand and humble—that “our peculiar institution” conjoined. This is more than the story of Thomas Jefferson and his house slave Sally Hemings; it is a deeply moral and keenly intelligent probe of the harsh yet all-too-human world they inhabited and the bloodline they share. "

Poetry: Fire to Fire: New and Collected Poems by Mark Doty. "Elegant, plain-spoken, and unflinching, Mark Doty's poems in Fire to Fire gently invite us to share their ferocious compassion. With their praise for the world and their fierce accusation, their defiance and applause, they combine grief and glory in a music of crazy excelsis. In this generous retrospective volume a gifted young poet has become a master."

Free Computer Classes @ The Library

The Dayton Metro Library will be offering free introductory computer classes this December at the Main Library in our new wireless laptop lab! Registration is required for each class. Please call 463-BOOK (2665) and ask for "Computer Services" to register.

• Computer Basics: Learn the very basics of how the computer works, including mouse skills, opening/closing programs and parts of the computer. This class provides the foundation you need to be a confident computer user. Tuesday, December 2nd at 7:00 p.m.

• Intro to Email: Learn the very basics of Email. This class will provide instruction on signing up for and using electronic mail. Some Internet experience is recommended. Thursday, December 11th at 3:00 p.m.

Look for expanded course offerings in the new year!

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