Earth Day is an annual observance, held on April 22, to increase public awareness of our planet and environmental issues.

Each year on Earth Day, millions of people throughout the world gather to clean up litter, protest threats to the environment, and to celebrate progress in reducing pollution.¹

Reduce waste! * Earth friendly crafts! * See the Earth in the Universe!

How will you celebrate Earth Day?

¹Hayes, Denis. "Earth Day." World Book Online Reference Center. World Book, 2012. Web. 13 Apr. 2012.

Yes, you read that correctly! Using the library's new music resource, Freegal (rhymes with "legal"), available on our eLibrary page under Music, each Ventura County Library card holder can download 3 tracks per week from a wide variety of genres.

All downloads are free to you in MP3 format. Freegal music will work with any MP3 player, including iPod, and can be loaded into iTunes. All songs have a sample, preview clip to listen to before downloading.

Currently, Freegal has approximately 2.8 million songs from classical music to the latest chart-topping music of today.  Content is provided by over 15,000 music labels from more than 60 countries around the world, including the 50+ labels of Sony Music Entertainment.

This gives Ventura County Library the equivalent of hundreds of thousands of albums that don't get lost, damaged or stolen, and they are available to all card holders 24/7!   Enjoy!

We are delighted to announce the availability of Axis 360 digital media library. This collection is available now to all cardholders through the Ventura County eLibrary.

Axis 360 provides a state-of-the-art system for circulating ebooks and Blio, their ereading software.

Our Director, Jackie Griffin, states, "Adding the Axis 360 platform will enhance our current ebook offering of OverDrive and EBSCOhost. This additional partnership will give us a wider range of selection for our patrons who are clearly sending the message that more downloadable content is desirable."

Enjoy the dynamic presentation of titles on the Axis 360 Magic Wall as well as their book reviews and recommendations for further reading. Cloud-based delivery greatly simplifies the process of downloading onto your preferred device, including iOS, Android and Windows tablets and smartphones.

Yes! We now have a collection of over 100 digital magazine subscriptions available to you online! Issues may be read on a variety of computer platforms and mobile devices (iOS and Android apps are available).

The link to Zinio - Digital Magazines from Recorded Books is found on our eLibrary page under the "Magazine & Journal Articles" subject heading. You will need to create 2 accounts to get started: one to gain access to the collection (along with your library card number) and another, separate Zinio account to manage your subscriptions. Enjoy!

ReferenceUSA will be offering six different classes available online February through March 2013. ReferenceUSA is a great database for job hunters as well as those looking to start a new business. These hour-long sessions will cover the basics of getting started and the essentials of using ReferenceUSA for a variety of subjects:

   * Search Essentials - Fridays at 9am
                    Registration required
   * Career Search Strategies - Weds. at 12:30pm
                    Registration required
   * Start, Manage & Grow Your Business - alt. Mon. at 12:30pm
                    Registration required
   * People Who Seek People - alt. Mon. at 12:30pm
                    Registration required
   * Consumer & Lifestyle Data - alt. Tues. at 12:30pm
                    Registration required
   * ReferenceUSA Mapping - alt. Tues. at 12:30pm
                    Registration Required

This is also a great opportunity for current users to learn some new tips, tricks and techniques. Lots of time will be reserved at the end of the session for questions.

To explore ReferenceUSA - see the eLibrary under Subjects "Business", "Careers & Jobs" or "Phone Books".

February is African American History Month. Ventura County Library joins the Library of Congress and many others in paying tribute to the generations of African Americans who struggled with adversity to achieve full citizenship in American society.

See Biography In Context (in our eLibrary under "Biography") for articles about famous figures in African American history, including Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks and Barack Obama.

Or, try U.S. History In Context (in our eLibrary under "History & Social Studies") to get information for things like Abolition and the Underground Railroad, Brown v. Board of Education and the Civil Rights Movement.

It's all free with your library card!

We have been hearing great feedback about our new streaming video collection: Access Video On Demand (AVOD). Our collection covers a wide range of subjects with quality content, both archival and current.

AVOD features streaming video from outstanding producers and broadcasters, including BBC, PBS, Biography, History Channel, National Geographic, Rick Steves and hundreds more! AVOD offers thousands of videos with more added every month.

AVOD is iPad, Android, PC and Mac friendly! Closed-captioning and interactive transcripts are available on thousands of titles. Additionally, students will find citations in Chicago, MLA, and APA styles.

Give it a try! All our eLibrary resources are free to you with your library card!