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  • Kickstart Your Summer Reading with NoveList Plus

    By: Charissa Diethrich, Information Services Assistant

    Summer is upon us, and with it, summer reading! Whether you’ve signed up for a challenge at The Library or you’re just looking for a good book to bring on vacation, it can be daunting to figure out what to read next. Look no further than NoveList Plus! Read on for a brief introduction to this fantastic reader’s advisory tool. (You can find NoveList Plus on the Research page of The Library’s website, or under “Find a Good Book” on The Collection page.)

    Maybe you’ve finished rereading your favorite book for the umpteenth time, and you want to find more like it. Type the title into NoveList’s main search bar, bring up the book’s profile, and scroll down to see a selection of “Read Alikes.” Click on a cover, and you can find an explanation from a real person about why the two books have been paired together. Drawing on character types, plot points, and other elements, NoveList’s team makes thoughtful connections between titles – and also pairs some unexpected books! (You can find “Author Read-Alikes” using this same method.)

    On NoveList’s homepage, explore a carousel of “Books with Buzz.” These are titles that have been featured in the media, from mentions on Good Morning America to screen adaptations. Find out what’s all the rage in pop culture by exploring this list! You can also browse the “Curated Lists” found in the column on the left-hand side. Click on “For fans of” to see lists especially created for those who enjoy certain shows, movies, games, or authors. Enjoy the board game Ticket to Ride? There’s a list for that! Or maybe you loved KPop Demon Hunters? Check out a selection of books with similar elements! You can also explore other lists like “Seasonal Reads” or “Exploring Identities.”

    But perhaps the most personally tailored way to search for books is using “Story Elements.” NoveList tags books based on what readers commonly connect with when reading them. You can explore titles by genre (legal thrillers, magical realism, historical mystery), theme (coming-of-age, forbidden love, time loop), and appeal factors (lyrical prose, brooding characters, intricate plots). Check out the Story Elements tool on NoveList’s home page. Mix and match story elements as much as you like to generate reading recommendations. The more elements you select, the narrower your results will be.

    As a bonus, NoveList Plus is linked directly to the DCLS catalog. You can see at a glance if a recommended title is owned by The Library or not. Click on the “Check catalog” button to go to the item’s catalog record, where you can view availability or place a hold!

    Make summer reading a breeze with NoveList Plus! Using the stories and elements you already love, let NoveList’s skilled team suggest some new titles. And who knows? You might end up falling in love with a book you’d never have picked up otherwise!

  • Database Spotlight – Black Life in America

    As we enter Black History Month, there’s no better time to check out NewsBank’s “Black Life in America” database, available for free through The Library! This collection includes content from over 19,000 American and international news sources, including more than 400 historical and current Black publications. Through the lens of the news media, “Black Life in America” charts the experience and impact of African Americans from the early 18th century to today.

    Historical news articles offer a unique opportunity to read about people, topics, and events as they were originally reported. In “Black Life in America,” you can find articles on the Amistad case, see announcements of the 13th Amendment’s ratification, or read coverage of the Selma to Montgomery March, published back when these historical events were brand new news. But it doesn’t stop there – the collection continues up to the present day, with articles on a range of important topics, from Marvel’s groundbreaking “Black Panther” film and the Olympic gold wins of Simone Biles, to the Black Lives Matter movement and the establishment of Juneteenth as a national holiday. Whether you’re working on a project or simply wanting to expand your knowledge, “Black Life in America” offers a wealth of primary sources to reference.

    All this is yours to access for free on The Library’s website! Navigate to our Research page and click on “Black Life in America” to jump right into the digital archive. Built-in tools make the database a breeze to search. Click on one of the prepared “Suggested Searches” to browse articles by era and topic. For example, you can click on the era “Antebellum” and choose from a variety of categories, such as “Society and Culture,” “Notable People,” and “Court Decisions.” Clicking on any of the listed topics will launch a specific search prepared in advance for you! For example, click on “Frederick Douglass” (under “Notable People”) to see a range of articles about the orator, writer, and statesman that were published during the mid-1800S.

    If you prefer to start your search from scratch, simply type keywords into the database’s main search bar. You can always adjust your search, or any of the Suggested Searches, by changing the date range, keywords, and other details for broader or narrower results. Other options include searching by date or by source location. Click on different areas of the provided interactive map to view news sources from that area of the globe.

    “Black Life in America” offers a window into centuries of African American history, culture, and daily life, from the 1700s to today’s breaking news. Check back often as new content is added to the database daily. This February, as we celebrate Black History Month, dig in and start learning. With your Dauphin County Library System membership, this rich database of primary sources is yours to explore!

  • MyHeritage Library Edition

    This multilingual family history research database includes billions of historical documents from 48 countries, millions of historical photos, public records, indexes, and additional resources that span the past five centuries.