A few years back, in the interest of trying to save time while working on computer projects, I began to take a serious look at time-saving keyboard shortcuts. These two or three keystroke combinations managed to greatly reduce the time I spent mousing up to the menu and icon bars, and right clicking for shortcut menus.

To utilize keyboard shortcuts, you need to press and hold down the first key on the keyboard, then press down the second (or third) key. You release the keys at the same time. For instance, to save an open Mac document, you would:

1. Hold down the Command key (the one with the Apple on it)
2. Press S
3. Release both keys

Because I spend quite a bit of time using both Windows and Mac platforms, one of the first things I noticed is most shortcuts are the same for both PC and Mac users; except instead of using the Control key (Windows platform), Mac uses the Command key (the one with the Apple on it).  For example, Control-S for saving an open document becomes Command-S.  [BTW: I don't mean to leave out Linux users in this article, but I don't have any experience with that platform.]

There are so many time-saving Mac keyboard shortcuts and the best site I found that condenses them into a user-friendly format comes from our friends down under at CNET Australia who put together “The ultimate guide to Mac keyboard shortcuts.” Check it out and discover the joy of giving your mouse a little less exercise.

Edit 6/29/09 – Just found this useful list of shortcuts for use in Firefox web browser. Remember the CMD 0r COMMAND key looks like this:

Image from http://www.flickr.com/photos/locklin/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Kids and teens will show off their creativity and sell their handmade goods during the upcoming Kid and Teen Craft Sales at several KDL branches. Find amazing pieces of art, cool crafts and the most creative kids in town! Everyone is invited.

Kids and teens, if you want to have a booth at the sale, stop by a KDL branch to apply.

Craft sales will be held:
Thursday, June 25, 5:00 p.m. – Wyoming Branch
Friday, July 3, 1:30 p.m. – Sand Lake/Nelson Twp. Branch
Monday, July 6, 2:00 p.m. – Krause Memorial Branch
Thursday, July 9, 2:00 p.m. – John Collins Park, 650 Lakeside Dr. (East Grand Rapids Branch)
Tuesday, July 21, 10:00 a.m. – Grandville Branch
Saturday, August 1, 1:00 p.m. – Walker Branch
Thursday, August 6, 10:00 a.m. – Kentwood Branch
Thursday, August 6, 2:00 p.m. – Caledonia Twp. Branch
Tuesday, August 11, 1:30 p.m. – Cascade Twp. Branch
Tuesday, August 11, 2:00 p.m. – Byron Twp. Branch
Wednesday, August 12, 5:30 p.m. – Plainfield Twp. Branch

On June 11, the Today Show shared a piece about the valuable role libraries can play in the community, particularly during times of economic hardship. Public libraries across the nation are seeing increased traffic and playing new roles in helping people find work and entertainment.

At KDL, we’re proud to serve our communities both in times of trouble and times of prosperity and look forward to providing quality library services and resources to our customers.

If you are interested in contributing to these efforts, visit our KDL Fund webpage or consider making a purchase from one of our affiliate booksellers. Thank you.

Please note this policy update affecting audiovisual materials.

Starting July 1, 2009, Kent District Library customers will no longer be able to request audiovisual material through MeLCat, the state shared catalog. Common audiovisual materials include DVDs, CDs, CD-ROMs and audiobooks.

However, customers will still be able to request these materials using the standard LakeNet (KDL) and Evergreen (GRPL) catalogs.

Looking for a job? Need time to search online? The Kent District Library is designating specific open lab times for job-seekers who need unlimited time on the computer. A staff member will be available to offer help and answer questions at these open lab sessions. No registration needed.

Open Job Search Labs will be offered at the following locations:

East Grand Rapids Branch
Monday, June 22, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Tuesdays, June 2 through July 28, 10:00 to 11:30 a.m.

Cascade Township Branch
Mondays, June 1 through August 31, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Thursdays, May 14 through August 27, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Service Center
Thursdays, June 11 through July 30, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Gaines Township Branch
Thursdays, July 23 and 30, and August 20 and 27, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.

The Summer 2009 issue of the KDL Kaleidoscope is now available at your local branch library. Or check it out online. You’ll find all you need to know about summer programs and get some great information on library resources and staff recommendations.

It’s a busy fun-filled summer at KDL, and you don’t want to miss a thing. Be sure to check out the KDL Kaleidoscope today!

For those of us with the iPhone or iPod Touch, the cost of applications can quickly add up. There are a variety of applications to try. Some are useful, some aren’t, and I always seem to want to try them all. A free way to, potentially, get a few apps is the website appgiveaway.com. This website is essentially a commericial for iPhone apps. It allows users to read about apps and, if they like them, enter to win. No purchase is necessary and the site is very straightforward.

A great site for learning about iPhone applications can be found here. This page, part of Webdesigner Depot, lists 40 of the most useful and fun iPhone applications. One of the biggest surprises for me was an application I’d never heard of before – the Classics application which offers a variety of classics books to read on the iPhone.

There is also a good deal of news about new iPhone/iPod apps as of late. At its annual conference Apple announced a new model of the iPhone, as well as a new operating system. This OS, iPhone 3.0, offers a variety of new features including the much desired landscape keyboard, multimedia messaging, and the ability to search your iPod contacts, mail, library, etc. Click here for more information courtesy of CNET.com.

If you are a savvy computer user, you know that the right click of the mouse button opens up a wealth of shortcuts to common commands or tasks.  My personal favorite lately is “Move to Trash” as I am trying to clean out my nearly full hard drive space.  But I digress…

One of the first things people notice about a Mac mouse or laptop touchpad is the use of only one button.  “Where’s the right click?” is the most common question people who borrow my MacBook Pro ask. So, here’s my answer for all of you.

There are several ways to access the right click function (as usual there’s more than one way to do most everything on a computer).

• Hold two fingers on the touchpad, and click the button.

or

• Press and hold ctrl + click the pad button.

or

• If you have Leopard, you can do the two finger tap on the touchpad.

Are there any other Mac mouse/touchpad tricks YOU couldn’t live without??

Is your pet cute, talented, smart, funny or special in another way? Then you need to enter it in one of the Kent District Library’s summer Pet Shows! Several KDL branches will hold outdoor pet shows this summer, and you and your pet can be part of it. Just pick up a registration form from your local KDL branch and get your pet ready to be a star! For ages 4 and up.

Pet shows are scheduled for the following dates:

Byron Twp. Branch, Monday, June 15, 6:30 p.m. at the Bicentennial Park, 8085 Byron Center Ave.
(Rain Date: Tuesday, June 16, 6:30 p.m.)

Spencer Twp. Branch, Thursday, June 25, 4:30 p.m.
(Rain Date: Tuesday, July 7, 4:30 p.m.)

Walker Branch, Tuesday, June 30, 6:00 p.m.
(Rain Date: Tuesday, July 7, 6:00 p.m.)

East Grand Rapids Branch, Thursday, July 2, 2:00 p.m. at John Collins Park, 650 Lakeside Dr. SE

Wyoming Branch, Thursday, July 9, 6:30 p.m.

Caledonia Twp. Branch, Thursday, July 16, 2:00 p.m. at the Caledonia Twp. Hall, 250 Maple St.
(Rain Date: Thursday, August 13, 2:00 p.m.)

Krause Memorial Branch, Monday, July 20, 2:00 p.m.
(Rain Date: Monday, August 10, 2:00 p.m.)

Alpine Twp. Branch, Wednesday, July 22, 6:00 p.m.
(Rain Date: Wednesday, July 29, 6:00 p.m.)

Tyrone Twp. Branch, Thursday, July 23, 6:00 p.m.
(Rain Date: Thursday, July 30, 6:00 p.m.)

Grandville Branch, Thursday, July 23, 7:00 p.m.

Englehardt Branch, Saturday, July 25, 11:00 a.m.

Cascade Twp. Branch, Thursday, July 30, 7:00 p.m.

Sand Lake/Nelson Twp. Branch, Saturday, August 8, 10:30 a.m.

Summer is full of fun for teens at the Kent District Library! As part of the 2009 Summer Reading Club, teens can enjoy all kinds of free fun, from food to arts and crafts to music and more.

Exercise your taste buds with a variety of food-related programs such as Creative Cooking, Ice Cream Socials and Iced Coffee Tasting.

Get your game on with Rock Band, Nintendo Wii, Guitar Hero, Teen Chess and Lawn Games.

Use your creative talents in crafty programs such as the Empty Bowls Project, Duct Tape with William Beacom, Trash to Treasure workshops, Teen Crafts with Liz Langenberg, Drawn to Draw, Henna Tattoos with Anshu Varma and more.

Teens can also get involved in Teen Advisory Boards, book discussions, theatre productions and music performances. Don’t miss out on this summer of fun — register for the Summer Reading Club now!