“An
old friend moved to France and sent me her address. Could you show me her town
on a map?”
All
of the computers here at the Newton Falls Public Library are installed with
Google Earth, a program that allows users to take a virtual tour of almost
anywhere in the world. We were able to type in our patron’s friend’s address
and, from the comfort of a library computer in Ohio, take a virtual walk down
her street, catching all the sights, from the outdoor patio in front of the
pizza place to the little courtyard gardens.
While
absolutely everywhere doesn’t seem to be mapped yet (for example, some Ohio
country roads can be viewed from above, with buildings and landmarks clearly
visible, but the street view doesn’t yet seem to be an option), it’s still a
neat program to play around with. Another one of our Newton Falls Public
Library staff members likes to use Google Earth when he’s going to be driving
somewhere new, because it gives him an idea of which landmarks to expect.
After
exploring on Google Earth, our patron also checked out a travel guide to
France, several more of which are available through CLEVNET (such as DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: France) if she decides to take the trip in person!
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