Friday, September 30, 2011

Daily Thoughts 9/30/2011


James Thurber, American Writer, 1954

Daily Thoughts 9/30/2011


This morning, I read some more of Damon Runyon A Life by Jimmy Breslin.  Damon Runyon reported on sports and crime.  Damon Runyon was known for  gangsters like Meyer Lansky, Monk Eastman, and Owney Madden.  He tried to paint a colorful picture of New York.  Jimmy Breslin's writing reads like a tall tale dug out of old newspaper files and in person conversations.

Today was a fairly busy day.  I checked the Twitter and Facebook account, made sure the displays were in order, and spent some time on Lynda.com studying Drupal 7 and Microsoft Word 2007.  I also did a little bit of weeding in the mezzanine.

There was the Westchester Library System Job Club in the morning where a career counselor spends time helping people in the computer lab from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

I got my pass for New York Comic Con in the mail today.  I am very much looking forward to it.

There was also a reception and book signing for Who Stole Public Schools From the Public? by Claudia Edwards.  The reception was very well attended. The book was focused on reforming the local school system.  The program ran from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. http://www.claudialedwards.com

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Daily Thoughts 9/29/2011

Ferdinand Bol, Portrait of a Scholar, cerca 1650
Daily Thoughts 9/29/2011

This morning, I read some more of The Swerve by Stephen Greenblatt.  The author is writing about Paggio Bracciolini, a man obsessed with books and reading.  The time period is around 1417.  Stephen Greenblatt describes reading as a kind of freedom.  Paggio is seeking copied books from Roman antiquity that were preserved and copied in monasteries.  They are works of authors like Cicero, Catullus, and Ovid.

I checked the displays, updated the Twitter and Facebook accounts and checked the gift books.  We had a nice copy of The Egyptian Book of the Dead which was added as well some new paperbacks by James Patterson.

I spent some time going through the patron requests. A few of the books like That Used to be Us by Thomas Friedman and Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich looked interesting.

I also spent some more time on Lynda.com studying Microsoft Word 2007 and Drupal.
The New York Librarians Meetup has many members attending New York Comic Con  as part of the professional day on Thursday.  The American Library Association will be there as well.  There are a number of library related events on Thursday, October 13.
http://nycc11.mapyourshow.com/5_0/sessions/session_results.cfm?type=date&date=10/13/2011

On the way home, I finished reading The Swerve.  Stephen Greenblatt describes the influence of On the Nature of Things  by Lucretius on Thomas More who wrote Utopia, Thomas Jefferson, and Giordano Bruno.  The book very much promotes Epicurean philosophy.  It is a bit different than my own view on the world.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Daily Thoughts 9/28/2011



Pietro Magni The Reading Girl, Etching by William Roffe (1889-1893)

Daily Thoughts 9/28/2011

I read some more of The Swerve in the morning.  It describes the crumbling of Roman philosophy as Rome fell.  The book also describes how the library at Alexandria was eventually destroyed with the
waning of classical philosophy.

This morning, I checked the Twitter and Facebook account, looked over the displays, and checked on some upcoming programs.  I am starting to plan for programs in January and February.  I am also starting to learn a little bit more of how the website works.  I spent a little bit more time on Lynda.com learning about Microsoft Word 2007.

I also did some weeding in the graphic novels section.

We opened the computer lab today to help people with their job search between 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m..  There is a steady increase in the number of people coming in searching for jobs.

Two books came in for me to read, the graphic novel, Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles The Authorized Adaptation by Dennis Calero and Visual Quickstart Guide InDesign CS5 by Sandee Cohen.

Web Bits

Amazon Tablet Price Could be a Big Attraction
http://news.yahoo.com/price-amazon-tablet-could-big-attraction-224541425.html

This article is quite interesting because it puts a tablet at $249 very close to the price of an E-reader.  There is also the recent partnership between the Kindle and Overdrive.  Overdrive is the content provider for ebooks for the Westchester Library System. 

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Daily Thoughts 9/27/2011

William Morris, Guinevere, 1858
 Daily Thoughts 9/27/2011

This morning, I finished reading Goliath by Scott Westerfeld. I thought it was a rather satisfying ending to a satisfying series. I like how Scott Westerfeld wove real history into this alternate history series. I especially liked the section on Pancho Villa.

I checked the displays, updated the Twitter and Facebook account, and did some weeding in the graphic novels. I also spent some more time learning Microsoft Word 2007 on lynda.com.

We had a donation of computer books today many of which were added.  There were books on Flash, CSS, Drupal and other computer subjects.

We are having the Intermediate Computer Class in the Computer Lab from 6:00-7:00 p.m.. Last time we had overflow from the classes. There is a lot of demand for computer use. We are trying to open the lab more for people seeking jobs. This is very important. A lot of people have trouble filling out online application forms.

On the way home, I read some of The Swerve How The World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt. This book is about the rediscovery of the book, De Rerum Naturae (Of The Nature of Things) by Lucretius during the 15th century.  Lucretius poem is beautiful and full of ideas like atomism, the mixture of pleasure and virtue, and a world without fear.  The Swerve is proving to be very enjoyable.  It even tells us that there were 28 public libraries in Rome during the time of the Roman empire.  I am finding the details tied into the history of books more than satisfactory.






Web Bits

Banned Books Week Censorship Map

http://www.bannedbooksweek.org/mappingcensorship





Monday, September 26, 2011

Daily Thoughts 9/26/2011


Books and Scholar's Accoutrements, 19th Century, ink and light color on paper, Brooklyn Museum


Daily Thoughts 9/26/2011

Today has been a quiet, steady day.  I checked the displays and updated the Twitter and Facebook accounts.  There are quite a few programs coming up in the next week.  There is a book signing on
September 30, 2011 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. for the book Who Stole Public Schools From the Public by Claudia Edward.

I spent some more time studying Microsoft Word 2007 on Lynda.com.  We have been getting a lot more requests for help with word processing from library patrons lately, especially for how to do printing and layout.

I also did some weeding in the graphic novels section.

The book, Swerve How The World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt came in for me to read.
Also, Goliath which is the final book in the Leviathan young adult steampunk trilogy by Scott Westerfeld came in to read.

I read some of Goliath on the way home.One of the caracters is Nikola Tesla which is a bit different.

I have also spent some time thinking about magazines and newspapers on ereaders.  They are inexpensive and may be something worth getting for the Sony E-readers.

Web Bits

New York Art Book Fair September 30 to October 2
http://nyartbookfair.com/

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Daily Thoughts 9/25/2011

Ad for Hearst papers 1920s William Randolph Hearst.

Daily Thoughts 9/25/2011


I have been reading more Damon Runyon A Life.  It seems that Damon Runyon did not start to succeed in life until he gave up drinking.  His life made a turn for the better when he moved to New York as well.  The biography has a lot of character to it.  I especially like the descriptions of Bat Masterson.

I spent a little time updating the Twitter and Facebook account. I also spent some more time on Lynda.com learning a bit more about InDesign, Microsoft Word 2007, and Drupal 7.  I am beginning to understand Drupal a little better. 



Saturday, September 24, 2011

Daily Thoughts 9/24/2011

Munich Still Life, 1882, William Michael Harnett


Daily Thoughts 9/24/2011


This morning I spent a little time updating the Facebook and Twitter account.

 I also finished reading Studs Terkel A Life In Words by Tony Parker.  One of the most interesting aspects of this book is the use of multiple types of biography.  There are instances where Sturds Terkel is interviewing people, where Studs Turkel is being interviewed, where Studs Terkel is essentially being written about, and where Tony Parker is interviewing different people from Studs Terkel's life.  This shows a wide variety of types of interview.  Also, throughout the text there is a lot of commentary on how to do and prepare for interviews.  There is a lot to learn from this book about interviewing.

I am reading Damon Runyon A Life by Jimmy Breslin. The book reads like a tall tale.  It starts out with Damon Runyon's father being a newspaper man  Then it describes how Damon Runyon started working at the newspapers when he was eleven.  This was in 1892 so it was a very different world.

Web Bits

The Future of Digital Books
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/09/the-fight-over-the-future-of-digital-books/245577/

Friday, September 23, 2011

Daily Thoughts 9/23/2011

Damon Runyon. 

Daily Thoughts 9/23/2011

I read some of Studs Terkel A Life In Words on the train to work.  I learned that Studs Terkel was born in the Bronx and grew up in New York until he was eight; then he moved to Chicago.  The biography is interesting in that it is mostly interviews.  I did not know that Studs Terkel was known as much for his work in radio as his books.  While reading the book, I came across the name of Damon Runyon.  I remember reading his short stories.  I picked up a biography of him by Jimmy Breslin called Damon Runyon A Life.

This morning, I updated the Twitter and Facebook accounts and checked the displays.  I got a shipment of Advanced Reading Copies from Library Journal which I opened this morning.  One book looks particularly interesting, The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson.  It is a thriller set in North Korea.  Another book which caught my eye is Rust by Julie Mars which is about an artist who moves from New York City to New Mexico.  I enjoy reading and getting Advanced Reading Copies.

This afternoon I spent some time talking about programming.  We may have some more programming in november or december from the Women's Enterprise Development Center.  There also may be an exhibit from the Mount Vernon school district soon.


Thursday, September 22, 2011

Daily Thoughts 9/22/2011


In 1850, Melville moved his family from New York City to Pittsfield, MA, seeking a reprieve from city life and a quiet place to write. He purchased an 18th century farmhouse which he named Arrowhead, and there he completed his most famous novel, Moby Dick. Melville spent his most productive years at Arrowhead, writing Pierre, The Confidence Man, Benito Cereno, and numerous works of short fiction. Melville lived, farmed, and wrote at Arrowhead for 13 years developing many close literacy friendships with other Berkshire authors including Nathaniel Hawthorne. Pablo Sanchez, Prague, Czech Republic 30 May, 2009 Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic.


Daily Thoughts 9/22/2011

This morning I relaxed on the train and read the paper.  I took a break from reading. 

I updated the Twitter and Facebook account today, checked the gift books, and checked the displays.  We also opened the computer lab for two hours between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m.  I helped some people with job applications in the computer lab.  I also spent some more time on Lynda.com studying Microsoft Word 2007.  This is the wordprocessing program which we have for our computers which are not connected to the internet.

Sometimes, you wonder about the articles in Library Journal.  I was reading about robotic storage for books for academic libraries.  I wonder if you go into the far future, if they will put librarians in cold storage and pull them out when they are needed to answer questions.

I put the new Craig Thompson graphic novel, Habibi on hold.  I also put the graphic novel Ray Bradbury's  The Martian Chronicles: The Authorized Adaptation by Dennis Calero on hold.  I checked out the book Studs Terkel A Life In Words by Tony Parker.  I am reading it for the Biography Book Club.


The Westchester Library System Digital Media Catalog now supports the Kindle.  Overdrive recently made an agreement to lend ebooks with the Kindle device.
http://westchester.lib.overdrive.com/61D5D231-10F4-4926-A140-28026C6642EE/10/411/en/Help-Kindle.htm

Web Bits

The $175,000 Dust Jacket
http://www.booktryst.com/2011/09/175000-dust-jacket-comes-to-auction.html

Amazon Turns Your Local Library Into Retail Book Chain
http://www.nytimes.com/external/readwriteweb/2011/09/21/21readwriteweb-amazon-turns-your-local-library-into-retail-84783.html?ref=technology

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Daily Thoughts 9/21/2011

Charles Dickens, William Powell Frith, 1859

Daily Thoughts 9/21/2011

I finished reading A Pleasure to Burn Fahrenheit 451 Stories by Ray Bradbury.  Two of the stories are novellas which the book Fahrenheit 451 is based on; Long After Midnight and The Fireman.  They are variations on the central story.  The book is pleasure to read.  It was published by Subterranean Press.  http://www.subterraneanpress.com/

This morning, I updated the Facebook and Twitter account.  I also checked the displays and spent some time on Lynda.com learning a bit more about Drupal and Microsoft Word 2007.

A few of the books read for the Biography Book Club on Abraham Lincoln were Lincoln A Foreigners Quest by Jan Morris, The Lincoln Enigma Edited by Gabor Boritt, and Lincoln by David Herbert Donald.  We are going to read a biography of a famous New Yorker for the next Biography Book Club.

We had the Internet Job Search Hour today from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m..  A lot of it is helping people fill out long complex applications for positions like nursing assistant or security guard which take almost an hour to fill out.

I also spent a small amount of time weeding in the mezzanine.  The mezzanine is the name for the two floors for storage of older material which the library has.  There are always things that need to be done.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Daily Thoughts 9/20/2011

Edmund Blair Leighton, Sweet Solitude, 1919


Daily Thoughts 9/20/2011

This morning I bought some refreshments for the Biography Book Club which is happening at 4:00 p.m. today.  We are reading about Abraham Lincoln.  There were some fliers handed out at the Friends of the Mount Vernon Public Library meeting last night.

I checked the displays, udpated the Twitter and Facebook accounts. I spent some time going through the gift books.  I also spent some more time on Lynda.com watching videos on InDesign.

I also am working on an order list for test books.  I spent some time reading through the Chief Leader which is the civil service newspaper for New York city.  They list jobs in the five boroughs of Manhattan as well as the MTA (Metropolitan Transit Authority.)  They also report on open positions as well.

This afternoon from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. we had our first Biography Book Club.  We talked about different biographies on Abraham Lincoln.  For the next Biography Book Club, each person will read a different biography of a famous person from New York.

This evening, the Mount Vernon Public Library had an Intermediate Computer Class from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.

The book, A Pleasure to Burn Fahrenheit 451 Stories by Ray Bradbury came in for me to read.  I read some of it on the train home.  There are some interesting themes in the short stories.  For example, a theme in the writing is how modernity rejects horror authors like H:P. Lovecraft, Bram Stoker, Arthur Machen, and   Edgar Allen Poe as superstitious.

Another theme in the book A Pleasure to Burn Fahrenheit 451 Stories is the censorship of reading aimed at creating a mass culture.  It is interesting that Ray Bradbury also criticizes the preference of driving over walking and watching television over reading as part of mass culture..

Monday, September 19, 2011

Daily Thoughts 9/19/2011

Alfons Mucha, Lorenzacchio, 1896, Lithograph

Daily Thoughts 9/19/2011

This morning on the train to work, I finished reading The Steve Jobs Way.  There were some very interesting things said about computers.  For example, the author contends that it is not possible to separate the design of hardware and software for computers;  they need to work together.

I checked the displays and printed up some fliers for the Friends of the Mount Vernon Public Library meeting this evening which is at 6:30 p.m.

I spent some time preparing an order for test books and also spent some more time on Lynda.com learning about InDesign and Drupal. 

Random House stopped distributing a paper catalog and now has a digital catalog only.  This is increasingly happening.  It is much easier to use digital catalogs to find books.

Web Bits

Defining Library
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/columns-and-blogs/soapbox/article/48723-defining-library-.html


Sunday, September 18, 2011

Daily Thoughts 9/18/2011

National Art Library, Victoria & Albert Museum, London

Daily Thoughts 9/18/2011

I read some more of The Steve Jobs Way.  I learned that Apple is very focused on the product and the consumer.  It is not as focused on business.  Combine this with a focus on quality technology and design and you get a machine that is quite appealing to artists and deisgners.  It makes sense that Apple computers are excellent for graphics and typography.

I also updated the Twitter and Facebook account and did some more practice on Lynda.com.  Last night I watched Rango with Jonny Depp.  The animation is quite interesting.

Web Bits

10 Great Library Facebook Fan Pages
http://socialnetworkinglibrarian.com/2010/09/13/10-great-library-facebook-fan-pages/






Saturday, September 17, 2011

Daily Thoughts 9/17/2011

Steve Jobs while introducing the iPad in San Francisco on 27th January 2010. Version without watermark and with reduced noise in the background. Matt Buchanan, 27, January 2010, from Wikimedia  Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 , http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Steve_Jobs_with_the_Apple_iPad_no_logo.jpg


Daily Thoughts 9/17/2011

This morning, I udpated the Twitter and Facebook accounts.  I also spent a little more time on Lynda.com watching training videos.

While reading The Steve Jobs Way, I learned that the slogan "Pirates!Not the Navy" is an Apple computer slogan about the way they run their business.  It means that people need to be very good to survive at what they do and have strong leaders.  I had heard the slogan before was not sure where it came from.  I also learned that the underlying philosophy is focused on combining design with technology.  The product design is as important as the technology.

Web Bits


October 16-22 is National Friends of the Library Week
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/altaff/events_conferences/folweek/index.cfm

The next Friends of the Mount Vernon Public Library meeting is on September 19, at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Room.  Please consider coming.

Banned Books Week Virtual Read Out on Youtube
http://www.youtube.com/bannedbooksweek

Friday, September 16, 2011

Daily Thoughts 9/16/2011

Private Bibliothek, Benutzer Joachim Specht, 2008

Daily Thoughts 9/16/2011

Today has been a steady day.  There was a staff meeting this morning.  We had two guest speakers.  One spoke about customer service, and the other spoke about creating ties between the curriculum of the local school system and the library.

This morning, I updated the Facebook and Twitter account and checked the displays.  I also read through two copies of the New York Times Book Review.  I spent some time in the afternoon on Lynda.com learning a little bit more about Indesign.

I spent some time looking at the latest mission statement and plans for the library.  The plans seem very future oriented with a lot about computers, e-books, and outreach to the community.

I checked out the book, The Steve Jobs Way, iLeadership for a New Generation by Jay Elliott. The book so far tells you how wonderful Steve Jobs was.  It also tells you how obsessed with details he was as well.

I did the professional registration for New York Comic Con for October13-16.  It is ten dollars plus tax which comes out $10.89 for four days for professionals.  Librarians and educators are considered professionals.  This is the largest comic book convention on the east coast.  It is more than a fan convention.  There are a lot of publishers there and it is well worth going.  I have gone every year.

http://www.newyorkcomiccon.com/Press-And-Pros/Professional-Registration/?campaignid=61648222&iusercampaignid=67581618


Web Bits

One 12 Year Old's Love Affair With Reading on the Ipad
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/48668-one-12-year-old-s-love-affair-with-reading-on-the-ipad.html






Daily Thoughts 9/15/2011

Andrea Del Castagno, Sibylle Von Cumae, 1450

Daily Thoughts 9/15/2011

I had a very busy day yesterday.  I updated the Twitter and Facebook account, checked the displays and made sure the fliers were up to date.

I also opened the computer lab for the academic use between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m.

Later in the evening, we had the Writers Networking Workshop from 6:00-8:00 p.m. in the rotunda.  They are preparing for a presentation at Lola's Tea House in Pelham on September 29, 2011 from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m..  The program is going very well.

I also put the book, A Pleasure to Burn Fahrenheit 451 Stories by Ray Bradbury.  This is a collection of short stories based on the novel, Fahrenheit 451.

Web Bits

Library Quotes
http://www.libraryquotes.org/quotes.php


A Century of Philanthropy: The Carnegie Corporation of New York
http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/features/09132011/century-philanthropy-carnegie-corporation-new-york


The Mount Vernon Public Library is a Carnegie building.  Construction started in 1896.  The building was finished in 1904.  There is a lot of old beautiful art in the building including a fresco by Louise Brann and the Doric Hall entryway.




Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Daily Thoughts 9/14/2011

Image based on a photograph of James Fenimore Cooper by Brady, 1850


Daily Thoughts 9/14/2011

I finished reading Blur this morning on the train.  The authors call for a new way of approaching journalism that is related to new media.

I updated the Twitter and Facebook accounts.  We also had the Internet Job Search Hour today in the Computer Lab.  I spent an hour helping people search for jobs.  I also received the invoice for the computer classes on Tuesday nights.  These are going well.

I spent a little time preparing orders for books for the Job Information Center, mainly civil service test books.  Books for clerical exams, police officer exams, firefighter exams, case worker exams and other civil service positions.

I also spent a little bit of time on lynda.com listening to videos on Indesign.  It is a slow, steady process.

I put the book, Just My Type: A Book on Fonts by Simon Garfield on hold.  It should be interesting reading if you like design.

Web Bits

Mysterious Paper Sculptures Found in Scottish Libraries
http://community.thisiscentralstation.com/_Mysterious-paper-sculptures/blog/4991767/126249.html

Librarian Census
http://blog.oup.com/2011/06/librarian-census/

This is a rather interesting article.  It has some faults though.  If you group information science with library science, it tells a very different story.  It is a story of information migrating outside of libraries to be managed in large repositories.  Many information architects have a library background.  The story of the migration of many librarians into information technology would be an interesting one to look at.









Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Daily Thoughts 9/13/2011

The painting collection of Johann Noë Gogel, oil on wood. 1776 Christian Stocklin

Daily Thoughts 9/13/2011

On the way to work, I finished reading The Influencing Machine Brooke Gladstone on the Media.  The last part I was reading was on objectivity, bias, and transparency.  The idea of complete transparency is bothersome.  Transparency does not allow for much anonymity or privacy.

This morning, I updated the Twitter and Facebook accounts and checked the displays.  I also spent some time on Lynda.com studying Indesign CS5.  I also started an introductory course for Drupal and signed up for http://www.drupal.org

A bit on the fresco, "Decorative composition of Gobelin Tapestries" for the Mt. Vernon Public done by Louise Brann. http://www.mountvernonpubliclibrary.org/node/286

There is a special meeting of the Board of Trustees tonight at 6:30 p.m.

I read some more of Blur on the way home.  The authors describe how aggregating and selecting news is a form of editing.  Trusted sites become places where people go for news.  People who can successfully select and manage aggregated content are performing a type of journalism.  This is worth thinking about.



Web Bits

Very nice poster of Abraham Lincoln reading.
http://www.loc.gov/bookfest/images/NBF11-Poster.pdf

 Lawsuit Seeks The Removal of Digital Book Collection
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/13/business/media/authors-sue-to-remove-books-from-digital-archive.html?_r=2&ref=business

 

Monday, September 12, 2011

Daily Thoughts 9/12/2011

Three men reading on a bench, Queen's Park, Toronto, Canada, 1908, William James Author


Daily Thoughts 9/12/2011


I read some more of Blur this morning on the train.  The authors have some very interesting things to say about verifying sources and the difference between opinion, fact finding, and truth in journalism. The authors also describe the different levels of reliability of sources from experts to eyewitnesses.


The graphic novel, The Influencing Machine Brooke Gladstone on the Media came in for me to read.

I checked the displays, and updated the Twitter and Facebook accounts.  I also spent some time on Lynda.com learning a little more Indesign.  I have two months which I can use the service so I am focusing on it right now.  I also have been studying hypertext markup language.  Right now, I am watching videos on cascading style sheets. This is not something I understand very well.  I think I can get the concepts, but not necessarily how to do it.

I put the book Into the Hinterlands by David Drake on hold.  It is military science fiction.

I read some of The Influencing Machine Brooke Gladstone on the Media on the train home.  The graphic novel seems to be mainly focused on the history of journalism with commentary on its impact.  The commentary is filled with irony and has bite to it.  It covers subjects like the Vietnam war, Watergate, Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson, and various presidential campaigns.  There is quite a bit on media bias.

Web Bits

Town of Clinton, NY, Opens "America's Littlest Library"—in a British Phone Booth
http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/home/891988-264/town_of_clinton_ny_opens.html.csp

Does Google Want to Own or Organize Information?
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-20103530-93/does-google-want-to-own-or-organize-information/#ixzz1XcRxQyuA


Sunday, September 11, 2011

Daily Thoughts 9/11/2011

William Winstanley (ca. 1628 - ca. 1698), English poet, most famous for Lives of the most Famous English Poets from 1687

Daily Thoughts 9/11/2011

Today, I spent some time updating the Twitter and Facebook account.  I also did a little bit more study on Lynda.com on Indesign CS5.  I am not sure that I understand Indesign that well.  The lessons seem to be more useful to me for the design information which the isntructor is providing than the progam itself.  I also have been doing some review of HTML.


I read some more of Blur.  I am learning about the different types of journalism that are not fact based or very well verified.  Many of the pundits and talk show hosts do not verfiy their facts.  Also quite a bit of information is not verified during live reporting as events unfold, the facts are often not straightened out until an event is done.  There is also a tendency for many talk show hosts to prefer ideology over substance.  This goes for both the left and the right. 

I feel obligated to say 9/11 is a difficult day for me.  I remember being in Staten Island, New York when the planes struck the Twin Towers.  I was being called up for jury duty.  The court dismissed us when the event was shown on television.  I remember walking home.  I could see the towers of the World Trade Center from Staten Island.  They were a pillar of smoke across the water.  I remember laying down exhausted after seeing the smoking towers and staring at the ceiling for an hour then sleeping for next ten hours.  It is not something I want to remember.  It is a very dark and difficult day, especially for those who knew people died in this tragedy.  Take a moment to remember in silence.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Daily Thoughts 9/10/2011

  Printer's Device of Johannes Froben. Tempera on canvas, heightened with gold, 44 × 31 cm.Johannes Froben (c. 1460–1527) was a noted printer in Basel, for whom Holbein worked and whose portrait he painted. Holbein probably painted the device to hang in Froben's printing shop; and it has survived because Froben's grandson gave it to the Holbein collector Basilius Amerbach in 1583. According to art historian John Rowlands: "The advice of St Matthew, 10:16, is symbolized by the pagan image of Mercury's staff, the symbol of concord, on which a dove is perched between two serpents: "Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves".[1] Mercury is traditionally regarded as the god of commerce and trade. Holbein did not invent the device, which Froben had used in his publications from 1517.


Daily Thoughts 9/10/2011


This morning, I checked the Twitter and Facebook accounts.  I also took some time to read a little bit more of Blur.  The authors are describing the transition of journalism from print mediums like newspapers to electronic mediums like radio and television to digital mediums like the internet.


I also spent a little bit more time on Lynda.com learning Indesign CS5.


I  watched a little bit of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Lightning Thief on dvd . It uses a lot of mythical creatures and gods from Greek mythology in a modern setting.  It is a young adult fantasy series.  We also have the graphic novel and the books by Rick Riordan at the library.  They are very popular.

An article about a reception for the Local History Room.
http://www.mvinquirer.com/history_room_reception.htm


Web Bits


Google Search Education Webinars
https://sites.google.com/site/gwebsearcheducation/webinars



Friday, September 9, 2011

Daily Thoughts 9/9/2011

Still-life with Rarities, Jan Van der Heyden, 1712


Daily Thoughts 9/9/2011

I finished reading A Dance With Dragons on the train to work today.  It was quite enjoyable.  There is a huge cast of characters.


This morning, I spent some time checking the Facebook and Twitter account.  I also checked the displays.

I joined the ALCTS (Association of Library Collections and Technical Services) Eforum this morning to discuss gift policies.  We have been getting a lot more gifts lately.  We got a large donation of African American titles with authors like T.D. Jakes, E. Lynn Harris, Michael Baisden, Iyanla Vanzant and others.

I also made a set of phone calls to people who were at the previous Writers Networking Event.  We have one coming up on September 15, 2011 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. in the Rotunda Art Gallery.  I also printed up some more fliers for the event.

On the way home, I read some of Blur How To Know What's True In The Age Of Information Overload by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel.  The authors are journalists so we are dealing with journalistic truth which is an interesting concept.  Journalistic truth comes across as a bit flexible to me.

I did half an hour more on Lynda.com for training and finished the first hour of a 10 hour course on Indesign CS5.  It will be a slow steady process.

Web Bits

A Set of Library Posters on Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/philbradley/sets/72157625923493122/

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Daily Thoughts 9/8/2011

Man Sitting on a Log, 1895, Karoly Ferenczy
Daily Thoughts 9/8/2011

I read some more of A Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin.  I especially like the character of Tyrione Lannister.  He is wonderfully wicked.

I checked the displays and printed some more flyers for events.  I put in a display for computer books and put some fliers for our different computer activities in the display including fliers about our E-readers and social media presence on Twitter and Facebook.

I put the book Willpower Rediscovering The Greatest Human Strength by Roy F. Baumeister and John Tierney on hold.  A book that caught my attention is A Universe From Nothing by Lawrence Krauss which is a scientific argument for the reason why the universe exists.  It is coming out in January of 2012.

I also put the graphic novel The influencing machine : Brooke Gladstone on the media / illustrated by Josh Neufeld ; with additional penciling by Randy Jones and Susann Ferris-Jones.  I like reading nonfiction graphic novels.

The book Blur How To Know What's True In The Age of Information Overload by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenthal came in for me to read.

I read a bit more of A Dance With Dragons on the train home.

I noticed while looking through the Sony Reader store that both the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times were 99 cents for single issues. This is half of the $2.00 price on the newsstands.  It also appears to be true of magazines as well.  PC Magazine was listed at $1.49 per issue for each monthly issue.  It is something to consider trying out.

Web Bits

Permanence Matters-- a campaign for quality paper in printed books.
http://www.permanencematters.com/

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Daily Thoughts 9/7/2011

The Novel Reading I, oil on wood painting by Josef Danhauser, 1841, 63 x 78,8 cm. Belvedere, Vienna

Daily Thoughts 9/7/2011

I read some more of A Dance With Dragons this morning.  I am enjoying the fantasy novel.

This afternoon, we had our E-reader presentation.  It ran a half hour past the allotted time of 2:00-3:30 p.m. Most of the program came from this presentation http://www.westchesterlibraries.org/eReaderProgram
The presenter reminded us that things changed day to day with E-readers.  He also reminded us that tablets would be a separate program.  Tablets are something which are quite intriguing.

There were a few interesting ideas that came from the presentation.  The first was that there were a lot of different options available for getting ebooks.  We could purchase them from both storefronts and vendors. 

The second idea was that you could easily get the school assignment for the high schools and get many of the classic books that are assigned as ebooks for free and purchase the other titles to create a complete assignment E-reader.

After the E-reader presentation, I wrote the bi-monthly report for the collection development department.  A lot of my time during the last two months has been focused on improving our website.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Daily Thoughts 9/6/2011

Spannende Lektüre, signiert Walter Firle, Öl auf Leinwand, 66,5 x 50 cm

Daily Thoughts 9/6/2011

I read a bit of A Dance With Dragons on the train to work.  It is very enjoyable reading.

This morning I checked the displays and updated the Twitter and Facebook accounts with some announcements.  We are having a training session tomorrow for E-readers.

I spent some time getting the supplies for the Ereaders event.  I also spent half an hour on Lynda.com learning a bit more about Indesign CS5 and watched the introduction part about Flash CS5.

I am putting together a book display for Banned Books Week. http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/bannedbooksweek/ideasandresources/free_downloads/2011banned.pdf

Monday, September 5, 2011

Daily Thoughts 9/5/2011

Paul Fisher, A Good Book, 1905

Daily Thoughts 9/5/2011

I spent some time updating Twitter and Facebook.  I also finished reading No Shelf Required.  It was interesting reading the different options for delivering and purchasing ebooks.  There are subscriptions, pay per view, automatically buy an ebook after a certain number of views, buy a set of ebooks as a package, subscribe to a series of ebooks as they are released, and many other options.

This morning, I finished taking the Youtube Essentials course on Lynda.com which giave me a better idea how the service works.  I plan on learning a number of different programs while I still have the option to use Lynda.com, InDesign, Photoshop, and Flash.

I started reading A Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin this morning. I rather like the story because the author does not stint on villainy.  He makes his treacherous characters truly nasty.  It adds to the story quite nicely.

I took some time to look at the 2011 Washington Irving Book Awards which are presented by the Westchester Library Association.  They are all for Westchester authors.  http://www.westchesterlibraryassociation.org/bookmark.pdf




Sunday, September 4, 2011

Daily Thoughts 9/4/2011

English: RGB GYRICON-- Prototype Electronic Paper Display by Eugene Polido, Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 from Wikimedia.

Daily Thoughts 9/4/2011

This morning, I spent some more time on Facebook and Twitter.  I am working on a Youtube channel for the library http://www.youtube.com/mountvernonpublic   I am just starting on this.

I finished reading Lincoln As I Knew Him.  I read it for a Biography Book Club which we are having on September 20, 2011.  I also read some more of No Shelf Required.  There were some interesting questions which came up.  How do you interlibrary loan ebooks?  What are the fair use rights for ebooks?

It made me think of the New York Times Bestseller fiction List for Ebooks http://www.nytimes.com/best-sellers-books/2011-09-11/e-book-fiction/list.html


Saturday, September 3, 2011

Daily Thoughts 9/3/2011

[Painting by Edgar Ritchard of two books and an unframed painting] [picture]1931.]


Daily Thoughts 9/3/2011


I read some more of No Shelf Required Ebooks in Libraries this morning.  I have been learning about the major ebook distributors for libraries; Ingram Digital Editions, Overdrive, and Netlibrary,  I have quite a bit more to learn.


I also spent a little bit of time on Facebook and Twitter.


I put the book Blur: How To Know What's True In The Age of Information Overload by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel on hold.

I also went to Barnes and Noble today.  The first thing which you see when you come into the store now is the Nook e-reader.  The whole window display in the front of the store was for ebooks. It is clear that Barnes and Noble is pushing ebooks.


Also when I was in the store, I noticed that there were tables for summer reading assignments for the schools.  I heard one of the clerks at the front desk tell someone they even kept a binder for the assignments from the different schools in the area.  We do this at our library.  It is the first time I am seeing this at Barnes and Noble.  Part of the job of libraries is to visit the schools to talk about books and other materials, distribute library cards to students, and check on the different assignments that occur in the schools.

I read a bit more of Lincoln As I Knew Him tonight.  The people writing the anecdotes and statements are interesting; John Wilkes Booth, Harriet Beecher Stowe, William Tecumseh Sherman, and Walt Whitman are among the writers. 

I read a review of Goliath by Scott Westerfeld.  I very much like the cover http://bookyurt.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Goliath.jpg   The book is coming out on September 20, 2011.  I liked the other books in the Leviathan trilogy.


Web Bits


It is Banned Books Week on September 24 through October 1st.
http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/bannedbooksweek/index.cfm

The Dog-Eared Paperback, Newly Endangered in an E-Book Age by Julie Bosman http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/03/business/media/mass-market-paperbacks-fading-from-shelves.html?_r=2&hp

Friday, September 2, 2011

Daily Thoughts 9/2/2011

[Exterior view. Falling Books, by Frank Eliscu, a four-story relief in bornze over the main entrance. Library of Congress James Madison Building, Washington, D.C.] Date Created/Published: 2007. 

Daily Thoughts 9/2/2011

I read a little more of Lincoln As I Knew Him.  I also spent some time making sure that there was space available for programs which I planned.  I updated the current events display with a few books on Dick Cheney and Mike Bloomberg who were in the news recently.

I also took some time to update the Facebook and Twitter account which are growing steadily.  I also spent some time going through our patron recommendation forms which we take at the reference desk as well as our online suggestion form for material.  There were requests for the authors R.A. Salvatore who is a fantasy writer and Denise Hunter who writes christian fiction.

I compiled the monthly statistics for programs.  The amount of people attending programs has been steadily growing.

I also learned today that patrons can access our catalog fairly easily with tablet devices through our wireless system.  It was interesting learning this.

On the way home, I read some more of Lincoln As I knew Him.  The anecdotes present a person who was strikingly odd looking, had a singular personality, and was subject to deep melancholy.  Most of the anecdotes are very positive.  I also started reading No Shelf Required which is about ebooks.  I learned that the early history of creating ebooks was focused on classic works and works of history.  People were seeking to make literature more available through projects like Project Gutenberg and the Perseus Digital Library http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/  This is the first time I have read about the Perseus Digital Library.


Thursday, September 1, 2011

Daily Thoughts 9/1/2011

A "Reader" in cigar factory, Tampa, Fla. He reads books and newspapers at top of his voice all day long. This is all the education many of these workers receive. He is paid by them and they select what he shall read. Location: Tampa, Florida.  Date Created/Published: 1909 January. 

Daily Thoughts 9/1/2011

We are preparing for a presentation on Ereaders on September 7, 2011.  I also confirmed that we will have Kenneth C. Davis coming in January.

This morning, I checked the Twitter and Facebook accounts.  I also checked the displays.  We also took the library service survey down from the website.  It ended on August 31, 2011.  Now, we have to compile the information so that it is presentable.

The book A Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin came in for me to read.  I have been waiting for this book for several years.

I started reading Lincoln As I Knew Him Gossip Tributes & Revelations from His Best Friends and Worst Enemeies, edited by Harold Holzer.  It is a collection of vignettes, letters, and anecdotes about Lincoln.  We are reading a biography on Lincoln as part of the Biography Book Club which is happening on September 20, 2011.