Daily Thoughts 05/29/2014

Jeune-femme-lisant-dans-un-jardin, Henri Lebasque, Circa 1900


Daily Thoughts 05/29/2014

This morning, I checked the library Twitter and Facebook.

I am looking forward to going to Book Expo America.  I think I am prepared.

On the way to Book Expo America, I read a little more of The Authority by Jeff Vandermeer.  Part of the story is a new director is coming into a secretive agency and must find out what happened before he was there.  This leaves plenty of room for skullduggery.

Right now, I am in the VIP lounge, I have my new badge and I am typing away at a PC computer.  I have a little notebook or blank cahier they gave me, which says Keep Calm and Read On.

I learned yesterday that Hoopla is more than a streaming platform.  They also have an application that lets you view content while you are not online.  This makes it much more intriguing.

I spent most of the day walking around and looking at exhibitors.  There were a lot more e-book exhibitors this time.  Also, the shipping center was on the main floor of the show which made it easier.  I packed about half a box of books to send back to my library.

There were a few things which caught my interest.  I rather liked the Cadogan Guides for travel by Interlink publishing.  O'reilly books also had a flyer which listed Top Titles for Public Libraries for computer books.  I also liked the graphic novel, Watson and Holmes which is on its second volume by New Paradigm Studios.  This is an African American version of Sherlock Holmes set in Harlem.

I learned that NOLO is no longer producing the New York Landlord, the New York Tenant, and the New York corporation legal books.  They were not profitable enough.  It was something that was very useful.

I also spent some time talking to Recorded books about Zinio.  Some libraries are using tablets inside the library with subscriptions to Zinio on them.  Quite often these subscriptions are for magazines that are not part of the print collection.  It is a different way to think about how Zinio is used.

I did a lot of walking.  At the end of the day, I went to the Best In Fall 2014 Graphic Novel  panel.  There were four people on the panel, Michael Cho, Shoplifter, Jules Feiffer, Kill My Mother, Raina Telgemeier, Sisters which is a young adult graphic novel, and Farel Dalrymple, The Wrenchies.

I also had a chance to ask about Amish fiction.  Three authors were recommended, Beverly Lewis, Suzanne Woods Fisher, and Sarah Gould.

It was a very nice chance to talk to other librarians as well. In addition to going to the VIP Lounge, I also spent some time in the Librarians Lounge at BEA.  I had a chance to talk to a librarian from New Rochelle who said it was a relief to hear that Mount Vernon Public Library's budget passed.  It is nice to know that there are other libraries in Westchester who are supportive.

On the way home, I finished reading The Authority by Jeff Vandermeer.  It had a satisfying ending for a weird tale.  The border to Area X, a pristine wilderness expanded engulfing the research station. I am already hoping that I will get a chance to read the third book in the trilogy soon.

Web Bits

Book Expo America: Publishers Have Ceded Power

http://www.thebookseller.com/news/book-expo-america-publishers-have-ceded-power.html

BEA 2014: Books, Technology, and the Culture of Distraction.

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bea/article/62533-bea-2014-books-technology-and-the-culture-of-distraction.html

James Patterson: ‘If Amazon Is the New American Way, Then Maybe It Has to Be Changed’
http://www.vulture.com/2014/05/james-patterson-calls-out-amazon-at-book-expo.html

Remembering Maya Angelou, Poet, Author, and Library Advocate

http://www.americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blog/remembering-maya-angelou

9 Classic Contemporary Westerns You Need to Read-- Aaron Gwynn
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/aaron-gwyn/9-classic-contemporary-we_b_5397760.html?&ncid=tweetlnkushpmg00000031