Daily Thoughts 4/23/2010

Astrid Lindgren Stamp, Germany 2007, First Day of Issue

Daily Thoughts 4/23/2010

Today has been a nice day. We had an instructor come in and teach us about Microsoft Publisher. We make a lot of bookmarks, flyers, posters and banners. It was interesting learning some new techniques.

We are also putting up new signage for the shelves. We are designing shelf cards, banners, and shelf labels. I am hoping it will look nice. We are using the green and gold colors from our logo as part of the design.

This afternoon, the gentleman who is interested in the poetry program came by. He brought a wireless microphone which he wanted to show me. I also let him borrow the manual which I had from the PITB Poetry In The Branches program. I think we will be able to put together a very interesting program. http://www.poetshouse.org/librariespitbw.htm

I also finished reading Chuck Klosterman, Eating The Dinosaur on the way home from work. It is very cerebral. He is making a kind of commentary on popular culture that is very self reflective.

Morning Thoughts

A Wandering Scholar With A Walking Stick

This morning has been mostly putting inserts in the legal books as well as finishing up the weeding for the reference books. I also am going to weed more of the legal books today. It is doing everyday work.

I did a brief tour for a visiting librarian from the system headquarters of the areas where we have foreign language material, world language, some films, literacy books, and language instruction materials. She also asked questions about programming for Spanish speakers. I gave her the local contacts for SCORE, the Women's Enterprise Development Center, and the African American Chamber of Commerce. I also suggested that some programs get restarted. The school district ran out of money for GED classes and tutoring which they funded at our library.

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I am rereading Rainbow's End by Vernor Vinge. There are places where the book gets quite chaotic and complex. It can be hard to figure out what is happening exactly. I am rereading it to figure out what exactly happened at some points.

The chaos is kind of intriguing. There are a lot of little details which can catch you by surprise. For example the library at UCSD is the Theodore Geisel library. The book sometimes describes possible technology in a disorienting way, much like you are experiencing future shock, which the main character is experiencing. I think the second read will be enough for me to review it. The book is fascinating.

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Today, I am doing the Open Microphone Poetry Program at 4:00 p.m. I think that I may read some of the haiku I wrote earlier. I have been pulling some poetry books to display as well. The room should be set up. We will have the typical water, strawberries, juice, and cookies. The community relations person is out, so I get to go shopping at the local supermarket.

Five people came in and read their original poetry. Three more people came in to read from a few books that I had selected and put aside on a cart. There was a lady with her little baby. The baby was very quiet. A few teenagers came in and out and drank the fruit punch and ate some strawberries.

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They are breaking up the collection development ordering process right now, so I will probably have more coverage of things which I would order. This would include in addition, to the Job Information Center, graphic novels, anime, manga, science fiction and fantasy, and social sciences. I am asking that I get the same coverage in reference as I would in circulating materials, business and law. I am not sure what is happening yet. The new director is shaking things up a bit.

Sometimes when you think you have the least amount to say, you have the most amount once you start sitting down to write things.

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I sometimes think I got my reading habits from my 90 year old grandmother. She reads all the time and likes to visit libraries. Unlike me, she reads lots of mystery books. She worked at Brown University for a while and was also a public schoolteacher.