Daily Thoughts 02/26/2012

La myope (The short-sighted woman). Signed and dated AStevens.1903, oil on canvas, 41 x 33 cm

Daily Thoughts 02/26/2012

I spent a few minutes this morning on http://findings.com I am finding it very entertaining.   I also updated the Twitter and Facebook account for the library.

I bought a copy of What Color Is Your Parachute? Guide to Job Hunting Online, 6th Edition and downloaded it to my Kindle for PC program on my desktop.  It should help me focus a little bit better.

I also spent some time updating my Linked In contacts.  I have to work on expanding my contacts list.

I have been steadily reading more of What Color Is Your Parachute?  Guide to Job Hunting Online  I have been taking various assessments. Most of them say that I should be a librarian.  Some say I should be a designer.  I rather like design, especially typography.  I don't understand it that well, but I like it.  Book design interests me.  Maybe there is a nice crossover.  Rachel Singer Gordon and Sarah Nesbitt are mentioned in an article, Market Yourself Online http://www.infotoday.com/mls/oct01/gordon&nesbeitt.htm
This is very much an article for librarians.

I spent some time looking at the various aggregator sites like Indeed, Simply Hired, and Link Up.  Simply Hired is the best quality of the aggregators.  The only site that had anything remotely interesting on it was Link Up.  Link Up draws directly from employers websites.  Most of the listing I am seeing are very unappealing.  I also spent some time on the site I Need A Library Job which is easily the best aggregrator for library job listings.  As a note, I contacted I Need A Library Job and found that they use volunteers to compile the listings together and check the listings to see if they are real.

I will probably end up using this information on Wednesday and Thursday to help people look for jobs in the computer lab.

There is a reminder to think of, people hire people, not people hire paper.  There is also an interesting section on electronic portfolios.  I could probably add my resume to this blog and call it an electronic portfolio.  For some people, blogs like this are better than resumes, they tell a lot more about the person than a resume ever could.

I finished reading What Color Is Your Parachute?  Guide to Job Hunting Online, 6th Edition.  It was a very solid overview of the topic.  I think I have a very good idea of what I plan on doing next.

Web Bits

Libraries and Publishers Do Not Have a Symmetical Interest in a Conversation
http://www.idealog.com/blog/libraries-and-publishers-dont-have-symmetrical-interest-in-a-conversation

Daily Thoughts 02/25/2012

[Andrew Carnegie, 1835-1919, half length, seated behind desk, looking down at book, facing right; shelves filled with books in background] Date Created/Published: c1913 April 5.

Daily Thoughts 02/25/2012

I checked the Twitter and Facebook this morning for the library.  I also finished reading What Color Is Your Parachute?  It helped me focus a little better on what I am doing.  I still have quite a bit to do. I have been learning a little bit more about social reading and social publishing.

I also spent some time on Findings which is a social reading platform for clippings from books and the internet.  I kind of like it.  http://findings.com 

I still have a desire to take the NYU Professional Certificate in Digital Publishing.  It is something that I keep going back to. http://www.scps.nyu.edu/areas-of-study/publishing/professional-certificates/digital-publishing.html

Web Bits

B&N Boycott Becomes Booksellers Cold War
http://radar.oreilly.com/2012/02/amazon-bn-drm-cognitive-friction.html

Daily Thoughts 02/24/2012

Daily Thoughts 02/24/2012


This morning, I updated the Twitter and Facebook account for the library.  I also spent a little bit of time looking over my Linked In account.  I am planning on going to New York Libraries Share on March 18, 2012 which is a networking group for librarians on Facebook.

I have been reading some more of What Color is Your Parachute and doing the career assessments.  The assessments confirm my desire to work at the crossroads of reading, social media, and content.

I also have been looking at social reading sites like Goodreads, Shelfari, Library Thing, Book Lamp, Scribd, Red Lemonade, Open Margin, Wattpad, Bibliocrunch, Bookjar, Book Glutton which has become Read Social, Subtext, Netgalley which is more of an electronic galley service than a social network.  I also signed up to try two new Social Reading platforms, Bookish and Flatleaf which have not quite launched.  There are also some rather interesting sites which are around like Inkpop- a creative writing site for teens and Cowbird which is a kind of storytelling site.

I spent some time earlier this morning looking at Digital Book World, Teleread, the Digital Shift, and O'Reilly Tools of Change.  I'll probably take a look at IDPF (the International Digital Publishing Forum) and the BISG (Book Industry Study Group) as well.

I am almost done reading What Color Is Your Parachute.  I have an idea of what my assessed strengths are and what I am interested in doing.  I filled in the flower diagram in the book.  Now, I have to start talking to people about different activities.

Web Bits


Steal This Idea
http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2012/steal-this-idea/

Reading The Future: Digital Books and What's To Come for Literature
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/bookreviews/9086635/Reading-the-future-Digital-books-and-whats-to-come-for-literature.html

Daily Thoughts 02/23/2012

John Lavery, Miss Auras, circa 1900

Daily Thoughts 02/23/2012

This morning, I updated the library Twitter and Facebook accounts.  I also bought a copy of What Color Is Your Parachute? 2012 by Richard N. Bolles. Because it is an instruction book with lots of questionnaires, I wanted a copy so I could write in the margins and fill in the pages.

I spent some time this afternoon reading What Color Is Your Parachute? One of the things which the author reminds people is that Google is your resume now and you want to make sure your information on social networks is as complete as possible.  I am going back to look over my networks today.

It was interesting looking at what was on Google.  I think I might have made one risque comment on banana guards, but that is about it.  I found listings for Meetup, Scribd, Quora, Visual CV which I hid, Huffington Post, Digital Book World, the Content Strategy Meetup, and the NYC Taxonomy Community on Meetup.

I also spent a little bit of time cleaning up my Linked In profile.  Maybe some more people will look at it.

I have started doing the career and personal assessment exercises in What Color is Your Parachute.  I get a sense that I like working with books and information.  What I don't seem to like is the increasing instability in libraries that exist because of funding troubles.

This is a question which I asked on Linked In.

I am thinking that the number of people who have easy access to e-books has grown tremendously.

29% of people have tablets and e-readers.
http://wirelessandmobilenews.com/2012/01/tablet-ownership-doubles-due-kindle-fire-prices-ownership-wealthy.html

Another 35% own smart phones which can function as reading devices.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-20078528-94/pew-one-third-of-u.s-adults-own-smartphones/

78% of Americans now use internet broadband according to pew.
http://www.pewinternet.org/Presentations/2011/Jun/Advertising-Audience-Measurement.aspx

The question then becomes what percentage of people are loading e-book software onto their personal digital assistants. Also, who is loading software for e-reading onto their personal computer like the Nook for PC application, Kindle for PC application, or Overdrive Media Console.

If 30% have dedicated e-reading devices and you hazard that people might prefer to read an e-book on their laptop or phone, would it be close to 50% of people having e-reading devices or software. This is a wild guess. Any thoughts.


Web Bits

The Argentine Book Tank:  Book Mobile for the 21st Century?
http://www.bookpatrol.net/2010/05/argentine-book-tank-bookmobile-for-21st.html

TOC 2012: Barbara A Genco, "Public Library Power Patrons Are Your Best Customers"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=0PGlFzxk7Ts 


Levar Burton Keynote from Tools of Change

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=mXLju6cBDwI