Daily Thoughts 12/4/2009

David Laing, 1862, by William Fettes Douglas (1822-1891), National Gallerys Scotland, Accession no. PG 2041, Medium: Oil on canvas, Size: 25.50 x 63.50 cm; Credit: Given to the Royal Scottish Academy by the artist 1862; presented to the National Gallery of Scotland by the RSA 1910 and transferred to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery 1964

Daily Thoughts 12/4/2009

I spent some time ordering books this morning. I read the latest New York Times Book Review and Kirkus Reviews. I also looked at reviews from various sites again. We have a large year end cash infusion to order a variety of materials. This will allow me to order some graphic novel sets instead of individual issues and pick out some of the better quality titles I missed during the year for literature as well as get some newer computer books.

I am also starting the process of creating a "Graphic Novels Club". I just got a new library card for the club and put a bunch of Neil Gaiman's Sandman on hold. I see lots of book clubs at libraries, but no graphic novel clubs. Another name that was suggested was "Manga Lounge". I think "Manga Lounge" would work better for teenagers.

I read some more of Trust Agents by Chris Brogan during lunch time over coffee at the local diner. Chris Brogan has a real knack for describing nonintrusive methods for networking. He describes how to maximize contacts instead of pushing on individuals. This evening, I finished reading it. If you read carefully, he makes some useful suggestions for social media. I used a few of his suggestions to clean up my twitter account partially.

Me 2.0 Build A Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success by Dan Schwebel

Me 2.0 Build A Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success by Dan Schawbel

Dan Schawbel is describing how to create a complete social media presence for individuals. He calls this a personal brand. Companies, organizations, and recruiters now have a dearth of resumes and personal information available all over the internet. This book is aimed at people in their twenties who are just starting in their careers. However, most of the content is relevant to people in general.

There is a certain irony in reading this book. The word me in the title really does not say what the book is all about. It is about becoming embedded in social networks. Dan Schwebel describes how to integrate the use of Twitter, Facebook, Linked In, blogs, and other social media to create a complete image of an individual person. He also describes how to monitor and protect yourself while doing this.

Planning and long term goals are also integrated into his descriptions of social media tools. He even uses things like SWOT analysis (Strength, Weaknesses, opportunities, Threats), and checklists of goals to use when creating a personal brand.

There are many more advanced suggestions as well; creating a video resume, public relations and your image in social media, and entrepreneurial drive. This material is very corporate and entrepreneurial in nature. Donald Trump is mentioned briefly in the book which was kind of entertaining. It fits in very well with venture capital and the ideals of technology startups. Dan Schwebel says that Fast Company is his favorite magazine to read which is a favorite among young technology company workers.

I found the book to be useful. I even followed a few suggestions he made about Linked In. I found this book on http://www.mashable.com Mashable is a news site for social media.

Daily Thoughts 12/3/2009

Mark Twain Photo Portrait c1907

Daily Thoughts 12/3/2009

I thought this article on a Vermont bookstore using the Espresso Book Machine as a device for self publishng was quite interesting. It opens some very novel opportunities.
http://bit.ly/YruvG

I am off today. I went to the local Barnes and Noble and looked around. There was an interesting book, Talking About Detective Fiction by P.D. James which is something which looks like it is worth getting. I also looked around the mall a little bit. It was not that full. Mostly people seemed to be window shopping.

I also watched a bit of Cowboy Bebop the Movie which is subtitled in english from the Japanese.

Right now, I am reading Chris Brogan, Trust Agents which is about how to build transparency and trust using social media tools. I have already found a few suggestions that are useful. I updated my social networks so the message they gave was more consistent.

Going on New York Library Meetup tour for the Center for Fiction on December 8. It should be interesting. http://www.meetup.com/NYLibrarians/

Daily Thoughts 12/2/2009

Portrait of Giacomo Casanova made about 1750-1755 by his brother Francesco Casanova, who was a famous painter (Gosudarstvennyj Istoriceskij Muzej of Moskow).

Daily Thoughts 12/2/2009

Today was a day for working on signage. We put up a sign for our current events book table which says "Current Events and People in the News" as well as two clip on signs for our small display tables with the words, "These books are ready to take out." We are also working on creating a new sign for the New Arrivals section.

I also refreshed a few displays, taking out the holiday display and putting in a book display on gardening and flowers. We have a fairly large section with oversize or quarto books and they make excellent display items.

I started on designing a flyer for the graphic novels club, we are going to start with Neil Gaiman, Sandman as an opener. We are getting a new library card for the graphic novel club.

I spent some time ordering books as well. It has been a nice steady day. This evening, I am going through Powell's Review A Day, and various reviews from Library Journals online reviews to pick out a few more books.

Daily Thoughts 12/1/2009

Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Carl Van Vechten Collection, [reproduction number, e.g., LC-USZ62-54231] Maugham, W. Somerset--(William Somerset),--1874-1965. The Razor's Edge is a great novel.

Daily Thoughts 12/1/2009

I am back from vacation today. I returned my book and checked out a bunch of items, Me 2.0 by Dan Schwabel which is about building a personal network online, Social Intelligence by Daniel Goleman, Six Pixels of Separation by Mitch Joel, Trust Agents by Chris Brogan (Chris Brogan spoke last year at Tools of Change for Publishing), Diving Into the Wreck by Kristine Kathryn Rusch, and Halo Evolution, Essential Tales of the Halo Universe ( Tobias Buckell has a story in this book.)

There are a few books which I was interested in but didn't take, Vladimir Nabokov, The Original of Laura (this is Nabokov's manuscript for his final work, it is on notecards and unfinished. Vladimir Nabokov did not want it published, but his son published it anyway after his death.) The other book which I'll probably read later is Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters. Sometimes, there are just too many books.

I had various things to do including updating the displays and catching up on my reading. I still have quite a bit to do. I read some of Booklist and Publishers Weekly. I also finished putting in my orders for the month of November. Tomorrow, I have to work on the display stands for the "New Arrivals" section.

On the way home, I read some of Me 2.0, Build A Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success. The book is on personal branding. The book comes across as a bit narcissistic. Still, it has quite a bit that seems useful to say about how to market yourself as a person. There is a lot for people just entering the job market. It makes the claim that people need to have more than a resume and recommendations to succeed.