Daily Thoughts 05/05/2017

The Reader, Grace Cossington, 1916
Daily Thoughts 05/05/2017

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

I checked the gift books and the displays.

I put in an order for large print books.  I am working on an order for books on professional development for librarians.

I spent some time discussing the computer classes.

I also printed up some flyers.

I read the New York Times Bestseller List and the Publishers Weekly Bestseller list today.

Two books came in for me to read, All Systems Red The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells and Deviate The Science of Seeing Differently by Beau Lotto.

I have been looking at professional books for librarianship as well.

On the way home, I read All Systems Red The Murderbot Diaries.  This was a story with some challenging ideas.  The main character is a security android who has subverted its program so it can watch entertainment videos and ignore some of the commands given to it.  There is a theme in the story of what it means to be free and be able to make choices.  The book is short, 149 pages and holds your attention.  I finished it on the way home.  It feels like a complete story.

I also started reading Deviate which is about how we perceive the world and how understanding that perception in terms of neuroscience can give us opportunities to innovate and change.

Web Bits

Mount Vernon Public Library Budget passed-- new trustee to be sworn

http://www.mvinquirer.com/mt-vernon-public-library-budget-passed---new-trustee-to-be-sworn.html

Back In the Big Apple BEA Preview 2017

http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2017/05/industry-news/back-in-the-big-apple-bea-preview-2017/

Libraries are Fining Children Who Can't Afford to Be Without Books

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/04/nyregion/library-fines-children-books.html?_r=0

Daily Thoughts 05/04/2017

Still Life With Spherical Mirror, M.C. Escher, 1934

Daily Thoughts 05/04/2017

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

I checked the displays and the gift books.  I also put together some orders of books.  I am planning on placing an order for large print books next.  I will be looking at Random House Large Print and the McNaughton plan for books.

I also spent some time looking over the 800s and the 600s.

The film Home was shown today for Emotional Wellness Week.  It is an excellent independent film that show issues of mental illness in a down to earth manner.  http://www.homethefilm.com/

We also had the Growing and Aging program today from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m..  It was mostly seniors who attended.  I was too young to answer a few of the questions.  One of the patrons brought some carrot cake.  This was a conversation supported by funding from Humanities New York.

I finished reading The Card Catalog, Books, Cards, Literary Treasures, The Library of Congress Foreword by Carla Hayden. This is a beautiful books.  It very much appeals to the old fashioned sense of antiquarian books.  The book contains many illustrations of classic book covers and title pages next to a catalog card fot the item from the Library of Congress. You get to see The Wizard of Oz,  The Fire Next Time, The Elements of Euclid, The Scarlett Letter A Romance, and many other classics throughout this book.  The book successfully describes the transition from catalog cards to computer punch cards and the early MARC records.  I enjoyed it.


Web Bits

Library Associations Turn Activists for April Marches

http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2017/05/events/library-associations-turn-activist-for-april-marches/

                                                                                                            

Books or Bombs: A Battle for the Soul of America

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/58ed02a4e4b0ea028d568d2c
       
 Tell City Hall: An Investment in Libraries is an Investment for All New Yorkers
https://www.nypl.org/speakout?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=2017BudgetAdvocacy&utm_term=DonationPage&utm_content=TwitterShare
I did. 

                                      

 

Daily Thoughts 05/03/2017

Woman in Black Reading, Rik Wouters, 1912

Daily Thoughts 05/03/2017

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

I checked the gift books and the displays.

We had the Senior Memoir Writing class this morning.

I met with Jim Swarz from Davidson Titles today and looked through a variety of books for ordering. 

I checked out the book, THE Card Catalog Books, Cards, and Literary Treasures The Library of Congress, Foreword by Carla Hayden.  This is a history of the Library Congress as it is shown through its card catalog from the beginning of the institution.


Web Bits

Proposed Spending Bill Would UP NEA, NEH Budgets

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/73490-spending-bill-ups-endowment-budgets.html

Daily Thoughts 05/02/2017

Student With Newspaper, Pablo Picasso, 1913

Daily Thoughts 05/02/2017

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

I checked the displays and the gift books this morning.

I spent some time working on a grant today.  I am almost ready to hand it in.

We had the Crochet Group today from 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Quite a few people are signing up for the computer classes.

There is a Fundamentals of Computers class and a Beginning Microsoft Word class tonight.

I read a copy of the New York Times on the way home.

Web Bits

Fight For Libraries Despite Challenges, Advocacy Continues and Thrive

https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2017/05/01/fight-for-libraries/

Spending Bill Includes $2 Million Increase for NEA After Trump Proposed Eliminating Funds

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-entertainment-news-updates-may-spending-bill-includes-increase-of-nea-1493658893-htmlstory.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook

Institute of Museum and Library Services for Now Survives Trumps Effort to Kill It

https://teleread.org/2017/05/02/whew-institute-of-museum-and-library-services-survives-trumps-effort-to-kill-it/

How Ebooks Lost Their Shine 'Kindles Now Look Clunky and Unhip'

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/apr/27/how-ebooks-lost-their-shine-kindles-look-clunky-unhip-

How a 'Tiny Car Wash' Helps the Boston Public Library Clear Dust from Its Millions of Books

https://www.boston.com/culture/books/2017/05/02/how-a-tiny-car-wash-helps-the-boston-public-library-clear-dust-from-its-millions-of-books

The Aging Library Staff
http://publiclibrariesonline.org/2017/04/the-aging-library-staff/

Daily Thoughts 05/01/2017

Harold Harvey, The New Book, 1919

Daily Thoughts 05/01/2017

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

I placed a hold on the book Deviate The Science of Seeing Differently by Beau Lotto.

I am looking at the Community Conversation for Immigration from Humanities New York.

http://humanitiesny.org/our-work/programs/community-conversations/

I looked at the Purchase Alerts last night for books.

I checked the gift books and the displays today.

I also did a little bit of work on ordering today.

I checked out the graphic novel, Paul Gaugin, The Other World by Fabrizio Dori.  It is a biographical story about Gaugin.  I read it on the train home.  It is a mix of Tahitian mythology, biography, and extreme artistic vision.  The artwork and storytelling is superb with vibrant colors and wonderful drawing.  I very much enjoyed reading this.  This book is part of a series.  I am hoping to read the graphic novel on Pablo Picasso next.

Web Bits

Thomas Bender: "The NEH Began Over 200 Careers in Libraries, Archives and More

https://pen.org/thomas-bender-neh-began-200-careers-archives-libraries/

Trump Drops the Mother of All Bombs on Libraries
http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/economy-budget/331362-trump-drops-the-mother-of-all-bombs-on-libraries