Daily Thoughts 01/31/2018

Calligraphy by Jan Van De Velde; from Spieghel der schrijfkonste, 1605

Daily Thoughts 01/31/2018

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

On the way to work, I read some more of Data Strategy.  Sometimes you pick up bits of information which stick with you while you are reading.  I learned that Hello Barbie is an AI barbie for children which monitors what you tell it.

I also read a little more of The Victory Lab.  I am reading about the rise of political consultants for campaigns.

I checked the gift books and the displays.

I spent some time discussing the Community Development Block Grant with the director and treasurer.  We had discussed a few ADA improvements last year with the library.  I looked up some statistics and a few articles.

Web Bits

Mysterious 15th Century Manuscript Decoded by Computer Scientists Using Artificial Intelligence
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/mysterious-manuscript-decoded-computer-scientists-ai-a8180951.html

Daily Thoughts 01/30/2018

Reading Lamp, Nautilus Design, Louis Comfort Tiffany, 1899

Daily Thoughts 01/30/2018

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

I read some more of The Victory Lab on the way to work.

I checked the displays and the gift books this morning.

I also worked on some orders for new books.

I spent some time discussing our procedure for reporting when computer equipment is broken.  We are trying to keep a log.

The book Rules for For Radicals A Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals by Saul D. Alinsky came in for me to read.

I spent some time discussing the Friends of the Library Writing Contest from 2013 with colleagues.

I am also thinking about the Lets Build Robots! Tweens Learn. Build. Share. fundraiser and how we will create the programs that go with it.

There was a crochet group today from 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

There is also a Fundamentals of Computers class tonight as well as a Beginning Microsoft Word class.

I put out the latest Bookpage for February.

I also spent some time looking through damaged material to see what needed to be replaced, mended, or discarded.

On the way home, I read some more of The Victory Lab.  I am reading the history of how people developed campaign letters and polling for politics in the United States.  A lot of it is about statistics and motivation.

Web Bits

Save School Libraries Petition
http://www.saveschoollibrarians.org/schoollibrarians?utm_campaign=schoollibpetit&utm_medium=email&utm_source=votelibraries

Daily Thoughts 01/29/2018

A Man Reading, Thomas Sword Good, 1827

Daily Thoughts 01/29/2018

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

I read a little bit more of Data Strategy.  I am reading about how data effects customer service and operations.  One example they uss is that banks now check your financial transactions with algorithms to make sure you are the one making a purchase.

I also read a bit more of The Victory Lab.  I am reading about early studies done in Chicago on what motivates people to vote.

Last night, I watched The Inexplicable Universe: Unsolved Mysteries narrated by Neil deGrasse Tyson.  It is part of the Great Courses lecture series on DVD.  I like Tyson's lectures.

I also read the latest Bookpage.

I wrote a short post for my class on the concept of Ladders of Engagement.

Cultivating Support for Your Library With A Ladder of Engagement
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/cultivating-support-your-library-ladder-engagement-sweeney/

Web Bits

The Libraries Bringing Small-Town News Back to Life
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/01/libraries-local-news/551594/

Support Libraries, Support MLSA
http://cqrcengage.com/ala/app/write-a-letter?9&engagementId=424273

Daily Thoughts 01/28/2018

 Circular; in the center a globe, books, scroll, rake, sythe; around the border books intersperced with the inscription, in Russian, "Learn to read and life will be better", 1921

Daily Thoughts 01/28/2018

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

I spent some time looking at Share Your Story this morning.
http://www.ilovelibraries.org/share-your-story

I read some more of Data Strategy this afternoon.  I am reading about how to choose the right questions to ask for data analysis.

I also started reading The Victory Lab The Secret Science of Winning Campaigns by Sasha Issenberg.  I am learning how analytics are increasingly being used to help win very close political campaigns.


Web Bits

New NEH Grant Provides Matching Funds to Support Humanities Infrastructure

https://www.neh.gov/news/press-release/2018-01-16

A Publishers Life and Library

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/26/books/review/howard-kaminsky-library.html

CopyTalk Copyright Librarian Starter Kit

http://www.districtdispatch.org/2018/01/copytalk-copyright-librarian-starter-kit/

The Book That Changed My Life ... In Prison
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2018/jan/19/the-book-that-changed-my-life-in-prison

Daily Thoughts 01/27/2018

The Bankers Table, William Michael Harnett, 1877


Daily Thoughts 01/27/2018

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

I read a little bit more of Data Strategy this morning.  I am reading about why every business now is a data business.

Last night, I finished reading The Truth Matters A Citizen's Guide to Separating Facts From Lies And Stopping Fake News In Its Tracks by Bruce Bartlett who is a veteran journalist and presidential adviser.  This a short 119 page guide on how to sort out what news is authoritative and accurate.  It explains how newspapers are dying and news is increasingly being driven by audience size.  The reader learns how to set up their own news feed, pick out information that is less biased, and gets a better understanding of how journalism works.  It is easy to read, accurate in its presentation, and even supports your library.

Webinar Organizing Powermapping from PC Sweeney of Everylibrary

http://www.nicheacademy.com/blog/power-mapping

I am sorting out some ideas that I need to communicate right now.

I checked out the ebook, Campaign Boot Camp 2.0 Basic Training for Candidates, Staffers, Volunteers and Nonprofits by Christine Pelosi on Hoopla as an e-book.  Christine Pelosi is the daughter of Nancy Pelosi.  I also reserved the book, Rules for Radicals A Practical Primer for Realistic Radicals by Saul D. Alinsky.

Web Bits

Blackbeard the bookworm?  Why conservators think the pirate may have kept a library aboard his ship.

http://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-friday-edition-1.4484878/blackbeard-the-bookworm-why-conservators-think-the-pirate-may-have-kept-a-library-aboard-his-ship-1.4485264?platform=hootsuite

Hamptons Based Library Promoting Animal Adoption Through Art

http://www.hamptons.com/The-Arts/Art-News/24220/Hamptons-Based-Library-Promoting-Animal-Adoption.html#.WmynoK6nGUk