Monday, February 28, 2011

Daily Thoughts 2/28/2011 (Twelve, twitter)

[Mary Roberts Rinehart, three-quarter length, seated, facing left, reading book]

Daily Thoughts 2/28/2011 

Today has been another quiet, steady day.  I did what I usually do; check the displays, do some weeding in the storage area, go through the gifts.  We got a few gifts by the authors Omar Tyree and Eric Jerome Dickey who are very popular African American novelists.  Our budget has been cut to the bone, so it is a necessity for me to check this regularly.

I also took some time to check on the missing items report.  There were a few minor snags with the report.  The public service survey is now back on the front of the website.  I have been steadily working on the library Twitter account, it is up to 92 followers.  Each month it will steadily grow.

I have been reading Twelve by Jasper Kent.  The story is a bit different.  It is set in Russia during the Napoleonic invasion.  A lot of the story happens in Moscow.  It is both a story about warfare, spycraft, and vampires.  The vampires are more than just terrible creatures. They are terrible creatures that hunt men in the name of nation building and war.  There is a back story in this about Wallachia and the Turkish invasions which is a bit different. 

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Daily Thoughts 2/27/2011 (We Claim These Stars, The Digital Experience)

Nihonzutsumi no rakugan tamaya uchi Tamagushi, Print shows Tamagushi, a courtesan, full-length portrait, with several hairpins, seated, reading a scroll; picture hanging on the wall above her shows geese descending on the Nihon embankment.  Date Created/Published: [between 1818 and 1822]


Daily Thoughts 2/27/2011


I finished reading Designing The Digital Experience by David Lee King.  This book takes a different approach to designing websites.  It focuses on the customers experience inside a web site.  It is very much Web 2.0 focused and describes services like Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube.  For David Lee King a website is more than just content and service; it is the total experience which a person has when visiting a site. The site must be easy to use, easy to find things on, browsable, searchable, and focused.  I liked the concept of merit badging or collecting experiences.  I collect experiences when I visit conventions or go to meetings then I write them down here.

I am starting reading an old Ace paperback with the code G-697 which is a series code used by Ace books.  The title is We Claim These Stars by Poul Anderson.  It is classic science fiction from 1959.  It features the character "Flandry of Terra."

This was classic science fiction with a flamboyant character.  I like that Clive's, Flandry's assistant used growth hormone to heal his wounds.  There is something old fashioned about this. The cover art for the book is by Kelly Freas, it has a nostalgic, slightly cheesy, sparkly look to it.  I like Kelly Freas's artwork, it is very expressive.  It is also a much faster, shorter read than todays science fiction novels.  Hopefully, the web will open up shorter form science fiction again.  Things which you can read in several hours.

Web Bits

Citizen/Public Journalism Bibliography Citizen/Public Journalism Bibliography http://www.poynter.org/uncategorized/790/citizen-public-journalism-bibliography/#

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Daily Thoughts 2/26/2011

Funny side up, Poster Promoting Reading,  WPA, Between 1936 and 1939

Daily Thoughts 2/26/2011

I have been reading some more of Designing The Digital Experience by David Lee King.  Right now, I am reading about putting together communities using blogs, flickr, and other resources.  It describes the process of getting people to interact. 

I also have been reading the Dublin Core metadata standards on the web.  It is something which I am finding interesting.

Web Bits

Cory Doctorow HarperCollins to libraries: we will nuke your ebooks after 26 checkouts
http://www.boingboing.net/2011/02/25/harpercollins-to-lib.html

Friday, February 25, 2011

Daily Thoughts 2/25/2011 (shakespeare's landlord, designing the digital experience)

Per Eskilson 1820-1872, Reading Loud

Daily Thoughts 2/25/2011

Today has been a quiet, steady day.  I spent some time checking the displays.  I also did a little more weeding in the mezzanine.

I plan on reading Charlaine Harris, Shakespeare's Landlord which is part of a planned book discussion group.  I also spent some time writing up several of the adult programs for the next two months planned calendar of events.  Part of this process is designing some flyers to distribute. I usually plan my flyers based on what I previously done.  We are planning to do another Writers Networking Event focused on poetry on March 17, 2011 from 6:30-8:00 p.m.

I read some more of Designing The Digital Experience by David Lee King.  The author is a librarian which makes the book applicable to libraries.  He even writes about using Drupal as a content management system.  This time, the write is describing community in the sense of websites.  He is focusing on how easy it is to share information in variety of formats including Twitter for microblogging and Flickr for photosharing.

Web Bits

A New Library Advocacy Blog from the American Library Association.
http://stoptrashingmylibrary.org/

This is wonderfully silly. The Konomark.
http://www.konomark.org/

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Daily Thoughts 2/24/2011 (Taxonomy, Designing The Digital Experience)

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Porträt von Jean und Geneviève Caillebotte, 1895

Daily Thoughts 2/24/2011

I missed my stride a little bit yesterday.  There were two books that came in, Twelve Russia 1812 by Jasper Kent and Designing The Digital Experience by David Lee King.  I have started reading Designing The Digital Experience.  It starts by reminding us that the customer is at the center, not the programs or gadgets.

I put the book, The Accidental Taxonomist by Heather Hedden on interlibrary loan request.  It was a suggested title from the Taxonomy Meetup last night.  I very much enjoyed going to this.  Fleur Levitz was the organizer for the meetup from Morgan Stanley.  It was interesting talking about the taxonomy setup of the New York Times Kristi Reilly.  They use computer programs to extract some of the metatags, then they adjust them with people.

On the way home, I read some more of Designing The Digital Experience by David Lee King.  He is describing how it is important to make certaing processes simple.  He also talks about how websites need to be designed in a user friendly way.

Today, I checked the displays, did some more weeding in the storage area, and spent some time checking the inventory.  We also had a large donation of art books most of which went into the book sale.

This afternoon was the last session of the Women's Enterprise Development Center for this month.  They did a session in the computer lab.

Please take some time to read this.  It is about proposed cuts to the New York City libraries which will force more layoffs in Manhattan.  http://savenyclibraries.org/

Web Bits

Bookselling Without Borders from Green Apple Books. This is a truly excellent store.
http://thegreenapplecore.blogspot.com/2011/02/bookselling-without-borders.html


Bloomberg Proposes 22 Percent Less Money for NYC Libraries
http://t.co/U0uqTkf  


(Ebooks) From some perspectives, we are tipping right now and publishers’ metrics will show it
http://www.idealog.com/blog/from-some-perspectives-we-are-tipping-right-now-and-publishers-metrics-will-show-i

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Daily Thoughts 2/23/2011 (taxonomy)

"Aufmerksame Lectüre", rückseitig alt betitelt und bezeichnet, signiert A. J. Franke, Öl auf Holz, 24 x 18 cm by 1924

Daily Thoughts 2/23/2011

Today has been another quiet steady day.  I spent some time checking the displays this morning.  I also planned out my events for the next two months.  This afternoon, I spent some time working on the technology grant.

This evening, I am goint to the Taxonomy Meetup.  I am looking forward to learning something new.  It was quite enjoyable.  We went to Butterfield 8 which is in midtown Manhattan.  I learned a little bit.  There is a tie between taxonomy and content strategy.  The taxonomy division of the Special Library Association was just started last year.  It is relatively new in the library field.  In a similar manner, content strategy has just started to grow.  I found this kind of interesting.

I'll write a little more about this tomorrow.


Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Daily Thoughts 2/22/2011 (Bite Sized Marketing, Survey)

Poul Friis Nybo Reading Woman

Daily Thoughts 2/22/2011

I started reading Bite Sized Marketing Realistic Solutions for the Overworked Librarian by Nancy Dowd, Mary Evangeliste, and Jonathan Silberman.  Right now, I am reading about influencers and word of mouth marketing.  They described a few ways to use Twitter in the early part of the book.

The display for the Sony Reader grant came in.  I am thinking about where it will go.

This morning, I went through the donations and pulled out some romance titles to be added.  I also checked the displays and checked on the inventorying in the storage area or mezzanine.  I also worked on finalizing the written survey for the library. 

I did the Internet Job Search Hour today.  It went better the second time I tried it.  We had a few people who came in to search for jobs.  We also had the Womens Enterprise Development Center Is Small Business Right For You? session today from 5:30-7:30 p.m.  There was also a Gospel Choir in honor of Black History Month which is singing in the community room right now.

Two books came in for me to read, Designing The Digital Experience by David Lee King and 1812 by Jasper Kent.  Designing The Digital Experience is about user experience design which is related to content strategy.  1812 is a vampire novel set during the Napoleonic wars.

Monday, February 21, 2011

The World In 2050 Four Forces Shaping Civilizations Northern Future by Laurence C. Smith



The World In 2050 Four Forces Shaping Civilizations Northern Future by Laurence C. Smith





Laurence C. Smith is a geographer and a professor of earth and space science at UCLA. This book is about much more than climate change. It is about how the arctic is changing. This change is fueling a race for new resources in oil, natural gas, fisheries, mining, shipping, and open land.



In the beginning of the book, he focuses on four forces that bring change to the world; demographics, climate change, natural resource demand, and globalization. All of these are increasingly important. Global temperatures are rising, there are more people, more people are moving to cities, there is less water and other resources, and trade is more interdependent worldwide.



I think he may be wrong about some things. He does not factor in new technologies like urban farming, wave power, or digital fabrication. He is basing his predictions on there being no major breakthrough technologies.



The book is fascinating. It is easy to follow the changes he is describing. Brazil, Russia, India, and China are becoming manufacturing powers. India's cities are going to be the largest in the world.



We get to read about the consequences both negative and positive of the four forces. One thing I found especially interesting was his description of how wildlife and plant life are starting to move northward towards the heating arctic. I especially liked his description of a hybrid grizzly/polar bear.



In the second part of the book, he describes how the NORC countries; Canada, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Russia, and the United States are going to benefit in some ways from the opening of the arctic. Part of this description is how the United Nations arctic treaties are cementing the NORC countries peaceful control over the area.



Russia and Canada will be the futures largest suppliers of oil and natural gas. Also, there will be more water in the north as the arctic warms, and the southern countries water supplies dry up. The predictions show a pattern of rising importance for the northern countires.



We also learn how native populations in the Arctic will become more important, just like in Alaska where land and oil rights were given to many native Americans; in Canada, a whole new territory called New Nunavut has been carved out of the Arctic for the Canadian native peoples. It is being developed along a similar pattern to Alaska.



This is a fascinating story. I think the changes he is describing will be much faster than Laurence C. Smith anticipates. He is using very mainstream measurements.. There is a lot in this book worth thinking about.

Daily Thoughts 2/21/2011 (redemption in indigo)

Bust of Arthur Rimbaud (1854-1891) by Paterne Berrichon (1855-1922)., 1900

Daily Thoughts 2/21/2011

Last night, I finished reading The World In 2050.  It was an excellent book.

I enjoyed reading Redemption In Indigo by Karen Lord which is a fantasy novel based on Senegalese foklore. It had a timeless quality to it.

I am going to the New York City Taxonomy Meetup on Wednesday.  http://www.meetup.com/NYC-Taxonomy-Community/events/16582589/ 

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Daily Thoughts 2/20/2011 (Ebooks, The World In 2050)

Sitzende Bronzestatue eines Zeitungslesers in der Fußgängerzone in Heidelberg. Selbst fotografiert Carl Frieder Kathe Januar 2006.

Daily Thoughts 2/20/2011

I have been reading some more of The World in 2050.  The author is describing how the United States during World War II opened the Canadian frontier in the Arctic with roads as part of the war effort.  Laurence C. Smith also describes how Stalin created cities in the Arctic as part of the gulag system as well as a way to get at the oil and gas reserves in a very cold part of the world.

I also spent some time on Scribd today. It is amazing the kinds of things which people will put up on Scribd.  There is a lot of muckraking journalism which you will not find anywhere else.

I also spent a little more time on the library twitter account.  It will slowly grow every single day.

I watched an animated version of The Man In The Iron Mask.  It was a light diversion, not as good as the book of course.

Web Bits

Helping Customers with Ebooks --One Example
http://libraryrenewal.org/2011/02/20/helping-customers-with-ebooks-one-example/

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Daily Thoughts 2/19/2011 (ebooks, poetry, the world in 2050)

Mikiri no fuji, Print shows a man writing in calligraphy on a large box in front of a building; on the left, in the background, is a view of Mount Fuji.  Date Created/Published: [ca. 1836]

Date 2/19/2011

I have been reading more of The World In 2050.  Laurence C. Smith is describing how the ice melt in the Arctic ocean will open up shipping, mining, and new resources around the arctic.  He is also describing how the United States, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Russia are going to be able to use the changes.  It was interesting looking at a picture of a potato farm in Greenland.

Article about Poetry Networking Workshop which was held at my library in the Mount Vernon Inquirer. http://www.mvinquirer.com/poetry_networking_workshop.htm

I put the ebooks, The Bed of Procrustes Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms by Nassim Nicholas Taleb and The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets Nest by Stieg Larsson on hold.  They will notify me by email when I can download them to my computer.  I also found out that there was an enhanced ebook of Life by Keith Richards which was available to check out.

Web Bits

TED Launches Quora Like Platform for Intelligent Discussion
http://mashable.com/2011/02/16/ted-conversations/

Friday, February 18, 2011

Daily Thoughts 2/18/2011 (the World in 2050)

Edward Lear Aged 73 and a Half and His Cat Foss, Aged 16 is a lithograph by Edward Lear from 1885

Daily Thoughts 2/18/2011

This afternoon I read some more of The World In 2050.  The author is describing how climate change will drive more people northward.  The arctic will open up and more water will be concentrated in the north in Canada and Russia.  Also Russia and Canada will have the largest remaining supply of oil in the world.  It is quite interesting.  Quite a bit of it is more than just environmental trends it is also social trends.

I have also been thinking about content management and content strategy in the context of books.  I think there are going to be openings as more publishers turn towards ebooks and enhanced ebooks.  I also think that more companies are going to be working on strategies to create large content sites for publishing. This will require skills in XML, taxonomy, metadata, and content mangement.  This is also part of the future of librarianship.

Catalogs will become more integrated and start including electronic content.  Librarians will have to expand their skils beyond books.  This is already starting with many information architects coming from a library background.  It is also starting to expand into content management where more collection oriented librarians may be heading towards.  Services like Blio from Baker and Taylor, Copia, and other social reading applications are large repositories of information and ebooks.

I may try and switch nights so I can go to the Taxonomy meetup on Wednesday.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Daily Thoughts 2/17/2011 (Events, Books, poetry, WEDC)

This little boy would persist in handling books above his capacity And this was the disastrous result.  Two panel cartoon showing Thaddeus Stevens standing on the top step of a step-ladder and lifting a large, heavy book from a high bookshelf; he falls off the ladder and is crushed by the book, the "Constitution of U.S." Date Created/Published: 1868 March 21.

Daily Thought 2/17/2011

There are two events of interest tonight.  We have the computer training for business in the computer lab from 5:30-7:30 p.m. and we have an Open Microphone Poetry Event featuring a local poet from 7:00-8:15 p.m featuring Mary Ann McCarra-Fitzpatrick.  She is one of the poets in an anthology called Blood Beats In Four Square Miles edited by James Fair who writes the poetry column for the Mount Vernon Inquirer.

I checked the displays this morning as well as looked over some of the items which we are inventorying in the mezzanine or storage area.  Three new books came in for me to read last night, Bite-Sized Marketing Realistic Solutions for the Overworked Librarian by Nancy Dowd, Mary Evangeliste, and Jonathan Silberman, Data Driven by Thomas C. Redman, and Redemption In Indigo by Karen Lord.

I had a chance to read through Library Journal, The New York Times Book Review, and Publishers Weekly Today.  I rather like the forthcoming title, The Most Human Human What Talking to Computers Teaches Us About Being Alive by Brian Christian.

The event for poetry went extremely well. We had the Mount Inquirer come in and take pictures of the event which was very nice.  It should provide some excellent publicity.  James "Jafa" Fair introduced the opening poet.  He is with the ACBAW Association of Community Based Artists of Westchester http://www.acbaw.org/main2.html  .  He video taped and took photographs of the event.

The lead poet was Maryann Mccarra-Fitzpatrick who read several poems from the anthology Blood Beats in Four Square Miles edited by James Fair.  http://mccarra--poetry.blogspot.com/2011/02/poetry-reading-mount-vernon-public.html  Five other published poets also read. Sister Sassy read a chapter from her memoir called "Guerrilla Girl".  It was an excellent reading.

We also filled the computer lab for the computer basics for business class from the Womens Enterprise Development Center. http://www.wedc-westchester.org/

I had a chance to read a bit more of The World In 2050.  The author is describing the relationship between water and energy.  Nuclear power plants, biodiesel, hydroelectric, and coal plants tend to use lots of water.
Solar and wind energy don't use as much.  I am surprised that the author does not touch on tidal power or tidal turbines.

Web Bits

TOC 2011: Keynoter Margaret Atwood Highlights Author Role
http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/home/889316-264/toc_2011_keynoter_margaret_atwood.html.csp

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Daily Thoughts 2/16/2011 (library)

Bookplate for Camden Morrisby picture byLionel Lindsay [1928]

Daily Thoughts 2/16/2011

I am going to the board meeting tonight for the library.  It should be interesting.  I also took a few minutes to call people for the poetry reading tomorrow at 7:00 p.m.  Hopefully, we will have enough people.


Web Bits

Tools of Change 2011: Technology Wars Never End  By Andrew Albanese

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/digital/conferences/article/46143-tools-of-change-2011-technology-wars-never-end.html

The site for the Borders Reorganization for bankruptcy.
http://www.bordersreorganization.com/

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Daily Thoughts 2/15/2011(Advocacy, Conferences, the world in 2050)

Kannazuki, Print shows a man sitting on a veranda, reading, an incense urn next to him, and a woman standing at a door looking over his shoulder.  Date Created/Published: [1770, printed later]

Daily Thoughts 2/15/2011

I have been busy taking care of some personal matters.  I did get a chance to stop by my local library and pick up a copy of The World In 2050 Four Forces Shaping Civilizations Northern Future. It is about coming major population, climate, globalization, and natural resource use.  The author does not touch that deeply on the fifth technology.

Looking at O'Reilly Tools for Change Startup Publishing Showcase. There are quite a few interesting companies. http://www.toccon.com/toc2011/public/schedule/detail/17744

Web Bits

From Metro New York Library Council

Library Advocacy Needed: House Considering Two Amendments Critical to Future of Libraries
http://metro.org/en/art/271/  Please take some time to write your representative in support of libraries. I did.

Scott Turow, President Authors Guild,  Let-Them-Eat-Cake-Attitude Threatens to Destroy a Network of Public Assets http://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-turow/letthemeatcakeattitude-th_b_823609.html%20

Monday, February 14, 2011

DailThoughts 2/14/2011 (Sony Library Program)

William Wordsworth's House, Rydal Mount, 1897

Daily Thoughts 2/14/2011

Happy Valentines day.  I was on vacation today.  I found out we got the Sony Library Readers grant which makes me quite happy. http://ebookstore.sony.com/library-program/

I also looked at our twitter account for the library because I like checking it.

I put the book Data driven : profiting from your most important business asset by  Thomas C. Redman on hold. I also put the book Redemption In Indigo by Karen Lord on hold as well.

Web Bits

A Set of Book Covers from the 1950s and 1960s for science fiction on Facebook.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#%21/album.php?fbid=1851534653195&id=1385630076&aid=2106050

Congress plans to eliminate Public Broadcasting.  This is one of the few things that I will watch on television.  Public Broadcasting is necessary to maintain a free society because it is supposed to support unbiased news.  We also buy a lot of material on history from PBS for our library.  It has more value than just money.  One of the few sources of news that I actually watch is the Public Broadcasting System. This would be a blow to free society.  I am beginning to think there is a little bit too much control by big business in our government.  This stifles the creation of smaller business enterprises and places limits on creative destruction in the process of capitalism.  http://170millionamericans.org/

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Daily Thoughts 2/13/2011 (Content Management, The Grand Design)

The Sonnet, 1839, William Mulready, Oil On Panel

Daily Thoughts 2/13/2011

Due to unforseen circumstances, I could not make it to the Book Squared conference.  I would have liked to go. 

I have had a chance to read the rest of The Content Management Bible which was excellent.  It is about how to handle a content management system from the ground up.  There is very detailed information on requirements, logical design, adding content, creating specifications, and many other practical aspects of content management.  I can recommend it without reserve. I also had a chance to read The Web Content Strategists Bible by Charles Sheffield which is about the practical aspects of becoming a content strategist.   He self published this book through CLUEfox Publishing.  It is better in its design than many large publishing houses.

Lastly, I finished reading The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow.  The book is fascinating.  It covers both philosophy and history in physics. Then it goes into the idea of a final unified theory of physics called M-Theory.  Here are two quotes which I especially liked. "Where does that leave us? If M-Theory allows for 10 to the 500th power sets of apparent laws, how did we end up in this universe, with the laws that are apparent to us? And what about those other possible worlds?"  The second quote which I liked is "We create history by our observation, rather than history creating us."

Friday, February 11, 2011

Daily Thoughts 2/11/2011(The Content Management Bible)

Mark Twain at Breakfast 1895 On US leg of round the world tour

Daily Thoughts 2/11/2011

I watched True Grit starring John Wayne.  I think the Charles Portis book was much better.  They made the character Mattie Ross too mild mannered in the film.


I also read a bit more of The Content Management Bible.  It is making me think about how it would apply in a library or publishing setting. Part of looking at content is determining what the requirements and goals of a content management system are.  This book is not hardware or software specifically, it is more about ideas and creating a framework to work inside.  My next stop is metadata.  This is something which I have to learn if I am going to move forward.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Daily Thoughts 2/10/2011 (The Content Management Bible)

Henri Fantin-Latour, The Two Sisters, 1859, Oil On Canvas

Daily Thoughts 2/10/2011

Today, I spent some more time working on my technology grant, checked the displays, updated the Twitter account, and did a little bit of weeding in the 800s.  I also checked the email reference.  We are getting more email reference lately.

We had lunch with one of my colleagues who had been laid off.  She is going to be doing a library internship at The Museum of Conjuring Arts which is about magic tricks, hypnosis, and old fashioned trickery.
http://conjuringarts.org/about/mission-statement/

The book, The Web Content Strategist's Bible by Richard Sheffield came in for me to read through interlibrary loan.  I am enjoying reading The Content Management Bible by Bob Boiko.   The author is discussing how to implement and choose content management systems.  There is a step by step process which is fascinating.  I find reading Bob Boiko like reading the philosophy of data.

Web Bits

It’s time for libraries to be heard on broadband and funding support, Opportunity Knocks Editorial
http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/home/888585-264/opportunity_knocks__editorial.html.csp

Petition to Save the Poe House and Museum In Baltimore
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/save-the-poe-house-and-museum-in-baltimore/

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Daily Thoughts 2/9/2011 (The Content Management Bible, Twitter)

Johannes Geiler von Kaysersberg: Navicula sive Speculum fatuorum. Straßburg, 1510

Daily Thoughts 2/9/2011

I checked the displays, updated an announcement for an event on Twitter, and am editing the web survey so we can do it as an in person survey as well.

An example of how an event spreads virally.  We posted a poetry event on our website and now it is picked up by a local Mount Vernon poet. http://maryannmccarra-fitzpatrick.tumblr.com/post/3201489198/poetry-reading-mount-vernon-public-library

On the way home, I read some more of The Content Management Bible.  It is 1122 pages long.  I like what I am reading.  Some of the ideas are quite interesting from a library perspective, "content makes ideas visible" and "content is neither hardware nor software."  For me it is almost the philosophical grounding of what you put into computers.
Web Bits

New York Libraries Say Governor's Proposed Budget Cuts Are Disproportionate
http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/home/889158-264/new_york_libraries_say_governors.html.csp

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Daily Thoughts 2/8/2011 (content management bible, open secrets)

Der elegante Leser, Georg Friedrich Kersting, 1812, Oil On Canvas

Daily Thoughts 2/8/2011

Today has been rather quiet. Today, I checked the displays in the morning and did a little checking on inventory.  I also worked for a little bit on a technology grant and spent some time looking at the new library Twitter account. It is growing slowly and steadily.  I also did a little more weeding of the 800s in the storage area.

I read some of the New York Times Book Review and Kirkus Reviews.  I put the book The Physics of the Future How Science Will Change Civilization and Daily Life by the Year 2100 by Michio Kaku on hold.  Another book that caught my interest is Open Secrets Wikileaks, War and American Diplomacy by the New York Times  http://www.nytimes.com/opensecrets/ .  It is appropriate that it is released as an ebook.

I read some more of The Content Management Bible on the way home. It is describing the process of how you choose to put content into large databases. It is itneresting to read about.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Daily Thoughts 2/7/2011 (The Content Management Bible, Twitter)

Honore Daumier, Der Leser, Oil On Wood, 2nd Third of the 19th Century

Daily Thoughts 2/7/2011

The book, The Content Management Bible, 2nd Edition by Bob Boiko has come in for me to read.  I am taking the time to learn some new skills. 

I checked the displays this morning and did some email reference.  I also did a little bit of weeding in the storage 800s.  We have started inventorying the collection in the storage area to make sure that things are properly entered into the catalog.  Some of it is checking for items that are market missing but are there, looking for items that are zero circulation, checking for duplicates, and other tasks.

We now have a Twitter account for our library. http://twitter.com/mtvernonlibrary  We are starting to ask people to follow the library.  We have two followers right now.  If you are in Westchester and on Twitter, please take the time to follow.

I read some of The Content Managment Bible on the way home.  The author was writing about the difference between data and content.  Content is data that is made usable.  Content translates raw data into usabile information.  Then this usable information is put into networks to create knowledge which people can learn from.  It has a certain logic to it.  It is a little different than the logic I am used to in every day life.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Power Why Some People Have It And Others Don't by Jeffrey Pfeffer



Power Why Some People Have It And Others Don't by Jeffrey Pfeffer




Jeffrey Pfeffer is a professor of Organizational Behavior at the Graduate School of Business of Stanford University. He is writing about building power or authority inside organizations. His focus is more than politics. It is also about how to succeed at the top levels of companies or organizations.



There is focus on personal success in this book. He describes the process as much more than working hard. In fact, he shows how performance can hinder a persons career. I like his description of how personal networks are the second most important skill after technical ability. People move ahead becausue of who they know.



Parts of this book made me uncomfortable. There are descriptions of how to stand out without angering people.. This is a different approach than what I am used to.



The chapters on How To Make Something Out of Nothing and Overcome Oppositions and Setbacks made me think hard about my own career. He advises people to not look for where it is most prestigious, but look where they will succeed. The writing is quite thoughtful. It is aimed at making relationships with other people work.



I also like his description of the price of power; long hours, hard work, and loss of family and personal time. But, the author correctly points out in these days, you have to often fight just to stay in the middle.



This book describes pattersn and tools to mproave your chances of success in organizations. It is very much a career management book. Jeffrey Pfeffer uses examples from very successful people like Zia Yusuf  CEO of Streetline Inc, the California politician Willie Brown, and the venture capitalist and entrepreneur Heidi Roizen. This book is worth reading if you want to understand power inside organizations.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Daily Thoughts 2/5/2011 (Book Camp)

Shen Zhou. "Reading in Autumn Scenery", Palace Museum, Beijing

Daily Thoughts 2/5/2011

Today has been very quiet.  I am relaxing today.

I am thinking about Book Camp 2 which is an unconference next Sunday.  It would be my first unconference.  http://www.book2camp.org/

Web Bits

Costs Soaring For Libraries Digital Archives Say http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/04/AR2011020402286.html

Friday, February 4, 2011

Daily Thoughts 2/4/2011 (government information, power)

Andrea del Sarto, Dama col "Petrarchino", Firenze, Galleria degli Uffizi, 16th Century

Daily Thoughts 2/4/2011

Today we spent some time working on the library survey.  As a group we went in and updated the contents so they were better.  There is now a library web committee.  I also started working with my colleagues on setting up a Twitter account for the library.  I also did some checking on the displays.

I find this kind of thing enjoyable.  It is a chance to try out some skills in a professional setting.

I also had a chance to read some more Jeffrey Pfeffer, Power.  I think the title should have been authority because it is more about how to become recognized than anything else.  I like his descriptions on how to speak up for yourself, act powerful, and create a reputation.  Part of blogging is creating a reputation for what you are doing. 

I finished reading Power tonight.  It made me think a little bit about my current job.

Web Bits

Hundreds of Thousands Join In Library Protests planned for February 5, 2011 in the United Kingdom
http://www.thebookseller.com/news/hundreds-thousands-join-library-protests.html


From the BBC, Are Libraries Finished? Five Arguments For and Against
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12340505

Something which bothers me about this debate is that there is an underlying current of greed and control in this debate.  By eliminating libraries as a source of information, you turn over the two main sources of information to corporations and governments.   Libraries have traditionally supposed to maintain a certain amount of neutrality and be unbiased. 

Recently in New York, the state library started limiting the government documents it sent out.  The message was that most state documents would become centrally available through the internet.  There is a government documents collection online available through the state, but it is quite hard to use.  If you read this page, you learn that they eliminated the core New York State government documents which were the ones which were considered the most important ones which people used.  They then added links to the state websites with the documents.  The state library of government documents essentially became a giant set of cataloged links.
http://nysl32.nysed.gov/nysdep.htm  They are fairly easy for me to understand, but I am not so sure that they would be that understandable to the average library user.

I can see this starting to happen at the federal level as well.  They are still publishing many of the documents online as large collections of information.   Many of them are in adobe PDFs, but there does not seem to be any kind of standard formatting for the web.  The whole process of making all government information available on the internet seems very haphazard to me.  Nearly every government website in the United States now has a section on the Freedom of Information Law.  I am not even sure that the problem is the law itself, but the ability to turn massive amounts of data into easily accessible web based information.

It seems to mirror the changes in the publishing world, where there are dozens of different formats of ebooks and competing ereading devices. Uniformity, set standards, and order seem to be in the near future...

I think eliminating libraries in the current electronic environment is not a good idea.  We have a while to go with ebooks and online information before they start matching up with physical books.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Daily Thoughts 2/3/2011 (ebooks, power)

Reader with a Lamp (La liseuse avec lampe); color lithograph; image: 19.4 x 14.9 cm; Dallas Museum of Art, 1895 Jozsef Ripple-Ronai

Daily Thoughts 2/3/2011

This morning, I discussed the electronic content devices grant we are working on with my colleagues.  I also checked the displays, did some weeding, and spent a bit of time thinking of what I plan to do next week.  It was a very slow day.

I read some more of Power Why Some People Have It-- And Others Don't.  I learned some things that seem important.  If you want to have influence it is important that you make decisions about budget and you manage other people. The more people you manage in a position and the greater budget you have access to, the further it moves you along in your career.  The second thing that I learned is that your social network is the second most important thing in your career after your technical skills.  This means having a wide array of links to other people increases your options.  I wish I had read this years ago.

Web Bits

The Google Chrome Browser now supports Marvel comics http://chrome.marvel.com/

New York Times Starts an Ebook Bestseller List http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publishing-and-marketing/article/46005-the-times-unveils-e-book-bestsellers-combined-lists.html

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Daily Thoughts 2/2/2011 (Content Strategy, Power, Ebooks)

Portrait of Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos, Francisco De Goya ca 1798, Prado Museum


Daily Thoughts 2/2/2011


It was raining and icy.  I went to work but found they needed to do some repairs because of the snow.  I ended up finishing rereading Content Strategy for the Web.  It is very much a book for web editors, designers, and strategists.  If you work with content, you will probably find it useful.

I also read some more of Power Why Some People Have It-- And Others Don't by Jeffrey Pfeffer.  This book has a Machiavellian quality to it.  It describes how to be both liked and feared in a work setting. It also explains why success is about much more than performance.  There is quite a bit on flattery and how to give people compliments.  It is a kind of uncomfortable subject.

Web Bits

Can a library lend e-book readers from the Library Law Blog.  http://blog.librarylaw.com/librarylaw/2010/06/may-a-library-lend-e-book-readers.html

How to fund A Public Ebook Library With Tax Deductions http://www.teleread.com/library/how-to-fund-a-public-ebook-library-with-tax-deductions-by-eric-hellman/

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Daily Thoughts 2/1/2011 (Content Strategy, Power)

Дача Чехова (експозиція4), An Image Inside Anton Chekhov's Cottage.




Daily Thoughts 2/1/2011

Today has been another quiet steady day.  I got some of the graphic novels for the Graphic Novels Club.  I am on vacation then.  I also made arrangements for the Womens Enterprise Development Center on February 15.  I am going on vacation for part of the week.

I did a little more work towards a grant for electronic devices.  On friday, we are having the seniors visit from the Armory.  I like to do a small amount every day on a variety of things from weeding to checking on programs.

I am going to reread Kristina Halverson's book Content Strategy for the Web.  I don't think I understood enough the first time I read through the book.  I think I can understand it a little better the second time I am reading the book.  It is the kind of book which is hard to understand on the first read.

I also read a little bit more of the book Power.  It gives some excellent feedback on why performance is not necessarily tied in with success in ones career. There are a lot of other factors that I need to learn more about.  It even describes how being excellent at what you do can be detrimental to your future.


Web Bits

February 5 is Save Our Libraries Day http://www.cilip.org.uk/get-involved/advocacy/public-libraries/Pages/savelibrariesday.aspx

Planet App: Kids Book Apps Are Everywhere:
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/home/888450-312/planet_app_kids_book_apps.html.csp

The Perils of Literary Profiling from the Sunday New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/30/books/review/Nicholson-t.html?_r=1&pagewanted=1