Daily Thoughts 5/31/2011 (libraries)

Lesser Ury: Im Café Bauer (aus: Berliner Malerei im 19. Jahrhundert. Siedller Verlag), 1898

Daily Thoughts 5/31/2011

Today has been a quiet day.  I checked the displays and updated the Twitter account.  I also worked a bit on ordering and read Kirkus Reviews and Booklist.

I put Idea Man by Paul Allen on hold.  Paul Allen is a co-founder of microsoft.  Also the book, The Lost Fleet Beyond the Frontier Dreadnaught by Jack Campbell came in for me to read.  It is part of a popular military space opera series.

Web Bits

BEA 2011

Drive User Engagement Via Social Media, Day of Dialog Panel Urges

http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/home/890793-264/bea_2011__drive_user.html.csp


Karin Slaughter on Saving Libraries

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/interviews/article/47451-save-the-libraries-ala-2011.html

Bottled Lightning Superbatteries, Electric Cars, and the New Lithium Economy by Seth Fletcher

Bottled Lightning Superbatteries, Electric Cars, and the New Lithium Economy by Seth Fletcher

This is a history of batteries which make the electric car possible.  Seth Fletcher describes the invention of the battery from its beginnings to modern lithium-ion batteries.  It is about more than cars, because lithium batteries were first used in computers and cell phones before they were used in cars.

The book is very much a pro electric car book focused on the benefits of electric cars.  He enthusiastically describes the Chevrolet Volt, the Nissan Leaf, and the Tesla Roadster as the hope for our future.  His focus is not on hybrid electric cars, but on cars that are purely run by batteries.

I very much enjoyed reading about the lithium mines in Chile and Bolivia.  The largest lithium reserves are in Bolivia.  Seth Fletcher describes his visits to the mines.

There is an excellent reminder that ultimately lithium ion batteries are about more than cars.  Large power plants are starting to use giant lithium ion batteries as back up power storage.  This will grow with the increased use of wind and solar power.

This book is worth reading if you are interested in alternative energy or automobiles.  It is more of a story about batteries than just cars. 

Creators of the Superheroes by Thomas Andrae

Creators of the Superheroes Interviews and Commentary about Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, Bob Kane, Bill Finger, Jerry Robinson, Jack Kirby, and Will Eisner by Thomas Andrae

This book gives a very close look at the personal stories behind the creation of the first superheroes; Batman, Superman, Captain America, the Fantastic Four, and others.  It is more than just about the art of the comics, it is about how the comic business was created.  The book fits in with other books printed by Hermes Press which has many reprints and biographical works on early comics.

The life stories in this book are often tragic.  Bill Finger one of the first writers of Batman got very little credit and died destitute.  The artists often got very little money from doing comics, most of it went to the publishers.   Most of the artists worked on a commission per page.  Unless you were Jack Kirby and had a solid business sense and a huge readership, or Will Eisner who ran his own company, there was very little money as a comic books artist.

There are many interesting details in the book.  I like the photographs and drawings of the women who inspired the creation of Lois Lane.  The book has over 400 illustrations in it.  It is also a coffee table size book.  Many of the images are photographs of the artists life, original comic book panels, and pictures from movies or films.  Jack Kirby, Jerry Siegel, and Joe Shuster were movie buffs.  Also Batman and Superman were made into films.

The majority of the text in this book is interviews. A lot of this is about the creative process in making comics.  It also has quite a bit about the artists personal lives.  Thrown in are interesting tidbits like the name Clark Kent is a combination of the movie actors, Clark Gable and Kent Taylor, and Batman's cape was designed after Leonardo's DaVinci's flying machine.

I especially liked the section on Will Eisner.  Will Eisner is considered the creator of the first graphic novel, A Contract With God.  He is also credited with making strong efforts to turn comics into an art form for adults.  He wrote comics as instruction manuals for the army.  This makes his approach different.

This is a fantastic book with beautiful illustrations, excellent interviews, and unique content.  If you are interested in the history of comics you should read this.

Daily Thoughts 5/29/2011 (the quantum thief)

A Chimp Seated at a Typewriter c1906

Daily Thoughts 5/29/2011

Last night I finished reading Bottled lightning.  I learned that a lot of the success of the electric car is determined by lithium mining.  The largest lithium mine in the world is in Bolivia. China and Chile also have very large lithium reserves.

Today I have been reading The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajniemi which is science fiction. It has a very odd feel to it.  People trade memories and on Mars, time is a unit of currency.   I am not sure what to think of it yet.

Daily Thoughts 5/27/2011 (Book Expo America, Bottled Lightning)

Almeida Júnior, Saudade, Nostalgia, 1899

Daily Thoughts 5/27/2011

On the train to work, I have been reading a little more of Bottled Lightning.  The author is describing the history of battery technology.

This morning, I updated the Twitter account and checked the displays to make sure they were in order.  My box of books and audiobooks came in this afternoon from Book Expo America which is always nice.  I also wrote an update on our interlibrary loan and holds procedure.

I read a bit more of Bottled Lightning on the way home.  I like how there is a progression with lithium batteries from cell phones and electronics to cars.  It makes sense that the batteries would be first developed in smaller devices then move to larger devices.


Web Bits

At BEA Librarians Describe Future and Challenges of Ebooks
http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/home/890777-264/at_bea_librarians_describe_challenges.html.csp

Ebusiness Is the Buzz at Book Fair

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/26/books/bookexpo-america-underlines-industry-shifts.html?_r=1&ref=technology

Daily Thoughts 5/26/2011 (Book Expo America, Creators of the Superheroes)

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, La Lecture du rôle, between 1874 and 1876

Daily Thoughts 5/26/2011

I am back to work after Book Expo America.  I had to miss the last day which is a bit of a disappointment, but am glad to be back.  I brought some of the books from the show to be added to our collection.  I also checked the displays, updated the Twitter account, tabulated a few more surveys, and made sure things were in good order.

Two books came in for me to read, Bottled Lightning, Superbatteries Electric Cars and the New Lithium Economy by Seth Fletcher and Moonwalking With Einstein The Art and Science of Remembering Everything by Joshua Foer.

On the way home, I finished reading The Creators of the Superheroes by Thomas Andrae.  I especially liked the section on Will Eisner.  Will Eisner from the beginning wanted to create comic books for an adult audience.  He is credited with creating the first graphic novel, A Contract with God, but before that he wrote training manuals in comic book form for the army. This book is truly excellent and is very nicely illustrated.

I also started reading Bottled Lightning on the way home.


Web Bits


Publishers Weekly on Scribd-- Includes daily coverage of Book Expo America.
http://www.scribd.com/PublishersWeekly

Daily Thoughts 5/25/2011 Book Expo America

2007-02-27 11:47 Jeffrey O Gustaffson 2816×2112×8 (1924867 bytes) The [[Jacob K. Javits Convention Center]] in [[2007]]. Copyright 2007 [[User talk:Jeffrey O. Gustafson|Jeffrey O. Gustafson]] - released under the [[GFDL]].

Daily Thoughts 5/25/2011

I took a break in the morning to rest my feet before going back to Book Expo America.  The Jacob Javits Center is bigger than a football field.  It is a lot of walking.  I usually lose a few pounds after the show.

From 2-3 p.m. at Book Expo America,I listened to Nancy Pearl being interviewed by Gene Ambaum and Bill Barnes of the Unshelved library comic strip.  It was the first time I had heard Nancy Pearl speak.  She is known for her readers advisory.  She reads constantly about everything.  It reminded me about how driven people can be about books.  Nancy Pearl brought all her points in her conversations back to readers.  I liked her idea that the best libraries and bookstores always have the best interests of the reader in mind.  She also reminded us that many people still cannot afford ereaders and this creates a society with haves and have nots.

From 3:30-4:30 p.m. I went to the Librarians Shout and Share Session which is the 3rd Annual one at Book Expo America.  Barbara Genco was the moderator.  There were so many wonderful books to hear about.  The ones that stood out for me were That Used to be Us by Thomas Friedman,  Mrs. Nixon A Novelist Imagines A Life by Ann Beattie, The Pirate King by Laurie King which is a Sherlock Holmes pastiche, and Russell Banks The Lost Memory of Skin.  Most of the picks for the Librarians Shout and Share will be listed in Library Journal.  I will definitely make sure that I post links to the Library Journal articles.

Afterwards I went to the Landmark Tavern where they were having a Meetup for the Ebooks, Ereaders, and Digital Publishing Linked In group from 5:15-7:15 p.m...  It was quite interesting.  A lot of the people were international representing companies from France, Germany, and Australia. It was a bit different.  Ebooks do not have borders.  I learned that in France, ebooks represnt 1% of the market, and are just starting to grow.

I also had a very interesting conversation about enhanced ebooks.  There was a gentleman who was creating a music book with annotations.  Part of the discussion was the idea that the public domain was escaping from the University and becoming much more public property.  I mentioned how Project Gutenberg had teamed up with Overdrive to create a library of free ebooks available through Overdrive.

A gentleman also was giving out copies of his children's book, Yogurt the Ogre A Magical Tale in Mudd Hollow.  It has a nice feel to it.  There was more than one new company at the Meetup.  I like going to these things partially because I have no idea what I might learn.  They tend to expand ones horizon a little bit.

Daily Thoughts 5/24/2011 Book Expo America

Still frame from the animated cartoon "Superman: Billion Dollar Limited" (1942). The film has fallen into the public domain, as its copyright has expired. It's available at the Internet Archive and many unlicensed videotapes and DVDs.




Daily Thoughts 5/24/2011


I was at Book Expo America today. I walked the floor which is an experience at the Jacob Javits Center.  I walked for six hours looking at all the different publishers and distributors  I saw Abingdon, Scholastic, Diamond Comic Distributors, Dark Horse Press, Da Capo, Hachette Book Group, Ingram, BWI, Baker and Taylor and many different publishers on the floor.

There were not as many galleys this time on the floor.  People were giving away cards for access to online e-galleys instead.  I still managed to pick up 43 pounds of books to send back to our libraries.  This is in addition to what I picked up yesterday.  It was very interesting looking at all the different booths.  There was a lot more coverage of ebooks including custom publishing for the Ipad.  Libredigital was selling a design for a custom ebookstore.

I said hello to Ellen Datlow who was at the Horror Writers of America booth.  There were a lot of authors at the conference.  Many of the books being given away were combined with author signings.  Gwyn Forster and Rochelle Alers were at the Harlequin booth, both of whom are very popular African American romance writers.

I stopped by the Hermes Books booth which is a specialist in the history of comics and the salesperson gave me a copy of Creators of the Superheroes by Thomas Andrae for my library.  It has interviews with Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, Bob Kane, Bill Finger, Jerry Robinson, Jack Kirby and Will Esiner.  I especially like the quote on page 34 from  from Joe Shuster:

"Jerry created all the names.  We were great movie fans, and were inspired a lot by actors and actresses we saw.  As for Clark Kent, he combined the names of Clark Gable and Kent Taylor.  And Metropolis, the city of which Superman operated came from the Fritz Lang movie, which we both loved."

There were quite a few interesting books which are worth adding to the collection.  A few that I especially liked were an unabridged audio cd of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte read by Nadia May,  Point, Click, and Save Mashup Mom's Guide to Saving and Making Money Online by Rachel Singer Gordon put out by Information Today Inc., Rachel Singer Gordon is known for running the job website, lisjobs.com for librarians, and an Advanced Reading Copy of Super Diaper Baby 2 The Invasion of the Potty Snatchers by George Beard and Harold Hutchins published by Scholastic.

I had a chance to sit down at the Librarians Lounge and read the Publishers Weekly Daily on the show.  A lot of the daily was about ebooks, Kobo, Google Books, Nook, Ipad and others. As usual, I took a break for coffee and sat for a while, going through my bags deciding which catalogs to take ranging from Nolo Press which is a self help legal publisher to Pyr Books which produces science fiction.  As usual there were a few knick knacks.  Harvard Business Review was giving its catalog out on a thumb drive which was interesting.  There were also bookmarks for a new Tony Hawk skateboard comic.  There were not as many freebies as last year.

Tomorrow, I plan on going to the panels at the convention for librarians which should be enlightening.  I had my chance to walk around the show floor and see things.

Daily Thoughts 5/23/2011 (Day of Dialog)

Le Cannet, Madame Lebasque Reading in the Garden," oil on canvas, by the French artist Henry Lebasque. 55.4 cm. x 61.3 cm. (21.81 in. x 24.13 in.) Private collection. Image courtesy of The Athenaeum, Circa 1923

Daily Thoughts 5/23/2011

Last night, I finished reading Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi.  It is a rewrite of the classic H. Beam Piper novel, Little Fuzzy.  I especially liked the dislikability of the main character.  It was very well done.  Right now, I am reading China Mieville, Embassytown.

I went to Day of Dialog today presented by Library Journal.  It was very enjoyable.  I got to see some colleagues who I have not seen in a long time.   I had chicken wraps and diet coke for lunch.  It was a very pleasant event. You get a sense that things in the library world are very much on the edge.
http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/articlereview/889795-457/story.csp 

One of the speakers, Karin Slaughter who writes mysteries talked about her campaign to raise funds for libraries.  http://savethelibraries.com/

The line up was quite impressive.  It was well worth going to. I got to see a few new things including a Playaway device for videos with preloaded sets of videos.  http://playaway.com/view/  All three major library vendors were present at Day of Dialog, Baker and Taylor, Ingram, and BWI.

I picked up a lot of things to add to the collection, several audiobooks;  Steinbecks The Grapes of Wrath Cliffs Notes CD Audiobook, Sue Grafton U is For Undertow CD audiobook, The Man from Beijing by Henning Mankell CD Audiobook, and Martin Misunderstood by Karin Slaughter.  I also picked up some MP3 CD Audiobooks which are a slightly different format than regular CD Audiobooks, Danielle Steel 44 Charles Street, Harlen Coben Live Wire, Paul Reiser Familyhood, and Nora Roberts Chasing Fire.

There were a number of panelists who also signed books which I picked up sign copies from, Uncle Tom's Cabin and the Battle for America Mightier than the Sword by David S. Reynolds, A Young Wife by Pam Lewis, and When Tito Loved Clara by Jon Michaud.  Jon Michaud is a librarian for the New Yorker magazine in their archives.

I don't want to go into exact details about everything that was said.  There were some common themes in the conversations with authors, however.  Jon Michaud said that his love of reading started in the library and Karin Slaughter said that libraries are what made her an author.  Most of the authors did their research in libraries.

There was also an idea that word of mouth had become even more important because of blogs and social media.  Getting the word out included covering blogs, talking to librarians, and doing outreach to publishers and bookstores.

I rather liked John Lithgow's statement that libraries are a combination of intensity and serenity and that librarians are on the side of the angels.  It was quite pleasing.  I also might read P.G. Wodehouse because of him.  I do like the classic authors.

Another theme was that ebooks were becoming the standard way of reading books.  There is going to be an online conference on October 12, 2011 presented by Library Journal called Ebooks The New Normal.  This should be very interesting.

Some of the coverage of social media was a bit different.  Some librarians are using Facebook as a way to give Readers Advisory for books as well as make book recommendations.  I have noticed that there is a fairly common practice around recommending books for people to read on Twitter.  Several of the presenters suggested that libraries have a specific social media policy.

In addition to the freebies, there were three nonfiction books that were recommended by panelists that stood out; A More Perfect Heaven How Copernicus Revolutionized the Cosmos by Dava Sobel coming in September 2011, Three Famines; Starvation and Politics by Thomas Kenneally, and The Unquiet American: Richard Holbrooke and the World by Samantha Power.  I liked others, but these caught my attention.

Daily Thoughts 5/20/2011 (Fuzzy Nation, 63 Documents)

Zürich, Wasserkirche : Blick in die Bürgerbibliothek. Stich von Johann Melchior Füssli, Neujahrsblatt der Burgerbibliothek, 1719.

Daily Thoughts 5/20/2011

Today was a very steady day.  I checked the displays, designed a new flyer for the computer lab, updated the displays, and wrote up a description of the Westchester Library Association conference. Wendi Corsi Staub, one of the Washington Irving Award winners mentioned that they are looking for venues for writers from Mystery Writers of America to speak or sign books in Westchester county.

I also spent some time reading reviews and getting my orders ready.  There were a number of interesting titles that caught my attention which I put on hold, The Science of Evil, On Empathy and the Origins of Cruelty by Simon Bar-Cohen,  How the Hippies Saved Science, Counterculture, and the Quantum Revival by David Kaiser, and Bottled Lightning: Superbatteries, Electric Cars and the New Lithium Economy by Seth Fletcher.

Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi came in for me to read.  Also a local poet came by to show us her new book.  I also got the final contract for a computer teacher to come in once a week.  We just need to look it over a little more closely.

On the way home, I finished reading 63 Documents The Government Does Not Want You To Read by Jesse Ventura. It was a nice set of documents that reveals how corrupt and sometimes unethical government can be. I don't see it as a deep evil conspiracy like Jesse Ventura seems to be implying, but a part of the darker side of human nature.

I also started reading Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi.

Daily Thoughts 5/12/2011 (better world books)

Geburtshaus von Hermann Hesse 2008, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license, Angsar Walk original uploader on Wikimedia.




Daily Thoughts 5/12/2011

Today has been a quiet day so far. We started this morning on packing some more books for Better World Books.  One of the Friends of the Library is getting ready for the book sale on June 9 and June 10.  I also updated the Twitter account with announcements from our calendar of events.

 Web Bits

Why Libraries Still Matter
http://www.salon.com/books/libraries_and_librarians/index.html?story=%2Fbooks%2Flaura_miller%2F2011%2F05%2F11%2Fnypl_centennial

Daily Thoughts 5/19/2011 (63 Documents)

La lecture du testament; lithographie; 31 x 24 cm,Louis-Léopold Boilly (1761–1845)

Daily Thoughts 5/19/2011


Today, I checked the displays, updated the Twitter account, checked the book sale, and moved some more boxers into the area for pickup by Better World Books.

I also went through and did a bunch of small tasks, putting in books for last copy, checking missing titles, and printing up some more flyers and brochures for programs. 

We also opened the computer lab for two hours so people could use the computers for serious activities like searching for jobs, working on their small businesses, and learning to use computers.  I also spent a few minutes talking to a computer teacher today.  We may have someone soon.

On the way home, I read some of Jesse Ventura 63 Documents The Government Doesn't Want You To Read. This is a set of interesting declassified documents about various horrible things like CIA assassination guidelines, repatriating nazis, biological and chemical warfare, syphilis experiments in Guatemala, how Rwanda was initially handled by the United States government, and other interesting topics.  It makes for fascinating reading.

Daily Thoughts 5/18/2011 (Twitter)

Sir Joshua Reynolds, The Reading Boy, 18th Century

Daily Thoughts 5/18/2011

Today has been a quiet day.  I took a few days off to rest.  This morning, I updated the Twitter account.  I also checked on the displays making sure that the current events display was up to date.  I also wrote the bimonthly report. We try and keep this to a single page.

This afternoon, I did two programs.  The first was the Internet Job Search hour where we help people look for jobs.  We have a job section up on our website.  I also did the Graphic Novels club which went well.  We usually have the Trading Card Club for teenagers at the same time.

Tonight, we have the Board of Trustees meeting at 6:30 p.m.

Web Bits

Library Journal and NetGalley Announce Partnership for Reviews of Ebook Originals

http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/home/890641-264/library_journal_and_netgalley_announce.html.csp


New York Review of Books-- A Country Without Libraries Charles Simic
http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2011/may/18/country-without-libraries/



Seth Godin The Future of the Library
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2011/05/the-future-of-the-library.html

Daily Thoughts 5/13/2011 (Westchester Library Association, Seth Godin)

 American entrepreneur, author, and speaker, Seth Godin, from Wikimedia, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0, taken by Joi Ito


Daily Thoughts 5/13/2011


I was at the Westchester Library Association conference today.  I went to two sessions, one on book clubs and one on helping people find jobs.   They both gave me a few ideas.  I think I may set up the next graphic novels club to include a specific graphic novel to read next time for the club.  There are also some new resources to add for finding jobs in Westchester county.

The keynote speaker was Seth Godin.  We got a free copy of Poke The Box by Seth Godin.  After he spoke, I got my copy signed by him.  I like Seth Godin's work.  This book is about how to deliver and take initiative with your work or job.

Afterwards I stayed for the Washington Irving Awards which were awards for authors from Westchester County. I will write more about this as I look over my notes tomorrow.

Daily Thoughts 5/11/2011 (Better World Books)

Interior of Mssrs. Leavitt & Delissier's Sales Room, Broadway, New York. Men at book sale of business run by George Ayres Leavitt, publisher and book seller, New York. Collection of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Divsion, Washington, D.C. 5 April 1856

Daily Thoughts 5/11/2011

I read some more of James Joyce, A Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man on the train to work today.  I like his description of the priests talk of heaven and hell.  It is very deeply moving.

Most of this morning has been spent checking on the packing project for Better World Books.  I have to check on things because people are packing books while I am doing other things.  So far we have over seventy cartons of books.  I found a few things which went into the planned book sale.  The Friends of the Library are planning a book sale on June 9 and June 10.

I also had a few minutes to check on the Twitter account this morning.

Daily Thoughts 5/10/2011 (Better World Books)

Alexander Kanoldt: Stilleben II (Still Life II), 1922

Daily Thoughts 5/10/2011

This morning, I checked the Twitter account and the displays.  Most of my days has been spent getting boxes ready for Better World Books to pick up.  I have two more days of this.

I also spent some time picking out graphic novels for next weeks Graphic Novels club.  It is still moving steadily along.  I also spent a little time preparing to write the bi-monthly report.

Daily Thoughts 5/9/2011 (Better World Books)

Porter & Coates bookstore (interior view, from the rear).

Daily Thoughts 5/9/2011

The book, In The Plex How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives by Steven Levy came in for me to read.

This morning we started sorting the books for Better World Books, they are going to come and pick up our discards next week.  I also had a chance to update the Twitter account and check the displays.  I spent most of my day packing and sorting boxes with a few other people.  Hopefully, it will work out well.

I also received an offer from a computer teacher today for teaching a class one hour a week.  The contract still needs to be looked over.


Web Bits

National Library Legislative Day is on May 9 and 10.

 http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/advocacy/nlld/index.cfm

Daily Thoughts 5/8/2011 (the crippled god)

Cover of the pulp magazine Weird Tales (December 1935, vol. 26, no. 6) featuring the Conan novel The Hour of the Dragon by Robert E. Howard

Daily Thoughts 5/8/2011


I have been reading The Crippled God this morning by Steven Erikson. The chatpers beginnings have poetry.  He also separates the lands of the gods and heros which have a dreamy quality to them from the every day world in his fantasy by using ornate writing with the quality of lucid dreams.  I could read the sections with the character Karsa Orlong by themselves.

I also read some more of A Portrait of the Artist at a Young Man by James Joyce.  I am beginning to understand why there are book clubs that are solely focused on Joyce.  I like the themes of sin and forgiveness in the novel.

Web Bits

Publishers Plan A Joint One Stop Book Site
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/07/books/publishers-plan-a-joint-one-stop-book-site.html?_r=1&ref=technology

Daily Thoughts 5/7/2011 (The Paradise Within Reach of All Men)

 Arabic books in library of Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque (Muscat, Oman), Taken January 16, 2011, by Ji-Elle, Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Muscat-Sultan_Qaboos_Grand_Mosque-Library_%287%29.jpg

Daily Thoughts 5/7/2011

I read a little bit of The Paradise Within The Reach of All Men, Without Labor, by Powers of Nature and Machinery by John Adolphus Etzler, c1836.  It has a wonderful far fetched feel to it. http://www.archive.org/details/paradisewithinr00etzlgoog  It reminds me a bit of the promises that there will be a breakthrough any time now for the alternative energy movement.  It is more like through slow long term growth, people will have a dream and try over and over again, until someone makes it viable.  This is the story of wind power and soon solar power.  People have been trying for over a hundred years to make alternative energy work.  I like the Internet Archive and Project Gutenberg because it allows you to track old ideas in new packages.

I did not do a whole lot of reading today.  I took a break and played a few computer games to relax.  I do this sometimes.  I like it.  Sometimes I play Nation States which is an online nation simulator. It is kind of a waste of time, but it is enjoyable.

We rent computer games at our library, specifically Xbox and Wii. There is a lot of demand for the games.  We keep them in a locked glass cabinet so people don't steal them.  Patrons point the games out to the circulation desk and then they check them out.  It has become part of every day life.

Daily Thoughts 5/6/2011 (Better World Books, Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man)

Detail of The School of Athens showing Heraclitus and Michelangelo Buonarroti as one person 1509 Raffaello Sanzio

Daily Thoughts 5/6/2011

I am enjoying reading James Joyce , A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.  The Irish Catholic background is different enough for me to hold my interest.  It has a rather ornate writing style that is unique as well.

This morning, we had a meeting to discuss the website.  It was mainly focused on editing and how to use the website.  Pretty soon, I may have access to make some corrections to the site.  Hopefully things will get neater.

I also updated the Twitter this morning and checked the displays.

We are joining Better World Books for their discard program.  http://www.betterworldbooks.com/

I also have started preparing for ordering again.  We have money to start ordering books which is a relief.  I also put in my payment for Book Expo America and am looking forward to the Westchester Library Association conference with Seth Godin as the keynote.

I read some more of A Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man on the train home.  There is a wonderful sense of guiilt and sin to the writing.  This guilt has an ornate feel to it.  It does not come across as the kind of guilt I am used to feeling.

Daily Thoughts 5/5/2011 (poetry)

Peter Schöffer (1425-1503) Bookseller from Germany

Daily Thoughts 5/5/2011

This morning, I updated the Twitter account, I also checked the displays.  I am learning a little bit more about setting up poetry readings.  I redesigned the sign in sheet, got a bell for timing people, and made some minor changes in how things are arranged based on the requests of people who attended.  I am hoping it will go well this time.

This evening the Poetry Networking Event went well.  We had Sistah Sassy talking about Memoirs and Magic.  We also had a brief session afterward with an open microphone where people read their poems.  This time it was a little smoother.  We are planning on writing poems about summer for next time.  The group is interested in possibly going to the nursing homes to read to the aged.

Daily Thoughts 5/4/2011 (the crippled god)

The Yongzheng-Emperor while reading a book.National Palace Museum Taibei, 18th Century Artist, Artist Unknown

Daily Thoughts 5/4/2011

I put some of the art books from the Distribution to Underserved Communities in the display cases in the rotunda.  I particularly like The Portraits speak: Chuck Close in conversation with 27 of his subjects and Street Art Street Life from the 1950s to Now put together by the Bronx Museum.

This morning, I also updated the Twitter account and checked the displays.  I am still going over the Publishers Weekly issue on Book Expo America which lists all the different booths and companies on the floor.  I like to write a list of which vendors I am going to visit. 

The book, The Crippled God by Steven Erikson has come in for me to read today. At the beginning of many of the chapters, Steven Erikson writes a bit of poetry to go with the chapters.  It is fantasy.

I put the book In The Plex How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives by Steven Levy on reserve.

Web Bits

Know The Past, Find The Future New York PUblic Library at 100 is
going to be given away at New York Library branches starting May 19, 2011

http://exhibitions.nypl.org/100/digital_fun/read_the_book?utm_source=eNewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=NYPLNews201105&utm_campaign=NYPLNews

Daily Thoughts 5/3/2011 (Book Expo America)

Portrait of Alexander Benua by Lev Bakst. 1898 year

Daily Thoughts 5/3/2011

Today has been another quiet day.  I checked the Twitter account put up a new banner for the gardening book display made in Microsoft Publisher, and checked the displays.  We are starting to process the Distribution to Underserved Communities art books today as well.

I read Publishers Weekly and Library Journal this morning, two books that caught my attention were The Believing Brain by Michael Shermer and Fatal Invention: How Science Politics and Big Business Recreate Race in the Twenty First Century by Dorothy Robert.

There was also some material on the Book Expo America conference.  There are two panels which look quite interesting,  the 3rd Annual Librarian Shout 'n Share @ Book Expo, Wednesday, May 25, 2011, 3:30 – 5 pm Javits Center Room 1E16, and The Hot Fall Graphic Novels Panel on May 25 at 11 a.m. in room 1E16, http://ww.graphicnovelreporter.com/blog/bea-panel-hot-fall-graphic-novels-libraries

I also have been looking at the some of the exhibitors to see which books which caught my eye.  There are quite a few of them.  One which surprised was The Bridge to Neverland a Disney Children's book by Ridley Pearson and Dave Barry. 

I put the book Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi on hold.  The author is on the cover of Library Journal.  I also checked out A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce.

I tried to read Spade and Archer by Joe Gores and found myself losing interest. I had to put it down after the first fifty pages.  I usually limit myself to that if I don't want to continue reading a book.

Daily Thoughts 5/2/2011 (all the lives he lived)

Photographie du buste d'Emile Zola, lors de son inauguration à la Bibliotheque Mejanes, 1906.

Daily Thoughts 5/2/2011

This morning I read a little bit more of All The Lives He Lived.  In addition to working near  Mount Vesuvius, the main character is constantly reminded of the endless threats of terrorism from dozens of different causes in the near future.  It gives the book a kind of dark edge.

Today has been another quiet day.  I looked up books on Osama Bin Laden to put on our current events display.  I also changed the poetry display to a display on gardening.  We just started the process of setting up for planting this weekend on the second avenue side of our building.

I also checked the Twitter account and printed up some more surveys for the library this morning.  We should be putting up another set of photographs from the local history room soon.  We also have been discussing how to better track our website and make it easier to use.

We also received the books from the Distributiont to Underserved Communities Library Program, http://www.ducprogram.org/index.html  I am hoping to display some of them a bit later this month.

Ten new images have been added to the historic images of the Mount Vernon Public Lirbary on the website.  http://www.mountvernonpubliclibrary.org/node/282

The April 25, 2011 Publishers Weekly covers Book Expo America.  I am looking forward to going.

This evening, I finished reading All The Lives He Lived by Frederik Pohl.  It is one of the darkest novels I have ever read.  Every chapter has some kind of atrocity happening.  It does not portray the human race in a good light.  At the same time it is fascinating in its morbidity and frankness.  I liked reading it, but I think it contains some dystopic material that may not be to many readers taste.

Daily Thoughts 5/1/2011 (all the lives he lived)

'School'. About 1652, Robert Hooke as a pupil at Westminster School, aged seventeen years. Dr. Richard Busby, the headmaster, wears his large hat. Hooke was researching ways of flying and holds a pet linnet. Oil on board by Rita Greer 2005.Art Libre License 

Daily Thoughts 5/1/2011             

This morning I put the book, The Crippled God by Steven Erikson on hold.  It is the last book in the Malazan Book of the Fallen fantasy series.  I also finished reading The Earthshakers. 

I started reading All The Lives He Lived by Frederik Pohl.  It is a near future story.  There is a lot of very dark satire in this book.  Most of the United States has been covered in ash by the explosion of a super volcano in Yellow Stone park.  The main character works in a theme park on Mount Vesuvius.  Very different and entertaining.