Daily Thoughts 08/31/2012

Edward Lear, The Owl and the Pussycat, 1871, Book of Nonsense II, this is neither here nor there.  It is one of my favorite poems.  http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/171941


Daily Thoughts 08/31/2012

I have been reading more of Evolutionaries.  One of the ideas in evolutionaries that is being written about is that children develop over time; Jean Piaget is discussed in an evolutionary context.  People don't start out with higher reasoning, or religious inclinations when they are small children.  They are not little adults.  I especially like the book Descartes Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain by Antonio Damasio.  One of the central tenets of Descartes Error is that reason stems from emotion developmentally and neurologically.

I am reading a bit more of Madrigal's Magic Keys to Spanish, I am on Chapter 13.  The book has 45 chapters and is 496 pages long, so I have quite a bit to go.  I think I will also get a Spanish-English dictionary because I am running into words that I don't quite understand.  I think I have some of the basics.

I have been reading more of How To Keep People From Pushing Your Buttons.  There are sections focused on work and family.  Some parts are hard to read.

Web Bits

The Born Digital In The Archives: One Curator's Experience
http://blogs.loc.gov/digitalpreservation/2012/08/the-born-digital-in-the-archives-one-curators-experience/

Daily Thoughts 08/30/2012

Daily Thoughts 08/30/2012

I have been reading more of Evolutionaries.  One of the themes in the book is the evolution of consciousness.  The history of consciousness was one of the doctoral programs where I got my undergraduate degree at University of California Santa Cruz in cultural anthropology.  I remember taking a history of science course as an elective from this department which I enjoyed a lot.

I also read some more of Margarita Madrigal's Magic Keys to Spanish.  There was a test in chapter 11 which was not too hard.  I am hoping that it proves useful.  I also read some more of How To Keep People From Pushing Your Buttons.  The book has written exercises in it which is helpful.  I often think self help books are more useful if they include exercises, visualizations, or specific activities.  One of my favorite writing books, Writing Begins With the Breath has quite a few exercises which combine meditation and writing.

Daily Thoughts 08/29/2012

Sidney Paget, Portrait of Sherlock Holmes, 1904

Daily Thoughts 08/29/2012

I have been reading more of Evolutionaries.  The author is writing about Ray Kurzweil who invented a variety of devices including a reading device for the blind.  Kurzweil is also famous for writing the nonfiction book, The Singularity is Near, which is about when artificial intelligence becomes smarter than humans.   Many people believe this may happen very soon with the increasing complexity of the internet and other computer networks. This ties in with the idea that one day humans may be able to transcend their bodies.  Cory Doctorow and Charles Strauss recently wrote a science fiction book called The Rapture of the Nerds which is at least partly about the singularity.

 I read a little bit more tonight.  There is a description of a possible relationship between Carl Jung's collective unconscious and Teilhard De Chardin's noosphere.  It has this wonderful speculative feeling to it.  It also has that feeling of not quite useful knowledge that one day may be used in a philosophical conversation at a book signing, library event, or conference somewhere.

I also read some more of How To Keep People from Pushing Your Buttons.  This book focuses on peoples internal dialogue helping them with "awfulizing, shoulding, and rationalizing" their actions.  It is an interesting book. 

I am on Chapter 10 of Margarita Madrigal's Magic Keys to Spanish.  I am enjoying it.  It is helping me remember the Spanish I took in high school but did not use much.

Web Bits

ABA to Replace Google With Kobo
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bookselling/article/53750-aba-to-replace-google-with-kobo.html

LG Bendable Ebook Display Ready for Mass Production
http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/45098/bendable-ebook-display-mass-production

Daily Thoughts 08/28/2012

Daily Thoughts 08/28/2012

I am relaxing today as much as possible.  I have been reading more of Evolutionaries.  The author is writing about transhumanism which is a little odd in my opinion.  Many people believe that we transcend the flesh and be able to transfer the pattern of our brains to computers.  Some believe that our bodies are made out of meat and there are better ways to live.  Others believe in modifying our consciousness by introducing computers into their bodies.  There are art projects where people have inserted cameras in their heads.  It is a little weird.  It is not for me, I rather like my body and all the wonderful things I can do it.  The basic idea is that people should transcend the human condition using technology.

Right now, I am also on Chapter 9 of Margarita Madrigal's Magic Key to Spanish.  I am learning about the past tense and putting together short sentences on different subjects in Spanish.  I am also reading How to Keep People From Pushing Your Buttons.

I spent a little bit of time updating the Twitter and Facebook for the library.  I also spent a bit of time looking at different social media sites.

I met the new director yesterday for our library.  It was a pleasant experience.  There was a reception for the staff with fruit, cheese, vegetables, and wine.  I think it will go well.

There is a free webinar screening of Universal Access to All Knowledge with Brewster Kahle at Metro on Wednesday, September 5 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., it looks rather interesting.
http://metro.org/events/230/ 

There is another interesting webinar which is $10 for librarians on October 1, 2012, Webinar: Responsive Web Design for Libraries.  http://metro.org/events/238/ 

I may have an opportunity to volunteer at Book2Camp.  The last one was awesome.  http://www.book2camp.org/

Daily Thoughts 08/27/2012

[Ulysses S. Grant, full-length portrait, seated at table with books and top hat, facing right] 
Date Created/Published: [between 1869 and 1877(?)] 

Daily Thoughts 08/27/2012

I read some more of Margarita Madrigal's Magic Keys to Spanish on the train to work.  I also read a bit more Evolutionaries.  Carter Phipps is discussing whether or not there is a specific direction to evolution.  The basic idea is that society will become more complex.  I also am reading How To Keep People From Pushing Your Buttons by Albert Ellis and Arthur Lange, Ed.D..  A lot of it is about how not to think of things as being awful or think you should be doing things without considering them first.

This morning, I checked the Twitter and Facebook accounts for the library.  More books are coming in for the new books display area.  I also spent some time looking at business books.  I sometimes look at http://800ceoread.com for business books.  Also, the latest copy of The New York Times Bestseller list came in as well as the latest issue of Baker and Taylor Forecast.

Chris Anderson has a new book out; Makers: The New Industrial Revolution.  I am looking forward to reading it.

Daily Thoughts 08/26/2012

The shepherdess. Signed with monogram. Watercolour heightened with bodycolour. 15 x 22.5 cm, 1899

Daily Thoughts 08/26/20121

I am looking at Diamond Comics Top 100 Graphic Novels for July 2012.  Diamond Comics is the largest distributor of comics in the United States.  http://www.diamondcomics.com/Home/1/1/3/597?articleID=124297

I have been reading a little more of Evolutionaries.  I like the book because of the concepts.  Things like epochal time which is a way of seeing millions of years into the future and the past, the idea that the world is constantly evolving,  and that science is facing a shift in its approach with more integrative disciplines like systems theory and ecology.  I am not convinced by Carter's Phipps that the ideas that are being presented are a paradigm shift.

I have also been reading Margarita Madrigal's Magic Key to Spanish.  She is showing lists of words that are similar in Spanish and english or lists of words where there are changes in the endings like president versus presidente or delicious versus delicioso.  It is a way to help build vocabulary.

Daily Thoughts 08/24/2012

Daily Thoughts 08/24/2012

I had a chance to look at Romantic Times online as well as Early Word, Romance Writers of America, Intermational Thriller Writers, Mystery Writers of America, and Locus Magazine for new, popular material.  I also put in another order for patron requests with lots of cookbooks and books on autism.  Locus Magazine online has a weekly bestseller list for science fiction.

This morning, I checked the Twitter and Facebook accounts for the library.  More new books are coming in and being processed.  I also checked the displays and the gift books.

I also spent some time looking at the RITA Awards for Romance and the Nebula and Hugo Awards for science fiction.  I have to take some time to look at the Eisner and Harvey awards for comics.  I put in an order for romance paperbacks today as well.

Right now, I am looking at the Mysterious Bookshop website which was founded by Otto Penzler who also founded Mysterious Press. http://www.mysteriousbookshop.com/pages/mysterious-press

Daily Thoughts 08/23/2012

Portrait of composer and journalist Pavel Ivanovich Blaramberg. Oil on canvas. 78 × 60 cm. The State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, by Ilya Repin, 1884

Daily Thoughts 08/23/2012

This morning, I updated the Twitter and Facebook accounts for the library.  I also checked the displays and the gift books.  More new books are being processed and put out.  Also the clerks are working on a shifting project in the 900s.

I am working a little bit more on ordering fiction and nonfiction books.  I have not had a chance to get to Earlyword yet.  The library has the Computer Lab open between 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m..  We also have another session of the Women's Enterprise Development Center in the Community Room between 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m..

The display area for new books is starting to fill up.  I picked up Evolutionaries Unlocking the Spiritual and Cultural Potential of Science's Greatest Idea by Carter Phipps.   It is in a kind of odd space, the dewey calll number is 213 which is part of religion.  There are ideas in here like transhumanism, evolving consciousness, cultural evolution, and the noosphere.

We have a new director for the library coming next week.  It should give the place a different feeling.  It is hard to know what to think right now.

I started reading Evolutionaries.  It is about the idea of evolution in a kind of cultural or spiritual context. 

Daily Thoughts 08/22/2012

Gerard Ter Borch , Portrait of a Man Reading, Circa 1675

Daily Thoughts 08/22/2012

This morning, I finished reading in Spanish See and It Say It in Spanish by Margarita Madrigal.  I checked out the book Madrigal's Magic Key to Spanish A Creative and Proven Approach by Margaria Madrigal with Original Illustrations by Andy Warhol.  I am hoping it will teach me more Spanish.

The book, Tiny Beautiful Things Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar by Cheryl Strayed came in for me to read.  I am have too many books to read on my desk.  The new books which I started ordering last week are coming in.  I always like seeing new books.  The latest Publishers Weekly also came in for me to read.

This morning, I updated the Twitter and Facebook for the library.  I also checked the gift books, displays, and am working on an order of African American interest books with a colleague. 

I spent some time looking through the New York Times Bestseller lists that are not part of the New York Times Book Review.  The Books section online for the New York Times has monthly bestseller lists for hardcover business, paperback business, and politics.  There is also a graphic novels and manga list.

The computer lab is open between 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. today.  The Woman's Enterprise Development Center is having a class tonight for Entrepreneurship called First Steps from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Right now, I am looking at the Indie Bestseller List from Independent Bookstores http://www.indiebound.org/indie-bestsellers  I rather like it because it tends to contain more literary and independent titles than the Publishers Weekly bestseller list or the New York Times bestseller list.

I plan on looking at EarlyWord: The Publisher Librarian Connection tomorrow.  http://www.earlyword.com/

Daily Thoughts 08/21/2012

A coloured plate. Caption: “What day of the month is it?” he said, turning to Alice, 1907, Carroll, Lewis & Robinson, Charles. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, London: Cassell & Company, opp. p. 94

Daily Thoughts 08/21/2012

I did a brief update to the Facebook and Twitter pages for the library.

  I also finished reading Full Body Burden: Growing Up in the Nuclear Shadow of Rocky Flats by Kristen Iversen.  It has a very ironic ending.  The nuclear weapons plant is shut down.  Then the land surrounding the plant is deeded to turn into a national park.  It is not acted on.  Many locals think the surrounding area is contaminated with plutonium.  There is quite a bit on how plutonium and other radioactive materials affect peoples health.  The book is full of ironies like this.

I also read some more of See It and Say It in Spanish by Margarita Madrigal.  It is very basic.  I might try reading her longer book, Madrigal's Magic Key to Spanish: A Creative and Proven Approach.  I have also been reading How to Make Yourself Happy and Remarkably Less Disturbable by Albert Ellis, Ph.D..  Albert Ellis is quite controversial, he is the founder of REBT (Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy), which is considered by many to be the first cognitive therapy.

I spent some time this morning looking at African American sites focused on books, Hue-Man bookstore, Mosaic Books, Black Expressions Book Club, and AALBC (African American Literature Book Club).  I also searched under African American in Powells which is the largest independent bookstore in the United States.

Daily Thoughts 08/20/2012

Daily Thoughts 08/20/2012

I am still reading Full Body Burden: Growing Up in the Nuclear Shadow of Rocky Flats by Kristen Iversen.  The book is quite different.  For a short while, Kristen Iversen worked as a secretary in the Rocky Flats site.  There are more descriptions that are fascinating in a scary way.  There is one description of the decontamination process for a firefighter after a fire occurs inside the plutonium trigger making facility.  I also read some more of See It and Say It in Spanish.  There are very simple black and white line drawings which are easy to understand, lists of words in Spanish as well as short phrases.

This morning, I checked the Twitter and Facebook accounts for the library.  I also checked the displays and the gift books.  I am putting in an order for travel books today to update the collection with more recent titles.  I also plan on ordering more African American fiction.

I also printed some more flyers for the Women's Enterprise Development Center which is having a workshops on entrepreneurship on August 22 and August 23 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the community room and an Introduction to Computers for Business on Wednesday, August 29, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the computer lab.

Web Bits

Digital Book World Aims for a More Accure E-book Bestseller List
http://paidcontent.org/2012/08/20/digital-book-world-aims-for-a-more-accurate-ebook-bestseller-list/

Daily Thoughts 08/17/2012

Dante's Inferno, 1924 Film Poster.

Daily Thoughts 08/17/2012

This morning, I read some more of Full Body Burden.  The author is describing the process of civil disobedience at Rocky Flats where protesters willing go to get arrested and then present their case in court.

This morning, I checked the Facebook and Twitter page for the library, checked the displays, checked the gift books and spent some time talking to our representative from BWI.  I also am looking at travel books to order.  I am looking at books about travel for all over the world, we get a lot of questions about travel in Africa and the Caribbean.  I spent some time visiting different travel publishers; Insight Guides, Fodor's, Frommer's, Lonely Planet, Moon, and Rough Guides.

I handed out a few certificates today for participating in the Annual Adult Summer Reading Game.  I also did a bit of shifting from the main collection for the biography books to the mezzanine.

Web Bits

How Books Shaped the American National Identity
http://www.npr.org/2012/08/14/158771705/-books-that-shaped-america

Daily Thoughts 08/16/2012

Interieur (Zeichnung), 20 x 21 cm, Elsbeth Müller-Kaempff (1869–1940)
Daily Thoughts 08/16/2012

This morning, I checked the Twitter and Facebook accounts for the library, and checked the gift books and the displays.  I also added a few more books on fishes to the display cases near the Rotunda Gallery.  There is a reception at the Gallery for an art exhibit called Fishtales Around Westchester from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. today.

This afternoon, we have the computer lab from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. I spent some time going through the latest Library Journal and checking for any bestselling material I may have missed.  I also did a little bit more inventory in the mezzanine.

Web Bits

Hungry for SF Genre Crossovers Retain Fans and Attract New Readers
http://reviews.libraryjournal.com/2012/08/books/graphic-novels/hungry-for-sf-genre-crossovers-retain-fans-and-attract-new-readers/

World Book Night U.S. Announces New Committees
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/trade-shows-events/article/53575-world-book-night-u-s-announces-new-committees.html
World Book Night is a chance to give away free books.  Our library held this event.  The next one is on April 13, 2013.

Daily Thoughts 08/15/2012

Sebastian Stoskopff, 1625, Still Life with Books, Alternate Title: Books and A Candle

Daily Thoughts 08/15/2012

This afternoon, I checked the displays and the gift books, and did some minor updates to Facebook and Twitter.  I also read the latest copy of the New York Times Book Review.

As usual, I have too many books which I plan to read on my desk.  The book, We Are Anonymous Inside the Hacker World of LulzSec, Anonymous, and the Global Cyber Insurgency by Parmy Olson came in for me to read.  It should be interesting.

This afternoon, I did a little more inventory.  The library aides are almost finished shifting the biography books.  I also spent some time looking at the purchase alerts list.

Harry Harrison died last night.
http://www.locusmag.com/News/2012/08/harry-harrison-1925-2012/

Web Bits

September is National Library Card Sign Up Month
http://www.ala.org/conferencesevents/celebrationweeks/card

Daily Thoughts 08/14/2012

Pierre-August Renoir, Nature Morte Au Bouquet, 1871

Daily Thoughts 08/14/2012

This morning, I checked the displays and the gift books.  I also placed a few more orders for books, this time mainly bestsellers and popular titles.  Three books came in for me to read, Shine Shine Shine by Lydia
Netzer, Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson, and Unfair Trade How Our Broken Global Financial System Destroys the Middle Class by Michael J. Casey.

In  addition, I checked the Facebook and Twitter pages for the library.

I read the latest Publishers Weekly and did a little bit of inventory in the mezzanine.

I have been steadily reading more of Full Body Burden Growing Up in the Nuclear Shadow of Rocky Flats by Kristen Iversen.  It is definitely tragic.  There is an alcoholic father who is a lawyer.  The memoir part of the story has lots of sadness and denial about alcoholism.

The part about Rocky Flats is even more dire.  There are accounts of people getting radiation poisoning, environmental contamination from cesium, plutonium, and radiation fires, and intense protests.  Descriptions of the effects of plutonium-239 and the high incidence of cancer in the Rocky Flats community are sad and a bit frightening.

Web Bits

I'll Take a quiet library over a hip one.
http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20120812/LETTER/120819979/1020&ParentProfile=1061

Daily Thoughts 08/13/2012

Paper manufacuring, illustration to Diderot's Encyclopédie. 18th Century, Hugo Rydén, Gunnar Stenhag, Dick Widing: Litteraturen genom tiderna. Kortfattad litteraturhistoria för gymnasieskolan. Stockholm 1982.

Daily Thoughts 08/13/2012

This weekend I have been slowly reading a variety of books.  I am reading Full Body Burden Growing Up In The Shadow of Rocky Flats by Kristen Iversen.  This is a combination of a memoir of growing up and an account of Rocky Flats.  Rocky Flats was a secret facility where they made the nuclear bomb triggers during the cold war.  The descriptions of the facility are both fascinating and scary.  There is an account of a fire inside the secret  facility which is intense.  There are also accounts of radiation leakage and environmental damage.  I also read some of Berlitz Essential Spanish.  I decided to learn some Spanish.  I am also reading See It and Say It in Spanish by Margarita Madrigal.  There are lots of simple line drawings.

This morning, I checked the Facebook and Twitter pages for the library.  I also checked the reference email.  We occassionally get recommendations to purchase items in this email.  I checked the gifts and the displays as well.  I also did a little bit of wrap up work on the Annual Adult Summer Reading Contest.

I did a little bit of inventory in the mezzanine.  I also placed a few orders, mainly books which patrons had requested.

Web Bits

It's Alive-- From the New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/12/books/review/the-tradition-of-the-book-continues.html?_r=1&ref=books

Daily Thoughts 08/10/2012

[Owl above door to center reading room on fifth floor. Library of Congress John Adams Building, Washington, D.C.] Date Created/Published: 2007.

Daily Thoughts 08/10/2012

This morning, I finished looking through Difficult Conversations How To Discuss What Matters Most.  I also checked the displays and the gift books.  There were a few books worth adding.  I also checked the Twitter and Facebook pages for the library.

I did a little shopping for the End of Summer Literary Tea Party which is for the entrants of the Annual Adult Summer Reading Contest from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m..

The End of Summer Literary Tea Party went well.  We gave out certificates to people who participated.  We also gave a book to each person who came to the party.  I had green tea and some social tea biscuits.  People discussed different books that they read during the summer including titles like Home by Toni Morrison and I am Forbidden by Anouk Markovits.  We also raffled off a bag of books.

Library Journal sent me a batch of Advanced Reading Copies.  One which seemed particularly interesting is Full Body Burden Growing Up in the Nuclear Shadow of Rocky Flats by Kristen Iversen.

I checked out Berlitz Essential Spanish and See It and Say It In Spanish.

Web Bits

ALA Releases Ebook Business Models for Public Libraries
http://www.americanlibrariesmagazine.org/e-content/ala-releases-ebook-business-models-public-libraries

On Borrowing Digital Books from the Library
http://bucks.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/09/on-borrowing-digital-books-from-the-library/

Daily Thoughts 08/09/2012

Books and Scholar's Accoutrements, 19th Century, Ink and Light Color on Paper

Daily Thoughts 08/09/2012

I read some more of Difficult Conversations.  The last section is about how to interact with people who are a bit different; people with psychiatric disorders, bosses, bullies, subordinates, and people from different cultures.

I checked the displays and the gift books. I picked out a few books on Gore Vidal who just passed away to include in the current events and biography display.  I also checked the Twitter and Facebook accounts for the library.

I am doing a little more preparation for the end of adult summer reading today.  I bought a few things like cups, plates, and tablecloths.  We also have the computer lab open from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Daily Thoughts 08/08/2012

1973 U.S. Postal Service stamp in honor of Robinson Jeffers

Daily Thoughts 08/08/2012

This morning, I read some more of Difficult Situations. The authors are writing about how to avoid self sabotage and get across a clear, sincere message that sounds like it is coming across from you personally.

This morning, I checked the Twitter and Facebook accounts.  I also checked the gift books and the displays.  On Friday, August 10, 2012 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., we are having the End of Summer Reading Literary Tea Party for the participants in the Adult Summer Reading program where we are raffling off a bag of books, discussing what they read during the summer, and serving tea and light refreshments.  I have been working on a certificate, getting lottery tickets, and approval for purchasing refreshments.

The New York Times Book Review, Publishers Weekly, and Booklist are here today for me to read.  I am looking through them a bit right now.  We also have the Computer Lab for Academic Use from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.   The Friends of the Mount Vernon Public Library are meeting directly across the Rotunda Art Gallery in the Trustees room.  It has been quite busy.

I placed the book, The Last Bohemia: Scenes from the Life of Williamsburgh, Brooklyn by Robert Anasi on hold.  It sounded entertaining because it is about art hipsters who I find both a bit annoying, amusing, and daft, but really don't know enough about the "movement".  I also placed a hold on Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson as well as The Unfair Trade How Our Broken Global Financial System Destroys the Middle Class by Michael J. Casey.  I also put Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt by Joe Sacco and Chris Hedges on hold.

I rather liked the essay at the end of the New York Times Book Review for August 12, 2012 on P.30, Dead Again Every Generation Rewrites the Book's Epitaph.

Web Bits

Did Google Create Library Project to Crush Amazon
http://vator.tv/news/2012-08-07-did-google-create-library-project-to-crush-amazon

Daily Thoughts 08/07/2012

Government Picture from Nasa, Ray Douglas Bradbury http://history.nasa.gov/EP-125/part6.htm

Daily Thoughts 08/07/2012

This morning on the train to work I read some more of Difficult Conversations.  The authors are writing about how identity effects communication.  They describe how it is very easy to mix up our personal issues with our ability to communicate.

This morning, I checked the Facebook and Twitter accounts for the library.  I also checked email reference. I also checked the displays and the gift books as well.

Web Bits 

U. Nevada Library Offers 3D Printing Across the Board
http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2012/08/academic-libraries/u-nevada-library-offers-3d-printing-across-the-board/

This really is a game changing technology that will have a very big impact.  It is in its early stages.  There is a 3D Printed car for example. This is an article about how 3D Printed will grow into a $3 Billion dollar industry from Forbes by 2016.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/tjmccue/2012/03/27/3d-printing-industry-will-reach-3-1-billion-worldwide-by-2016/
I personally think this is a low figure.

Daily Thoughts 08/06/2012

Vanitas, Luttichuys, Isaac, 17th Century

Daily Thoughts 08/06/2012

I have been reading a little bit more of Don't Sweat the Small Stuff.  Richard Carlson Ph.D. supports, yoga, meditation, and breathing exercises to reduce stress and anger in this book.

This morning, I checked the Twitter and Facebook for the library.  I also looked over the gift books and displays.  I did a little bit more inventory this afternoon.




Web Bits

Occupy Wall Street and the myth of the technological death of the library.
http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/3845/3280

The Used Ebook Opportunity
http://jwikert.typepad.com/the_average_joe/2012/07/used_ebook_opp.html?utm_source=LISNews

Daily Thoughts 08/05/2012

Reading from Moliere around 1728, Oil on canvas, 72.4 x 90.8 cm;
Collection Marchioness of Cholmondeley

Daily Thoughts 08/05/2012

I finished Chimera by T.C. McCarthy.  T.C. McCarthy is a military analyst and it shows in his science fiction writing.  The story is about genetic engineering.  The setting alternates between the United States, Spain, Thailand, and Burma.  There is a lot of action in the story.  The story is very dark with strong language  and themes of covert warfare, sniping, espionage, and jungle warfare.

I also continue to read Don't Sweat The Small and It's All Small Stuff.  I am enjoying reading this book.  It has given me some insight into how to be more peaceful and contented.

Web Bits

In the E-book World Are Book Covers A Dying Art
http://www.npr.org/2012/08/05/157886049/in-the-e-book-world-are-book-covers-a-dying-art
This makes me wonder when it will be common to download small video trailers about a book with your e-book download.

Daily Thoughts 08/03/2012

Inu no koku Print shows a young woman sitting on a mat, holding a long scroll and writing materials, she has turned to the left to speak with a young servant or apprentice kneeling behind her.
Date Created/Published: [1795, printed between 1918 and 1923]

Daily Thoughts 08/03/2012

I read some more of Don't Sweat the Small Stuff this morning.  The author writing about two important concepts, the idea of getting past boredom to relaxation where you feel you do not need to do anything.  The concept which goes along with this is the concept of not doing where you choose not to do certain things like eat more, drink more, or sleep more.  Some people believe it is more important to choose what not to do than what to do.

I checked the Twitter and Facebook accounts for the library.  We got a donation of African American nonfiction books including titles like Eldridge Cleaver Soul On Ice, The Autobiography of Muhammad Ali, and The Autobiography of Angela Davis. 

I also checked the displays this morning.

Web Bits

Why DC and Marvel Will Never Truly Target Female Readers
http://www.comicsbeat.com/2012/07/25/why-dc-and-marvel-will-never-truly-target-female-readers/

Partners In Crime Mystery Booksellers in New York is Closing
http://www.crimepays.com/
It is sad to see another bookstore close in New York.

Daily Thoughts 08/02/2012

The Artist In Repose, Walter Crane, From A Floral Fantasy In an Old English Garden, 1899

Daily Thoughts 08/02/2012

I read some more of Difficult Situations on the train to work today.  Right now the authors are writing about how and why people interpret events differently.  They are trying to show to learn to find out what people think of problems.

I updated the Twitter and Facebook accounts for the library.  I also checked the displays and the gift books.  The book Chimera by T.C. McCarthy came in for me to read.  I also put the book Shine, Shine, Shine by Lydia Netzer on hold.  I also have a copy of Don't Sweat the Small Stuff... and It's All Small Stuff by Richard Carlson, Ph.D. to read.

I am looking forward to when The Woman Who Married A Cloud by Jonathan Carroll comes out.  Jonathan Carroll writes in an odd style that is almost like modern fairytales.  It is a collection of his short stories.

This afternoon, the Computer Lab was open between 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m..  I also did a bit of inventory in the mezzanine.  Right now, the library aides are shifting the biography books.

I read some of Chimera on the way home, it is military science fiction.  There are genetically engineered soldiers.  The world is also very dystopian with fighting over metals, constant surveillance, and a population die off because of limited nuclear war.  The book also includes some espionage which adds an edge to the military aspects of the story.

I also read some more of Difficult Situations.  The authors are describing how to identify how people work together to make things wrong.  They describe processes of bad communication.

Daily Thoughts 08/01/2012

Portrait of Charles Dickens, Francis Alexander 1842


Daily Thoughts 08/01/2012


This morning I read some more of Buddypress for Dummies.  The author was describing how social networks are basically a way to communicate.  I also read some more of Difficult Situations.  The authors are writing about how emotions often prevent people from approaching difficult subjects.

This morning, I updated the Twitter and Facebook pages for the library.

This afternoon, I read the latest New York Times Book Review and the latest Publishers Weekly.  There is a review of Joseph Stiglitz, The Price of Inequality and a new literary science fiction novel, Shine Shine Shine by Lydia Netzer in the August 5, 2012 New York Times Book Review.

I also went through and checked the Purchase Alerts and the Collection Management Sheet.  Many of the Purchase Alerts are for bestselling books like Danielle Steel Best Friends Forever, or Gone Girl: A Novel by Gillian Flynn-- this novel is becoming extremely popular very fast. Quite a few of the Collection Management Sheet items are test books or health education books like Mosby's Nursing Assistant.

Web Bits


With new funding DPLA Sets Sights on Search
http://www.thedigitalshift.com/2012/07/digital-libraries/with-new-funding-dpla-sets-sights-on-search/
I rather like the idea of a Digital Public Library of America.