Daily Thoughts 02/28/2013

Geb[ho] no atamazori, Print shows a woman reading, sitting in a chair, at a cabinet containing tea service utensils, on the wall behind her is a print showing two of the seven lucky gods, Daikokuten shaving Fukurokuju's head.  Between 1818 and 1830.

Daily Thoughts 02/28/2013

I checked the Facebook and Twitter for the library this morning.  I also checked the displays and the gift books.

I spent some time on Baker & Taylor's Titlesource 3 ordering fiction and nonfiction books.  I find it very easy to use with an intuitive interface.  I was able to find almost everything I was looking for.  I also checked with my rep to make sure that my orders were in place properly.

The computer lab was open in the afternoon from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.  I did not get a chance to check the 900s today.

On the way home, I read some more of How the Mind Works.  I found his arguments about consciousness and sentience to not be very convincing.  Steven Pinker basically says that there is no adequate way to define consciousness.  I was hoping for a little more.  Right now, I am reading about the evolution of human intelligence which is quite interesting.  There is a chart on pages 198 and 199 which describes the development of people from ape like ancestors to modern humans.

The National Endowment for the Arts Read Across America day is on March 2, 2013.  It celebrates Dr. Seuss's birthday.  I am quite fond of Dr. Seuss.  The Mount Vernon Public Library is open on Saturday.

http://pinterest.com/somerslibrary/read-across-america/

Daily Thoughts 02/27/2013

Interior view with a young notary at his desk; oil on canvas; 38.4 x 34.5 cm, circa 1830

Daily Thoughts 02/27/2013

This morning, I checked the Twitter and Facebook for the library.  There is an interesting article on NPR Books on the book Salt, Sugar, Fat How The Food Giants Hooked Us by Michael Moss.  It looks interesting. http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/02/26/172969363/how-the-food-industry-manipulates-taste-buds-with-salt-sugar-fat

I checked the displays and the gift books this morning.  I also spent a little more time working on the 900s.  I have quite a bit more reading to do.  I have two Publishers Weekly magazines to read and a copy of Baker and Taylor Forecast.

I spent a little time looking at the displays in the storage area yesterday and today.

I spent some time reading Forecast from Baker and Taylor.  The latest set of advanced reading copies from Library Journal came in for me to read, The Cherry Cola Book Club by Ashton Lee which is a comfortable southern novel, Letters from the Skye by Jessica Brockmole, Nothing Serious by Daniel Klein, Fangs Out by David Freed which is a mystery, The Conduct of Saints by Christopher Davis, Dead Wrong by Connie Dial which is a mystery, Blood and Beauty by Sarah Dunant which is a historical novel about the Borgias, Thursdays in the Park by Hilary Boyd which is by a writer from the United Kingdom, and Jewelweed by David Rhodes which is a literary novel.

We just got the New York Times historical database for our library.  I have used it a few times.  I prefer emailing people articles over printing articles when I search for periodicals, it saves paper.

I am caught up on my reading.  I went through the last two issues of Publishers Weekly.  I am starting on ordering material.

Daily Thoughts 02/26/2013

Le Philosophe (The Philosopher"), by Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier, oil on canvas, 1878


Daily Thoughts 02/26/2013

I checked the Facebook and Twitter accounts for the library. I also did some tallying of attendance for the computer lab and computer classes as well as email reference and social media followers.

I also spent some time putting together another list to check in the 900s.  In addition, I checked the displays and the gift books.  I have started the piles magazine reading I had for last week.  I am part of the way through Library Journal and finished reading the latest New York Times Book Reviews.  There is a new book by Buzz Aldrin coming out called Mission to Mars: My Vision for Space Exploration.

While reading through Booklist, I came across a new book by Jane Goodall and Gail Hudson called Seeds of Hope Wisdom and Wonder from the World of Plants.  There is an introduction to the book by Michael Pollan. It is coming out in April of 2013.  I think of chimpanzees mostly when I think of Jane Goodall.

I read some more of Steven Pinker, How The Mind Works.  It is a very rational book with a mix of dry, sarcastic humor.  These sentences from P.112, Paragraph 3 very much sum up the feel of the book.

It is the structuring of networks into programs for manipulating symbols that explains much of human intelligence.  In particular, symbol manipulation underlies human language and the parts of reasoning that interact with it.

While, I do not agree with some of the ideas in the book, I find them intriguing.  I prefer books with a little more uncertainty in them when I read about science.  Things like quantum mechanics and chaos theory are very satisfying to me.

Poll Should Mount Vernon or Its Schools Run the Library
http://mountvernon.dailyvoice.com/news/poll-should-mount-vernon-or-its-schools-run-library

Web Bits

What to Do With Raspberry Pi the New $35 Computer that Could Replace Your OPAC Terminals
http://www.thedigitalshift.com/2013/02/hardware-2/what-to-do-with-a-raspberry-pi-the-new-35-computer-that-could-replace-your-opac-terminals/
It is an interesting idea from a library in Westchester, White Plains.

Daily Thoughts 02/25/2013

Jose Ferraz De Almeida Junior, Reading, 1892


Daily Thoughts 02/25/2013

I checked the Twitter and Facebook for the library.  I also checked the displays and the gift books.  March is Women's History Month.

Three books came in for me to read On the Map by Simon Garfield, The Federal Reserve and the Financial Crisis Lectures by Ben S. Bernanke, and The Future Six Drivers of Global Change by Al Gore.

I spent some time checking the 900s. I have quite a bit more to do.  I am back from vacation.  I have quite a few magazines to read, including Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Booklist, the New York Times Book Review, Baker and Taylor Forecast, and Times Literary Supplement.

There is a new director at the Mount Vernon Public Library.  We discussed collection management.

On the way home, I read some more of Steven Pinker, How the Mind Works.  Steven Pinker is describing the computational theory of mind.  The description is very rational and is focused on information and symbolism.  I find it lacking in holism and very reductionist.  It is interesting reading.

Web Bits

The Weight of Books
http://www.latimes.com/features/books/jacketcopy/la-et-jc-the-weight-of-books-20130225,0,1224401.story

A Personal History of Libraries by John Scalzi
http://whatever.scalzi.com/2013/02/23/a-personal-history-of-libraries/
I like John Scalzi's science fiction writing.

Daily Thoughts 02/24/2013

Frederick Vezin, Evening Reading

Daily Thoughts 02/24/2013

I checked the Twitter and Facebook this morning for the library.

I read some more of How The Mind Works by Steven Pinker.  Steven Pinker is describing why it is so hard to  build a machine that can copy human vision, walking, and thinking.

Web Bits

The 30 Best Places to Be If You Love Books
http://www.buzzfeed.com/awesomer/the-best-places-to-be-if-you-love-books

Why Reading for A Living is Like Herding Cats
http://crosscut.com/2013/02/21/books/113085/book-city-marilyn-dahl/?page=single
Shelf Awareness is an excellent newsletter well worth reading.

Daily Thoughts 02/23/2013

Mary Cassatt, Nurse Reading to a Little Girl, 1895

Daily Thoughts 02/23/2013

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook accounts this morning.

I finished reading Building Social Web Applications by Gavin Bell.  The last part of the book is about launching the application.  Gavin Bell reminds the reader that more money should be set aside for the launch of an application than building the original application.  He also talks about how to respond to new feature requests by site users.  This is a very solid book if you want to understand how to both build and use social networks.

I am reading Steven Pinker How The Mind Works.  It is a mix of cognitive psychology and evolutionary psychology.

Web Bits

NYPL, Brooklyn Merge Technical Services
http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2013/02/managing-libraries/nypl-brooklyn-merge-technical-services/
I used to work at Brooklyn Public Library.

A Film Project about Libraries
http://www.free4allfilms.org/index.html

Daily Thoughts 02/22/2013

Arthur Devis, An Unknown Man in a Library, Between 1740 and 1741

Daily Thoughts 02/22/2013

This morning, I checked the libraries Twitter and Facebook accounts.

I also read a little more from Building Social Web Applications.  Gavin Bell is writing about forming communities.  He is describing the process of moderation of trolls and other nuisances.  He is also describing the process of development in the context of what the users want in a social network.

Mt. Vernon Library Board Wants School District In Charge
http://mountvernon.dailyvoice.com/politics/mount-vernon-library-board-hoping-referendum-soon


Web Bits

Losing the Book as a Symbol
http://toc.oreilly.com/2013/02/losing-the-book-as-a-symbol.html

Library Journal has Been Libbanana-ed
http://tumblr.libraryjournal.com/post/43746603882/library-journal-has-been-libbanana-ed-which-is
I want one.

Daily Thoughts 02/21/2013

Edouard Villard, Lucy Hessel Reading, 1913

Daily Thoughts 02/21/2013

Registration Open:39th Annual National Library Legislative Day
http://www.americanlibrariesmagazine.org/news/ala/registration-open-39th-annual-national-library-legislative-day    On another thought, Library Advocacy Day in New York State is on March 5, 2013
http://www.westchesterlibraries.org/files/advocates/alerts/libAdvDay2013/LibraryAdvocacyDay2013.pdf

I checked the library Facebook and Twitter accounts this morning.  I have been steadily reading more of Building Social Web Applications.  I am learning about concepts like location and time in the context of social media as well as tagging and folksonomies.

I spent a little time at Barnes and Noble today.  I got a chance to look at a few books.  A book that looked very interesting was The Grand Tour: Around the World With The Queen of Mystery by Agatha Christie.

Another article on 3D Printing. Disruptions 3D Printing is on the Fast Track
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/17/disruptions-3-d-printing-is-on-the-fast-track/

Jeff Sturges on Libraries and Makerspaces
http://www.alatechsource.org/blog/2013/02/jeff-sturges-on-libraries-and-makerspaces.html

Web Bits

Indie Booksellers Sue Amazon Big Six Over E-book DRM
http://publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/digital/content-and-e-books/article/56042-indie-booksellers-sue-amazon-big-six-over-e-book-drm.html


How Comics Help Students Retain Knowledge is a Growing Field of Study
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/comics/article/55946-how-comics-help-students-retain-knowledge-is-a-growing-field-of-study.html

Daily Thoughts 02/20/2013

Map of the town Winesburg, Ohio from the first edition of Sherwood Anderson's book of the same name. Anderson, Sherwood. Winesburg, Ohio. New York: B.W. Huebsch, 1919.

Daily Thoughts 02/20/2013

This morning, I checked the Twitter and Facebook for the library.

I spent some time reading at the laundromat today.  I am reading more of Building Social Web Applications.  Right now, I am reading about concepts of privacy in social media as well as microblogging and blogging.   The book is focused mainly on design issues not programming so much.

Tonight is the Mount Vernon Public Library Board of Trustees Meeting at 6:30 p.m..  There is a new director for the library.  Also, there have been some articles in Newsday about the libraries status.
Ernie Davis Seeks Control of the Mount Vernon Library Board http://www.newsday.com/ernie-davis-seeks-control-of-mount-vernon-library-board-1.4561062  and Editorial:Give The Mount Vernon Library Independence http://www.newsday.com/editorial-give-the-mount-vernon-library-independence-1.4644034

Web Bits

Lawsuit Seeks to Put Sherlock Holmes in the Public Domain
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/digital/copyright/article/56020-lawsuit-seeks-to-put-sherlock-holmes-in-the-public-domain.html

Daily Thoughts 02/19/2013

Grace Reading at Howth Bay, Sir William Orpen, 1900


Daily Thoughts 02/19/2013

I checked the libraries Twitter and Facebook accounts today.

I have been reading more of Building Social Web Applications.  Gavin Bell has been writing about user centered design as well as when a site might need a community manager.

I put the book, Developing Community Led Public Libraries by John Pateman and Ken Williment on hold.

Web Bits

Bringing New Voices to the Public Library
http://www.knightfoundation.org/blogs/knightblog/2013/2/15/Bringing-new-voices-to-the-public-library/

Fiction Prescription:Why Libraries Make You Happy
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/feb/08/bibliotherapy-books-lift-mood

A House to Look Smart In
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303901504577460770904124192.html
Television shows buy books by the foot.  Also films will do the same to create a proper backdrop.  Often the titles don't matter, except for when the film crew is making up close shots. Then the film crew will to try to match the titles with what they think the character would read.

Daily Thoughts 02/18/2013

Daily Thoughts 02/18/2013

I have been reading a bit more of Building Social Web Applications.

I checked the Facebook and Twitter pages for the library.  There is a statistical site for libraries called Imaplibraries which is interesting. http://imaplibraries.org/maps.html
Web Bits

25 Writers on the Importance of Libraries
http://flavorwire.com/371702/25-writers-on-the-importance-of-libraries

Daily Thoughts 02/17/2013

Thomas Rowlandson, A Book Auction, Between 1810 and 1815

Daily Thoughts 02/17/2013

I finished reading Design and Launch an Online Social Networking Business in A Week.  This book is about how to design a standard social network in a short amount of time using a service like Ning or Onesite to provide the back end technology.  It is for people who have an idea like having a social network for dogs, a dating network, or a network based on common interest like comic books.  It is mostly focused on the marketing side of the business and how to get customers.

I checked the Twitter and Facebook for the library.

I am reading Building Social Web Applications by Gavin Bell right now.  There are two concepts that I have read so far that stand out.  The first is that there should be a single focus to your network; for example Flickr focuses on photographs, or Last.fm focuses on music. The second is why do people keep coming back to your site?

Web Bits

Can Libraries Survive in an Era of Budget Cuts
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/02/16/can-libraries-survive-in-an-era-of-budget-cutbacks.html?account=thedailybeast&medium=twitter&source=socialflow

Why Terry Deary is Wrong: the Case for Libraries
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/foz-meadows/why-terry-deary-is-wrong-_b_2695825.html

Handled With Care
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/30/books/review/handled-with-care.html?pagewanted=all&_r=4&

Daily Thoughts 02/16/2013

The Cabinet des chiffonniers (Cité Doré) of Madame Lecœur. A sign posted above the window reads, “MESSIEURS LES LECTEUR SONT PRIE DE PAS EMPORTER LES LIVRES” Etching by Just L'Hernault, after Charles Yriarte (1832–1898), Le Monde illustré, Paris : Vallée, 1862‬, p. 280.

Daily Thoughts 02/16/2013

I have been reading a little more of Designing for the Social Web.  Joshua Porter is describing the process of reputation management.  He answers questions about how you recognize different members activities in a social network.  I finished reading Designing for the Social Web.  The book is very focused on sharing.  Finding people who will share what you are writing about often makes a web site successful.  I am starting on reading Design and Launch an Online Social Networking Business In a Week by Entrepreneur Press and Julien Sharp.

I checked the Twitter and Facebook for the library.

Daily Thoughts 02/15/2013

Stratford on Avon: A bird’s-eye view of Stratford-on-Avon made by J. Ross Brown in or about 1908.

Daily Thoughts 02/15/2013

This morning, I read some more of Designing for the Social Web.  The author is describing how having excellent customer service and online outreach is essential for companies to survive.  He also suggests the idea of being your own fan where you work on things which interest you and hire people who are your most devoted fans.

This morning, I checked the Twitter and Facebook for the library.  I also checked the displays and did a little more work on the 900s.  People have been asking about the AARP Tax Preparation people who come on Monday and Wednesdays, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. a lot lately.

Something which is not talked about a lot is the cooking collection of the Mount Vernon Public Library, in addition to regular cookbooks, part of our cookbooks section is arranged alphabetically by country.  Recently we have been expanding the collection to include a variety of countries like Turkey, Burma, Jamaica, England, and other places.  We also have quite a number of books by popular chefs and cooks like Jacques Pepin, Lidia, Bobby Flay, Jamie Oliver, and Julia Child.

I read the February 10, 2013 New York Times Book Review today.  I placed the book, The Future Six Drivers of Global Change by Al Gore on hold.  I also picked up the copy of the Collection Management sheet for patron requests from the reference desk and took a few minutes to look through the purchase alerts for items that are on hold.  Most of the books on the purchase alerts list are either on the New York Times Bestseller List or the Publishers Weekly Bestseller list.

I'm off next week.  The new director is coming in on Tuesday.

I read some more of Designing for the Social Web on the way home.  Joshua Porter is describing how to keep people engaged with a network, and how to set up profiles so they require continuous updates by users.

Daily Thoughts 02/14/2013

WEST CHINA UNION UNIVERSITY - INTERIOR OF LIBRARY, Fred Rowntree & Sons Architects 1920

Daily Thoughts 02/14/2013

This morning, I checked the social media for the library.  I also checked the displays and the gift books.  I spent a little time checking the 900s as well.

Several books came in for me, Social Networking Business in a Week by Julien Sharp and Entrepreneur Press, Building Social Web Applications by Gavin Bell, and Designing for the Social Web by Joshua Porter.  I also checked out How The Mind Works by Steven Pinker.

The computer lab was open today between 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. today.  I have to turn in my vacation schedule soon.  I am off next week.

I have started reading Designing for the Social Web by Joshua Porter.  It is a bit different than what I expected because it includes the social properties of companies like Ebay and Amazon, not just sites like Flickr or Facebook.  There is a real focus on exactly what makes a successful social site.  One of the features described is having a very singular focus like shopping, photographs, or job hunting.  Joshua Porter also tells us that the fastest growing technology companies are social and software is social because humans are social.


Web Bits

Urban Librarians Unite Plants Mini Libraries Plans Conference
http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2013/02/advocacy/urban-librarians-unite-plants-mini-libraries-plans-conference/

Read Any Good Websites Lately? Book Lovers Talk Online
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/13/books/goodreadscom-is-growing-as-a-popular-book-site.html?ref=technology&_r=0

FCC Chairman Says Libraries Are More Important Than Ever
http://www.districtdispatch.org/2013/02/fcc-chairman-says-libraries-are-more-important-than-ever/

Daily Thoughts 02/13/2013

Portrait of John Jay by Stuart Gilbert, 1794

Daily Thoughts 02/13/2013

This morning I checked the Facebook and Twitter for the library.

I am staying home today to get some rest.  I have been a bit under the weather.  I have been drinking a lot of tea and relaxing.

There is a program at the library today from the Women's Enterprise Development Center from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the community room, Financial Readiness for Successful Entrepreneurs. http://www.mountvernonpubliclibrary.org/WEDCFirstStepsProgram  WEDC also does outreach to the Hispanic community, http://wedcbiz.org/page/wedc-en-espanol

I wish I could have gone to the Book2Camp Unconference, it looked quite interesting.
http://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=1926#m18956  Also, this week there was the Tools of Change for Publishing conference on February 12 through 14.  http://www.toccon.com/toc2013
They are running a startup showcase for publishers which looks interesting http://www.toccon.com/toc2013/public/schedule/detail/27033

Web Bits

One Hundred Years of Bookmobiles.
http://www.latimes.com/features/books/jacketcopy/la-jc-bookmobiles-photos-20120829,0,2308778.photogallery
The library has a bookmobile gallery.
http://www.mountvernonpubliclibrary.org/BookMobiles

Life's Traumas Won't Stop Kenyan Author Ngugi
http://www.npr.org/2013/02/13/171903366/lifes-traumas-wont-stop-kenyan-author-ngugi
His writing is very enjoyable to read, I especially liked Wizard of the Crow.

Daily Thoughts 02/12/2013

Daily Thoughts 02/12/2013

Today is Lincoln's Birthday.  I spent some time reading The Republic of Wine by Mo Yan.  It is a satirical novel very much focused on alcohol and literature.  There are many self references about the author including a reference to the film Red Sorghum.

I am reading the book in an internet browser.  Overdrive now has a browser reader.  It is a little clunky and I don't like the page turning that much.  However, it means that I do not have to download the book to a computer and can read the book wherever there is an internet connection.  It also means that I can have access to up to ten books on a browser at any time.  I think that Overdrive has made it much easier to use their service recently.


Web Bits

Libraries Use Digital Technology to Redefine Their Roles in Communities
http://www.knightfoundation.org/blogs/knightblog/2013/2/10/libraries-use-digital-technology-redefine-roles-communities/

Daily Thoughts 02/11/2013

Sir Henry Irving as Hamlet, 1893 from the Idler magazine. 

Daily Thoughts 02/11/2013

I took some time to rest this weekend.  I had to cancel going to the Book2Camp conference.  I also did not read that much.  I did finish reading The One World School House by Salman Khan.  It is an interesting idea.  Salman Khan is coming up with a different approach to education focusing on online learning, mastery, and principles.  Most of the focus on his video education site is on science, computing, engineering, and math.  Quite a few schools use the video lectures in their classes.  An interesting idea which he has is of separating the lecture from the class.  People watch a lecture at home, then discuss and do the work in the classroom with other students and the teacher.

Web Bits

A Demo of One Step Checkout for Overdrive.
http://www.infodocket.com/2013/02/07/new-from-overdrive-one-step-checkout-demo-video/
This looks a lot better than it is now.

Used Ebooks The Ridiculous Idea that Could Also Destroy the Publishing Industry
http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/used-ebooks-is-a-ridiculous-idea-that-could-ruin-authors-publishers

Daily Thoughts 02/08/2013

Edward Burne- Jones, Portrait of his wife Georgiana Burne-Jones, with their two children, Philip and Margaret, in the background, 1883

Daily Thoughts 02/08/2013

I started reading The One World Schoolhouse by Salman Khan who is the founder of the Khan Academy.  The Khan Academy is the most popular video instruction site on the web.  Salman Khan's goal is to create a universal free education through the internet.  I took a short break and watched the Khan Academy video on ancient Rome. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/history/ancient-medieval/v/a-tour-through-ancient-rome-in-320-c-e

The library is closed today.  There is a huge snowstorm outside.  I read some more of Salman Khan's book. He is critiquing how education is taught in the United States.  The specific style which is being described is the Prussian model of education which is very structured and in some ways not designed to encourage flexibility or creativity.

Registration for the Day of Dialog is opening soon.
http://reviews.libraryjournal.com/2013/02/uncategorized/register-soon-for-lj-day-of-dialog/
I have a free pass to Book Expo America this year.

I am also to go to Book2Camp this Sunday.

Web Bits

Is Barnes & Noble Downsizing A Boon For Independent Bookstores?
http://consumerist.com/2013/02/07/is-barnes-nobles-downsizing-a-boon-for-independent-booksellers/

Daily Thoughts 02/07/2013

Still life with books („In a library we are surrounded by friends“), L. Block, 1901

Daily Thoughts 02/07/2013

I have been reading more of Mastermind.  The book reminds me of how important it is to keep learning new things and not be overconfident.  I especially like some of the ideas on imagination and creativity in the book.

I checked the Facebook and Twitter for the library this morning.  I also checked the displays and gift books.
We had the computer lab today from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.  I also spent some time working with the 900s.

Tonight is the second night for the Women's Enterprise Development Center First Steps program for small business.  It is in the community room from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

On the way home, I finished reading Mastermind How To think Like Sherlock Holmes by Maria Konnikova. I enjoyed reading the book.  It was quite creative in describing different mental techniques to hone attention and logic.  I am probably going to spend a little time going over some of the sections in the book like the ones on imagery and imagination.

Web Bits

Phantom Bookstores by Roxana Robinson
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2013/02/phantom-bookstores.html
There was at least one phantom bookstore that I used to go to.

Amazon Patents Resale Marketplace for Used E-books, Songs, and Other Digital Goods
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/amazon-patents-resale-marketplace-for-used-e-books-songs-and-other-digital-goods/2013/02/06/22f7d12e-70a0-11e2-a050-b83a7b35c4b5_story.html

The Results Are In And They Aren't Good Library Marketing
http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2013/02/marketing/the-results-are-in-and-they-arent-good-library-marketing/
I downloaded the survey.

 Did the Very First Ccience Fiction Magazine Appear in Russia in 1894?
http://io9.com/5982023/did-the-very-first-science-fiction-magazine-appear-in-russia-in-1894

Daily Thoughts 02/06/2013

New library of Sainte Geneviève (Paris, 1859). Nouvelle bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève (Paris, 1859).

Daily Thoughts 02/06/2013

I have been reading more of Mastermind.  The author is focusing on how to pay attention: be obejctive, be selective in what you remember, engage with your interests, look for and include the small details.  I am finding the book to be very dense and slow reading.  It is meant to be thought about.

I checked the libraries social media this morning.  I also checked the displays and the gift books.  Someone donated some James Patterson, Brad Thor, and Vince Flynn thrillers which are popular reading.  There is an entrepreneurship program tonight, The Women's Enterprise Development Center First Steps program from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 6, Thursday February 7, and Wednesday, February 13, 2013. http://www.mountvernonpubliclibrary.org/WEDCFirstStepsProgram

I spent a little more time working with the 900s today.  There is a new copy of Library Journal for me to read.  I put the book, The Federal Reserve and the Financial Crisis by Ben Bernanke on hold.  Based on the reviews, the writer, and the subject, I think it will be an important book to read.  I also requested On the Map: A Mind Expanding Exploration of the Way the World Looks by Simon Garfield.  I liked Simon Garfield's earlier book about typography, Just My Type.  As always, I have too many books to read.

Daily Thoughts 02/05/2013

New York Public Library 1915 Penny Postcard

Daily Thoughts 02/05/2013

This morning I read some more of Mastermind.  Maria Konnikova is describing different ways of paying attention.  She describes the differences between Watson and Holmes way of thinking.  She is focusing on how people choose to remember things.

This morning, I checked the Twitter and Facebook accounts for the library.  I also checked the displays and gift books.  I am doing some more work on the 900s.  Some of it is focused on shifting books to the mezzanine.

The latest Publishers Weekly and Times Literary Supplement have come in for me to read.

Web Bits

Copyright and Libraries Help Not Dead Yet
http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2013/02/opinion/not-dead-yet/copyright-and-libraries-help-not-dead-yet/

Publishing Gains Support at Kickstarter
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/55794-publishing-gains-support-at-kickstarter.html

Is Kickstarter the #2 Graphic Novel Publisher
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/comics/article/52925-is-kickstarter-the-2-graphic-novel-publisher.html

The Philosophy of Data
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/05/opinion/brooks-the-philosophy-of-data.html?_r=0

Daily Thoughts 02/04/2013

Anonymous Picture of Edgar Allan Poe's Dreamland
 
Daily Thoughts 02/04/2013

I finished reading The Lights in the Tunnel by Martin Ford.  This book is about how to change a free market economy so it can function with mass unemployment caused by automation.  There are a lot of interesting solutions discussed at the end of the book.  Part of these solutions is a refocus on education, community service, journalism, and cleaning up the externalities of a free market society like crime and the environment.  Martin Ford does an excellent job of reminding us that the United States is a consumer society and requires mass consumption to maintain its system of labor and capital.

I found that the author missed some important parts of a future economy like social capital, the arts and creative work.  Martin Ford argues that much of knowledge work will be automated like customer service and retail.  The book has some very interesting points.  In addition to traditional automation, Martin Ford discusses how artificial intelligence will automate knowledge work.  It is worth reading.

This morning, I checked the social media for the library.  I also checked the displays and gift books.  The book, Mastermind How To Think Like Sherlock Holmes by Maria Konnikova came in for me to read.

The February 3, 2013 issue of the New York Times Book Review makes me want to read Yan Mo.  I think I might want to read The Republic of Wine.

Better World Books came to pick up some of our discards.  I am starting to check the 900s again.

There is an Urban Librarians Conference on April 5, 2013 in Brooklyn.  The conference is sponsored by Urban Librarians Unite which has done a lot of advocacy work.  It is just something I noticed in my Facebook account.  http://www.urbanlibrariansconference.org/   

I started reading Mastermind today.  It is about paying attention deeply, how to observe the elementary little things, and remember what is important.  It describes the logic and practices behind Arthur Conan Doyle's legendary character Sherlock Holmes.  Arthur Conan Doyle solved a few mysteries himself.

Daily Thoughts 02/03/2013

NASA photo.

Daily Thoughts 02/03/2013

This morning, I checked the social media for the library.  I have also been reading a little more of The Lights in the Tunnel.  There are some questions being asked.  What happens when labor is completely replaced by automation?  Does capital become labor when the capital can buy the machines to make products?  What will happen when the world becomes completely automated?  There are a lot of things to think about when reading this book.  It also reminds me that manufacturing in the sense of automation is changing with 3D Printing and open source manufacturing which makes it much easier for people to make things on a local level.

Web Bits

Doctors To Prescribe Self Help Books Poetry for Mental Health Ills


http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/02/doctors-to-prescribe-self-help-books-poetry-for-mental-health-ills/?smid=tw-share
A little poetry is good for the soul.

Inflatable Space

This is an interesting development, it is the meeting of 3D printing and inflatables.  These two technologies could do some very interesting things together.

Pictures of an inflatable dome with a 3D printed shell.
http://www.space.com/19600-moon-base-concept-3d-printing-photos.html

This is What the First Moon Base Could Really Look Like
http://gizmodo.com/5980534/this-is-what-the-first-lunar-base-could-really-look-like

NASA Looks to 3D Printing for Mars Rover Curiosity
http://www.3ders.org/articles/20130114-nasa-looks-to-3d-printing-for-mars-rover-curiosity.html

3D Printer on Moon or Mars Could Make Tools from Local Rocks
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57556017-1/3d-printer-on-moon-or-mars-could-make-tools-from-local-rocks/

Daily Thoughts 02/02/2013

William Fettes Douglas, The Bibliophilists Haunt or Creech's Bookshop, 1891

Daily Thoughts 02/02/2013

The library is open this Saturday which is the first of the month.  This morning on the way to work, I read some of The Lights in the Tunnel, Automation, Accelerating Technology, and the Economy of the Future.  The author makes some very interesting points.  These are two of them.  The first is that education is not changing as fast as the introduction of new technology.  The way math, science, and engineering is being taught has not been changed that much.  The second point he makes is that outsourcing is often the first step in a longer process where first companies outsource jobs to other countries, and then they ultimately replace many of the jobs with automation.

I checked the Twitter and Facebook accounts for the library this morning.  I also checked the displays and the gift books.  There is a program today called Singin Wid a Sword In Ma' Han an Underground Railroad Love Story which is sponsored by the Friends of the Mount Vernon Public Library at 2:00 p.m. today.
The play was interesting to watch.  The lady had a superb voice.
http://mountvernon.dailyvoice.com/neighbors/mt-vernon-play-depicts-heroes-underground-railroad

There is also an Art Exhibit called Word in the Rotunda Gallery right now which is running from February 15 to March 4, 2013.  It has a nice mix of different types of artwork.

Web Bits

At ALA, Readers First Moves Forward A Notch
http://blogs.publishersweekly.com/blogs/PWxyz/2013/01/31/at-ala-readersfirst-moves-forward-a-notch/

Big Data Startups Getting Ready to Disrupt
http://www.boston.com/business/innovation/blogs/inside-the-hive/2012/12/04/big-data-start-ups-getting-ready-disrupt/Cps15O78kuJFXcLnMN3yYO/blog.html

Daily Thoughts 02/01/2013

Ambrosius Benson, The Persian Sybil, 1530s, Oil on Panel

Daily Thoughts 02/01/2013

This morning, I checked the Twitter and Facebook for the library.  I also checked the displays and gift books.  I spent a little time looking over the new books section as well.

I finished reading the January 28, 2013 Publishers Weekly this morning.  There are a few forthcoming books which look very interesting; Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation by Michael Pollan and The Autistic Brain: Thinking About the Spectrum by Temple Grandin and Richard Panek.  Temple Grandin is a high functioning autistic person.

I am looking at The Annotated Frankenstein Edited by Susan J. Wolfson and Ronald Levao, The Belknap Press of Harvard University, c2012.  I like the illustrations a great deal.  There are some beautiful illustrations by Lynd Ward as well as some rather stark pictures of the arctic.

I took a look through the latest purchase alerts.  Our collection management sheet for patron requests is not full yet.  I spent a few minutes looking at a graphic novel service for libraries.  http://iversemedia.com/products/comicsplus-library-edition/

This is the listing for the NAACP Image Awards.  The literature section is on P.7 and 8.
http://www.naacpimageawards.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/44th-NIA-Nominations_Final_Release.pdf

The book, The Lights in the Tunnel: Automation, Accelerating Technology and the Economy of the Future by Martin Ford has come in for me to read.  It is an another book about how automation effects economies.

Web Bits

One Authors Kickstarter Experience
http://toc.oreilly.com/2013/02/one-authors-kickstarter-experience.html