Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Daily Thoughts 07/31/2013

Correspondence by Theodore Robinson, oil on canvas, 18 by 22 inches (45.7 by 55.9 cm), 1895
Daily Thoughts 07/31/2013

This morning, I read some more of Anno Dracula: Johnny Lucardo by Kim Newman.  The story has a lot of interesting ideas in it.  Andy Warhol is shown in the vampire spirit, Orson Welles directs a version of Dracula, and history changes in various ways.  The book has a definite edge to it with vampire blood as a kind of drug.

I checked the displays and the social media for the library.  The book, I Wear the Black Hat Grappling With Villains (Real and Imagined) by Chuck Klosterman came in for me to read today.  It is on the New York Times bestseller list.

I spent some time looking at the Washington Irving Book Awards which are presented by the Westchester Library Association for local authors.  http://www.westchesterlibraryassociation.org/washington-irving-book-awards/

The computer lab is open from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. today.

I spent some time reading through Publishers Weekly.  I also spent a little time working on author visits today.

Web Bits

Daily What?! The Strand Bookstores Central Park Outpost: How It Works
http://untappedcities.com/2013/07/30/daily-what-the-strand-bookstore-central-park-outpost-how-it-works/

President Obama's Speech at Amazon in Chattanooga
http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/jul/30/prepared-transcript-president-obamas-speech-amazon/?mobile

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Daily Thoughts 07/30/2013

The Misses Vickers, John Singer Sargent, 1884

Daily Thoughts 07/30/2013

I read a bit of Anno Dracula: Johnny Alucard on the way to work.  I rather like that the story starts with a film of Dracula set in Transylvania.

This morning, I checked the Twitter and Facebook for the library.  There is a new exhibit in the Rotunda Gallery from the Mount Vernon Arts and Culture council of photographs from around Mount Vernon, New York.

I also checked the displays and the gift books.  There is a new person who is going to cover the computer lab.  I spent some time with a colleague showing them the lab.  I also did a little weeding this morning.

I have a copy of Booklist, Publishers Weekly, and the New York Times Book Review to read today.

Web Bits 

ALA IMLS Detail Affordable Care Act Resources for Library Staff
http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2013/07/ala-imls-detail-affordable-care-act-resources-library-staff

Monday, July 29, 2013

Daily Thoughts 07/29/2013

Reading Man in the Park, August Mack, 1914

Daily Thoughts 07/29/2013

I have been reading Double Double A Dual Memoir of Alcoholism by Martha Grimes and Ken Grimes.  Martha Grimes is famous for mysteries.  She won the Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Award.  Ken Grimes worked in publishing.  This book ties hard drinking and alcoholism into two writers lives.  It is very interesting reading.  There is a contrast Ken Grimes smokes, drinks, and drugs his way through parties into a kind of haze of Led Zeppelin and the Grateful Dead.  Martha Grimes has a few too many after dinner martinis and teaches english in the local college.  Both find their way out in their different ways; Ken Grimes with Alcoholics Anonymous and Martha Grimes with a rehabilitation outpatient clinic.  It is a contrasting story.  The book is very well written with a lot of deep thought in it.

I checked the Facebook and Twitter this morning for the library.  I also checked the displays and the gift books.  I spent some time putting together an order which includes a variety of prize winning titles.  The shortlist for the Mann Booker Prize for fiction was recently released as well as the RITA awards from the Romance Writers of America.

I spent a little time moving most of my stuff back downstairs.  I received an Advanced Reading Copy of Anno Dracula: Johnny Alucard by Kim Newman.  I had requested it at Book Expo America.  I am looking forward to reading it.  The book, Romulus Buckle and the City of the Founders by Richard Ellis Preston, Jr. came in for me to read.  It is a young adult steampunk novel.

Web Bits

Book Covers: Before and After
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2013/07/30/books/30book-covers.html?_r=1&

Friday, July 26, 2013

Daily Thoughts 07/26/2013

Woman Reading, Edouard Manet, 1879

Daily Thoughts 07/26/2013

I finished reading Apocalypse Cow by Michael Logan on the train to work.  It is dark humor.  There is plenty of commentary on vegetarianism, meat eating, and cannibalism in the context of zombie cows.  The story is meant to be a little gross and a bit bloody.

There are not just cows which attack people, there are also packs of sheep, squirrels, mongrel dogs, and even cats which attack people.  No place is safe in England.

Some of the social and political commentary is spot on.  The zombies are blamed on terrorists and the experiment gone wrong happens in a secret lab disguised as a veterinary hospital.

Michael Logan's uses a lot of understatement in his writing.  You can also see a touch of conspiracy theory thrown in for good measure.  The book won the Terry Pratchett prize.

This morning, I checked the Twitter and Facebook for the library.  I am showing some colleagues a bit about Twitter this afternoon.  I also checked the displays.  I spent a little time looking through prize winning books.

Web Bits

30 Things LIbrarians Love
http://www.buzzfeed.com/jessicamisener/things-librarians-love

Image, Public Perception, and Lego Librarians

http://mrlibrarydude.wordpress.com/2013/07/24/image-public-perception-and-lego-librarians/

A bit of humor.



Thursday, July 25, 2013

Daily Thoughts 07/25/2013

Marc Trapadoux is Examining the Book of Prints, Gustave Courbet, 1848

Daily Thoughts 07/25/2013

This morning, I read some more of When The Money Runs Out.  I am learning different approaches to solving financial crises.  The viewpoint is different than I am used to.  It is from an accounting and financial perspective.  Most of the time, I get the view from a purely political view.  This makes it quite interesting.  I especially like his description of how when an economy is growing, it benefits everyone, when an economy is stagnant, people start fighting to see who gets what piece of the pie, and when an economy is shrinking people start going to extremes.  There is also quite a bit about the concept of trust in government, trust in politics, and trust in financial institutions and how it affects peoples standards of living.  It gave me some understanding of things I didn't realize before.

This morning, I checked the Twitter and Facebook for the library.  I also checked the gift books and the displays.  I printed some new schedules for the computer classes. We have two computer classes tonight, a Microsoft Excel class and a Microsoft Powerpoint class.

I also took a walk to the Armory which is the local senior citizens center and dropped off some flyers. I talked to a person about Novelist for adults this morning as well.  I have to spend some time looking for book club resources that are free.  One that seems to stand out is Book Club Girl.
http://www.bookclubgirl.com/book_club_girl/american_library_association/

Web Bits

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

7 Reasons to Rediscover Your Public Library
http://www.moneytalksnews.com/2013/07/24/7-reasons-to-revisit-the-library/



Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Daily Thoughts 07/24/2013

Interieur Burg Kreuzenstein, Bibliothek, signiert Franz Poledne, Aquarell auf Papier, 24 x 30 cm by 1932

Daily Thoughts 07/24/2013

This morning, I read some more of When The Money Runs Out.  Stephen D. King is describing issues with the concept of stagnation and stimulus in economics.  He is also challenging some of the traditional economists like Milton Friedman, John Maynard Keynes, and Ludwig von Mises.

I checked the gift books and the displays this morning.  I also put out the new copy of Book Page for August 2013. I placed the book Baba Yaga by Toby Barlow on hold.  Toby Barlow's previous book, Sharp Teeth was excellent.

The computer lab was open today from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.  I helped a few people with writing letters and job related questions.

I also spent a little time talking to a colleague about the website and took a look at our circulation statistics which need to be improved.

I checked out the book Apocalypse Cow by Michael Logan.  It won the Terry Pratchett Prize.

Today has been a quiet day.

Web Bits

Jane Austen Unveiled as Face of New 10 pound Note
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/10199138/Jane-Austen-unveiled-as-face-of-new-10-note.html

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Daily Thoughts 07/23/2013

The Reading, Theo Van Rysselberghe, 1903

Daily Thoughts 07/23/2013

This morning, I finished reading Death's Heretic by James L. Sutter.  It is a fantasy novel set in the game universe of Pathfinder.  I found it to be an entertaining story because it was also a story of detection which added a nice twist to it.  I liked how the author described the forces of law and chaos.  It made for an interesting story.

This morning, I checked the Twitter and Facebook for the library.  I also checked the displays and the gift books.  I walked over to city hall and dropped off some fliers as well.  Sometimes it is nice to get out of the building.

I read a copy of Library Journal and the latest New York Times Book Review.  I am looking forward to reading Jonathan Lethem's new book coming out in September, Dissident Gardens.  He started writing science fiction and then switched to the New York novel.  His writing is interesting.  I also placed the book Apocalypse Cow by Michael Logan on hold which is a mix of humor and horror.  I am interested in a new book, Marketing Your Libraries Electronic Resources by Marie R. Kennedy which should be interesting.

I checked out the book, When the Money Runs Out, The End of Western Affluence by Stephen D. King.  Stephen D. King is the Group Chief Economist and Global Head of Economics and Asset Allocation Research at HSBC. 

Web Bits

Here's How Amazon Self Destructs
http://www.salon.com/2013/07/19/amazon_could_be_a_victim_of_its_own_success/

Raising A Reader: How Comics Can Help Kids Learn to Love Reading
http://boingboing.net/2013/07/15/raising-a-reader-how-comics-c.html

The Challenge of Maintaining Andrew Carnegie's Library Legacy
http://nonprofitquarterly.org/policysocial-context/22581-the-challenge-of-maintaining-andrew-carnegie-s-library-legacy.html

Bill Gates' Summer Reading List
http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/bill-gates-summer-reading-list_b74523

To Stay Thin, Eat Like the Cultural Elite
http://www.psmag.com/health/to-stay-thin-eat-like-the-cultural-elite-42154/
Didn't know there was a connection between reading and losing weight.

Amazon Versus Your Public Library
http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2013/07/22/amazon-9/

Superconductors and Turbines 

I thought I would take a little break and do a little more blue sky thinking.  I have not done this for a while.

Sometimes you read things that indicate that there is a potential for real change in the alternative energy industry.  Recently, there is an indicator that wind turbines can triple their energy output using superconducting technology. 



Wind Turbines Supercharged with Superconductors

I looked a little more closely and thought that if wind turbines became more efficient why wouldn't other turbine technologies combined with superconductors work as well.  This is a bit on hydroelectric power and superconductors.


Superconducting Generators Make Big Gains for Small Hydro
http://www.waterpowermagazine.com/features/featuresuperconducting-generators-make-big-gains-for-small-hydro-

It makes me think that superconductors with turbines will make most turbine based generation more efficient with greater output.  This would apply to solar turbines, nuclear turbines, geothermal turbines, and turbine electric engines.

It also applies to the ability to carry electricity over distances.

Innovative Superconductor Fiber Carries 40 Times More electricity
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110907075956.htm


There was a really interesting article I looked at about electric jet engines which used superconducting technology.

Voltair The Electric Passenger Jet of the Future
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/43556583/ns/technology_and_science-luxury_tech/t/voltair-electric-passenger-jet-future/#.Ue8aRm3GvGb

These kinds of breakthroughs accelerate the process towards a clean energy future.  They make it even more likely.  When I look at this article from Scientific American, it looks more real now than it did before.

A Plan to Power 100% of the Planet With Renewables.

Monday, July 22, 2013

Daily Thoughts 07/22/2013

At the Garden Table, August Macke, 1914
Daily Thoughts 07/22/2013

I was at the Harlem Book Fair this weekend.  It was the first time I went.  It was a mix of urban fiction, African American fiction, religious books, and childrens books.  There were some poetry readings.  It was a bit different.  A lot of the material was self published.  I picked up some catalogs for the children's room, a variety of postcards and bookmarks on urban fiction which I gave to a colleague, and a list of nonfiction books which I ordered today.  I learned a little bit. 

After walking around for a while, I picked up some fruit punch with sorrel, pineapple, and oranges in it.  It was a very hot day.  There were a number of readings happening at the same in the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture which is one of the branches of the New York Public Library. http://www.nypl.org/locations/schomburg I spent some time writing down some of the titles which people were lecturing on.  I also visited the gift shop which had a large selection of books on African American culture, art, civil rights, and history.  I took a few notes on books that were there.

It was very interesting looking around.  It was the first time I had been there.  There were two art galleries; one had a show of Africans in India: From Slaves to Generals to Rulers.  There was a little bit about the Mughals in the show.

This morning, I checked the Facebook and Twitter for the library and checked the displays and gift books.  I have a copy of the New York Times Book Review to read and Library Journal.  I am looking at the Mosaic Literary Magazine blog which I found out about in the Schomburg.  http://mosaicmagazine.org/blog/

The computer lab is open from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. today.  I spent a little time updating some of the content on the Bookletters page.

Friday, July 19, 2013

Daily Thoughts 07/19/2013

Girl Reading in a Salon, Giovanni Boldini, 1876

Daily Thoughts 07/19/2013

This morning, I read some more of Burning the Page.  There is quite a bit about the future of libraries and the future of bookstores in this book.  Jason Merkoski mentions the Digital Public Library of America as well as quite a bit about Barnes and Noble.  He also mentions the book, The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson a number of times.

I spent a little time this morning placing orders.  I also spent a little time checking the Facebook and Twitter account for the library.

This morning, we had a management meeting.  We spent some time discussing different things like the reopening of the fiction room, getting a color copying machine, working on the website, customer service, and other issues.

I spent some time this afternoon looking at the shelves and talking to people about annual circulation statistics for the library and local population demographics from the American Community Survey.