Daily Thoughts 09/30/2014

Pink Note: the Novelette, James McNeill Whistler, 1884

Daily Thoughts 09/30/2014

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

On the way to work, I read some more of The Organized Mind.  I am reading about the history of different types of filing systems.

I checked the gift books and the displays this morning.  I also put in a few requests for items for next weeks order.

I spent some time working on the survey.

One of my colleagues put in an idea for the Knight Library Challenge.  It should be interesting to see what happens.
http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2014/09/budgets-funding/new-knight-foundation-news-challenge-spotlights-libraries/#_

Web Bits

The Book Shelf Library-- Jeff

http://bookriot.com/2012/10/03/the-bookshelf-library/

Ebooks Still Outsold By Hardcover and Paperback
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bookselling/article/64170-e-books-remain-third.html

Daily Thoughts 09/29/2014

Daily Thoughts 09/29/2014

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

I also read some more of The Organized Mind.  I got a few affordances to help organize my things.  I got a little basket to keep the nail clippers in because I am always looking for them.

I spent a little more time watching Cosmos today.

I took another short one hour course on Readers Advisory on Webjunction.  It was a nice refresher.

Daily Thoughts 09/28/2014

Daily Thoughts 09/28/2014

I checked Twitter and Facebook this morning for the library.

I also spent some time taking a one hour course on Web Junction called Directors Ask!  It is basically an outline of what a library director does.  I am increasingly finding myself caught up in administrative issues.  During one week I had to write five reports for the board.  The course outlined issues like budgets, referenda, marketing, organizational charts, personnel descriptions, policies, and other administrative activities.

I read some more of The Organized Mind by Daniel Levitin.  I am reading about decision making.  Daniel Levitin is describing conflicts that can arise between ethical and economic decisions.

Daily Thoughts 09/27/2014

Argus : Journal 1915 No.1 Cover of the illustrated monthly Journal Petrograd, 1916 Chromolithograph, Ivan Bilbin

Daily Thoughts 09/27/2014

This morning, I checked the libraries Twitter and Facebook.

Last night, I watched a bit of Cosmos A Space Time Odyssey with Neil Degrasse Tyson.  The visuals were fantastic.  I especially liked the historical animations.

I read some of The Marshmallow Test Mastering Self Control by Walter Mischel. The book is about delayed gratification, self control, and impulse control.

Web Bits

'Library of Things' seeks to expand non-book offerings at Sacramento Public Library

http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2014/09/23/library-of-things-seeks-to-expand-non-book.html?ana=fbk

Free For All A Kickstarter for a Film on Public Libraries

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/669475837/free-for-all-inside-the-public-library

Spending and Employment Related to Books and Other Reading Materials

http://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2014/ted_20140926.htm

Jukepop Hits Kickstarter for Funding

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/digital/content-and-e-books/article/64146-jukepop-his-kickstarter-for-funding.html

Daily Thoughts 09/26/2014

Roger Fry, Still Life Jug and Eggs, 1911

Daily Thoughts 09/26/2014

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.  I also checked the gift books and the displays.  I spent time working in the Job Information Center.

The book, The Marshmallow Test Mastering Self-Control by Walter Mischel came in for me to read.  As always, I have a lot to read.

A colleague and I spent some time talking with a person from Westchester Independent Living about doing job search training in the computer lab.  It was an interesting visit.  Westchester Independent Living also offers disability awareness training.

On the way home I read some more of The Organized Mind by Daniel J. Levitin.  Daniel J. Levitin is writing about making medical decisions.  He argues against alternative medicine.  I find some of the arguments interesting because there is a view that herbs are not clinically tested.  There is an interestng book on herbs called  The handbook of clinically tested herbal remedies by Marion L. Barrett which lists many of the clinical tests on a variety of supplements and herbs. 

Web Bits

How Rural and Suburban Libraries Bridge the Digital Divide

http://www.statetechmagazine.com/article/2014/09/city-vs-country

Neil Gaiman, Amanda Palmer Call On Authors to Supports Indies First Campaign
http://www.bookweb.org/news/neil-gaiman-amanda-palmer-call-authors-support-indies-first-campaign

Daily Thoughts 09/25/2014

The Open Book, Juan Gris, 1925

Daily Thoughts 09/25/2014

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

I read some more of The Organized Mind by Daniel J. Levitin. There is a description how breaking things down into small discrete parts which are easier to do, then doing the parts one at a time is often the easiest way to get things done.  There is also a reminder that getting enough sleep improves memory and performance.

This morning, I checked the displays and the gift books.  I also printed up some more flyers for programs.  I am covering the computer lab today from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m..  There is a Microsoft Excel computer class tonight from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Sometimes patrons ask for interesting books.  This caught my attention,
Dr. Mutter’s Marvels: A True Tale of Intrigue and Innovation at the Dawn of Modern Medicine by Cristin Aptowicz.

I placed the book Transcendental by James Gunn on hold.

Web Bits

The National Book Awards Second Annual Long List Honor Jane Smiley, Edward O. Wilson, Louise Gluck, and More

http://reviews.libraryjournal.com/2014/09/prepub/national-book-awards-second-annual-long-lists-honor-jane-smiley-edward-o-wilson-louise-gluck-more20014-longlists/

How Busy People Make Time to Read and You Can Too

http://www.fastcompany.com/3026923/how-busy-people-make-time-to-read-and-you-can-too

Public Library Engagement in the United States
http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/08/18/public-library-engagement-in-the-united-states/ 

Try Your Local Library Instead of a Coffee Shop to Get Work Done
http://lifehacker.com/try-your-local-library-instead-of-a-coffee-shop-to-get-1636819266

Daily Thoughts 09/24/2014

La Debacle, Theodore Robinson, 1892

Daily Thoughts 09/24/2014

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

I read some more of The Organized Mind.  Daniel J. Levitin is writing about organizing time.  He spends a little bit of time describing our natural rhythms being our heart which beats 60 to 100 times a minute and a 25 hour day of which about a third is spent sleeping.

I checked the gift books and the displays this morning. I also spent some time working on the books in the Job Information Center.  There are a lot of new test books coming in.  Also, some of the better quality gift books are being added.

I spent a little time looking over the AALBC.com books section for titles to order.  I am covering the lab from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. today.

Web Bits

Satisfaction With Public Libraries Has Increased Since 2008
http://www.sys-con.com/node/3196610

Daily Thoughts 09/23/2014

Young Man With a Book, Ernest Meissonier, 1860

Daily Thoughts 09/23/2014

On the way to work, I read some more of The Organized Mind.  I am reading about how to organize social connections.  There is some interesting material on crowdsourcing.  Daniel J. Levitin describes why crowdsourcing is not always accurate and why you still need experts.

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

The book club met today for The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson.  We had a nice meeting.  The next book which we plan on reading is Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker by Jennifer Chiaverini.  It is fiction.  It should be interesting.  The next meeting is on October 28, 2014 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the Trustees room.  The Friends of the Mount Vernon Public Library were here.

I am covering the computer lab today from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m..  There are two computer classes tonight, A Beginning Microsoft Word class, and a Fundamentals of Computer Operations class.

We had the staff raffle for the End of Summer Reading in the Trustees office at 3:00 p.m.. People got some small tote bags bags, some chocolate, a few bookmarks, some notecards, some library pens among other things for the prizes.   The grand prize was a Kindle Fire.  I had a piece of cake and some coffee.



Web Bits

Library of Congress Hosts Civil Rights Exhibit

http://www.louisianaweekly.com/library-of-congress-hosts-civil-rights-exhibit/

Center for an Urban Future Re-Envisions New York’s Branch Libraries

http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2014/09/budgets-funding/center-for-an-urban-future-re-envisions-new-yorks-branch-libraries/

Daily Thoughts 09/22/2014

A Trip Around the World, A Story Time, WPA Poster, Between 1936 and 1940

Daily Thoughts 09/22/2014

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

I read some more of  The Organized Mind.  Daniel J. Levitin is describing the fallacy of multitasking and how it is better to concentrate on one thing at a time.  He is also describing how it is important to not be checking your email all day long.  Having set times during the day helps.

I checked the displays and the gift books.  I spent some time discussing grants, plans for our computer classes, and programming this morning.

I also placed an order for new books this morning.  On Saturday we got a request for a few items that are only available as e-books.


Web Bits

Banned Books by the Numbers (Infographics)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/22/banned-books-week-infographic_n_5852234.html?utm_hp_ref=books&ncid=tweetlnkushpmg00000067

Public Libraries Offer More Than Just Books to Teens

http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/high-school-notes/2014/09/22/public-libraries-offer-more-than-just-books-to-teens

Daily Thoughts 09/21/2014

Young And Old Visit The Library on the Parkway, Pennsylvania Works Project Administration, 1936 or 1937

Daily Thoughts 09/21/2014

I have been reading more of The Organized Mind.  Daniel J. Levitin is describing the concept of affordances or ways to externalize memory with devices.  Examples of this are hooks to hang your car keys, bins to prioritize what mail you might read, and separate desks for different types of work.  Daniel Levitin reminds us to get rid of things which we don't need and that improper labels are worse than no label at all for remembering things.

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook.

Web Bits 

Fix The Funding for Our Aging Public Libraries

http://www.silive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2014/09/fix_the_funding_for_our_aging.html

For a while, I lived on Staten Island.

Daily Thoughts 09/20/2014

Ernst Rudolf, Reading a Book

Daily Thoughts 09/20/2014

This morning, I finished reading Acceptance by Jeff Vandermeer on the train to work.  I enjoyed reading the Southern Reach Trilogy.  The ending was very satisfying.  We learn more about Area X where a strange thing from another place or dimension has shown up beyond human understanding.  It changes biology in ways that are beyond anything human and makes people do strange and terrible things.  The story is creepy and gives a strong sense of the unknown and does a very good job touching on what is unknowable by human beings.

I checked the Twitter and Facebook this morning for the library.  I also checked the displays and the gift books.  My colleague is sitting in the Doric Hall entranceway asking people to sign up for library cards and handing out flyers for programs.  We have a table set up with literature from the library.  We printed up some of the information from the report, From Awareness to Funding from OCLC and some points from the Pew Internet study on libraries so we would have a few talking points to support the library.

I had my first request for Holiday Books.  A patron wanted some simple Christmas crafts.  It might be time to start bringing out the holiday materials.  I spent a little time preparing for the upcoming weeks orders.

Web Bits

US Telecom Giants Call on FCC to Block Cities Expansion of high-speed internet

http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/aug/29/us-telecoms-fcc-block-high-speed-internet-chattanooga

How to Make Libraries Exciting

http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2014/09/struggle-preserve-civilisation

Daily Thoughts 09/18/2014

Portrait of a Man With a Newspaper, Andre Derain, 1913

Daily Thoughts 09/18/2014

On the way to work, I read some of the book, Acceptance by Jeff Vandermeer which is a weird tale set in an otherworldly place called Area X.  It is the third book in the Southern Reach Trilogy.  I am finding it both intriguing and a bit disturbing.

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

Last night, I went to the board meeting and talked about my department.  It was an interesting experience.  I probably spent too much time talking, but felt that I had a lot which needed saying.  Some of it was focused on shelving, electronic resources, computer classes, and the collection.

There was a consultant who wrote grants and a planning consultant at the meeting. A lot of it was adminstrative focusing on budgeting, staffing, and the general operations of the library.

I checked the gift books and the displays.  I also spent some time working on the job information center books.  I try and do a little bit each day.

I spent some time talking to people about programs.  I am looking at the book, Images of America, Mount Vernon Revisited by Dr. Larry H. Spruill and Donna M. Jackson.  It is a new about the history of Mount Vernon, New York with lots of pictures including some pictures of the library.

There is a program tonight called Sharp Again Naturally which is about how to reverse dementia and prevent Alzheimers.  It is from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the community room.  There is also a Basic Gmail class in the computer lab from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Web Bits

Libraries Welcome Writers In Residence

http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2014/09/industry-news/libraries-welcome-writers-in-residence/#_