Daily Thoughts 01/31/2015

The End of Books.  Reading on the Limited.

Daily Thoughts 01/31/2015

I checked the Twitter and Facebook for the library.  I have been thinking about collections.

I have been reading more of The Whispering Swarm by Michael Moorcock.  It has helped me understand some of the differences between popular British and American science fiction and fantasy.  I like how slight name changes are brought in.  I think references to Jack Allard are for J.G. Ballard.  Also, there is quite a bit on the early British rock and roll scene and clubs something which I have not read about.

Web Bits

Paper Books Will Never Die

http://gizmodo.com/paper-books-will-never-die-1680405494

Iraqi Libraries Ransacked By Islamic State Group In Mosul

http://news.yahoo.com/iraqi-libraries-ransacked-islamic-state-group-mosul-070110723.html;_ylt=AwrBEiJHA81URnwACLrQtDMD

Too Many Welsh Libraries Closing Warning

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-31064924

The Oldest and Latest Community-Building Hub Your Public Library

https://www.edsurge.com/n/2015-01-30-the-oldest-and-latest-community-building-hub-your-public-library

Daily Thoughts 01/30/2015

Daily Thoughts 01/30/2015

On Thursday, January 29, 2015, I handed out the chapbooks to the students of the Mount Vernon Poetry Workshop.  This completes a project where there were 12 classes on poetry including a final student reading and a chapbook published at the end.  It is something that I have wanted to do for a while.

This morning, I checked the Twitter and Facebook for the library.  I also checked the gift books and the displays.  I spent some time working on the oversize 600s.

I also did some followup on some future programming and displays.   There is a teacher for Zentangles which is kind of interesting.   A colleague is working on a display for African American films.  In addition I did a little follow up on patron requests made for material through email.

I finished reading The World of Raymond Chandler.  I liked the quotes, the over 100 pictures, and the content.  It was a very satisfying read about a classic hard boiled mystery writer.

I put in an order for e-books today.

On the way home, I read some more of The Whispering Storm.  Michael Moorcock has escaped to alternate place in London which he calls Alsacia where he sleeps and carouses with Moll Midnight away from his wife and family.  It is a bit uncomfortable reading.  Alsacia for Michael Moorcock is a place outside of time in a different world.

I find this a little uncomfortable.  It is easy enough if you look in the right places to find ways to live off the grid without electricity and partake of various unusual lifestyles from hippy communes to religious communities.  Alsacia reminds me of many of the excesses which occur around fantasy fandom from medieval mysticism to practicing broadsword fencing in padded armor to drunken costume parties.

Daily Thoughts 01/29/2015

Russians Reading and Writing, 1861, Utagawa Yoshikazu

Daily Thoughts 01/29/2015

I checked the Twitter and Facebook for the library.

On the way to work, I read some more of The World of Raymond Chandler.  I liked his hard boiled descriptions of Los Angeles.  They appeal to me because of my strong dislike of Los Angeles and Hollywood. I also really like the pictures with Lauren Bacall, Humphrey Bogart, Howard Hawks, Veronica Lake, and others.  The quotes from Raymond Chandler's correspondence make the book excellent as well.

I checked the displays and the gift books.  A colleague is working on a display for African American films for February.

I talked to Gale about two ebook collections, a collection on jobs and careers, and a collection on travel books.  I also asked about Career Online High School which is a program from Gale that is a certified online high school.  http://www.careeronlinehs.gale.com/the-program/

I also had a chance to start evaluating the Consumer Technology Library from Proquest which is a collection of computer related e-books.

Westchester Library System recently purchased a new set of databases and online learning tools for us to use, Flipster which is a magazine database which currently has a subscription to 12 popular electronic magazines, Novelist which is a readers advisory tool, Lynda.com which is an online video learning service, and Fashion University which is a collection of material to learn sewing and fashion.

I spent some time working with the oversize 600s.

There is a Beginning Microsoft Excel computer class in the computer lab from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Daily Thoughts 01/28/2015

Daily Thoughts 01/28/2015

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

On the way to work, I read a bit more of The Whispering Storm.  I am reading about Michael Moorcock visiting New York for a science fiction convention.  I also read some more of The World of Raymond Chandler.  I am reading about Philip Marlow, Raymond Chandler's fictional detective.

I checked the displays and the gift books.  I put a few posters out for Black History Month.  I also put together a few more chapbooks.  The students are coming to pick up their chapbooks this evening.

I have a copy of the Times Literary Suppment to read.  I also have a copy of Publishers Weekly.

Day of Dialog from Library Journal registration starts today.
http://lj.libraryjournal.com/dayofdialog/#_

I spent some time working on next weeks book order.

Web Bits

Paper is back: Why 'real' Books are on the Rebound
http://www.geekwire.com/2015/paper-back-real-books-rebound/

Daily Thoughts 01/27/2015

Cropped Screen Shot from the Trailer of the film, Double Indemnity

Daily Thoughts 01/27/2015

I read some more of the Whispering Storm today by Michael Moorcock as well as The World of Raymond Chandler.

I checked the library Twitter and Facbook this morning.

There is a foot of snow outside and the library is closed.  I watched The Wizard of Oz starring Judy Garland to pass some time.

Web Bits

Walter Dean Myers: ‘Once I Began to Read, I Began to Exist’

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/26/walter-dean-myers_n_6535054.html?utm_hp_ref=books&ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000028

We Must Defend Public Libraries from a Market Based Ideological Framework

http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/public-libraries-fiscal-pressures-political-choices-and-the-public-good/

Daily Thoughts 01/26/2015

Daily Thoughts 01/26/2015

I am enjoying reading The Whispering Storm by Michael Moorcock.  I am reading about a strange experience which Michael Moorcock is not sure is real or a hallucination where meets one of the fantasy characters he writes about called Moll Midnight.

I checked the Facebook and Twitter accounts for the library this morning.  I also checked the displays and the gift books.  We are closing early today because of a big snowstorm at noon.

I have to send in the graphic novels grant in this morning.  It is snowing heavily outside and I have to get on the train back home before it stops running.

I put in an order for new books today.  The new February Bookpage came in for me to read. I also picked up a few posters from the business office for Black History Month which is this February.

My train ride from work home was quite long.  I had a chance to read some of The World of Raymond Chandler.  Raymond Chandler did not start writing mystery stories for money until he was in his 40s.  There are some interesting pictures of Erle Stanley Gardner and Dashiell Hammett as well as James M. Cain in the book so far.  Raymond Chandler is often considered to be the most literary of the hard boiled detective writers.

I also read some more of The Whispering Storm.  I am reading about Michael Moorcock's first marriage.  I learned that one of Michael Moorcock's mentors was Mervyn Peake.  I am not that fond of Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake's most famous novel.  The writing is beautiful, but a little too dark for my tastes.



Web Bits

Evolution for Libraries In Brooklyn Plans for Brooklyn Branches Have Merit
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/26/arts/plans-for-brooklyn-branches-have-merit.html?_r=0

Daily Thoughts 01/24/2015

Daily Thoughts 01/24/2015

I have been enjoying reading The Whispering Swarm which is part mysticism, part fantasy and part memoir.  I learned that Michael Moorcock became an editor at the age of 16.  He also mentions one of my favorite authors, Barry Bayley-- Barrington J. Bayley http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrington_J._Bayley



I checked the Twitter and Facebook for the library this morning. I also checked the displays.  The book, The World of Raymond Chandler In His Own Words Edited by Barry Day came in for me to read. There are lots of black and white pictures and photographs in the book.

I have been working a little bit more with the graphic novel grant.



I am looking at You Are Here Around the World in 92 Minutes Photographs from the International Space Station by Chris Hadfield.


We got a decent size donation of urban fiction which we can add to the library. 


I also spent some more time working on the Will Eisner graphic novels grant.  I learned a little bit about rates for classes by comic professionals.



Web Bits

Windows 10 Will Be A Free Upgrade for People Running Windows 8 and 7

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/windows-10-will-be-a-free-upgrade-for-people-108748128944.html

Ode to the Public Library

http://www.blogher.com/ode-public-library?from=pop

Daily Thoughts 01/23/2015

Reflections, John William Godward, 1918
Daily Thoughts 01/23/2015

On the way to work, I read some of  The Whispering Swarm by Michael Moorcock.  It is a memoir with a slight mix of fantasy about Michael Moorcock's youth set in London.

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

We had a training session for staff on e-books.  We spent some extra on Overdrive because of the Overdrive Advantage program as well as some of their streaming video and audio ebooks.

I worked a bit more on the graphic novels grant this afternoon.  I also spent some time working with the oversize books.

Web Bits

Fair Use Is Not An Exception to Copyright, It Is Essential to Copyright
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2015/01/fair-use-not-exception-copyright-its-essential-copyright


National Poetry Month Poster Unveiled
http://www.adweek.com/galleycat/national-poetry-month-poster-unveiled/98117?utm_content=post1-title&utm_source=galleycat&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=dailynewsletter20150123

The Search for the Lost Library of Ivan the Terrible
http://www.ancient-origins.net/history/search-lost-library-ivan-terrible-002598

Daily Thoughts 01/22/2015

Daily Thoughts 01/22/2015

I checked the library Twittter and Facebook this morning.

On the way to work, I read some more of Passionate Nutrition.  I am reading about what is the normal weight for people and Americans passion to be thin.

I checked the gift books and the displays this morning.  There were some Norman Rockwell art books which looked like they could be added.

I spent a little time looking over the Will Eisner Graph

The book, The Whispering Swarm by Michael Moorcock came in for me to read.

I discussed our process for taking patron recommendations with our director.

I spent some time reading through several copies of Publishers Weekly.

I placed a hold on The Blue Zone's Solutions: Eating and Living Like the World's Healthiest People by Dan Buettner.  I also placed a hold on Dark Intelligence: Transformation by Neal Asher.

Web Bits

2015 Edgar Nominations Announced

http://www.booklistreader.com/2015/01/21/book-awards/2015-edgar-award-nominations-announced/

Model Bookshop The New Shonan T Site Sets the Stage for the 21^st Century

http://bookpatrol.net/model-bookshop-the-new-shonan-t-site-bookstore-sets-the-stage-for-the-21st-century/

Daily Thoughts 01/21/2015

Woman At Writing Desk, Lesser Ury 1898

Daily Thoughts 01/21/2015

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

I also read some more of Passionate Nutrition.  I am reading about different natural foods like seaweed, dandelion greens, fermented foods like kefir, and sardines which have health benefits.

Web Bits

Supercomputer Watson Has a Cookbook Coming

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/cooking/article/65329-supercomputer-watson-has-cookbook-coming.html

Unlocking Scrolls Preserved In Eruption of Vesuvius, Using X-ray Beams

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/21/science/more-progress-made-toward-learning-contents-of-herculaneum-scrolls.html?_r=0

Daily Thoughts 01/20/2015

Woman Under the Trellis, William Merritt Chase, 1886

Daily Thoughts 01/20/2015

I rested on the train to work.

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

I spent some time working with oversize 600s.  I also spent a little time with the chapbooks.
I have a copy of the New York Times Book Review to read.

I also spent some time looking at a graphic novels grant which is due in February.
http://www.ala.org/gamert/will-eisner-graphic-novel-grants-libraries

On the way home, I read some more of Passionate Nutrition.  I am reading about how important it is to eat an adequate amount of protein.  The author describes the importance of protein to a vegetarian diet as well.


Web Bits

It’s More Than Just Sentiment That Makes a Loss of Britain’s Libraries So Deeply Troubling

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/its-more-than-just-sentiment-that-makes-the-loss-of-britains-libraries-so-deeply-troubling-9979843.html

Pen or Computer Which is Better for Creativity

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/warren-adler/pen-or-computer-which-is_b_6503022.html?utm_hp_ref=books&ir=Books

Daily Thoughts 01/19/2015

Man Writing A Letter, Gabriel Metsu, c1664-1666

Daily Thoughts 01/19/2015

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

I also spent a little time looking at New York Times Bestseller list and the Publishers Weekly Bestseller List.

I read some more of Passionate Nutrition.  I am reading about fermented foods like kimchi, sauerkraut, miso, and kefir.  I rather like kefir.

Web Bits

Montgomery County Loans Out Little Free Libraries

http://www.chron.com/neighborhood/woodlands/news/article/Library-offers-new-way-to-share-books-6012872.php

Exploring the Careers of Famous Authors Infographic

http://www.adweek.com/galleycat/exploring-the-careers-of-famous-authors-infographic/97583

Daily Thoughts 01/18/2015

Daily Thoughts 01/18/2015

I checked the Twitter and Facebook for the library.

I also spent some more time reading Passionate Nutrition.  I am reading about why you should read food labels for their content and avoid foods with an excessive amount of added ingredients.

Web Bits

Five Ways Libraries Are Changing in the Digital Age

http://www.globalcitizen.org/Content/Content.aspx?id=1d9a096b-a2ad-476a-84b4-a1b40512679c

21^st Century Libraries The Learning Commons

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/21st-century-libraries-learning-commons-beth-holland

Daily Thoughts 01/17/2015

Daily Thoughts 01/17/2015

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

I spent some time looking at Romantic Times and Locus Magazine.  I placed the book, The Whispering Swarm by Michael Moorcock on hold.  It is a semi-autobiogrpahical novel.

Web Bits

Is a Library Still a Library If It has No Physical Books?

http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/stories/is-a-library-still-a-library-if-it-has-no-physical-books

IRS No Longer Providing Tax Form Instruction Booklets in Public Library Facilities

http://swtimes.com/news/irs-no-longer-provide-tax-form-instruction-booklets-public-library-facilities

Daily Thoughts 01/16/2015

By the River, John Singer Sargent, 1885

Daily Thoughts 01/16/2015

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook in the morning.

I checked the displays and the gift books this morning.  I am printing some more poetry chapbooks.

We had a management meeting today.  We discussed different aspects of collection development and weeding books.  In additon, we went over some security and theft issues.

I got a quote for Safari Books Online for two different sets of e-books, beginning computer programming, and computer technology books.

I had a few flyers printed and looked at programming.

I also spent a little time looking over the older and damaged romance paperbacks.

Monday is Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday.

On the way home, I started reading Passionate Nutrition by Jennifer Adler, MS, CN.  It is a book focused on food as medicine.  There is quite a bit on whole foods so far.

Web Bits

Library Advocacy Unsushed:  Values, Evidence, Action

http://www.ala.org/onlinelearning/node/300

Daily Thoughts 01/15/2015

Daily Thoughts 01/15/2015

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

January 15, 2015 Metro Conference

I attended the 2015 Metro New York Library Council Conference on January 15, 2015.  It was at Baruch College.  I am a member of My Metro.  It has proved to be a very useful membership.  I renewed my membership today.  The first speaker was Siva Vaidhyathan who talked about the role of libraries in the future information economy focusing on Google and other large players.  He mentioned a new book coming out called Bibliotech Why Libraries Matter Even More in the Age of Google by John Paltry.  He also talked about how the big companies want to be our personal operating system with driverless cars, reminders on our cell phones, and embedded computer chips in our appliances.

It was mostly new faces at the conference.  I went to  was Brooklyn Book Match taking Readers Advisory Online http://www.bklynlibrary.org/bookmatch They talked about creating custom booklists based on patron requests.  This is also being done in Denver Public Library and  Seattle Public Library.  I found the idea quite interesting.  There were numerous lists in the catalogs of these libraries by topic.

I went to the second half of Towards a National Digital Network An Update from DPLA (Digital  Public Library of America) and ESDN (Empire State Digital Network).  The main focus was on metadata and describing digital content.  There was an acknowledgment that these networks were seeking public domain digital information.  

I took a short break.  The lunch was excellent and the coffee was good.  I only saw a few people that I recognized from the New York Librarians Meetup. The next session I went to was the NewYork Digital Humanities Group.  This focused on digital projects connected to the humanities. http://nycdh.org/  

The last program which I went to was called Member Driven Community Focused An Update on Metro’s Services.  They seem to be very focused on digitization.

I had a drink of cider after the conference where there was a short after party at the Churchill Tavern.  I got to talk to a few people from the conference.  It was pleasant.  

On the way home, I finished reading Tesla,  A Portrait with Masks. I read a little bit about how Tesla was involved with the Electrical Experimenter a magazine supported by Hugo Gernsback who was famous for publishing the first science fiction magazine.

Web Bits

The Dictionary in the Digital Age
http://www.slate.com/articles/life/culturebox/2015/01/merriam_webster_dictionary_what_should_an_online_dictionary_look_like.html

Daily Thoughts 01/14/2015

Daily Thoughts 01/14/2015

On the way to work I read some more of Tesla A Portrait With Masks.  I like the descriptions of Tesla talking to Swami Vivekananda which are very philosophical.

I checked the Twitter and Facebook for the library.  I also checked the displays.  I spent some time going through Ingram looking at costs for books.   I also spent some time talking with a colleague about statistics for Overdrive Advantage.

I am looking at some of the Gale ebook packages as well as Safari Books Online which is handled by Proquest.

There is going to be a Crochet Class in February and March on Tuesdays from 2-3 p.m. in the Fiction room.  Also, we are having the Women's Enterprise Development Center do  First Steps for Entrepreneurs workshops on February 10 and February 11 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.

I am going to the Metro conference tomorrow.

I read the latest copy of Booklist.

Web Bits

Inside the Harwood Institutes Innovative Lab for Libraries
http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2015/01/shows-events/inside-the-harwood-institutes-innovators-lab-for-libraries/

Daily Thoughts 01/13/2015

Nikola Tesla, with Rudjer Boscovich's book "Theoria Philosophiae Naturalis". East Houston St., New York

Daily Thoughts 01/13/2015

I rested on the train this morning.  I checked the Twitter and Facebook for the library.  I also gathered the monthly statistics.  I have to work on a grant this month.  I am looking at applying for a graphic novels programming grant.

A colleague is arranging for a crochet class in the coming months.

I checked the displays and the gift books.  Next month is black history month in February.  I am also thinking ahead towards April for National Poetry Month.

We have been getting some new databases as part of the Westchester Library System, Lynda.com for training and Novelist for readers advisory are two of them.

I spent some time talking to Westhab about career counseling.

There are two computer classes tonight, a Fundamentals of Computer Operations class from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., and a Beginning Microsoft Word cass from 6:45 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.

I am hoping I can go to a Melville House literary talk featuring Lynne Truss who wrote Eats, Shoots, and Leaves on February 13, 2015.
http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=9bf6688d862fa3f207663b22d&id=5e33207ee2

On the way home, I read some more of Tesla A Portrait With Masks.  The imagery is fantastic.  The idea of Tesla standing on a stage wearing corked shoes while volts of electricity flow through him is beautiful.  I like the rivalries and the excesses of Manhattan being described.  The language is poetic, full of powerful dreams and visions.  This is a stupendous book.  Better than science fiction in its excesses and better than fantasy in its with its conflict between the old world and the new.

Daily Thoughts 01/12/2015

Daily Thoughts 01/12/2015

I read some more of Tesla A Portrait With Masks.  I like the writing, it has a mystical quality to it that often shows the clash between the worlds of science religion, the old faiths and the new.

I checked the library Facebook and Twitter this morning.  I also checked the displays and the gift books.  I spent a little time working on the January is Financial Wellness display.   I have a copy of the New York Times Book Review to read.  I placed the book, The World of Raymond Chandler In His Own Words on hold.

I placed an order for new books this morning.

I spent some time working on the monthly report for December.  I also did some more work with the poetry chapbooks.  I sent a copy to ArtsWestchester this morning.

I still have to compile the monthly statistics.

I downloaded the toolkit, Design Thinking for Libraries.
http://designthinkingforlibraries.com/

Web Bits

New York City's Municipal ID Will Do Double Duty as a Library Card
http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2015/01/public-services/new-york-citys-municipal-id-will-do-double-duty-as-a-library-card/#_

Daily Thoughts 01/11/2015

Daily Thoughts 01/11/2015

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

I started reading Tesla A Portrait With Masks A Novel by Vladimir Pistalo. It takes Tesla's life and turns it into scenes of life.  The novel is very visual and at the same time spiritual.  Tesla's father was a priest.
Web Bits

The  Digital is a Place to Hide

http://blogs.ssrc.org/tif/2015/01/07/the-digital-is-a-place-to-hide/

Among the Disrupted

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/18/books/review/among-the-disrupted.html?_r=2

Daily Thoughts 01/10/2015

Daily Thoughts 01/10/2015

I checked the Twitter and Facebook for the library.   I also checked the gift books. I also read some of Leading the Life You Want.  There are some exercises on imagining what your life will be like in the future.

I checked out the dvd Brain Games Season 3.  It should be entertaining.  I also checked out a copy of a dvd on Stephen Hawking.

I am looking at the Crew: A Weeding Manual for Modern Libraries.
https://www.tsl.texas.gov/sites/default/files/public/tslac/ld/ld/pubs/crew/crewmethod12.pdf

I spent some more time putting together chapbooks today.

I also checked out the book, Tesla A Portrait With Masks A Novel by Vladimir Pistalo.  There are a lot of very nice new books coming in.  I spent some time looking at the new books section.

On the way home, I finished reading  Leading The Life You Want Skills For Integrating Work and Life by Stewart D. Friedman.  There is a solid reminder to be kind to other people you work with and try and create a meaningful, positive work environment.



Web Bits

18 Libraries Every Book Lover Should Visit In Their Lifetime
http://www.businessinsider.com/18-of-the-worlds-greatest-libraries-2014-12

Daily Thoughts 01/09/2015

Daily Thoughts 01/09/2015

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

We had a management meeting this morning.  We discussed different aspects of ordering and weeding material.  This included the law collection, medical books, and the Job Information center.  There was a budget presented for ordering for this year.

On the way to work, I read some more of Leading the Life You Want.  One of the points being made that the best way to learn to lead or manage is to lead and manage.

I spent some time printing and putting together chapbooks today.  I am about halfway done.  I will finish up with the first batch tomorrow.

I read some more of Leading the Life You Want on the way home.  The book is presenting some exercises on how to think about integrating your life so there is less conflict between different parts of a persons life.

Web Bits

Kareem Abdul Jabaar to Publish Sherlock Holmes Novel
http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/kareem-abdul-jabaar-to-publish-sherlock-holmes-novel_b96273

Shelf Life: The Balancing Act Between Physical and Digital Books
http://publiclibrariesonline.org/2015/01/shelf-life-the-balancing-act-between-physical-and-digital-books/

Daily Thoughts 01/08/2015

Victor Hugo, 1879, Francisco Goya

Daily Thoughts 01/08/2015

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.


On the way to work, I read a little bit more of Leading The Life You Want.  I was reading about Michelle Obama and her dedication to nutrition and fitness.

I checked the displays and the gift books.  I added a few books that were new.  I also spent a little bit of time working on next weeks order of new books. There is a Firefighters Exam coming up.  I ordered a few more copies of the Barron's Firefighter Exam book.   People have until January 25, 2015 in Westchester to apply.  January is Financial Wellness Month which is part of the books being displayed.

I read two copies of Publishers Weekly.

I spent some time working with the oversize books.

There is a class on Google Docs tonight from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Computer Lab.

I spent some time looking over the circulation statistics tonight.

I learned that we are getting Lynda.com the online video training service through Westchester Library System for our patrons.  This is an excellent tutorial service.  I have taken a variety of the classes.  They are a solid way to learn how to use Microsoft Office, about digital photography, and a variety of online skills.

Web Bits

Internet of Things Plan to Make Libraries and Museums Awesomer

http://www.fastcompany.com/3040451/elasticity/the-internet-of-things-plan-to-make-libraries-and-museums-awesomer

Study Finds Reading to Children of All Ages Grooms Them to Read More On Their Own
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/08/us/study-finds-reading-to-children-of-all-ages-grooms-them-to-read-more-on-their-own.html?_r=1

Daily Thoughts 01/07/2015

James McNeill Whistler, Reading In Bed, 1858

Daily Thoughts 01/07/2015

I checked the Twitter and Facebook for the library this morning.  There are some interesting changes in Facebook that have made it more difficult to use.  I spent a little more time working on a survey today.

I also checked the displays and the gift books.  I spent some time working on programming.  I also worked with the oversize books a little bit.  We are going to have a knitting program soon.

There is class on downloading images and files in the computer lab tonight from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

It has been a solidly busy day.  The people I hired for the cybercorner and computer lab have been doing a solid job.

Web Bits

See the Massive Stunning Collection of Art the Smithsonian Just Put On the Web For Free
http://www.theverge.com/2015/1/3/7485921/see-the-massive-stunning-collection-of-art-the-smithsonian-just-put

Daily Thoughts 01/06/2015

Mrs. Cassatt Reading to Her Grandchilden, 1880, Mary Cassatt

Daily Thoughts 01/06/2015

I rested on the way to work on the train.  I checked the displays this morning.  I got a copy of Ingram Advance for Christian books for January/February 2015.  Books on Amish fiction are very popular.

I also spent some time working on an order of books for next week.  I read a copy of the latest Booklist.


I worked a little bit with the oversize books.  I also checked the gift books and had some donations added to the collection.


I spent some time talking to the Women's Enterprise Development Center for a February program.  I am going to the Metro Conference on January 15, 2015.  I also am planning on going to the Urban Librarians Unite conference on March 15, 2015.  The registration opens on February 1, 2015.
http://www.urbanlibrariansconference.org/

There are two computer classes tonight, a Fundamentals of Computer Operations class from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and a Beginning Microsoft Word class from 6:45 p.m. to 7:45 p.m..

Web Bits

The Future of Libraries Has Little to Do With Books
http://magazine.good.is/articles/public-libraries-reimagined



Zuckerberg Launches Book Club
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/65179-zuckerberg-launches-book-club.html

Daily Thoughts 01/05/2014

Daily Thoughts 01/05/2015

I have been under the weather for the last several days, drinking tea and resting.  I have not been doing much reading or even thinking about the library.

I picked up the book, Leading the Life You Want Skills for Integrating Work and Life and started to reading it again today.  There is some interesting information on Sheryl Sandbergy who is the COO of Twitter and how she approaches boundaries between her job and family life.

I have been  thinking a bit about this blog and what direction I want to take it.  I feel that the purpose of this blog has changed.  I am not sure how, but I may change its direction a bit.  Maybe, I could come up with a new years resolution about it.

I still have been checking the libraries Facebook and Twitter.  It is the beginning of the new year.  Hopefully, there will be a little time for renewal.

Web Bits

Top Resolution for 2015 Should be To Read a Book Support  a Library

http://www.centralmaine.com/2014/12/31/top-resolutions-for-2015-should-be-to-read-a-book-support-a-library/

Things That Make a Librarian Angry Enforcing Artificial Scarcity is a Bad Role for A Public Institution

https://medium.com/message/things-that-make-the-librarian-angry-1d30cd27cf60

When It Comes To Furry Muses, Cats Are for Brevity and Dogs are for Books

http://www.npr.org/2015/01/01/374196225/when-it-comes-to-furry-muses-cats-are-for-brevity-and-dogs-are-for-books?utm_campaign=storyshare&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social