Saturday, October 31, 2015

Daily Thoughts 10/31/2015

File:L. Block - The Bibliophile's Desk.jpg
L. Block (1848-1901), The Bibliophile's Desk


Daily Thoughts 10/31/2015

I checked the Twitter and Facebook for the library.

I read some more of Mindware on the way to work this morning.  The book described how often smaller groups are more diverse on average because large groups tend to be homogenous.

I checked the gifts and the displays.

I spent some time on updating the Booksite lists.

The memoir writing class is today from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the trustees room.

Some people are practicing for a play in the community room.

Web Bits

Stephen King Not Just The Guy Who Makes Monsters
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/31/books/stephen-king-not-just-the-guy-who-makes-monsters.html?_r=0

Public Libraries Exchange Friendly Fire On Twitter Over World Series
http://www.npr.org/2015/10/30/453217052/public-libraries-exchange-friendly-fire-on-twitter-over-world-series

Friday, October 30, 2015

Daily Thoughts 10/30/2015

The Book - Edwin Dickinson
The Book, Edwin Dickinson, 1911

Daily Thoughts 10/30/2015

I checked the Twitter and Facebook for the library.

I also checked the gift books and the displays this morning.

I have been reading more of Good Profit.  I like that he does not employ a lot of consultants, only people who have strong specialties.

I read a copy of Publishers Weekly.  I also spent some time looking over the new website for minor changes.

We had a management meeting in the morning.  I ordered a few professional books.

Web Bits


Some Public Libraries Home to Rare and Valuable Treasures

Literary Monsters: infographic

How to Innovate Future Proof



Thursday, October 29, 2015

Daily Thoughts 10/29/2015


Daily Thoughts 10/29/2015

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

I checked the gift books and the displays.  I also spent some time working on orders for next week.

I took a short look at Biblioboard this afternoon.

I printed a few more flyers.

There is a Beginning Microsoft Publisher class tonight from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.


Web Bits




Harvard Law Library Readies Trove of Decisions for Digital Age

An Animated Introduction to Jane Austen

My LIfe In Libraries Around the World

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Daily Thoughts 10/28/2015

File:Shannon - On the Dunes.jpg
  Florence en Kitty (wife and daughter of the artist in the Dunes at Egmond, Holland) 1900s, James Jebusa Shannon

Daily Thoughts 10/28/2015

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook.

I read some more of Good Profit today.  I am reading about how Charles Koch chose not to make Koch Industries publicly traded because of the shorter term focus of the stock market.

I checked the gift books and the displays.  I spent some time printing handouts for award winning books and bookmarks on a variety of subjects including Latino Fiction Authors.  We received a catalog of new titles from Arte Publico Press.  I ordered some fiction titles focused on Latino fiction today. I have a few more to make include one on urban fiction.

I am hoping to switch my focus away from handouts to merchandising and signage for the collection soon.

I have a copy of the book for next years summer reading.

I sent out a notice about our November 12, 2015 Adult Board Game Night.  It is the first time that I am trying this.

There was a union meeting I attended in the evening.

I read some more of Good Profits.  There were some sections on legal issues with Koch Industries.  Charles Koch writes about how important it is to have ethical employees who won't get you in legal trouble.  He also spends quite a bit of time describing how it is often more important to hire people for their values and integrity than their skills.


Web Bits


A Penny for Your Books


New York Public Library Celebrates Reopening of Underground Branch After Renovations


Library of Congress's New DRM Rules Are A Victory for Digital Freedom


Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Daily Thoughts 10/27/2015

Philosophia (personification of philosophy) - Albrecht Durer
Philosophia (Personification of Philosophy) by Albrecht Durer

Daily Thoughts 10/27/2015

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

I also checked the gifts and the displays this morning.


The crochet class was today from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m..  We are planning other crafts programs like beading because people are interested in crafting type programs.


I ordered a few board games: mahjong, backgammon, and boggle for a planned adult board games night.  I am also thinking about doing a word games night focused on Scrabble.


We are also printing up some batches of bookmarks.  I worked on a bookmark with a list of African American novelists.

I have a copy of the New York Times Book Review to read.  I also checked out the book, Mindware Tools for Smart Thinking by Richard E. Nesbitt.

On the way home, I read some more of Good Profit.  Charles G. Koch argues that continuous improvement is not enough in the business world to succeed.  The next step in the process is encouraging continuous creative destrcution inside a company focusing on innovation and breakthroughs.  This would create an incredibly competitive environment.

I also started reading Mindware.  It is a book about how to improve decision making using methods from statistics, psychology, science, and philosophy.

Web Bits



What Google Books Victory Means for Readers—Is the Universal Library Finally Within Reach




Library of Congress Acquires Portfolio of 681 Photos of US Public Libraries





Monday, October 26, 2015

Daily Thoughts 10/26/2015

File:Invisible Man.png
Classics Illustrated Comics Book Cover 1959

Daily Thoughts 10/26/2015

I checked the Twitter and Facebook for the library.

I finished reading the Waste Free Kitchen Handbook A Guide to Eating Well and Saving Money by Wasting Less Food by Dana Gunders.  Dana Gunders is a staff scientist for the Natural Resources Defense Council.  One of the reasons she is writing this book is that Americans waste 40% of their food.

The last part was kind of interesting.  There were sections on what leftovers you could feed your dog, cat, or chicken as well as descriptions of food safety, how to store different types of food, and composting.  The book includes notes and an index.  This book would be of interest to someone who wants to lead a frugal lifestyle or save money.

I started reading Good Profit How Creating Value for Others Built One of the World's Most Successful Companies by Charles G. Koch.  This is a conservative book.  The author is very concerned with low taxes and freedom.  He also praises Ludwig Von Mises who is very important to conservative economic theory.  One of the tenets in business which he supports is that there is no business without a customer.



Web Bits




Big Shaq

Not Reinventing the Library

Sunday, October 25, 2015

Daily Thoughts 10/25/2015

File:A Study in Scarlet from Beeton's Christmas Annual 1887.jpg
Cover illustration of 'Beeton's Christmas Annual,' magazine, for 1887. 21 cm. Featuring Arthur Conan Doyle's "A Study in Scarlet." General Collection, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.  December 1887

Daily Thoughts 10/25/2015

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

I also did a little work on ordering for this weeks order of new books.

I read a bit a more in the Waste Free Kitchen Handbook.  I am reading about spoilage and food labels in stores.

I also took another two hour course on merchandising from Webjunction this weekend.

Saturday, October 24, 2015

Daily Thoughts 10/24/2015

1895 BatesHall BostonPublicLibrary USA 2387549677.jpg
Boston Public Library, Bates Hall looking southwest, construction of the McKim Building, Pollock, Charles, 1832-1910 (photographer); Taken 1895

Daily Thoughts 10/24/2015

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

I read some more of The Waste Free Kitchen Handbook.  I am reading about the best way to store things in the refrigerator and the freezer.

I spent some time taking a 2 hour review course for Collection Maintenance on Webjunction.



Web Bits


Why I'm Addicted to Bookstores An Author Talks About Her Compulsive Reading Disorder

Take Me Out to the Library The National Baseball Hall of Fame  Museum and Library Preserves the Rich Heritage of America's Pastime

Friday, October 23, 2015

Daily Thoughts 10/23/2015

China Asters, Hat and Book - Paul Gauguin
China Asters, Hat, and Book, Paul Gaugin, 1876

Daily Thoughts 10/23/2015 

I checked the Twitter and Facebook for the library.

I read some more of Ancillary Mercy.  It is the third book in a series.  I like some of the background elements.  The characters drink a lot of tea.  There are gardens and proper etiquette is important.  The setting is part of a several thousand year old empire.  The background details and world building are done right.

I checked the displays and the gift books.  I finished working on a bookmark with a list of Amish Romance Writers and printed a few more of the Popular African American Authors of Mystery, Crime, Thrillers, and Suspense bookmarks.

I read a copy of the latest Times Literary Supplement.

I also spent some time looking at the local newspapers for articles about the library.

They are putting in some new equipment in the computer lab.

I checked out the book, The Shepherd's Crown by Terry Pratchett.

I started reading Waste Free Kitchen Handbook A Guide to Eating Well and Saving Money By Wasting Less Food by Dana Gunders.  This book opens by describing how much food people waste in the United States as consumers.  It also describes how portion size has been steadily increasing as well affecting both our budget and our health.

Web Bits


White Plains Library Foundation Receives Major Gift

Reinventing the Library


Thursday, October 22, 2015

Daily Thoughts 10/22/2015

Young woman reading a letter at night while another sleeps behind a mosquito net (5759421730).jpg
Young woman reading a letter at night while another sleeps behind a mosquito net, 1768-1770, Suzuki Harunobu

Daily Thoughts 10/22/2015

I checked the Twitter and Facebook for the library.

I also checked the gift books and the displays this morning.

I spent a little time working on an update to the Hispanic film brochure.

We had the book club today.  We discussed the book I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai.  We are going to discuss the book, If Someone Says "You Complete Me," RUN!: Whoopi's Big Book of Relationships by Whoopi Goldberg next.  

I finished reading A Knight of Seven  The Kingdoms by George R.R. Martin.  I liked the illustrations by Gary Gianni.  Gary Gianni illustrated the comic strip Prince Valiant.  They added a nice touch to the story.

The story has plenty of action and intrigue to it.  There is also some chivalry, a bit on heraldry, and some well done fight scenes in the story.  The novel is very fast paced, quick reading.

I also started reading, Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie which is science fiction.

I am in the computer lab today.

Web Bits

New Research Highlights Libraries Expanded Roles
http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2015/10/new-research-highlights-libraries-expanded-roles


Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Daily Thoughts 10/21/2015

Reading - Nicolae Vermont
Reading, Nicolae Vermont, 1919

Daily Thoughts 10/21/2015

I checked the Twitter and Facebook for the library.

I enjoyed reading Part of Our Lives A People's History of the American Public Library by Wayne A. Wiegand.  It is new book published by Oxford University Press.  The layout is excellent and readable.  There are notes, an index, and black and white pictures.

The book focuses on patron use of the library from the very beginnings to modern day.  You get a sense of how libraries were used and continue to be used.  The traditional purpose was for practical education.  Fiction was not added until later.  Libraries have always focused on displaying art, providing lectures, concerts, and book discussions.

It is not until the late 1970s that the idea of the library as community center begins to take hold.  Then meeting rooms, and public services are introduced.

I enjoyed reading the book and found it very informative.

I started reading A Knight of Seven Kingdoms by George R.R. Martin on the way to work.  It starts with a story of a poor hedge knight trying to enter a tournament.  The book Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie came in for me to read.  It is military science fiction.

I am rearranging the area around my desk to accomodate some computer furniture.

I checked the gift books and the displays today.

I ordered a few more dvds from the Latino Americans 500 Years of History grant.

I read a copy of the October Ingram Advance and the November Bookpage.  I am still reading the Novmber Ingram Advance.

There is a computer class for Wordpress tonight from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. tonight.

There is also a Mount Vernon Public Library Board of Trustees Meeting tonight at 6:30 p.m.. in the Trustees room.  I am attending.


Web Bits


Pew Report: Communities Need Libraries Even As Some Use Them Less

Slightly Fewer Americans Are Reading Print Books, New Survey Finds

Scarsdale Prepares for Major Library Renovation