Daily Thoughts 08/31/2016

Musical Allegory, 1626, Rembrandt

 Daily Thoughts 08/31/2016

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

Last night, I started reading Invisible Influence The Hidden Forces That Shape Behavior by Jonah Berger.  The author describes how we like people that are familiar to us.  The more familiar a person is the more likely they are to appear attractive.

I checked the displays and the gift books this morning.

I read the latest copy of the September 2016 Forecast.

I am in the computer lab right now.
 

Web Bits

Enter an Archive of 6,000 Historical Children's Books, All Digitiized and Free to Read Online

http://www.openculture.com/2016/08/enter-an-archive-of-6000-historical-childrens-books-all-digitized-and-free-to-read-online.html

Image Comics to Publish The One Week In the Library Novella

http://www.adweek.com/galleycat/image-comics-to-publish-the-one-week-in-the-library-novella/124317

More Evidence That Literary, But Not Pop, Fiction Boosts Readers' Emotional Skills

https://digest.bps.org.uk/2016/08/22/more-evidence-that-literary-but-not-pop-fiction-boosts-readers-emotional-skills/

Having A Library Card is 'Cooler than Being Cool'

http://www.wycoreport.com/news/local_news/having-a-library-card-is-cooler-than-being-cool/article_9fc618ca-6a64-11e6-84ac-1376386def26.html

Solar Panels Installed at Somers Library
https://www.tapinto.net/towns/somers/articles/solar-panels-installed-at-somers-library

Daily Thoughts 08/30/2016

Cecilia, Henrique Pousao, 1882

Daily Thoughts 08/30/2016

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook today.

I rested on the way to work today.

I checked the gift books and the displays.  I also printed out a stack of flyers for a weekend promotional event where they are giving out library cards.

I have more people to manage.  Now, I am managing the on call librarians.

I read a copy of the New York Times Book Review.  I have a copy of the Times Literary Supplement to read.

I checked out the book, Invisible Influence:  The Hidden Forces that Shape Behavior by Jonah Berger.

I chose a book for the book club in September, Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Web Bits

Map Librarian Finds 1966 Crash Site

http://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/2016/08/29/map-librarian-finds-1966-crash-site/89303126/

Highland Park Library Expands Robotics Program

http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/highland-park/news/ct-hpn-library-robotics-tl-0825-20160826-story.html

For Adults Lifelong Learning Happens the Old Fashioned Way
http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/03/22/470952960/for-adults-lifelong-learning-happens-the-old-fashioned-way

Daily Thoughts 08/29/2016

Dante Aleghieri, Andrea del Castagno, 1450

Daily Thoughts 08/29/2016

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

I read the newspaper on the way to work.

I checked the displays and the gift books this morning.

I read a copy of Publishers Weekly.

I have an interview at 11:00 a.m.

I spent some time both in the computer lab and with the public computers.

I also have been doing some planning for programming for October focusing on coloring and chess.

There is a Fundamentals of Computers Class and a Beginning Microsoft Word class in the computer lab.

Subway Reads
http://www.subwayreadsny.com/


Web Bits

The Fierce, Forgotten Library Wars of the Ancient World

http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-fierce-forgotten-library-wars-of-the-ancient-world

Area Library Publishes Online Literary Magazine

http://www.mydaytondailynews.com/news/entertainment/books-literature/area-library-publishes-online-literary-magazine/nsNJw/

He Tried to Check Out a Robert E. Lee Book from the Library and Got Jailed Instead

http://napavalleyregister.com/news/nation-and-world/he-tried-to-check-out-a-robert-e-lee-book/article_25755bf8-e202-5fd1-b92c-8fd1ebc40fbe.html

Libraries Have Secrets:  The Private Rooms of North Jersey's Public Libraries
http://www.northjersey.com/arts-and-entertainment/libraries-have-secrets-the-private-rooms-of-north-jersey-s-public-libraries-1.1651103

Aliens and Libraries and Stuff. (Because I Can).

 

I  remember talking to a fellow librarian who said their goal was to be the first librarian in space.  I still have not seen that happen.  There is a blog about the first library to send something to space which is kind of fun. First Library In Space http://firstlibraryinspace.org/

There is also Story Time In Space from the International Space Station which is kind of entertaining.

http://storytimefromspace.com/

I have been reading about SETI a lot recently.  There have been some really interesting announcements in the last few days.  There may be an alien signal.  Alien Life, or Noise? Russian Telescope Discovers 'Strong Signal' from Sun Like Star.  https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/aug/29/russian-radio-telescope-strong-signal-hd164595-seti

Also,there may be an earthlike planet in Proxima Ceti  b. This until recently was purely science fiction.  Closest Potential to Our Solar System Found

http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/24/health/proxima-b-centauri-rocky-planet-habitable-zone-neighbor-star/ 

  I remember reading adventure stories about traveling to other stars when I was a teenager.  Now I can read about it in real life in the news.  There is even a proposition to send a probe to another star.  $100 Million Plan WIll Send Probes to the Nearest Star  http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/100-million-plan-will-send-probes-to-the-nearest-star1/

 

Reading this material reminds me of the science fiction I read as a teenager.  It reminds me how much closer we are to the future than most people imagine.  It seems to me to be a hands breadth away.

The idea of a strong signal from SETI has some implications for our everyday life already.  People have been studying pulsars recently.  Radio Signals from Pulsars Appear to Move Faster Than Light.  http://phys.org/news/2010-01-radio-pulses-pulsar-faster.html

You might think what does this have to do with my every day life.  It will introduce new concepts and technology which people have only imagined before.  Device Makes Radio Waves Travel Faster than Light.  http://www.universetoday.com/33752/device-makes-radio-waves-travel-faster-than-light/

I remember reading about something like this in a science fiction novel called The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin.  There was a device in the story called an ansible which allowed faster than light communication.

Maybe one day we will use a device like an ansible to talk to an alien civilization.  The world is becoming stranger than you might imagine.  I like the idea of incomprehensible things happening in the universe.  There was even talk for a while about an alien megastructure.  This shows that there are things which we don't understand out there and I am perfectly happy to know this.  It reminds me of philosophical concepts like cosmic time and how we fit in the universe.

Alien Megastructure? 'Tabby's Star Continues to Baffle Scientists

http://www.space.com/33813-alien-megastructure-mystery-tabbys-star.html

I have been reading less science fiction recently and more nonfiction.  I read about people like Elon Musk who founded Space X and Burt Rhutan of Scaled Composites.  The future is being built right now and we can read about it every day if we want to.

Daily Thoughts 08/27/2016

Young Man With a Book, Ernest Meissonier, 1860

Daily Thoughts 08/27/2016

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

I also read the New York Times Bestseller List and Publishers Weekly Bestseller List.

I spent a little time looking through Managing for Results Effective Resource Allocation for Public Libraries by Sandra Nelson, Ellen Altman, and Diane Mayo for the Public Library Association. The book is a bit older from 2000.  I'll probably look at something else that is a little more up to date.

Web Bits

Write Here Programming

http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2016/08/public-services/write-here-programming/

Baltimore's Dr. Carla Hayden to Head Library of Congress

http://www.wbaltv.com/news/baltimores-dr-carla-hayden-to-head-library-of-congress/41384308

The Changing World of Library Reference

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/libraries/article/71322-we-need-to-talk-about-reference.html

Daily Thoughts 08/26/2016

John William Waterhouse, Circe, 1911

Daily Thoughts 08/26/2016

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

I spent a little bit of time thinking about community outreach.

I also finished reading Staffing for Results A Guide to Working Smarter by Diane Mayo and Jeanne Goodrich for the Public Library Association.  I am reading about the process of implementing staff changes in a library.

We are working on planning a Chess and Checkers night for the library in October.  We are also looking at bringing back the Adult Coloring night.

I talked to a sales representative about Newsbank's historical African American Newspaper collection which they are introducing to public libraries.

Web Bits

Look Inside the Most Cutting Edge Public Library in the World

https://www.yahoo.com/news/look-inside-most-cutting-edge-212657574.html

A Library Becomes A Museum

http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/beinecke_commentary/

New Sweeping "Maker-Space" Library  Connects Historic City to Its New Civic Center

http://archpaper.com/2016/08/new-sweeping-maker-space-library-connects-historic-city-new-civic-center/#gallery-0-slide-0

Daily Thoughts 08/25/2016

Vase With a Scene from a Novel, Anonymous, Between 1660 and 1680.

Daily Thoughts 08/25/2016

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

I spent some time discussing the Librarian I position with people.

I checked the displays and the gift books this morning.

I am making sure the room is set up for the program tonight featuring Nicole Dennis-Benn.  The program went very well tonight.  Nicole Dennis-Benn read a number of excerpts from her book, Here Comes the Sun. She also mentioned Marlon James which was interesting.  There was open period for questions and answers.

There was also a Social Media class this evening from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Web Bits

Neil Gaiman On Why We Read and What Books Do for the Human Experience

https://www.brainpickings.org/2016/08/03/neil-gaiman-view-from-the-cheap-seats-reading/

Library of Things Opens in West Norwood

http://www.brixtonblog.com/library-things-opens-west-norwood/39375

2016 Hugo Awards

http://www.theverge.com/2016/8/20/12551696/2016-hugo-awards-nk-jemisin-fifth-season-science-fiction

New York Public Library Reads Up on the Cloud

http://www.computerworld.com/article/3112207/cloud-computing/new-york-public-library-reads-up-on-the-cloud.html

Daily Thoughts 08/24/2016

Ignacio Pinazo Camarlench, Flowers and Books, Before 1916

Daily Thoughts 08/24/2016

I checked the Twitter and Facebook for the library.

I checked the displays and the gift books.

I interviewed someone this morning.

I have to look at creating new stack labels.

I ordered a few electronic audiobooks for the 3M Cloud Library.

I spent some time in the computer lab today.

There is a computer class tonight for Tablets from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the computer lab.

On the way home from work, I read some more of Staffing for Results.  I am reading about the concept of Process analysis where you look for weaknesses and strengths in what you are doing.

Nicole Dennis-Benn Visits Mount Vernon Library for Book Reading and Signing
http://mountvernon.dailyvoice.com/events/nicole-dennis-benn-visits-mount-vernon-library-for-book-reading-signing/678520/


Web Bits

Ursula K. LeGuin on the Sacredness of Libraries

https://www.brainpickings.org/2015/11/06/ursula-k-le-guin-libraries/

Library Charged $1.5 Million for Journal Archive

http://urbanmilwaukee.com/2016/08/23/library-charged-1-5-million-for-journal-archive/

Kickstarter Hits A Publishing Milestone

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/71246-kickstarter-hits-a-publishing-milestone.html

Technology is Not the Death of Deep Reading

http://www.noshelfrequired.com/technology-is-not-the-death-of-deep-reading/

The Secret Libraries of History

http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20160819-the-secret-libraries-of-history

Daily Thoughts 08/23/2016

Reading Men, Goya, 1819-1823

Daily Thoughts 08/23/2016

I checked the Twitter and Facebook for the library.

I printed up some flyers and posted a few things to Facebook.

Today, we had a meeting discussing ADP and time sheets.

We have an Artist In Residence program today from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the fiction room.  Rochelle Shikoff who did the "Seeing the Wind" sculpture at our library is doing a watercolor class for seniors.

Right now, I am in the computer lab.

I spent a little time weeding today. I also opened the boxes for the Poulin Project which included a variety of literary poetry and writing from the Distribution to Underserved Communities.

There is a Fundamentals of Computers Class and a Beginning Microsoft Word class tonight.

I pulled some books for the crochet class on Friday.

I am also getting ready for an author visit on Thursday, August 25, 2016, Here Comes The Sun by Nicole Dennis-Benn.


Web Bits

Banned Books Week Makes International Splash Across the Pond.
http://www.oif.ala.org/oif/?p=7148

The Library's Role In Sustainability
https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/librarys-role-sustainability/

Is the Library of Things an Answer to Our Peak Stuff Problem?
https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/aug/23/library-of-things-peak-stuff-sharing-economy-consumerism-uber

Daily Thoughts 08/22/2016

Woman Reading, Max Weber, 1916

Daily Thoughts 08/22/2016

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

I checked the gift books and the displays this morning.

I worked a little bit on programming today.

I also have been ordering for different categories in the cloud library, christian, African American fiction and nonfiction, urban fiction, and bestsellers.

The book, Managing for Results, Effective Resource Allocation for Public Libraries by Sandra Nelson, Ellen Altman, and Diane Mayo came in for me to read today.

There is a Fundamentals of Computers Course and a Beginning Microsoft Word class today in the computer lab in the evening.

There was also a 3D Animation With Blender class in community room from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

I watched the film, To Begin The World Over Again: The Life of Thomas Paine tonight.  It is a one actor play.  The film will be shown on September 22, 2016 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the Grace Greene Baker Community Room.  It is partially made possible by the American Library Association Office of Intellectual Freedom.


Web Bits

A Teacher Who Changed My Life By Bill Gates

https://www.gatesnotes.com/Education/A-Teacher-Who-Changed-My-Life

How the New York Public Library Made Ebooks Open, and Thus One Trillion Times Better by Cory Doctorow

http://boingboing.net/2016/08/21/how-the-new-york-public-librar.html

Here and Now on July 31, 2016: Mount Vernon Library Honors Heavy D
http://abc7ny.com/society/here-and-now-on-july-31-2016-mount-vernon-library-honors-heavy-d/1449081/

Daily Thoughts 08/21/2016

Lippincott's Series of Select Novels, The Spell of Ursula by Mrs. Rowlands
 
Daily Thoughts 08/21/2016

I checked the Twitter and Facebook today for the library.

I read the New York Times Bestseller list and the Publishers Weekly Bestseller list.

I spent a little time thinking about library staffing.

I am finishing my vacation today.  I spent a little time going over programming, flyers, and other things I need to attend to when I get back.

I also took some time to look at the CAT access tool for ordering from the Cloud Library from 3M+ Biblioteca.

Web Bits

New York Public Library Celebrates 95th Birthday of Winnie-the-Pooh With Restoration, New Display

http://www.forbes.com/sites/janelevere/2016/08/21/new-york-public-library-celebrates-95th-birthday-of-winnie-the-pooh-with-restoration-new-display/#3474a90f75ab

Cuyahoga County Libraries Push Every Child to Have a Library Card

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2016/08/every_child_should_have_a_libr.html