Daily Thoughts 04/30/2017

Daily Thoughts 04/30/2017

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

I finished reading Borne by Jeff Vandermeer today.  It is postapocalyptic fiction set in a world of biotech gone mad.  The story is completely gripping.  I could not put it down until it was finished.

Daily Thoughts 04/29/2017

Charles Whitman, Helen Adams Keller, 1904

Daily Thoughts 04/29/2017

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

On the way to work, I read some more of Tinkers by Paul Harding.

I checked the gift books and the displays.

I put some lists into Bookletters today.

I finished reading Tinkers by Paul Harding.  It had a nonstandard format to it with very little dialogue.  The writing was good, but not to my taste.

I started reading Borne by Jeff Vandermeer.  The story is both strange and deeply gripping.

Web Bits

Watch the British Library Digitize One of the World's Largest Books

https://hyperallergic.com/375669/watch-the-british-library-digitize-one-of-the-worlds-largest-books/


Book Readers Make The Best Lovers, Reveals Survey
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/love-sex/book-readers-best-lovers-bilbiophiles-hunger-games-sex-attractive-richard-branson-men-women-a7708091.html?cmpid=facebook-post

An Interview With Ngugi Wa Thiongo
https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/an-interview-with-ngugi-wa-thiongo/

Daily Thoughts 04/28/2017

Pierrot with Book, Juan Gris, 1924

Daily Thoughts 04/28/2017

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

Last night, I started reading Tinkers by Paul Harding.  It won a Pulitzer Prize.  I am reading it for the Growing and Aging discussion at the public library.  We had the last session of James Baldwin's America last night.

I also spent some more time working on the Arts Westchester grant.  I have to get the artist information.

I also printed up several flyers yesterday including the computer class flyer and the flyer for the movie Home which I am showing on Thursday.

I checked the gift books and the displays.  May is Emotional Wellness Month.

I did a little more work on my grant today.  I also looked through the New York Times Bestseller List and the Publishers Weekly Bestseller list.

I read the latest copy of Bookpage.

Web Bits

Virtual Library Legislative Day
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdpbfeNl1t6uM_gIfUqjS4uROV7VEt8JFlindnqt_Nbm1wSFw/viewform?c=0&w=1

Daily Thoughts 04/27/2017

Daily Thoughts 04/27/2017

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook in the morning.

Last night, I started reading Welcome to the Universe An Astrophysics Tour by Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Michael A. Strauss and J. Richard Gott.  This book comes from a popular class taught at Princeton University about astrophysics.

Daily Thoughts 04/26/2017

In the Shade of the Tree, Helen McNicoll, 1910

Daily Thoughts 04/26/2017

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

I read some more of The Book.  I am reading about the history of codexes.  The beginnings of modern books are a little hazy.  There is a bit about the Nag Hammadi codexes.

I checked the gift books and the displays.

I also put in some orders for new books.

I finished a rough draft of the Mount Vernon Arts Initiative grant today and requested some information from the artists.

We had a poetry reading and open microphone tonight from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the fiction room.  It was a comfortable night.  We had two featured poets, Karen Leahy, Georgia Mae McDowell, and a Moderator, William Bowden.  All are published authors.


Web Bits

Advocacy Home Run Ignites FY 2018 Library Funding

http://www.districtdispatch.org/2017/04/advocacy-home-run-ignites-library-funding-rally/

National Library Legislative Day is on May 1 and May 2

http://www.ala.org/advocacy/advleg/nlld

Public Library Hours in NYC Lag Behind Those Across the Country, Report Says

http://www.amny.com/news/public-library-hours-in-nyc-lag-behind-those-across-the-country-report-says-1.13515132

Houston Public Library Receives Donation from Mexican Government

http://hispanichouston.com/houston-public-library-receives-book-donation-from-mexican-government/

Daily Thoughts 04/25/2017

The Meeting at the Pharmacy, Jose Gutierrez Solana, 1934

Daily Thoughts 04/25/2017

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

I read some more of The Book. I am reading about lithography and photolithography.

This morning, I checked the gift books and the displays.

I also turned in some orders for new books.  I am arranging to have a visit from Davidson Titles to look at books.

I started working on a grant for a Mount Vernon Art Initiative which is focused on Latino art and dance,

Today, we had the Crochet Group from 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

There is a Fundamentals of Computers class and a Beginning Microsoft Word 2013 class tonight.  I still have to do the signup sheets for the computer classes tomorrow.

Web Bits

'Life Between the Shelves': Reimagining Libraries As Civic Spaces

https://www.knightfoundation.org/articles/life-between-the-shelves-reimagining-libraries-as-civic-spaces

With Register of Copyrights Bill, Big Media Seeks Its Own In House Lobbyist

http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/politics/330175-with-registrar-of-copyrights-bill-big-media-seeks-its-own-in

After 60 Years, Chinatown May Finally Get Its Library Back

http://www.wbur.org/edify/2017/04/25/chinatown-neighborhood-library

Boston.

Daily Thoughts 04/24/2017

Daily Thoughts 04/24/2017

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

I also read some more of The Book.  I am reading about linotype and monotype presses.

I spent some time working on a large order of books.

Daily Thoughts 04/23/2017

Rembrandt, Man Reading, 1648

Daily Thoughts 04/23/2017

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

I read some more of The Book.  I am reading about the printer, Johannes Gutenberg

I spent some time looking through selection lists for public libraries from both Ingram and Brodart for new nonfiction titles.

I also spent a little more time using Bluecloud Analytics.

Daily Thoughts 04/22/2017

Two Old Men Disputing, Rembrandt, 1628


Daily Thoughts 04/22/2017

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

Last night, I read some more of The Book.  I read about how paper spread from China to Arabia to Europe.  I also read about how making paper became a mechanized industrial process.

2016 International Latino Book Awards
https://app.box.com/s/si0noqeuz45an4e8yzo7jp3fg3b5ryna

I took a few minutes to look at Books on the Air from Booksite.
http://library.booksite.com/7537/nl/?list=NLAIR

I spent a little time looking at websites for Westchester County Bookstores.  Womrath bookstore from Bronxville has come to our library a couple of times.

Public Library Open House Showcases Changes and New Director
http://www.mvinquirer.com/mt-vernon-public-library-open-house-showcases-changes-and-new-director.html
This was enjoyable.

Web Bits

Support Grows for Small Agency With Big Reach on Trump's Budget Death Row

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2017/04/21/support-for-small-agency-with-big-reach-on-trumps-budget-death-row/?utm_term=.17abe8683879

Build Relationships to Advance Advocacy

http://www.districtdispatch.org/2017/04/build-relationships-advance-advocacy/

ALA Joins March for Science on April 22

https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/ala-march-for-science-april-22/

Local Libraries Are Now Gathering Places, And Not Just for Books

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/regionals/south/2017/04/21/local-libraries-are-now-gathering-places-and-not-just-for-books/8axsjqCyJHyn4g7R0Ezf9N/story.html

Daily Thoughts 04/21/2017

George Godwin Kilburne, Penning a Letter, 1924

Daily Thoughts 04/21/2017

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

On the way to work, I read some more of The Book.  In China, Cai Lun is credited with inventing paper.

I am looking at two graphic novels for children, Catstronauts Race to Mars by Drew Brockington, and Catstronauts Mission Moon.  Catstronauts was excerpted on Space.com http://www.space.com/36505-catstronauts-book-excerpts.html

I spent some time working on flyers this morning.

I am going to read some of the Share Your Story pieces on the website at 3:00 p.m.
http://mountvernonpubliclibrary.org/share-your-story/

I spent some time looking through the New York Times Bestseller List and the Publishers Weekly Bestseller List.  I also spent some time looking at Blue Cloud Analytics.

Web Bits

Open House at Mount Vernon Public Library

http://www.blackwestchester.com/open-house-mvpl/

 I was there last night.  

Torching the Modern Day Library of Alexandria

"Somewhere at Google there is a database containing 25 million books that nobody is allowed to read."

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/04/the-tragedy-of-google-books/523320/

                                       

Daily Thoughts 04/20/2017

Reading the Newspaper. War News. Nikolay-Bogdanov Belsky, 1905

Daily Thoughts 04/20/2017

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

I read the latest copy of the New York Times on the way to work.  There were a couple book reviews in it.

I checked the displays and the gift books.  There is an open house tonight from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m..

I generated a list Top Circulating Titles in Mount Vernon Public Library for nonfiction from Blue Cloud analytics.

James Williams Bujo will be demonstrating his painting skills.

I printed up a variety of flyers for events that are upcoming for the library.  I also spent a little time working on programming.  There are a number of poetry programs that I am planning for. Poetry is quite popular in our community.

The Book A Cover to Cover Exploration of the Most Powerful Object of Our Time by Keith Houston came in for me to read. I read some of it on the way home.  It describes how papyrus came out of Egypt as well as how the first parchment came from Pergamon.

Web Bits

Universities Redesign Libraries for the 21st Century; Fewer Books, More Space

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-college-libraries-20170419-story.html

A History of Radical Thinking: How Women Created Book Clubs

https://broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/a-history-of-radical-thinking-how-women-created-book-clubs

The Politics of Being A Trustee

http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2017/04/managing-libraries/the-politics-of-being-a-trustee

Daily Thoughts 04/19/2017

Still Life With Checked Tablecloth, Juan Gris, 1915

Daily Thoughts 04/19/2017

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

I placed a hold on The Book:  A Cover to Cover Exploration of The Most Powerful Object of Our Time by Keith Houston.

I checked the displays and the gift books.  I spent some time looking at the 700s and 800s in the stacks.

I also worked on scheduling with ADP.

I put in a request for pickup for Better World Books.

I also started looking through the latest Ingram Advance.  I also read through a copy of Booklist and the Times Literary Supplement.

We have the James Baldwin's America event tonight on Wednesday instead of tomorrow.  We are having the open house, April 20 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. for the library.

Mount Vernon Public Library Westchester's Hub for History, Resources
http://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/westchester/mount-vernon/2017/04/19/mount-vernon-ny-news-library/99444310/

Web Bits

Why Libraries Could Soon Need a National Endowment

http://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/2017/0414/Why-libraries-could-soon-need-a-national-endowment

Grijalva Fears Library Cuts in Federal Budget

http://www.kgun9.com/news/local-news/grivalva-fears-library-cuts-in-federal-budget

  

Video Historic Mount Vernon Public Library

http://www.lohud.com/videos/news/local/westchester/mount-vernon/2017/04/18/video-historic-mount-vernon-public-library/99584530/

Artificial Intelligence

Princeton Researchers Discover Why AI Become Racist and Sexist

https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/04/princeton-scholars-figure-out-why-your-ai-is-racist/

Daily Thoughts 04/18/2017

Woman Reading In Garden, 1912 , Unidentified Photographer

Daily Thoughts 04/18/2017

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

I checked the displays and the gift books today.

I also spent a little time looking through the 600s and 700s in the main floor stacks.

There is a lot of nice new material coming in.  I put in some orders for new books which are mainly focused on nonficiton.

I spent some time going over Bluecloud Analytics for the top circulating items during the last year with the children's room.

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

I met with Dr. Howard about a change of date for the James Baldwin's America lecture to tomorrow from 6:00 p.m.. to 8:00 p.m.

The crochet group meets today from 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the fiction room.

There is a Fundamentals of Computers Class and a Beginning Microsoft Word 2013 class tonight.

We had a few more people send in stories to Share My Story Today.

On the way home, I read I Am Not Your Negro A Major Motion Picture Directed by Raoul Peck from Texts by James Baldwin.  Raoul Peck received a text from James Baldwin's family that discussed the intersection between Medgar Evers, Martin Luther King Jr,, and Malcolm X.  The writing is meant to be very accessible to a general audience.  It makes James Baldwin's writing easy to read, but not as philosophically deep.  This text is useful for someone who wants to understand the basics of what James Baldwin said about race without having to spend a lot of time reading.  It also shows why the movie so popular and relevant.

Daily Thoughts 04/17/2017

Man Interrupted at his Writing, Gerit Dou, 1635

Daily Thoughts 04/17/2017

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

I finished reading Acquisitions Core Concepts and Practices, 2nd Edition by Jesse Holden.  I am reading about the concepts of a knowledge base for selecting materials and patron driven acquisitions.  There is also some materials archives and the special processes of acquiring materials for archives. The book ends with a reminder that how information is being used is growing and expanding and processes in acquisitions will change.

We have a few stories now attached to Share Your Story.
http://mountvernonpubliclibrary.org/share-your-story/

Web Bits

How to Tell A True Tale: Neil Gaiman on What Makes A  Great Personal Story

https://www.brainpickings.org/2017/04/17/neil-gaiman-the-moth-presents-all-these-wonders/

Daily Thoughts 04/16/2017

Man Writing Facing Left, Vincent Van Gogh, 1881

Daily Thoughts 04/16/2017

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

I spent some time looking at books this morning.

I also read a little more of Acquisitions Core Concepts and Practices.  There is description of how acquisitions is adding a service component.  For example, people can increasingly ask libraries to order books, get material like book lists, and be directed on how to find and use certain parts of the collection like e-books.

I looked through Blue Cloud Analytics to find the top circulating items for the year.  I have to brush up a little more on my mysteries and nonfiction.

Web Bits


National Library Week Launching Point for Advocacy

http://publiclibrariesonline.org/2017/04/national-library-week-launching-point-for-advocacy/

Reading by Ear

http://www.cbc.ca/radio/spark/321-life-saving-fonts-ransomware-cars-and-more-1.3584113/reading-by-ear-1.3584118

                                                                  

Daily Thoughts 04/15/2017

Still Life With Inkwell, Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin, 1934

Daily Thoughts 04/15/2017

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

I also checked the displays and the gift books.

I finished reading Other Minds, The Octopus, The Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness by Peter Godfrey-smith.  The last part of the book discusses how Octopolis came into being.  Octopi were able to gather large amounts of scallop shells which eventually covered the seafloor.  This made it easier for them to build lots of dens.  I enjoyed this book.  There was a lot of very curious content.  People who like science will like this book.

We have the Acrylic Painting class this morning from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the fiction room.

The book, The Atlas of Countries That Don't Exist by Nick Middleton has come in for me to read.

I also have a copy of latest Publishers Weekly to read as well.

I spent some time working on orders for new books.  I also looked over a few sections of shelving.

On the way home, I read The Atlas of Countries That Don't Exist.  Some of it is about countries which existed for a time, but no longer are around like Tibet, or The Cocos Islands.  Many of the listings are not quite countries like Somaliland or Crimea because they are contested politically.  This is especially true of Taiwan which many countries view as part of China and not its own sovereign country.  In addition, there are oddities like Sealand which is an island controlled by a family near England and strange attempts to create political entities like Hutt River.  The book does a very good job of showing human folly and the desire to have ones own place to live.

I also read some more of Acquisitions Core Concepts and Practices.  I am reading about the concept of assemblage and how collections are created from sources both inside and outside the building.  With this comes the idea of "discovery" or the ability to find material which you want from the library.  One of the goals is to make the material you get easily discover

Web Bits

Ivanka Trump’s Tweet About Libraries Somehow Managed To Stir Backlash

http://www.attn.com/stories/16444/ivanka-trumps-tweet-about-libraries-backfired

Librarians March for Science

http://www.acrl.ala.org/acrlinsider/archives/13607

Daily Thoughts 04/14/2017

New Mirror Comparing the Handwriting of the Courtesans of the Yoshiwara (Yoshiwara keisei shin bijin jihitsu kagami)

Kitao Masanobu (Santō Kyōden) (Japanese, 1761–1816)

Daily Thoughts 04/14/2017

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

I also looked at Romantic Times Online and Locus Magazine online for books.

Last night, I read some more of Other Minds.  Cephalopods can camouflage themselves by changing their skin colors.  There is also a conjecture that they can use their skin to show different colors as a way to communicate with each other.  Some people have even gone so far as to say this is a kind of language based on colors and patterns.  Octopus Colors Predict the Winners of Fights.
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/inkfish/2016/02/17/octopus-colors-predict-the-winners-of-fights/#.WPDgtWnyuUk

I have started reading Acquisitions Core Concepts and Practices.  The content is very different from when I went to library school.  There is a focus on information technology.  There is also a realization that many of the things which we acquire are not necessarily located inside the library.  For example our Hoopla service is on a server which we can go to access the material from.  It is not in the library.  We also create lists of books available through the catalog.  These lists come from Bookletters which hosts the lists.  We also draw on the internet to find things and are more willing to purchase things quickly.  There is interlibrary loan and also patrons can make requests for what they want.  It is a changed profession.

Web Bits

National Library Week Shows More Library Use

http://wxpr.org/post/national-library-week-shows-more-library-use

Urban Librarians Unite Conference Proposes Advocacy Activism

http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2017/04/copyright/urban-librarians-unite-conference-proposes-advocacy-activism/

Daily Thoughts 04/13/2017

Paradise Lost, John Milton (British, London 1608–1674 London), 1902

Daily Thoughts 04/13/2017

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

I looked through the Recent Arrivals section of Brooklyn Public Library

https://brooklyn.bibliocommons.com/explore/recent_arrivals

I checked the gift books and the displays this morning.

I worked a little bit on ordering for new nonfiction.

I also spent some time working on doing programming.  Someone wants to do a poetry program on the weekend.  I also have a confirmation for May 10 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. for Reverend Leslie Booker who is going to read from her poetry book Psalms for the 21st Century.

Tonight we are discussing James Baldwin's America in the community from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. There has been a lot of recent activity around his estate.

James Baldwin's Archive, Long Hidden, Comes (Mostly) Into View
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/12/arts/james-baldwins-archive-long-hidden-comes-mostly-into-view.html?_r=0

The book, Acquisitions Core Concepts and Practices, 2nd Edition by Jesse Holden has come in for me to read.

The James Baldwin's America class went quite well.
We are moving it to Wednesday of next week from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

There was also a social media class in the computer lab focused on Twitter and Youtube from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Daily Thoughts 04/12/2017

Shanghai Diary by Takahashi Yuichi, 1866

Daily Thoughts 04/12/2017

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook today.

I checked Kirkus Reviews online as well as Booklist online and CEO Reads today.

I read some more of Other Minds at the laundromat today.  Some of the book is about Octopolis in Australia, a place where octopi gather.  The concept has a charm to it.  Octopuses More Social Than Thought, 'Octopolis' Denizens Prove
http://www.newsweek.com/octopuses-more-social-thought-denizens-octopolis-prove-420606

Web Bits

Spotlight on spotlight: What can Library Information Professionals Learn from Journalists

https://www.cilip.org.uk/news/spotlight-spotlight-what-can-library-information-professionals-learn-journalists

Steak Sauce Bottles Reappearing at Avon Lake Library- But Staff's Found a Use for Them

http://www.chroniclet.com/Local-News/2017/04/12/Steak-sauce-bottles-reappearing-at-Avon-Lake-library-but-staff-39-s-found-a-use-for-them.html

Daily Thoughts 04/11/2017

Reza Abbasi, Youth Reading,  1625

Daily Thoughts 04/11/2017

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

Share Your Story With the Mount Vernon Public Library
http://mountvernonpubliclibrary.org/share-your-story/

I read the local newspaper on the way to work.  I spent some time discussing policies in the morning.

I checked the displays and the gift books this morning.

I interviewed two people today with my colleagues for a librarian position.

I spent some time working on orders for new books.  I have a copy of the New York Times Book Review to read.

I also spent some time checking the 600s today.

There is a Fundamentals of Computers Class today and a Microsoft Word 2013 class today this evening.

I spent a little time working on programming in the afternoon.

I started reading Other Minds The Ocopus, The Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness by Peter Godfrey-Smith.  This book is about consciousness. More is known about octopusses than the two other cephalopods, cuttlefish, and squids.  So far, this book has investigated a little bit on the evolution of the octopuss and signs of intelligence.  The classic examples of octopusses using coconuts, opening jars from the inside, and escaping from aquariums are described.

I also read a letter from James Baldwin, to his nephew James, called My Dungeon Shook.

Web Bits

Whitehead, Thompson Among 2017 Pulitzer Prize Winners

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/awards-and-prizes/article/73303-pulitzer-prizes-2017.html

Fight for Libraries

http://www.ala.org/advocacy/advleg/federallegislation/fight-for-libraries

Photos of 19th Black Women Activists Digitized and Put Online by Library of Congress

http://www.openculture.com/2017/04/photos-of-19th-century-black-women-activists-digitized-and-put-online-by-the-library-of-congress.html

Daily Thoughts 04/10/2017

Advertising design by Robert John Wildhack (ca. 1908)

Daily Thoughts 04/10/2017

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

I spent a bit of time and put together my monthly report.

I also donated a small amount of money to Every Library.

I spent some time looking at Shelf Awareness.

Web Bits

The State of America's Libraries 2017

http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/Launch.aspx?EID=aa5e87ed-c5a5-40f3-b4d2-c699ad53869d

Public libraries need help.  The super-rich could provide it.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2017/04/10/public-libraries-need-help-the-super-rich-could-provide-it/?utm_term=.038432eaed27

Trump Budget Devalues Libraries

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-budget-devalues-libraries/ar-BBzFcr8

Daily Thoughts 04/09/2017

Old Woman Sleeping, Cornelis Bisschop, 17th Century

Daily Thoughts 04/09/2017

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

Last night, I finished reading New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson.  I rather enjoyed this.  The conflict is different in this book.  It is not military, but focused on finance, environmental issues, politics, and interpersonal conflicts.  This makes the book different.  New York is a partially drowned city which is compared to Venice.  The characters are interesting, they live on the water.  The setting is the center of the story.  Without it there would be no partially drowned skyscrapers, diving, fast boats, and terrifying weather.  This is well worth reading.

Web Bits

Library's First Elder In Residence Shares Story of Early Life Challenges

http://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/librarys-first-elder-in-residence-shares-story-of-early-life-challenges

Why It's Important to Read Aloud to Your Kids and How To Make It Count

https://www-washingtonpost-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/news/parenting/wp/2017/02/16/why-its-important-to-read-aloud-with-your-kids-and-how-to-make-it-count/

OPeri Publishing Platform Field Reports

http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2017/04/academic-libraries/operi-publishing-platform-field-reports/

Daily Thoughts 04/08/2017

Interior With A Reading Lady, Vilhelm Hammershoi, 1900

Daily Thoughts 04/08/2017

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

I spent some time writing a summary of the Urban Librarians Unite conference for my job.  I still have to write my monthly report.

I placed the book, All Systems Red by Martha Wells on hold which is science fiction.

I also took a look at the New York Times Bestseller List and the Publishers Weekly Bestseller list today.

I read a little bit more of New York 2140 today.

Urban Librarians Unite Conference.

I got to the conference at 9:00 a.m. and registered.  I rather like the Urban Librarians Unite coffee which I received.  My colleague was there with me.

The keynote speaker was Maurice Coleman who gave a very inspirational speech.  He talked about the importance of librarians and that we were all significant people.  He showed a variety of slides and images and left us with a list of interesting links.  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lJruqV18x0mEpyQXv4Q1D-0hvTulp3dflLe0xp0VMpU/edit

In this list there is a link to a particularly valuable looking book, Winning Elections and Influencing Politicians for Library Funding by Patrick "PC" Sweeney and John Chrastka coming out in summer of 2017.

The first session that I went to was on the IMLS.  Christian Zabriskie, the head of Urban Librarians Unite spoke as well as Mike Nepol a lobbyist for the New York Library Association.  It helped give me a better sense of what was happening with the IMLS-- Institute of Museum and Library Services.  President Trump had given an executive order before his budget release that any agencies that were not funded would be disbanded.  In the proposed budget, IMLS was not given any funding along with the NEH, NEA, Coast Guard, and a variety of other organizations.

The importance of this is the IMLS funds the state libraries and many of the personnel inside the state libraries. The impact would eventually move down to the main systems forcing cuts in services like databases, programming, and job services.

Things are still developing.  The Appropriator Letters are still being requested in Congress.  Right now for librarians, there is a choice of advocacy for your job or activism.  On the activism side, Radical Reference is joining the March for Science in Washington DC on April 22, 2017.  On the advocacy side, there is Every Library which I have donated some money to before which is a PAC Political Action Committe, NYLA-- New York Library Association, and ALA.  Urban Librarians Unite is also a good place to learn about advocacy.

I have been following this closely, because it is my livelihood.  This is a short list of articles.  Please support your library.

Library Advocates Make the Local Editorial Pages

http://www.districtdispatch.org/2017/04/library-advocates-make-editorial-pages/

Appropriations Webinar Announced for National Library Week

http://www.districtdispatch.org/2017/04/appropriations-budgets-and-continuing-resolutions-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-congressional-appropriations-process/

The congressional appropriations are coming up.

Save The IMLS! Gale, ALA Launch New Advocacy Website

http://www.infodocket.com/2017/03/31/save-the-imls-gale-ala-launch-new-advocacy-website/

Top 10 Things to Know (And Do) About Saving Library Funding

http://www.districtdispatch.org/2017/03/top-10-things-know-saving-imls/

Fight for Libraries This Week How You Can Act to Preserve Funding

https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/fight-for-libraries-this-week/

Nonpartisan Nonprofits Fight for Free Expression

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/73185-nonpartisan-nonprofits-fight-for-free-expression.html

#ALAWO Is Tracking #SAVEIMLS and Collecting Your Stories

http://www.districtdispatch.org/2017/03/alawo-track-saveimls-collect-stories/

The next session which I attended was Hooray for Social Justice Building a Culture of Radical Inclusivity by Margo Gustina & Eli Guinnee.  This session was about creating inclusivity in libraries.  The presenters saw equitability in services as part of democracy.  They took the position we should be empowering and providing equal access to our facilities.  I learned a few new things in the session.

The most important thing that I took from it is that we should be focused on listening to people and asking what they want if we want to bring in new people, not necessarily speaking our mission all the time.  There is a tendency among libraries to help out the people who bring in the most statistics in terms of circulation and programming, not everyone.

There was an exercise on thinking about how we would handle a visiting group of developmentally disabled people.   Also there was some discussion on what we can do as librarians with controversial social topics.

The final session I attended was on Tactical Urbanism or small inexpensive civic projects that can change a community.  The one that most stood out for me was the Boston Storefront Library in Chinatown where people setup a library in a vacant storefront to demonstrate that they needed a library there. http://www.storefrontlibrary.org/

The session opened with a number of examples of projects like painting abandoned properties in Detroit Tiggerite orange. The speaker, Karen Munro mentioned E.F. Schumacher's book, Small Is Beautiful.

I found this session to be very focused on design and architecture.  It reminded me a little bit of the idea of design thinking.

I enjoyed the conference.  I had a chance to talk to a few different people.  I was invited to New York Library Club on Monday to tour the United Nations library.

The conference was useful, entertaining, and well worth going to.  As always, I try and put what I thought was interesting into my summary.

Web Bits

In Defense of Books

http://www.sfreporter.com/santafe/article-13245-in-defense-of-books.html

Daily Thoughts 04/07/2017

Court Woman At Her Desk With Poem Cards, Kubo Shunman, 1795

Daily Thoughts 04/07/2017

Today I went to the Urban Librarians Unite conference at the Brooklyn Public Library at Grand Army Plaza.  I even got to talk to my old boss, Mark Levine in the History Biography and Religion section.

The conference was interesting.  They had good coffee and strudel in the morning.  I have to sit down and write up the full conference tomorrow.  It will take me some time as some of it has to do with advocacy.

There were a few vendors.  I got a button with a picture of from Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak.  Brooklyn Public Library now has library cards with Maurice Sendak's art.
http://www.bklynlibrary.org/media/press/brooklyn-public-library-d-0

I had a chance to walk around outside at lunch.  The neighborhood has gentrified tremendously and the prices have gone up.

I recognized some of the people at the conference.  One of my colleagues was there.  I have not had as much time to go out to events lately.

On the way home, I read some more of New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson.  The cover art is attractive enough that people ask me what the title is when I am sitting reading it on the train.  I like how weather and the ocean are portrayed in this book.

A book that caught my interest during the conference was Tactical Urbanism for Librarians: Quick, Low- Cost Ways to Make Big Changes by Karen Munro which is coming out in July of 2017.

 Web Bits

Library Advocates Make the Local Editorial Pages

http://www.districtdispatch.org/2017/04/library-advocates-make-editorial-pages/

Appropriations Webinar Announced for National Library Week

http://www.districtdispatch.org/2017/04/appropriations-budgets-and-continuing-resolutions-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-congressional-appropriations-process/

Holocaust Library Opens on Sacramento Synagogue Campus

http://www.jweekly.com/2017/04/07/holocaust-library-opens-on-sacramento-synagogue-campus/

Daily Thoughts 04/06/2017

Still Life. Table, books, and the Pipes, 1929, Pyotr Konchalovsky

Daily Thoughts 04/06/2017

Tomorrow is the Urban Librarians Unite conference.

I read a little bit more of New York 2140 on the way to work.

I checked the displays and the gift books today.

I checked Twitter and Facebook this morning.

I spent some time working an order for central library district books.

I checked on the computer lab.

We had a program tonight called James Baldwin's America led by Professor Emeritus John Howard from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.   We discussed some of James Baldwin's life as an open conversation.  There were several handouts which we read including material on Go Tell It to the Mountain and some of his essays.

I did a little work with the 600s and the large print books as well.

Daily Thoughts 04/05/2017

Reading, Nicole Vermont, 1919

Daily Thoughts 04/05/2017

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook this morning.

I checked the displays and the gift books this morning.

I spent several hours in the computer lab.  I put in some orders for nonfiction and fiction new books.

The Senior Memoir Writing Class was this morning from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

I read through a copy of Library Journal and Publishers weekly today.  I have a lot more ordering to do.

On the way home, I read some more of New York 2140.  The science in this book is hard.  It seems to be based on plausible advances in technology.


Web Bits

Ransomware Hackers Target Government Offices, Libraries

http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2017/04/industry-news/ransomware-hackers-target-government-offices-libraries/

Amazon Opening Second Bookstore in NYC

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bookselling/article/73254-amazon-opening-second-nyc-bookstore.html

How dokk1 Managed to Double the Number of Visits to the Library

https://princh.com/dokk1-case-attract-new-users-to-the-library/

From Libraries to Lunch Coutners, African Americans Recall Years of Exclusion

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/from-libraries-to-lunch-counters-african-americans-recall-years-of-exclusion/2017/03/31/fcf6daf2-160d-11e7-ada0-1489b735b3a3_story.html?utm_term=.94a103bf114f

The Lost Art of Library Card Catalogues

https://hyperallergic.com/368529/the-lost-art-of-library-card-catalogues/