Daily Thoughts 02/29/2012

Dou, Gerard, Astronomer by Candlelight, 1665

 Daily Thoughts 02/29/2012

On the way to work, I read some more of No Shelf Required.  There are three major vendors for e-books for libraries; Ingram Digital, Netlibrary, and Overdrive.  Baker and Taylor has recently started working on a new system for e-books called Blio.  https://www.blio.com/blio/screens/homepage.jsp

This morning, I checked the Facebook and Twitter accounts for the library.  We have the Computer Lab for Academic Use between 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. today.  I also checked some more of the mystery and romance paperbacks from the gifts and suggested a few to be added.  I also added a few books on current events to the current events display.

I spent some time looking at Techsoup.  I also talked with someone about volunteers for the library.  I did lots of small things like reminding people to send flyers to the Friends of the Library and the Mount Vernon Public Library Foundation.

I also got sent this widget which is kind of interesting.  http://www.statestats.org/free-online-courses-widget-ny.php

Daily Thoughts 02/16/2012

A bookplate for Fritz Billig found in a book by A.B. Kay published in 1908.
Daily Thoughts 02/16/2012


Today was extremely busy.  We had the computer lab from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and the Mount Vernon Writers Network which has a solid attendance.   Things are moving along smoothly with these two groups.

I have learned from watching the computer lab that it often takes more than an hour to fill out job applications or forms on the internet.  This makes the usual amount of time given in public libraries not enough time to apply for jobs.

I checked the gift books today.  The Friends of the Library book sale is doing alright.  There were a number of paperback thrillers to add to the collection.  I got a call from Better World Books today as well.  Better World Books handles our discards.

The Mount Vernon Writers Network was interesting today.  We discussed plans to expand the group as well as a bit on electronic publishing.

I sent a reminder email to the head of our Friends of the Library Group and the Mount Vernon Writers Network about the different places where the library has social media on the internet.

There is a new Gallery Exhibit Piecing It Together at the Mount Vernon Public Library.
http://www.mountvernonpubliclibrary.org/node/146

There is a film series featuring Denzel Washington's films on March 3, 2012 with an introduction and discssions on the films by Dr. John Howard.
http://www.mountvernonpubliclibrary.org/node/436

I read some more of The Lean Startup.  I rather like the idea that the objective when releasing a new product is not to create something complicated, but to create something that can be easily improved upon and modified to meet customers wishes.

Web Bits

Occupy Consortium (the Occupy Library Consortium)
http://occupyconsortium.wordpress.com/

Daily Thoughts 02/09/2012

Portrait in oil of the dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza by the painter Franz Wulfhagen (1624–1670) from Bremen, Germany. Created in 1664, probably commissioned by the scholar Johann Eberhard Schweling, the painting today is in private hands in France.

Daily Thoughts 02/09/2012

We have the Computer Lab for Academic Use from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 pm. I have been helping a few people with their email today.

There is a collage exhibit being put up today called Piecing It Together, at the Mount Vernon Public Library.  I can hear them putting up the exhibit right.  https://www.artswestchester.org/things-to-do/event/piecing-it-together-at-mount-vernon-library/

I put some books on collage, assemblage, and mosaic in the displays cases next to the art exhibit.  We have quite a few oversize or quart art books.

On the way home, I read some more of Thinking, Fast and Slow.  Daniel Kahneman is writing about risk.  He is describing why we fail to make bets based on probability and are likely to make huge disastrous bets when we are in trouble.

Daily Thoughts 02/02/2012

Newspaper publishing - N.Y. Herald: Composing room and linotype machines  Date Created/Published: 1902.

Daily Thoughts 02/02/2012

This morning I read a bit of Fab on the way to work.  The author is describing additive manufacturing as well as different creative uses which people are putting fab labs to use for.  He describes how people design things so they can be taken apart as part of the initial creative process.

This morning, I checked the displays and updated the Twitter and Facebook accounts for the library.

We had the computer lab open from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. today.  I helped a few people with their email and helped a few people apply for jobs. 

We also have the Women's Enterprise Development Center tonight from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. they are doing an Enhanced First Steps Program for entrepreneurship.  I am speaking to the teacher about the computer lab.  She also teaches the computer classes.

I got sent a box of Advanced Reading Copies from Library Journal today.  I got Bridge of Scarlett Leaves by Kristina McMorris, Wildflowers from Winter by Katie Ganshert, The Widow of Saunders Creek by Tracey Bateman, The Grievers by Marc Schuster, Make It Stay by Joan Frank, Isaac A Modern Fable by Ivan G. Goldman, Fallen Angels by Connie Dial, and Flat Spin by David Freed.  It is always nice to get these books.  It reminds me of why I am a librarian.

I finished reading Fab on the way home.  I enjoyed reading the book because it was essentially about a new kind of innovation.  People were adapting manufacturing to their unique wants and needs in unique places.  I especially liked the examples from India.  It makes me want to read more about the Maker movement.

Daily Thoughts 01/25/2012

Horatius reads before Maecenas, 1863, Fyodor Bronnikov

Daily Thoughts 01/25/2012

On the train to work, I read some more of Debt The First 5,000 Years.  I am reading about how debt obligations sometimes lead to enslavement.  There is a bit on the African slave trade and how many of the people on the Atlantic slave trade were enslaved as debtors then sold to be brought to America.

This morning, I updated the Twitter and Facebook accounts for the library.  I also spent some time working on flyers and the eblasts.  I have an issue of Publishers Weekly and the latest issue of the New York Times Book Review to read.  I also picked out some graphic novels for the Graphic Novels Club this afternoon.

We are doing the Computer Lab for Academic Use today from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the afternoon.  It has started to fill up very quickly.  A number of the people from the Tuesday computer classes come in to practice in the lab.

We discussed Kyle Baker at the Graphic Novels club who wrote Plastic Man on the Lam and How to draw stupid and other rules of cartooning.   Kyle Baker reminds me a little bit of Aaron MacGruder who wrote the comic strip Boondocks.

Two books came in for me to read, The Lean Startup by Eric Ries and The Price of Civilization by Jeffrey D. Sachs.

On the way home, I read the latest New York Times Book Review and the January 23, 2012 Publishers Weekly.  There were a lot of interesting books being announced.  I saw an advertisement for Paolo Bacigalupi's new book coming in May, The Drowned Cities.  Another book which caught my attention was Change Comes to Dinner:  How Vertical Farmers, Urban Growers, and Other Innovators Are Revolutionizing How Americans Eat by Katherine Gustafson coming out in April published by St. Martin's.  There is already a website for the book with a blog. http://www.changecomestodinner.com/Book/Home.html

Daily Thoughts 01/24/2012

Bookstore, Washington, D.C.  Date Created/Published: 1937 Nov. Part of: Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Photograph Collection (Library of Congress)
Daily Thoughts 01/24/2012

I have been steadily reading more of Debt The First 5,000 Years.  Right now, the author is writing about religious debt in the terms of the bible.  He is describing how debt drove many people into slavery.  Part of this process is on occassion freeing people from debt slavery so they can go back to being peasants.

This morning, I updated the Twitter and Facebook accounts.  We are also working on the E-blast to announce programs.  Part of this process is working on a consistent brand and logo for all of our marketing materials; flyers, social media announcments, email notifications, and website.

I also checked the displays this morning.  I am going to be sitting with someone to discuss the Nook today.  It will be a learning experience.

I am working on a number of flyers for events that are coming up very soon.  We have the Computer Lab for Academic Use Today from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.  We also have two computer classes one from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and one from 6:45 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.

I spent some time today going over the Nook with a patron.  I also helped some colleagues with a display for African American history month.

The book, Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman came in for me to read.

On the way home, I read some more of Debt The First 5000 Years.  The author is writing about blood money and bride prices.  Both of these have greater social value than monetary value.  It is very hard to place a value on human life in purely monetary terms.

Web Bits

The Political Price of Austerity
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/books/review/the-age-of-austerity-how-scarcity-will-remake-american-politics-by-thomas-byrne-edsall-book-review.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
After reading this article it made me want to read The Age of Austerity.

People's Library Presentation at ALA (American Library Association) Midwinter conference
http://peopleslibrary.wordpress.com/2012/01/24/peoples-library-presentation-at-ala-midwinter/

Detroits Monteith Library Branch to Reopen in February
http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news/local/detroit-monteith-library-branch-to-reopen-in-february-20120120-ms
This was partially the result of Occupy Detroit protesting.

Daily Thoughts 01/19/2012

Trinity College Library: the "Long Room" in the 18th Century, Watercolor of James Malton

Daily Thoughts 01/19/2012

On the way to work, I read some of A Nation Rising by Kenneth Davis.  Kenneth Davis is writing about Aaron Burr and his trial for treason for which he was acquitted.  Aaron Burr was accused of trying to create his own empire in Mexico and the southwest in the 1800s.

This morning, I updated the Twitter and Facebook accounts as well as provided some statistics on my programs.  I am thinking about doing a sign up sheet for the computer lab.

I spent some time talking about the website with a colleague.

We have the Computer Lab for Academic Use today from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.  I spent some time helping people look for jobs, print out resumes, sign up for email accounts, search the Lexis database for company information and use the teaching programs in the lab like Professor Teaches Excel, Mavis Beacon Typing Tutor and Learning Express Software Tutorials.

We also have the Mount Vernon Writers Network from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. tonight.The Mount Vernon Writers Network worked very well tonight.  The attendance is slowly growing.  It has been a full year that this program has been running as of tonight.  The Mount Vernon Writers Network now has a new logo, some marketing materials, and a few more new members.  We will be having William Bowden reading from his new book, Soul Sister Sonnets II on February 14, 2012 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m..  I am hoping that this will go very well.

On the way home, I read some more of A Nation Rising Untold Tales from America's Hidden History.  Kenneth C. Davis is writing about slave revolts.  He specifically writes about the Creole and the Amistad, two ships where the slaves revolted aboard the ships.  He also describes many accounts of how the Native Americans allied with run away slaves to fight settlers.

Web Bits

P. Craig Russell has a Kickstarter project teaching graphic storytelling.  I very much like his artwork.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/251462428/p-craig-russells-guide-to-graphic-storytelling 

Creating The Library of Tomorrow From the Ground Up
http://mindshift.kqed.org/2012/01/creating-the-library-of-tomorrow-from-the-ground-up/ 

A Bit More Occupy Stuff Because I am Interested

Occupy Cal Protests with library Sit-In
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/education&id=8511925

Occupy Detroit Update on Library Fight
http://occupydetroitfrontline.blogspot.com/2012/01/update-on-library-fight-victory-for.html

Occupy Wall Street Library Update
http://killingthebuddha.com/ktblog/ows-library-update/

Occupy Comics: Art + Stories Inspired by Occupy Wall Street
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1817933359/occupy-comics-art-stories-inspired-by-occupy-wall

Daily Thoughts 01/18/2012

[Thomas Jefferson, 1743, 1826, reading rough draft of Declaration of Independence to Benjamin Franklin] Date Created/Published: 1897.
Daily Thoughts 01/18/2012

On the train to work, I finished reading Tony Wheeler's Badlands A Tourist on the Axis of Evil.  The last section is on Saudi Arabia.  I was surprised at the degree of separation between men and women in this society.  I also read some more of The Night Circus.  The imagery is fantastic.  I like the idea that real magic is hidden as illusion in this story.

I have still been thinking about possibly getting an iPad.  I am looking at iPad The Missing Manual.  I just read the latest Publishers Weekly.  Gail Carriger has her new book, Timeless coming out in March.  I rather like the Parasol Protector series.  This is the final book in the series.

I checked out the book Debt The First 5,000 Years by David Graeber.

This morning, I updated the Twitter and Facebook page for the library.

I joined the email mailing list for Gluejar which is a new idea for ebooks. http://www.gluejar.com/

We had the Computer Lab today from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.  I spent some time helping people look for jobs and helping people print documents. Some of the applications online can take several hours to fill out.

 I also synched the wireless network so I could get some books from the Westchester Library System Digital Media Catalog.  I now have This Changes Everything on my Kindle Touch.  In addition, I downloaded a few free titles from the Kindle Store including Organized Simplicity by Tsh Oxenreider.

I have noticed that there are a number of sites that have gone dark in protest of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA).  When I was in the computer lab, we could not get to Craigs List for example.

Web Bits

Why SOPA Still Needs Work
http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/18/opinion/mcdiarmid-sopa-legislation/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

Daily Thoughts 12/28/2011

 "Adversity is not without comforts & hopes" Illustrated Francis Bacon quotation. 1915

Daily Thoughts 12/28/2011

I went to Board of Estimate and Contract Special Meeting on Decmber 28, 2011 at 10:00 a.m.  The meeting started at 10:05 a.m.  There was no final decision on the 2012 Budget Estimate for the City of Mount Vernon.  There were disagreements between the interested parties.  I was there to listen and observe the meeting.  At around 10:20 a.m. the meeting went into executive session ending the period of public discussion.
http://cmvny.com/2011/12/27/board-of-estimate-and-contract-special-meeting-notice/

This morning, I updated the Twitter and Facebook accounts.  The library opened the Computer Lab for Academic Use between 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.  An adolescent pregnancy prevention group stopped in to use the lab for research.  Today has been fairly quiet.

We also had the Graphic Novels Club from 4:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.  We discussed a number of titles including V for Vendetta by Alan Moore.  I also learned that the manga magazine Shonen Jump was moving to online only.  We have several copies which will be giveaways at the Anime Club.  We are planning to discuss graphic novel movie tie ins which should be interesting for the next Graphic Novels club.

The book, World On The Edge How To Prevent Environmental and Economic Collapse by Lester R. Brown came in for me to read.  It should be quite interesting.  People need to receive suggestions for solutions even if they do not agree with them always.

I checked the displays this evening and updated the current events display with some books on what is in the news.  I can hear the drums for the Kwanzaa event downstairs.

Daily Thoughts 12/14/2011

Depiction of Joseph reading to the Pharaoh. Lawrence Alma-Tadema, 1878 Ebers, From the book, "Egypt: Descriptive, Historical, and Picturesque." Volume 1. Cassell & Company, Limited: New York, 1878. p 096b.

Daily Thoughts 12/14/2011

This morning, I updated the Facebook and Twitter accounts for the library.  I also checked the displays, checked the gift books, looked over the flyers, and printed some more bookmarks. 

We spent some time discussing the computers. Techsoup has some very good deals on software for libraries http://www.techsoup.org/ , especially for Microsoft products.

The computer lab is going to be open from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. for academic use.  More people are coming in for the lab lately.  A lot of them are from the computer classes on Tuesday nights.  We are installing Open Office in addition to Microsoft Office.

I am reading The Life and Legend of Jay Gould by Maury Kleint.  Jay Gould was known for being a robber baron and industrialist on the railroads in the 19th century.  We are going to read biographies of people who worked with the railroads as part of the biography book club for next month.

I put together the beginnings of a book display on trains, subways, and trolleys.  There is some information on old railroad lines in Westchester that have since stopped operating in the Local History Room which I hope to look at.

Significant Changes at the Mount Vernon Public Library
http://www.mvinquirer.com/mount_vernon_public_library_chan.htm

Web Bits

Ebooks Shmee Books; Readers Return to the Stores
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/13/books/steve-jobs-biography-and-other-hot-titles-bookstore-lures.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all?src=tp

For Amazon Lashes and Backlashes
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/14/for-amazon-lashes-and-backlashes/%20
Is it alright to be ambivalent?

A "New" Digital Divide
http://www.ors.ala.org/libconnect/2011/12/13/a-new-digital-divide/
I like to think there are a number of divides:
1) Access to computers and computer training.
2) Access to smart devices-- smart phones, tablets, digital cameras
3) Access to broadband internet and wifi
4) Access to electronic content-- databases, ebooks, and other electronic content like music and film.

Each of these divides adds to the ability to interact in the increasingly digital world.  I keep on trying to convince myself to buy a smart phone and a tablet.

Daily Thoughts 11/9/2011

Unknown Dutch Master - Still-Life with Books (ca. 1628, Oil on wood, 61,3 x 97,4 cm)

Daily Thoughts 11/9/2011

On the way to work I read some more of Supergods by Grant Morrison.  Grant Morrison wrote briefly about Todd McFarlane and the comic book Spawn.  I am not fond of mixing superheros with horror.  It does not match my taste.  The Image comics which I liked were Invincible and The Savage Dragon. 

I updated the Twitter and Facebook accounts for the library this morning.  I also checked the displays and the boxes which need to be sent out to Better World Books.  I am writing a flyer for Learning Express as well.  In addition, I spent a little time studying Microsoft Publisher 2010 on Lynda.com

This afternoon, we had the Computer Lab open from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.  There were not as many people as usual.  I think that many people are out because of the holidays.  I have a stack of magazines to read, Publishers Weekly, The New York Times Book Review, and Booklist.

I put the book Boomerang: Travels In The New Third World by Michael Lewis on hold.

Web Bits

Build Your Own Digital Media Lab
http://www.thedigitalshift.com/2011/11/media/build-your-own-digital-media-lab/

F.C.C. Push to Expand Net Access Gains Help
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/09/business/media/fcc-and-cable-companies-push-to-close-digital-divide.html

Daily Thoughts 10/20/2011

Still Life with Spring Flowers, Anna Munthe-Norstedt, 1892

Daily Thoughts 10/20/2011

I read some of Without A Net Librarians Bridging The Digital Divide this morning on the train to work.  The author is describing how the library is often the only free place in many communities for internet access.  There are many adults who do not have access to a computer.  At our library we often help people who have never used a computer fill out job applications, request government forms, and acquire an
email account.

This afternoon, the computer lab was opened from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m..  Several people came in who had attended the Tuesday night computer classes to practice typing and using the word processor.  People are starting to ask about Excel and web design classes.

This morning, I updated the Twitter and Facebook account.  I also checked the displays.  We got a large donation of young adult books.  Many of them were 2011 practice books for the SAT, PSAT, and AP classes.  There were also a variety of books on Shakespeare.  In addition there were a few books on the Ipad and the Ipod which were new.

This evening, we are having the Mount Vernon Writers Network from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the Grace Greene Baker Community Room.  I am looking forward to the meeting. 

The Mount Vernon Writers Network went well.  We were discussing incorporation for the organization as well as bylaws and officers.  This is the first time I have had this experience.  There is a core group of people who are coming every evening that the organization meets. We also read some poetry later in the evening.  There is a plan to do a public performance in Mount Vernon in December of poetry.

I also spent some time reading Without A Net on the way home.  The author is describing key terminology for libraries in how librarians talk to people who are new to computers.  A lot of the material is how to show people the basics of what a computer is, how to use a mouse, and how to use vocabulary people who have never used a computer understand.

Daily Thoughts 10/6/2011

De zachte uren. Richard Roland Holst. 1911-1912
Daily Thoughts 10/6/2011

Today has been a steady day.  I checked the gift books today, made sure the displays were in order and started planning for a few programs.  Someone asked about http://www.booksalefinder.com/ which lists all the different library booksales.

I am putting together a display of old pictures of the library and working on setting up another session for the computer class during the week.  There seems to be a lot of demand for computer training.

I spent some more time practicing on Lynda.com, I finished the course on Indesign CS5.  I think I still have quite a ways to go.  It was a good introduction.  I am almost finished with taking Microsoft Word 2007 on Lynda.com.

We opened the Computer Lab today in the afternoon.  There are quite a few people who have come in to practice what they learned in the computer class in the lab.  A lot of them are practicing typing. 

I put the book Without A Net: Librarians Bridging the Digital Divide by Jessamyn West on request through interlibrary loan.  It should be quite interesting.

I am reading Every Thing On it poems and drawings by Shel Silverstein.  It should be both entertaining and lighthearted.  The book reminded me a bit of The Giving Tree.  The collection was posthumous so it had a lot of poems that were very different than his other books.  Some had a fairytale quality to them which I liked.

Tomorrow we will be getting a demonstration of the new Sony tablet computer.  I am looking forward to it.  

Daily Thoughts 9/28/2011

Pietro Magni The Reading Girl, Etching by William Roffe (1889-1893)

Daily Thoughts 9/28/2011

I read some more of The Swerve in the morning.  It describes the crumbling of Roman philosophy as Rome fell.  The book also describes how the library at Alexandria was eventually destroyed with the
waning of classical philosophy.

This morning, I checked the Twitter and Facebook account, looked over the displays, and checked on some upcoming programs.  I am starting to plan for programs in January and February.  I am also starting to learn a little bit more of how the website works.  I spent a little bit more time on Lynda.com learning about Microsoft Word 2007.

I also did some weeding in the graphic novels section.

We opened the computer lab today to help people with their job search between 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m..  There is a steady increase in the number of people coming in searching for jobs.

Two books came in for me to read, the graphic novel, Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles The Authorized Adaptation by Dennis Calero and Visual Quickstart Guide InDesign CS5 by Sandee Cohen.

Web Bits

Amazon Tablet Price Could be a Big Attraction
http://news.yahoo.com/price-amazon-tablet-could-big-attraction-224541425.html

This article is quite interesting because it puts a tablet at $249 very close to the price of an E-reader.  There is also the recent partnership between the Kindle and Overdrive.  Overdrive is the content provider for ebooks for the Westchester Library System.