Daily Thoughts 05/05/2012

A reading lady. Signed and dated Leo Gestel 13, oil on board, 37 x 31 cm, 1913
Daily Thoughts 05/05/2012

I read some more of Straphanger this morning.  Taras Grescoe is writing about Vancouver, Canada and Portland, Oregon both of which have excellent public transportation networks.

The Friends of the Library are having their book and bake sale today.  They are also serving tea, coffee, and have an excellent selection of cake and cookies as well as all kinds of books.  

I checked the displays this morning and updated the Twitter and Facebook for the library today.  I also spent some time looking at Black Expressions Book Club which is quite interesting to look at.  They have a very large selection of titles.  http://www.blackexpressions.com/

It is almost the end of the Friends of the Library Book and Bake Sale.  They are having an end of sale special where you can buy a bag of books.

I practiced a little more on Codecademy.  I think I am getting a grasp of HTML and have a better idea of exactly what CSS does.

I am thinking a bit about the author event for Poe: 19 New Tales Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe.

On the way home, I finished reading Taras Grescoe, Straphanger Saving Our Cities and Ourselves From the Automobile.  I found this to be a very modern view focused on using trolleys, subways, and trains in an urban setting.  The authot is focusing on trains, trolleys, and subways in major metropolises where it is easier to use trains a lot and not drive as much.  It reminds me very much of the kind of people who use coworking  spaces or work from home and don't need to commute that much because they telecommute. Maybe, they only use their car on weekends, or possibly use a car sharing service when they need a car like Zipcar.

There is quite a bit of pondering on the environment.  He prefers trains that are electric, sleek, and fast. Taras Grescoe even hates buses. Part of the message is about the environment and how it is better to live in a dense urban environment with walkable cities and plenty of bicycle paths.  There is a kind of leftist utopian view in the book with a few anti-libertarian diatribes.  There is a quirky feel to the book which make it entertaining if not a little eccentric.

I also started reading the book Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson.  Walter Isaacson also wrote biographies of Albert Einstein and Benjamin Franklin two very creative and innovative people.  From the beginning the author focuses on the creative side of Steve Jobs as well as his drive to innovate.  One of the nice things about this book is that Steve Jobs basically tells Walter Isaacson to include everything about his life, both the good and the bad.  There is nothing sugarcoated about this story.

Daily Thoughts 05/04/2012

Pariser Büchermarkt (Bouquinistes), 1911, Fritz Westendorp



Daily Thoughts 05/04/2012

This morning, I read some more of Straphanger.  The author is describing how people use bicycles a lot in Copenhagen and even ride their bikes to the train stations.  One thing that caught my interest is the idea of  transportation networks linking bicycles, pedestrian walkways, trains, and buses.  


I also updated the Facebook and Twitter pages for the library, checked the displays, and went to the book sale.  The Mount Vernon Public Library is having its Book and Bake sale today from the Friends of the Library.  It was pleasant walking around the sale.  I recognized a few booksellers who were picking out books to sell on the internet as well as many of the Friends of the Library who were there.  I bought two books, a hardcover and a paperback and had a piece of cake.  People were coming and looking at the books from the community.  I always enjoy book sales.  They have a very comfortable atmosphere to them.  The sale runs today, May 4 and Saturday, May 5, 2012.  I will also be here on Saturday.

I spent a little more time at the book sale and listened while one of the Friends of the Library played the piano.  I also had some coffee it was quite pleasant.  It gave me a chance to mention the May 8, 2012 panel on Poe: 19 New Tales Inspired by Edgar Allen Poe where we have Ellen Datlow, edior, John Langan, author, and Laird Barron author .

I read the latest New York Times Book Review.

I just finished the section on HTML at Codecademy.  Next up is CSS.

On the way home, I read some more of Straphanger.  The author is describing the incredible efficiency and density of the Tokyo train systems.  One of the reasons they are so successful is that so many people prefer riding trains over cars in Japan.  Taras Grescoe also describes something called a BRT or (Bus Rapid Transit).  These are buses with station stops, dedicated walled off lanes designed for fairly fast transport of large numbers of passengers.

I am still thinking about the difference between wordpress.com and wordpress.org.  I am thinking about what it would take to build a self hosted site with a dedicated host.  I would probably need a more up to date computer to do it though.  I don't see that much difference between wordpress.com and blogger in draft.  It is the self hosted site that seems to offer the msot difference.  There are even some libraries using wordpress.org as a content management system.

Web Bits

Can Barnes & Noble Balance Physical and Online Sales Without Killing Itself
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/can-barnes-noble-balance-physical-and-online-sales-without-killing-itself.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+readwriteweb+%28ReadWriteWeb%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

This is one of those questions that affects the whole book industry.  You could ask the same question to booksellers who sell books both in store and online.  You could even ask the same question about libraries.

Daily Thoughts 05/03/2012

Mary Cassatt, The Letter, 1890-1891


Daily Thoughts 05/03/2012

This morning, I checked the displays, updated the Twitter and Facebook accounts, checked the gift books, and did the email reference.  I also got a call from Centerpoint Large Print.  We have a number of homes for the aged in our community.  One of the things older people ask for a lot is art books.  It would be nice to see some biographies of popular artists like Monet, Van Gogh, and Picasso in large print.

I spent a little bit of time on Codecademy learning a bit more CSS.  CSS is a challenge for me.

There was a meeting today to discuss programming.  I often do adult programs.  It was interesting.  I spent a little time thinking about programming.

We are having The Friends of the Library Book and Bake Sale is on Friday, May 4 and Saturday, May 5, 2012.  It is always nice to see the book and bake sale because we have some of our retired staff in the Friends of the Library.  It creates a continuity for people who worked at the library.  The Friends of the Library are getting the book and bake sale ready right now.

We have the Computer Lab for Academic Use from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m..  People often look for jobs or do research during this time period.

On the way home today, I spent some time reading Straphanger.  Taras Grescoe is writing about the Paris metro.  They are planning on having automated trains in the near future.  It reminds me how far the Untied States is behind Europe when it comes to trains.  I read a bit more and learned that bullet trains in Germany run up to 150 mile per hour which is quite fast.  I am rather enjoying his stridently rhetoric against cars.  I find it amusing if a bit impractical.

Daily Thoughts 05/02/2012

Geb[h]ō no atamazori Print shows a woman reading, sitting in a chair at a cabinet containing tea service utensils, on the wall behind her is a print showing two of the seven lucky gods, Daikokuten shaving Fukurokuju's head.  Date Created/Published: [ between 1818 and 1830]
Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-jpd-01961 (digital file from original print)


Daily Thoughts 05/02/2012

I started reading Straphanger today.  The book opens with the history of the New York Subway.  There is even a description of workers tunneling under New York city.  Taras Grescoe describes the automobile as both wasteful and polluting.  He likes the idea of cities that are more walkable, have bike lanes, and more public transportation, especially trains.

I checked the Facebook and Twitter pages for the library today.  I also talked to the authors coming on May 8, 2012.  We are having Ellen Datlow who is an editor, Laird Barron who is an author, and John Langan who is an author.  They are going to be discussing the anthology Poe: 19 New Tales Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe.  Unfortunately, Gregory Frost won't be able to make it.

I also checked the gift books.   We have the Computer Lab open between 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. today for academic use.

I am looking at BookAND which is a social bookstore which is odd.  I found it on Joe Wikert's Publishing 2020 blog. http://www.bookand.net/

I am looking at Publishers Weekly, April 30, 2012 issue in the section on Book Expo America, they have the booths listed by number.  I created a checklist in numerical order of the different publishers I plan on visiting.  It should be interesting.

I also spent a little bit of time updating the displays.  We have a display up for home improvement, a display of books for the easy reader collection, and the current events display.

Daily Thoughts 04/27/2012

Homme à la pipe. Signed and dated Marcoussis 30, pencil on paper, 22.9 x 16.8 cm

Daily Thoughts 04/27/2012

I udpated the Twitter and Facebook pages for the library.  I also read some more of  The Power of Habit.  Charles Duhigg is describing how company routines keep the peace inside corporations.  Certain habits become ways of creating truces between rivals.  I am enjoying reading Infoquake as well.  The main character in Infoquake, Natch has a ruthless and obsessive streak which makes him seem more businesslike.

I spent a little more time on CSS with Codecademy today.

I put together the monthly statistics for adult programs for March.  I also did a quick check of the gift books and the displays.

This morning I took some time off to speak to a colleague originally from Brooklyn Public Library.  It was informative.  Things are quite challenging for libraries right now.

The book Straphanger Saving Our Cities and Ourselves from the Automobile by Taras Grescoe has come in for me to read.  I have always been a big fan of trains.

Web Bits

Infographic Meet the 19%
http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/infographic-why-publishers-should-focus-on-the-19_b50691

Daily Thoughts 04/18/2012

La Roche Guyon, Circa 1881, Theodore Robinson
Daily Thoughts 04/18/2012

On the way to work, I read some more of It's Your Biz on my Kindle Touch.  The author was writing about partnerships.

This morning, the book, The Power of Habit Why We Do What We Do In Life and Business by Charles Duhigg came in for me to read.

I also had a chance to update the Twitter and Facebook pages for the library as well as check the gift books this morning.

Right now, I am in the computer lab helping people look for jobs and fill out applications.  The session runs from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

There is a gallery exhibit called Contemporary Rhythms of abstract art in our rotunda.  I have been selecting books to supplement paintings and display in the glass cabinets.   The exhibit runs from April 19 to June 14, 2012.  http://www.mountvernonpubliclibrary.org/Current-Exhibit

I put a hold on the book, Straphanger: Surviving The End of the Automobile Age by Taras Grescoe.  I am quite a fan of trains because they let me read without having to drive.

We had our Board of Trustees Meeting tonight.  I saw a couple of colleagues who used to work here.
I also had a chance to catch up a bit on my reading of the New York Times Book Review.  I am saving the Bestseller lists for tomorrow.