Daily Thoughts 10/7/2011

"Le bibelot de Chine", oil on canvas, 1930, 38 x 46 cm, Francois Barraud

Daily Thoughts 10/7/2011

Today has been a quiet steady day.  I checked the Twitter and Facebook account, and looked over the displays.  I also selected some pictures of the library for a display; mainly of the bookmobile and the rotunda.

I also did some minor edits to the website.  I am learning a bit more about how the library website works.  I have a lot more to learn.  I finished taking Microsoft Word 2007 from Lynda.com.  I think the video instruction is excellent.  I am still taking the class on Drupal 7.

This afternoon, I spent some time talking to the computer instructor to see if we could do an extra hour of instruction for the computer lab.

A story on the Mount Vernon Writers Network from the Mount Vernon Inquirer  . http://www.mvinquirer.com/mount_vernon_writers.htm

Web Bits

The New York State Library has a new document called Creating The Future: A 2020 Vision and Plan For Library Service in New York. http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/adviscns/rac/creating.pdf   There is a lot in here which can significantly change how libraries are run.

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 10/5/2011

Winston Churchill

Daily Thoughts 10/5/2011

I read some more of A First Rate Madness.  The author is describing Abraham Lincoln's fits of melancholy as well as Winston Churchill's suffering which Churchill called the "black dog."

The author posits there is a relationship between depression and empathy.  People who have experienced depression are more able to be empathic.  He writes about depressive episodes
in Martin Luther King's life as well as Mahatma Ghandi.  It is an interesting if not completely believable hypothesis.

This morning I checked the Facebook and Twitter account, checked the displays, and looked over the gift books.  We got a large donation of new large print books with many popular authors like Danielle Steel, James Patterson, Catherine Coulter, Nicholas Sparks, and others.

I spent some time weeding and also spent some time discussing test books with a colleague.  I am preparing a fairly large order of civil service exam and professional exam books. 

I also had some time to read the New York Times Book Review and Publishers Weekly.  In the October 3, 2011 issue of Publishers Weekly, there is a review of Crafting With Cat Hair by Kaori Tsutaya translated by Amy Hirschmann.  This made me question what I was reading.  Luckily, there is also a review of How To Fix Copyright by William Patry which looks quite interesting.  William Patry has worked for Google on copyright.  It is coming out in January of 2012.

On the way home, I tried to read more of A First Rate Madness, but found it was no longer to my tastes.  The author was describing the polio of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the Addison's disease of John F. Kenndy.  At this point, I decided to put away the book and read some haiku. There is going to be another Writer's Networking Event on October 20 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m..


Web Bits

Your Personal Information Is Valuable You Should Hoard It
http://www.hackerfactor.com/blog/index.php?/archives/448-Privately-Held.html

Daily Thoughts 10/4/2011

Le Pêcheur à la ligne, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1874 Oil On Canvas
Daily Thoughts 10/4/2011

I read some more of A First Rate Madness this morning.  The author delves into William Tecumseh Sherman's bouts of melancholy during the United States civil war and Ted Turner's manicly driven behavior when he was founding CNN.

This morning, I checked the Twitter and Facebook account, checked the gift books, and printed up some fliers to make sure the racks for fliers were full.  I also created a display of New York biographies.  The Biography Book Club which is meeting on October 18, 2011 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. is reading different biographies of people who are from New York.

I also spent some more time on Lynda.com studying Microsoft Word 2007.

I did the monthly statistics for programs.  Things are moving along steadily.  We have the Beginning Computer Class tonight from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.  It has been growing steadily.  I am thinking we might do another computer class.

Daily Thoughts 10/3/2011

Dirk van Hoogstraten, Bearded Man Reading, c.1630

Daily Thoughts 10/3/2011

I read some more of Damon Runyon a Life.  The book is quite enjoyable.  He introduced a number of boxers as a sports writer including Joe Louis.

This morning, I checked the displays and updated the Twitter and Facebook accounts.  I also spent some time weeding in the graphic novels section.

This afternoon, the books A First Rate Madness Uncovering the Links Between Leadership and Mental Illness by Nassir Ghaemi and Everything On It by Shel Silverstein came in for me to read.  A First Rate Madness is on the New York Times Bestseller list.  I very much enjoy reading Shel Silverstein, one of my favorite books of poetry is Where The Sidewalk Ends.  I also like his childrens book The Giving Tree.

I found out that New York Comic Con sold out of Professional Passes.  There should be a lot of librarians there.

I read some of A First Rate Madness on the train home.  The book posits that during times of crisis it is important to have leaders who are a little bit insane who can deal with abnormal situations.  It also states that during times of stability, it is important to have leaders that are more sane.  It is an interesting idea, but not completely believable.

I also finished reading Damon Runyon A Life.  Near the end of the book, Jimmy Breslin writes a bit on Guys and Dolls, the Broadway play which is based on different pieces of Damon Runyon's short stories.  Damon Runyon's short stories are considered classics.

Web Bits

Our Ebook Future-- Digital Shift
http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/home/891898-264/our_ebook_future__the.html.csp