Daily Thoughts 11/10/2011

Still Life With a Lighted Candle, Peter Claesz

Daily Thoughts 11/10/2011


I read some more of Supergods by Grant Morrison on the train to work this morning.  I also read a little bit more of The Letters of Robert Frost to Louis Untermeyer.  I am looking forward to the Biography Book Club next week on Tuesday from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.  We are also having the Mount Vernon Writers Network on Thursday, November 17, 2011 from

This morning, I checked the Twitter and Facebook accounts for the library.  I also printed shipping labels for the Better World Books boxes.  The boxes are packed and labeled for Monday. 

We opened the Computer Lab from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. for academic use.  There was a person who was doing some research on Phillis Wheatley and another gentleman who was looking for a job.  It was fairly quiet today.

I spent some more time on Lynda.com studying Microsoft Publisher 2010.  It has become a lot easier for me to help people with basic wordprocessing questions.

I also read the latest Booklist magazine.  

On the way home, I finished reading Supergods by Grant Morrison. Much of the book covers the authors experiences as a writer for superhero comics.  He has firsthand knowledge of what he is writing about.  It was an enjoyable.  I also read some more of The Letters of Robert Frost to Louis Untermeyer.  This is much more down to earth than most books I read.  Robert Frost was a farmer in addition to being a poet.  He has a very old fashioned sensibility to his writing.  I also started The Better Angels of Our Nature Why Violence Has Declined by Steven Pinker.  This is an argument for how civilized behavior reduces violence.

Web Bits

The Public Library Completely Reimagined
http://mindshift.kqed.org/2011/11/the-public-library-completely-reimagined/

Build A Digital People's Library-- From Galley Cat
http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/build-a-digital-peoples-library_b41973#more-41973

Occupy Comics Kickstarter Project
http://www.wired.com/underwire/2011/11/occupy-comics-kickstarter-campaign-raises-funds-for-protesters

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 11/8/2011

[Tuskegee Institute bldg., Tuskegee, Alabama: Library(?); table strewn with books] 
Date Created/Published: c1906. 


Daily Thoughts 11/8/2011


This morning, I checked the Twitter and Facebook accounts for the library.  I also did some practice on Lynda.com for Publishers 2010.  In addition, I read a little more of The Letters of Robert Frost to Louis Untermeyer.   The book reminded me that I should probably read some of Emily Dickinson's poetry which I have never read.

Web Bits

Occupy Wall Street Library


Berrett-Koehler's Occupy Wall Street Book Ships
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/49414-berrett-koehler-s-occupy-wall-street-book-ships.html
I find it interesting that the author is donating 500 copies to Occupy Wall Street Libraries.  It seems to be a way to brand himself as part of the movement.

Bangor Public Library Lets 'Occupy' Protestors Camp on Library Property
http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/home/892750-264/bangor_pl_lets_occupy_protesters.html.csp

A Truly Public Library
http://cornellsun.com/section/arts/content/2011/11/08/truly-public-library

Fagin, Henk, and Loeb at ALA Midwinter on Building on the OWS 'Peoples Library'
http://ala.org/ala/newspresscenter/news/pr.cfm?id=8515

Other


Charleston Conference 2011: Big Ideas Big Challenges
http://www.thedigitalshift.com/2011/11/publishing-2/charleston-conference-2011-big-ideas-big-challenges/

Library Delivers Direct to Cty Teachers in Manhattan, Staten Island, and Bronx
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/library-delivers-direct-city-teachers-manhattan-staten-island-bronx-book-program-51-schools-article-1.973903
The Daily News is a local New York paper.

Daily Thoughts 11/7/2011

Photo of American Transcendentalist and writer James Freeman Clarke, seated and reading a book. Cropped version.

Daily Thoughts 11/7/2011

I read some more of Supergods this morning.  Grant Morrison is writing about Alan Moore and Frank Miller.  I rather like Alan Moore.  Watchmen was an interesting book, but I liked The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen much better.

This morning I also checked the Facebook and Twitter accounts for the library as well as the displays.

The Friends of the Library are packing up the books leftover from the book sale to be sent to Better World Books.  We are also sending our discards over to Better World Books As Well.  Better World Books is paying the freight. http://www.betterworldbooks.com/Info-Discards-Donations-Program-m-4.aspx  Having a book sale is more than just about making money for the library.  It is also a way to generate goodwill for the library which can seem a bit intangible to some people, but is very important.

I also spent some time on the website learning to make minor adjustments as well as watched a bit of the Lynda.com training videos for Photoshop CS5 and Microsoft Publisher 2010.

Two books came in for me to read, The Children of the Sky by Vernor Vinge which is science fiction and The Better Angels of Our Nature Why Violence Has Declined by Steven Pinker.

On the way home I read some more of Supergods. I also switched back to reading The Letters of Robert Frost to Louis Untermeyer. The book of letters is very slow reading.  The thinking and style is very dense.  Each letter condenses a lot of living into a very small space.

Please go out and vote tomorrow.  Election day is on November 8, 2011 in New York.

Web Bits

Saving Libraries but Not Librarians Blowback
http://opinion.latimes.com/opinionla/2011/11/saving-libraries-but-not-librarians-blowback.html

This is a reflection on how people are thinking of things.  Our profession has been facing a lot of changes for some time.  We are also increasingly facing competition from the business world who would like to make libraries less able to deal with a digital future.  Other people are trying to label our profession as superfluous.  It is important that we get better control over technology and start advertising the access we offer.

Net Neutrality Is Under Attack Email Your Senators Before Tuesday's Vote
http://act.demandprogress.org/sign/hutchison_nn/?source=fb

Net neutrality ensures open access to the internet.  It is important to ensure free access to information.

Sign Online Petition to Save School Libraries
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/home/892737-312/sign_online_petition_to_save.html.csp
 This is another example of how libraries have been challenged.  I can understand asking people to change their skills and offer retraining for relevance, but that is often not what is happening.

Pulitzer Prize Winner Jennifer Egan Just Showed Up With Jonathan Lethem At Occupy Wall Street

http://www.businessinsider.com/jennifer-egan-just-jonathan-lethem-occupy-wall-street-2011-11

Daily Thoughts 11/6/2011

Wow Comics No.38, Cover Art by Jack Binder, Fawcett Comics. The character is "Mary Marvel."  


Daily Thoughts 11/6/2011


This morning, I updated the Twitter and Facebook account for the library.  I also spent some time on Lynda.com studying Publisher 2010.

I read some more of Supergods by Grant Morrison.  Grant Morrison references David Hajdu's The Ten Cent Plague:  The Great Comic Book Scare and How It Changed America.  The Ten Cent Plague is a very entertaining book.  There are also references to Frank Wertham's Seduction of the Innocent where Superman is seen as a fascist and Batman is considered indecent.  Grant Morrison's writing is changing to a seductive mix of pop psychology and counter culture memes while he is writing about this.

I read some more of Supergods in the laundromat.  It has become very entertaining.  I rather liked Garnt Morrison statement that he would rather see people building Mars colonies and spaceship than going to war.  It resonates with me.

Right now, I am reading about the beginning of Grant Morrison's career in Scotland. He mentions two of my favorite comics.  The first is Star Reach which was a series of science fiction comics that had adult content and mature stories based on authors like Arthur C. Clarke, Roger Zelazny, and Michael Moorcock.  Star Reach featured some of Richard Corben's early artwork http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Reach.  Grant Morrison also mentions the Adventures of Luther Artkwright by Bryan Talbot which has a very counterculture feel with a psychedelic psychic superhip hero that reminds me a bit of Michael Moorcock's character Jerry Cornelius in The Condition of Muzak.  This all ties in with the "New Wave" in science fiction




Web Bits

A Trip to the Worlds Largest 'Art Museum' In Print

http://www.npr.org/2011/11/03/141992336/the-art-museum-a-case-for-the-printed-book 

Fighting For Literacy Library By Library

http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/05/fighting-for-literacy-library-by-library/?scp=7&sq=libraries&st=cse