Daily Thoughts 10/2/2011

James M. Cain author of Double Indemnity and The Postman Always Rings Twice.

Daily Thoughts 10/2/2011

I read some more of Damon Runyon A Life.  Jimmy Breslin is writing about Damon Runyon's coverage of the mafia.  The stories about Dutch Schulz, Owen Maddey and Al Capone are quite entertaining.   The reader gets the feeling that Damon Runyon was very unpleasant, liked larceny too much, but had a very interesting life.

I also spent some more time on Lynda.com learning about Microsoft Word 2007 and Drupal 7.  I only have access to the training videos for two months, so I think that I should focus on this.

I spent a little bit of time on Facebook and Twitter this evening.  This is a reminder that library ebooks are available for Kindle owners  http://westchester.lib.overdrive.com/FE4723DE-AECE-46F0-966E-7055335E7709/10/411/en/SearchResults.htm?SearchID=757705s&SortBy=CollDate 

If you have an Iphone, or Ipad you can download BookMyne to use the Sirsi catalog.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bookmyne/id350625461?mt=8




http://westchester.lib.overdrive.com/FE4723DE-AECE-46F0-966E-7055335E7709/10/411/en/SearchResults.htm?SearchID=757705s&SortBy=CollDate

Daily Thoughts 10/1/2011

Standing portrait of Ngaio Marsh taken circa 1935 by Henry Herbert Clifford.  Ngaio Marsh was famous for writing mysteries.


Daily Thoughts 10/1/2011


I have been reading more of Damon Runyon A Life.  Right now I am reading about prohibition and speakeasies.  I also learned that it was a tradition for reporters to bet on the boxers they covered before the idea of conflict of interest became more prominent.  


I spent some more time on Lynda.com studying Microsoft Word 2007 and InDesign CS5.


The Mount Vernon Writers Network was at Lola's Tea House on 9//29/2011.  I am looking forward to the group being at the library again on October 20, 2011 from 6:00-8:00 p.m.   The group did a presentation "Why We Write", where each presenter gave a brief biography, a reason why they write, and read two poems.
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.253795491331098.58899.160871413956840 


The Mount Vernon Writers Network has also posted a number of pictures from meetings on Facebook.  Many of them were at the Mount Vernon Public Library.
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.221604064550241.52179.160871413956840


I noticed some of our local libraries are advertising Bookmyne which is an application for the Iphone which connects with our catalog.  
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bookmyne/id350625461?mt=8


The Money May Be Lacking But A Library Refuses to Go Quietly
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/01/us/central-falls-ri-library-fights-to-stay-open.html?_r=1&hpw

Daily Thoughts 9/30/2011

James Thurber, American Writer, 1954

Daily Thoughts 9/30/2011


This morning, I read some more of Damon Runyon A Life by Jimmy Breslin.  Damon Runyon reported on sports and crime.  Damon Runyon was known for  gangsters like Meyer Lansky, Monk Eastman, and Owney Madden.  He tried to paint a colorful picture of New York.  Jimmy Breslin's writing reads like a tall tale dug out of old newspaper files and in person conversations.

Today was a fairly busy day.  I checked the Twitter and Facebook account, made sure the displays were in order, and spent some time on Lynda.com studying Drupal 7 and Microsoft Word 2007.  I also did a little bit of weeding in the mezzanine.

There was the Westchester Library System Job Club in the morning where a career counselor spends time helping people in the computer lab from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

I got my pass for New York Comic Con in the mail today.  I am very much looking forward to it.

There was also a reception and book signing for Who Stole Public Schools From the Public? by Claudia Edwards.  The reception was very well attended. The book was focused on reforming the local school system.  The program ran from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. http://www.claudialedwards.com

Daily Thoughts 9/29/2011

Ferdinand Bol, Portrait of a Scholar, cerca 1650
Daily Thoughts 9/29/2011

This morning, I read some more of The Swerve by Stephen Greenblatt.  The author is writing about Paggio Bracciolini, a man obsessed with books and reading.  The time period is around 1417.  Stephen Greenblatt describes reading as a kind of freedom.  Paggio is seeking copied books from Roman antiquity that were preserved and copied in monasteries.  They are works of authors like Cicero, Catullus, and Ovid.

I checked the displays, updated the Twitter and Facebook accounts and checked the gift books.  We had a nice copy of The Egyptian Book of the Dead which was added as well some new paperbacks by James Patterson.

I spent some time going through the patron requests. A few of the books like That Used to be Us by Thomas Friedman and Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich looked interesting.

I also spent some more time on Lynda.com studying Microsoft Word 2007 and Drupal.
The New York Librarians Meetup has many members attending New York Comic Con  as part of the professional day on Thursday.  The American Library Association will be there as well.  There are a number of library related events on Thursday, October 13.
http://nycc11.mapyourshow.com/5_0/sessions/session_results.cfm?type=date&date=10/13/2011

On the way home, I finished reading The Swerve.  Stephen Greenblatt describes the influence of On the Nature of Things  by Lucretius on Thomas More who wrote Utopia, Thomas Jefferson, and Giordano Bruno.  The book very much promotes Epicurean philosophy.  It is a bit different than my own view on the world.

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.