After 5 p.m. - Brain Dead

Hello and welcome to the show.
Here are your sites of the week:

New York Public Library offers collections of images that is truly AMAZING! (The image left is from their Dress & Fashion collection.)

We really could do more in the way of helping less able individuals get into the world of social networking. Think of it like when we had to teach people how to use the online catalog vs. the card catalog. Yea, like that!

Hey! We could add a title or two to this interesting web site Awful Library Books.

Top ten peeves by a librarian. No explanation needed.

The California State Library has joined Twitter. What I find profoundly sad about this post is that it was done in May and no one has commented on it. I think that the young public doesn't think libraries are hip places and won't use this kind of service. It is as if we are intruding into their domain. Many libraries, including ours, have tried to reach out through IM, but nobody wanted to play. Wait a few years and maybe...

Time to pack it up - until next time.

Hiatus Over

Putting on 5 programs in 5 weeks is quite a feat, one that couldn't be pulled off without the help of staff and volunteers. I come out on the other side satisfied with the accomplishments of all involved and ready to take up the blog once again. Here goes!

• File this under "What is to come" in public libraries everywhere! Another library system is abandoning the Dewey Decimal System (DDS) for what they call a "word based system" similar to bookstores. It could work here, couldn't it?


• File this one under "Hey, we could do this!" San Francisco Public Library now offers a "green card" that is made of corn. It sounds so Palo Alto!


• Haikus by a reference librarian are entertaining! Here is one example -

here till 5pm
i can answer your questions
glorious sources

• The National Library of Wales has posted photos on Flickr Commons. Wonder if our own Deborah Angel knows about this one? Oh, and scroll down to read the English if you can't read the Welsh! (Photo of dog is from this collection.)
  

Signing out -

Where Did I Go?

You are wondering why the posts stopped again? I am spending my blogging hours doing the Feed Your Head blog - which is fun as well! Check it out.

Have a great and relaxing weekend!

Another Installment

Friday afternoon diversions:

• Who knew that Mother's Day could be so interesting? Fraternal Order of Eagles? Or that there is "stinky" music for Mother's Day? (Check out more unsavory music here.)
• Famous folks with librarian moms. They didn't find many librarian dads.
• Could we get some of this?
• Add this to "What's in a name". Could be of interest to some students. It sure got my attention.
• Now I'm just getting lazy - here are the 5 most popular posts on WebWorkerDaily from this week.

Signing off until the spirit moves me again.

(The library sign comes from a Colorado Public Library. Reminds me of the Art Center sign. Catchy!)

National Library Week Goodies

Every year during National Library Week database vendors offer trials of their wares to us, the tireless library employees. Here are some that you may enjoy, with other festive offerings.

• Free access during April and May from Gale - See all available resources at their site: www.gale.com/libraryweek.


• ProQuest offering free, open access to three of our most popular student resources at www.proquestk12.com/go/celebrate.


• Crayola crayon has a couple nice pictures to color: http://www.crayola.com/calendar/detail.cfm?event_id=144&year=2006


• Librarians have been submitting photos to Flickr of their celebrations. Check it out here.


• A YouTube clip for NLW. (OK, it is lame but there are some good lines!)


• And PLEASE get the word out about the Earth Day activities going on City wide this weekend. (I can't get the homepage to open right now, so please find it yourselves on the webpage.)

I hope you all had a good week and everyone treated you kindly, especially Dave at DO who seems to get more than his share of the troubled.

Good Friday, Literally

Here we go:

• OK, so it isn't the end of the world that we won't officially be celebrating National Library Week (April 12-18). Here are some Post-Apocalyptic novels to fill the void.


• Or go and celebrate virtually on Second Life with other library workers - some of which have tails and all of which can fly.


• How about a World Digital Library? Sounds futuristic to me. "All restaurants are Taco Bell." Anyone know where that line comes from?


• This statement confuses me "“[p]eople with untreated severe mental illnesses may pose a greater risk to the future of America’s public libraries than does the invention of the Internet" (article is here). Hmm. I think that the mentally ill ON the Internet may be a problem, but a risk to the future? Interesting. I know the Downtown staff have some comments to add.


• Have a good weekend, enjoy Sunday off, and see you next week.

(The movie with the Taco Bell line is "Demolition Man". Beware the three rocks!)

Welcome the Weekend!

Friday diversions, enlightenment and entertainment:

Best of the Web from the Computers in Libraries conference. Suggestions by librarians for librarians. (I only wish the links were live.)
Ethnic Easter eggs from the Ukraine. Beautiful!
Photo of the Prez that would make a great READ poster.
Official Mark Twain web page with some rare photos, quotes and more.
National Library Week is April 12-18, and here are haiku to celebrate. Maybe you want to write one of your own and post it here?
Finally, for those of you with your thinking caps on, 5 things that point to what comes after Web 2.0
Enjoy your Friday afternoon.

Springing Right Ahead

More news and (March) madness from the Internet:

• The Bancroft Awards have been handed out, and if you enjoy non-fiction U.S. history titles, these look very interesting.
  
• 10 Annoying Habits of a Geeky Spouse - some of you may recognize yourselves or someone you love in this article. (Photo on left is from this article.)


• Libraries of the Future now a thing of the past. Sad, really sad.
  
• The Wyoming Library idea of promotion is different, to say the least. It came to my attention through this article.


• And finally, April is not only National Poetry Month but also National Humor Month, if your nation is called the Nation of Larry Wilde that is.

First Day of Spring AND Friday!

The sun is shining (at the moment) and birds are singing and I am blogging. For your education and enlightenment:

• 25 Famous Librarians - the list. There are a couple of surprises here - like Golda Meir.


• Average Age of Children Getting Cellphones in the UK - is 8! The sampling seems small, but results are not that surprising. These are our customers of the future, which leads to the following entry.


• Do libraries Twitter? A library in Cleveland Twitters, as does a library in Arizona. Some of us are still asking "What is Twitter?" while others twit away (oops, I mean tweet!)

Have a great weekend.

It has been a long winter

Some of you have been asking "What happened to What's Hot?". I took a needed break, and now I'm back. Thanks for asking.

Now, on with the show!

• Here are 10 sites for book lovers that are NOT Library Thing or Amazon
• A really engaging site for YA's to explore careers based on their interests is called The Fun Works. The career page for scientific illustrator had a link to how to draw a horse and the art of crime detection.
• File this interesting study under "Why We Matter", now more than ever. (Photo on this page of a library during the Depression is from this site.)
• And finally, here is a great exhibit that I wish we had space for somewhere. Imagine all the kids and adults getting excited about Harry all over again!

Have a fine weekend, and try to soak up some sun! It has been a long winter.

Last Entry for 2008

Check out this article from Florida about a state senator appropriately named Storms. She has some interesting opinions about what libraries should and should not do as far as cataloging and purchasing. Hmmm.

What new technologies should librarians be aware of? Here is a very nice list that has on it, among other things, the IPhone.

Speaking of IPhones, here is a new ebook provider that will provide popular titles for downloading to the IPhone. We may have to look at this with an eye towards the collection.

It's three and out for your dedicated blogger. Stay dry and be safe. See you next year!

Three Best Cities for Bookworms

This article lays out why you should visit Berlin, Boston and Dublin. Sounds great to me!

Perhaps we should start a service where we offer trip packages like this, similar to what they do for seniors at many senior centers. "Travel with librarians, writers and other bookworms to literary sites of the world".

Any volunteers?

Friday Diversions

Here are some tidbits to keep you going on a beautiful Friday afternoon:

• It's a vase! It's a router! Wha? I liked this comment: "Until today I’ve just layed flowers directly on top of my router, but with this invention my life will change!"


• Looking for the perfect gift? Or something to read over the holidays? This list of the top 100 2008 books is from the NY Times, and may be a useful reader's advisory tool as well.


• Under "You can't tell a book by its cover" we have the top book jackets of 2008.

REALLY back!

Two more professionally relevant web sites to visit:

The Top Ten Most Annoying Phrases (like, duh!)

AND

You as the Dewey Decimal System - I am a 113!

:D

It Has Been a Long Time

But I'm back!

Here is an award winning "book bus" (don't you call it a book mobile!). It is really amazing! It has a game area, movie viewing area and more. The photos tell the story.

Not Done Yet!

Another very Halloween article is this one, of haunted libraries in the West. At the bottom are links for the other regions of the country.

Closest to us is the Clayton Community Library in Contra Costa County (photo above). Funny that Redwood City Main isn't listed. It is in an old fire station, and according to the night janitorial staff, there are voices and music coming from the empty meeting room that used to be the fire men's living quarters. WhooOOOOoooooo!

Appropriate for the Halloween Season

So, a mom in Oregon took offense when her teen brought home the book "The Book of Bunny Suicides" by Andy Riley. I saw this book, housed here at Main, and it is definitely black humor. But I laughed.

Maybe you want to check it out yourself.

Another Friday Edition

Another collection of items that relate to libraries and the staff that love them.

• How clever are they! Here is a library that used Google Maps to create a snapshot of their town with the most asked about city spots - post office, fire department, historic sites. Wow if we only had the staff time!
  


• "Nearly three quarters of American Internet users have used the Web to find travel information..." states a Pew report on the subject. But do they search effectively? Do they find pertinent and timely information? Probably not, according to the study. That is why the idea of a demonstration on travel web sites is still something we may want to pursue.
  


• "Yahoo's Inquisitor Makes Your Browser's Search Box Smarter". This may be a true statement and an interesting article, but isn't the name a bit off? Yahoo Inquisitor? "How long have you been using Google! Answer the question!"
  


• Google has gotten together with organizations like the League of Women Voters to create the 2008 US Voter Info site, where it is as simple as typing in an address to find a polling place and more. Can you say Smart Voter? We have had this available for years. Good thing the rest of the country has finally caught up.
  


• And finally, here is a contest that mixes two of my favorite things, beading and books! (see photo above). Maybe I should put in an entry. Or maybe one of you readers could enter - what do you think?

Have a wonderful and warm weekend.

It's Friday Time!

Here are some gems:

• The Jay Walker Library (no, not a law breaker, but who would name their child this?) This library is incredible! These pictures are the first allowed.


• Free Our Libraries is a scholarly four page treatise (pdf) on how public domain materials are being controlled by companies that upload them - and because of this, they are no longer freely public. Ouch!


• Some EPA libraries are about to reopen! Lets just call this one "And the clouds parted"


• And finally, I know we are all getting tired, or down right exhausted, with the presidential election. Here is humor for what ever side you are on.

Enjoy your weekend, the weather is great!

Goody Goody Gumdrops?

This entry is NOT for those with an aversion to sweets, cute kids, corny lyrics and everything saccharine! But, it is an entertaining YouTube clip about a librarian, The Maltese Falcon, and, well, gumdrops...