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...

Web Pages of Other Libraries

How does the other half live? How many other libraries have grey pages? You can ascertain the answers to these questions by visiting libSite.org, where you can browse and rate library home pages. You might be surprised by what you find.

Netflix for Magazines

For us magazine freaks, this could be more than we can handle. Visit the Maghound home page and marvel at this site that lets you pay a flat rate to receive a set number of magazines a month, with the ability to change titles online at any time. This might put a major dent in our magazine usage, but then again, the ebook hasn't sunk us yet ;D

Selective Web Page Printing

Finally, a way to print just what you want off a web site! We get this question all the time at reference - "How can I print just the picture?" or "How can I get rid of all the stuff on the right?"

It is here and it is called www.printwhatyoulike.com . To use it, you first go to their site, then enter a web address you wish to print from. The page opens with a Print What You Like toolbar on the left. You can select pieces to print, get rid of images, all kinds of good stuff! Try it out!

Note that it doesn't seem to work on the City pages. Something to do with Civica and how the pages are constructed. Too bad. There are probably other sites it won't work on as well.

What is Up With Wall Street?

Hello all,

I am back from a great vacation with the bison, bears, elk and antelope - we all played well together. Did you miss me? ;D

Here is a great posting from the Librarian in Black on NPR information on the current financial crisis we are all riveted to. Perhaps it will shed some light on a very dark and confusing situation.

Kathy

TGIF (Unless you work Sat. or Sun.)

Here we go:

1. Now it is 3 degrees of separation! Not that I really understand how this works, but I do know that the Internet has made the world a much smaller place. Does this put me closer to Kevin Bacon?


2. I-Phones are quickly becoming the hand held laptop (Blackberry fans will not find anything new about this!). Here is a list of applications that one blogger uses to transform an I-Phone into "more than an entertainment device". Wonder if that qualifies it for the educational reimbursement? (kidding!)


3. And this goes under "What Were They Thinking"! Microsoft has a new ad out with Jerry Seinfeld, and though it has humor, I ask you, what else does it have??? (And I don't use multiple question marks often.)
   

So, fellow library workers, take time to enjoy the dog days of summer, and let me know if you stumble upon a web site or news article we could all use.

On a More Serious Note

Here is some great news about how libraries are making strides in serving customers online and in person. It is an interesting read that justifies the notion of a "virtual branch".

“Public libraries connect people to books, technology and educational programs – in the building and online – so they can remain informed and engaged citizens,” said Jill Nishi, deputy director of the U.S. Libraries initiative of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which helped fund the study." From the report “Libraries Connect Communities: Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study 2007-2008.”

We can and will stay relevant in the new millennium!

(Stepping down off my soap box now - the one in the picture. I never knew what a soap box looked like before!)

For Your Friday Entertainment Part II

It appears that some of you are, in fact, out there, and some miss their Friday fun! So here goes:

• Here is a very entertaining video clip showing a library customer rocking out. Really rocking out! Reminds me of one of our own excitable librarians ;D



• Don't you need to know more about pencils? After all, we are in the tiny pencil business, right?



• And, I have read about the book dispensing machines, but this is the first time I have seen them called a "robotic rural librarian"!



• Finally, here is how one Olympian used Google Earth to help her win a gold medal. What will those crazy kids think of next?
  
  Enjoy your weekend...