Daily Thoughts 3/24/2011 (webinar, library photographs)

Wonder Book For Girls & Boys by Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1892,  Illustrated by Walter Crane


Daily Thoughts 3/24/2011

I finished reading The Physics of the Future by Michio Kaku.  It has a very positive feel to it.  The author reminds us to not let go of the ability to constantly invent new technology and research new science, it is extremely important for our future.
We had a webinar this morning in the computer lab, AARP's Living Well in Westchester Webinar Series. It was focusing on affordable housing and assisted living for seniors.

Today has been steady.  I made some calls to schedule workshops on different subjects during the next several months including wills, foreclosure, and energy efficiency, all subjects which I think there might be some interest in.

I also spent some more time looking at different photographs of the library.  In the early 1900s we had a fireplace in the childrens room which is a bit different.  There is even an advertisement to buy a brick for the fireplace to support the library.  We also have pictures of a doll case display from 1970 which is intriguing.


Web Bits

Your “Library” Doesn’t Participate in Social Media, But Your People Do – A TTW Guest Post by Dr. Troy Swanson
http://tametheweb.com/2011/03/23/your-“library”-doesn’t-participate-in-social-media-but-your-people-do-a-ttw-guest-post-by-dr-troy-swanson/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+TameTheWeb+(Tame+The+Web)

The Voices of Librarians and the DPLA (Digital Public Library of America)
http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/home/889797-264/the_voices_of_librarians_and.html.csp

Daily Thoughts 12/10/2010 (Budget, Behemoth, webinar)

Scribner's Fiction Number.  I like that Edith Wharton is on the cover.


Daily Thoughts 12/10/2010

I did some follow up emails in the morning to people who I talked to at the Content Strategy holiday party.  It is always good to follow up with these activities.

I also took some time to make sure my flash drive had the files I needed for the future.  I made sure I saved all the online certificates I had gotten for taking classes from the American Library Association online.  I also saved some of the bookmarks, fliers, and bibliographies I had made.  It is always good to save your files to a flash drive.


This morning I did what I usually do;  make sure the displays are in order, do some more weeding in the oversize books and start planning for January and February events.  I am waiting for a few people to confirm events.

I went to a dinner for two of my colleagues who had been let go.  It was hard to do.  We talked about every day things and tried to stay focused. It was a break from the routine.  They asked if we were going to the city budget hearing on December 14, 2010 at city hall.  The budget is not finalized yet.  There should be people from all the different agencies of the city.  We talked a bit about the meetups also and the major library recruiters, Infocurrent, Pro Libra, and Sarah Warner.



It is budget time and all the people who work for the government are coming out to try and justify their share.  I am hoping that our supporters do a good job of justifying why we need funds to operate. Crowd Weighs On County Budget
http://www.lohud.com/article/201012100334

I am looking at Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld.  The illustrations are superb.  It is a steampunk novel.  The previous novel, Leviathan won the Young Adult category from Locus magazine.  This should be very good.  I read some of it on the way home from a dinner with colleagues.  There are a lot of very imaginative devices.  There is a steampunk version of the Ottoman empire which is very interesting and ornate; giant articulated metal elephants, golems, and an eastern flavor make it different.  This is an alternate history of World War I.

In the afternoon, I listened to the Baker and Taylor Webinar on Graphic Novels
http://webinars.baker-taylor.com/GraphicNovels/event.htm

I am also starting to check all my links to make sure they work.  I am going to click through them and make sure they work.  You have to do this sometimes to make sure a website works.

Web Bits

IA launches new browser based bookreader with improved UI and support for read aloud (TTS) - Mr Darwin: http://bit.ly/hxfTar  I like the design.  It is very pretty.

Tech Breakthrough Could Mean Disposable E-Readers
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/11/28/tech-breakthrough-mean-disposable-e-readers/#content

Early iPad users mostly men reading news. 
http://bit.ly/dKC5Oa

Gift Book Suggestions for the Imaginative, the Curious, the Weird
by Jeff VanderMeer http://bit.ly/fWMOx8