Misery Loves Company???

This may not be the most appropriate title for my daily musings, but it struck me yesterday while at a 23 things kick-off, that many people are unsure and hesitant about all this web 2.0 stuff. So I am now in the company of a group of other tentative (dare I say miserable?) souls traveling down the cyberspace road. The good news is, that the misery will turn to some sort of enlightenment along the way, and possibly even enthusiasm! For me - the first few weeks were fun, I learned stuff I thought was only accessible to 'techies', and while experimenting with things like Facebook for business or web generators I started also to contribute more to the tech part of our library work! Note that I said the first few weeks.... Then the proverbial wall got hit, in fact slammed would be more appropriate verbiage - followed by 2 weeks of flu. All creative juices got shut down, maybe triggered too by the lack of interaction with library patrons since they did not want to end up on their death bed after a run in with my germs.

So here we are - at a crossroads - do I continue in the face of adversity? "Adversity?' you ask.

Yes - just like the little kid at school that was always top of the class I have now run into my first real challenge. It is a small challenge, but a hurdle nonetheless ... I cannot figure out how to bookmark stuff on Delicious. Really - this should be a no-brainer.... A little web glitch should not get the now web 2.0 inducted me in such a dither. And yet it has.

After a good cup of Mexican Mocha at the Tuckerbox (worth visiting if you are in WRJ I have decided on the road (usually) less taken (by me) and will persevere. Soon I will be able to click on VT's 23 things front page - find my blogging friends and ask them for help! Using Facebook and Twitter, and cloud searches, and more I WILL find the answers to my queries, and I too will be a social bookmarker some day!

Maybe it's not misery loves company after all, maybe it's LEARNERS LOVE COMPANY' !

In keeping with my first blog entry in which I vowed to talk about the books that cross my work desk (and then promptly forgot about this vow amidst the grant applications, overdues, and town budgets) I will read up on Delicious, tagging, and all things related in the book WEB 2.0 and Beyond by Tom Funk, so that I can claim victory and spread the good feeling of success!

Librarian at work, Librarian at home!

Librarything.com

WOW

Now you never have to leave your work.... even when there is nothing to think about connected to work once you close that library door - now you can be a librarian at home! Why one asks? Good question. Maybe somebody thought that librarians are inherently anal, and need to organize their books at home as they do at work. Maybe someone out there thinks that we librarians think in terms of categories and Dewey numbers at all times, organize our houses and lives by labeling things fiction (my 9 year olds' excuse for not doing her homework) non fiction (MOM!!! I peed my pants - the 3 year old) Fantasy : husband is coming home to cook me a 3 course dinner after which all kinds of romantic events will follow, etc. etc. The truth is, I am sure they are out there - the librarians who organize and straighten, and catalog their lives, but there are many people doing the same that are involved in firefighting, teaching, sales and other occupations. And then there are those of us librarians, whose desks are a dead give away that our lives are not as organized as our shelves....

so I jumped into librarything, teased by its promises of cataloging as easy as 'find and click', thinking I was in for an immediate reorg and relocation of all my books (and my kids', and my husbands', and those left behind by visitors!) NO such luck. The site allows you to catalog, and list your books, but that is about it. So now I can search my own list to see if I do or do not own a book, but they are not sorted or categorized. OK - so you can tag each book, that would certainly make a search easier. Let's remember: we're talking about unorganized people trying to organize such an amorphous growing changing and always out of control thing as their book collection! These people will NEVER remember what tags they used for what kind of book. Was it local eating? adventure or travel? animals or pets? Magic or fantasy?

Maybe someone could design a website that allows us un-organized poor souls to list the many tags we use for all our books, photos, video's, and others.....

Here is what I do like about librarything:

you can compare your bookcase to someone else's. This allows you to find people with similar tastes and look on their bookshelf for titles you have not yet perused... It is like taking a sneak peak into someones living room - exciting and somewhat clandestine...

You can try to have your book group members join - if it is not too personal (there is that living room thing) I know that within my own book group there are very different tastes. The members of my book group have gotten me to read things that I would never have picked up by myself. Because I trust them I think it would be cool to scan the shelves of my book group friends and pick a book that way. Hey - if I really don't like it - they will never know and I will never tell!

(Might give you some secret insight into peoples lives, thoughts, and fantasies too!)

Falling of the wagon (also known as the book mobile)

I almost fell of the VT's 23 things wagon! Almost... not quite.
Then - through the wonders of modern technology I received an email in my 'in box' informing me of 2 other participants still hanging in there!
I was saved! I am back on the wagon!

All due to that one message: 'YOU'VE GOT MAIL!'

This week was dedicated to web generators.

Unfortunately I found the Ben & Jerry's web generator and got lost in flavor land.

Next, I found out the drawback of 'the buck stops here...' Apparently even generous B&J's stops their benevolence at sharing their (fun) artwork. In other words, corporate America (yes even those that start in backyard garages) do not want to play and share: You can play with their images, you can even send them to other people, and share on social networking sites, but you may not save them on your lovely computer.

I am thinking there are many computer savvy people out there who can figure out ways around this, but for those of us who like to just 'click and paste' this is a serious waste of time.

All that fun designing labels and flavors for hours on end - and then - NOTHING: no jpeg., no doc., no nothing....

I did manage to somehow get the picture transported to a word doc, but now have to figure out how to manipulate it from there. Maybe I should look at this as a gift from B&J: yet another opportunity/motivator/challenge to dive deeper into techno world.

So - whilst the world is waiting for the pictorial rendition of my B&J's flavor

LIBRARY LIBATIONS

(with lots of caffeine products of course!)

I will take this opportunity to clarify which of the 23 things occur in which of my blog postings.

I have taken the liberty to write some (opinionated) entries between the WEB2.0 articles, so this list should make it easier to find my ideas on the first 6 things!

blog posting: Continued education, day 1 thing: Blogging
blog posting: Week 2, 7 1/2 habits thing: comments on 7 1/2 habits

blog posting: From Flickr to Fall thing: Flickr

blog posting: Young Adult Fiction thing: Webinars (not one of 23 things but web2.0!)

blog posting: The Beauty of Banned books thing: RSS Feeds

blog posting: A Library's Social Network thing: Facebook

blog posting: Falling of the wagon thing: Web generators

Oh - and I did fall of the wagon: the ice cream wagon - despite my ravings -

a good helping of Cherry Garcia never hurt anyone! (especially not me!)

so thanks B&J, for web generators, motivation/challenges, and great tasting ice cream!

Who Reviews the Reviews?

When reading book reviews, I always wonder: who reviews the reviews?

In other words - who decides that one review is better than another? Who is the best judge of the written word?

Is it the people who sell the books - highly unlikely - they're in it for the money right?

Is it stylists - the MLA and other sources who decide the book is written 'correctly'? Not likely either - that would probably lead to the scrapping of many novels we have all enjoyed due to incorrect use of the English language.

Is it the large pool of English teachers and professors - would they still know what makes a good read, even after analysing and at times shredding books apart in the name of knowledge?

Could it be that publishers really do write objective synopses and reviews - doubtful, since they are pushing 'their' author into the public eye.

Okay - so then there are the professional reviews like Library List, Book List, etc. They do a decent job, they are known for subjectivity and their reviewers generally write good synopsis. But do they know YOU? Do they know what peaks your interest, what gets you riled up, what makes you think days after you have put the book down?

I suggest, that despite the numerous options for those of us whishing to ponder reviews, we take a short walk/drive/bus ride to our local (independent) bookstore or library. Granted, even your local librarian and bookseller are under pressure to perform and drum up numbers for statistics.

There is something to be said, however, for the sense that these individuals have of their village or town. The knowledge they possess about the individuals that make up their community. The relationships that have been forged over months and years allows your local book-friend to give you a review that is thoughtful and personalised, because this person knows YOU! (or your friend, or your grandmother, or your old pre-school teacher..... You get the drift...)

When you find yourself looking for a new good read in the near future:

read the reviews in the magazines, the papers, and on your pod casts - then get yourself to your local book haven, be it library or independent bookstore, and treat yourself to a personalised book chat!

seriously serious about series?

Are we in the book reading world really serious about series?

I have found great pros and con's to all the series being published at lightning speed these days, and am starting to question the quality of each.

What once started as a good idea or premise for a book gets milked to the utmost until the pages run dry.... As I watch my own 4th grader anticipate the latest title in the 'Mysterious Benedict Society' series, and eagerly await yet another Sisters Grimm, I wonder how well written, how intricately plotted, and really, how intriguing these books can be? I cannot keep up with them all, because they are published at astonishing rates. Even books that were great as 'stand alone' titles have been relegated to the 'series' shelf by what I perceive the publishers greedy push for MORE MORE ($ that is) to be. If it was a succes the first time round, then let's keep the formula and replicate it over and over. And yet...... those young readers out there are more savvy then we might think - many of them switch between series half way through, figure out the endings of the book before they turn the last page due to familiarity with formula, or plain don't finish title umpty due to boredom. I was astonished to see a sequel to 'The higher power of lucky' and saddened by the multiples of Penderwick books.

The pro's of the series are clear - they hook the reader, they are predictable and therefore comfortable, they are easy to recommend to young patrons because they are popular, and parents are kept happy because their child is reading.

I would urge these (often very talented authors) to examine the writing of their readers: few children in school write constantly about the same issues and characters. Most young writers use their imagination to help them 'reinvent' themselves and the world around them. There are no series of 'my vacation' or 'our favorite pet', no sequels to term papers and no applause is to be had from the adult population when students reproduce the same formula over and over :

We ask students to be creative, imaginative, and individual in their literary musings -

Lets ask ourselves to do the same.....

new gadgets

Sometime this week I will review thoughts on books and literature related issues, but for today, let me mention the new gadgets and technology that have come my way since starting this course. It is pretty amazing how fast you can learn if given some incentive, and what a BIG world it is out there!

So here is the list

brand NEW(!!!!) teeny weeny 12" computer (maroon I might add:))

discovered my free Verizon phone acts like an MP3 player

found out free phone only takes insanely small plug for earphones : earphone adaptor added

extra memory card for phone so as to download more files

podcasts are now my new motivator for running/walking with said phone

Google reader keeps me updated faster

found cool Iapplet site: Questia Media, Inc

used flickr although not a big fan

joined a group on flickr and added library pictures

made facebook page for our library and so far have 10 fans (that is 4 more than last week)

How's that for entering the world of technology full blast????

Pat on back

back to literary issues

A Library's social network

Who knew that a library (a public place full of people socially interacting whether they like it or not) needed a social network? Apparently we do...

A couple of weeks ago our lovely library was catapulted into active cyberspace by the launch of its facebook page. We were already 'out there' (and you may take that as you whish), but a website is much more static, requires a lot more work to keep it updated, and won't let us bother our FANS with timely updates to the second! Well, now we can.

The main question is - how do we get all those booklovers to visit us on Facebook and click on the 'become a fan' button? As much as Facebook is a kind of free forum for library programming advertising, it requires advertising elsewhere to let people know we are actively socialising!



So - do we pay for advertising to let people know we can advertise to them for free?



For now - we will tell people on our (static) website, on our bookmarks, flyers, and posters, that we are available to them 24hrs a day, rain or shine, recession or no recession - for FREE...

the beauty of banned books

It is through designing a library display for banned books week that I have finally entered the world of RSS feeds!

I have subscribed to some feeds (mostly through School Library Journal) which have provided me with excellent up to date materials with which to enhance the display.

Banned books week allows us all to (re)consider the idea of freedom of speech, freedom to information, and freedom of expression - harder to control in the cyber-world, and therefore more challenged in the the tangible world of libraries by narrow minded people.

The truth is, however, that many books that are challenged every year are the same; and so my display was looking rather tired - tattered versions of Steinbeck's OF MICE AND MEN, alongside sad looking versions of LADY CHATTERLY'S LOVER, piled on top of coverless versions of THE CHOCOLATE WAR, etc.

The RSS feeds, however, have kept me up to speed with the most recently challenged books (TIN TIN, TWILIGHT, etc) I now know that unfortunately Tango the penguin's parents have split, so people uncomfortable with the same sex relationships of our black and white friends can relax: the sequal should present a happy conservative, black and white (literally) family portrait.

IF you haven't tried it yet - sign up for some RSS feeds - you'll be updated in a jiffy, and you can move on with your enlightened life!

Young Adult Fiction

Today's stint in library-educate-myself-land was spent listening to a webinar through Scholastic Library Journal:

Young Adult Book Buzz 2009.

Again - beware of sales pitches, but it is always good to keep your finger on the pulse.

I find YA literature hard to keep up with, not that there is that much that is great, but more that these books often seem so uninteresting. Of late, many have focused exclusively on girls, and petty girls at that. I was glad to hear about some more intriguing titles for the coming season, and quite a few that have male main characters!

These are some of my favorite picks from the list

(keeping in mind that I am basing my selection on reviews, not my own readership)

INTERTWINED

IRON KING

INSIDE OUT

PATTERSON HEIGHTS

ASH

HATE LIST

ONCE WAS LOST

FREAKS AND REVELATIONS

BEAUTIFUL CREATURES

THE RIVER

HAPPYFACE

WALKING BACKWARD

ME, MYSELF AND IKE

MEDIA MELTDOWN

RUINED: A NOVEL

SHIVER

WISH

AFTER EVER AFTER

NUMBERS

LAST OF THE DEATH WARRIORS

If anyone else wants to listen to a similar webinar,

tune in on October 22, 2-3p.m.

(register at www.slj.com/webcasts)

from Flickr to Fall

I have started exploring the world of Flickr.
I am unclear why this site is hailed as one of the photosharing sites.
Did I miss something on shutterfly, or kodak, or other sites?
I have decided to read up on this stuff.
Will start Web 2.0 and beyond : understanding the new online business models, trends, and technologies byTom Funk.

In total opposition to this technological, non-fiction material, attended a night at a local bookstore with some reps from Random House.
Suggestions of good books specifically for book-groups.
Interesting (remember - they're trying to sell you something!)
So here are my top picks from the 30 suggestions :

A Mercy - because if you are somewhat intimidated by Toni Morrison this is evidently the book to start with!

Revolutionary Road - who hasn't felt they want to escape this bourgeois life.... and who hasn't returned to ordinary life after tragedy...

The Unit - a scandinavian modern take on Brave New World

The Last Town on Earth - historical novel, two youths in a predicament, an epidemic - sounds like a riveting tale!

The Friend who got away - because it allows for people to discuss small things about themselves that are safe - great for bookgroups with members who are not well acquainted with each other!

Mister Pip - Charles Dickens read on a small Pacific Island to local youths during a time of civil war : how do they think it up?

Beowulf on the Beach - because it allows us to admit we don't all read all parts of every book. Because it tells us it's okay to skip - and even highlights what to skip! AND - it tells us what we should never skip, which is even better!

Every book leads to new questions...

With a family of five there always seem to be books around the house -

the most pressing question is usually 'from which library, and when are they due?'

Since I am reviewing all the materials crossing my desk (and my life) for this blog I thought I would list this weeks family reading with a question for each...

mom: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Foer

Q: do we think the boy may have a minor condition that directs his thoughts?

dad: Devil May Care by Faulks

Q: can Ian Flemming's dark moody adventures really be replicated?

child 1: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Q: is Dumbledore really dead? Is Snape really evil?

child 2: First the Egg by Vaccaro

Q: so what did come first?

child 3: If you give a mouse a cookie by Numeroff

Q: why do authors feel the need to produce so many sequels to what were great concepts, only to take away from the original ideas, themes, and imagination?

This weeks' real learning will come from back issues of Booklist,

so that I may better serve my patrons when they ask for a good read!

I would love to hear from other librarians how

they stay updated on all the materials

available to their patrons , so as to better

serve their communities!

week 2, 7 1/2 things

The 7 1/2 Habits of Succesfull Life Long Learners.....



As part of my 'what have I learned from what I read every day' quest, comments on my recent adventures in 7 1/2 Habits are now due.



I always knew I was a life long learner - now it is confirmed!

I am a life long learner - albeit not a very efficient one.

I am going to write my own learning contract, the problem is the start:

Habit 1: Begin with the end in mind....



I think this may be the hardest part and the reason for earlier comment on 'efficiency'. I started the VT's 23 things program to enable myself to help our library patrons with today's technology. (and in all honesty to keep ahead of my children!) This seems a very unspecific goal. In the next 6 days I will ponder and define. By day 7 there should be a clear and concise learning goal that will contribute to my quest as a life long learner!



The easiest habit? PLAY! Who doesn't like to putz around in yet uncharted waters under the guise of learning?

continued education day 1

First day on the continuing education train (yet again)
Step 1: start VT's 23 things
Step 2: create Blog
Step 3: think of a theme - so here we go:

Theme for the next few weeks will be 'what I learn about life from all the books I handle in the library'.

This will be fun - I am not a great writer, but I think looking for life lessons in all that crosses my desk should be a good challenge. What do we know about life anyway? This week at home alone the reading materials range from the local newspaper, to Extremely loud and Incredibly Close, to If you give a Mouse a Cookie.

Given those three options, here's what I learned today:

• judging by all the classifieds many people are not feeling the economic recovery the big shots keep telling us is happening.
• September 11th had a great effect on generations yet to come
• Be carefully who you share your cookies with!

Maybe not earth shattering conclusions, but at least this blog will lead me to have to think a little more and a little deeper about the things I read!