Daily Thoughts 12/20/2009

Exterior view of the Jones & Co bookselling premises in Finsbury Square, London, which were known as "The Temple of the Muses", Published Nov. 15, 1828, Jones & Co. Temple of the Muses, Finsbury Square, London

Daily Thoughts 12/20/2009

I happen to enjoy reading some of Cory Doctorow's books. My favorites are the ones on copyright. He is very good at creating polemics which makes his speaking entertaining. The title really says it all How To Destroy the Book by Cory Doctorow. http://thevarsity.ca/articles/23855

I have been looking at my Google Webmaster Tools to see who is following me. Pop Goes the Library followed the mention of their book into my laundromat readings. I was at the laundromat today. I am there every Sunday. This is the second or third time I have been followed to the laundromat by blogs in my readings. http://www.popgoesthelibrary.com/popbook/?p=164#respond

I also found another interesting blog which is following me, Tales of a Literary Nobody, http://literarynobody.com/

Finally, I am still being picked up by the Book Carnival blog. I really should submit some more of my reviews to them. Their readership has grown considerably. http://bookcarnival.wordpress.com/

Daily Thoughts 5/18/2009

Portrait of English illustrator Aubrey Beardsley (August 21, 1872 – March 16, 1898) by photographer Frederick Hollyer

Daily Thoughts 5/18/2009

I was reading through Pop Goes The Library and came across a section on using PDAs for roaming reference. It adds one more reason for me to get an Iphone. Every day, there seems to be another reason to get an Iphone for library work.

Pop Goes The Library also mentioned ICV2 which is a website about popular culture. It includes many articles on graphic novels, films, manga, and toys. Quite a few of the reviewers are librarians. I have seen their magazine at both New York Comic Con and Book Expo America. They may be a good source for purchasing teen graphic novels and manga. http://www.icv2.com/ I am adding them to my sidebar.

I enjoyed reading this book. It is the kind of book where parts of it are useful because it has lots of tips and suggestions and parts of it don't match with what you are doing. If you are looking for new ideas to try out this book is very good. It gives lots of suggestions of new things to try. This is the main thing which seemed helpful about this book. There are also a lot of links to interesting websites as well.

I also added the Powells Review A Day Archive which is a very nice list of reviews. http://www.powells.com/review/all.html

I have a new computer at work. It is a nice feeling.

Web Bits

Books are being born digital more and more. An article from Library Journal. http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6657392.html

Linked Data is blooming, an article and speech about Tim Berners Lee's idea.
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/linked_data_is_blooming_why_you_should_care.php

Some Self Referential Marketing

Daily Thoughts 5/17/2009

Stage adaptation of It Can't Happen Here a novel by Sinclair Lewis. WPA-- Works Project Administration

Daily Thoughts 5/17/2009

I've started reading Pop Goes the Library Using Pop Culture to Connect With Your Whole Community by Sophie Brookover and Elizabeth Burns. The book starts with the distinction between popular culture and high culture. I like to think of high culture as a source of philanthropy and prestige, and popular culture as a source of circulation and government money. Public libraries need both of them to survive in equal measure. Sometimes they meet in unusual ways. Oprah's Book Club is an example of how high culture and popular culture can intersect. Some of the selections; East of Eden by John Steinbeck, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, Love In the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez represent high culture.

I spent some more time reading Pop Goes The Library by Sophie Brookover and Elizabeth Burns at the laundromat. I usually sit and drink coffee while the laundry spins. I got up to the section on technology. My favorite part of the book are the quotes from practicing librarians at the ends of the chapters.

China Mieville has a new book coming out The City and The City. He is a very popular author for fantasy novels. I liked Un Lun Dun his young adult novels. I didn't like some of his other novels despite their popularity. I found some of the philosophy annoying. Allan Steele also has a new novel in his Coyote series, Coyote Horizon. I have enjoyed the series about colonization of an alien world.

I put the book, The Toyota Way by Jeffrey Liker on hold. I am interested in the idea when I was reading The Kaizen Way, that there is a logical way to integrate discontinuous innovation with continuous improvement.