Daily Thoughts 9/30/2010 (reading, libraries, well being, outsourcing)

Poster of book exhibition, by Vladimir Taburin, 1910,
http://www.plakaty.ru/posters?id=1685 , Wikimedia Address
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:TaburinPoster.jpg 

Daily Thoughts 9/30/2010

Today has been a quiet, peaceful day.  I did some more weeding in the oversize books, some spot checking in 300s, and checked on the shifting in the storage area.  I am focusing on the 800s in storage right now.  Things are moving along nicely. I like to keep track of the small details so things go right.

We have a program today by John R. Howard who is reading Faces in the Mirror, Oscar Micheaux and Spike Lee  from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m..  John R. Howard used to be on the library board.  We picked up a few of Spike Lee's movies; Do The Right Thing and When The Levees Broke as well as the videocasette for  Body and Soul by Oscar Micheaux.  We also picked up a few books on their films as well. 

Last night, I read Well Being The Five Essential Elements by Tom Rath and Jim Harter.  This is a study by the Gallup organization on the elements of what makes a person well.  The five elements are career wellbeing, social wellbeing, financial wellbeing, physical wellbeing, and community wellbeing.  This book speaks volumes about how the general wellbeing of Americans is slipping.  We are 19th in overall wellbeing.  It also describes how poverty causes more than a lack of monetary wealth.   It also increases the amount of pain people are in because of lack of healthcare, and limits physical safety.  There are some interesting insights in this book.  A lot of the interviews in this book were done in person because the book has international coverage where many people do not have phones or electronic equipment.

On the train home, I started on The Glamor of Grammar A Guide to the Magic and Mystery of Practical Enghlish by Roy Peter Clark.  This is a surprising book.  The author manages to make grammar fascinating.  He argues that one should be immersed in language.  Grammar is a tool to improve language, not a prescriptive or descriptive device.  His argument is very likable.  In chapter 3, he asks the reader to adopt a favorite letter.  I chose Z because it reminds me of the Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz in Dr. Seuss's A B C.

Web Bits

From the Wall Street Journal, an article that argues that the internet is killing superstores, but will allow small stores to flourish. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703440604575496290813315552.html
 This is an interesting idea. Maybe, we might see some of the specialty bookstores come back.

The New York Times article about outsourcing public libraries.  http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/27/business/27libraries.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1  I find this to be a little bit disturbing.  There are two reasons.  The first is sucking money out of the local community by sending it to a corporation that is not necessarily part of the local community.  I would think this would have a similar effect to Walmart.  You might get cheaper services, but the money does not go back into the community.  The second problem is one of transparency.  Libraries are public institutions run by the government where you can see how the money is spent.  LSSI is a private corporation which does not release its financial figures.   This is very short term oriented thinking.

Daily Thoughts 4/11/2010

Bust of Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804–1864) by Jonathan Scott Hartley (1845-1912). Front portico, Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building, Washington, D.C, 2007, Carol M. Highsmith Photographer, Listed as Public Domain on Wikipedia.

Daily Thoughts 4/11/2010

I did not go to the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art festival this weekend. Every day life caught up with me. Laundry, shopping, reading Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar. Watching The Hurt Locker on dvd.

Daily Thoughts 4/7/2010

Suggested credit line: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Carl Van Vechten collection, [reproduction number, e.g., LC-USZ62-54231], James Branch Cabell, Public Domain

Daily Thoughts 4/7/2010

Today has been another quiet day. I changed the display for the storage books from fairytales to books on the west including westerns. People read a lot less western and pioneer literature. Zane Grey, Max Brand, Owen Wister, and Louis L'amour are not as popular as they used to be.

I also had some time to read Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and Library Journal. The idea of the agency is kind of interesting. The publisher determines the price for the ebook, then the retailer gets a fixed percentage of profit, 30%. It puts more power into the producer of the work; the author and the publisher. It is a rather interesting idea.

We also had a collection development meeting. I have to check out the price for a docking station for ipods, iphones, kindles, and other devices for Overdrive. I'll probably do that on Friday.

Things are moving along steadily with the shifting projects. We have to look at labeling the shelves for the paperback fiction.

Things have been a little tight lately. We are starting to look at different vendors. http://www.librariansyellowpages.com/

We are going to have a poetry open microphone on Saturday from 2-4 p.m. I have learned a few things. The first thing is to have a sign up sheet beforehand. The second thing to do is to call the people on the signup sheet a couple of days before the event to confirm people are coming and ask them to bring a friend. I have to think of which poetry I am going to read. I think we may open with people introducing themselves and asking people to make a short statement of why they are here. I think we will have a few poets from the community this time which should make it a a little bit better. Also we may have people from the senior center.

A Reader on Reading by Alberto Manguel

A Reader on Reading by Alberto Manguel

This is a collection of short essays by Alberto Manguel. Alberto Manguel wrote The Dictionary of Imaginary Places and was an editor for many years. He muses on his own identity as a reader by talking about many personal issues on reading. He has an essay of the Legend of the Wandering Jew as a reader as well as comments on Jorge Luis Borges defense of Jewish culture. The author is Argentinian and pulls from the South American literary tradition.

He opens many of the essays with a quote from Alice in Wonderland or Through the Looking Glass and a picture from one of these books. This adds an inquisitive quality to the essays. I like many of his quotes and thoughts from Borges because Borges was a librarian and a fantasist in the tradition of magical realism. The essays remind me of thoughts that might have come out of The Phantom Tollbooth or Un Lun Dun.

Most of the essays are about the the experience of reading and being a reader. I especially liked the essay on Don Quixote, entitled Time and The Doleful Knight on Pp. 182-186. I can relate to Cervantes even though I have not read him..

Alberto Manguel attempts to list the qualities of the ideal reader and the ideal writer in two separate essays. They are quite delightful, even though I would not agree with many of them. Alberto Manguel has a deep relationship with books. He has a personal library of some 30,000 books. He wrote about this in an earlier book, The Library At Night.

There is also some discussion of technology in this book. The essay, Saint Augustine's Computer on Pp. 187-198 describes the differences between the printed word and the word on the screen. They are quite significant. He claims the printed word is less ephemeral and easier to subject to deep analysis than what appears on a computer screen.

Some of the issues in the book are quite political. Alberto Manguel grew up under Peron's government. He describes many of the problems with literature, writing, and reading that occur under repressive regimes. He also discusses Che Guevara and his impact on literature. This makes for some interesting, if a bit pointed commentary.

There is a lot to recommend in this book. It has a well done index, a very extensive bibliography, and a nice feel to the book. The book is set in Fourier Type and is quite easy to read. It is printed by Yale University Press. It is an excellent book that is well worth reading.

Daily Thoughts 12/21/2009

Lord Byron, Finden, Edward Francis, 1791-1857 -- Engraver, 1838

Daily Thoughts 12/21/2009

I am glad that Publishers Weekly opened their website so it is no longer a subscription website. It makes my job much easier. They have a very nice list of the Top Books of 2009 up right now. They also list religious reviews which should be useful as well as comics bestsellers. http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6704595.html

Fast Company Best Business Books of 2009. I like the slideshow format. I am definitely going to read Viral loop : from Facebook to Twitter, how today's smartest businesses grow themselves / Adam L. Penenberg. http://www.fastcompany.com/pics/best-business-books-2009?partner=homepage_newsletter

I feel like reading something a little silly like Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Jane Austen and Ben H. Winters. It looks entertaining. Read Street blog has a book review of Jane Bites Back by Michael Thomas Ford where Jane Austen is a vampire. http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/books/blog/2009/12/a_jane_austen_spinoff_that_doe.html

I have four books which I plan on reading on my desk, Grandville A Detective Inspector Lebrock of Scotland Yard Scientific Romance Thriller by Bryan Talbot. It is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel. I also have Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters as well as Thinking With Type A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, & Students by Ellen Lupton and Think Again Why Good Leaders Make Bad Decisions and How To Keep It From Happening to You by Sidney Finkelstein, Jo Whitehead, and Andrew Campbell.

Daily Thoughts 12/1/2009

Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Carl Van Vechten Collection, [reproduction number, e.g., LC-USZ62-54231] Maugham, W. Somerset--(William Somerset),--1874-1965. The Razor's Edge is a great novel.

Daily Thoughts 12/1/2009

I am back from vacation today. I returned my book and checked out a bunch of items, Me 2.0 by Dan Schwabel which is about building a personal network online, Social Intelligence by Daniel Goleman, Six Pixels of Separation by Mitch Joel, Trust Agents by Chris Brogan (Chris Brogan spoke last year at Tools of Change for Publishing), Diving Into the Wreck by Kristine Kathryn Rusch, and Halo Evolution, Essential Tales of the Halo Universe ( Tobias Buckell has a story in this book.)

There are a few books which I was interested in but didn't take, Vladimir Nabokov, The Original of Laura (this is Nabokov's manuscript for his final work, it is on notecards and unfinished. Vladimir Nabokov did not want it published, but his son published it anyway after his death.) The other book which I'll probably read later is Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters. Sometimes, there are just too many books.

I had various things to do including updating the displays and catching up on my reading. I still have quite a bit to do. I read some of Booklist and Publishers Weekly. I also finished putting in my orders for the month of November. Tomorrow, I have to work on the display stands for the "New Arrivals" section.

On the way home, I read some of Me 2.0, Build A Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success. The book is on personal branding. The book comes across as a bit narcissistic. Still, it has quite a bit that seems useful to say about how to market yourself as a person. There is a lot for people just entering the job market. It makes the claim that people need to have more than a resume and recommendations to succeed.

Who does Windy Pants Patrick think he is?

Freckleface Strawberry and the Dodgeball Bully is a winner from the start!

Strawberry Freckleface gets all happy when her parents go to work early because she gets to go to Early Bird at school and that is the most fun. At least most of the time. There are usually all kinds of cool things to do, except for when it rains. That's a real bummer. On those not so dry days, they have to go inside and that means dodgeball. Not so much fun.

All the kids are afraid of dodgeball, actually they are afraid of Windy Pants Patrick, who is the school bully. So on this particular day, Strawberry Freckleface has had enough and she comes up with a plan. But will her plan work or will her worst fears come true?

Okeechobee Book Reviews says, "Freckleface Strawberry and the Dodgeball Bully is a super cool book! The pictures are as delightful as the story and really make the book a lot of fun. It is so refreshing to see a superstar doing something valuable with their time. This books is an asset to kids everywhere and I hope parents will take the time to talk about the fears and solutions with their kids."

Most people know Julianne Moore as a renowned actor, but she is so much more. As an advocate for children, she is using her superstar powers for good, and not evil, by not only giving of her time with Save the Children, but this is her second picture book (with LeUyen Pham) for children and a great follow up to her debut with Freckleface Strawberry. Young readers are delighting in her fanciful stories and these books are among her greatest contributions to the development and education of children. Julianne is truly a role model for the ages.

Fool's Gold Why The Internet Is No Substitute for a Library by Mark Y. Herring, McFarland and Company, North Carolina, c2007

Fool's Gold Why The Internet Is No Substitute for a Library by Mark Y. Herring, McFarland and Company, North Carolina, c2007

This book provides clear arguments to why the internet and also ebooks are no substitute for a physical library.

He argues against the uncluttered, unauthoritative, often inaccurate nature of the information made available on the internet. Mark Y. Herring abhors internet pornography, spam, the presence of hate sites, and plagiarism rampant on the web.

There are reminders that internet sites disappear quickly; a phenomenon called link rot and are not cited or footnoted like in books. There is an excellent set of footnotes at the back of the book with extensive, often ironic commentary.

Some of the most striking ideas were that Wikipedia is a secondary source; copyright has not been sorted by Google and the best electronic information is still in propietary databases.

I do not agree with some of his points,especially the ones on book, this book was written in 2007, so it was just before the advent of the Kindle and the expansion of many of the archives of free information on the web like wikimedia.

Also, his statements about the pure decline of reading because of the internet are starting to change. People have become much more aware of the decline in reading. This may be in part because of books like this. This is a link to the latest National Endowment for the Arts study
http://www.arts.gov/news/news09/ReadingonRise.html

This book was ironic and coherent; a strong statement against web evangelism. It gives solid arguments on why we should keep a physical library and not just turn everything over to the internet.

Mark Y. Herring, the author, is the Dean of Library Services at the Dacus Library, Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina. He has written extensively for Library Journal and other academic publications.

Daily Thoughts 5/12/2009

Promotional poster for Baum's "Popular Books For Children", 1901

Daily Thoughts 5/12/2009

I tried to start reading two different novels on the train. The first was an advanced reading copy of How To Rob An Armored Car by iain Levinson. It bored me. The premise was a group of potheads in dead end jobs turn to crime. I could not find much sympathy with the characters. The second book I tried to read was Daemon by Daniel Suarez. This is a near future thriller. I got through the first chapter then I got distracted by the characters. There were too many plot threads to make the writing very coherent and they did not mesh very well, so I put it down. I was hoping I would have something to read on the train in the morning but, I guess, I will have to pick up the New York Times instead and read it on the way to work tomorrow.

I had a typical day today. I spent some time in the morning weeding the 700s. I also plan to shift the books in the 700s around to create some space tomorrow. We put in a whole new set of baskets for the new book display area. We are waiting for two more slat wall panels. Then we will be finished redoing the new books display area. It looks a lot nicer than before.

We had Westlaw come over to do some training on the new interface for Westlaw Patron Access. The training was kind of interesting. Westlaw has designed a new set of drop down menus and directories that is more user friendly for the public to find law material. The search engine reminds me of Google now. The training took about an hour and a half.

I also spent time this morning going over the Purchase Alerts from the central system. Most of the holds are for dvds and music cds with a few bestselling titles. There were a few social science titles mixed in along with a few self help titles. What surprised me is that a lot of the dvds were for nonfiction subjects like the great depression and exercise. Sometimes when you look at holds reports they can be a little bit counterintuitive.

Gossipy Minds Want To Know

Gus and Cynthia "Dishing The Dirt"

Cynthia and I don’t gossip, never did. We just get mad at each other and say stupid things. But, plenty of our friends do. And, this is waaaay back in the 60s! We'll gossip about things like: “Cindy’s wearing Tom’s letterman jacket!” Or, “I saw Mike walk Linda to Geometry class.”

Gossip is more difficult in mine and Cynthia's time. You actually have to physically whisper in someone’s ear! Ewwww! Oh, sure we always have the phone, but it's impossible to say anything private with my nosy brother eavesdropping. And, believe it or not, I can't take the phone into my room because the receiver is connected by a cord! I know. Hard to imagine.

You guys have it so easy today with email and texting.

“OMG. Did u c C n T :-<>” (for those of you over age 30, the symbol :-<> shows surprise).

I may just be an old-fashioned, 1960s twelve-year-old (soon to be thirteen!), but the statement above seems to lose something in the translation. On the other hand, texting might keep flu bugs from spreading. Waaahh...choooo!

Still, Cynthia and I are gonna have to study this texting thing. I just figured out that lol doesn’t mean, “lots of love!” Now, there’s a gossip topic! Think of all the people I woulda thought were sending me “love” before I realized they were laughing with (at) me! LOL!

Getting off the gossip track, so I’ll bring this puppy back around (somehow).

Do you like gossip, as long as it doesn’t involve you? Or, is gossip always mean? What’s your favorite way to gossip? Ear-to-ear ? Text-to-text?

Gossipy minds want to know.

BFF, Gus

Mary Cunningham Books

Quake

Cynthia's Attic Blog

Reading with Teens

As the electronic era has taken hold of today's society, people have begun to read less and focus instead on other activities, such as playing videogames or watching television. Yet, reading still employs a great sense of wonder and amazement as the reader engages in a new adventure each and every time he or she enters the world of the author's story.

There are many options available, not only to discover new and exciting books to read, but to discuss the story with other individuals and gain new perspectives on a story that had seemed to only have one angle to it before. A book club can offer new opportunities to find a new favorite book or to even learn new facts or opinions concerning a book that you thought you knew everything about. You can check out your local library to see if they have a book club that would be good for you to join and discuss the chosen book.

Reading can open many new doors, so why not go and pick up a book to read today!

Alyssa Montgomery
Author of Where Are You? and Mr. Mysterious

Tweens are the "in crowd!"

Tweens. They're a hot market, they're complicated, and there are two in the White House: Sasha and Malia Obama.

What do tweens consider cool? Music was at the top of the list, followed by going to the movies. "Being smart" ranked third tied with video games followed by electronics, sports, fashion and protecting the environment, according to a report.


Read the article in USA Today


Are you a tween? What do YOU think is cool?

Check out some really cool TWEEN BOOKS at QUAKE!
Mary Cunningham
Cynthia's Attic Books for Tweens

Have you been to the Hobbitville Gardens?

Welcome to
Hobbitville Gardens…
where adventure grows wild!



THE PIXIE CHICKS

Buy the eBook now at

For a quartet of girlfriends known as the Pixie Chicks, life takes on a delicious new flavor when their normal Friday night walkabout through the Hobbitville gardens reveals secrets and adventures previously unimagined. Who knew the statues were portals to similar, magical gardens around the world? Or that only a select few can travel by statue and fewer still can arrive at their desired point? These four will reach for the stars despite the risks of the unknown to embrace an adventure suitable only for the boldest of teens.

Who is Regan Black?
Regan Black has been indulging her imagination since the moment she discovered the magic of pencil and paper. She's won awards for both her poetry and her adult adventure novels, despite the chaos of managing a husband, two children and a home that could serve as a domestic petting zoo. With two retired greyhounds (give or take a foster), two cats and three birds, she's learned to craft her stories with one hand on the keyboard and one on whoever is in need of affection. If she's not writing, you'll most likely find her reading, gardening, playing with the pets or doing yoga to recover from all of the above. Thanks to the wonders of technology, you can always find her at www.reganblack.com.

Have You Read Locker Shock?

LOCKER SHOCK

By Pamela Ripling
ISBN: 978-1-59080-581-7

Read Chapter One

What would you do if you found something deadly in your school locker and you suspected a friend of stashing it there?

Benjamin Mitchell thinks life really sucks when he nearly fails his history test. What's more, he's trying to get on the Midland Racers hockey team as a replacement goal tender. His buddies, Zach and Frasier are as different as night and day, and Ben feels like salt-water taffy, stretched thinner and thinner as the boys battle for his attention. And as if things couldn't get any worse, Valerie has suddenly started acting like a girl. The pressure is on.

Ben has bigger problems and it looks like somebody is out to set him up. Can he find out before it's too late?

What people are saying about Locker Shock

"...a valuable story. The characterization is superb of today's teenagers." – Sharpwriter.com

"Ben's first encounter with the darker side of life is satisfying and educational without a lot of heavy moralizing, and his uncertainty as he wrestles with the issues of loyalty versus morality is solid and authentic." – Blue Iris Journal

Meet the Author:

Pam Ripling didn't know what she was getting into when she decided she wanted to be published. A bookkeeper by trade and a mother, wife, and daughter most of the rest of the time, Pam dove headlong into electronic publishing when it became apparent that this, at last, was her ticket to stardom and notoriety. With a few romance novels already under her proverbial belt, LOCKER SHOCK! is her first venture into the Young Adult genre. Fueled by her two teenaged sons' experiences in junior high, Pam has created several stories portraying life as a young teen in today's uniquely challenging times. She hopes LOCKER SHOCK! is the first of many.

You can visit Pamela at
www.beaconstreetbooks.com

The Gatekeepers: Raven's Gate (Book Review)

The Gatekeepers: Raven's Gate by Anthony Horowitz
Publisher: Scholastic
ISBN: 0-439-85629-9

Matt isn't really a bad kid, he's just looking for someplace to belong and maybe a reason. He is however different from your average kids, and someone out there seems to know that. When he finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time, Matt's entire life is ripped apart and he is sent on a journey that is more than a little strange, and altogether terrifying.

Worse yet, when he finds himself packed off to Lesser Malling, things get even weirder. Knowing he needs to escape the nightmare he is living, Matt is faced with mortality and his true self. But everyone who tries to help Matt ends up dead or missing. Is the place he's supposed to call home filled with witches or is there a greater evil at hand?

Anthony Horowitz writes a remarkably dark tale. As an adult, I wondered if it might be too graphic for the kids, but I could not put it down. I can see where readers of the dark and gritty would high five Mr. Horowitz's talent for the creepy. A very good read and I am looking forward to Evil Star.

Reviewed by Karen Syed

See what's shakin' at Quake.
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