Daily Thoughts 06/18/2013

The Grey Parrot, 1852-1853, Walter Howell Deverell. English (1827–1854)

Daily Thoughts 06/18/2013

I took a little time off for a few personal things.  This morning, I relaxed on the way to work.  I had finished reading Digital Photography Masterclass by Tom Ang.  It was an excellent conceptual overview of digital photography focused on the different concepts like tone, light, color, and monochrone.  It included a lot of the basic technical information on photography like RGB (Red, Green, and Blue) and CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key Black) for color.  The pictures were varied and beautiful in the book. I enjoyed reading it.

I checked the Twitter and Facebook for the library.  We are getting ready for our Summer Reading programs.   I also checked the displays this morning.

I spent some time reading Publishers Weekly and the New York Times Book Review.  I also spent a little time looking at the Purchase Alerts, and the bestseller lists from the New York Times Book Review and Publishers Weekly.

I am thinking about going to the Harlem Book Fair on July 19 and July 20, 2013.  It should be interesting.
http://www.qbr.com/harlem-book-fair.aspx

There are two computer classes tonight, an Introduction to Microsoft Word class and a Fundamentals of Computer Operations class.

I checked out the book, The Golem and the Jinni A Novel by Helene Wecker today.  I am going to read some of it on the train home.  It is a beautifully written fantasy story set in the tenements of old New York.  The contrast of having a male Syrian Jinni and a female Jewish golem makes for excellent counterpoint.

Web Bits

Repurposing Retail Library By Design
http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2013/06/buildings/lbd/repurposing-retail-library-by-design/

Amazon Publishing Has First Million Copy Hit: Will Authors, Agents Take Notice?
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeremygreenfield/2013/06/17/amazon-publishing-has-first-million-copy-hit-will-authors-agents-take-notice/?goback=%2Egmp_1515307%2Egde_1515307_member_250958744

Daily Thoughts 06/14/2013

Clovis, Paul Gaugin, 1886

Daily Thoughts 06/14/2013

This morning, I checked the Twitter and Facebook for the library.  I also checked the displays.  I spent some time working with Bookletters.  Bookletters allows you to email lists of books to people.  I emailed a list of fiction books and nonfiction books out.  I have to work on a mailing list later today.  I spent a little time working on learning how to send out a message for a mailing list.  I am supposed to announce the Adult Summer Reading Book Club.

Some books were sent off to Better World Books yesterday which is working well for us.

Web Bits

Want to Learn How To Think Read Fiction
http://www.psmag.com/blogs/news-blog/reading-literature-opens-minds-60021/

Daily Thoughts 06/13/2013

Still Life With Books and Candle, Henri Matisse, 1893

Daily Thoughts 06/13/2013

I checked the gift books and the displays this morning.  I also spent a little bit of time checking the social media.  I helped another staff member sign up to be an administrator for Facebook.  This means I have a little help with this which is nice.

We had a meeting this morning to discuss the website.  I have a number of things to do. I spent some time looking at the Ferguson Library website in Connecticut where our new director came from.  There were a few links that might be useful like Reading Group Choices http://readinggroupchoices.com/

I also spent a little time preparing for the Adult Summer Reading.  I put the book Who Owns the Future by Jaron Lanier on hold.

I did a little more work for the website.  We are adding some suggested legal resources.  The library also has two computer classes tonight, a Microsoft Excel class and a Microsoft Powerpoint class.

Web Bits

In Praise of Traditional Libraries
http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2013/06/opinion/peer-to-peer-review/in-praise-of-traditional-libraries-peer-to-peer-review/

Pew Parents Children and Reading
http://libraries.pewinternet.org/2013/05/01/parents-children-libraries-and-reading/

The Avant Garde Art of Book Stacking In Stores of Japan
http://en.rocketnews24.com/2013/06/03/the-avant-garde-art-of-book-stacking-in-stores-of-japan/

Daily Thoughts 06/12/2013

Walter Crane (1845-1915, UK)

Daily Thoughts 06/12/2013

I have been reading Digital Photography Masterclass by Tom Ang on the way to work.  A lot of it is conceptual.  It is about how to look at things.  Concepts like light, shadows, depth of field, and other ways of looking at the world have been gone over.  It is aesthetically interesting reading this book.  He includes multiple photographs for everything which he describes.

I checked the Facebook and Twitter for the library today.  I also checked the displays and the gift books.  There were a few large print James Patterson books which will be added.

I spent some time talking about the meeting tomorrow for the web committee with colleagues.  I am thinking about how I can do some slideshows for the displays as well as how to incorporate some digital photographs into the website.  I probably should spend a little bit of time on Bookletters today.

We have a few new part time librarians who have come in.  This means I have less time on the reference desk and more time to focus on the collection.

Web Bits

Coming Soon A Universal Ereading App
http://jwikert.typepad.com/the_average_joe/2013/06/in-search-of-a-universal-ereading-app.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+TheAverageJoe+(The+Average+Joe)

ACRL NY Symposium December 6, 2013  The Library as Knowledge Laboratory
http://acrlny.org/greetings-from-2013-acrlny-symposium-chair/
This looks interesting.  It covers things like Big Data and 3D printing which are fascinating.

Daily Thoughts 06/11/2013

Amanda Sidvall Self Portrait 1870-1871

Daily Thoughts 06/11/2013

This morning, I read some more of Digital Photography for Dummies.  I am almost done reading it.  I am learning about printers for digital photography right now.  I am planning on reading a basic book on Photoshop Elements which is an easier version of Adobe Photoshop as well as reading a more general book on photography.  The library has a fairly large photography collection.

I checked the Twitter and Facebook for the library this morning and checked the displays.  Right now, I am working on the e-blast list.  I am pulling together a few things to make it work well.  There is construction in the workroom so I have to take some of my stuff out of there.

I checked the book Digital Photography Masterclass by Tom Ang out.  It should be interesting.  I finished reading Digital Photography for Dummies during lunch.

There are two computer classes tonight, a beginning Microsoft Word class and a Fundamentals of Computer  Operations class.  There is going to be a meeting of the website committee on Thursday.  We should be working on making some changes.

I am thinking of getting Expect More: Demanding Better Libraries For Today’s Complex World, David Lankes, winner of the 2012 ABC-CLIO/Greenwood Award for the Best Book in Library Literature
He is teaching as part of the Syracuse University New Librarianship Master Class Online.
http://ischool.syr.edu/future/grad/newlibopencourse.aspx

Web Bits

Walk Your Precinct : Use Campaign Techniques to Activate Library Advocates and Voters

http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2013/06/opinion/advocates-corner/walk-your-precinct-use-campaigns-techniques-to-activate-library-advocates-and-voters-advocates-corner/

Queens Library is facing $30 million dollars in budget cuts.
http://speakup.queenslibrary.org/
All of the libraries in the five boroughs of Manhattan are facing large cuts to their budgets.