mildy somewhat hungry caterpillar

mildy hungry caterpillar
Originally uploaded by hood and hat

Sometimes the cellphone camera just doesn't capture the full glory. I think we will try for better pics later. And next time I should hold the book so it's more obvious.

pla(h) pla(h) pla(h)

I booked my flight and hotel for PLA in Minneapolis. None of the remaining hotels were close to the conference site so I opted to go with the one attached to an indoor water park. (It also has wi-fi in the bar.) In other news, I am now on PLA's Services to Teens and Their Caregivers committee. We might not be the teeniest, but we are the tiniest committee with just three members.

I have high hopes for today. I think I'm (finally) going to tackle Rollyo, put up the backdrop for my next teen board, and call all my November volunteers. Would it be unethical to have a couple of volunteers assemble the parts for my Halloween costume? It is literary-themed, and I will be wearing it in the library.

Librarian's Blues

Another video from American Libraries Direct:

on the LT (#11)

According to my LibraryThing profile, I've had an account since June 19, 2007. I love tag clouds, so I am fond of the author cloud which does a very good job of showing my favorites: Joan Didion, Tom Wolfe, Jacob Grimm, Rick Moody, and Lorrie Moore. Hmmm ... what else? Christopher Corbett is my college journalism professor. I like the way LT tells me, "25 LibraryThing users have 26 books by Christopher Corbett."

I added the random books from my library widget to my blog. If you're interested:

1. Go to Tools and select Make a Standard Blog Widget.
2. Scroll down to Choose Style. (I picked the third option, "Random Books" and kept all the other defaults: no tags, 12 books, etc.)
3. Copy the HTML code that appears to the right.
4. If you have a Blogger blog, go to your Dashboard and select Layout.
5. Click on Add a Page Element.
6. Select HTML/Java Script (third down, on the right.)
7. Paste the HTML code and Save.
8. Click and drag the "element" to where you want it to appear. The default, I think, is the top.

One of the librarians at FH likes to use the LibraryThing Suggest for readers' advisory. I've started playing around with it and found it to be helpful.

It seems I have acquired exactly five new books since I originally set up my account, so I was actually able to add 5.

shiny happy board

shiny happy board
Originally uploaded by hood and hat

I finished the celebration board for our 50th anniversary. Well, it's 87 percent done. I need to add the now and then photos of the library.

fun, fun, fun (#10)

Perhaps the type is a little hard to read. It says, "Down with 'brellas! Hoods and Hats!" I made it with the Billboard generator, one of the many things listed on the fd Flickr Toys. One of my friends made this over the summer:

We had all Simpsonized ourselves, and then Megan (middle right) brought us together. It was all the rage to have your Simpson-self as your Myspace pic for about two seconds in August.

Most of of the time generators are just a silly way to waste one's time, but they can be handy for creating eye-catching images. Lastly I made this image with the Post-It Note Generator to remind ya'll to come to Forest Hills in November when we celebrate 50 years with a heap of family fun events:

sunday brunch (#9)

I'm sick. Yesterday I watched more TV in one day than I've watched in the previous month. I don't quite understand how Knocked Up received 91 percent on the Critics Tomatometer. I preferred Hard Candy, but then I've never been one to like funny movies.

Much of what we consume (information, entertainment, food) comes down to preferences. I took one look at Topix and decided, "No sir, I do not like you one bit." You can blame the stuffed head, the confetti of strewn tissues, and the little red pills, but I fancied the Bloglines Search, Feedster and Technorati.

Through the Bloglines Search, I set up a feed for 'queens library.' I also made my Bloglines public and added it to my list of links on Hood and Hat. I tried to add a feed of my favored daily horoscope, and I was told, "No feeds were found. Please verify that the website publishes an RSS feed."

Hmmm. What else? I used Feedster to search for YALSA and subscribed to the YALSA Blog. Then, I searched "queens library" on Technorati and this is one of the things I found:

And That's Why We Have the Rule from OiNY.

I have a bunch of feeds set up through my livejournal account, including a feed of Animals Have Problems Too, which I adore (see one pictured below). Do I want to migrate all my feeds from lj to Bloglines? I think I'll hold off for now.

blog rockin' and blog rollin' (#8)

When I couldn't sleep last night, it seemed like a good idea to add every single one of the QL L2.0 participants to my Bloglines. I added myself, The Shifted Librarian, and Word of the Day and somehow still only have 99 feeds so I'm not entirely sure who I missed.

There must be some way for me to post my feeds so that ya'll can easily snatch them. I'll look into that later and share when I figure it out. Chime in if you know. I'm not new to RSS, but this is my first time trying out Bloglines.

Now if I am at a desk I keep my Bloglines open so I can get instant updates when ya'll post. I had just been clicking through the long list of links every couple of days which isn't the most efficient way to keep up.

Hood and Hat is watching you, she sees your every move ... watching you watching you watching you watching you.

Perhaps the sleep-deprivation-inspired silliness is setting in. It's about time for me to go post Thing 9 anyway. One last thing: I've been using this site to resize images (like the screen shot above): http://www.shrinkpictures.com.

Praise sweet, sweet Melville Dewey!

The librarian duties have been updated, and I am no longer assigned to Reserves. At Forest Hills we get between 50 and 200 a day, and the mountain of manila envelopes can try one's soul. My fellow librarians always pitched in when they could (as I plan to now that I am free! free! free!), but there were days when I just didn't want to make the dough nuts. I'm now on 7-Day and New Book duty. Being a YA librarian I generally pay no attention to these much-coveted books so this is good for me. Now I might even have time to get around to RSS feeds.

The above picture was taken a couple weeks ago. In addition to the books pictured, we usually have one to two overflow carts around the side.

best.site.ever.

or, at least this week:

Author Name Pronunciation Guide

I listened to Avi, Holly Black, Jack Prelutsky, and Lara Zeises (who posted a link to the site in her livejournal).

It can be handy for booktalks, but it's just neat to hear writers talk about their names.

freshly direct (#7)

A couple of days ago I went to my local Keyfood for just a few items and I ended up purchasing: two frozen pizzas ($1 a pop!), a bag of frozen onion rings, a six-pack of Tecate, an onion, a bottle of Real Lemon juice, and a small tub of egg salad. I had meant to just grab the onion I need to make a turkey pot pie, but I went after work and I was hungry -- a grocery store no-no. Earlier that day I had received the most delightful e-mail: FreshDirect, an online grocery store, had lowered its minimum order from $50 to $30. They added the tagline, "You asked ... we listened."

As evidenced above, I am not the most savvy shopper. When I shop in-person, I end up with a lot of crap even if I am working from a list. With FreshDirect, I put things in my cart, I take things out of my cart, I think about what I can take for lunch and make for dinner, and I do it all while sitting well-fed, in my pajamas, and at my computer.

FreshDirect just celebrated its fifth anniversary. You might know them from their commercials featuring famous New Yorkers like Spike Lee and Sex and the City's Cynthia Nixon. When I lived in Bushwick they didn't deliver to my area, but now that I live in Woody Sunnyside I can order as often as I like, especially with the lowered minimum order. FreshDirect sets the example by surveying its customers and responding to the feedback, something all organizations and companies must do in a 21st century economy.

The following will be delivered tonight between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., hopefully while I'm finally putting together the aforementioned pot pie.

• Coffee-Mate Fat-Free French Vanilla Non-Dairy Creamer
• FreshDirect Deli Value Pack (Muenster, Roast Beef, Roasted Turkey)
• Seviroli Large Round Portobello Ravioli
• Prego Chunky Mushroom & Green Pepper Pasta Sauce
• Quaker Raisin & Spice Instant Oatmeal
• Lightlife Smart Ground Original
• Green Bell Pepper
• Green Zucchini
• Peeled Butternut Squash
• Red Bell Pepper
• Portobello Pesto Pizza

comments, comments, comments

I left 8 million comments on various blogs yesterday in between reference requests during my Sunday service stint. Reading the blogs is the perfect thing to do between "Do you have a copy of Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men?" and "Can you renew my DVDs?" I like working Sundays because I get to meet librarians from other branchescommunity libraries.

I worked Saturday and Sunday, but I still managed to squeeze in a bit of fun. I'm thinking about making this my new user pic:

spelling with flickr

on thinking pink ... (#5)

Pix002
Originally uploaded by hood and hat

I have a bit of a reputation for my biblioboards, so when my ACLM spied the F.Y.I. highlighting Pomonok's Pink Ribbons of Hope campaign, she asked if I could do something similar. I did my best not to grimace. I was in the middle of 8 million things (school visits, volunteer management, Banned Books Week board followed by Teen Read Week board followed by Forest Hills 50th Celebration board) in addition to my everyday librarian chores and duties. I prefer to be overly rather than underly busy so I said, "Sure, sure." Someone said to me a couple weeks ago, "Have you noticed the more work you do, the more work you do?" Word.

Breast cancer awareness is important, but it hits a little too close to home so I went no-frills. I didn't give the board as much thought as I normally do. Pink construction paper background, black letters spelling "Breast Cancer Awareness Month," and index cards with glued-on printed-out paper pink ribbons. I lifted the some text from the e-mail sent about Go Pink Day. I had a couple of my go-get'em-est volunteers cut and assemble the parts. At the bottom of my craft bag, I found these neat metallic thumbtacks (pink, purple, silver, gold) that I picked up at the beginning of the summer from the dollar store.

I filled out one card so that people would know what to do: "In honor of my grandmother, who died of breast cancer, and my mother, two-time breast cancer survivor, I pledge my support." The board was started late Thursday, and it was finished by the time I took my 5 p.m. reference desk shift on Friday.

Anyway ... thanks to Pomonok for the inspiration.

P.S. This post was done through Flickr's Blog This.

push and pull

A few days ago my manager asked me how many people had signed up for QL L2.0. At the time it was about 60 -- now we're at 70 -- and she seemed disappointed for me.

Replicating the program from PLCMC required such a minimum of effort that I am pleased with the numbers so far. However, that doesn't stop me from pushing the program on everyone I encounter. The new labor relations manager came to hang out at my library as part of his Library 101 training. I handed him a flyer and said, "I couldn't help but notice you hadn't signed up yet." I have no shame. I have managed to hold myself back from sending encouraging e-mails to folks I've met from trainings, Sunday service, and various meetings. When I start my new librarian training at the end of October, I will be suggesting the program to my fellow newbies.

Before QL L2.0 launched, I made a presentation to the library managers. I was nervous, but I told myself, "No adult audience is scarier than thirty restless eighth graders." Whoops! Guess what I'm doing Tuesday and Thursday morning? School visits at the local junior high. We played library bingo last time, and to keep things fresh, I'm going for library jeopardy this time. I'll conclude with book talks of the following:

Magic or Madness by Justine Larbalestier

The Boy in the Basement by Susan Shaw

Heat by Mike Lupica

Sleeping Freshman Never Lie by David Lubar

"Bad Hair Day" by Lauren Myracle from the Such A Pretty Face short story collection
AND

some yet-to-be-determined non-fiction

Then if we have more time, after answering their questions, I'll ask them what they like to read so that I can stock the library with their favorites.

for logan ...

Making a link:

1. First type the text.
2. Select the text by highlighting it with the mouse.
3. Click on the link icon.
4. A box will pop up; type in the address. (I picked good ol' Queens Library.)
5. Click "OK" button.
6. Presto linko!

. . .

In 2003, after my first semester of library school, I volunteered to help set-up a school library in rural South Africa. The experience underscored the importance of thinking about the communities we serve and how we must be careful to not push our own agendas of what libraries should be. Here's a video* from the 2007 IFLA Conference in Durban, South Africa.



*Link from American Libraries Direct 10/3/2007

I'd write more but it's time to retrieve my laundry from the washer and then gear up for my late night.