Hood and Hat

Donate for Something Tasty

2011-09-07T07:39:00.005-04:00

I am running the ING New York City Marathon and raising funds for ING Run For Something Better. Every little bit helps, even $5 would be great. As an added incentive, I am offering the following gifts for donations. I have included suggested donation amounts for gifts, but any donation gets any gift. One gift per person. You can email me at keys.karen@gmail.com

http://www.active.com/donate/INGNYCM2011/karenkeys

Rooftop Dinner (Suggested: $100)
A tasty meal for you and a guest on my lovely rooftop (weather permitting).

Butternut Pound Cake (Suggested: $50)
This is what my grandmother always made for my birthday. It takes three hours to bake in all the love.

Batch of Chocolate Chip Cookies (Suggested: $25)
Nothing says loving like something fresh from the oven. Alternatives: brownies, banana cream pie, or cheesecake.

Books! (Suggested: $20)
Two books, selected from my personal stash, especially for YOU.

I have committed to raising $2750 (yikes!), but I am prepared to pay that amount myself. It will mean ramen for every meal and living very frugally for the next 2-3 months, but I think the cause is important. I wish I had started running as a kid. Anyway, it will be a much more fun September and October if I'm gratefully baking and cooking. My grandmother's cheesecake recipe is delicious.

Here's the link to donate:
http://www.active.com/donate/INGNYCM2011/karenkeys

**If you don't live in New York, everything but the rooftop dinner, banana cream pie, and cheesecake can probably be shipped. We'll work something out.**

Finishing What I Start

2011-08-18T15:53:00.003-04:00

This librarian blog will be mostly about running for the next three months. Where possible, I will combine libraries and running. I'm training for the NYC Marathon and accepting donations for ING's Run For Something Better.

ING Run For Something Better funds free school-based youth running programs for kids in our race markets and nationally to teach kids the benefits of a healthy lifestyle and help them avoid childhood obesity.

Also, completely unrelated, I seem to have inadvertently deleted all the images from this blog. I am choosing to blame Google Plus.

48 Hour Book Challenge: 17 Hours, 37 Minutes

2011-06-06T10:06:00.004-04:00

Just a quick update to post my stats for the Sixth Annual 48 Hour Book Challenge:

Reading: 17 Hours, 37 Minutes
Books Started: Four
Books Finished: Three (one audiobook, one eBook, one print book)
Libraries Hugged: One (CNN covered it! Article: Supporters give 'hug' to budget-pinched NYC libraries)
Muffins Baked: 12 (post-Challenge, recipe from Smitten Kitchen: Rhubarb Streusel Muffins)

Hugs, Cupcakes, and the 48Hour Book Challenge

2011-06-03T00:05:00.008-04:00

It's gearing up to be a hectic month: two major NYC library advocacy events (Hug the Library, 24 Hour We Will Not Be Shushed Read In), preparing for Alex Awards committee meetings at ALA Annual, pulling off a program (Pecha Kucha: Teens and Technology) at the same library conference, and planning for our first big month of technology and job readiness programs at the library in July.

A weekend spent reading is just what I need. No, really, I mean that. I'm throwing my stack of books into the ring for the 48 Hour Book Challenge.

I'll be darting off to high-five Patience and Fortitude at the New York Public Library's Stephen A. Schwarzman Building in the middle of my reading fest. The three library systems in New York City are facing massive budget cuts, and (fingers crossed) a hundreds-strong group of us is going to form a human chain around the building, so that we can what the event name implies: Hug the Library. (Are you in NYC or the surrounding area? You should come. You can even read while you wait for the hug to take place promptly at 2pm.)

Other than my cozy up with the library and some baking aspirations, my weekend is mostly clear. My plan is to read from 8pm Friday-8pm Sunday. I'm aiming for 20/48 hours, but maybe I can manage to stay up this time around. Here are my books:

a new job for a new season

2011-04-20T12:30:00.003-04:00

In keeping with my tradition of changing my job (or position) every two years, I'm now working as an outreach librarian in Long Island City. I'm still with Queens Library, and these are my new digs:

Pretty cool, eh? My focus is providing technology and job assistance to traditionally underserved populations. The program, an enhancement of what libraries already provide, is just starting and once again I find myself in a multiple-exclamation-point state.

(One of) The Lucky Few

2010-11-04T11:17:00.003-04:00

The article I wrote for Library Journal appeared online October 15, but I just got the print copy! Here's a pic:

That's me in the lower right corner. From top-left: Leah L. White, Justin Hoenke, and Molly Kelly. The reaction has been nice, and many people at Queens Library have said kind things. I hope to do more writing, getting back to my roots, in the future.

Deadline!

2010-08-29T20:47:00.003-04:00

Deadline, deadline, my dear old friend. I'm working on an 800 word article about my experiences as a librarian since I graduated in early '07. This of course means two things: I woke up feeling horrible and I've done everything else on my t0-do list except write the last 400 words. Trekking to Target to treat my allergies with some legal crack -- Claritin-D -- I first popped into the Party Store to check out stick-like things for my upcoming food-on-a-stick party. Behold:

Much food will be stuck. I also managed to whip up an entire week's worth of lunches, snacks, and dinners and place them all in serving size containers. I spent last night reading through old livejournal entries, giggling into the wee hours of the morning. Now I'm going to take a stroll through this blog, which has more of a professional bent than the lj. It's weird to think how much has happened in the last 3 1/2 years.

DC Bound: ALA 2010 Schedule

2010-06-22T17:11:00.009-04:00

Friday

11:30am: Train to DC

3pm-5pm: Emerging Leaders Poster Session (WCC, Room 201). Snacks! Fun, smart people to chat up. Snacks!

5pm-7pm: YALSA Happy Hour, Old Dominion Brew House (1219 9th Street NW). Alternative: LITA Happy Hour, Renaissance Downtown Hotel Lobby Bar (999 Ninth Street NW).

7pm-10pm Grab some dinner, and finish reading for Alex Awards committee meeting.

10pm – 4am ALA Dance Party at the APEX (1415 22nd Street NW) $10.

Saturday

10:30am-12noon YALSA All-Committee (WCC Room 207A/B). Coffee and snacks.

12pm-1:30pm LUNCH!

1:30pm-5:30pm Alex Award committee meeting, closed session.

5:30pm Dinner with Alex folks. Thai!

7:30pm-9:30pm Tweet Up, The Passenger (1021 7th Street NW).

Quiet evening in hotel, recovering from previous day's fun. Alternative: ALA Annual 2010 Facebook/Twitter After-Hours Social, RFD (810 7th Street NW).

Sunday

7:30am Alexander Street Breakfast, Washington Marriott at Metro Center (Grand Ballroom, 775 12th Street NW). Yum!

9am-10am YA Coffee Klatch (WCC Room 207A/B)

10:30am-12pm Alex Award program with David Small (WCC, Room 150B). David Small!

12pm-1:30pm LUNCH!

1:30pm-5:30pm Alex Award committee meeting, closed session.

7:30pm-9pm NMRT Awards Reception, where former and fellow ELer, Library Scenester will be honored. Woo! Go, Erin.

Monday

8am-10am Alex Award committee meeting, closed session.

10am-1:30pm Exhibits; Lunch; Check out of hotel. (Staying with a local friend Monday night.)

1:30pm-3:30pm Committee on Library Advocacy (GRAND, Room Independence E)

5:30pm Battledecks (WCC, Room 103A). Alternative: Hang out with my DC friends.

Tuesday

11am: Library Advocacy Day!

Possible meetings with aides of NY elected officials in afternoon.

Return to NYC at some point.

You Are Invited By Anyone To Do Anything*

2010-06-15T12:10:00.011-04:00

Yesterday, while still recovering from spending 8 hours at Save NYC Libraries' 24 Hour We Will Not Be Shushed Read-In, the YALSA Blog ran up behind me, yanked up my drawers and gave me a wedgie, insisting it only wanted to provoke me into articulating my feelings on panty-twisting.

Well, that's how it felt.

Playing advocate to a devil that doesn't need one, it asked, "Save Libraries?," and further inquired, "Should all libraries be saved?"

Here in NYC, we are in for the fight of our lives, as all three systems (Brooklyn Public Library, New York Public Library, and Queens Library) face debilitating cuts that if enacted would include layoffs of 1/3 of staff. Moreover, the libraries and media centers in schools, face similar fates. I'm not much in the mood to engage in a discussion on the future of libraries when the present is slipping away. We're bottom-runging Maslow's pyramid, and now is not the time for discussion. It is a time for action.

I am fortunate to have colleagues so committed to libraries, that they planned and organized the Read In, managing volunteers, readers, and the media, and staying on site for more than 24 hours. I stand an awe of them. The event attracted more than 1000 people, who filled out postcards, signed petitions, and just plain enjoyed the spectacle of people reading words and sharing stories. In the early morning hours, I read a selection of fiction, as well fairy and folk tales. I staffed the postcard table for a couple of hours, amazed that people had not heard about the cuts facing libraries.

On the teen librarian front, 17 of the 20 official young adult librarians at Queens Library have been given layoff notices that will take effect August 15, 2010 unless the budget is restored. Additionally, many generalist librarians who are responsible for providing teen services at communities libraries have received pink slips. Remaining staff that might not have the same skills or enthusiasm for teen services will be left to fill the gaps at libraries that will be open fewer hours and understaffed. Rinse, lather, repeat the same story for children's librarians. All libraries are worth being saved, if only for the youth that depend on them. Letting them close and hoping that something newer, better, more powerful opens in their absence, is a risk we shouldn't be ready to take.

To understand the importance of libraries, all you need to do is talk to the kids:

I do not mean to minimize the importance of libraries for adults, but I think the argument for saving all libraries can be made based on the services, sanctuary, and collections that libraries provide for young people. So, I hope all will join the effort to save libraries in anyway possible. Twibbon, postcard, 311 phone calls, e-mails to government officials, read-ins, protests, door chainings, outreach at bars and laundry mats. You are invited to do anything.

*This post powered by The Dismemberment Plan station on Pandora.

48 Hour Book Challenge: Done!

2010-06-07T05:08:00.002-04:00

I read just over 16 of the 48 hours. I hope to post some reviews in the next few days but my allergies are hitting me hard today, so I'm going to sleep them away.

Countdown to 48 Hour Book Challenge

2010-06-04T11:20:00.013-04:00

+ + + + + + + = Fun, fun, fun.

I read a lot of books. Good books, bad books, adult books, teen books. Books, books, books. I'm excited to participate in the 5th 48 Hour Book Challenge.

Last weekend I did a test run, challenging myself to read early and often in a 24-hour time period. When the start time rolled around, I settled in for a 2.5 hour nap. Over the next day, I read approximately 700 pages during nine dedicated reading hours. If I read 18 hours and 1400 pages for the official challenge, I'll be pleased. I like to sleep and nap, especially on weekends, and I plan on indulging my somniac tendencies.

This time, I've got some secret weapons: Girl Scout cookies!

I've also set time aside Saturday morning to make salads (apple-yogurt and cucumber-tomato) for snacks all weekend long. I will take one scheduled break, a walk to Park Slope to hang out with some friends' kitties that need tending.

On my book pile, but subject to my whims:

Fieldwork by Mischa Berlinski
Peep Show by Joshua Braff
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
Incarceron by Catherine Fisher (On Junot Diaz's Summer Reading List!)
Elliot Allagash by Simon Rich
The House of Tomorrow by Peter Bognanni
Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok
The Frozen Rabbi by Steve Stern

I don't expect to read them all, but I intend to follow the 50-page rule: if something's not moving me, it's toast. And maybe I'll crack open my ARC of The Passage by Justin Cronin.

I'm always looking for new friends on Goodreads. You can find me here.

I'll be reading from 9pm Friday to 9pm Sunday. Fingers crossed and pages dogearred, I'll resist sleep and read more than 18 hours.

Saturday Night (Library) Fever

2010-05-10T10:29:00.009-04:00

On Saturday, my friends and I pubcrawled through Park and South slopes, Windsor Terrace, and Gowanus. I left armed with a stack of stamped Save NYC Libraries postcards.

And, there's always someone who makes a joke:

I think libraries should do more outreach and advocacy in bars. Cheers!

PLA 10: Thrilling Tales with David Wright

2010-03-31T13:04:00.002-04:00

It takes a lot to get me out of bed, caffeinated, and ready to listen at 8:30am. I've been ~~stalking~~ following David Wright on Fiction_L and Shelf Talk for at least a year, probably longer. I've been intrigued about the storytime he does for adults at Seattle Public Library.

I figured a guy who's been entertaining folks with stories for years would give a pretty awesome talk. I meandered in a few minutes late and I couldn't resist tweeting: Listening to one of my library crushes, David Wright, talk about storytime for grown-ups. #pla10. (Tweets about #thrilling tales.)

Wright has been telling stories at SPL for more than five years, regaling workers and tourists from 12:05-12:50 twice a month at the flagship library. The escapist romps attract between 25 and 80 people per session. Wright mentioned the stories of Jack Ritchie as early and favorites to read.

Initially Wright recruited local actors and "celebrity" readers -- like our beloved Nancy Pearl -- but after a year decided to read all the stories himself. ("Just me and a microphone.") He found that regulars preferred the consistency. For those not wanting to tell tales personally, volunteers can also do the program.

Where find stories? Everywhere!

I'm just going to go ahead and list all the places Wright mentioned, but be sure to see his handout (link below) for more examples: Ghost stories, crime, mystery, western, pulp, Elmore Leonard ("suspense with spurs"), New Yorker, anthologies, Kelly Link, Stranger: Dark Tales of Eerie Encounters, Best Short Stories, Best New Voices. One thing to avoid? Novels.

Ready to start?

All you need is water, light, a clock, lectern, and mic. Wright advised, "Use a mic unless you're reading to one person in a closet." (Now, do you understand my library crush? Funny guy.) Set the mood with dim lighting and pre-show music. Lowered lights send the message that the program is auditory. Wright suggested starting with a short tale, maybe 10 minutes in length, so that late-comers will be able to get into the groove.

Wright tends to stick to suspenseful tales, but there's a lot of opportunity for variation. The program also works great with themes (do a world tour, selecting different countries; bilingual storytime; reach out to the deaf community and arrange for an interpreter to sign the program). The grown-up storytime is also a natural fit for outreach, visiting senior and other community centers, as well as nursing homes.

Broadcasting and podcasting are also possible, though the requirements change when you record something. Wright encouraged attendees to seek necessary permissions and stated it was easier than one might think. He said, "We are libraries, we hold the golden key."

The community library where I worked for two years would have been great for this type of program. Even though I'm not currently doing public service or programming, I knew grown-up storytime was something many of my colleagues would be interested in. (And something I could try once I left my Very Special position.)

Wright offered, "This is a great program to fail at." You can't beat the bargain basement price of you, a mic, and time.

Wright's materials are available on the PLA Conference website: http://www.placonference.org/session_handouts.cfm (You can search by last name or session title.)

See also: ricklibrarian: Thrilling Tales and Selected Shorts: An Adult Story Time for Your Library

PLA 2010: Nancy Pearl's Book Buzz

2010-03-29T14:20:00.004-04:00

+ + =

I like playing with my Nancy Pearl Deluxe Librarian Action Figure just as much as the next girl, but the real fun comes when listening to Nancy (and the folks she's gathered) gush about books. I'm on the Alex Award Committee, so I am always scouring blogs and lists, eavesdropping on conversations, browsing book stores, and scanning trains for possible contenders. We look for books published as adult that have possible high teen interest. (You can nominate a title here: http://yalsa.ala.org/forms/alexnominate.php, but it's a no-no for publishers and authors to nominate their own books.)

And, I just love to read. Humorous P.I. fiction, gritty memoirs, anything YA, pop science, suspense (romantic and otherwise), food stuff. Basically, I go ga-ga during publisher previews and round-ups. I'm not going to list everything, but here's some titles that stood out to me:

My Name Is Mary Sutter by Robin Oliveira. Described as "midwifery gore." May 2010.
The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O'Connor McNees. April 2010.
Under Heaven by Guy Gavrial Kay. Historical fiction + fantasy. April 2010.
Sisters from Hardscrabble Bay by Beverly Jensen. I'd love anything with Scrabble in the title. Stephen King sings its praises. June 2010.
Salvation City by Sigrid Nunez. September 2010.
Think of a Number by John Verdon. Spooky. July 2010.
Wanna Get Lucky? by Deborah Coonts. Murder + humor. May 2010.
Elegy for April by Benjamin Black. Crime thriller. April 2010.

Nancy also recommended a business book: Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip Heath. It's out now so I went ahead and put in a request at my'brary.

Portland, My Portland

2010-03-29T11:47:00.005-04:00

Just got back from the 13th Public Library Association (PLA) Conference in Portland, OR, and I've decided to shake the dust off my blog for some updates.

The ALAs -- Midwinter and Annual -- tend to be working conferences for me, so I enjoyed the opportunity PLA offered for pure, unadulterated soaking of knowledge.

Over the next few days, weeks, months, I'll be updating H&H with some of my conference experiences. The most notable change in my conference-going habits was that I took almost all my notes on my iPhone. I then e-mailed myself the sessions' scribblings. No copying! No trying to figure out my handwriting! No forming my thoughts into 140-character tweetable quotes and rambles. (I did my share of tweeting, but I liked being able to easily switch between the Notes app and Tweetie.)

I'm not sure if I could ever bring myself to leave NYC and my'brary, but I fell a little bit in love with Portland. The moody, changeable weather; the tasty food and beverages; the clean, deep-breath air; the Midwest-friendly people; the men who dressed like the boys I had crushes on in high school. My friend told me that I had to go to McMenamins. Failure to do so would mean I had not actually visited Portland. I never did. Also, I somehow skipped Voodoo Donuts. I'm not worried, I'll be back soon enough.

A Day in the Life of a Library: Karen Keys, Queens Library

2010-01-25T15:58:00.012-05:00

Edited to add: Often you do 50 little tasks and it feels as if you have accomplished nothing. A large part of my job is trend spotting and reading constantly about emerging technology. It can feel like a waste of time unless that one magical idea strikes. The point of the Day In the Life project was to show the wide variety of librarian experience. We're not all bunned, cardiganned librarians, chained to the reference desk, peering through our glasses. 4.29.10

I am the Functional Design Manager at Queens Library. I spent two years as a YA librarian before leaving public service to work on a special project: the redesign of our website and implementation of mobile services. This my Day In the Life of the Library ...

7:15am iPhone sounds alarm, waking me up with "Blues" tone in rainy Prospect Heights, Brooklyn

7:20am Check e-mail and Facebook.
7:30am Prepare breakfast (Raisin Spice oatmeal, tea with cream), lunch (Moong Dal soup from soup swap, home-made veggie soup, mini corn jalapeno muffins) and to-go tea for my hour-long commute.
7:45am Scan New York Times (through iPhone app, of course).
8:45am Start to leave for work, become distracted, leave 20 minutes later.
9:05am Apartment to C-train to J-train to work in Jamaica, Queens, NY at Queens Library. Read more NYT (including articles about marriage and James Patterson).
10:15am Arrive at work, late as usual but no later than usual.
10:19am Check work e-mail, Queens Library Chat (internal message boards), Twitter.
10:34am Read Bloglines (102 items)
11:08am Officially sign up for #libday4, explain to Facebook friend about # and @.
11:34am Review Queens Library twitter search. Recent one: "I think my personal library has more books than the Queens Public Library." Er ... really?
11:41am TWEET: Researching software/apps for kids and teens gaming, etc. computers #libday4
12:29pm Send e-mails to possible presenters for YALSA program (Lights! Camera! Booktrailers) at ALA Annual In Washington DC.
12:55pm Work on and submit application for Principles of Public Library Organization and Management course.
1:38pm More research.
2:15pm Lunch, Moongdal soup. Place veggie soup in staff fridge.
2:47pm Spend the rest of lunch trying to get a refund from MTA for a 2-week Metro Card that never came out of the machine. TWEET: On hold w/ MTA: "Parents please encourage your kids to surf the web, not the train." When's the last time you "surfed" the web?
3:16pm TWEET: Hitting afternoon slump. I don't think I've ever accomplished anything 3pm-4pm. #libday4
3:20pm Wander down to first floor to mill about the stacks and check out reserved books.
3:30pm Review list of 2010 books to request for Alex Awards committee.
3:55pm Work on A Day in the Life of a Library post.
4:30pm Scan the day's discussion list posts (Fiction_L, yalsa-bk, ya-yaac, Web4lib).
4:56pm Realize that I haven't done all that much today. It's a Monday, right? Time for more Bloglines, another round of e-mail, chat, and Twitter/Facebook.
6:11pm Packing up, heading home with Splendor and Catching Fire tucked under my arm.
7:44pm Arrive home and guess what's in the mail? My (partial) reimbursement from ALA Midwinter. Hooray! Now I can afford to go to Urban Librarians Unite! drinks tomorrow. I'm going to celebrate with a book.

Boston or Bust

2010-01-13T11:25:00.005-05:00

I thought I'd store my ALA schedule here:

Friday
1pm Arrive by (Mega)bus
2pm-4pm Alex Award Committee meeting (closed session)
4pm-5pm Check into Nine Zero Hotel, register for conference
5pm-7pm YALSA Happy Hour, Boston Convention Center, Grand Ballroom Foyer
7pm-8:30pm Alex Award Committee dinner, Cottonwood Cafe
9pm Emerging Leaders Meet Up, JJ Foley's

Saturday
8am-10am YALSA Leadership meeting
10:30am-12pm YALSA All-Committee
-Meet with Technology for Young Adults committee (I'm the chair.)
1:30pm-5:30pm Alex Award Committee meeting (closed session)
5:30-7:30 NMRT Social, Bell in Hand Tavern
8pm Tweet-Up, Green Dragon Tavern
10pm After Hours Social, The Black Rose

Sunday
8am-10am Alex Award Committee meeting (closed session)
10:30am Top Tech Trends of 2010, Boston Convention Center, BCEC-162A/B (#alamwttt)

Rest and relax, explore exhibits, spend time in jammies in hotel.

Monday
7:30am Announce Alex Awards, watch the rest of the Youth Media Awards
1:30pm-3:30pm Committee On Library Advocacy meeting (I'm the intern.)
6pm-7:30pm Joint Youth Division Member Reception, Westin Copley Place, America Center

Tuesday
Check out of hotel
12:30pm Bus back to NYC

from millennials survey

2009-06-02T13:01:00.002-04:00

Wordle always gets to the bottom of things, huh? The question was:

Are there other services not specified in question 16 that you would like to see ALA offer?

Opportunities for new librarians, including mentoring and networking.

Computers and Libraries 2009

2009-04-02T13:35:00.005-04:00

I made some posts about the Computers and Libraries 2009 conference over at the PLA Blog. They're tagged CIL2009.

The overall theme seemed to be engagement. Lots of good stuff. I wish our library had sent more people, but these times are tough, eh?

waiting for the lamb

2009-03-29T11:29:00.003-04:00

March marked two big changes: I moved back to Brooklyn after two years in Queens and started a new position at my library. It's temporary position that should last through the end of the calendar year. I have a new title -- Functional Design Manager -- and a job description:

The position is responsible for investigating and recommending 'next level' system behaviors to provide the most elegant customer experience. Responsible for providing consultant services for features, user interface, and functional specifications.

That's me, Hood and Hat, bringing the elegance. I'm psyched about the opportunity and excited about helping to bring about change at my'brary, but there's a loop that keeps replaying in my head, telling me that I'm no longer a librarian. I miss the day-to-day interaction with customers and my co-workers, as well as the handling books, but I'm starting to get used to sitting at a desk all day. I've been listening to woxy.com and no one can hear me sing along or see me bop in my chair.

March/April '09: Worlds Connect

2009-03-25T15:21:00.001-04:00

March/April '09: Worlds Connect
Originally uploaded by hood and hat

It looks prettier in person, I swear.

February/March '09: You Asked For It

2009-02-27T15:45:00.001-05:00

February/March '09: You Asked For It
Originally uploaded by hood and hat

New board! The next one will probably be for National Library Week.

ALA Emerging Leaders, 2009

2009-01-27T19:56:00.002-05:00

ALA Emerging Leaders, 2009
Originally uploaded by Peter Bromberg

I had no idea you could squish so many people into a photo. My group (L) is studying the recruitment of millennial generation into library-related professional organizations.

plogging in the am

2009-01-24T08:53:00.005-05:00

I'm posting about my midwinter experiences over at the PLA Blog. Well, let me rephrase that: so far I have made one post about the
Emerging Leaders program over at the PLA Blog.

Also, due to the two-hour time difference I found myself awake at 5am. Since I have three roommates, I made my way to a Starbucks on 16th Street so I could access the free wi-fi because jerky Marriott charges $12.95 per day per person for Internet access.

I don't have another meeting until 10am. Perhaps it's time for a dip in the hotel pool?

you asked for it

2009-01-13T10:33:00.002-05:00

Every so often I run a suggestion box ... the lazy librarian's teen advisory group. My next bulletin board is going to feature Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin (Abe & Chuck), but the following one will be "You Asked For It." I'll list the suggestions and then a response so teens can see they have the power to influence the library. So ... here's what they want:

Classes, such as how to write a correct essay report (age 12)
Bleach DVDs**
Twilight* (age 16)
The Host**
Naruto DVDs (age 10)
Currents in Drama (scripts)
Watchmen, From Hell, Sin City, V for Vendetta, Tin Tin, Asterix (age 23)
More A-list and Gossip Girl books (age 14)
Sports teams (age 12)
Rebirth manga (age 17)
Any PSP games. Good ones. Please. (age 12)
Brave Story
Hikaru No Go**
Fullmetal Alchemist volume 16-20. Please. (age 9)
Shonen Jump issues. New ones! (age 14)
One Piece volumes 5-14
Bleach volumes 24 and 25 (age 11)
One Piece DVDs
Simpsons books
Kufu*** DVDs
Naruto volume 33 (age 11)
Fruits Basket

I'm thinking of launching a TAG in March. Let them pick stuff to purchase, suggest summer reading programs, etc.

*Apparently 17 copies is not enough.
**Suggested by multiple people.
***Kung Fu?

Winter (December '08 Board)

2008-12-10T07:24:00.001-05:00

December '08 Board
Originally uploaded by hood and hat

I tried to be as generically holiday as possible with the blue and the silver, but I'm not even sure I'm fooling myself. The silver is a bit too shiny, but the people of Forest Hills will just have to live with it.

Last year I had the volunteers make paper chains with the titles of all the "best of" books. I guess I'll do that again. I'll post the list once I've compiled it.

right more, write now

2008-12-08T08:31:00.003-05:00

It cannot be a good sign that I claimed in my last post, nearly two months ago, that I'd planned to post more. Over the past few months I've been pulling in words, but not pushing them out. I'm hoping that changes as I've got some exciting library things coming up. For Emerging Leaders I'm on "Team L" and we're going to "to study recruitment of millennial generation into library-related professional organizations." I'm also on a couple of other committees. Library, library, library.

Eh, we'll see if the posts come on not.

Ctrl ALT Delete

2008-10-18T15:33:00.004-04:00

I haven't posted in a billion years, but that's going to change. I was appointed to a library technology task force for my 'brary system. We had the unfortunate name of Library Applications for Technology Task Force (LATF), but we decided to rename ourselves "ALT" ... here's our logo:

We meet every Friday for two hours and talk about what we'd like to see the library do. We've been joking about making the motto, "Bringing the library into the 21st Century," but decided we didn't really want a motto. Logos are much cooler anyway.

Road Trip (August/September 2008)

2008-08-22T16:39:00.001-04:00

Road Trip (August/September 2008)
Originally uploaded by hood and hat

Titles include:

Defining Dulcie by Paul Acampora
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi
Rules of the Road by Joan Bauer
Hit the Road by Caroline B. Cooney
The Wanderer by Sharon Creech
In Search of Mockingbird by Loretta Ellsworth
Whirligig by Paul Fleischman
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
Becoming Chloe by Catherine Ryan Hyde
Night Road by A.M. Jenkins
13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
On the Road by Jack Kerouac
Born to Rock by Gordon Korman
Train + Train
Are We There Yet? by David Levithan
How to Be Bad by Lockhart, Mylnowski, and Myracle
True Talents by David Lubar
Guyaholic by Carolyn Mackler
Rainbow Road by Alex Sanchez
Trouble by Gary D. Schmidt
Finding Lubchenko by Michael Simmons
Zig Zag by Ellen Wittlinger

scrabble down your fines

2008-08-21T07:42:00.002-04:00

We have an excellent program at my library where kids 16 and under can read down their fines and fees. I have a teen who is in the midst of reading down more than $30 and he's been coming into the library a few days a week to tackle the sum. Yesterday he wanted to know if he could go on the Internet and I said "Yes, but we prefer you stay away from sites like MySpace." Next he asked if reading about sports was okay and I responded, "Yes, definitely." Then he eyed the board games on a cart next to me. "What about games. Can I play a game?" I laughed and said, "No." He thought for a moment and said, "How about Scrabble? That's a learning activity." As my friends know, I am completely nuts about Scrabble and still mourning the loss of Scrabulous, so I gave him the thumbs up.

And thus, Scrabble Down Your Fines was born.

all together now ... again

2008-07-25T12:10:00.003-04:00

School Library Journal is running a Learning 2.0 program, and I thought I'd join up. Even though I adapted one for Queens Library I thought it might be fun to do as a participant. I'd love for us to re-run QL L2.0 and I thought it might be fun to see how the program has been tweaked over the last year. We're in cohorts according to place and it was fun to see all the SLJ staff (based in NY) joining in. I've added all the NYers to my bloglines.

Eep! A customer just asked me what I was reading and I had to fess up and tell her I was "between books." I don't know why I feel guilty. The last thing I read was a "sample" of Sherman Alexie's forthcoming YA novel, Radioactive Love Song. It won't be out until Spring 2009 and I'm not sure I can wait that long to read what comes after page 29.

book review

2008-07-24T18:58:00.002-04:00

A teen just posted this review to our summer reading website. I had to share:

i LOVED this book. it described the characters and their feelings so well. it was so good, it got a Newberry Medal! i picked the right book, right when i needed it most. i needed a good story, and i got one.

submerged leader

2008-07-15T13:04:00.003-04:00

It is quite possible that I will never leave my library system (or even apply for a promotion)because I absolutely loathe updating my resume and writing cover letters, personal statements, or any other response to a career-y prompt.

That said, I finally finished my application for ALA Emerging Leaders, a program designed for librarians under 35 or those with less than five years experience. I'd like to land the gig because I don't have any side projects on the horizon, but I can continue to apply the next three years.

I'm about to visit Austin for the bazillionth time in the past seven years and Susan promises we will do the two things I have never done: see the bats and visit one of the libraries. She also claims she is going to take me to the some place called "Hobby Lobby," which I'll probably post about on Squid vs Squirrel, a craft blog I do with my friend Milwaukee Megan. There will also be the usual assortment of biking, swimming, breakfast tacos and cheap beer.

Foam Monster Robots

2008-07-03T09:01:00.001-04:00

Foam Monster Robots
Originally uploaded by hood and hat

This was too cute not to post. It's from a "That's Crafty" a couple weeks ago and made by one of our regulars (Nancy) in the children's room.

the groove, the grid

2008-06-06T20:03:00.003-04:00

Normally working on a new board guarantees happiness, but as my Facebook status indicates, it was a "horrible no good very bad day." (Apologies to Alexander.) I managed to upset a customer so thoroughly that he complained to my supervisor three separate times. He was -- of course -- an adult and it was -- of course -- related to the computers. I hope to finish the "ya theme" grid by Monday.

tuesday night club

2008-05-06T17:13:00.004-04:00

I'm having a hard time deciding what to read tonight.

, , or finish up ?

I lead such an exciting life. In my defense, I am a poor poor girl until Friday when I get paid and receive my economic stimulus payment.

manic monday

2008-04-18T14:03:00.002-04:00

I'm going to be staffing the book mobile on Monday. I am, of course, very excited. I need a day away from the lovely customers of Forest Hills. I'm going to take a Flip camera with me. Apparently things are usually pretty slow, so I'm going to try and work my way through the teen summer reading list. I've only read a couple of titles.

the wrong of right

2008-04-17T09:51:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I was on the reference desk the last half hour of the day when a woman called to inquire about paying her fine. She wanted to confirm the library remained open until 8 p.m. and when I informed her we closed at 6 p.m. on Wednesdays, she insisted the recorded hours stated we were open until 8 p.m. The proper customer service response would have been to assure her I'd look into it, perhaps even thank her for alerting me but I knew in my perfectionist heart that she was wrong.

I record the message, and each time I do so, I read from a script and then I listen to it at least once, more often two or three times, to make sure it's correct, clear, and paced well. I couldn't even fathom that folks had been listening to a bum recording since President's Day, so I said that I was sure it didn't list the library's hours incorrectly. It was the end of a long day, and I wasn't thinking clearly. We squabbled about the matter for a few moments and then she hung up on me to listen to the recording again. Then she called back to let me know she was right. I rushed downstairs to our recording device, listening to both messages, and it says very clearly Wednesdays 10-to-6.

She called back! To tell me she was right! But she wasn't!

Welcome to public libraries. Happy National Library Week!

Tech Buddies: No Buddies (Week 4)

2008-04-05T16:10:00.005-04:00

I haven't been posting about Tech Buddies because to do so would mean I'd have to admit failure. I've been trying to recruit the seniors through the computer classes we offer. They seem so excited, they take fliers and applications ... and then they don't show up. I've been joking about re-naming it "Tech Teens: No Buddies."

I know that it's a pilot program and that part of experimenting means accepting that failure sometimes comes before success. It was just such a great idea, one that filled two needs of the community: technology training and volunteer opportunities. Who knew that the seniors would be so unreliable? I've been thinking about ways to modify the program. If we do it in the summer, maybe I'll have it in the morning. (That's when the computer classes are.) It's obviously not an option when the teens are in school. Maybe I'll take the program to the senior center (outreach!).

The teens are great. During our last meeting we storyboarded for a video to highlight the summer reading program. This week my famous hacker friend is going to come and talk. I'm also going to show them the DVD of the Channel 7 news clip.

on not doing the dumb stuff

2008-04-01T15:10:00.003-04:00

Session: Reference In the Age of Google
Speaker: Joe Janes, Information School, University of Washington

(I think I'm just going to type out my notes and I might polish the entry later.--kk)

Reference saves the money of the individual.
Reference saves the time of the individual.

While we often make the argument for the first, we do not highlight the second.

Quote from the mid-40s about reference: "Ensures the possession of facts which by themselves they cannot obtain."

Google is good at searching for the specific; it is the "rough equivalent" of ready reference. Google gets 700-800 million hits a day. Google means, "You don't have to do the dumb stuff any more."

Google is "free, quick, easy, good enough." That is not what we are. We cannot be freer, quicker, easier ... so we have to be better.

Google is changing how people think about searching and how they are thinking about information. Thinking about information differently means people are thinking differently. This is turn changes the way people view the world.

Things Google does not do (well) (yet): gathering, evaluating, deciding, understanding, helping, and providing depth and accuracy. Google also does not offer a highly sophisticated search, nor is it part of a community.

Where do we fit?

The reference interview is done about 50 percent of the time. We should try asking:

Can you tell me more?
Was that what you wanted?
Are you looking for anything specific?

Janes quoted (to much laughter), "They will choke and die before telling you what they want."

He then pointed out some Google searching tricks:

OR
* (wild card)
inurl:
filetype:
view:timeline
GooFresh (added today)

We do a poor job of telling people what we can do. We need to simplify the language we use.

The average search time is 11 minutes.

When Janes said the following it really resonated with me, so much so, I'm going to type it more than once:

People ask you reference questions because they have failed.
People ask you reference questions because they have failed.
People ask you reference questions because they have failed.

We need to make ourselves (and the ref desk) less frightening.

People live in lots of different places at once. We've got to be there.

Janes said most of us got into this business for one of two roles: the social worker and the treasure hunter. I'm a little of both, but I probably am in it mostly to help folks. Whatever our reasons, he challenged us to re-energize and re-engage our reasons for becoming librarians.

Janes said, "We are made for better things." We provide quality, instruction, depth, literacy, and (unlike Google) we are based in our clientèle.

He added, "We can put all these things together better than anyone else." We connect them with information that can change their lives.

Our traditional strengths:

service
determining/understanding context
knowing when to stop
evaluation

We have to be better online. We need to extend the notion of the library. "The library has to be somewhere and everywhere."
---
I left the session wanting to provide reference. I'm going to try to make it my goal to ask "Can you tell me more? Was that what you wanted? Are you looking for anything specific?" when on the desk.

Gimme a P, Gimme an L

2008-03-30T10:24:00.003-04:00

I've got tons to write about PLA ... just give me until Tuesday. Yesterday I drove 342 miles so I could visit my friend in Milwaukee. The woman at the car rental agency told me I had the lowest one-way one-day rate she'd ever seen. Being the good librarian that I am, I researched all the possibilities for travel between Minneapolis and Milwaukee.

Apparently the Tech Buddies spot did run last Monday. A dvd of it will probably be at my library when I return on Wednesday. I'm still horrified at the idea of watching it, but I'm glad I'll be able to show the seniors and teens when we meet again.

from the communications department ...

2008-03-21T10:51:00.002-04:00

"The Tech Buddies program will be featured on Channel 7 Eyewitness News "In the Morning" this coming Monday, Mar. 24. It can theoretically air anywhere from 6 - 8, but it's almost always around 7:20 am."

Yesterday, a French librarian came for a visit. I told him about Learning 2.0, our staff forums, and I showed him this here blog. He knew what a hat was, but explaining "hood" took a few tries.

It's been non-stop excitement here at the QL at FH. I want to write a longer post about the second week of Tech Buddies (and the news crew), but maybe I better wait until I'm off the desk.

eep! eep!

2008-03-18T17:33:00.002-04:00

Channel 7 news is coming tomorrow to do a short spot on Tech Buddies. It's only our second meeting, but I asked the teens to bring in all their gadgets and the seniors to bring in something pre-1990. Then we'll do a bit of show, tell, and play.

If everything goes according to plan and it isn't horribly embarrassing, I'll post the video of it here.

Tech Buddies: Week 1

2008-03-08T14:48:00.003-05:00

Even though I am still recruiting, we had our first meeting during Teen Tech Week. I'm referring to it as a "soft launch" of the program. I'm pleased with how things are progressing, and I was surprised to learn that none of the teens had Wii'd before. That means it's something the teens and seniors can explore together, and makes the idea of the tournament at the end even more appealing.

I'd never look a gift horse in the mouth, and I'm very excited to have received the TTW grant, but I think recruitment might have been easier during the summer months. Finding teens available on the same day of week has been challenging, and the moody weather of March kept some of our seniors away.

I keep reminding myself that there's a reason for pilot programs. I'll post more later, but all the teen content for the tri-system summer reading website is due in a few days. The committee has come up with some pretty neat stuff, including choose-your-own-adventure type scenarios. We're each responsible for writing two and I haven't even started mine.

Three important things happened today:

2008-02-25T19:20:00.001-05:00

1. We finally got around to testing the Wii projector set-up. It works. Wii!
2. The check from YALSA arrived. I deposited it. Wii!
3. I proposed the idea of having a family event on the occasional Saturday. I want to call it Wii Are Family. Tee! Hee!

perfect timing

2008-02-24T10:27:00.001-05:00

Senior Friendly Libraries just posted a link to a PDF titled, "Connecting Generations Toolkit: Best Practices in Intergenerational Programing."

2 down, 18 to go

2008-02-23T16:23:00.003-05:00

I've lined up my first two teen Tech Buddies. Recruitment hasn't been as easy as I thought it would be. Since I received the grant, at least five teens have come in to request community service hours but they all have other activities on Wednesday afternoons. My manager is pretty confident the seniors won't be a problem. I'm going to do a pitch for the elder buddies during a computer class on Thursday.

Tune In, QL

2008-02-20T00:52:00.002-05:00

Tune In, QL
Originally uploaded by hood and hat

I've made fliers for both teens and seniors for Tech Buddies. Now I just need to recruit 10-20 people in the next two weeks. Wee! I mean, Wii!

hoods and a hat

2008-02-15T19:21:00.001-05:00

hoods and a hat
Originally uploaded by hood and hat

While the details are coming together for Tech Buddies, I will continue to blog library fluff. I snapped this shot while neatening up the new fiction. I remain:
-Still hood
-full of Hat Trick(s)
-a Hood Rat

100

2008-02-13T16:10:00.003-05:00

There are times when I cannot decided whether to post here or my personal blog. I write about library things in my personal blog and I also write about library-inspired personal things here. Like, I just cataloged (and weeded) my wardrobe. Here's the breakdown:

Shirts: 28
Skirts: 16
Sweaters: 13
Dresses: 14
Pants: 20
Jackets: 6
Other: 3*

*=Overalls, bathing suit, and jumpsuit.

I'm hoping to scale down to 75 items eventually.

from QLL2.0 to TTW

2008-02-12T13:20:00.001-05:00

I've decided to morph my 23 1/2 Things blog into one about my new program, Tech Buddies. I applied for a mini-grant from YALSA for Teen Tech Week and I was selected!

This was my proposal:

Drawing on the model of the successful Book Buddies program, a community service opportunity that pairs teen volunteers with beginning readers, the Forest Hills Library wishes to pilot a Tech Buddies program that matches teens with seniors who would like to become better versed in technology. The program will focus on the more entertaining and fun aspects of technology: podcasts, short video, and video games.

The teens at Forest Hills High School are required to do 15 hours of community service prior to graduation. This past fall we were able to accommodate approximately 35 individuals. The establishment of a Tech Buddies program would allow us to offer more and varied opportunities to the young adult members of our community. Further, the Forest Hills Library engages a robust senior population that frequently borrows materials, attends events, and takes computer classes. The initial program will be open to 10 teens and 10 seniors and last 10 weeks.

The program seeks:
•To bring together different segments of the community library’s users
•To expand the library’s technology and community service offerings
•To alleviate fear some seniors might have of current technology
•To help both teens and seniors “Tune In” to the varied ways the library serves its community
•To add to the teens’ (and seniors’) skills sets with regard to technology
•To encourage intergenerational communication and lifelong learning

I'm pretty excited. In other exciting news, I got an ARC of Sara Zarr's Sweethearts. It was perfect timing since I just finished Story of a Girl, which is also on our summer reading list this year.

"I'm so Hood"

2008-01-25T07:45:00.001-05:00

"I'm so Hood"
Originally uploaded by Lil Red Terror

And so hat!

b-i-n-g-o

2008-01-09T07:10:00.000-05:00

I honestly thought once QL L2.0 ended that I'd keep posting to this blog. It turns out I've been spending all my time playing Scrabulous, both inside Facebook as an application and on Scrabulous.com. Last night I was finally able to beat Where does that leave you?, fellow QLer and QL 2.0 participant.

I've always loved Scrabble, and I own both travel and deluxe (it spins!) editions of the game.

In other news, I turned 32 and for fun I thought I would track the way people wished me Happy Birthday. These are the results:

Number of birthday e-mails: 6
Number of birthday MySpaces: 3
Number of birthday texts: 5
Number of birthday cards: 1
Number of birthday Facebooks: 7
Number of birthday phone calls: 6
Number of people who used two (or more) of the above methods: 4 (my mom, my ex-boyfriend, my best friend, and my not-boyfriend)

I'm sure glad I joined Facebook, as that's seven birthday wishes I might have missed out on.

I've been thinking a lot about those 18-30 year olds who are the library's heaviest users. Mostly just thinking. Maybe there'll be some posting later.

tis the season, the busy bee season

2007-12-20T23:19:00.000-05:00

I made my 100th QL Chat post and (surprise, surprise) it was about QL L2.0. In addition to wrapping up Learning 2.0, I've got 8 million teens trying to squeeze in 15 hours of community service before the end of the year. And, of course, there is the necessary lunch-time shopping excursions to purchase last-minute gifts.

My young adult literature and services professor told us we should try and touch every book in our collection at least one year, and 10 months in I think I have finally accomplished that task. I finished weeding biographies yesterday. I tossed one on Hillary Clinton from the late '90s that speculated what she might do when her stint as First Lady ended. Would she return to her law practice? Would she become a judge? Would she someday run for public office? I'm not sure why I find out-dated books hilarious, but I do.

myself, an elf

2007-12-11T08:39:00.000-05:00

The Internet is full of many silly things. My friend, who freelance edits, just sent me a video featuring dancing elves. I am the elf on the end. (Why is my head always tilted in photos?!) While preferable, sound is not necessary.

I wish there was a way to embed this:

Myself and Others in ElfYourself

Go here to make your own:

http://www.elfyourself.com/

the L-list

2007-12-09T07:56:00.000-05:00

Friday was the last day of the New Librarian seminar. After lunch we were given a tour of the Central Library. We split into groups and introduced ourselves to the tour guide, who I later realized was Librarianne 2.0. When I said, "Karen, YA Librarian, Forest Hills," she asked, "Hood and Hat?" It made me giggle. You forget, because people rarely leave comments, that someone might actually be reading your blog.

I've spent the weekend in the suburban country (Westminster, MD) and now it's time to head back to the big city.

!!!

2007-12-06T10:21:00.000-05:00

A bunch of books I ordered for library came through in the bins this morning. I was digging through for the request envelopes and each time I happened upon one (Get Well Soon, Someday This Pain Will Be Useful To You, Lessons From a Dead Girl), I squealed. The customer service reps always look at me like I'm a little nutty, but don't they know books are exciting?!

I wonder if someday I'll stop finding new books exciting. Hmmmm ... doubtful.

December Board (Year End Lists)

2007-11-30T16:31:00.001-05:00

December Board (Year End Lists)
Originally uploaded by hood and hat

I've put up the backdrop to my December Board. Each of the quadrants will feature a year-end best-of list. Once again, the photo is unable to capture the full glory of the sparkle.

I also have the following messages:

-Reading Is the Gift That Keeps Giving.
-2008: Resolve to Read More

Now, it'd be great if some of books I ordered ages ago would arrive so that I could place them on the display.

the blue bus is callin' us/driver, where you takin' us (#23)

2007-11-28T20:34:00.000-05:00

My favorite part of the program has definitely been reading all the blogs. Each time someone thought something was neat or did something new, it warmed my librarian heart. And, even though it's pure cheese, my favorite part of being a librarian is helping others make connections. Push, push, nudge, nudge.

If I had to pick a favorite Thing post-launch, I'd probably go with Bloglines. It's not that I necessarily love Bloglines, but I am a convert to feed aggregators. RSS had always been something I couldn't quite "get" but now I do. My favorite Thing pre-launch was del.icio.us, and I've enjoyed adding things to the ql.things account as we go along. Moreover, my favorite Thing to watch y'all do is probably the image generators.

I wish now that we had tailored the program more for beginners. I would have probably made it two things per week, with 12 weeks worth of Things, and cushion of two weeks at the end. I might have even tried to match people with buddies or created clusters. I wish more people had participated. I had the number 200 in my head and only 125 signed up. I don't understand why there wasn't more cross-participation and comment-leaving. I left 8 million comments. I hope that I left at least one comment on each person's blog.

The program was so easy to adapt that I know it was worth doing. I can't believe it hasn't even been a year since I graduated from library school. Hmmm ... At this time last year, I was finishing up my practicum research and presentation (on library design), throwing together a YA bibliography (on Death, Grief, and Loss), and wondering if I'd ever find a job. Oh shoot. Gossip Girl is one. Catch you later.

XOXO,
Hood and Hat

the sounds of sigh-lence (#22)

2007-11-28T20:09:00.000-05:00

I started listening to audiobooks a few years back when my daily commute (which involved driving, the metro, and walking) hovered around three hours. At the time my local library had just started lending out pre-loaded MP3 players that you could check out for three weeks. The set even came with an adapter for your car and batteries. The program has since been discontinued, but that's how I got hooked.

When I was preparing to drive to Maryland two weeks ago, I decided to take advantage of the free trial audible.com has been advertising on the subway. I selected Shannon Hale's Austenland because I though it would be short enough to fit on my shuffle. (Audible, unlike many digital library offerings, is compatible with the iPod line.) Despite many valiant attempts, it would not squeeze onto my shuffle so I've been listening to it as I pack, clean, fold, plasticize, and bedbug-proof all my belongings.

I already had the Overdrive software on my computer from my dealings with BPL's digital offerings. (How awesome is it that as residents of New York we have access to three library systems full of stuff! And, so much is available online!)

For this exercise, I downloaded David Levithan's Boy Meets Boy, and I plan to start listening as soon as I finish up with Jane Hayes' adventures.

podding around (#21)

2007-11-28T19:28:00.000-05:00

Every morning I receive the Writer's Almanac, an e-mail that contains the text of the same-named podcast done by Garrison Keillor. It always contains a poem and information about various writers and artists. I'm always forwarding the poems and other bits to my friends, like the September 6th episode that contained the following quote from Alice Sebold:

"It's very weird to succeed at 39 years old and realize that in the midst of your failure, you were slowly building the life that you wanted."

I did a search for "Writer's Almanac" on podcast.net and it came up! I added the RSS feed to my bloglines account. I also did some clicking around on this site and the others mentioned, but I didn't really come up with much I wanted to listen to.

Podcasting is something I want to do with my teens. For $100, you can set yourself up with a nice program. I'd love to incorporate it into the summer reading program as well as the volunteer program. Besides, I'll need a new project when QL L2.0 closes shop on December 24th and I am no longer monitoring 120 feeds.

BrellaTube(#20)

2007-11-28T14:00:00.000-05:00

I did a search on YouTube for "Umbrellas" and saw one with the title, "A Job! Karen! Umbrellas!!"

It seemed like a video made for me. It's just a random dude chatting, unable to make proper eye contact with the camera.

The sad part? He never once mentions umbrellas. Or, he did and I missed it. Then, of course, there's Rihanna's "Umbrella" video, which I would have trouble labeling "work safe." Don't click!

In the end, I knew this was the video to share:

Who knows Dutch? Babel Fish translates the summary to: A documentary/promotion small film concerning the only real storm-fixed umbrella. Storm-fixed. I like that better than won't-break-in-the-rain.

GoogleDisappoint (#18)

2007-11-24T16:22:00.000-05:00

Edited to add: I originally posted this list from GoogleDocs. I thought it would post the name of my doc as my blog title, and I hoped it would link to the actual doc (see here) like Flickr does when you post a photo to your blog from its site. Nope and nope. I'm a bit disappointed in the Big G. In any event, I've been assembling a list of Top Tens and favorites for teen lit from 2007. See below for various picks, including mine (so far).

Reading Rants 2007 Top 10

www.readingrants.org/2007-top-ten

Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature by Robin Brande

Bloodsong by Melvin Burgess

Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You by Peter Cameron

Before I Die by Jenny Downham

This is What I Did by Ann Dee Ellis

Repossessed by A.M. Jenkins

Another Kind of Cowboy by Susan Juby

Dramarama by E. Lockhart

Tamar by Mal Peet

The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt

2007 Teens’ Top Ten (YALSA/Teen Read Week)

www.ala.org/teenstopten

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

How to Ruin a Summer Vacation by Simone Elkeles

Maximum Ride: School’s Out – Forever by James Patterson

Firegirl by Tony Abbott

All Hallows Eve (13 Stories)by Vivian Vande Velde

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

River Secrets by Shannon Hale

Bad Kitty by Michele Jaffe

Road of the Dead by Kevin Brooks

Top 10 First Novels for Youth: 2007

By Stephanie Zvirin

First published November 15, 2007 (Booklist).

Billie Standish Was Here by Nancy Crocker

The Black Book of Secrets by F. E. Higgins*

Does My Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah

Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat by Lynne Jonell. Illus. by Jonathan Bean*

Epic by Conor Kostick

Every Crooked Pot by Renee Rosen

Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller by Sarah Miller

The Swan Maiden by Heather Tomlinson

Tyrell by Coe Booth

Useful Fools by C. A. Schmidt

*For younger readers.

Karen’s Picks - 2007

The Nature of Jade by Deb Caletti

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Cures for Heartbreak by Margo Rabb

Boot Camp by Todd Strasser

Memoirs of an Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin

Amazon.com

Best Books of 2007: Teen

The Arrival by Shaun Tan

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier

Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson

Undercover by Beth Kephart

Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You by Peter Cameron

A Crooked Kind of Perfect Linda Urban

The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt

Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks

statsaholic anonymous (#19)

2007-11-23T20:53:00.000-05:00

I used statsaholic to compare the websites of the three NYC library systems. We may be #1 in circulation, but we fall behind, if you believe statsaholic, when it comes to web traffic.

mayday mayday

2007-11-19T22:58:00.001-05:00

The following things have occurred over the last 10 days:

1. The beginnings of a Facebook addiction.
2. My car is dead. (Probably the battery.)
3. Hello bed bugs; Goodbye sleep.
4. My bloglines is malfunctioning.

Dog and Duck Bathroom

2007-11-19T11:52:00.001-05:00

Dog and Dug Bathroom
Originally uploaded by Lil Red Terror

From my vacation in Austin, TX. It's library-related! Go ahead, read it.

the too and the oh (#15)

2007-11-17T20:04:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving from Westminster, MD! Since I won't be here for Thanksgiving, my mommy invited my brother and my step-sisters and their families over for a big turkey meal. Tomorrow, I go to the Ravens game with my dad and brother. Tonight, I write about Library 2.0 on my mother's annoyingly Vista'd computer.

Believe it or not, I read every post every participant makes, keeping up with it through my Bloglines account which now has 133 feeds. I won't claim I read every post closely, but I like keeping tabs on what people like and don't like. It should be easy for me to write about Library 2.0, right? I should be one of its biggest fans, right?

When Stephen Abram talked about Library 2.0 last March, he spoke about many things related to the library experience and its users. One thing he noted was that Generation X, my generation, had been lost. For whatever reason, compared to other age-groups, we simply weren't fans of going the library. Part of my interest in wanting to bring Learning 2.0 to Queens Library had to do with wanting to figure out how to reach those that do not traditionally come through our doors. If we used MySpace, Facebook, Second Life, and YouTube, would we reach that set that considered the library irrelevant? Do they think of the library as anything other than storytime, books, and shushing librarians?

I think of Library 2.0 as just Tomorrow's Library Today or perhaps Today's Library Tomorrow. Even as much as we'd like to be on the edge, we're probably always behind. In "Library 2.0: Service for the Next-Generation Library, " the authors state, "Libraries have a tendency to plan, implement, and forget. Library 2.0 attempts to change this by encouraging the development of a schedule that includes regularly soliciting customer feedback and evaluating and updating services." Put simply, that's just good business and not quite the revolutionary statement some would have you believe it is.

Library 2.0 isn't just a library with a Web 2.0 mind-set and the accompanying technologies. It's a library that evaluates its communities needs and wants, builds its library resources, and utilizes the Web 2.0 toolbox (if necessary) to connect the need/want to the resource. In the same way I believe in the right book right person right time, I believe in right technology right audience right time. We must be careful to not introduce services and technologies that the customer will not use.

In "To better bibliographic services," John Riemer writes:

"Relevance ranking techniques should be driven by much more than the mere revalence of keywords in the bibliographic record and be fed by a wider range of metadata, such as circulation activity, placement of materials on class reserve lists, sales data, and clicks to download, print, and capture citations."

Now that's the kind of "too and oh" I can get behind.

Facing the Book (#17 1/2)

2007-11-15T14:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I received the following from my sister-in-law:

Hi Karen,

I set up a Facebook profile with my pictures, videos and events and I want to add you as a friend so you can see it. First, you need to join Facebook! Once you join, you can also create your own profile.

Thanks,
Dawn

Facebook is spreading to the far corners of the world. My sister-in-law is now a stay-at-home mom -- her listed "interests" are traveling, reading, and my nephew -- and I suspect she joined to stay connected. I registered on Facebook (see me here)* just before we launched QL L2.0, and I've been slow to add applications and friends. I've resisted the vampires, werewolves, and zombies. While I like to read about them, it all seems a little silly to me. I added the Scrabulous application, which Entertainment Weekly just declared "in."

I normally wait for people to find me on these types of sites, but I just sent out about 15 invitations. Four confirmations so far! Of the library-friendly applications I added Books iRead so that I could share with the world (in one more place) all the books I plan to read. Facebook lets users gather all their web 2.0 things in one spot (Flickr, delicious, search boxes), but I like having separate things separate. I have a couple of wacky friends and I enjoy seeing them change their status messages. (Example: Sara is still thinking it isn't fair that there is only one Samuel Beam.)

This is another entry I'll probably add to as my experience with Facebook continues.

*Must be signed in to Facebook.

wikis and wikis (#16 and #17)*

2007-11-15T12:06:00.001-05:00

I tend to be more of a user and less of a contributor with regard to wikis. It's probably a combination of laziness and self-consciousness.

Someone recently posted favorite eating spots to QL Chat. I've often dreamed of a staff wiki where each community library and central have a page that lists information about the area, including food and transportation.

When looking for employment last year, I used the "Looking for a Job" page of the Library Success wiki. I also like using wikis to search for booklists, like the ones on TeenLibWiki.

A week or so ago I modified the formatting of a booklist on the YALSA wiki, only to have it later modified by another user. Potato, potato. This is probably why I don't tend to contribute to wikis.

*This is paltry entry. I'll probably add more later.

i claim, you claim; we all waste time (#14)

2007-11-15T11:19:00.000-05:00

Well, I claimed my blog. I also went ahead and claimed Queens Library Learning 2.0 on Queens Library's behalf. QL L2.0 has a much higher rank than H&H. Surprise, surprise.

To be honest, I love anything that ranks. It pains me that I've been knocked out of the #5 spot on QL Chat since I've been on vacation. While I am enough of a loser to note such things, I am not so loserish that I will post there during this period. I swear I only checked to see if the holiday hour s had been posted. They had not.

I was surprised to see Friendster listed among the top searches. People still use Friendster? Seriously? I was happy see PostSecret, one of my favorite sites, rank high for blogs.

I just spent a ridiculous amount of time looking at videos made by YA authors, using the video search and the term "ya literature." It would appear in this time, Friendster has been thrown out of the Top Searches, restoring my understanding of the world around me. Technorati is one of those things I never think to use but I should, especially for pop culture information. It's very good at telling you what's hot right now.

mmm' mmm' good (#13)

2007-11-15T10:28:00.001-05:00

My car, appropriately named the Evil Death Mobile, would not start this morning. Instead of driving to Maryland today, I will take the bus and not leave until tomorrow. I might as well catch up on my Things.

I've been using del.icio.us for about a year. Like many of the QL L2.0 things, it was included in my technology class during my last semester of library school. I try to be consistent in my tags, but a quick scan reveals teen and teens, blog and blogs, and widget and widgets. I also cannot seem to pick between "YA" and "teen" -- which is a common problem confronting those of us serving the 12-18 set. Similar to spring cleaning, every so often I'll take a look at the list and edit tags and links, tidying up. One nice thing about delicious is the ability to annotate links. On the other hand, many times the annotation is nothing more than a summary or quote.

I haven't yet utilized the social networking aspects of delicious. Very rarely do I look at what other people have said about the common links we have selected. I see it as a portable collection of bookmarks -- something I can use whether I'm on one of the desks, in the workroom, or at home.

What else? I'd love to set up an account for my community library but it's just one more thing on the long list of things I've been meaning to do.

so long, farewell

2007-11-05T20:45:00.000-05:00

These days I do nothing by stare at my Vacation Countdown. I've got a couple of things to wrap up so I will return to posting on November 20. Ten days! No work! No things!

roll call (#12)

2007-11-02T07:38:00.000-04:00

I finally made my Rollyo. I called it Teen Lit, and used mostly blogs, many of which I have syndicated through my livejournal (Worth the Trip, Cynsations) and I few websites that I visit frequently like Reading Rants and TeenReads.com. Recently someone on the YALSA-BK list asked for the blog addresses of folks who wrote about or reviewed teen literature. I went digging through my g-mail archive and found it. I had more than 25 sites -- Rollyo only allows up to 25 -- so I cut a few.

I ended up removing www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists after a test search for "Deadline" (meaning Chris Crutcher's newest book) turned up too many links about ALA deadlines. The next search produced much better results with 4 of the first 5 being relevant:

As others have noted, it took me a couple of clicks around to find the link for my finished Rollyo. The search was a bit slow for my tastes, but I plan to actually use my roll. I like the idea of continuing to tinker with it, adding and removing sites to cull the best results.

And with that I am finally all caught up and I can get back to the fun stuff: reading in bed.

how much do i ROCK?

2007-11-01T00:18:00.001-04:00

how much do i ROCK?
Originally uploaded by hood and hat

I have a friend. She has a digital camera. I will be using this camera to document Forest Hills 50th celebration. You should come celebrate with us.

mildy somewhat hungry caterpillar

2007-10-31T10:51:00.001-04:00

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)

2007-10-30T08:08:00.000-04:00

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

2007-10-24T20:17:00.000-04:00

Another video from American Libraries Direct:

on the LT (#11)

2007-10-24T08:22:00.000-04:00

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

2007-10-23T13:46:00.001-04:00

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)

2007-10-22T23:29:00.001-04:00

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)

2007-10-21T10:10:00.000-04:00

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, Feedste r 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)

2007-10-19T12:06:00.001-04:00

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!

2007-10-18T18:30:00.001-04:00

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.

2007-10-17T21:12:00.000-04:00

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)

2007-10-17T07:24:00.000-04:00

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

2007-10-15T11:27:00.001-04:00

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 ~~branches~~community 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

2007-10-12T10:28:00.000-04:00

on thinking pink ... (#5)

2007-10-09T16:11:00.001-04:00

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

2007-10-07T11:31:00.000-04:00

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 ...

2007-10-04T19:43:00.001-04:00

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!

. . .

2007-10-04T10:26:00.000-04:00

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.

Things #3 and #4, and a Banned Books Tale

2007-09-30T21:28:00.000-04:00

Happy Banned Books Week y'all! I'll be putting the finishing touches on my board tomorrow morning. I set up the display on Saturday, and I noticed that Melvin Burgess's Doing It was gone by the end of the day. I checked to see if it had been checked out. Nope. I would never suggest that a patron would relocate a book with a slightly risque cover to a lower traffic area -- perhaps a dark, dark corner of the library -- but I do find it mysterious.

Thing #3:

I picked "hoodandhat" because I am vehemently opposed to umbrellas, and it also happens to be my Flickr name. I have a livejournal, and though I sometimes write about work and library things there, it's mostly a way for me to keep in touch with college and Baltimore friends. Since this week is "blog" week, a few of my favorite librarian and writer blogs are:

LibrarianInBlack

Brotherhood 2.0 with Hank and John Green

PLA Blog

David Lubar's LiveJournal

The Lisa Yee Blog

Thing #4:

Registration is officially on. About 10 people have sent us links to their blogs. I debated sending an e-mail from my work account to ql.things@gmail, but then I realized it would just be too silly. I did add myself to the spreadsheet of participants so I can snag my gift card and any other "surprises" along the way. I wonder how many people will register this week. 50? 100? I think PLCMC had just under 200 people signed up at the end of two weeks.

Things #1 and #2, and an Introduction

2007-09-28T00:47:00.000-04:00

I've decided to use my blog as both a commentary on The Things and The Process. I've also decided it's pretty much useless for me to remain anonymous. I'm Karen. I'm the YA teen librarian at Forest Hills. I live in Sunnyside, almost exactly between the Woodside and Sunnyside libraries. Like many of you, I attended Stephen Abram's talk last March. The only difference between you and me is that I sent an e-mail asking if we could bring Learning 2.0/23 Things to Queens Library. Six months later, here we are. The beauty of the PLCMC program is how easy it is to replicate. We kept pretty much everything the same except we added "Explore Facebook."

As one of the adapters of the QL L2.0 program, I have experience with most of the Things. Even though I won't be experiencing them for the first time, I hope I'll still be able to look at them as opportunities to think about how we can use these applications with each other and our patrons. One of my goals for this program is to figure out better ways to communicate with my colleagues, or at least figure out a way to gather us for an unofficial happy hour.

I don't have much to say about Thing #1 other than it seemed to be very confusing for people that although the program started this week, they wouldn't register until next week. Someone even left a comment that it seemed counter-intuitive -- which I completely understand -- but I knew it would make things easier on the QL L.20 Team's end if we had the blog links at the time of registration. It was selfish and the process will probably be changed if we repeat the program.

As for Thing #2, I think I wanted to be a librarian because I am in love with lifelong learning. You cannot work at a library and not learn something new every day. I liked the tutorial because it highlighted how important it is to commit oneself to learning new things. Out of all the habits, it is probably hardest for me to set goals and to maintain confidence. Learning new things puts you in a vulnerable position, and no one likes to feel stupid.

I have absolutely no issue with seeing learning as "play" or fun, and I love teaching other people new things. I am very much about tricking people into learning and disguising it as fun. I did school visits near the end of the year and I gave seventh and eight graders a blank "library" bingo card. I told them to fill in the squares with all the things you might find or do in the Forest Hills Library. I had prepared slips of paper with about possible 40 responses. As each slip of paper was pulled (Community Service, DVDs, Read Down Your Fines), I explained it. By the end of the visit, (hopefully) they knew all the things the library had to offer them.

As a YA teen librarian, one becomes accustomed to building things people might not come to. I am happy to see it looks like my colleagues will be participating in this program. Yay for QL L2.0!

I finally got around

2007-09-19T17:38:00.000-04:00

to starting my QL 2.0 blog. The action officially starts September 24.