Thursday, November 6, 2008

Badge

Susan H.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

2008 Best reasons to be a librarian

1.Everyone has blinders until after the election.
2. The collection is being weeded:> Again!


3. Book orders are done:>

4. Our new catalog means finding books is getting easier?????

5. Libraries in wikipedia is cool!

6. I don't have to admit to latte's affect until January 1st, 2009.

7. A new administration!

8. A coming new administration!!!

9. Snowy weather in March and not January, 2009!!!

10. Wishing those a Healthy and Happy New Year!!!!!!

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

What is a Blog and a Widget? How about a Wiki?

Widget:
Pronounced wih-jit. (1) A generic term for the part of a GUI that allows the user to interface with the application and operating system. Widgets display information and invite the user to act in a number of ways. Typical widgets include buttons, dialog boxes, pop-up windows, pull-down menus, icons, scroll bars, resizable window edges, progress indicators, selection boxes, windows, tear-off menus, menu bars, toggle switches and forms.
(2) The term also refers to the program that is written in order to make the graphic widget in the GUI look and perform in a specified way, depending on what action the user takes while interfacing with the GUI.

The term widget is used to refer to either the graphic component or its controlling program or to refer to the combination of both.


Blog:
n.) Short for Web log, a blog is a Web page that serves as a publicly accessible personal journal for an individual. Typically updated daily, blogs often reflect the personality of the author.
(v.) To author a Web log.

Other forms: Blogger (a person who blogs).
wiki Last modified: Wednesday, June 07, 2006




Wiki:
(n.) A collaborative Web site comprises the perpetual collective work of many authors. Similar to a blog in structure and logic, a wiki allows anyone to edit, delete or modify content that has been placed on the Web site using a browser interface, including the work of previous authors. In contrast, a blog, typically authored by an individual, does not allow visitors to change the original posted material, only add comments to the original content.

Wiki or wiki space refers you to the website where an application allows you to change the appearance of the wikispace or Wiki.

See The History of Blogging in the Quick Reference section of Webopedia.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

www.politico.com

www.politico.com is a great place to look around on how a political party stands. Check it out via www.votesmart.org

Thursday, October 9, 2008

A Passion for Art

I am passionate about this. Please visit www.artsactionfund.org Look up the McCain v Obama record on arts funding and fair credit to artists. Interesting & noteworthy information for pooling voters for the arts in education vote.

Monday, August 18, 2008

Kurt Vonnegut

I am reading A Slaughterhouse Five and am finding some real rough edges to war in all times and places. It is unusual to write in a way that depends on the mind to conjure up setting while telling hard facts. I am impressed with the realism but I lose myself in the timeline shifting Vonnegut uses to tell the storyline. You may see a pattern that resonates similarly if you read any of the books by C.S. Lewis. I feel a wave is taking me away and control is entirely left to the author. I can read this with background noise or at a LOUD concert. So far, I am enjoying it.

Friday, August 1, 2008

Charlie Daydreaming...

Charlie Daydreaming...
Charlie Daydreaming...,
originally uploaded by appaIoosa.
I love this pic. I would like to share it on my flickrtoys collage, if it is okay with you.

Monday, June 9, 2008

Nine Emotional Lives of Cats, Jeffrey Masson Moussaieff

I like this book and so far, it rings true in every regard. I have two american short hair bengals and find that they are highly affectionate. They are our lap cats and my first lap cat experience outside of having a calico and tiger playmate as a child. Growing up never gave me the time to experience cat behavior since I was too busy to show any care.

I like what the author says about the undetected emotions in cats. We never witness the lives they have lived. Strays that show their rejection after moving many times reject a home with no forseeable reason. They fear nothing but feel a way back to loss. They may want to be alone. They may want their present companionship. There is no one answer to the question about stray's past lives. The best a home can be to a cat is predictable.

Studies are finding that having happy and healthy cats in the home truly exists. I find shorthair animals leave less residuals to my allergies. I play more inside, therefore take walks outside later at night. The end result is that I sneeze less and open up the house to a loving home. We vacuum alot, but no more than if I just trekked in some of the dust from a walk outside. We live in a rural area and there is no escape from allergens. Don't ever think the pets aren't feeling the same allergens and mites too. The one thing that pets contribute to is cleaner environment for you and your furry friends.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Orphan Works latest news...

http://www.ala.org/alonline
There is vast oppostion to newer legislation on saving orphan works. See the link above for current news from ALA.

Friday, May 16, 2008

Anna dreaming

Sign language lingo


Our library staff will be taking on the deaf culture as we are signing for the first time and learning alternative ways to reach our deaf patrons. We are accessible to the Blind and Visually impaired and the Sheltered Workshops for the disabled, they are located across the street from our library. The only thing we don't have are interpreters, slowing down the communication process with our neighbors. The answers to signing are never the same. We have tried to sign on our own, using the Gallaudet University website and we find we are sometimes misunderstood. The tried and true skills of signing are to practice in the deaf community and to expect a range of communication modes. The best practice is to use gestures and to keep direct eye contact when communicating with the deaf. It's always helpful to use visuals such as signs, note paper or visual cues.
The website http://library.gallaudet.edu/deaf-communication-libraries.shtml has more information.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

My creation

My creation
My creation,
originally uploaded by sueone162002.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Computers in Libraries 2008

I was really impressed with the first keynote speaker, Jane Dysart. She gave a prophetic view of libraries as problem solvers. That said, the Pew Charitable Internet and American Life Project, presented by Lee Rainie, showed the responses of libraries by age and ethnicity, and the use of the Internet to solve financial, health and education and other personal issues during the last 5 years. The next keynote speaker on the second day spoke of libraries as places of happiness. Taking a leaf from Dysart, R.I.T. librarian spoke at the end of the conference on how gaming gave the sense of accomplishment through friendly avatars and awards. She commented that games should be widely known as "productive games" not "serious games".

Once programs opened up, I attended "What do Users do in their Native Habitat?" the first morning of the conference. I listened to librarians from Guelph University plainly drawing the relationships students made with libraries and online access, and how Delft's librarians felt that the undergraduates emphasized searching subjects in print or specialized directories and left the high technology for social networking. Students felt very frustrated when urged to use high tech in research assignments and were reluctant to share assignments and work online.

The second set of programs on Tuesday involved the use of blogging and social networking. I found it useful to create yahoo pipes and widgets on our home page. Widgetbox is an excellent and free online tool to add small software applications, links and feeds to the library homepage. No computer language is needed and the expertise from technical standpoint is not needed to add a widget to a page. Binghamton University has an example of how widgets help users gain access to the library catalog and other resources on their Facebook account. Similar to wikis, the facebook account allows posting, but you may also ask a librarian for help anytime.