Happy Holidays - lots to celebrate at NOPL!

Visit NOPL's website to see and comment on our new look www.nopl.org.  While you're there, take a look at freegal. Freegal (rhymes with legal) is a downloadable music service, like iTunes from your library. All you need is your library card number and PIN. Access to freegal is limited to NOPL patrons, but it may also be available at your library. See freegal FAQs for more information.

And don't miss the photos of Ace the Holiday Dog under NOPL photos! 

Visit your library for party recipes and craft ideas, children's books, and classic holiday movies.

Hurray for library employees with a sense of humor!

Libraries will Survive - YouTube Video

Things 12 and 14...the end, for now!

I think I'm going to really like Delicious.  Bookmarking works fairly well on my office pc, where I limit myself to work-related sites.  But on my home pc - complete chaos.  Since I work regularly on three different computers I often remember bookmarking a site, and search for it one one computer, only to decide that I bookmarked it on one of the other computers.  These are amazing tools, and I know I've only scratched the surface.

Technorati will be fun to explore further.  I've stumbled on some good library-related blogs, but haven't really known how to identify more general blogs, or those related to other interests of mine.  I love the fact that so many people are finding their voice, and finding readers, on the Internet.  It seems to me that it refutes some of the concern that writing and words are being eclipsed by other forms of communication and expression.

The Lowdown on Audio Downloads - Thing # 13

The Lowdown on Audio Downloads


I've been seeing the "share" symbol for quite a while, but of course, when I was looking for something to share, it seemed elusive. This is a very good article on audio downloading from LJ.

Thing #21 - more great resources!

Racing to the finish line, I've uploaded NOPL's Collection Development Policy to Google Docs, and will send the link to the staff members who volunteered or were conscripted to help with updating and revising.  I also added to the list of large print books Nancy is creating - Major Pettigrew's Last Stand: a Novel, by Helen Simonson. I think it's a good candidate for the LP collection. I loved it, and it's the kind of book my mother would have loved too. I miss bringing her large print books from the library, and I think of her ever time I read something I know she would have enjoyed. 

As always, the resources listed on The 23 Things website are terrific.  I'm interested in Evernote in particular.  Wondering if it will work along with MS OneNote, or does it duplicate OneNote's features?  Something to look into...

Things #22 and #23

I created a Library Thing account back in May, but didn't do much with it at the time.  I've added some books, and wrote a quick review of a mystery I read this weekend.  Very easy to do, and probably a good idea for me, since I read quickly and constantly, and often would like to refresh my memory about something I've read. My Library Thing homepage

I looked at the similar sites listed too.  Shelfari is a little slicker looking, and might be fun to use.  I'm fascinated by the explosion of resources for readers.  We've been talking for a long time about the Internet's impact on the public's need, or perceived need, for traditional reference services, but it seems that readers' advisory has moved out of libraries and bookstores, and is exploding on the Internet.  And...we've always known that most people read based on personal recommendations and word of mouth - so what does this mean?  Readers now have enormous numbers of "friends" out in cyberspace to recommend books!  We have to resist the temptation to find this threatening, and see it as achieving a wish that's close to our hearts as librarians.  People - lots and lots of people - enthusiastically sharing their love of reading.

Thing #20

I've added an account for Library Success: a Best Practices Wiki, and plan to contribute to some topics based on recent NOPL projects and my own experience, particularly in the area of continuing education.  I didn't edit or contribute to any Wikipedia articles, but I explored the edit option, and the sandbox tutorials.  It was reassuring to see that they have protocols in place for verifying entries.

When Wikipedia first started up librarians expressed strong opinions - it offended our belief in reputable sources.  But it's here to stay, and I suspect that most of us consult it - I know that I do.  For things that don't matter - satisfying my curiosity about an actor, or an event - it's irresistible. I appreciate the links, and the breadth of coverage. I still wouldn't use it for things like medical or legal information.

Wikis as collaborative tools are very useful - thinking back to the wiki OCPL used for the Polaris implementation, for example, I can't imagine a more practical way to share information and problem-solving.

oh -oh -oh -Overdrive

I began using Overdrive when OCPL first added the service 5 or 6 (?) years ago.  I checked out more  music than audiobooks, and would play the recordings in my office at the Central Library.  Like many librarians, I wish the folks at Overdrive would improve the interface - it's not very user friendly.  eBook readers will be a popular gift this Christmas and we can anticipate lots of questions from patrons, and possibly some potential new library-users.  Overdrive doesn't have much competition, but librarians should put pressure on them to improve their product.

p.s. I love my Kindle, but would love it even more if I could use it to read eBooks from the library!

Tribute to Joan Sutherland

The great Australian soprano Joan Sutherland died a few days ago, and we've been listening to her recordings.  She was called "La Stupenda" and had a glorious voice with amazing range and agility.  She was tall and plain, and I remember her singing on television when I was young - always with a horrible bouffant hairstyle. Here is a wonderful YouTube video (if I can embed it succesfully).  She is singing an aria from La Traviata.  Here goes...

Catching up with a few more "things"

So typical...I'm scrambling to finish up the 23 Things!  There are a couple of challenges to the project, which I'm sure everyone participating has discovered.  It's hard to find the time - so much to do, both at work and at home.  The other problem is that each of these tools opens up doors to lots more fascinating things - I get lost and time passes...and I feel like Rip Van Winkle with no notion of how much time has passed.

For example, I wanted to subscribe to a Podcast.  I started looking at library-related podcast, and then thought  - wait a minute, I have other interests - so I started looking at opera podcasts.  I listened to an interview with conductor James Conlon about an LA Opera production of the Ring Cycle, then went on to singer interviews, then subscribed to podcasts from Houston Grand Opera.  When I looked at my Google Reader site, I started catching up on all of the blogs I started following, and two hours passed!

Isn't it wonderful to know that we can never, ever be without something new and wonderful to read/listen to/watch?