Thing 23

23 Things was fantastic! I loved it! I loved it so much I am even recommending it to my mom! This project reaquainted me with technologies and resources I already knew about but had not used much/enough/in a while. However, there were things I had never played with, like Picasa, that I am looking forward to using in the future. I really enjoyed the brush up on RSS feeds too, I had forgotten about them a bit. It has been fantastic spending work time playing and learning new things- I really hope there will be another 23 things soon (Please, please!!) I feel so much more confident with the library's resources and with the internet in general because of 23t. I think the patrons would greatly benefit from a program like this too. Perhaps we could post something like this online for them to go through themselves- maybe the advanced version and host library classes on 23 things, make it a series...?

Next time, I would like just a little more time- maybe one thing per week? It is hard to balance all the other work stuff and 23 things on top so just a little more time to work would be helpful. I think the databases were the most intimidating for me (and lots of other people) but I think it would help if you could go step by step doing "research" to answer questions while showcasing database capabilities.

Thank you, TAG for all your incredibly through work and dedication. You deserve a round of applause!


Can we please have a wiki?

Thing 22

It was interesting using Novelist- I found they had book discussion questions so now I know that they may be a good resource for book clubs outside of just recommending books. I looked in magic realist fiction and found "The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake," now also on hold for me. I also found "The Fifth Life of the Cat Lady" which we don't have :(. I looked at the teen books and there is an "If you like" link which I thought was fantastic but the adults don't have one (yes, I know Novelist is really a giant "If you like" but I just enjoyed the link). On the plus side, it is making me want to read a little fiction again.

It is a great readers advisory tool! The next time I get a patron who wants to talk about what books to read, I will sit them down with Novelist.

P.S. Using Novelist, I found the third book of the graphic novel series I started reading a while ago, Amulet. And I found the second book of the series, "The Astonishing Life of Ocatvian Nothing"-beautiful, devastating and amusing all at the same time. So happy!

From the last two "Things" my holds list is getting ridiculous.

Thing 21

I just subscribed to Bookletters' Book Sizzle, Fiction Best Sellers, Non-Fiction Best Sellers and Teen Scene. Already my hold list is growing exponentially...
I think this will be useful for keeping up with what is new in the book world and a good tool for readers advisory.

Thing 20

I recommended Collapse by Jared Diamond to Joe. I hope he likes it.

Thing 19

As I am a Star Wars fan, I checked out Wookiepeidia and was happy to find it wasn't all about Wookies! I learned that
trifaraleen gas was a poisonous gas that was used by IG-88 during the Galactic Civil War. It formed a cloud around the target, choked them, and would finally turn them to dust. Trifaraleen was acidic and could chew through metal. Despite its effectiveness, trifaraleen dissipated quickly outside containment or a host.

I definitely think the libary needs a wiki!It would be a great way to pool our intelligence, encourage colloaboration and tech savvy. Plus, I think it would make finding answers to common questions and such so much easier!

Thing 17

I had forgotten about my Grammar Girl- I subscribed to it a few years ago through my iTunes haven't listened to it in a while. So I am listening again. There are so many podcasts available-it is quite overwhealming. If fact, when I went to Korea, I actually subscribed to a podcast in an attempt to learn some Korean. I didn't learn much but it nice to hear the language a bit before the plane landed.

I listened to Storynory and The Marriage of Two Cats. It was cute. But I will be honest and say that I didn't get to finish the whole podcast since I had to go do other work stuff. Browsing the list on the blog was kind of fun! There were some great suggestions there-I will be looking forward to going through them again, when I have more time to browse.

Thing 16

Netlibrary Audio Books
Tomato Girl by Jayne Pupek Duration: 10 hours, 15 minutes
50 Psychology Classics: Who We Are, How We Think, What We Do by Tom Butler-Bowdon Duration: 12 hours, 23 minutes