February 2012
9 posts
2 tags
Links I Love Friday
“Ten Reasons I Hate PowerPoint: Musings from the Corner Office” on DivineCaroline: If you follow the library on Twitter, you know this week was “Just Say No to PowerPoint Week.” (And, no, we didn’t make that up.)
It’s easy to blame the program for bad presentations, but 10 of these 10 reasons to hate PowerPoint are under the control of the user. Instead of...
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Links I Love Friday: Crafty Things...I Might...
“Today’s Project: Spirit Jugs” on eighteen25: Make Halloween luminaries out of milk jugs.
Today seems to be my day for linking to holiday things that are completely unrelated to the current month’s observances. However, I am not trying to suggest Valentine’s Day and Presidents’ Day don’t offer wonderful decorating options. In fact, you can find...
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Links I Love Friday
“Alan Sailer Christmas Ornament Explosions” on Beautiful/Decay: The blog post on which I found this link wrote, “Question: What’s more beautiful than a Christmas tree full of sparkly ornaments? Answer: Christmas ornaments full of sparkly glitter—exploding.” Agreed! I think these photos are a little disturbing but mostly just beautiful.
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Book Covers: Once More With Feeling
My colleague sent me a link to The Book Cover Archive a few days ago. Here’s what happened when I read her message:
Visited the link and fell madly in love with one of the book covers,
Decided I must read that book simply because of the cover even though it’s not in SUNCAT and not available through the library,
Thought, “Hey, haven’t I linked to The Book Cover Archive...
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Super Bowl XLVI
So, let’s talk about the most important aspect of the Super Bowl-watching experience: the commercials.
Just kidding…The actual game is the most important part of the Super Bowl, and I watched it from beginning to end this year, even napping in the afternoon so I wouldn’t fall asleep at 9:30.
But, let’s talk about the commercials anyway….
The game was exciting this...
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Links I Love Friday
“Create Book Shelves, Literally” on RealSimple.com and “How to Make Your Own Book Planters for Succulents” on ApartmentTherapy.com: Although I prefer “decorating” with stacks of books I’m planning to read, these ideas YOU sent me are clever.
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Links I Love Friday
“LIFECYCLE: 365 days in the life of a bike in NYC” on dcycledesign.tumblr.com:
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Links I Love Friday
refdesk.com, Fact Checker for the Internet: YOU sent me this link because it has
Today’s Birthday
Word of the Day
Daily Diversions
Headline News
Atomic Clock
Time Zones
Calendars for any year
Debt Clock
Weather Resources
Online dictionaries and encyclopedias
Help and Advice
Just for Fun
Top Reference Tools, and more!
Whew! You had me at Today’s Birthday.
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Groundhog Day? Maybe it's time for a different...
It’s Groundhog Day, and we either are or aren’t going to have six more weeks of winter depending on which of the prognosticating groundhogs you follow.
“Ho-hum,” I say. My attention is focused on another furry, elusive and frankly far more interesting animal today:
The wolverine!
If you watched “Nature” last night on PBS, you’ll understand my sudden...
January 2012
18 posts
3 tags
"Reading the Oscars"
I was so focused on the Academy Award nominees for screenplays based on previously published material that I completely failed to notice that 6 out of the 9 Best Picture nominees are based on books. (This is why I read LISNews and EarlyWord and other book/library blogs: to try to fill all the many gaps and oversights in my knowledge.)
The Best Picture nominees based on books are
“The...
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Links I Love Friday
Shakespearean Insulter, www.pangloss.com/seidel/Shaker/index.html: I don’t usually enjoy being insulted, but it’s almost fun to be insulted in such flowery language.
Thanks to the YOU who sent me this link!
And if we now feel a desire to brush up on our Shakespeare, the Dewey call number to visit is 822.33. (It’s almost impossible to be a public librarian and not know that...
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Links I Love Friday
Homemade Crap!, homemadecrap.com: “all things diy. (well, mostly.)”
Remember the library has lots of books to inspire your DIY and craft projects. Try browsing the shelves at your nearest library around call number 745.5.
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Links I Love Friday
“Cats vs. Dogs: An Infographic” on I Can Has Cheezburger? and “Gold vs. Cats (Infographic)” on Cats4Gold.com: I adopted a kitten recently. While trying to choose between the available kittens in a litter, I started searching for pros and cons of males vs. females.* Instead of that, I came across these infographics which, although not very useful for choosing the sex of a...
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And the Oscar for Best Writing, Screenplay Based...
Academy Award nominees were announced yesterday morning. My favorite list of nominees is always the one for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published.
Why? Because that is where movies made from books appear.
You may have time to read the source material for these nominees before the Academy Award ceremony:
“The Descendants” from “The...
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On to the Super Bowl!
I’m not really a football fan, but like many others who also aren’t, I always know which teams are going to the Super Bowl. Last night I even saw the end of the NFC Championship, watching one of this year’s Super Bowl teams earn its spot.
Will you be rooting for the New England Patriots or the New York Giants to win the big game?
Regardless of which team is “your”...
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Links I Love Friday
Hatchet Job of the Year, www.hatchetjoboftheyear.com: “[T]he Hatchet Job of the Year Award will be presented [on 2-7-2012] to the author of the angriest, funniest, most trenchant book review of the past twelve months.”
On the Hatchet Job’s “Manifesto” page it says, “We need professional book reviewers. We need people who know what they’re talking about, whose...
3 tags
Links I Love Friday
“Now There’s a Congressional Record App for That” on In Custodia Legis: Law Librarians of Congress: Now there’s an app to let you “easily read the daily edition of the Congressional Record on your iPad.”
So, this is not necessarily exciting news to you. I’ll admit that this one post isn’t very exciting to me.
So why did I post it?!
YOU sent me this...
3 tags
Links I Love Friday
Fictional Food: Bringing food from page to plate!, www.fictionalfood.net: “Fictional Food is a blog dedicated to both cooking fictional food and posting about fictional food around the internet. While books are the primary focus, television, game, and movie foods are also featured.”
YOU linked to this site, and it caught my eye. Thank you, YOU!
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"Selby Library Teen Center draws crowds" on... →
Were you at “Band Bash”?
I wasn’t, but it sounds like if I were a teen, it was the place to be a week ago Saturday.
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Libraries are closed on Monday for Martin Luther...
All 9 libraries will be closed on Monday, January 16, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Regular library hours will resume on Tuesday, January 17.
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Links I Love Friday: Anniversary Edition
A little more than three years ago, my first Links I Love Friday post appeared. The thought of that makes me a little tired; so, today I’m just diving into the archives to re-visit some of my favorite Links I Love Fridays from the past year. Sometimes I look back on posts and ask, “What was I thinking?,” but these links I still love:
1-14-11: “The Mary Poppins Effect?” on Lovely...
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Taxes
Watching Paul Solman’s latest report (“Taxes: How High Is Too High?”) on the NewsHour last night reminded me that I should remind you that tax help at the library starts at the end of January.
Find more information about tax assistance at the library and links to useful resources at www.sclibs.net/taxes.aspx, or use the library’s event calendar to find the tax help...
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Links I Love Friday
“Writers and Their Books: Inside Famous Authors’ Personal Libraries” by Maria Popova on TheAtlantic.com: A review of “Unpacking My Library: Writers and Their Books” which is one in a series about books and their owners.
2 tags
Links I Love Friday
“Infographic: Anatomy of a Librarian” on Master-Degree-Online.com: This might be more about librarians than you ever wanted to know, but I love infographics.
++ Click to Enlarge Image ++ Image Source: Online Masters
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Links I Love Friday
“Some commuters ditch the car” by Thomas Becnel on HeraldTribune.com: “While the rest of us drive to and from work, grimly staring at the cars in front of us, T.J. Connors glides along with a smile on his face.”
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Happy New Year! What about resolutions?
Exactly a year ago I wrote this post about resolutions. I said then that I already had 3 resolutions, one of which was to read more.
To my great surprise, I kept my resolution to read more. And those other 2 resolutions?….I can’t even remember what they were let alone whether I kept them. (Not likely.)
For me, the key to keeping a resolution is to make it public. So, this year...
December 2011
26 posts
1 tag
Libraries close to observe New Year's
Most Sarasota County government offices, including libraries, will be closed Sunday, Jan. 1, and Monday, Jan. 2. Libraries resume regular hours on Tuesday, Jan. 3.
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Links I Love Friday
The Global Bicycle Race, www.greatbikeride.com/globalbicyclerace: “On 18th Feb 2012, the 18,000 mile Global Bicycle Race will begin in London.”
So, who feels up for an 18,000 mile ride?….Anyone?
Me neither!
But I will check up on this site after February 18 to see what happens, and I now feel inspired to find books about bicycle touring and voyages around the world in SUNCAT:
...
2 tags
Links I Love Friday
“Infographic of the Day: How Bikes Can Solve Our Biggest Problems” from Co.Design: “There’s tantalizing data suggesting that biking could go a long way to solving America’s obesity crisis. And much more.”
Hmmm, well, this seems more than a little far-reaching,* and the infographic creator even admits “correlation isn’t causation.” But I think...
2 tags
Links I Love Friday
“Venn Ding Machine” cartoon on ilovecharts: What’s better than Venn diagram humor?
I can barely remember a time when I didn’t love Venn diagrams. They are simultaneously simple and complex. Find out more about Venn diagrams with the help of my old friend Wikipedia.
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That Reading Challenge and My Very Own Year's Best...
Yesterday I completed the reading challenge I’ve been working on all year but had only mentioned here once because I didn’t think I’d actually complete it.
I still can’t quite believe I read 52 books this year….but I did….I really did! (My year’s reading choices are pictured at the bottom of this post in reverse chronological order.)
Unfortunately, I...
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Judging the Books of 2011 by Their Covers
You know I love judging books by their covers, and the end of the year is the time all the book-cover-judgers come out of the woodwork with “best of” lists. Here are four of those lists:
“Editors’ Choice: Top Book Covers 2011” from Kirkus Reviews
“The 10 Best Book Covers of 2011” from Flavorwire
“Top 10 of 2011 (Day 2): Top Covers in 2011” from...
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Links I Love Friday on Thursday*
“10 Simple Ideas for Green Gift Wrapping” on Mighty Girl: Maybe these are too late for you to use for this year’s winter holidays, but they would work for gifts throughout the year. My favorites are the Yarn Wrap, Newspaper Bow, and Newspaper Flower.
My mother and I used to try to outdo each other wrapping Christmas gifts. The winner each year earned the right to call herself...
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Links I Love Friday on Thursday*
“Quiz: How Well Do You Know Your Favorite Holiday Music?” from Real Simple: “No matter how many times you’ve heard these popular Christmas songs—and you’ve probably heard them a lot—you still may not know the words….See if you can pick out the real words.”
I love both Christmas songs and mondegreens so this quiz really brightened my day.
...
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Links I Love Friday on Thursday*
Dollar Bill Origami Instructions, www.origami-resource-center.com/dollar-bill.html: “The next time you give cash as a gift, try folding it into one of these fun dollar bill origami models before giving it. Cash & Origami: it’s like two gifts in one!”
Do you think it’s taboo to give cash as a gift, regardless of whether it’s folded into interesting shapes or...
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Holiday Closings for Christmas
All 9 libraries will be closed from Friday, Dec. 23 through Monday, Dec. 26. Regular library hours resume on Tuesday, Dec. 27.
Don’t forget to check out materials for your reading and watching needs before Friday. Have a safe and happy holiday weekend!
Photo: “twenty one days till christmas” by juliaeatssweaters on Flickr, used under a Creative Commons license.
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Vaclav Havel
Playwright and former Czech president Vaclav Havel also died this weekend. He and Kim Jong Il are alike in one way: You can also find out more about Vaclav Havel using SUNCAT.
Search for “Havel, Vaclav” as a subject to find out more about his life.
Search for “Havel, Vaclav” as an author to find his writings.
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North Korea
North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has died. What does that mean for North Korea, Asia, the World?
Find out more about North Korea with help from SUNCAT, the library catalog. Search for “Korea (North)” as a subject.
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Links I Love Friday
Forgotten Bookmarks, www.forgottenbookmarks.com: “I’m a used and rare bookseller. I buy books from people every day. These are the personal, funny, heartbreaking and weird things I find in those books.”
“Together this collection of lost treasures offers a glimpse into other readers’ lives that they never intended for us to see.” (Source: LISNews.org)
The...
2 tags
Links I Love Friday
“Yoga Cat” on YouTube:
Picture both the yogini and cat in this video about 95% less graceful and fluid, and you’ll have a good representation of what my cat and I go through each morning.
If you like “Yoga Cat,” you might also like “Cat Yoga” on YouTube:
I tried searching for library materials about both yoga and cats, but SUNCAT let me down....
3 tags
Links I Love Friday
“25 Everyday Things You Never Knew Had Names” on BuzzFeed.com: “There are so many things out there that we deal with or see everyday, but have no idea what they are called. This is a list of 25 ridiculous real names for 25 everyday items.”
How fun, eh?
Thanks to YOU who sent me this link!
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Library Snapshot Day Results →
On November 2, 2011, libraries from all over the state of Florida collected stories, pictures and statistics of all the happenings in their library for the Florida Library Association’s Library Snapshot Day. This year, over a quarter of a million Floridians visited their libraries in just one day. Take a look at some of the other stats from just one day:
56,813 people used computers in the...
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Librarian Anniversary Again
Today is the ninth anniversary of my graduation from library school. Last year I suggested links to help you read up on librarianship as a career. This year I’m feeling much less serious and suggest you consider a novel about libraries or librarians.
Search SUNCAT for these subjects:
Libraries—Fiction
Librarians—Fiction
Women Librarians—Fiction (In case you were...
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Links I Love Friday
“IT Security for Libraries” series on LISNews.org: Although this series says it’s “for Libraries,” there are many good tips and things to think about for individuals, too.
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Links I Love Friday
“A Possible Second Home for Humanity Found, but the Commute’s Brutal” on the PBS NewsHour: “Scientists have discovered a so-called ‘Goldilocks’ planet with a temperature that is not too hot, not too cold, but maybe just right to support life.”
I love hearing about discoveries in outer space like this one or the other recent story about the discovery of...
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Links I Love Friday
“Discover Your Meta-Identity by Twitterfying Yourself” on UtneReader.tumblr.com: Here’s something silly for the end of a long week: Discover your own “Twitter Character” at visual.ly/twitter.
I visualized my Twitter account and faced off against @scgovlibrary.* Here’s how we compare:
*If you use Twitter and you haven’t followed the library...
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"Selling Books by Their Gilded Covers" on... →
“If e-books are about ease and expedience, the publishers reason, then print books need to be about physical beauty and the pleasures of owning, not just reading.”
I agree…but I’m an admitted judge-a-book-by-its-cover person.
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The Golden Globe
Before leaving for work this morning, I watched the last half hour of a documentary (“Deep Water”) about the first solo, nonstop sailing race around the world: The Sunday Times Golden Globe Race from 1968 and 1969. The race did not end well for most of the participants.
I’m usually fascinated by stories of real adventures, both those that turn out well and those that...
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Links I Love Friday
“CClone 365-2011” photoset on Flickr: Photos of “Star Wars toys, stormtroopers, Clonetroopers and lego.” I will never get tired of macro photos of action figures—especially Stormtroopers. Is there anything funnier? It’s also slightly creepy because it’s real and unreal, but I think that’s part of the charm.
So, who feels like reading Star Wars books...