Realizing that texting is extremely popular right now and will probably continue to be important in communicating in the future I am ready learn to use it and put it to use it at least part of the time. How much I use the texting mode depends on how much it will cost me to send and receive.
I sent my first text message last weekend since I was not driving the car and we needed to let someone know we were on the way. I’ve checked my cell phone and watched the video as well as read the article. I’m sure I could send a message if needed.
When sending the text message I did not use text lingo since I’m not real familiar with it but know LOL and IMHO. I will keep Lingo 2 Word in mind to help me with the many abbreviations that I do not know.
IMHO texting while driving is like driving with your eyes closed. It is scary to be in traffic and see the driver in the next lane driving while looking down instead of at the vehicle in front of them. It is sad to know that people are so involved in their conversation they are not aware of their surroundings. If they are walking into traffic or other stationary objects they are not only endangering their lives but other peoples as well.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
IHCPL #55 – Facebook
I have been on Facebook for 6-8 months. It could take up a large amount of my time if I allowed it to. The term “screen-sucking” comes to mind when I think of Facebook. I first saw this term in a time management book I read and it can be found in the www.urbandictionary.com The definition being “ wasting time online long after you have finished what you signed on to do.” That is not to say it isn’t amusing and a way to find people you have lost contact with.
Just last week I found a friend I hadn’t heard from in about 25-30 years so that was nice. I also use it to send short notes to friends and family in other states and keep up with what is current in their lives. If I don’t feel like typing I can watch the posts and keep up with friends and family members at a glance.
There are many applications out there. My friends have involved me in ‘Lil Green Patch’, ‘Hugs’, ‘Pokes ‘ and ‘Super pokes’, ‘Kidnap’, ‘Sweet Willies’, ‘snow globes’, and ‘Easter Eggs’. My favorite is 'Kidnap', there are many more but this is the area I find time consuming.
Overall it has been an interesting experience and I will probably keep it since I have family members who are not good at answering e-mails but will respond to short posts on Facebook. The link to 10 Privacy Settings Every Facebook User Should Know by Nick O'Neill was very helpful to me and will recommend it to my friends.
Just last week I found a friend I hadn’t heard from in about 25-30 years so that was nice. I also use it to send short notes to friends and family in other states and keep up with what is current in their lives. If I don’t feel like typing I can watch the posts and keep up with friends and family members at a glance.
There are many applications out there. My friends have involved me in ‘Lil Green Patch’, ‘Hugs’, ‘Pokes ‘ and ‘Super pokes’, ‘Kidnap’, ‘Sweet Willies’, ‘snow globes’, and ‘Easter Eggs’. My favorite is 'Kidnap', there are many more but this is the area I find time consuming.
Overall it has been an interesting experience and I will probably keep it since I have family members who are not good at answering e-mails but will respond to short posts on Facebook. The link to 10 Privacy Settings Every Facebook User Should Know by Nick O'Neill was very helpful to me and will recommend it to my friends.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
IHCPL #54- Social Networking Through Books
1.I have led book discussions of several different books with a group of ladies and enjoyed the discussion as well as the fellowship time together. A couple of years ago I tried to put together a Google discussion group but the people I wanted to include couldn’t seem to figure out how to do it online. Someday I will try to put together another online book discussion. However, I really like the instant interaction and being able to see and feel the emotions of the others involved in the discussion.
2.An online book club would work best for our staff members. Due to time and scheduling concerns we could post our thoughts when time allowed rather than try to set a time when we can all get together. We have a great monthly Friday Staff Book Club that meets but not all staff can be here and some have other duties that take priority and they cannot attend.
3.Using the title Island of Ghosts by Ellis Dillon I found that ‘Good reads’ gave it a rating of 5 while ‘Library Thing’ gave it a rating of 3. As we all know 'good' or 'not so good' books are in the eye and mind of the reader.
2.An online book club would work best for our staff members. Due to time and scheduling concerns we could post our thoughts when time allowed rather than try to set a time when we can all get together. We have a great monthly Friday Staff Book Club that meets but not all staff can be here and some have other duties that take priority and they cannot attend.
3.Using the title Island of Ghosts by Ellis Dillon I found that ‘Good reads’ gave it a rating of 5 while ‘Library Thing’ gave it a rating of 3. As we all know 'good' or 'not so good' books are in the eye and mind of the reader.
Friday, February 20, 2009
IHCPL #53 Finding Books Online
Exercise One – 3 Stores near Freeman Branch Library
Half Price Books: Clearlake: 961 NASA Parkway. They have an online presence that is user friendly but no title, author searching is available which is important to me.
Barnes & Noble: 1029 W Bay Area Blvd Webster, TX 77598. They have an online presence that is user friendly and searchable by author, title, format and ISBN number.
Borders: 19419 Gulf Fwy. Webster, TX 77598. They also have an online presence that is user friendly and searchable by author, title, format and ISBN number.
Exercise Two
I searched for “At Bertram’s Hotel” by Agatha Christie. It is available online from Borders for $6.99 paperback and $12.00 hardcover. From Barnes & Noble for $9.60 or $6.99 paperback. If I want to use Half Price Books I could call them or go to the store and search for myself.
Exercise Three
I chose to download “The Woman in White” by Willkie Collins. It is an adobe file digitized by Google. I had to continually scroll down to read the book and found it similar to reading from a microfilm. It might be easier on laptop where I could adjust my posture a little more than sitting at the desk in front of the monitor. I still prefer to use traditional print material, it is easier to move around and relax while reading.
The electronic books are good because of the access allowed by everyone with internet access. The traditional print is easier to carry with you when traveling or waiting in for appointments etc. The down side of the electronic access is that unless you have it downloaded on a handheld machine you can’t take it with you unless you take your pc and then not every place allows you to plug in so the battery will die. The downside of the traditional material is that it might be difficult to carry in a bag or get lost if you get distracted during your appointment or while traveling.
Half Price Books: Clearlake: 961 NASA Parkway. They have an online presence that is user friendly but no title, author searching is available which is important to me.
Barnes & Noble: 1029 W Bay Area Blvd Webster, TX 77598. They have an online presence that is user friendly and searchable by author, title, format and ISBN number.
Borders: 19419 Gulf Fwy. Webster, TX 77598. They also have an online presence that is user friendly and searchable by author, title, format and ISBN number.
Exercise Two
I searched for “At Bertram’s Hotel” by Agatha Christie. It is available online from Borders for $6.99 paperback and $12.00 hardcover. From Barnes & Noble for $9.60 or $6.99 paperback. If I want to use Half Price Books I could call them or go to the store and search for myself.
Exercise Three
I chose to download “The Woman in White” by Willkie Collins. It is an adobe file digitized by Google. I had to continually scroll down to read the book and found it similar to reading from a microfilm. It might be easier on laptop where I could adjust my posture a little more than sitting at the desk in front of the monitor. I still prefer to use traditional print material, it is easier to move around and relax while reading.
The electronic books are good because of the access allowed by everyone with internet access. The traditional print is easier to carry with you when traveling or waiting in for appointments etc. The down side of the electronic access is that unless you have it downloaded on a handheld machine you can’t take it with you unless you take your pc and then not every place allows you to plug in so the battery will die. The downside of the traditional material is that it might be difficult to carry in a bag or get lost if you get distracted during your appointment or while traveling.
Monday, February 9, 2009
#52 - Book Readers and Beyond -What to Read
One of the reasons I became a librarian was my lifelong love of books. I love the way new books smell, I love being able to carry them with me whether I’m on the beach, in the mountains or my back yard. If I have a book I am immediately transported to wherever the character in my book is. On top of all of that is the pleasure I get when I help someone find a new book, series or help them with material for their research paper when they had given up hope of finding anything.
After looking at the eight websites I have to admit that I prefer Novelist Plus and Fiction_L Booklists over the others.
#1 For Read Alikes -Using Novelist and the author Agatha Christie I found John Dickson Carr’s Gideon Fell Stories, Margery Allinghams’ Albert Campion Series, M.C. Beatons’s “Agatha Raisin Series, Carolyn Hart’s Henrie O. Series, and Michael Piearce’s Mamur Zapt Series. In my opinion this one provided the best resources.
When I used Fiction-L I went to Genre listings-Cosy mysteries and found Agatha Christie along with many other authors of the same genre but without links to titles or series. I did not see a way to search by specific author or title you had to go with what they offered. It seemed very limited in what I could do in my searching.
Using “What Should I Read Next” I found that it requires a title before you can search and lists read alike titles without an author listing. The link to Amazon is nice since you can read the reviews before deciding whether or not to look for the title.
#2a Find two books suitable for a fourth grade girl interested in animals:
Using Novelist Plus and Advanced Search I found “Newbery Zoo: A Dozen Stories By Award Winning Authors” with a reading level of ‘older kids’ and “Tough Beginnings How Baby Animals Survive” by Marilyn Singer with a reading level of older kids.
#2b Find two ghost stories for a 14 year old boy: Using Novelist Plus I found “Ghost Hunt” volume 1 by Fuyumi Ono reading level – teen and “Island of Ghosts” by Ellis Dillon for grades 5-8.
3. Find Dean Koonz Read a-likes:
Using Novelist Plus
Greg Bear- ‘Darwin’s Bear’
Dan Simmons – ‘Summer of Night’
John Saul – ‘Manhattan Hunt Club’
Using What Should I Read Next?
Stuart Woods - Heat
Carol Saunders - The Grim Shadow: A Modern-Day Fable
Madeleine Brent- The Long Masquerade
#4. Series For title Alanna - Using NoveList Plus
#1 Alanna: The First Adventure
#2 Hand of the Goddess
#3 Woman Who Rides Like A Man
#4 Lioness Rampant
After looking at the eight websites I have to admit that I prefer Novelist Plus and Fiction_L Booklists over the others.
#1 For Read Alikes -Using Novelist and the author Agatha Christie I found John Dickson Carr’s Gideon Fell Stories, Margery Allinghams’ Albert Campion Series, M.C. Beatons’s “Agatha Raisin Series, Carolyn Hart’s Henrie O. Series, and Michael Piearce’s Mamur Zapt Series. In my opinion this one provided the best resources.
When I used Fiction-L I went to Genre listings-Cosy mysteries and found Agatha Christie along with many other authors of the same genre but without links to titles or series. I did not see a way to search by specific author or title you had to go with what they offered. It seemed very limited in what I could do in my searching.
Using “What Should I Read Next” I found that it requires a title before you can search and lists read alike titles without an author listing. The link to Amazon is nice since you can read the reviews before deciding whether or not to look for the title.
#2a Find two books suitable for a fourth grade girl interested in animals:
Using Novelist Plus and Advanced Search I found “Newbery Zoo: A Dozen Stories By Award Winning Authors” with a reading level of ‘older kids’ and “Tough Beginnings How Baby Animals Survive” by Marilyn Singer with a reading level of older kids.
#2b Find two ghost stories for a 14 year old boy: Using Novelist Plus I found “Ghost Hunt” volume 1 by Fuyumi Ono reading level – teen and “Island of Ghosts” by Ellis Dillon for grades 5-8.
3. Find Dean Koonz Read a-likes:
Using Novelist Plus
Greg Bear- ‘Darwin’s Bear’
Dan Simmons – ‘Summer of Night’
John Saul – ‘Manhattan Hunt Club’
Using What Should I Read Next?
Stuart Woods - Heat
Carol Saunders - The Grim Shadow: A Modern-Day Fable
Madeleine Brent- The Long Masquerade
#4. Series For title Alanna - Using NoveList Plus
#1 Alanna: The First Adventure
#2 Hand of the Goddess
#3 Woman Who Rides Like A Man
#4 Lioness Rampant
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Almost November
This year has zipped right by. I did not get to do as much with HCPL next generation as I hoped. Oh, Well, next year I will work on some more and continue to expand.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Games and Gaming #37
I know I'm late starting but am doing this to expand my horizons. Gaming is not my favorite part of the "new"library but then again I work in adult services and facilitate adult programing. The New York Times article was intresting but I haven't seen our teens moving from gaming to books, magazines or other materials. It is hoped that they will eventually. We are providing a social service and are exceptionally lucky to have a great YA staff to provide and direct game days and other programs for our youth. I know that many libraries are stretched to plan and facilitate youth programing. Gaming is here to stay whether it is someone playing solitaire online or runescape or one of the newer games the young people are playing.
I enjoyed the Carnegie Mellon Libraries "I'll Get it Game" but couldn't figure out how to move the books in the other game. Yes, I am one of those who only like to play games they can win and my hand eye coordination is lousy. Next week another staff member and I will be demonstrating wii bowling and encouraging the adults at our 50+ program to join us in a game. I looked at a retro game site and would enjoy trying pacman again although I was never very good at that either.
I enjoyed the Carnegie Mellon Libraries "I'll Get it Game" but couldn't figure out how to move the books in the other game. Yes, I am one of those who only like to play games they can win and my hand eye coordination is lousy. Next week another staff member and I will be demonstrating wii bowling and encouraging the adults at our 50+ program to join us in a game. I looked at a retro game site and would enjoy trying pacman again although I was never very good at that either.
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