World's Coolest Mammal

At least in my opinion.

I mean, come on. Doesn't s/he look just too cool?

Week 10: #23 Is this really the end? Or just the beginning...

I've had a really good time on iHCPL. I've done so many things and it's kind of hard to get things sorted out enough to put into words all I've learned. (It's also difficult when regular work gets in the way.)

I printed out the questions given in the lesson, so I hope that helps me sort things out.

My absolute favorite thing was also one of the simplest and silliest: my avatar. It certainly isn't the most important thing, but I've loved changing it. Makes me feel like a little girl again, playing with a Barbie doll.

Okay. I'll be serious. I really enjoyed the podcasts, I think. It was amazing how many are out there and would be fun to explore. Also the videos. I can see so much potential for them. So much info made available at a moment's notice for the library user. The wikis were also great. Another easy -- maybe more accessible way to give library patrons an idea of materials available. They can be used for pleasure reading to homework to business research. I really need to do more with wikis and with social networking, particularly library and librarian based networks.

I was surprised at how much I liked the blog, believe it or not. Just wish I really had more time for it. I'd like to start a more personal one sometime to review books and movies and such.

What's next? Well, I've looked up articles about Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 and we seem to have covered most of what I see listed. But with the speed of technology what it is, I'm sure there's more to explore.

It's danged cold in Canada!

Here's an avatar of my best friend, T.S. Rambeau, freezing her butt off in her native Saskatchewan, where it was -30 C wind chill today. Hi, T.S.!

How Green Is Your Valley?

I came across the badge at the right on Yahoo. So far I've replaced only one bulb in my place, but even that helps.

(And, yes, the title here is a not-so-clever reference to the old book and movie, "How Green Was My Valley." A very good movie, too. If you're curious, just follow this link to IMDB.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033729/)

Week 9: #22 Downloadable Media

Like others in my department, I was not able to download the Overdrive software so that I could listen to the book I chose. (Pride and Prejudice, just as a way to ease into checking out an audio book.) If I had a computer at home, I'd probably be using the available titles -- both audio and video -- quite often. I think this is a great alternative for libraries to provide titles. While I hope that paper never completely disappears (there's just something very satisfying about holding a book in your hands and turning the pages as you read), I can see a digital collection as more and more a part of a 21st century library.

Week 9: #21 Podcasts, Smodcasts!

Well, I'm finally getting around to some of the last lessons. I'm way behind! I really enjoyed the podcasts searching and I found some fun podcasts and some useful podcasts for personal use. I ended up subscribing to a Disney World trivia podcast.

I also subscribed to LibVibe, a regular podcast of library news about the U.S. Their top story for Dec. 6 was the copper theft at Houston Public Library. Really interesting items in a short 6 minute broadcast.

By request

Which is the better news source?

The comic strip "Betty" is tackling the subject of information this week. Betty has challenged her teenaged son to a comparison of the Internet vs. the local newspaper. Of course her son has different priorities. If you have trouble reading the comic, just click on it for a larger view.

Week 9: #20 Discover YouTube and other video sharing sites

I think most people who have email have had some experience with You Tube. You can't open your email without at least one post from a friend that has a You Tube video attached. Some are fun. Some are silly. Some are "why-oh-why-did-you-send-me-this-stupid-thing?!"

But You Tube is here to stay and, as is mentioned in the lesson, is making an impact. Not just by filling up our mail. One of the Democratic presidential debates featured questions posted by You Tube users. A Republican debate along similar lines is scheduled. Candidates are reminded by their handlers to be aware that it's a 24-hour video world and cell phones are everywhere and can capture an embarrassing moment at any time.

I chose the video in the following post because it's from a favorite TV series -- Corner Gas -- and because it's about blogs, and because it captures the personalities of the three characters featured. I tried to embed the video but was not successful, so I linked to You Tube instead.

As far as libraries use of You Tube, I think it's a great way to publicize events. Probably storytime clips get the most use, but adult programming would also benefit. Book clubs. Authors' visits. Or even videos just for other libraries, showing a new program or feature that has been successful in a library. An excellent way of communicating with other librarians.

How Blogs Are Born

Did I mention that Corner Gas is my favorite comedy on TV?

Yes, I know I have. And for folks who haven't seen any of it, I'm posting a link to a clip posted on You Tube. The characters featured are Brent, who owns the gas station, and his friends Hank, whom Brent has known since they were 6, and Wanda, who went to high school with them and now works for Brent.

Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rV2Hs2rgto8

Week 8: #19 Web-based Apps: They're not just for desktops

While I can see the benefit of online applications, I found Zoho a bit confusing. I used the recipe template, but I needed help finding out to post it on my blog. (Thanks, Assistant Cataloger I!) Sometimes I'm just confused by all the bells and whistles on a program. The various features are good to have, but once again, I'm an analog girl trying to figure out a digital world.

Zoho Recipe Writer

Comfort Food: Meatloaf

Name of the Dish : Old fashioned meatloaf

Type : Comfort food

Serves : 4

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef 1/2 cup finely chopped onion 1 cup oatmeal or bread crumbs 1 egg, slightly beaten 1/4 to 1/3 cup barbecue sauce 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 small can tomato sauce

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Gently mix together first 8 ingredients and 1/2 of the can of tomato sauce. Form into a loaf and place in loaf pan or baking dish. Top with other half of tomato sauce. Bake for about 1 hour. After baking, let the meatloaf sit 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Week 8: #18 Social Networking: Making friends in the comfort of your own home

I believe that My Space and Facebook and similar websites can be very useful tools. I know that my niece has a My Space page and has found past classmates and teachers through the site. And I think that the "six degrees of separation" aspect is intriguing. It might be especially helpful if one is planning a career change or a move to another location.

While I was on Ning, I came across some groups that were interesting. I may have to go back to those...

Week 7: #17 Blog About Technology

When I was watching CSI:NY this Wednesday night, I thought, "This is what I'm going to write about on my blog." And fortunately, it fits right in with this week's Discovery exercise. The episode was about people on Second Life website. I'd heard about Second Life, but I've never been on the site. From what I understand, someone creates a character and an avatar for that character -- and then can do fantasy-type things or just everyday, average things or, well, anything.

So I sat there wondering why people were on Second Life. I can sort of understand the Internet being a part of social networking. I met my closest friend on a listserv 12 years ago. But what began as writing back and forth through email led to meeting in person. Does that happen much from interaction on Second Life? I suppose it does, but I was left wondering. If a person's Second Life is based on an ideal or fantasy, what happens when reality comes into play?

Now I may be an analog girl, but I can see the allure of some games online. But Second Life's appeal escapes me. I have a hard enough time keeping up with my First Life. So I really cannot imagine myself in the Second Life world. If reincarnation exists, I'll tackle my Second Life then.

Week 7: #16 So what's in a wiki?

To tell the truth, I'd always thought of wikis only in terms of Wikipedia. But the idea of having a wiki that can be for a particular group is very useful. I really enjoyed the iHCPL Wiki and reading the various Favorites lists and adding to a few of them. I also liked the Princeton Public Library's Book Lovers Wiki, where people can review books. The conference wikis are also a great idea, so that locals hosting or attending a conference can give informal suggestions for out-of-towners.

Week 6: #15 On Library 2.0 & Web 2.0

The articles on Library 2.0 and Web 2.0 were fascinating and really made me think. Lately I've been feeling so far behind in the digital revolution. I told a friend that I'm an analog girl in a digital world. And these articles made me feel even more so!

Yet I find this new world inspiring. I want to learn more. I agree that libraries that step out, determined to lead instead of follow, have the right idea. As a cataloger, I know that standards are constantly evolving, and I want to learn how to keep up.

When I was working at a library in Florida many years ago, I asked my supervisor if she thought we'd ever have 24-hour libraries. I could see it myself and so could she. Well, here we are! eBranch never closes! And I know customers like that ability, to log onto their computers and access the library.

The question of collection development was raised in, I believe, the "Icebergs" article. I love old movies and there are classics I'd love to see. And it's not feasible for the library to house all the classics on shelves. With Overdrive, some of these old movies are accessible. Same for classic novels. How convenient is that? Log on and download. Cool!

It's an exciting time to work for libraries in the Digital Information Age.

Week 6: #14 Getting not-so-technical with Technorati

I'm working on my connection to Technorati now for iHCPL. I've added tags to my profile.

I hope I'm doing this exercise correctly. I've added a Technorati widget and button in the right margin of my blog.

It's interesting how the advanced searching works. You can narrow a search by using the directory search. That gives you a more accurate search, I think.

The Popular section is really intriguing, giving a snapshot of hot topics. It changes constantly. I wanted to watch the video "A Vision of Students Today," but I couldn't access it.

Staking My Claim on Technorati

Well, I've joined Technorati and am claiming my blog.

Technorati Profile

Hope it works.

Week 6: #13 Tagging makes the web 2.0 world go round

I admit that I'm still sort of lost when it comes to the social networking aspect of the Internet. I can see the fun of using the tags for finding others with the same interest; but it's all I can do to keep up with myself, let alone look for more acquaintances with similar interests.

That said, I definitely can see the use of Del.icio.us as a bookmarking aid when away from a home computer. Having everything in one place is a plus. And if I was ever doing a paper on the interest of a certain topic, I know it would be useful.

Week 5: #12 The "Library" Elf will remind you!

This is great! The sign up was very easy. And I hope that the Library Elf will get me to return my DVDs on time.

Week 5: #11 A Thing about Library Thing

This was really fun. Although I haven't finished my comments about each book on my shelf, I plan to later on. Of course, cataloging is right up my alley. Many of the books I chose are the first in a series by the author: Thursday Next, Nursery Crimes, The Grub and Stakers, Madoc Rhys, Meg Lanslow, and Turing Hopper. And I added two favorites that I re-read every year or so: Jane Eyre and Laura. And, of course, the latest Harry Potter, my favorite book of the series. I plan to add more. I've put the Library Thing bookshelf and widget in the right margin.

Week 5: #10 Play around with Image Generators

I confess that I thought that avatars were kind of silly things. But I've had so much fun creating mine! I tried to make my avatars as much like me as possible and some folks have said that the avatar in the right margin does look like me. I created her on Yahoo. Once you log in on your Yahoo account, go to http://avatars.yahoo.com/ -- and have fun.

I tried out the Meez site -- http://www.meez.com/home.dm -- and found it very easy to use. Instead of posting straight to my blog, I saved my Meez avatar to my picture file and have posted her above.

Week 4: #9 Finding Feeds

I did have fun with searching for blogs. I found Technorati most helpful for the entertainment blogs. In fact, I found TV Shows on DVD newsfeed and subscribed to that. For me, Syndic8 was the clunkiest to search.

If I was a consistent blogger and had a My Space or Facebook page and wanted to keep in touch with others with blogs, I'd probably find Bloglines and such more useful. As it is, I have sites bookmarked and open up my favorites list to check on them. I guess I'm still a creature of habit. I won't give up entirely on Bloglines, but it'll take me a while to get accustomed to using it.

Week 4: #8 Make life "really simple" with RSS and a newsreader

Well, I've set up my Bloglines account and subscribed to various feeds. I can see why it would be useful to know about this, I don't think I'll be using very often. Right now the most convenient subscription is weather reports for friends and family in other cities, although I enjoy the entertainment newsfeeds.

While looking for feeds to subscribe to, I discovered that I could save RSS feeds on my computer and access them from the Favorites list on Explorer. I chose Ken Hoffman's article on Houston Chronicle and Northwest Headlines on the Portland Oregonian site. I don't buy the Chronicle everyday, so having a feed to Hoffman's column is fun.

My creation: Movie Poster

My creation: Movie Poster, originally uploaded by librarylioness8.

When I saw Movie Poster listed on the Flickr Toys site, I came up with the idea of making one based on future vacation plans. It was really fun!

Week 3: #7 Photo Editing Tools

I found the first picture on Flickr. I saved it to my picture file on Z drive, then cropped and resized it on Snipshot. So the second picture is my edited version. It shows a closer image of the topiary "Nessie" at Walt Disney World.

Week 3: #6 More Flickr Fun

I really enjoyed checking out the various Flickr mashups and tools. My favorite is the Trip Planner on Yahoo. Earlier this year I took a trip to Alabama and Georgia with a friend. Now I'm thinking how much fun it would be to create a trip on Trip Planner to share with family and friends. She bought a digital camera, so we have photos of the various cities and towns we visited, from Houston to Perry, Georgia. Trip Planner shows a map of the route taken on a trip, provides a place to post photos of each stop or highlight along the way, and allows commentary for the photos. There's the option of public or private viewing, so I could send a link to family and friends around the country. All in all, a fun way to plan and remember a vacation.

Lighthouse Trading Card

Lighthouse Trading Card, originally uploaded by librarylioness8.

My first try at creating a trading card. I think I'll try again after figuring out how to crop and center the lighthouse better.

Week 3: #5 Discover Flickr. Lightning and Rainbow

Lightning and Rainbow, originally uploaded by librarylioness8.

I found this incredible photo on The Weather Channel site. I love pictures of lightning, and the rainbow being in the shot is amazing.

Coffee With My Dad

I love coffee. I really do.

I'm not an absolute coffee fanatic, like Lorelai Gilmore on "Gilmore Girls" (may it rest in peace). Or Brent Leroy on "Corner Gas" (Wednesdays at 7 p.m. Central time on WGN - check out the official website http://www.cornergas.com/).

I usually only drink coffee at breakfast time. And I like it really hot with raw sugar and half-and-half.

Which is why I especially love percolated coffee. Drip coffee is good, but perked coffee is hot. The water actually boils.

I got my love of coffee from my parents, especially my dad. He would let me have a taste of coffee when I was a kid. Loved it from the first sip. When I grew up and got a job (at a library, of course!) and was living at home, I was usually the first one up in the mornings. By the time I got out of the shower, Daddy was up and had coffee brewing in his Revereware percolator. So that's when I really learned to love coffee. Having breakfast with my dad.

In recent years, I've fallen under the spell of Starbucks and mocha-locha-frappa-cappa-lattes. I will occassionally splurge on a "grande white mocha, no fat, no whip." And I'll buy bags of coffee to make at home. I even get the coffee ground for a percolator. My dad's Revereware one, of course. I still have it.

But my favorite coffee is from Tim Horton's, the donut/coffee shop chain in Canada (and a few lucky places in some northern states -- check out the website http://www.timhortons.com/). Tim Horton's needs to move further south! I have to depend on my friend in Canada to take pity on me and send canisters of their wonderful coffee. Coarse grind for perking.

My dad passed away 20 years ago. I don't know what he would think of the Starbucks and other designer coffees phenomenon. He'd probably like some of the fancy stuff. But he'd always return to the basics of a simple cup of coffee with sugar and half-and-half. That's my favorite, too. I am, after all, his daughter.

Internet Safety

Remember the 80s TV series "Hill Street Blues?" And the character Sgt. Phil Esterhaus who always ended morning roll call with the admonition, "Let's be careful out there!"

Anyone got any better advice for Internet users than that?

In the early days of the 'Net, it was easy to think that all was safe and private. Then we started getting very rude awakenings. Identity theft? Fake sites? And worst of all SPAM!!!!! And not just spam! Spam that infects your PC with a virus! Or a worm! (Ewwwww!!!) The sheer volume is overwhelming. Scam spam meant to steal your money. Jokes! Viral videos! Phishing! And, for me, the most annoying of all: chain email. "Send this message to at least 25 people and a zillion dollars will magically appear in your lap within the next 2 minutes!"

Enough.

Just remember that a free lunch is never free. That anything that sounds too good to be true probaby is. Check this site for some tips on recognizing phishing email. http://www.microsoft.com/protect/yourself/phishing/identify.mspx

And when you get an email from someone claiming something extra horrible (nicotine in McDonald's hamburgers!) or something extra wonderful (Bill Gates wants to give you a million dollars!), check it out on http://www.snopes.com/

Guard your email addresses and passwords for various sites. Never use names (family, friends, pets) or personal dates (birthdays, anniversaries) for passwords or PINs.

And finally, remember that privacy on the Internet is not guaranteed, especially if using a public computer and/or Wi-Fi access. Delete browsing history. Clear caches.

Let's be careful out there.

O Canada!

As I mentioned in my 1st post, I enjoy traveling to Canada to visit friends. I've been interested in Canada since I was a kid and the Weekly Reader had an article about the then new prime minister Pierre Trudeau. I'm not sure I'd ever paid attention to the country north of us before that.

In the 1980s other things happened to renew my interest. I started reading mysteries novels by Alisa Craig, a.k.a. Charlotte MacLeod. She wrote 2 series set in Canada: The Grub and Stakers series (1st novel "The Grub and Stakers Move a Mountain") and the Madoc Rhys series (1st novel "A Pint of Murder"). The 1st is about a young woman, Dittany Henbit, living in the small town of Lobelia Falls, Ontario. The Grub and Stakers is the gardening club she belongs to, and as in most "cozy" mysteries, she's an amateur sleuth. The series is very funny and charming. The Madoc Rhys series is about a Mountie does not fit the stereotypical image and in fact looks more like a plumber's assistant. This series is a bit more serious, but Madoc is charmingly old-fashioned and fun to read.

In the late 90s, I met another cataloger -- over the Internet -- who became my closest friend. She's from Saskatchewan and we visit when we can. I love visiting the prairie. It's really beautiful. Endless skies. Fields of yellow canola and blue flax and golden wheat. Just beautiful.

Finally, I mentioned in my 1st post that I watch too much TV. Well, one of my favorite shows is a Canada sitcom titled "Corner Gas." It's set in the very small town of Dog River, Saskatchewan, and, in my opinion, one of funniest comedies on the air. My Sask friend sends me the DVDs for Christmas, so I'm pretty much caught up on all 4 seasons it's been on up there. And I'm happy to say that an American station has picked it up. WGN is starting a regular schedule for "Corner Gas" tonight at 7:00 central time. Two episodes will be on. I highly recommend it. If you give it a try, I hope you enjoy.

Learning styles

After seeing some posts about learning styles, I thought I might add my thoughts to my blog. I'm basically concrete-sequential. I like the info laid out and available for reference. Then I use the info step-by-step. Hands-on approach.

Anyone surprised that I'm a cataloger?

Where to begin?

I begin this blog as an exercise for a class. I probably would never have seriously considered a blog before that. But I hope to make the best of it by doing a kind of review/recommendation blog for movies, TV, books, etc.

Before that, I guess I should tell a little about myself. I'm a librarian. A catalog librarian. I love cataloging. It's like putting a puzzle together. Information about the library material follows an established form and in a particular order. Just like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Everything has its place.

I love to travel when I can. These days I travel mostly to the West Coast to visit family and to Canada to visit friends. I used to live in Florida and miss being able to go to Disney World two or three times a year.

I watch way too much TV and read mostly cozy mysteries. I do crossword puzzles and got hooked on sudoku.

And that's about it for now.