Reflection on 23 Things

While I have had experience with many of the technologies and tools that 23 Things NB encouraged us to use, the experince forced me to revisit them and continually use them. For example, I already had a twitter account before starting the 23 Things challenge, but it was generally gathering dust (my Facebook page was where I went to promote library events). Now I am definitely using it more and I have 23 Things to thank. I think Twitter is one of the more useful tools for the socially networked librarian. I have been using Facebook now in conjunction with my library since I've been the manager here (the library Facebook page predates my working here) but I can now use the twitter account to bolster even more interest in my promo/links/announcements by linking to my Facebook page. I'm sure there is some ultra-new tech-term for this: Weaving Media? Social Cross-Pollination? At any rate, this experience has been valuable and has helped underline the fact that social media and digital technology tools can be a central part of what we do as librarians.

Fun with Overdrive and BiblioNB App

I installed Overdrive on my iPad and iPhone a few years ago so I could learn myself what it took to get the software working. The numerous steps (including getting the Adobe ID for DRM purposes and finding our library within Overdrive) can be confusing but after going through the process on a few devices, I was much more comfortable and confident with helping patrons get set up with the electronic library. I always assure my patrons that once all the requisite steps are taken, it's not difficult to take out eBooks and digital audio books. The info sheets we have for each device are invaluable tools and I make sure to print one out for patrons as a future guide. I have now checked out and returned many ebooks and audio books on my devices. I especially enjoy getting audio books on my phone as I can listen to them in my car with an auxiliary cable (we are not limited to audio book CDs!).

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The BiblioNB app is a great tool for quickly browsing and putting holds on items. The layout is fairly clean and straightforward, although you would have to be pretty familiar with the regular website to navigate the app easily. When away from a computer but with my phone on hand, I often add a book to my "For Later" shelves when a title comes to me. With an increasingly mobile and smartphone-clad user population, having an app to always connect our patrons to our collections is crucial.

E-Books and Public libraries - CBC Spark Podcast

On my commute to work this morning (my favourite postcasting time), I  listened to a panel discussion regarding e-book lending and public libraries on CBC's radio show Spark with Nora Young. The panelists included

Jane Pyper, City Librarian for the Toronto Public Library

Carolyn Wood, Executive Director of the Association of Canadian Publishers

David O'Brien, a researcher at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society, and co-author of E-Books in Libraries

While the panelists--all from varying backgrounds-- capably outlined the difficulties of negotiating with publishers regarding e-book lending in libraries, the consensus seemed to be that much of this kerfuffle won't be worked out right away and simple answers will not be had. The e-book is a game changer in the way books are accessed and consumed so it will undoubtably take time before the best model for e-book lending in libraries is developed. For now, libraries have to keep up with changing technologies and do the best they can to provide users with access to these technologies. I think we are doing a pretty darn good job. Here is a link to the discussion:

http://www.cbc.ca/spark/full-interviews/2013/04/03/e-book-lending-in-libraries/

David Foster Wallace Interview

An engaging, candid, and insightful interview with the late American writer David Foster Wallace on the Charlie Rose Show (March 27, 1997). At the time of the interview, Wallace had just come out with his nonfiction book, A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again-- one of my favourite collections of essays and journalism. It's such a shame to think that in a little over ten years from the date of this piece, Wallace would be gone. A note: this is just video 1 of 4; the other 3 parts are also on YouTube.

A link to a Word Cloud using the text of a Jonathan Franzen essay I quite enjoy that appeared in the New Yorker in 2002. In the essay, entitled " Mr. Difficult: William Gaddis and the Problem of Hard-to-Read Books", Franzen examines the development of the very difficult postmodern novelist William Gaddis while exploring the responsibility novelists have to their readers.

"Scroll" down my blog!

Image by Tolzmann, Don Heinrich, Alfred Hessel and Reuben Peiss via Wikimedia Commons

Fun with Vision Catalogue

I've been using NBPLS' wonderful online catalogue for years now, slowly compiling a rather extensive "For Later" list. The "For Later" part of the "My Shelves" feature is an excellent way to keep track of the books you want to read--it acts as a kind of digital stacks you can sample from when in need of a good book. My "For Later" list is also emblematic of that conundrum that faces every bibliophile: there are simply too many great books to read and far too little time. For every book I read, I could add countless more to my "For Later" shelf (and there are of course many more books not in the catalogue). For now I'll keep adding, shelving one more title in cyberspace, telling myself "I'll get to it one day."

I also made a list in Vision. Check it out:

http://vision.bibliocommons.com/list/show/98213392_djac/231084709_great_contemporary_canadian_poetry