50 50 look who's nifty

50 used to seem really old. Now . . . not nearly as much.

Over New Year's weekend, I hope to:

a) Celebrate my birthday (if you're reading this, you're invited!)

b) Finish reading a book. Any book. I'm in a dry spell.

c) More naps. Maybe I am 50.

Cheers!

Chairman Of The Beard

Chairman Of The Beard

Posted using ShareThis

Friday and I need a laugh

This is from AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com.

The caption says "The cat is thinking of entering him in more shows."

That's all. It just makes me laugh.

Green Eyed Monster

How do you handle disappointment? This has been the issue at our house this week, as my very talented daughter did NOT get the part she was hoping for in her high school musical. She did get a part, but a fairly minor one.

In talking to her I realize that I still struggle with envy when I don't get what I want, and someone else does. Envy is probably the most insidious of those darn deadly sins, and one that sneaks up on me in unexpected ways.

How long to you wallow in self-pity? How much to you pretend to the outside world that you are not hurt? How soon before a person needs to just snap out of it?

I'm glad I have a teen who is helping me grow up.

9/11, part 2

I'm listening to a recorded version of "Falling Man" by Don deLillo. More fodder for my 9/11 ruminations . . . .

9/11

Today is nothing like September 11 8 years ago, but I can't stop thinking about that day, nonetheless. Instead of crystal clear blue skies, today's skies are grey and saturated with rain.

As I was listening to the "moment of silence" on the radio, I wondered why that big ugly hole is still in lower Manhattan, much the same as when I saw it in 2005. My friend Becky posted a link from the Huffington Post with similar sentiments:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-rieckhoff/eight-years-later-why-is_b_283037.html

and then I read the New York Times editorial:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/11/opinion/11fri4.html?th&emc=th

It's time to acknowledge in a physical way this tragedy, honor those who died or sacrificed for us, and move on.

New Name, Fresh Start

Since Summer 2009 is officially over, I decided to rename my blog. And what better than a hat-tip to my all-time favorite author, another South Dakota gal, Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Laura and I have much in common.

• We are each one of four sisters in a family. (like "Little Women" too!)

• We both use our maiden names as our middle names.

• We love the wide open skies of Dakota.

The similarities end right about there. I think I'll keep blogging for a while, just to keep fresh and to allow myself to reflect in print.

Happy Autumn!

Summer's End?

I've never liked the end of summer . . . and this year is no different. I like long sunny days and evenings, some unstructured time, and to finally feel WARM after months of freezing.

But alas, I am a midwesterner, and summer must always end. I appreciate all the things I've tried and used during this Library 2.0 training. I must be a person who needs deadlines, because I have been meaning to learn more about a lot of the things we covered for a long time, but only when it was put on a schedule did I actually accomplish these tasks!

I did enjoy blogging and I think I may continue with that. I really liked working with images in Flickr and I can imagine lots of applications of Wikis in our library work.

All to say . . . it's nice to feel more conversant and confident in these areas!

Thanks, State Library of SD, for pushing me in this direction

Twitter, part 2

This article from the New York Times says it better than I could:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/26/technology/internet/26twitter.html

Teens are NOT using Twitter, for the most part, and Facebook has been taken over by people my age! I am still resistent to Twitter for the same reason as quoted in the article:

"I just think it’s weird and I don’t feel like everyone needs to know what I’m doing every second of my life".

Inverewe Highlands

Inverewe Highlands
Originally uploaded by turloughmor

I just thought this was pretty and I want to remember how to upload from flickr.

Wiki

Sharing information and updates via a Wiki makes a lot of sense to me. I liked the example given in the short video of planning a camping trip, and using one spot to check as a group plans. I think wikis are great for larger scale events like SDLA . . . when information needs to be routinely updated.

I think it's most likely that I would start or contribute a wiki while we're undergoing some sort of change . . . . maybe a software that has lots of problems (Oh, I can think of at least ONE right off the top of my head)that a number of people are addressing. This is a great way to share success stories or tricks for work-arounds.

This said, I tend to be more suspicious of things like Wikipedia where just about anyone can edit or contribute information that is later believed to be true. The internet is all about the open sharing of information, but I'm still old-school enough to believe that sources should be vetted, checked, and authoritative.

Just sayin'.

It's Delicious!

It's funny how you can see something mentioned over time, but not really stop and learn what it's all about. That's me and deli.cio.us. I've seen it used, I've heard it mentioned, I've even learned how to pronounce it (ignore the periods!), but I've never known what it is.

Now, because of this required exercise, I do know more about it and what I see, I like. I think for me it will be most handy in keeping track of bookmarks in a variety of places, especially since I use two or three computers at work, and two at home, and occasionally one somewhere else. So that will help. I think the "cloud" concept is also a visual way of seeing what is going on, and that appeals to me too.

I guess the next thing is to set up my own delicious account . . . . and remember another password!

Happy Monday.

I really liked today's "Unshelved".

These guys will be featured speakers at SDLA in 2010!

Social Networking

Finally, something I already know about! I've had a Facebook account for over a year, and I must say that I use it more than email to keep track of friends and family. I especially like the photo posting part. The ironic thing is that, just as the article said, both of my college-aged sons have deleted their Facebook accounts around the time their parents started getting busy with FB! Our daughter is 16, and we did require that she "friend" us before she got an account, but I do try not to lurk too much.

We use Facebook with our student workers and have found it to be faster and more effective than their student email accounts. Like all technology, it's a matter of managing the influx of info . . . and being selective on what you use.

I am seriously thinking of setting my 85 and 87 year old parents up with an account, since most of their children and many of their other relatives are on Facebook. Any thoughts out there? They are already proficient on email. Well, "proficient" might be stretching it a bit. They can DO email.

Google Docs & more

My colleague Becky has been using Google Docs for some time, and now I see why she's sold! I'm working on a project now that is very much like the little Youtube example---compiling a newsletter, using lots of input from different people on staff. And so often the attachments, edits, and different types of software really cause problems. Could this be the answer? Stay tuned.

I also tried out Google Calendars. I've never really converted to an electronic calendar, but when I think about how often I don't bring my paper calendar home with me and I'm left wondering about the my schedule, I can see a real benefit of having all my calendars merged this way. This could be a good way to keep the home/family calendar managed too. Hmmm . . .

Medieval Helpdesk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQHX-SjgQvQ

Podcasts

I've subscribed to a number of Podcasts in the past, mostly free programming from NPR. For this exercise I subscribed to an Australian (I think) discussion of books called "The Book Show." Today's episode is with an woman who thinks female authors can't write good erotic literature. An interesting topic, as it turns out!

As far as podcasting for our library . . . . I'll have to think about that for a bit. But there certainly could be applications!

Hannah and Mom ala Andy Warhol

Hannah and Mom ala Andy Warhol
Originally uploaded by janbrue

OK, this is super fun!

This is a picture from a Show Choir Competition . . . . I love this!

My Tool Box

My best tool box has always been my co-workers and colleagues in the library. Thanks, Becky, for helping me figure out my @#*$*@#$ Flickr problem. It all seems to simple now---just CLICK on the picture first!

What would we do without our co-workers?

Grand Staircase art

art08 017
Originally uploaded by janbrue

One of my jobs during the Mikkelsen Library renovation was to catalog and label all of our art work. The piece pictured here has been in the library since it was originally built in 1953. This is our one mystery piece---we have no title or artist. I've dubbed it "Little Girl With Sheaves of Wheat". I originally thought it was carved from wood, but when we removed it from the wall during renovation, we learned it was a rough ceramic. Anyone out there have any ideas?

Iran Esfahan Chehel Sotun CSEV_PSD

Iran Esfahan Chehel Sotun CSEV_PSD
Originally uploaded by youngrobv (Rob & Ale)

I would love to visit libraries in every country in the world!

flickr and stuff

OK, I've set up my account in Flickr and had a very frustrating experience trying to post a photo from there in my blog.

So, being the queen of work-arounds, I ended up posting the same photo from my desktop.

Anyone else frustrated with the Flickr---Blogspot connection?

This gets me wondering about work-arounds . . . . how many things do I do "wrong" because I can't do things as directed and end up finding a way that works for me?

I do a lot with photos on snapfish.com for my personal use . . . so is this a hangover from using one platform I'm familiar with versus one that's new? Eeeeek.

This is a picture taken in May in front of the Trinity College Library in Dublin, Ireland.

This is a real university library, but it also houses the Book of Kells.

Twitter for Baby Boomers

I am hitting a generational wall. I can think of absolutely no reason why Twitter would be useful or even appealing to me. Is there anyone out there who can convince me otherwise?

I know some 20-somethings that love Twitter, but neither of my college-age sons have any interest at all, nor my teenage daughter . . . .

So am I just missing the boat or is this just the CB Radio fad of the 21st Century?

RSS & etc.

I have used RSS in the past, but through Internet explorer, where my list of RSS's came up, and I could see if there were any new posts. I think the Google reader will be a simpler way to check in each day.

I follow a few blogs for personal reasons---I have a relative who has autism, and his mother has a wonderful, lively blog that gives us updates on Tanner's progress. I also follow a New York Times blog called The New Old Age which features people my age addressing issues of aging parents, which is often foremost on my mind.

Professionally, I really like the ACRL blog.

Thursday, July 9

Well, I've finished the 7 1/2 Habits and signed the contract.

I think the hardest habit for me is to view problems as challenges. Problems always get the most attention and often go into the highest priority category without consideration.

I think I have a pretty good toolbox . . . networking with others, trying to solve problems by reading and reflecting, but I know that as I age I also rely on the same tools. The good thing about this exercise is trying to put some new tools in the box.