The Monday Mash

In case you missed it, some links about the DOPA Hoopla.

What a great idea: create your own downloadable library toolbar.

Library Technology NOW: If you're looking for a cool source for library tech news, reviews, a blog, and a social networking site for librarians, check out my profile. (Once again, all the above is thanks to LiB.)

I was informed today that I've been elected to Library Assembly--hooray!

Going Mobile

I haven't had time before now to mention the great OCLS "webinar" a number of us attended on Wednesday about Mobile Reference.

My wiki notes pretty much say it all, but we were really excited by the thought of:

• approaching patrons where they need help--in the stacks!
• using hands-free communicators to call others (or security)
• using PPCs or small laptops to perform catalog queries in the stacks
• creating a taller reference desk: see patrons eye-to-eye

Another Awesome Blog Post

Now, this is the kind of title I'm talking about (look in the browser title bar).

Thanks, Mark!

No, Not That Kind of Cookie

Thanks to Jessamyn West for pointing to "No Cookies in the Library."
You can't get better than Muppets, a nerve-wracked librarian, and a title that's now an effective techie pun.

And in the "coolest job ever" category, a comics librarian. (thanks for the link, Nathan!)

Reviewing Your Opportunities

Did you know that the Journal of Web Librarianship is seeking book reviewers? And that they heartily encourage current LIS students and recent graduates to apply?

Drat, I knew I shouldn't have told you guys--now I'm up against some stiff competition. But I've already sent off my resume and writing samples. The current book awaiting a reviewer sounds fantastically interesting: Digital Libraries: Integrating Content and Systems. Okay, well, it sounds interesting to the uber-geeky librarians among us. Like yours truly.

Oh, and I recently updated my ePortfolio. The main page looks a little different, and it's got an updated resume/info about my current position. Enjoy!

Library Walkabout

Does anyone else feel uncomfortable about walking patrons to the stacks? I don't mean in a security sense--I mean in the sense of finding a good walking speed and position in relation to the patron.

I tend to walk rather briskly, particularly in the stacks, and find that many times patrons just meander behind me. But if I slow down to their pace, they often slow even further--they usually seem more comfortable following, rather than walking side-by-side. This can make me self-conscious, and as a result, I tend to be acutely aware of my walking while in the stacks.

Am I just overthinking this? Or is the perfection of walking speed/position something imperative to good user service?

Surveying the Possibilities

If you've ever used the UNT Libraries (whether as student, alumni, faculty, staff, retiree, or visitor), check out this brief, 5-question survey concerning instant-messaging (IM) reference. We're trying to track the interest and potential use of an IM reference service, to determine if it's a feasible service to test this fall.

In the meantime, if you're a librarian who wants to discuss ideas, or a library user who needs some help, I'm on YahooIM as geekyartistlibrarian.

What I Learned Today (7/10)

Animal rendering is converting "waste animal tissue into stable, value-added materials." Don't you love being reminded that "animal byproducts" are transformed into your "personal care products?" Ewwww.

And in case you were wondering, federal regulations do allow you to carry "toy transformer robots" onto an airplane.

Which is great, because now I can fly to DC and LA this fall. Whew!

And my thanks to Mark for bringing back DC swag from ALA.

Library2.0 Tidbits

Their OPAC doesn't suck.

LiB suggested it, I did it: wikimapia now has entries for McKinney Memorial Public Library, UNT's Willis Library, and Hardin-Simmons University (campus, library, Frost Center for the Arts).

Here's the new site for the SecondLife Library GovDocs blog.

Promote Bad Spelling?

GovDocs Find of the Day (7.6.06)

Operation Homecoming CD

The Operation Homecoming audio CD features the literature of war, read in the voices of ten of America's most esteemed writers. Narrated by NEA Chairman Dana Gioia, the CD presents fiction, poetry, letters, and memoirs from the Civil War, World War I and II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. NEA 2004. 24 tracks. (You can order this CD free from the link above.)

Pop Cultured

I am pleased as punch. (Er—how pleased is punch, really?)

At the beginning of the month, a colleague asked for my input on spending her extra collection development funds on graphic novels (I’m getting to be pretty widely known as an Uber-Geek). Last week, I thought I’d check the catalog, just in case by some remote possibility, the books had been ordered, received, processed, cataloged, and put on the shelves in the short span of three weeks. I was delighted to find a number of the titles I had suggested on the shelf! Alan Moore is becoming decently represented in our catalog.

• Alan Moore's Writing for Comics
  
• V for Vendetta
• Watchmen
• League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

The Low-Down

“Are flip-flops damaging your career?” Nope, I’m lucky enough to have a boss who heartily endorses them.

Aaaaand the award for Best New Library Blog Name & Concept goes to: Pimp My Library.

Yes, Google is now a verb.

Do you use Firefox on your computer(s) at work and at home? (Well, shame on you--you should!) Wish there was a way to synch bookmarks, open tabs, etc.? Then here's one more reason that you should hug Google: Google Browser Sync.

GovDocs Finds of the Day (7.5.06)

• From Commas to Cathedrals: Design at Work, by Phyllis Lehmann McIntosh (NEA)
• Places as Art, by Mike Lipske (NEA)
• Pickaxe and Pencil: References for the Study of the WPA, compiled by Marguerite D. Bloxom

* for the non-GovDocs or art people, NEA = National Endowment for the Arts