Now I'm a Thingamabrarian and other assorted fun!

I have posted Library Thing on my blog just to the left. I decided to gather some of my favorite children's books for fall since in my dual role I also do Children's Programming and this is such a great time of the year! I think Library Thing is great. The advantage to tagging is that as you get used to it, you relate to what other people of a like mind will be using for tags--e.g. "great read aloud." Inversely, some people, like myself, may not be that great @ tagging at first. I also enjoy the rating scales. I think they are helpful in discerning "quality". The only real downside I can think of is that the project is only as strong as the participants who are involved. Therefore, I understand the desire to have more and more subscribers.
Suggester & Unsuggester I put in "Beach Music" by Pat Conroy (one of my all time favorite books) and for one of the suggestions Library Thing came up with "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood". I thought that was so interesting--perhaps the southern connection? I have read that book and enjoyed it. I tried "Beach Music" for the Unsuggester, too. How fun! Library Thing came up with a TON of mathematics related books and yes, there was not a one that I think I would ever pick up! Okay, then I tried a new idea. I typed in a book I DIDN'T like into the Unsuggester and found lots of books that I have read or would like to read. Hmmm...
I had TOO much fun with the Dummies exercise! My first attempt was for my staff (ha ha) and my second attempt was for family & friends (ho ho). Can you tell which is which?! I envision lots of uses for this!

I have been meaning to post a picture of Mark from a gig he played on October 20 so here he is in all his rock and roll glory (he is the honey w/o the hat)! How is it going for you?

Great showing by OWLS!

Thank you so much to my colleagues from OWLS who worked in the Registration Booth for the WLA Conference in Green Bay last week. Heartfelt thanks go to: Leslie Farrell, Carolyn Habeck, Ann Hunt, Val Husom, Holly Ledvina, Kathy Mitchell, Sue Vater Olson, Karen Probst, Becky Rickel, Maggie Waggoner, & Melanie Waldron.

The trees changed color when I wasn't looking!

CIMG1973
Originally uploaded by elizabeth.timmins

I was at the conference for a week, but any runs home were at night. Suddenly, this past Saturday, I realized that the trees on my road had changed color and they looked spectacular!

Okay, I figured out to connect with Flickr and it's cool! I see lots of ways that it would be fun to utilize both a blog and Flickr for library promotion and interaction with patrons. I just got a call from the Green Bay Press Gazette and they are doing an article about our wine event. They wanted some pictures (which I eventually found on my computer) but wouldn't it have been cool if I had an organized group of Friends' pictures & their activities on Flickr? I think I see all the possibilities of getting better organized! Also, if others are familiar with the tool all the better. I know of an Elderhostel tour which encouraged their participants to post to Flickr and see each others' photos--I was helping a patron access her fellow travelers' pictures. Cool! The only downside is that Flickr requires a yahoo account. I have to remind myself to check that account in order to keep it valid. I am excited to try all of the other snazzy tools that were mentioned in this week's lesson, in days to come. I like the idea of tagging a lot--it seems natural for a librarian! I also like the idea of communities being formed in Flickr--e.g. librarian communities--we need to support one another & network to make positive changes for our profession.

WLA Conference this week in Green Bay!

I hope everyone enjoys themselves at the conference. Since Thursday, as I have been preparing for the Registration Booth (with lots of help, I might add--thanks everybody!) I feel like I'm in an episode of Survivor! Hopefully, things will gel now! Enjoy Green Bay.

Funny Onion article

Google Launches 'The Google' For Older Adults

Elizabeth here. I thought I was the only one who had patrons who said things like, "The Google" and "The Yahoo". This made me LOL!!

What's for Dinner?

Tonight, Mark made this recipe and paired it with a Bordeaux wine that was fabulous--yum yum. (The bottle of wine was less than $10 but wonderful--The label reads, "Collection des Chateaux de Bordeaux--Number One")
Ratatouille Nicoise: Vegetable Stew from Nice
1 1/2 pounds tomatoes; 1/2 cup olive oil; 1 pound eggplants, thinly sliced or diced; 1 pound zucchini, sliced; 1 pound onions, thinly sliced; 1 pound sweet green peppers, seeded and thinly sliced; 5 garlic cloves, minced; 5 basil leaves; 2 sprigs of thyme; salt & freshly ground black pepper; 1 tablespoon chopped parsley to garnish.
1--Make a small incision in each tomato with a sharp knife. Put them in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave for 1-2 minutes, then remove and skin the tomatoes. Chop them roughly.
2--Heat half of the oil in a large heavy saucepan and add the eggplants. Fry them gently over a moderate heat until they are lightly golden, stirring frequently.
3--Add the zucchini and continue frying for 5-6 minutes until they are lightly colored. Remove the eggplants and zucchini from the pan with a slotted spoon, and set aside.
4--Add the remaining oil to the pan. Stir in the onions and fry gently until soft and golden. Add the sweet peppers and garlic, increase the heat and fry for 3-4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook gently for 10 minutes. Stir in the eggplants and zucchini, season to taste, and crumble in the thyme. Cook gently, uncovered, for about 40 minutes. Crumble the basil leaves into the ratatouille, and serve it warm or cold, garnished with parsley.
Source: The Essential French Cookbook, edited by Heather Thomas

A Movie I Think Is Really Great!

Feedback Thingies

I think that interactive participation is the hallmark of blogs. I definitely want to be able to utilize "feedback thingies" with my patrons. I liked what was said today about the fact that some patrons will not be reached via computer so we will replicate whatever survey we are doing in a different way for them. I really like the idea of reaching out in a multiple of ways because our patrons are all on different playing fields. I am pleased that this class is arming me with new ways to reach out to the computer/web literate. Just this month, we(my staff & I) were discussing how helpful it is when our patrons assist us with ideas for collection development. We were talking about how we should reach out for help in the area of choosing magazines. Here is something I would try using Survey Monkey. Just for fun, will you take my survey by clicking on Survey Monkey and tell me about a magazine that you really like?

FMPL Wine Beer Cheese & Silent Auction Event--join us on November 3.

The Friends of Muehl Public Library will be hosting their 5th annual Wine & Beer Tasting Event with Silent Auction. Join them at the Crystal Springs Golf Course in Seymour on Saturday, November 3rd, from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Tickets are available at the library, Don's Quality Market, and Crystal Springs Golf Course. Advance ticket price is $15 or pay $20 at the door.

Support the Muehl Public Library and attend this fun event!

Will you be able to make it?

Triple Trouble with Tribbles

Last night, my staff members Colette & Megan held a showing of three movies at our library. They are so clever! We watched the original Star Trek, "Trouble with Tribbles". Then we watched a cartoon, "More Tribbles, More Troubles" of Star Trek: The Animated Series. Finally, we watched the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Trials and Tribble-ations". I had never seen any of them so it was really fun for me! And the trekkies who attended had a ball, also! This is creative programming at its best! What creative programs have you done @ your library?

Working with RSS Feeds

I chose 8 "fun" feeds and 2 "library" feeds. The hardest part for me to post the Blogroll on this blog was to make sure and mark that I gave permission for the Blogroll to be public via Bloglines. After I discovered how to do that, it was a piece of cake! I had fun choosing my feeds--there are certainly a lot of fun postings out there. Also, there is SO MUCH informative material. I'm hoping that I can make time in my schedule to avail myself of some of the feeds. As it is, I have been trying to simplify the information overload rather than add to it. Thoughts?