I see the light!!!

And so 23 things is over!

I'm glad to know that I was familiar with a large sumber of the resources presented here, but there are some that I discovered new uses for: Pinterest, I'm looking at you!

Pinterest really is the best tool for programming ideas. I know that the children's and teens departments have known this for years, but when trying to find ideas that adults will use, Pinterest is quite to gold mine.

In fact we'll be offering gardening sessions based on a link I found there!
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/370561875561794279/ It is both interesting and good for the environment!
For sure the BiblioNB and Overdrive absolutely speak to the sloth in me! You mean there is a device that is small enough to carry to bed with me but large enough to read books on (IPad).. AND allows me explore and place holds on book or dvd without leaving my house or talking to another human being???? I absolutely love it!

Nonetheless I retain the dream of there being a version of BiblioNB that will be just for librarians. That would be heaven!

The challenge of all these technology sources is that a lot of time can be lost just navigating through them... but certainly this could aleviate time spent at the circulation desk!

All in all this was a pleasant exercise! Thank you team 23 for preparing all of this!

Scoop it! (Canadian edition)

Scoop it!

We've had a few discussions on Scoop it! here at work and I think I'll go with the general concensus that Scoop it! can be a little vague with their collecting (without talking about the limitations on what can be done with a free subscriptions...!)

However I will say that the best applications I would fine for such a curration tool would be with geographic limitations.

Let me explain.

One of my pet peeves is the great emphasis on USA generated library professional materials and data. Reader's advisory tools, periodicals, statistics for all kinds of topics, such as ebooks and particiaption to programs, come in great number from the USA. However, we are not the USA and socio-economic, politic conditions such as they are in Canada make us a little different from the USA!!! Therefore, this data does not always refer to the conditions within which Canadian libraries exist. Using data from the USA is therefore somewhat detrimental (in my humble, and possibly incorrect opinion!!) to optimizing library performances here in Canada!

By focusing on Canadian content, which is more and more user- (and free) generated through blogs and other creative-common sources, through such curration tools as Scoop it! we can find Canadian answers to our Canadian issues! From Georgetown, Alberta rather than Georgetown, Connecticut!

Here is my little attempt...

http://www.scoop.it/u/eva-i-fischer

What do you think?

Pinterest

Pinterest can be fun but I find at times, a little limiting. The greatest option for me would the creation of sub-boards, within boards. Let me explain: Free comic book day is quickly approaching (only in May but I'm an eager beaver, especially in terms of comic books!).

Wouldn't pinterest be a great way to adverstise the numeros occidental mainstream (Marvel, DC, Dark Horse), non-mainstream, oriental (manga) series that the library possesses?

For example the following series: www.pinterest.com/dragonrose15/comic-book-series/ is what got me back into comic books

However I have tried 2 of Rumiko Takahashi's series and I'm finding myself wanting to give the others a chance as well: www.pinterest.com/dragonrose15/rumiko-takahashi/

Not to mention the fact that I am finding the following series to have similar, and equally satisfying developments (both aestetically and character-wise): www.pinterest.com/dragonrose15/my-favorite-dcs/

It's really great to be able to see all the covers but it would be even greater if I could have a general board for Comics and Manga and then suboards for all the different universes I follow...

Maybe it's to come.

Creative power

Creating images is something moderately new to me... but has become quite essential for the Reference Librarian job.

Sure, you want to attract the eye... but presumably the covers of the books you've chosen have already done that.

Sure you want the patron to know what the theme of the display is... but again the covers and the contents of the books have also done that.

Really the creation of signage is a way of letting the patron know why YOU think this particular assembly of books is "totally cool.. and they should totally read them!!!". You're, in a way, letting them see a piece of your brain, your soul, the way you think... THAT'S pretty cool!

I had to create an image for an armchair travel series I created, mainly because every image out there I found were inadequate for what I wanted to portray as my event. Quite frankly it was kind of fun... a little time consuming, but fun.



The image I ended up creating had a more high-brow feeling (what with the coupe and the goth-like wings...) than what I had seen online... and I'm quite glad with the final result!


Now the wordoodle (or the meme) I've never had to use, but I've seen it used to really cool effect! 

Pretty fun!

BHM

February, as most of you know (at least I hope so), is Black History Month.

Every year a lot of controversy emerges about Black History Month, mainly about whether it's necessary or not.

• Do we need to be reminded of the history of Black People in North America?
• Doesn't it go against the efforts to properly integrate society?
• Wouldn't it be better for the country's history to not be reminded of this somewhat depressing history? (Although not really that much more depressing than the Aboriginals...)

Some years I see the argument but this year, my first year creating a thought-out display for Black History Month, I'm definitely on the side of the defence.

If you were creating a non-fiction display for Black History Month, what books would you chose to display? What would be the topics?

Here are some examples of books I have found for my display:

Jackie Robinson: biography
Black Like Me
Tant que je serai noire
Louis Armstrong's New Orleans

Do you see a common trend?

They're mostly from the USA.

And I need to insist that being black and growing up in the USA or Canada is different - at least I think it was for me, and I'm mixed race!



(That's me by the way!)

This year for your Black History Month display, try and see what canadian content there is in your library. You might find it hard to do, especially in movies since we haven't really done that much, but believe me that canadian black people will appreciate reading about people who've had experiences similar to theirs, in the same cities, with the same politicians.

Here are some of the titles I know with Canadian topics, maybe you can find some too:

Being Brown
Revival: an anthology of Black Canadian Writing
Drawing down a daughter
That Lonesome road
Beauty & Sadness
Black Loyalists
Black Berry, Sweet Juice

I'll also be trying to create a list in My Vision on this topic... and goodreads could benefit from a little canadian content as well!!

Happy Black History Month!

Ahhh... Twitter!

Twitter! My old friend we meet again!

The most obvious use for twitter I have found is to promote any official blogging or facebooking (is that a word?) that I might do.

Mainly because I don't have a smart phone and thus the ability to tweet or share my thoughts (LIVE... ON THE INTERNET!) right away! I have to go home for that...

And that's ok by me. One day I might consider the expense and necessity of the smart-phone and the instant sharing. But not today...

Themes

Although I know something about blogs, I have never used blog spot before. The main reason for that being that you need to have a google account to do so.

I thought I might take this opportunity to explore how one might discus cool non-fiction ideas for displays!

Some interesting themes I've seen or been inspired by include:

-Women at war (women's place in war times)

-Digging for evidence (archealogy/geology)
-The winter of death (this could involve a whole range of Russian themed books
-etc

The fun part of these displays is to combine the fiction with the non-fiction.

I hope you'll enjoy what I have to present.