Back to the Reading

Well, I'm a bit behind with my "23 things" program, but I have discovered that I can invite others to post to my blog. We'll see how that goes. I invited two generic addresses, so posters will be official, but anonymous. This means my blog may change dramatically. We'll see. I'll let you know.


This summer I have been distracted by weeding and multiple projects. Weeding is a little painful, but it refreshes the library collection and creates space for new books. We've done a pretty good job with that already, but there's a whole library collection to review. For a one thing at a time kind of person, I have found myself in an octopus world. My arms are flailing and it's really pretty scary.


With this situation as my inspiration, I reached for some solace in books. Randy Pausch's book titled "The Last Lecture" was helpful. I have achieved many of my dreams and I am lucky enough to expect a little time left to achieve more. Even though I may feel like it, I'm not really dying. "The Help" makes me realize that the ones who are truly disadvantaged are the ones who don't know how to work or expect everything to come to them on a silver platter. I also found solace in "The Purpose Driven Life." Who doesn't?


Reading is very healing and for some of us, so is coffee. So put on the kettle or coffee pot. Curl up with a good book and be assured that everything is going to be all right. Especially, while you are reading. :)

Week 5 Wikis

VIVA has been using a wiki page for a few years now. Members can provide information about their Interlibrary Loan service and post presentations in this medium. In order to edit a wiki you have to have access to the workspace. It's a fluid document that can change as needed.

Subject guides through a wiki would be very useful. Because the wiki can be edited easily, it can be kept up to date as new resources are acquired or deleted.

Week 3 Social Networking

Actually, I'm way beyond the 3rd week in a program called 23 Things for VCCS Libraries. However to comply with the program, I will write some of my thoughts on the various social networks that I have tried. My apologies to any followers who are not following the program.

Facebook is very handy for keeping in touch with friends and privacy settings can be set very easily. It is so generally available and used, that it is a good site to use to promote your library and to look for other libraries. Twitter is also a way to announce activities as they are happening. Both of these sites need to be monitored regularly to be effective.

LinkedIn seems to be a good way to keep track of colleagues. It doesn't seem to provide very much privacy, so you might want to be selective as to what information you put on this site. In addition to LinkedIn there is a similar service called Plaxo. LinkedIn seems to be the most popular.

All Social sites should be used carefully, since it can be assumed that comments made on any social networking site is not really private.

I'm having fun with Google Reader today and in exploring, I found a patriotic and poetic blog to share. Indeed, poetry is a fine way to communicate emotions in a romantic, passionate or funny bone way. What man or woman wouldn't want someone to write this of them:



Thou wast all that to me, love,
For which my soul did pine —
A green isle in the sea, love,
A fountain and a shrine,
All wreathed with fairy fruits and flowers,
And all the flowers were mine.



Alas, written by Edgar Allen Poe, the object of this verse had passed away. Better expressed when one is still with you.



Whitter stoked the fires of patriotic passion in his Barbara Fritchie.



Shoot if you must this old gray head,

But spare my country's flag she said.



OK, I admit it. I learned that in Virginia public schools. But the point is that Poetry can spur passions, whether it is melancholy, romantic or humorist. Try it yourself and feel the release.

Poems of the American Revolution

Poems of the American Revolution

April Musings

It's National Poetry month, and I bet you have some favorites. Sometimes, poetry can be found within novels, such as Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll. You can find the book online, simply by googling the "title" with the term "ebook." Often the ebook is provided by the Guttenberg Project. (Books published before 1923 are often available online.) Select the ebook formats link and choose the format. A springtime verse within is one of my favorites, though it could be argued that it means nothing. Yes, I am speaking of "Jabberwocky." What can be more dreamy than the following verse:

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

Or what can be more romantic than the description written by Edgar Allen Poe in "To One in Paradise."

Thou wast that all to me, love,
For which my soul did pine—
A green isle in the sea, love,
A fountain and a shrine,
All wreathed with fairy fruits and flowers,
And all the flowers were mine.

Poetry can express emotions better than any other medium. Enjoy a poetry book today. It can make you laugh or cry. Write your own poem, and discover the emotional release and surprise of writing verse. See our College Muse (literary magazine) folder in Blackboard to see recent student efforts.

Books to Movies

I must admit that I have been reading some books lately, just because I wanted to read the book before the movie. I'm sure you know that books are nearly always better than the movie, because the imagination fills in the details so well! There is always so much more information, that you can learn from the author directly. I found Michael Crichton before any his novels became movies, but I nearly always enjoyed the books the most, because of his research. Movies don't have time to fill in the educational gaps, and if they try, it's often so skeletal.

So it was with Angels and Demons by Dan Brown, which led me to read his most recent book, "The Lost Symbol." This second book is a great tour guide of Washington, DC, but in some ways was a bit hard to swallow in plot. Both of these books were not only page turners, but brought in spirituality, the Catholic Church (Angels and Demons) and the Masons (Lost Symbol). For Library Lady, this is fine. However, if this is not your fancy, you may wish to skip them. I'm sure the Masons and the Catholic Church have come out with a statements about how Dan Brown misrepresented them. So remember these books are fiction. You may not be able to tell what is fact and what is fiction with this author.

Currently, I am reading "My Life in France" or the biography of Julia Child. I understand the movie is excellent. Haven't seen any of the movies yet for any of these books, but I know I will enjoy them, as they remind me of my reading experience. Bon Appetit.