Book Lush

Task #10-new website

2012-01-02T14:36:00.004-07:00

Happy new year to all! I think the new website is super-dooper, although I predict kvetching a-plenty by patron types. Very eye-catching and appealing, and I can't think of anything that I disapprove of, but maybe I'll think of some complaints later. I like the black area at the bottom with the menu, etc.; it seems like it's pretty easily navigated. I guess once I start using it all the time I'll have a better idea of what I like and don't like.

(I do not personally endorse the flying of airplanes by naked babies.)

Task #9 - Universal Class

2011-11-30T16:16:00.004-07:00

I've looked at the Universal Class offerings-ever so extensive-and, if I were in the mood for self-improvement, I would absolutely be signing up for some classes. As it is, though, I've decided to embrace my many inadequacies and deficits. It's easier, don't you think? However, in my capacity as library do-gooder, I'm all about foisting self-improvement opportunities on the patrons, and Universal Class has many fine classes to recommend.

Task #8 Español LibGuide

2011-10-18T15:36:00.008-06:00

This was a very informative task. Google Translate is very handy for the translating of things. I took the quiz and missed two--I have a question about #9-or maybe it's a comment. I didn't find the lab hours on the Events page, I found it on the Maps/Schedules page, which wasn't one of the options. So I don't know. Frankly, I think I was ripped off, score-wise. Nevertheless, I wouldn't hesitate even for a second to recommend this to patrons, and use it to help them.

The owl represents me, feeling vexed about my score.

Task 7-Cloud Computing:Dropbox vs. Google Docs

2011-09-23T14:21:00.004-06:00

Dear me. This task made me feel more clueless than usual. I can see no reason to ever have anything to do with either of these two things. I have no files, spreadsheets, documents to edited by large parties of people, photos, syncing, uploading, downloading, synchronizing, or storage needs (I just use shoeboxes). But, I realize there are people in this world who lead exciting, complicated lives and need cloud-related things like this. Which would I recommend? I would tell them about both and let them figure it out.

This picture is irrelevant to the content of this post.
I just liked it.

Oops.

2011-08-10T12:38:00.001-06:00

I didn't do task #6 in the proper format. So very sorry. Attention span not what it should be and all that. Not going to fix it though.

Task # 6- helping patrons

2011-08-10T09:58:00.003-06:00

The quiz was fabulously easy, dahlings- 100%. I'm with Purple Kitchen Accessories- I need validation, even on this small scale, every day. How would I use more than one resource to help patrons? Hmm. If they needed the next book in a series, the library catalog is one place to go, since usually it displays the books in the right order, although sometimes not. NoveList is another resource, as is the What's Next button on the Reader's Cafe home page; this is good because you can easily print them a nice little list to take with them. Always nice to have a list, I always say.
So that's my story, and I'm stickin' to it.

The Flatiron Building? No particular reason, other than it's swell.

Extra Credit #2-A Google a Day

2011-08-02T11:31:00.003-06:00

This was fun and informative-. I hadn't a clue, of course, how to find the answer, and so flailed around helplessly. Linda Ciavonne had some helpful advice, but I still got it wrong. I peeked at the answer and thought it was nice that they told how to do it. I reckon I'd like another entry in the $100 gift card drawing, please.

Task 5-Chilton

2011-07-06T16:50:00.004-06:00

This task was easy and fun. I've helped patrons find repair info on Chilton countless times, dahlings. I looked up 1968 VW Beetle info. That was my first car when I was in high school and it was the cutest, funnest vehicle to drive that I ever had (once I learned to drive a stick shift). I chose to find instructions for bleeding the brakes, which is something I helped my pop with in our backyard many moons ago. It was a great car but it caught fire and then I got bummed out with it and sold it. Sadness.

Task #4-downloading e-books

2011-06-06T11:56:00.003-06:00

I found the article in the December 2010 issue of Consumer Reports (use the term "e-book readers" for the best results). It gave top ratings to the Kindle and Nook. I my own personal self have a Kindle and think it is the bee's knees. I can't get library books on it, but I don't feel so bad about that, since I have an abundance of delightfully obscure titles, such as: Arts and Crafts in the Middle Ages A Description of Mediaeval Workmanship in Several of the Departments of Applied Art, Together with Some Account of Special Artisans in the Early Renaissance, Camp Life in the Woods and the Tricks of Trapping and Trap Making, and How I Found Livingstone; travels, adventures, and discoveres in Central Africa, including an account of four months' residence with Dr. Livingstone, by Henry M. Stanley, to name just a few. For free, my friends. Things I never even knew I wanted to read until I saw the titles. For free. I did shell out 99 cents for the complete works of Rudyard Kipling, and History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, all six volumes, with active table of contents, by Mr. Edward Gibbons. Such a bargain. If I were in the market for a new e-reader, I would still choose the Kindle for it's delightful ease of use and pleasant reading experience.

But I can't download library books onto it, this is true. So I'll pretend I've got the Nook for the first three steps: 1. Wake the blasted Nook up. 2. Connect it to my computer. 3. Download Adobe Digital Editions.

P.S. I don't much like worms, but bookworms are OK.

Task #3

2011-05-06T15:06:00.002-06:00

So, I have used Master File before, with some success and some ignominious failures. I liked the video Cari made, pretty easy to follow. The newest article in Consumer Reports was in the Jan. 2011 issue, entitled "Best Phones and Plans."
The second task was easy-one of the articles for this date was on poor dear Freddie Mercury (such a lovely voice). David Bowie's comment after his death seemed a bit like damning with faint praise:

``Of all the more theatrical rock performers, Freddie took it further than the rest,'' says Bowie, who collaborated with Mercury and Queen on their 1981 hit ``Under Pressure.'' ``He took it over the edge. And of course, I always admired a man who wears tights. I only saw him in concert once, and as they say, he was definitely a man who could hold an audience in the palm of his hand. He could always turn a cliche to his advantage.''

But I digress. The most important thing to know is that I want my extra entry to go to the downtown gift certificate.

Task 2-scavenger hunt on the website

2011-04-21T19:12:00.002-06:00

I got a 90% on the quiz-nerts to that, I say. I missed #5. I think that test was rigged.

Task # 1-done!

2011-04-21T18:55:00.005-06:00

I didn't really do anything for this task-just made my blog look different. Same old me, though. Since I already have a Kindle, I don't need the Sony E-reader, so I'll take the dough, thanks very much.

Cloud computing

2010-12-06T09:12:00.005-07:00

I was duh-ing it up about this task. I didn't understand cloud computing even after the terribly helpful video whatnots I watched. Then came the dawn and it become so very clear to me. I already use it with Google calendars. That's not much of a dawn, maybe. I don't know how the library could use it either. So much for my epiphany. I'm sure it's super cool, though.

Election LibGuide

2010-10-04T09:44:00.004-06:00

The election LibGuides were super-duper helpful-thank you, Linda C.
I got 100% on the quiz, naturally, due to the excellent and easy to find info given.

Lions run, wrecking a cart they had been trained to tow by staff at California Zoological Society zoo, Los Angeles, California

2010-08-26T16:10:00.000-06:00

Lions run, wrecking a cart they had been trained to tow by staff at California Zoological Society zoo, Los Angeles, California

Critical Past & Food Safety

2010-08-26T12:21:00.005-06:00

Food Safety was a laugh riot; there was a spiffy headline entitled "Sprouts:What You Should Know", but since I don't want to know anything about sprouts, I didn't read it. As you probably have already heard, pork = 160 degrees. Interesting, I guess.
Critical Past had its entertaining moments: I watched a clip of lions in a California zoo (circa 1935) that some dopes hitched up to a wagon with hilarious results. The lions came out on top, much to my satisfaction. I'm posting the clip, (it's up there) but it's not in here, 'cause I don't know how to do that. Lions' teeth are super-sharp, did you know that?

The new OPAC is nice to look at, but it has some issues that I'd like to chat with you about sometime, when you get a minute. No rush or anything.

2010-07-22T09:26:00.000-06:00

First of all, the new OPAC is very minimalist, lots of groovy white space. The cute graphics will make selecting the format easier, I think. The feature that show similar books is swell, and the way it showed the order of book in a series made my heart sing. I also like the reviews. I put some things on hold and it worked well. But when I tried again today to put True Blood, season two, on hold, it gave me a funky message that said, Unable to contact the circulation system.Please try again in a few minutes. It has given me that same message several times. Also, when I requested an item that was in process (I forget where), it said that it was unavailable to request, but the old OPAC let me do it. That's uncool. Still, the thing has potential.

Today's Front Pages

2010-06-28T16:37:00.000-06:00

This was a (very) mildly interesting task. It was weird how similar all the newspapers seemed, although the small town ones had some semi-interesting local stories that I would have liked to read more of, but I couldn't, because of the front page limitation. I'm not sure this would be of any use to anyone. Why not go to the paper's website instead? I'm missing the point, most likely. But that's how I roll.

Free E-books

2010-05-25T17:14:00.000-06:00

I went to Google books (it's a name you can trust, am I right?), and looked up P.G. Wodehouse, an old family favorite. I liked this site because I didn't have to download anything, create a profile, or anything else disagreeable. I found one of Mr. Wodehouse's gems, Right Ho, Jeeves and read a bit. I find reading off a screen unenjoyable, but oh well. A handsome gent in his day, wasn't he?

Optimal Resume

2010-05-20T10:16:00.000-06:00

I have some catching up to do, since I have been a lazy little crumb. So I checked out the Optimal Resume site quick like a bunny, and saw that it was a very helpful bunch of info for the job-seeking type. I didn't try to make a sample resume or letter, because that sort of thing bores me half to death. It will be there, though, waiting for me to recommend it to the people. I might need it some day, too, my own self; although, despite my lofty position here at the library, I am not a careerist. (Just a little joke.)

Print Friendly

2010-03-30T16:04:00.000-06:00

This seemed like a mighty fine idea. I'm all the time wanting to print recipes or knitting instructions from the inter-web, and I dislike all the ads and what-not that accompany them. The Print Friendly site was problematic, though. The button that was supposed to be had for the dragging didn't work, and when I pasted the URL in their box (I almost said "their blankety-blank" box, but that's uncool, so I didn't), it was weird and hard to control the highlighting and eliminating of unwanted stuff. I refuse to believe that any of these problems are my fault. So, anyway. I do use print preview a bunch and find it to be helpful. I add that because I don't want to seem like a negative, can't-do type of dame.

Learn-a-Test

2010-03-03T12:24:00.000-07:00

There are a shockingly huge number of tests and piles o'info here. I poked around a bit, and tried to take some tests, but I proved to be too ignorant to pass any. I feel bad about that. I don't even deserve to be a citizen. The good news is, my duncitude doesn't impair my ability to recommend this fine resource to any patron who seems even remotely in need of a test.

January E-books

2010-01-29T10:25:00.000-07:00

I think I could live very happily without e-books. My personal tastes are not the point, of course, although they are very precious to me. The sites I visited would be useful to those interested in these things, especially the compatible devices section. I will endeavor to remember this info in case someone asks me. I'm an old-fashioned type of dame, and prefer my books to be books, which seems much easier to me. I did download Northanger Abbey onto the call center computer. It's a very funny book, even for non-Austen-ites.

Twenty-three and sayonara

2009-11-16T10:41:00.000-07:00

Sayonara means good-bye, chums. Been swell, gotta go. I liked reading all of your posts, peering into the dark, fetid recesses of your brains, etc. Of all the tasks, I liked the Weebly experience for the brief, self-indulgent interlude of Mamie-dom.

Twenty-two

2009-11-16T10:06:00.000-07:00

Tastespotting was great and I loved the pictures, although my food probably wouldn't look that good. I like Arts and Letters Daily, which, according to its masthead, delves into "philosophy, aesthetics, literature, language, ideas, criticism, culture", etc. You get the idea--just right for pseudo-intellectuals like me. Slate is another one I like, full of pinko liberal ideas, and also fun stuff like blogs on Mad Men episodes.

Twenty-one

2009-11-13T16:44:00.001-07:00

This task was fun. Here's my neon-ized flamingo picture.

Twenty

2009-11-10T09:20:00.000-07:00

I've used the city and county sites before. I tried to find my address on the Assessors page, but I suffered from puzzlement at the resulting generic map. I did find useful info on H1N1 vaccinations and I looked at the Animal Services page-they're getting a new facility soon. Yay for them. The State of Colorado site was well organized and easy to use-I found the sex offenders map for my neighborhood and the contact information for elected officials.

Nineteen

2009-11-01T14:23:00.000-07:00

100%--twas easy-cheesy, friends. The hints were ever so helpful, of course. And now, a debonair, yet menacing picture of my favorite horror star, Boris Karloff. Don't confuse him with the wretched and hammy Bela Lugosi (at right).

Eighteen

2009-10-26T09:12:00.000-06:00

TinyURL was easy--here's a link to the library catalog for one of my favorite books--http://tinyurl.com/yf9ankm. Then I Zamzar-ed a Cary Grant YouTube video and put it on the desktop in the call center. That may not be the intended or optimal use for Zamzar, but I'm an unsophisticated wretch and that's the best I could do.

Seventeen

2009-10-20T11:20:00.000-06:00

Library professional sites-more interesting than it sounds. It would almost have to be. I liked the library job openings on the internet, but not too many jobs for lowlifes like me. Too bad-I'll have to postpone my dream of moving to Poughkeepsie, NY. So anyway, Infopeople.org also looked good, but I didn't have time to watch any of the webcasts. The 100 Best Blogs had a lot of information that I'd like to peek at someday as well.

Sixteen

2009-10-14T15:44:00.000-06:00

The open source assignment was interesting-ish. It's nice in theory, for sure, and if I used it consistently I might get used to it and like it better than Microsoft Word, etc. But it took me forty-leven years to be as partly proficient as I am, and I don't have that much more spare time on my hands, people. Busy woman and so forth.

Fifteen

2009-10-12T12:25:00.000-06:00

The video for this task was glib and irritating and I still didn't know how to do it, even though I tried for, like, two minutes before giving up. It didn't thrill me enough to make me persevere. Maybe that's my whole trouble-I won't try unless I'm thrilled, and let's face it, how often am I thrilled? Feh, too much self-analysis makes me crabby.

Second thoughts on NetLibrary

2009-10-12T12:20:00.001-06:00

I was way too mean to poor old NetLibrary...it turns out that it's groovy. With the help of my super-smart sonny, I downloaded a bunch of stuff to my ipod and am now happily listening. However, without s-s-s, I maybe wouldn't have figured it out, so maybe all the credit goes to s-s-s and not to NL. So never mind.

Fourteen

2009-10-05T09:08:00.000-06:00

I have visited these sites in the past and downloaded stuff, but I really don't have the time to listen to much of it. I liked the NetLibrary One Touch Media Center, and the transfer-to-a-portable-device feature seemed very handy. But every time I've done it, it downloads only part of the book. That's annoying, my friends. So, I just give up, I guess.

Thirteen

2009-09-27T18:35:00.001-06:00

This assignment seemed rather futile, if you don't mind me saying so. Soundsnap was interesting, and by that I mean annoying. Lots of sounds of humans being punched and otherwise tormented; I guess we could use that on the website to suggest the fate of patrons who don't return books. I did download a lovely female-scream-in-a-B-horror-movie sound, but there's even less utility in that than the mayhem effects. Ditto the rain-under-the-trees. I can't imagine there being a use for this, but I don't have much imagination, I'm sure.
I liked Last.fm best, it seemed to be organized in a helpful manner but I didn't find anything of interest in the short time I visited the site.

Twelve

2009-09-11T10:14:00.000-06:00

I've used Novelist a lot but I'd never noticed the series title button before. I tried several mystery series but didn't come up with any results. Finally, I typed in "Perry Mason" and got the ever-so extensive list of Mr. Erle Stanley Gardner's works, such as The Case of the Grinning Gorilla, The Case of the Haunted Husband, and The Case of the Negligent Nymph. Classy stuff indeed. The Book Lush regrets to say that she has actually read some of this appalling tripe, and it's not too bad. Next, I looked David McCullough in author read-alikes, and was given Stephen Ambrose, Nathaniel Philbrick, Joseph Ellis, and Caroline Alexander as reasonable facsimilies. Finally, I went to Recommended Reads and found some interesting subgroups of memoirs: the addiction memoir, the mental illness memoir and the moving-to-the-country memoir. This could actually be quite useful if a patron came in and wanted to read something like James Frey's A Million Little Pieces (only factual, of course). Then our helpful library staff could look under addiction memoirs and find something appropriate. I like Novelist because you can read reviews of books, and even search for "starred reviews" items.

Eleven

2009-09-10T18:36:00.000-06:00

I was not personally thrilled by any of these. The Reading Group Guides could be helpful for book club types, Bookreporter had a features section that would be good maybe for book display ideas or something. There was nothing that I wanted to look at for my own self's sake, though.
I looked up Philip Kerr on the BRC -he wrote the Berlin Noir trilogy which I love; he also apparently writes "techno-thrillers", which sounds like a ghastly genre to me.

Ten

2009-09-08T16:31:00.000-06:00

I was too cool to watch the Ebsco tutorial, too much of an expert, ya know. So I went ahead and looked up vacuum cleaner reviews in Consumer Reports. I already have a good vacuum, which I bought without consulting product reviews, because, again, I'm too cool. Then I looked up Albert Schweitzer on the Biography Research Center. I had a childhood jones for him, I don't know why, except that he was a do-gooder and I like do-gooders. He was a versatile and multifaceted fellow-he had a doctorate in theology and philosophy, then became a medical doctor and worked in West Africa. He was also awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1952. Great hair, too.

Nine

2009-08-31T21:09:00.000-06:00

This one was pretty fun. I chose Weebly because I liked the name. It was fairly easy to do, but some of the features I couldn't get to work the way I wanted them to. I used a photo from Creative Commons because I'm so virtuous.

Eight

2009-08-26T21:38:00.000-06:00

The Book Lush is a bad person. I tried, unsuccessfully, to get into this project. Don't much care about freedom, creativity, or any of the problems of people who do care about freedom and creativity. I tried not to be a facile punk about it, though, and I spent way more time looking around on Creative Commons than I wanted to. I wandered hither and yon, stifling many a yawn, I found some interesting music on Jamendo (baroque, 'cause I'm such a highbrow) , I did a Google search on how to hotwire a car, I found a picture of a Corgi's tuchis on Flickr that amused me. That's worthwhile, right? I could help a patron in this way. That'd be swell, wouldn't it? Oops, sorry, facile-punk alert! Bad-person alert! I wish I wasn't so insincere.

Seven

2009-08-24T11:30:00.000-06:00

This task didn't thrill me so much. I took a cursory peek at all of them. Maybe I didn't pay enough attention, but it seemed that they were geared toward recommending the most popular, best-selling types of books. Also, plenty of book-nerd gabbing action, which is not my thing. I don't think I would use any of them my own self, though possibly any could be used to help a patron find something to read.

A correction

2009-08-21T22:24:00.000-06:00

It seems that the Book Lush is a hypocrite. Somehow, perhaps while in a fugue state, I made a Facebook profile for myself. Maybe it was when the library was first plugging its Facebook-ness. Then, I visited a seldom-used email address and saw that some work chums wanted to be "friends" with me. Far be it from me to turn down friendship when so nicely offered, I said to myself. So there we are. Steeped in hypocrisy once again. Forgive, if you can, my previous self-righteousness on the subject.

Six

2009-08-19T12:26:00.000-06:00

To begin with, when I clicked on the link to the"New Staff Orientation", my Avast security set off an alarming alarm and said that a Trojan Horse virus had been detected. I thought that was weird. I got on the site another way and saw that there were interesting links all over it, such as the Blogging Librarians' Wiki and a list of library and librarian blogs. The 123 site was all right--I took the attitude test and it was revealed that I have a great attitude. Who knew? I should probably take it again and not lie this time. Heh-heh.

Five

2009-08-19T08:31:00.000-06:00

When I place holds for myself, I usually do them in Milennium. It's lots easier, to my mind. I guess that's the wicked and wrong way, however. I tried both the bookbag method and the logging into my account method. When I went to the bookbag and requested the checked items, the results were ambiguous--I didn't know whether they'd actually been requested. I like the other way of logging into my account much better. I guess if I have to request items for patrons, I would use this method

Four

2009-08-16T10:21:00.000-06:00

Social networking:feh. I'd rather watch a Steven Segal movie than create a profile on Facebook or Myspace. And I hate Steven Segal with a fiery passion. Social networking sites remind me of the dreaded Christmas newsletter:communication from someone, who, if I knew them better or really cared about them, I would already know all about. So, I'm not a fan. But the Book Lush is a misanthrope with no friends, so why listen to me? I'm sure it's all very great, but the thought of posting the details of my humdrum life is too horrible to contemplate.

The Book Lush is a restless soul

2009-08-14T21:36:00.000-06:00

I changed things-I got bored. I don't have many opportunities to customize things in this life, so I choose to exercise control over trivialities.

Three

2009-08-14T10:53:00.000-06:00

Yippee-skippy for the Book Lush-I got 100% on my quiz. Thanks to Jennifer for help on #8. The site map was useful in many cases. I was sad to realize that there weren't many answers that I just knew in my head without looking them up. But it was a very useful exercise to navigate the website and it should make it easier to answer the people's questions.

Two

2009-08-13T15:38:00.000-06:00

I was going to be cute and title this "Two is Through", but I couldn't go through with it. I am already acquainted with Pandora, so I tried LastFM and liked it fine. Very easy to use and skip ahead to the next offering if one's a dud. But I confess that, when I am actually working at the computer (as opposed to nertsing around on it for fun), I prefer background quiet to background music. And, actually, I don't spend all that much time computing when I don't have to. Sort of seems like a waste of time. Is it sacrilegious to say so? The Book Lush strives for honesty at all times.

One is done

2009-08-12T14:54:00.000-06:00

I'm the Book Lush-I can't help myself. I must accumulate and read as many books as possible. If I wasn't such a lucky working stiff, I'd be reading right now. Interpersonal relating takes up valuable time as well, but I do my best. I'm glad to be doing Webolution 3.0 and I look forward to reading everyone's blog and learning fun facts and being entertained.