This Blog Has Moved!

This blog has a new home!

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE NEW STACKS!

Follow me on there for more library related posts!

Review: Barnes and Noble Nook Color

This post has been a long time coming. I purchased a Nook Color at the end of May and it was one of the best purchases I have ever made. As a librarian, I feel it is my duty to read as many books as I can get my hands on. To me, I think that any librarian should be able to give a patron a :30 second "Book Talk." When a patron asks for a recommendation and they receive a halfhearted response, they will be less likely to check out a potentially life-changing book. By purchasing the Nook Color, I will be able to read books that have a shorter reserve list and also keep the physical book on the shelf for patrons.

Barnes and Noble Nook Color:

Unboxing: The box the Nook Color comes in is exceptional. Sleek and innovative, it makes you feel like you have purchased something truly special. The box is elongated and uses a magnetic closure at the bottom. When I was sliding the Nook out of the box, I felt a tinge of excitement. The Nook was much larger than I anticipated, as I had only seen an Amazon Kindle and I enjoyed the weight of the device in my hands. Once the Nook was out of the box, it had a very informative tutorial for you to go through when you turned it on.

Turning the Nook on: On the upper left corner of the Nook Color, there is a power button which turns the Nook Color off and also puts it into hibernation mode. There is also an "n" on the bottom-center of the device, which wakes the device from hibernation mode.

Weight and Size: The Nook is quite a bit larger than the Amazon Kindle and the Nook 1st Gen. Even though it is larger than the Kindle, it isn't too heavy and can be easily held.

Backlit Screen: Unlike the Amazon Kindle, the Barnes and Noble Nook Color uses a backlit screen. Though it is not as easy on the eyes as the Kindle, it allows me to read in bed before I go to sleep without worrying about where the light source is. You can adjust the screen brightness and I have found it makes it easier to use in different light sources (night, outside in bright sun, in the car w/ limited light).

Touch Screen: The touch screen is large and fairly responsive. Every so often, the touch screen is a little sluggish in its response. It appears to respond to turning eBook pages well, but when using the web-browsing feature it can "lock up" for a second. Even with the slower response time, however it does not hinder the web experience to the point of frustration.

Ease of Use: Once I set up my Barnes and Noble account on the website and tied my credit card to it, I was able to make "Wish Lists" and download books right away. Books can be downloaded via the B&N website or directly from the Nook. Barnes and Noble also offers magazine subscriptions, which can be viewed in full-color with the Nook Color.

To Be Completed:
-cont. Ease of Use
-Purchasing: Books, Magazines, Newspapers
-Downloading an eBook from Overdrive
-Transfering Files: Music, Pictures, ePub files, Documents
-Browsing the Internet
-Using Apps
-Overview of Settings
-Special Features: Searching, Bookmarks, Article View, Sharing, Text, Notes, Highlighting, Look Up Feature, Auto-rotate function, Viewing Video, Using Audio
-Wi-fi Connectivity
-Setting Up Shelves
-Using the LendMe Function

Giddy Up and Read: Wild West Story Time

As the children's progammer I am in-charge of our Pre-school Story Time every wednesday.

This Wednesday we had a Wild West Story Time, which the kids really enjoyed!

Books read:
Widdermaker by Pattie Schnetzler
Desert Rose and her highfalutin hog by Alison Jackson
I want to be a cowgirl by Jeanne Wills

Other books displayed:
The foot-stomping adventures of Clementine Sweet by Kitty Griffin
The cowboy ABC by David Hamilton-Murdoch
Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa by Erica Silverman
The brave cowboy by Joan Anglund-Walsh
Tyrannosaurus Tex by Betty Birney

I had all of the kids sit around on the floor and made a "fire" using toilet paper tubes, sticks and made construction paper flames. I read Desert Rose and Her Highfalutin Hog and then we sang a campfire song called "The Campfire Pokey" (see below) which got the kids up and moving. After that I read Widdermaker and we played a ring toss game. I had made a quick cactus out of cardboard and rings out of pipe-cleaners, they had a lot of fun and I gave them sheriff's stars with their names on them that I had cut out using the Cricut. We read the final story I want to be a cowgirl and then colored cowboys/girls that I got from HERE. We finished by gluing the dolls together and I sent them home with "take home paper." I make a take home paper every week and it is normally a two column sheet. In the first column I type a little poem or song, paired with some cute clip art that fits the theme. In the second column I paste a picture they can color or a bookmark they can cut out. On this weeks take home paper they got "She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain" and a section of "Cowboy Lingo." The coloring side had a cowboy with a lasso.

Next Story Time Theme: Bang! Boom! Crash! A Fourth of July Story Time

Bookstores: Going Extinct?

The Last Bookstore

Before launching a business, some people invest in market research and feasibility studies. Josh Spencer is not one of those people — otherwise he might never have opened his downtown L.A. used bookstore in December 2009, let alone moved it a few blocks away this month to a 10,000-square-foot space.

I find this fascinating. People are praising Mr. Spencer for opening a bookstore "in these dire times" and yet they seem to forgot about the thousands of independent booksellers who have remained open in spite of the eBook boom. I'm glad that this has seemingly renewed the interest in bookstores, but I don't understand why we haven't been trying to save the bookstores we already have.

I know that I'm partly to blame. I bought a Nook Color recently and I am exceedingly excited to start using it to read my books. I also, however, purchased the entire A Song of Ice and Fire series in paperback because wanted to keep them in my permanent library. Am I a bad person for preferring to read books on an eReader vs a physical copy?

Answer these 10 questions:

1. When was the last time you bought a book from an independent bookseller?
2. How many books do you buy from independent booksellers in a year?
3. What influences you most when it comes to purchasing books?
4. Why do you choose to buy a book vs. checking it out from a public library?
5. Who recommends books to you?
6. Where do you buy most of your books?
7. In what format do you buy most of your books?
8. Do you lend books out that you buy?
9. Would you be more willing to lend an eBook vs a physical copy of a book?
10. If your local independent bookseller had an online catalog, would you be more willing to purchase from them?

Next Post: Nook Color Review

The First of Many

A book review by yours truly:

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

Winter is coming. In the first installment of George R. R. Martin’s epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire, summer has lasted for ten years, yet winter is almost upon the many compelling characters of Westeros and Essos. Told from the point of view of eight distinct characters, Martin had me hooked from the first chapter in which Eddard Stark’s young son Bran witnesses his father exact justice on a deserter of the Night’s Watch. One of the most intriguing aspects of A Song of Ice and Fire, is that Martin does not explore the world only through the eyes of what many would consider good characters. Many of the characters who help make up the story are malevolent, morally corrupt, inhumanly awful beings who quickly enrapture you and tangle you in webs full of lies and deceit. By moving back and forth between the lives of so many well-crafted characters, you begin to form alliances against certain characters drawing you even further into the world that Martin has created.

Within just A Game of Thrones, you become a well-traveled citizen of Martin’s stunningly imaginative landscapes. As you move within Westeros, you are introduced to families whose houses go back centuries and who have played the game of thrones for almost as long. Within the continent of Westeros, you are also involved in the political intrigue that makes up the backbone of this first A Song of Ice and Fire book. Crossing the Narrow Sea, you are allowed into the lives of Daenyrs Targaryen and the vast, wild plains that Khal Drogo’s khalasaar roam. Along every step of the way, you begin to find yourself falling deeper and deeper into the world these characters inhabit, rooting adamantly for the survival of certain characters.

This book has finally given me a series to look forward to, much the way Brian Jacque’s did with his Redwall series when I was younger. I can not wait to read on and live, or die, with the characters that George R. R. Martin has created. Winter is coming is definitely coming and I can’t wait.

A Library is Many Things

Letters of Note

Early-1971, in an effort to attract as many youngsters to the premises as possible, Marguerite Hart — children's librarian at the newly-opened public library in Troy, Michigan — wrote to a number of notable people with a request: to reply with a congratulatory letter, addressed to the children of Troy, in which the benefits of visiting such a library were explained in some form. It's heartening to know that an impressive 97 people did exactly that, and below are just four of those replies, all from authors: Isaac Asimov; Hardie Gramatky; Theodore Geisel; and E. B. White.

All of the letters have been posted here

I Feel Like a Filthy Traitor

I have been eyeing a Barnes and Noble Nook for some time now. Every time I see a commercial on television or receive a B&N email, it renews my eReader fervor. I have become completely convinced that I must have one. I do, however, feel like this makes me a terrible librarian. I keep fighting to keep my beloved books stocked on library shelves and yet I feel the need to venture over to the dark side, the side of eBooks.

I feel like this begs the question. Does it make someone less of an advocate for "physical literacy" if they own an eReader? Is it ok for me to have an eReader as long as it jives with our libraries current Overdrive system? Am I really a dirty traitor?

First Ever, Found Object Friday

Working in a library I come across the strangest things left inside books. I thought that it would be an interesting idea to make a "Found Object" post every Friday! That way I can share my findings with you.

The first found object, which I think is one of the best, is a copy of the Kansas City Star from 1969. The fact that the paper has stayed relatively intact since 1969 is pretty amazing, but what is even more amazing is the content of this particular paper:



The date on the paper is July 26, 1969. At that time the cost to purchase it was 10 cents. Incredible! I was very excited when I opened the donated atlas (which was in terrible shape) and found this newspaper. I am going to try and see if we can preserve it and frame it. The inside has some really incredible 60's infographics about the mission and the space craft and I would love to frame it.

Librarians: Privacy Superheroes

Libraries must be beacons of privacy in an increasingly public world.

Even the small pubic library where I work does it's part in keeping with our patrons right to privacy. In fact, we take it extraordinarily serious. Everyone who works at the library has undergone extensive training in regards to our privacy policies and all of our staff were required to take online courses in library law/policy. Our LISTEN system allows us access to extremely sensitive patron information, which we never give out, nor do we allow other patrons access to it. Information such as home addresses and email addresses are never used inappropriately (i.e., spam marketing or solicitations).

Another way we protect our patrons is by shredding all documents and labels that contain patron information. This means that every reserve wrapper is shredded almost immediately after it is removed from the book. We also fiercely protect the privacy of our patrons when it comes to what they are reading. I have had friends, husbands, siblings and bosses ask me what 'so in so' has out and that information would never cross to the other side of the desk.

The article was quite interesting and I very much agree with the author that libraries need to set the standard in terms of individual privacy and community based.

What do you think? Do you believe that the library goes above and beyond in regards to your privacy? Is there something more that libraries could/should do?

Kindle Books Now Beating All Print Versions Combined...

...on Amazon

This statistic is coming from Amazon re: Amazon, it is not encompassing the entire book industry. Even though Amazon has quite the market share when it comes to books, they don't have all of it!

Amazon is, for lack of a better phrase, the "Wal-Mart of the internet" and people treat it as such. When I want to buy a book, I do not normally think to purchase it off of Amazon, rather I venture to Barnes and Noble or an independent book-seller. Especially now that Borders is gone and B&N is the only major chain selling books, I will try to take as much of my business to Barnes and Noble as I can.

How does this affect the library? So far it hasn't. We still have people clamoring for the newest paper copy of James Patterson's book of the week and I don't see it affecting rural/semi-rural public libraries in the immediate future.

Mike Matas: A next-generation digital book | Video on TED.com

Mike Matas: A next-generation digital book | Video on TED.com

Software developer Mike Matas demos the first full-length interactive book for the iPad -- with clever, swipeable video and graphics and some very cool data visualizations to play with. The book is "Our Choice," Al Gore's sequel to "An Inconvenient Truth."

Interesting Studies I Have Stumbled Upon

When I have some downtime, I like to read library/literacy related studies/articles (because I am a massive nerd). Some of the latest studies that I have come across I figured I would share!

1. College students’ use of Kindle DX points to e-reader’s role in academia

A study of how University of Washington graduate students integrated an Amazon Kindle DX into their course reading provides the first long-term investigation of e-readers in higher education. While some of the study’s findings were expected – students want improved support for taking notes, checking references and viewing figures – the authors also found that allowing people to switch between reading styles, and providing the reader with physical cues, are two challenges that e-readers will need to address in cracking the college market.

2. How Reading Improves Your Social Life

...a study[*] suggesting that fiction readers tend to be more empathic than non-fiction readers. This could of course be correlation rather than causation -- maybe the kind of person who likes fiction is more empathic to start with -- but the researchers think not.

*I can not seem to find this study, so if anyone actually finds an active link, let me know!

3. 21 Things that Will Disappear from Education in the Next 10 Years

While libraries as a whole are not schools, they are directly related to the education field and academic libraries are of course impacted even more. As a librarian at a two-year college, we are being asked right now to create our vision for the next ten years and then to extend that to what we believe the college classroom will look like in ten years.

4. Red letter day for Darwin Correspondence Project

The project mapping Charles Darwin's life and work in the 15,000 letters he wrote or received during his extraordinary lifetime will be completed after a £5 million funding package was announced. The awards, announced by Cambridge University Library and the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), will ensure the full completion of the definitive, award-winning edition of The Correspondence of Charles Darwin.

5. Petition against HarperCollins ebook/library policy garners 53,786 signatures

Ok, so 5 isn't really an article, but more of a HUGE PAT ON THE BACK TO LIBRARIANS EVERYWHERE!! Libraries totally made their voices heard by boycotting HarperCollins over the eBook scandal of 2011. Go libraries!

Getting it on at the library, digitally

New York Libraries: Come on in and Watch Some Porn

We have this issue now. We currently have filters setup on our public computers, but it doesn't completely prevent people from viewing sites with adult content on them. Unless we remotely access the computers or someone complains, we can not see what the patron is viewing. Its a difficult position to put our circulation staff in as they are the ones that have to monitor the computer usage. Most of the time, a redirection towards proper behavior is enough ("Sir, there are children present in the library and that is not the most appropriate material to be viewing publicly.").

People are very creative with their "adult content" viewing though. We have several patrons that use YouTube (VS bra advertisements, pole dancing competition videos, work out videos) and FanFiction sites. These same patrons enjoy checking out erotica (Zane mostly) and have found out that Negima contains fairly graphic images and adult situations.

As far as the freedom of speech aspect, I agree that it should be protected. In Missouri, however, we have policies that regulate the the public display of offensive or sexually explicit materials (RS MO-573.060) and this allows us to revoke computer privileges for the display of sexually explicit materials on the computer. The library system is also required by CIPA (Children's Internet Protection Act, PL 106-554) to have filters on all library computers so that minors are protected from viewing sexually explicit materials. Individuals (17+) can request that the filters be removed, but when we remove the filters we will be able to see if the site is suitable for the patron to be viewing. These "Internet Acceptable Use Policies" are posted next to every computer and are available upon request for any patron that asks.

Missouri has some fairly tough laws on cyber porn and it helps to have these laws backing publicly funded libraries!

Erin McKean redefines the dictionary | Video on TED.com

Erin McKean redefines the dictionary | Video on TED.com

Is the beloved paper dictionary doomed to extinction? In this infectiously exuberant talk, leading lexicographer Erin McKean looks at the many ways today's print dictionary is poised for transformation.

Reader's Advisory Lists

Since working at the library I have come up with several Reader's Advisory Lists so that we can better serve our patrons.

Some of the lists are as follows:

Sink Your Teeth Into...- Zombie, werewolf, vampire books
History in the Making- Modern warfare novels (fiction/non-fiction)
Muy Caliente!- Spanish books (we don't have very many :( )
Black is brown is tan- Children's books on diversity
You Think You Have Problems- YA books covering tough YA issues
On The Battlefield- Civil war novels (fiction/non-fiction)
Literary Critic- Books considered "classics"
Fireside Fav's- Books that are good for curling up beside the fireplace and reading
Bone Appetit- Culinary mysteries and cozy mysteries
History Buff's- J/Y list of historical fiction
Super Sleuths- J/Y mystery books
VIB's- Very Important Biographies
Geeking Out- Fiction Science books
1-2-3 Read- Books on math for young readers
Bank on Books- Personal finance books
Its a Perfect World- Utopian novels
Its an Imperfect World- Dystopian novels
Popular Reads (Year)- This changes each year and we rotate them out
Doctor! Doctor!- Medical books (fiction)
Here's to Your Health- Nutrition and fitness books
Pwning Newbs- Fiction books on video games and gaming

Gaiman, put your money where your mouth is!

If you haven't already heard: Harper Collins is Evil

We had a meeting about it at our branch, so I decided to highlight some points for you:

- HarperCollins chose 26 checkouts because the standard loan period is 2 weeks, this gives the library about one year worth of use for the eBook. Apparently books only last for a year....

- OverDrive, which is the distributor that most libraries use for downloadable eBooks, didn't really stand up to HarperCollins, they rolled over and let libraries take another hit. Apparently OverDrive agrees with Harper Collins that libraries replace the majority of their physical collection every year!

- The way OverDrive works is that the library systems have to buy a license to use it and then purchase the books separately (at around $100 a book). This means that you will have to renew your license every year with OverDrive as well as re-purchase the book every time it hits 26 check outs. OverDrive doesn't allow for libraries to purchase pre-selected collections for the price of the license, so that means paying for the service and for the product separately.

- The 26 check out limit poses a problem for librarians. "Do you have this book?" becomes a guessing game. "Well it was here yesterday, but it may have been removed from our collection because it hit 26 check outs." It will also delete the hold that someone has on the book, so if you reserve a book and it’s checked out 26 times, it will cancel your reserve. I so look forward to patrons wondering why they are no longer on reserve for the eBook. "I'm sorry, according to HarperCollins, this book would have been removed from our collection after 26 check outs and it looks like you would have been check out number 27."

- The consortium of libraries (ours includes 13 libraries) means that we are sharing the 26 check outs and thus every library within the system only has around 2 check outs. Sorry small public libraries!

-HarperCollins is requesting the library card policies of libraries who distribute their eBooks. They want to make sure that non-residents can not get a library card and download books

This entire situation has really rubbed me the wrong way. As someone who deals with the in's and out's of the library system daily, it is scary to see something like this happen. Some publishers have just flat out said, "No way" to letting their eBooks exist on OverDrive and the general consensus is that libraries are suppose to be happy that HarperCollins has decided to give us any books at all, but that (to me) is just backwards.

I hope this doesn't sway other publishers to start doing the same thing, if that is the case then many of the smaller libraries will no longer be able to afford to carry eBooks through OverDrive.

Outreach: Teens

I have GREAT program ideas, I really do. I just don't know how to get teens to actually come to the library. When I have my outreach presentations at the middle school/high school, the kids are super excited and they all sign up for the programs. The day of the program, however, I get 1-3 kids who actually show up.

So I suppose that my questions would be....

1. How do you continue the excitement up until the day of the program?
2. How do you get the teens to actually participate in the program?
3. What kinds of programs do you have that keep the teens coming back to your library?
4. How do you fun your programs?

Power Shelving: Before and After

The Reserve Wrapper Conundrum

Since I have started working at my little library, we have always used rubber bands to secure our reserve wrappers. Since I have started working at my little library, I have hated this. I have brought it up to my manager several times that we need to figure out a new system for wrapping our reserves. He has given me several reasons why this will never happen, the number one reason being that our library system is mostly comprised of tenured librarians who dislike change.

Now the system isn't terrible, but it is bad. There are many reasons why this system does not work, here they are:

1. It wastes paper.

An entire 8x11 sheet of paper is used. If you can print the reserve wrappers on scrap paper, it saves on the amount of paper you use. We don't, however, generate enough scrap paper to cover all the reserves. The problem with this is that you can not re-use the reserve wrapper paper because it contains patron information and that needs to be shredded.

2. The rubber bands are hard on our paperback books, especially graphic novels. They also do not work on magazines.

When placed on mass market paperbacks, the rubber bands tend to destroy the edges of the books and leave marks on the cover (after repeated "rubberbanding"). Flimsy magazines and graphic novels are also difficult to manage with rubberbands. I have since begun to use paperclips on the flimsy reserve material, but the paperclips are just as hard on the books.

3. The reserve wrappers have to be folded a certain way which isn't an efficient use of staff time.

Each reserve wrapper has to be folded so that the necessary information is displayed. This means that for each form of media we have in the library the reserve wrapper must be folded a different way. Thus, you have a folding technique for library bound books, mass market paperbacks, DVD's, CD's, children's books, magazines, graphic novels, audiobooks and newsletters. This takes a considerable amount of time when you begin to realize that each item on the the retrieval list must be scanned 2-3 times, the wrapper has to be printed, then folded, then wrapped/banded around each book. We spend 30-60 min just wrapping books in the morning.

4. The reserve wrappers are easily seen by the general public.

We are constantly being reminded of patron confidentiality, but the reserve wrappers (large, bold black letters on white paper) are easily seen by anyone who comes to the desk. This means that if you check out a book for a school project on pornography, a friend/family member could see your name + the name of the book you have reserved. This could lead to some awkward conversations. Just the other day we were scanning reserves in and the stack of books next to me was being read off by a patron standing at the desk. I have put the books on the floor, but that is not physically efficient. I have tried to get all of the books scanned before we open, but the names of the patrons are still visible on our reserve shelf.

5. I doubt it is cost effective.

I can not begin to imagine how much our library system spends on paper each year, but it can't be pretty. Not only do we print reserve wrappers, but also advertisements, brochures, signs, flyers, personal forms, etc... The reserve wrappers are by far our most printed item and I think that we could improve/streamline the system so that our budget could be adjusted.

6. Librarians within our system print off multiple wrappers for batch reserves.

Say that Mary Jane Manga reserves Inuyasha 1-54. I would print off 1 reserve wrapper for every 4-5 books. Our library system, however, looks down on that. I have been fussed at (not by my manager who agrees that we should print off as few wrappers as possible) by other librarians within our system that each book needs to have its own reserve wrapper. That means that instead of printing off 13-14 wrappers, they would print off 54 individual wrappers, which would then have to be shredded afterward.

As far as alternatives go, I have tried to think of other ways in which we could still label our reserves. Stickers, slips of scrap paper, no labels which requires an extra scan. As of right now I have not found a good way to label the reserves that would eliminate the problems we have with the paper/rubber band options.

Ideas?