February 11th, 2010 Brian Herzog
Librarians are social creatures, right? Despite dowdy stereotypes, many of us are out there Web 2.0'ing it up - among other things, we like sharing our photos on flickr and our books on LibraryThing.
So, I thought a fun meme would be to combine the two - show photos of our personal books and bookshelves. I spied one of Jessamyn's, and uploaded photos of all my bookshelves.* I'm curious to see how other people organize books in their own space.
| My Bookshelves (click for descriptions) |
Non-fiction
 |
Reference
 |
Fiction
 |
And since timing is everything, this is doubly fun considering LibraryThing's announcement this week about expanding LT's photo capabilities.
So upload photos of your own shelves (librarians and non-librarians) to flickr or LibraryThing or somewhere and share your personal organizational system.
*I didn't photograph all the books in places other than shelves: coffee table, bedside table, bathroom bench, car, piled on the floor, etc. I tell myself those are all "temporary shelving locations."
Also: I can't decide if "bookshelves" should be one word or two - so I use both.
Tags: book, Books, bookshelf, bookshelves, home, librarians, libraries, Library, organize, public, shelf, shelves
Posted under Library, Personal | 25 Comments »
January 7th, 2010 Brian Herzog
Hey, ALA Midwinter 2010 is in Boston this month. Being so close, I can hardly pass up going, especially since I have a free pass to the exhibit hall courtesy of LYRASIS (steps for getting your own free pass below).
I went the last time it was in Boston, and was slightly underwhelmed. It's definitely more of a business meeting for the various ALA committees, which I didn't expect. But this year there are some vendors I want to talk to, librarians to meet, and LibraryThing is also planning an event. Please say hi if you see me.
If you're not going, the hashtag for Midwinter 2010 is #alamw10 - look for it around the interwebs (twitter, flickr, flickr group).
And here's the scoop on the free passes: my library is a part of MVLC which is part of NMRLS which is a part of LYRASIS. If you're also somehow covered under their umbrella, here's how to get your free pass:
- Go to http://registration.experient-inc.com/ShowALA101/DefaultExhGuest.aspx?CompanyId=2160
- You will be brought to the Midwinter website. Note the Exhibits times. Click "Next."
- Fill in your contact information. Click "Next."
- Click "Member" and complete your demographics information. Click "Next."
- Leave "Your Events" empty. Click "Next."
- Review your "Registration Summary." Click "Next."
- You're done! You will have a confirmation number; your total will be $0.00. Print your confirmation.
Oh yeah, and exhibit dates/times are below, with the story on the ALA page:
Friday, Jan 15: 5:30pm - 7:30pm
Saturday, Jan 16: 9:00am - 5:00pm
Sunday, Jan 17: 9:00am - 5:00pm
Monday, Jan 18: 9:00am - 2:00pm
Posted under Conferences, Library | 3 Comments »
August 20th, 2009 Brian Herzog
In July, Library Journal featured an article that compared libraries and punk rock, as an intro to a bibliography of books on punk music.
I liked the idea, and also enjoyed a follow-up post on The Contrarian, further exploring the similarities between libraries and what it means to be punk.
I do certainly see (and feel) the similarities each points out, and both posts are worth reading. Librarians know what is important to us and the profession, and if something threatens it, we have our own ways of pushing back - but I would like more push-back in certain areas.
And even though there is a stereotyped look for punks and librarians, there are certainly plenty of librarians who break that mold.
Incidentally, the photo is of me from the not-too-distant past. What can I say? I am a rocker. I rock out.
Posted under Library, Random | 4 Comments »
May 12th, 2009 Brian Herzog
Over the weekend I found two references to libraries that I thought people would enjoy.
I just finished reading Guards! Guards!, by Terry Pratchett. It's a Discworld novel, and featured one of my favorite characters, the Librarian (of course). The plot is a bit complex, but I don't think this quote needs any setup:
Somehow, though, to a soul attuned to the subtle rhythms of a library, there are few worse sights than a hole where a book ought to be.
Someone had stolen a book.
Funny, because I get this same sinking feeling every time I'm pulling requested books, and the one I'm looking for is missing - the feeling is doubled when there's a gap in that spot on the shelf. Well captured, Sir Terry.
The second reference came when I was taking a Web 3.0 quiz on HowStuffWorks.com. Things were going along fine until I got to Question 9:
If the Web 1.0 experience is like going to a library and the Web 2.0 experience is like talking with a group of friends, what will the Web 3.0 experience be like?
- having a personal assistant
- going to class in a university lecture hall
- going to a movie theater with every film and television show available to watch any time you like
Oh really? Libraries are like Web 1.0?
But the quizzes are interesting, so check out the whole list.
Posted under Library, Random | Comments Off
February 12th, 2009 Brian Herzog
Last week I received an email heads-up for a blog post entitled 25 Famous Librarians Who Changed History.
It's an interesting quick read, and it was neat to learn that both Mao Zedong and Lewis Carroll, among others, had both been librarians in their lives (congratulations to #24 for being recognized as a history-changer).
I'd never heard of the website before, but the rest of the posts on their blog (started in Jan 2009) seemed equally interesting.
Posted under Library, Random | 4 Comments »
October 21st, 2008 Brian Herzog
Right now I'm in Manchester, NH, for the 2008 NELA conference. In addition to being an attendee and a speaker, I'm also blogging the sessions I attend for the NELA conference blog (read my posts).
This year there are ten volunteer bloggers, and I think it's great -
- great that NELA is supporting a blog
- great that people volunteer to contribute
- great that the notes we take during sessions are available for all attendees, people who couldn't come, trustees who need to see these things, and anyone else who is interested
There are lots of worthwhile conferences and workshops every year, and I go to very few of them. I think it's important for these conferences to extend beyond the conference dates and facility to reach the people who can't come. Considerations for "virtual attendance" seems to be getting more common, in fits and starts, but I think it'll happen.
Along these lines, RUSA has recently asked a small group of librarians to look at this very issue. The goal of this task force is to recommend
a suite of technology-based approaches to virtual membership, virtual attendance at conference, podcasting or videocasting conference programs, the creation of webinars to be hosted by RUSA, and a range of other approaches that would provide resources to our members – both those that attend conference and those for whom conference attendance is a barrier to participation.
Now this is an organization moving in the direction of its members. Thank you, RUSA. I'm not sure what the end result of the task force will be, but just the fact that a large, member-based organization like this is paying attention to the needs of its members is a step in the right direction.
And hopefully, once RUSA develops and implements a good model, it will spread to the rest of the ALA.
But for the time being, don't be afraid to let your consortia, library associations, or other conference groups know what works and doesn't work for you, and where your needs are and aren't being met. That's the best way to get the resources tailored to our needs.
Update: I forgot to mention that the Internet Librarian conference is also going on right now - check out blog posts tagged with il2008 on google blog search.
Tags: blog, blogging, blogs, conference, Conferences, librarians, libraries, Library, nela, nela2008, new england library association, notes, rusa, sessions
Posted under Conferences, Library, Technology | 1 Comment »
