Happy New Year!!!

I went looking for some cool graphic generator stuff to say Happy New Year and found this.....

KIVA.....what a great idea

I have been told about this wonderful organisation. KIVA.

http://www.kiva.org/

This organisation lets you lend to a specific enterprise/business in a developing country thus empowering them to lift themselves out of povery.

Isn't that a fantastic idea. I feel like Oprah!!!
Have a look.

separated at birth or is Butters our new PM ?

Another good one for Christmas

Merry Christmas

What do I want to do when I grow up?

I am sure you know how it is. You get out of bed and go to work each day. Work hard, do your best and just keep working for a few years. And at the end of a tough week you ask yourself...."Is this all there is? Do I really want to be doing this in 15 or 20 years time?". I don't really know where I am going with this but because this is my "private diary" it is OK.
The place where I work is about to start it's HORROR phase. We will be absolutely flat out until after EASTER!!! I will feel like a check out chick by the end of January. Not that there is anything wrong with supermarket checkouts. I may occasionally ask if users would "like chips with that".
We stand all day (except when we have lunch). I work an 8 shift one day a week and my legs are so tired by the end of the day. There is not much variety in the work. Either circ desk or shelving.
Does anyone know of anything in the Geneva Convention about standing up all day?
Bank staff now have chairs. Aldi checkout operators sit down.
We get a slight easing off when school goes back but then the more grown up people visit our area and we are tired. And Council rates are due in February...twice!! Animal Registrations in April. All in a library with a staff allocation of 1.7 staff. Blah, blah, blah.
I am so glad that I usually work part time. Working really cuts into your living time.
But we will survive.
I think I am just tired and panicing about Christmas.
Anyway this was going to be about career opportunities in libraries.
Maybe next time....

It's me again

Hi all,
I cannot believe my last post was on 12th Dec. What have I been doing?
Well I am glad you asked. Working!!! AHHHH!!!
This week I have had to work the full time hours at my library branch so instead of a leisurly 20 hours this week I have worked 33.25 and I have to work another 4 hours tomorrow. (Saturday). I am really tired.
Someone said it will be Christmas next week. I am glad I have Tuesday off. I will have to do my Christmas shopping then.
Yes, I have worked out that Tuesday is 25th December.
So I shall have to get my act together and shop 'til I drop on Sunday.

Merry Christmas to all and best wishes for 2008.

Is anyone there?

The view from here

Today Colin (Our Principal Librarian) is getting some people together who have yet to finish their 23 things blogwise, to help them out and show them the way. I have just been viewing, previewing, reviewing and looking at the WGRLC particants blogs and I cannot believe that I am the only one so addicted as to have finished 23 things and I am still blogging.
What is wrong with everyone else. It cannot be me of course.
Yes I am single minded, obsessive, task orientated, introverted, control freaky, and I probably have adult ADHD. But there is nothing wrong with me!!




http://www.mental-emotionalhealth.com/wp-content/uploads/make_money_blogging.jpg
I have just been told by a "teen" that because it is all over no one will be reading my blog. I suppose that means I can treat this like my own private diary.

I'm back from the GVBR

Hey!! I am back from the Great Victorian Bike Ride.
It was great!!
I rode all the way. 577km's according to my bike. Even up Love's Lane and up to Rawson in granny gear.
I was not the best or fastest rider but I was far from the worst.
I was really tired by the 9th day.
I am not much of a camper so sleeping in a tent and packing it up each day quickly lost it's romance.

It is really well organised. The food is great and plentiful. Lots of entertainment in camp. Shops and food kiosks. And lots of community groups doing fundraising with food and raffles.

The GVBR is a fantastic experience and I encourage anyone thinking about it to do it!

Cold turkey

Free rice website

I have been trying to wean myself off blogging because I wont be able to blog while I am on the Great Vic Bike Ride and don't know if I can go cold turkey.
But I have been sent this United Nations website
http://www.freerice.com/
It is really cool. You must visit is NOW!!!!!

Melbourne cup day hat

I went to a Melbourne cup day function.
I dont know why I did not win fashions on the field. I wore a hat especially.
Funny picture though.

How am I feeling?

This was a clock but it stopped working. So more fun!!

I absolutely LOVE this site...
http://abowman.com/

This site has the penguins and the tree frog and the lame-o game. And I want to share!

fun game

The Great Victoria Bike Ride

In two weeks I will be cycling along the 2007 Great Victoria Bike Ride. Phillip Island to Buchan.

Entries close 16th November so you had better hurry and register. Then you can ride with me.

http://www.bv.com.au/great-rides/20004/

We start at Phillip Island on election day (don't get me started on that!) 24th Nov and travel to Wonthaggi for the night. Then to Foster for 2 nights.

Somehow I have to ride to Mirboo North and then on to Yinnar for the night.

As if the hills of the Mirboo North weren't challenging enough we then go to RAWSON!!!! 64 Kms with 30 kms up hill. I will sleep the sleep of the dead that night.

Then it is down hill all the way to Maffra. Wheeeee!!

Maffra to Paynesville. Don't forget the aeroguard!!!

Paynesville to Buchan via Bruthen.

I shall be lycra clad for a whole week!

Vomit!!!

Why dont parents believe children when they say they are sick?
Why do parents keep their children home from school due to illness and then bring them to the library?
On Friday we had a child demonstrate to everyone how sick he was...all over the floor in the Children's area of the library.
YUK!!!
Trouble was we were rather busy with non vomiting library users so the mess could not be cleaned up at once and we lacked the cleaning products to tackle the job effectively.
The child was given a bin to continue his outflow and paper towels were placed on the area to absorb the moisture. But apart from clearing the chunks and sponging the area with non absorbent paper towels there was not much we could do.
Any suggestions for next time?
We often have adults come to the library saying they have been to the doctors and are very sick with flu or a virus (gastro!!!!) and then cough or sneeze all over the circ desk while getting books.
And we wonder why library branch staff all get sick around the same time of the year.

Useful library blogs.

I have been reading a blog, Confessions of a real librarian http://confessionsofareallibrarian.blogspot.com
and found some very interesting posts.
"But, I have found the PERFECT thing for libraries everywhere. A Cell Phone Jammer!! This little doohickey will disable cell phone signals. Yup, it's that simple!

There is just ONE tiny little problem... They are illegal to buy and sell in the United States. And according to Wikipedia, you could accrue fines up to $11,000 and be imprisoned for up to a year for operating, manufacturing, importing, selling or advertising a Cell Phone Jammer." ha ha.
Read the New York Times article.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/04/technology/04jammer.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1194498910-RFuTXo4feAT+2m5ZAYCHyA

Another great blog for the busy reader is the Lazy Library
http://lazylibrary.com
"read less. get more."
"Ever read a book that was a few hundred pages longer than it needed to be? Yeah, so have we. Fortunately, there are authors out there that would rather have a concise and effective book than a lengthy and diluted tome, and that's where we come in. "
You can search for titles read less. get more.
Ever read a book that was a few hundred pages longer than it needed to be? Yeah, so have we. Fortunately, there are authors out there that would rather have a concise and effective book than a lengthy and diluted tome, and that's where we come in.
Welcome to the LazyLibrary, where you can find books on any topic without having to worry about high page counts. If it's over 200 pages, you won't even see it. Read all about anything, in less time, for (usually) less money.
popular searches
ajax business css fiction finance harry potter history investing java linux magic oscar wilde php physics productivity python ruby science fiction sex war and peace

Addiction

I have tried to stay away but I cannot.
I have found a counter to put on my blog so that I can see if anyone else ever looks at it!
It is depressing having 1 as the number of visits so far.

Penguins

I am starting to think I have a problem.
I think I am addicted to really cool internet stuff.

Tree frogs

I keep on finding really good things that I want to share.

Quiet please!

Could this be used in libraries?

I thought this was amusing and don't say you haven't thought about this kind of revenge. We all have!

more muppet fun

You Tube Muppet Halloween release

This shows that the wonderful art of editing can make anything look like something.

23 plus 1.5

23 plus 1

#23 Is this really the end? Or just the beginning ..

I have really enjoyed finding about the Learning 2.0. 23 things. l especially liked learning about image generators and You Tube and of course Blogs.
I shall probably keep writing in my blog because it is fun!!
This motivational poster is from http://wigflip.com/automotivator/
To motivate people to keep on going with their blogging and learning.

#22 e-audio-books

A great idea. Download the audio book you want straight to your MP3 player via the library catalogue. On the due date/end of loan period the recording deletes itself.
No overdue fines. No lost materials. Wow!!
A major problem is that the majority of audio book users in our library service are elderly, some with vision problems. I doubt that library users who wont use the online cataloges will be downloading audio files on their MP3 players.
However other users will embrace the technology and love the fact that they dont need to physically go to a library to borrow and return the e-audio-book.

#21 Podcasts, Smodcasts!

Using my bloglines account I have subscribed to "The Chasers War on Everything!" and Jon Faine's Conversation Hour.
We have many patrons asking about books that are featured on the Conversation Hour so it important that I am aware what our library users may be interested in and asking for.
Subscribing to the podcasts is as easy as clicking a mouse button.
The Yahoo podcast tutorial was removed 31 Oct 2007. But you can still search in audio at Yahoo.
There are many podcasts to choose from and the choice is a bit daunting. You can preview podcasts prior to subscribing so that you know what you are getting and you choose the one you want.
Now I just need the time to listen to, and read all the items that I have subscribed to on Bloglines.
In the library podcasts could be used to instruct patrons how to search our catalogue, or use genelogy resources. Podcasts could be used for book reviews, talking books, music, community information...the list goes on. Anything that does not need to be visual.
We should have podcasts on our library home page now. What a great resource and a great way to provide information.

#20 You Tube

No Cookies in the library!!!!
But what can I have with my coffee?


I like cookie monster.
And I cannot believe we are allowed, let alone encouraged, to look at You Tube.
You tube is a great resource and time waster. There is so much junk with really clever and interesting things hidden away.
I think I will need more time to search and play with You Tube.

Health Promotion Resouces

When I toured the Werribee Library, my head was turned by some wacky OH&S posters. They are produced by HPR Resources and can be found at http://www.hprresources.com.au/

The posters I liked are called "Posters from left field".

They are really fun but have an important message.

I would love some in my library!!

http://www.hprresources.com.au/index.cfm?sid=70&cid=26

Have a look!!

#19 Discovering Web 2.0 tools

After reading the blog "books and birds " I have had a play with http://www.fuzzmail.org/ .
At first I did not get it. I sent myself an email full of corrections and deletions. When I opened the email it printed out as it typed, ie. letter by letter with back spacing and deletions. I could what what I typed, how I typed it. It was a bit of fun. I don't think I will write and send important documents that way.
A much more important site is from the WEB 2.0 AWARDS page.
http://www.seomoz.org/web2.0/
You type in what bottles of alcohol you have hidden in the back cupboard of the library and it will tell you what drinks you can make.
http://www.cocktailbuilder.com/

sun burn has 3 ingredients
2 bottle of vodka 1/2 gallon of cranberry juice 1/2 gallon of grapefruit juice.
That seems much more liquid than we have at this workplace but I suppose it would last us all day!!! Ha ha!

Google maps is a good site. http://maps.google.com/
Most realestate sites seem to use this to show you where properties are.
Housing maps is only in American so is no good for anyone else. http://www.housingmaps.com/
Peer trainer looked good. http://www.peertrainer.com/
It is a fitness site where you could record your goals and how you acheived them. As it says on the site your friends get bored listening to how many reps you did and what you best time was for a distance. People could help support you and keep you motived BUT you could lie and really be a couch potato.

I liked List Dump. http://www.listdump.com/ There were lists for everything.

• Best Food Websites
• Top 10 Tips for Salary Negotiations
• Complete List of Online Video Sites
• Anti-Google Sites
• best eXperImeNtal online short film/vids '06
• Cute Cat Videos
• Cutest Dogs
• The Best Of Animated Videos

There is just so much.

You had better look for yourselves.

A great resource for libraries, techno nerds, the unemployed, retirees, students...in fact everybody!!!

# ZOHO WRITER Part 2

I really like Zoho!!!
At my library, we have internet terminals with no programs loaded on them. It is almost a certainty that all our computers will be busy and someone who has an internet only terminal will decide that they need to have access to a program such as word or powerpoint. Zoho is the answer.
http://www.zoho.com/

Having fun!

Zombie Letters from e-zombie.com

Hot car?

This is what happens when you park too long in Collins Street Melbourne.

A notice at Werribee Library

In the staff area at Werribee Library there were some really good notices about OH and S.
Like this one.
Imlike to bold colours and the simple message.

who do you know?

#18 Zoho Writer

Aardvarkblue has a Zoho Writer account!!!

Zoho Writer is like a work processing program.

I think I should have written my ALIA Library Tech Report on it. It would have been easier to send it out to "my partners in crime".

I can relate to this cartoon.

Too many "what ifs". And trouble makers.

The people that "control" Wikipedia have a full time job for life.

I shall experiment further and report back.

#17 Sandbox Wiki

I have added my blog to the favorite blogs in the Sandbox Wiki in the West Gippsland Regional Library Section. And I was not the first.
http://plcmclearning.pbwiki.com/Favorite-Blogs

So what happened at the ALIA Library Tech Conference?

Here are some really great toys from Werribee Library. They encourage imaginative play amongst children. I JUST LOVE THEM!!!

#16 So what's in a Wiki?

Anything you want!!!
Wow! Wiki's look so cool.
It seems to me like that game, "Chinese Whispers", or a grade 5 group writing exercise where everyone adds a paragraph. You can start off with something and end up with something totally different. The lack of control you can have is frightening but exciting too.
Maybe the answer to "What's in a Wiki?" is ....anything you want...PLUS anything someone else wants to add.
In a library a Wiki could be used for Book Reviews, coming attractions, community information, introducing new staff members and voluteers, discussion forums, instructional information ie. how to use the catalogue, FAQs.
Lots of applications!!!
The only limit is your imagination.

#15 Web 2.0, Library 2.0

I have been reading the suggested website regarding Web 2.o, Library 2.0. Rick Anderson, in his article "Away from the “icebergs”" talks about the “just in case” collection in libraries which is a lot of a collection of printed books kept on the shelves "just in case" someone may want to read them. If everything was digitised it would be available but not take up so much space.
Dr. Wendy Schultz, in "To a temporary place in time..." asks, "What are libraries? Libraries are not just collections of documents and books, they are conversations, they are convocations of people, ideas, and artifacts in dynamic exchange. Libraries are not merely in communities, they are communities".
She talks about the Library being a commodity, a product, a service, and an experience.
Michael Stephens, in "Into a new world of librarianship" talks about the skills a librarian needs for this brave new world. We need to embrace web 2.0 and it's associated technology. Seek out information and use it!

Everything is moving faster and faster! All these Web 2.0 skills are terrific and it is great to have time to explore and play with new technology and try to keep up with the kids. I think I am doing OK in my little world with books and CDs and DVDs but I think the Library 2.0 is about getting out of your comfort zone while sitting at home or at work and finding out what is out there and if you want to be part of it.
I look at other blogs and think that I will need to go back over some of the things in this program because some participants have done fantastic blogs and I think "How did they do that?". And I know that I need to go back and look at thing in more depth. Somethings just haven't clicked with me or I have just glanced at it and raced ahead ...again.

# 14 Technorati

I have been to Technorati and asked the question about "Learning 2.0"
6,886 results for in posts.
663 posts tagged Learning 2.0
698 blogs about Learning 2.0...I thought there would be more!!!
There are even Videos about Learning 2.0

In posts there are 933 results for aardvark.
153 blogs about aardvark.

I went to the most popular blog

"Everything in the known universe about Boing Boing"

It had topics such as;

Cereal Killers -- forthcoming book of spooky funny cereal box art

Woman jailed for 50 days for possessing cat urine

# 13 del.icio.us

http://del.icio.us/

I have had a play with del ico us. And after having a huge amount of problems getting registered it looks OK.
My problems began when my password would not be accepted because it was too similar to my email address and/or my user name. My problem with that was they were not alike in my opinion. The numbers were different. The words were different.
But you cannot argue with a computer and I changed everything to something that I will probably not remember tomorrow.

The idea is great. To be able to have your favorite/ bookmarked sites follow you or be there at what ever computer you are using is fantastic.
How many times have I been on the cki terminal when I have a query and need to get on the SLV or NLA site or the Inverloch Kongwak Football/Netball Club site and discover that the site is a favorite on the cko terminal? You may be suprised how many times I am asked about IK football results or who are we playing next or where are we playing.

I especially liked the site
http://www.slackermanager.com/2005/12/the_several_hab.html
Good hints.
and http://feeds.feedburner.com/pickthebrain/LYVv

ALIA 2007

Last week I was at the ALIA Library Tech Conference in Melbourne so no time for blogging.
I am back at work today but my brain has not caught up with my body. I feel very vague and suffering from conference lag.
Put me in a room for 3 days without windows and I have no idea what time of the day or even what day it is.
It was a good conference but a hint will be don't book a conference in a venue that is being renovated. The noise and the floor shaking made me loose concentration (and bladder control) anumber of times during the conference.

#12 Rollyo 2.0

http://rollyo.com/kizuki-sama/quick_quotes_search/

Quick quotes search from rollyo. Maybe handy to have.

#12 Rollyo

Select...What not to wearOnline ShoppingYouTubeGoogleeBayCelebrity GossipTop NewsCNNSearch The Web

#11 Library thing part 2

I have opened an account with "Library Thing" and added some book titles that I have enjoyed. This is another site where you can truely "lose yourself".
There is just so much information and things to look at and play with. Looking at what other people enjoy reading, suggestions on what you might like to read and what you wont enjoy (unsuggestions).

#11 Library thing

#10 Warhol style

http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/warholizer.php
Love it!!

# 10 Generators

I visited Blues Name Generator and my blues name is...
`Strummer´ Nina Parsons! How cool is that!

http://www2.capitalgold.com/staticweb/EdFeatures/goldblues/

I visited Letter James and graffittied a wall.

http://www.letterjames.com/start.php?Tr5OlCX091dd02K8ah8Ppbev9YI2B5

At http://www.dylanmessaging.com/create the Dylan message generator. It is lots of fun making Dylan hold up silly words.

I think I could spend days playing with these Generator sites.

# 9

Interesting things found searching bloglines about librarians.
http://librariansmatter.com/blog/
This is a blog from Kathryn Greenhill from Fremantle, Western Australia. She actually gave participants at a conference an overview of what Library 2.0 is about. An interesting blog.

http://technogeekery.blogspot.com/ is from Carol Cooke. "This came across my desk today from the Toronto Star "Facebook banned for Ontario staffers". The staff this refers to are Ontario Public Service employees. Can you believe that MySpace wasn't banned as well? I wonder why?"

One of my favorite finds so far is http://librarystories.blogspot.com/
That is where the library bag comes from.
It has an article from Geeks are Sexy on "how to get rid of those clients are are just a plain ol' pain in the tuchis (or however you want to spell it)".

Also of interest, Mango is a new site that lets you take language lessons for free. The site has just launched in beta.

New & Noteworthy Paperbacks from the New York Times

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9503E0DA1631F932A25752C0A9629C8B63

http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/services/education/youthlit/readalert/

So much information!!!

#8 Bloglines pay off

I subscribed to a few RSS feeds and I am very pleased with myself.

I found The Godmother By Carrie Adams HarperCollins, on the USA Today book review feed.

Here is part of the review:

By Ann Oldenburg, USA TODAY
Hugh Grant. It's impossible to read this book without envisioning one of the main male characters, Ben, being played by Hugh Grant. Ben is charming. Handsome. Caring. And married. That's Tessa King's problem. She's in love with her buddy Ben, who's married to Sasha. But that's not Tessa's only problem. The leggy lawyer is also godmother to four of her best friends' kids while she has no husband, no children and, for the moment, no job (sexual harassment issues arose at the firm).

The characters are complex: troubled, sympathetic and very different from one another. Francesca is struggling with her husband and her teenage son (Tessa's godson). Helen is trapped in a marriage with an obnoxious husband and twin babies (Tessa's godchildren). Billy is a single mom with a deadbeat ex and a sick child (Tessa's goddaughter). Claudia has tried for so long to have a baby that she doesn't know what else to do. And then there's Ben. Tessa's journey to find out what she really wants out of life coincides nicely with all of that.
Don't write this off as another one of those books about a whiny, self-indulgent thirtysomething yearning for the picture-perfect picket-fence world. It's not.

Then I found the book on the shelves at Korumburra Library where I worked today! Serendipity Doo Da!