Pod/Vod/Nod-ing off

Okay, more experiences with GB Learns...and if I can stay awake, I will describe both. I listened to a podcast on Uncontrolled Vocabulary...chose one at random - Cranky People Make Good Audio. The topic was how Ask.com has announced layoffs due to a change in focus for their website and one person earmarked to go is a librarian they had on staff. So for the next 27 minutes - which I will never get back by the way - I listened to 4 people who have too much time on their hands debate how this affects "horizontal searching" (We did that in the 60's - looking up something in a volume of the encyclopedia while lying across your bed) I didn't learn much else from the podcast, oh, except - blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. It was reminiscent of bad talk radio that I often had to endure while riding in the family car as a child. Or even worse - major league baseball on the radio. Who came up with that idea - baseball on tv isn't boring enough, let's just talk about it? Now before I am chastised for dissing America's past time - and who decided that! - I must tell you I have some fondness for the game. My sisters and I went to more than a few White Sox games with my Dad as kids - surely prompted by my Mother who wanted a quiet afternoon to herself. It was great, we ate all afternoon and ran up and down the bleachers and came home with stomaches and horrifying sunburns. We could never tell you the score or even if the game was actually played, but oh what fun! It'd be even more fun to go now - I could drink a few beers in the middle of the day with no judgments.

I faired better at YouTube...watched a promotional video by a Merrillville, IN librarian - she was perky and informative and not annoying. Which is quite a feat since perky often equals annoying. With the right person, GBPL could do this sort of ad. Maybe someone dressed as Gail Borden himself. He could be standing in our new cafe - when it opens - drinking a glass of milk -okay, you don't drink condensed milk for which he is noted but props are always a good idea and we really don't know what the man drank. I did see a few library videos that were purely fun - look at www.youtube.com/kimhuston - she does one with shelving to music that's amusing.

Clearly, I am a print person. I love books and paper and school supplies like folders and index cards. I love mail. I read newspapers - on paper - and magazines, and I get every known major catalog. I do love email too, Amazon.com, and banking online. It's my generation - we have a foot in each camp, choosing the best of both worlds and so far that's working for me.

bookmarks vs bookmarking

Are you ever standing in line at Borders or Barnes and Nobles waiting to pay and notice racks of bookmarks? Often they are made of leather, have initials or famous quotes on them, or perhaps rhinestones and tassles. Who buys those? And who uses them? A scrap of paper works just as well and you can also use it to jot down a note to yourself. Of course I promptly lose that note but maybe you're more careful. I imagine someone must buy them or the store wouldn't stock them. Perhaps on Christmas Eve you realize great, great Auntie Dolores is not deceased after all and is coming to dinner with the family. So you run to the bookstore, grab a bookmark with an embossed D on it and hope doddering old Auntie Dolores believes you spent weeks shopping for such a personal gift. Once I did buy a package of bookmark pens -flat as pancakes that can hang on a page. I was all excited till I realized that I still needed that scrap of paper if I was going to use that flat pen while reading my book.

All the above to get to the my latest task - Social Bookmarking. I found librarybytes.com and added it to the Gail Borden Learns bookmarks in del.icio.us. I used the description "news about libraries and new technologies" and the tag gailbordenlearns. Did find useful stuff all over - 100 Free Library 2.0 Webinars and Tutorials...but also some scary photos of young adult librarians posing in costumes and with books to entice teens to join their summer reading program. (Is this behavior taught in library school?) Lots of libraries sharing program ideas is great and is what would bring me back to learn more.

ick

Today I made a Facebook page - the 5th in the list of tasks I am completing. This was my least favorite so far...I dislike intensely putting out any personal info into the public domain. My shredder works overtime at home to protect me from throwing away even the slightest bit of paper that might have my name on it. Yes, for this task, I could be anonymous - and was I ever. I denied access to anyone who was not on my friends' list. So right now only Johnny Depp can access my Facebook page. I figured that was safe, he's probably not actively searching a way to contact me so I needn't worry. Of course if he did, I would have some things to say. Like, you are cute and sexy, Johnny, but you always look like you need to take a shower - and wash that hair while you're at it, please?

I browsed the site but I shall not return to Facebook if I can help it and I hope reports of people spending tons of time there are exaggerated. When asked how libraries can connect with patrons using Facebook - I'm sure you meant customers :) -I have no idea. Maybe encourage them to come out from behind their computers and BE WITH PEOPLE? The photo I uploaded for my Facebook page is one of antiquated recording equipment. It was on my camera from a museum tour that I was on with my husband and friends - and that would be, hmmmm....real friends.

My musicians!

My musicians!
Originally uploaded by kgregoline

Well, photo sharing is a little more complicated than the last few GB Learns tasks.....certainly took more than 15 minutes. But you can't argue with success since here it is! You may see more photos of Nora as time goes by. She is a cutie and smart - reading already - and always has a plan of action for her day. She is currently taking violin lessons and karate classes. That sums Nora up - she has many interests and talents. Yep, this is a purely Grandma type post. My sisters are Grandmas too and we all agree having grandkids is a whole new ballgame. Is it an appreciation of how fast time passed with our own children? When Nora spends the week-end with us, she sleeps with me and Grandpa uses the guest room. Almost every time she has awakened in the night and we talk sometimes for an hour before she drifts off to sleep again. Last time we talked about friendship - in her little lifetime she already knows what makes a good friend and how to be one. We've discussed God and death and super heroes. I've learned a lot.