Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Library 2.0
I think the phrase "library 2.o" is already losing relevancy as it is beginning to feel like a majority of libraries have already moved to include at least some aspect of social networking and interactivity to their websites; it certainly is true with large libraries anyway. As with other developments along the information highway, this new way of doing business will quickly become second-nature and we will move on to the next new thing (which I doubt will be "library 3.0"). My favorite new web service in use by libraries are the photo sharing utilities. Having always been a librarian who likes to visit other libraries whenever the opportunity arises, these new services make the busman's holiday easier to enjoy more often.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Woodlawn Park, Moorhead, Minnesota (#4)
... familiar scene ... I can almost guess the air temperature
Friday, November 2, 2007
Rollyo auto search
I chose a topic close to my heart ... the weather. Having been somewhat of a weather fanatic since I was a little boy, it is a natural rollyo subject search for me.
http://rollyo.com/mrbibliophile/weather_data/
http://rollyo.com/mrbibliophile/weather_data/
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Wikipedia (#3)
Just a short post about the wikipedia ... I have to say that initially I was skeptical about the reliability of the site for all the obvious "librarian" reasons. But after a lot of use and learning more about the site, I am a convert and I feel better about the information I find there ... although still skeptical about some of the content, it's not to a higher degree than I am with any other source of information (including the Britannica).
Monday, October 29, 2007
Favorite recent read (#2)
Grief ... by Andrew Holleran
A moody read about a college professor from the South who moves to Washington DC for a semester to work as a visiting scholar. The story's subtext is that he has taken the assignment to escape the home life which has caused him much pain following the death of his adored mother after a long illness. Much of the story evolves through a series of reflective experiences with his landlord in DC, his landlord’s small dog, a good friend who is also a colleague at the university, and surprisingly, the city of Washington DC itself. The narrator is gay and although never made explicit, the theme of loss and pain that he experiences at the death of his mother is revealed to mirror the shared pain of gay men in contemporary America who have lost their family of friends to AIDS. The narrator spends a lot of time ruminating on the biography of Mary Todd Lincoln that he is reading and very subtly Mrs. Lincoln's psychosis becomes his own. His paralyzing grief blocks him from creating new relationships and he retreats from emotional contact. Overall, the language is exquisite and the passages describing contemporary DC are thick with atmosphere. The author has a definite gift for language and readers will marvel at every turn just how well this short novel is written. While short on action and plot, the story is long on heartache and desire, and readers will find this book to be a literary gem.
A moody read about a college professor from the South who moves to Washington DC for a semester to work as a visiting scholar. The story's subtext is that he has taken the assignment to escape the home life which has caused him much pain following the death of his adored mother after a long illness. Much of the story evolves through a series of reflective experiences with his landlord in DC, his landlord’s small dog, a good friend who is also a colleague at the university, and surprisingly, the city of Washington DC itself. The narrator is gay and although never made explicit, the theme of loss and pain that he experiences at the death of his mother is revealed to mirror the shared pain of gay men in contemporary America who have lost their family of friends to AIDS. The narrator spends a lot of time ruminating on the biography of Mary Todd Lincoln that he is reading and very subtly Mrs. Lincoln's psychosis becomes his own. His paralyzing grief blocks him from creating new relationships and he retreats from emotional contact. Overall, the language is exquisite and the passages describing contemporary DC are thick with atmosphere. The author has a definite gift for language and readers will marvel at every turn just how well this short novel is written. While short on action and plot, the story is long on heartache and desire, and readers will find this book to be a literary gem.
Easiest habit of lifelong learning (#1)
PLAY is it ... learning happens easiest when an element of play sparks the learning process.
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