tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-119775052011-04-21T20:55:31.537-07:00Welcome to Librarianna's treasure trove of library-related links. Find out what I'm geeking out about and where I go to get the answers.Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.comBlogger731100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-30011985807112220612007-12-31T14:00:00.000-08:002007-12-31T14:20:08.104-08:00

Happy last day of 2007! This month marks the tenth anniversary of my keeping a list of every book I read -- the grand total: I've read 691 books in ten years, 96 this year alone. I've had lots of fun this week looking back at a decade of reading habits. Here's your top-ten list for 2007: my favorite fiction over the past decade -- I had to narrow the choices down somehow, so these were all newly

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-35872931372413187292007-10-21T11:23:00.000-07:002007-10-21T12:20:47.986-07:00

My other half asked me to "go librarian" this week to help him settle a real-life Scrabble challenge type of situation: Matt heard a word he'd never heard before, used by someone who swore that the word was a real word. Of course, the only way to settle such a debate is to look up the word in a dictionary ... but does it have to be the "real" dictionary? Does a slang dictionary count?The debated

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-63133636181471594712007-06-06T12:29:00.001-07:002007-06-06T13:04:22.010-07:00

Is anyone still reading this blog? Sorry it's been ages ... again ... but I'm finally writing today because I've got a new obsession, and his name is TED. TED -- Technology, Entertainment, Design -- has been around since 1984 (read more about it here) and I can't believe I didn't know about this group until yesterday, because what they do is what I wish I did all day, every day.I've been reading

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-21381039618046577172007-04-01T19:14:00.000-07:002007-04-01T19:18:36.534-07:00

It's official: after three years and thirty-five job applications (I counted), I finally have a full-time, permanent position! And it's at the college where I've been working part-time/ interim for two years, so I'm beyond thrilled that I get to stay there, and here in Oregon. Now I get to re-direct all that job hunting energy to house hunting! :)

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-69072557996994387582007-03-09T20:50:00.000-08:002007-03-09T20:58:19.005-08:00

I just created a profile at Facebook (yes, on a Friday night, but I did go out to dinner first, so I'm not 100% lame. Only, like, 80%).Why Facebook? I was inspired by this great article at Slate , and I figured I talk so much about Web 2.0 and librarians being where their users are that I should finally put my ... forgive me ... face where my mouth is.Click on that picture of my face down there

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-43692046816255038562007-02-15T13:19:00.000-08:002007-02-15T13:30:16.900-08:00

The good news:Hey kids, check it out! New & improved blog functionality: hover over any external link to see an Ask.com-style preview of the page it links to (thanks to the free coolness of Snap Preview Anywhere).The bad news:Somehow, in installing this feature, I managed to lose my template entirely. I had to start over from the generic Blogger template, so I lost all the customized stuff I used

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-71928841969923706742007-02-07T09:53:00.000-08:002007-02-07T10:06:16.858-08:00

this amazing video from Kansas State's Digital Ethnography program makes you do three things:pass it on in all the Web 2.o ways you know howwish your own 2.0-y media objects were half as awesomepress play, grin like an idiot, watch it again, repeat ...

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1166665715610105582006-12-20T17:38:00.000-08:002006-12-21T06:55:03.996-08:00

Last year I gave you my top 25 reads of 2005. For the '06 yearly wrap-up I'll share my picks for other topics too ... but don't worry, every single one of these things has librarian written all over it!Top Six Topics for Two thousand six:PodcastsSongsWeb 2.0 ToolsMoviesModern MiraclesBooksPodcastsThanks to my surprise iPod, I got into podcasts in a big way this year. I listen to a lot of them

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1162068152843184312006-10-28T13:39:00.000-07:002006-10-28T14:43:56.400-07:00

One of the best perks of finally finding a full-time job is that I can now attend conferences ... that may like a silly thing to get excited about, but librarians really love talking to other librarians and listening to other librarians give talks.This week I went to the ACRL-Oregon fall conference, the theme of which was Resistance is Futile: Academia Meets the NeXt Generation -- it was, in a

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1161460479467107102006-10-21T12:51:00.000-07:002006-10-21T12:54:39.466-07:00

I know it's been awhile, but I have a really good excuse ... I finally got a full-time job!!!! It's an interim position, but it's mine for at least this whole school year. I'm busy, and I'm happy, and I will try to be better about blogging once the dust settles!Check out (pun intended) the WorldCat search box in the sidebar at the right -- find anything in a library near you, for free!

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1157743857774574942006-09-08T12:13:00.000-07:002006-09-08T12:44:21.993-07:00

I just had a Feel-good Librarian moment. An elderly gent came to the desk and said he needed "an extraordinary reference librarian." I told him I'd try to be extraordinary, but he was in the right place for a reference librarian.He was on his way to visit his granddaughter's class. He wanted a book about sounds for 2nd graders, but he didn't want a book about how sound works, he wanted a

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1157506775667436202006-09-05T18:34:00.000-07:002006-09-05T18:54:05.056-07:00

Hello there long-neglected blog .... sorry I disappeared for an entire month, but August got away from me.For half the month I was happily removed from technology, and the rest of the month was utterly unblogworthy, but here, anyway, is a recap of what I was up to: Visiting four National Parks in ten days: Yellowstone Grand Teton Craters of the Moon Mount Ranier Reading piles of

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1154726635669359662006-08-04T14:03:00.000-07:002006-08-04T14:23:55.723-07:00

So I was flipping through this book at work, and my funny bone was quite tickled by this passage on page 2.... if you're of a certain political bent, that sentence sure sounds like marrying him made her illiterate!

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1154638854748769932006-08-03T13:34:00.000-07:002006-08-03T14:00:54.823-07:00

Okay, so I heard about LibraryThing ages ago, and even recommended it to Pat, but, like so many of the new-cool-tech-toys I hear about, I didn't take the time to really play with it ... until now (oodles of time on my hands, remember?)Let me just say that my world has been well and truly rocked. It's this amazing toy/tool that lets you catalog your books online ... [if you're falling asleep

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1153876416256741162006-07-25T17:41:00.000-07:002006-07-25T18:13:36.316-07:00

I'm not working much this summer, 20 hours a week maybe. It's a major strain on our finances, but, I've gotta admit, it's pretty great to have this much free time in the summertime. I've been trying to "carpe the diem" and have lots of (free) fun. It's been ridiculously hot lately, so I've mostly been basking in the glory that is our central air conditioning and reading piles of books. But today,

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1153605516136217322006-07-22T14:58:00.000-07:002006-07-22T14:58:37.606-07:00

This week was more about explaining the how & why of things than answering people's questions. So instead of a Fun Fact, here's a What's up with...The question:What's up with the computer making me type funny letters?Vague enough for you? This is a very typical start to a computer question ... if you don't know much about computers, it follows that you won't have the technical vocabulary to ask

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1153001792366241032006-07-15T15:16:00.000-07:002006-07-15T15:16:33.356-07:00

Vacation's over (it was wonderful) and I'm back in action. Here's your weekly fun fact, because I know you've missed them!The question:How come the unabomber was called the unabomber?This one threw me because it's such a great trivia question, but I have NO idea. I'm surprised at myself for coming up blank, but at least I save face by being able to spell Kaczynski.The answer:Ted Kaczynski

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1151533375033334382006-06-28T15:22:00.000-07:002006-06-28T15:53:05.513-07:00

In exactly 4 hours I'll be on vacation for two glorious weeks (but blogging at work = the vacation in my head has already started!) I'm so very very ready to hit the pause button for fifteen whole days.Like a good librarian with time on her hands, I'll be bringing a big stack of books with me. Here's what's going in the suitcase:Non-fiction I haven't read yet by people whose non-fiction I love:

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1150578918970535892006-06-17T14:08:00.000-07:002006-06-17T14:15:19.000-07:00

So now it's Saturday and I'm working one of those slow public library sub shifts where I basically just entertain myself on the Web while I wait for people to ask me questions (it's quite nice to have no responsibilities sometimes).Anyway, I've just sucked away a happy hour at a site so good I wanted to share: Totally Absurd Inventions archives real US patents for really ridiculous things, like

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1150500592458696332006-06-16T16:13:00.000-07:002006-06-16T16:29:52.473-07:00

Happy Friday, friends! It's the last day of Finals Week at the college library, so, in a spirit of sunny summer fun (and to hide the fact that I was asked maybe three real reference questions all week), today's Fun Fact is light on the facts, heavy on the fun.Kate sent me a link to Etsy this week, a cool online store made much cooler by its shop by color feature. Go play ... itt'll knock your

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1149893550472581042006-06-09T15:51:00.000-07:002006-06-10T12:17:47.330-07:00

This week's random reference question is random because I'm the one who wanted to know the answer ... like when chefs cook fancy meals for themselves, sometimes I do answer my own questions.So here's my question, inspired by seeing a dead deer on the side of the highway this morning and wondering why it was still there:If you accidentally kill a deer with your car, can you take it home and eat it

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1149281461675298192006-06-02T13:10:00.000-07:002006-06-02T14:04:34.396-07:00

Continuing on last week's theme of person as thing, here's your weekly random reference question:The question:Do you have book of Jim Crow?The follow-up question:Are you looking for information about the Jim Crow segregation laws?The follow-up answer:I don't know what it means ... here is assignment ...Please permit me a diversionary tirade here: this was the second time that day that an ESL (

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1149042134202809372006-05-30T19:10:00.000-07:002006-05-31T07:26:53.076-07:00

Reason #5,675 why my partner is the coolest: he came home Friday night and surprised me with a brand new shiny black video playing iPod!!!!! (wonderfully generous and a master of some very stealthy money-saving maneuvers!)I've wanted one of these puppies ever since they first came out, so I'm thrilled to finally get a seat at the cool kid's table (even though I'll fill it up with books on tape

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1148655603346037072006-05-26T07:55:00.000-07:002006-05-26T08:44:53.070-07:00

This week's random reference question falls under the "never heard of it, once you hear of it now you hear it everywhere" category.The question: What's a Mary Sue?My follow-up question:Is Mary Sue a thing, or a person?The follow-up answer: I don't know ... somebody called one of my characters a Mary Sue ... but her name's Dionne.The answer (after several more rounds of follow-up questions):"Mary

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1147472102826125682006-05-12T14:40:00.000-07:002006-05-12T15:15:02.923-07:00

This time I'll tell you about the most coincidental reference question of the week.The reference question: I'm trying to find out the name of this painting I saw in the Picasso museum in Spain ... it's his version of that famous painting of the little princesses by another Spanish guy ...The answer, which I could give right off the top of my head, having read a book about this painting FOUR DAYS

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1147107800646557752006-05-08T09:41:00.000-07:002006-05-08T10:03:20.726-07:00

Thanks to my dad for today's topic!TIME magazine has published its list of the "100 people who shape our world." Dad sent the list in an email, with the challenge: how many of these people have you heard of? And do you know what they do?Before I link to the TIME list, which groups people by their occupations, let me give you the list like Dad sent it to me, without context:How many of these

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1146937263550219012006-05-06T10:22:00.000-07:002006-05-06T10:41:49.423-07:00

Oh the shame! One week into a new Friday feature, and I didn't get my act together ... thank you, Doc Smartypants for reminding me that people do in fact read this thing!Okay, here it is, the random reference question of the week:How many corgis does Queen Elizabeth have? Every time you see a picture of her she's surrounded by little dogs!Yes, the Queen loves the corgi. Ever since her father,

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1146621916437007222006-05-02T18:10:00.000-07:002006-05-02T19:30:56.440-07:00

Before I decided to be a librarian, I wanted to be a linguist (and I'd be both if I had the time/ money/ inclination to go back to school).I minored in Linguistics in college, and have kept reading about it since, because I love the way the study of language takes up both halves of my brain ... it's definitely science, all regimented and rule-bound, but it's very much also art, beautiful and

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1146264884193612752006-04-28T15:53:00.000-07:002006-04-28T16:31:21.003-07:00

Welcome to this week’s most random reference question! (An attempt to blog more often and to do something with the trivia clogging up my brain).The question: I need a book about Metacom.Sounds like a corporate communications firm, doesn’t it? Or maybe an astronomical observatory? Good thing the student remembered to tell me “he’s probably under King Philip.”The fact: Metacom, an Indian chief

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1143511987637103392006-03-27T17:33:00.000-08:002006-03-27T18:39:47.823-08:00

This story tickled my fancy today: Librarians Outspell NunsGood for the librarians, but I'm not surprised. The winning word, trinitrotoluene, is the long form of TNT, and TNT is exactly the kind of thing that public library patrons ask for information about, making trinitrotoluene exactly the kind of word that librarians have to know how to spell.To extend the explosive theme, spelling is the

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1143166644085968102006-03-23T18:14:00.000-08:002006-03-24T16:52:20.810-08:00

This post returns us, dear readers, to uber-nerdy Librarian Land ... but I think you'll agree that this tool is pretty cool.The term concordance usually refers to an alphabetical list of all of the words in a book, noting the locations where each word occurs (Shakespeare and the Bible have lots of concordances). New-school concordances have been cropping up online as tools to visually track the

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1142393699535952292006-03-14T19:00:00.000-08:002006-03-14T19:36:36.676-08:00

This weekend Matt & I bought the hot off the presses DVD of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Rabid fan of the books that I am, I really love the movies too -- it's so much fun to watch the kids grow up in "real time", and the movies just keep getting better.The fifth movie is coming up next, and I realized I didn't know anything about it at all -- my particular brand of HP fandom involves

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1141181838157041812006-02-28T18:47:00.000-08:002006-02-28T19:30:36.470-08:00

I know I blogged about the Ask search engine not too long ago, but they've gone and done something pretty cool again (besides getting rid of the butler).As part of its sleek redesign, Ask has incorporated excellent Search Tools on its start page. Try the Encyclopedia and Weather tools, but I want to talk about the new Maps & Directions feature.I've long since (in Internet time, so ... last year)

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1140573776311720632006-02-21T17:22:00.000-08:002006-02-21T18:08:11.586-08:00

The Newbery Medal is awarded to "the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children." Each year a committee from the American Library Association selects one Medal winner and several "runners-up" or Honor books.This winter I've been reading all of the Newbery winners, from the 2005 selection all the way back to the first medal winner in 1922. (The 2006 medal has

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1139347760336497502006-02-07T13:24:00.000-08:002006-02-07T13:35:20.483-08:00

Doc Smartypants tagged me for this one:Four jobs I've had: Movie ticket seller/ popcorn makerChurch receptionist Copy monkey Reference librarian Four movies I can watch over and over: When Harry Met SallyAnnie Hall Princess Bride Robin Hood (Disney version) Four books I could read over and over: Starring Sally J Freedman as Herself High Fidelity MicroserfsChronicles of Narnia (but only in the *

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1138326976325247492006-01-26T17:35:00.000-08:002006-01-26T17:58:40.170-08:00

Today one of my colleagues passed along this story from Search Engine Watch about the new & improved Picture Search at Ask Jeeves.The distinguishing factor here is that, unlike the pile o' pictures you get with Google's image search, the Ask Jeeves Picture Search tool offers suggestions to narrow and expand your search with related terms (just like your trusty library catalog!)I just played with

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1138159149495464222006-01-24T19:08:00.000-08:002006-01-24T19:23:17.640-08:00

I love that someone at ALA actually made Radical Militant Librarian buttons (and I actually ordered one!) in response to all this PATRIOT Act tomfoolery.It's perfect -- slightly superhero, a dash of political discontent, and a whole lotta fiesty librarian.And when Sonja sends me my Pirate button, my look will be complete!

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1137710605810465902006-01-19T14:26:00.000-08:002006-01-19T19:05:04.466-08:00

I just found out about these today and couldn't wait to join in the fun!Check out the other librarian trading cards at Flickr!

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1137277583703215932006-01-14T14:07:00.000-08:002006-01-14T15:12:21.646-08:00

I've kept a book journal since 1997, and every January I tally up the just-passed year's reads. I read 87 books in 2005, only 22 of which were re-reads (mostly in the bathtub and never library books).In 2005 I finally became a professional librarian, which means more and more people ask me to recommend good books, which means I end up reading more and more excellent books so I can make sure I'm

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1137116518771337362006-01-12T17:37:00.000-08:002006-01-12T17:41:58.790-08:00

Okay I know I haven't blogged in eons, but just keep your pants on (people who shall remain nameless) I'm working on it!Tune in this weekend and I should have something to show you.

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1135131512282551812005-12-20T18:02:00.000-08:002005-12-20T18:18:32.303-08:00

You know you're a librarian when you have to stop cutting out a construction paper mouse to go fix a computer mouse.Just a little snapshot of the part of my day that takes place in the kid's room of a public library! Obviously, because the college library part of my day goes more like this:You know you're a librarian when you read the entire software manual before asking someone else if they know

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1133494859272329502005-12-01T19:19:00.000-08:002005-12-01T19:40:59.396-08:00

I've been trying to think of something to blog about to kill my last 40 minutes of work (SWOTD! Shameful Waste of Taxpayer Dollars!) but I just remembered I said I'd be talking more about, just, life. And there's lots of it right now, so this will be almost entirely un-library-related blog post (shocking, I know).Sadly, firstly, Matt's grandpa died last weekend. He was 96, and still lived by

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1132715310320758792005-11-22T18:29:00.000-08:002005-11-22T19:08:30.356-08:00

I have long feared being outed for my utter ignorance of world geography. The fact that I was never actually taught geography is no excuse, and the fact that I've been able to map all 50 US states since seventh grade is no consolation. I just flat out don't know where the majority of the world's countries are or what they look like on a map, and I've never bother to learn.Finally deciding to put

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1131504313444908882005-11-08T17:53:00.000-08:002005-11-08T19:22:02.026-08:00

I have long been a proponent of directional signage -- when I worked at the shall-remain-nameless kopy kompany I stuck signs to every computer and printer I could. I'd a million times rather scotch tape neon instructions to a machine than explain for the fourth (fourteenth, fortieth, four-hundreth) time how that machine worked.But library patrons, paradoxically, while they visit the library

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1131064941743860772005-11-03T16:13:00.000-08:002005-11-03T16:45:17.426-08:00

I fancy myself to be up on all the cool new ways to search the web, but I hadn't seen Grokker until yesterday. And in 24 short hours it has become my new go-to search tool.Grokker is a search engine that returns results "in topically organized visual maps." So instead of a long list of text with links, you get a relevancy-ranked map of circles. Think junior high math class and Venn diagrams.[Go

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1130897224400591682005-11-01T17:44:00.000-08:002005-11-01T18:08:39.383-08:00

Thanks for the input, folks -- identity crisis averted, from now on I'll be more chatty on my blog.Starting with a confession: I've been distracted at work for the last half hour because have you ever hit "next blog" at the top right corner of a blogger blog? Don't do it unless you want your mind blown and your time sucked away!I get that what's happening is a little piece of code generates a

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1130465574075573042005-10-27T18:52:00.000-07:002005-10-27T19:12:54.096-07:00

Attention all you friendly people who regularly visit my blog, either because you know me or you know someone who knows me and kindly mentions me at his/her own blog:I need your help.Librarianna is having an identity crisis. Not Librarianna the cyber-alter-ego of librarian Anna, I mean Librarianna the blog. Librarianna the person is A-OK. Librarianna the blog is very confused.Because when I

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1129236677400418822005-10-13T13:42:00.000-07:002005-10-13T13:51:17.406-07:00

Add another stop to your daily blog tour: I'm now contributing to NexGen Librarian, a blog by & about young librarians."NexGen" (or "NextGen") is a pretty common term in library land, describing Gen-X and Gen-Y librarians for whom computers have never been scary, and shushing has never been fun. I'm sure that other fields have a similar old-school/ new-school divide, but librarianship is pretty

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1128048139796593352005-09-29T19:33:00.000-07:002005-09-29T19:42:48.116-07:00

If I don't post for awhile it's because I'll be in SCOTLAND!Matt's best friend Tucker is getting married in St Boswells in this ancient border abbey, and Matt gets to wear a kilt.So much excitement I can barely contain myself! Bye!!!!

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1127515769273778992005-09-23T14:44:00.000-07:002005-09-23T15:49:29.296-07:00

Kate blogged about being bored with the Web, because, she said, after email and blogs, what else is there really? When I get bored of my usual Web routine, I like to learn a little something about something I don't know anything about. Add these go-to powerhouses of information-laden joy to your surf cycle and learn something new every day:Wise Geek defines weird but common things like HVAC,

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1124493298675659412005-08-19T15:24:00.000-07:002005-08-19T16:19:41.576-07:00

So I blogged a little while ago about BookCrossing, the world-wide project where people leave their already-read books in public places for new readers to find. The guy that started it got the idea from Where's George, which tracks dollar bills in the same way.Today a lady with out-of-state license plates came into the library. She wanted to use the Internet, and once online she proceeded to pull

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1124310811301158202005-08-17T13:25:00.000-07:002005-08-17T13:33:31.306-07:00

Sonja, whose corner of the web is a labyrinth of time-sucking joy, did this for me, so now here it is for any of you who dare to perpetuate yet another meme:1) Reply with your name and I'll respond with something random about you.2) I'll tell you what song/movie reminds me of you.3) I'll pick a flavor/color of jello to wrestle with you in.4) I'll say something that only makes sense to you and me

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1123879204736050922005-08-12T13:13:00.000-07:002005-08-12T13:40:04.753-07:00

I've mentioned before that I play fantasy football. Yes, I do, strange but true. And this Sunday is draft day for my league ... of four people. None of us is quite hard core enough for the tons-of-players giant money pot style ffootball, but we still take this quite seriously, so a tiny 2-couple league is just fine with us.So now I have two days left for pre-draft strategy. I've been swimming in

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1123524775733994252005-08-08T10:29:00.000-07:002005-08-08T11:14:44.350-07:00

I've been reading Jared Diamond's mind-blowing Guns, Germs and Steel, which synthesizes the entirety of human history into pithy nuggets of brilliance that knock your socks off.I'm so into this book that I haven't turned on the TV much lately, but last night I watched the History Channel's Ape to Man, a special on (wouldn't you know it) human evolution that reenacts all of the major fossil

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1123108344832451702005-08-03T15:09:00.000-07:002005-08-04T14:04:17.433-07:00

BookCrossing is a project in the fun-loving one-big-happy-planet spirit of Where's George and PhotoTag.Participants tag a book with a BookCrossing ID (BCID), then "forget" the book in a public place where it can be found by a new reader, who then logs on and enters the BCID so the original reader can track the book.Way more fun than hanging onto all those paperbacks you bought in the airport and

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1122414475692233882005-07-26T14:30:00.000-07:002005-07-26T14:47:55.696-07:00

We have lift off!The Space Shuttle Discovery's successful launch marks NASA's Return to Flight after 30 months. I got all choked up in the car this morning, listening to the live lift-off and the cheers from the control room.After all the attacks this month, the fact that an international cooperation of this magnitude can actually happen restores my faith in humanity. Yay space!Check out the

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1122064748343124192005-07-22T13:23:00.000-07:002005-07-22T13:39:08.346-07:00

I heard about this on NPR yesterday, and it made my day. A Danish college professor challenged his students to apply the open source model to a real-world, non-technological idea. Their solution? An open source beer recipe. They named it Vores Øl, for "our beer." Read all about it here.Just like other open source projects, you're free to make it, sell it, change it, as long as you then share the

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1121190714176085272005-07-12T10:20:00.000-07:002005-07-13T15:10:45.066-07:00

As you all know (because since you care what a librarian has to say, you obviously pay attention to things like this) Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince arrives on Saturday.Needless to say, I can't wait. Neither can a lot of people, including a surprisingly varied cross-section of the people who come to the library. My absolute favorite part of my job this summer is getting to indulge in

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1120854801661334042005-07-08T13:19:00.000-07:002005-07-08T13:34:37.610-07:00

In honor of my recent spurt of three-movies-in-three-days 4th of July weekend cinema-going gluttony, here's a few of my favorite resources for finding out about films:IMDb - the Internet Movie Database The mecca for info on movie casts, crews, production details, reviews, and plot synopses.Film History by Decade Tim Dirks writes detailed synopses of the "greatest" films of each year, organized by

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1120695945545911072005-07-06T16:59:00.000-07:002005-07-06T17:28:22.786-07:00

I wouldn't call myself a sports fan (though I do play fantasy football) but I just absolutely love the Olympics. I was glued to the TV for the Athens summer games last year, and am already excited for the drivably close-by 2010 games in Vancouver BC.Needless to say, I've been following the 2012 campaigns for months now. Like all good Olympics fans, I had to pick a favorite. As a native New Yorker

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1118886004971850062005-06-15T18:12:00.000-07:002005-06-15T18:40:05.003-07:00

I hardly dared hope for this, but it's official:Despite yesterday's veto threat, the House passed Rep. Bernie Sanders' "Freedom to Read" proposal. This will amend the Patriot Act to require a search warrant before the FBI can demand the library records of "terror suspects."A good day for librarians, and an even better day for readers!

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1117677409914332862005-06-10T11:29:00.000-07:002005-06-11T14:15:19.736-07:00

This is a book meme that's being bandied about the blogosphere. It was fun to think about, and, I hope, fun to read:What is the total number of books I've owned?As in EVER? 2,000 at the very least … and at least 600 of those have moved back and forth across the country with me three times.What was the last book I bought?Now that I'm a "real" librarian I've been very good about borrowing books

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1118524056289448782005-06-07T14:06:00.000-07:002005-06-11T14:14:56.523-07:00

Calling for blogger tricks!Ok, I know you can't comment on my individual "daily bind" posts, but there is method to my madness ... sort of. Since the mission of this blog is to provide organized access to library tools, people have to be able to link to the Choose a topic.. categories from the main page.The only way I could make it work was to have a single journal post -- otherwise all you'd see

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1118523956123356072005-06-03T14:04:00.000-07:002005-06-11T14:14:19.783-07:00

Last night I went to see my friend Tara's thesis exhibition. She's finishing a Master's in Architecture. The exhibition was great -- room after room of intricate models and compelling posters and cutting-edge design. Lots of friends and family were milling about, congratulating the exhausted but exhilarated almost-official architects. One of Tara's architecture buddies, Wendy, was there with her

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1118523831506276592005-06-02T14:03:00.000-07:002005-06-11T14:12:34.213-07:00

Today I took a tour of the library where I'll be working this summer. Yes, that was library singular. After four months of working in a different library every day of the week (the grand total now is *nine*), I get to spend three whole months in one place, in blessed Monday - Friday 9 to 5 normalcy.I know there's no such thing as normal in a public library, and, sure it'll be summer and summer

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1118523697422685082005-06-01T14:00:00.000-07:002005-06-11T14:13:27.140-07:00

Well, you asked for it ... I've given in to peer pressure and will actually "talk" on my blog now, like everybody else does.My original plan for this blog was to bring together my favorite library tools in the dual hopes that (1) I could find them again and (2) they could be found and used by others.In essence, I didn't want to blog on my blog -- it opens up quite a can of privacy worms (how's

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1116621722261961712005-05-24T13:21:00.000-07:002006-07-22T14:29:04.723-07:00

College Libraries:Mt Hood CC LibraryPortland CC LibrariesPublic Libraries:Lake Oswego Public LibraryOregon City Public LibraryTigard Public LibraryOn the web:Open Directory ProjectNewbery Medal Winners Index

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1112987082899003872005-05-24T12:01:00.000-07:002005-06-11T14:10:43.453-07:00

Did you know Google can be a calculator? A dictionary? Soople - Easy Expert SearchSoople isn't from Google tool, but it is Google -- it's a super-easy interface to all of Google's coolest features. Extra useful for the not-so-Web-savvy!TranslatorGoogle's language tools include a translation feature. You can either type text to be translated, or entire a URL and translate an entire web site in

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1112986552985998222005-05-24T11:52:00.000-07:002005-05-25T09:37:59.040-07:00

A selection of great novels I've read and loved and read againHot off the pressesFrank Delaney’s Ireland Audrey Niffenegger’s The Time Traveler’s WifeContemporary fictionMargaret Atwood’s anything, especially The Blind AssassinAS Byatt's anything, especially the Frederica Potter tetralogy Dave Eggers’ A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering GeniusJonathan Safran Foer’s Everything is IlluminatedJohn

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1116006251308022762005-05-24T10:13:00.000-07:002005-05-25T09:59:19.610-07:00

Satisfy your lust for info about authors and the people that live in their heads. AuthorsJK Rowling uses this site to debunk all the frenzied and false Harry Potter rumors. This is just about the coolest use of Flash out there ... be prepared to get sucked in and kiss the rest of your day goodbyeNeil Gaiman updates his blog with incredible regularity for real-time slices of a writer's

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1112985016118771312005-05-24T09:39:00.000-07:002005-05-25T10:00:13.413-07:00

These projects are reimagining the way we interact with information. I'm geeking out on all of them, big time! Liquid Information Project By researchers at the University College London Interaction Center (UCLiC) and Doug Engelbart, the inventor of the computer mouse. Turns all text on web pages into “hyperwords"– as you read a page, you can “hover” over any word. The word becomes a link, with a

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1112986343122363382005-05-24T09:27:00.000-07:002005-11-08T18:50:21.906-08:00

What I'm reading right nowLaurie R. King's Mary Russell seriesJohn Irving's Until I Find You William & Mary Boston Alumni Erik Larson's Devil in the White CityBoston Book LadiesJane Austen's Pride and Prejudice Matty's Monthly Must-readChristopher Stasheff's Her Majesty's WizardBathtub BookLee Smith's Me and My Baby View the EclipseAudiobook in the CarJasper Fforde's Something Rotten

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11977505.post-1114791638548486782005-05-24T09:02:00.000-07:002005-06-11T14:09:50.480-07:00

Twenty-first century tools and toys no librarian can be without.Reference life-saversAcronym Server defines acronymsArtcyclopedia fine art search engineDigital Library System public domain still photosFamous Trials details of major court cases Google Scholar searches academic journals and citationsGoogle Uncle Sam US Government Kelley Blue Book for car pricesMovie Review Query Engine finds

Librariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15639075882933296237noreply@blogger.com0