Thing 23: Stumbleupon

The task for this week is to explore stumbleupon.com. So, I created an account, and selected a few different interests: music, painting, humour, cooking, and writing. The first page that came up was a list of "breakfast hacks"- which all look insanely delicious: crock pot french toast, hash browns in a waffle iron, and egg muffins. Granted, I am just a breakfast person in general. I would be happy eating any of those recipes, all day long. You give a thumbs up or thumbs down to the links that are generated, and by doing so are shown links that are more specific to your interests.

Here is another article that struck my interest: 30 Books I'm glad I read before age 30. This just gave me a few more books to add to my reading list. This website seems like a really fun tool. Just by popping in your interests and giving a thumbs up or down to the generated materials, you can find some really great links. This is a link to the artwork of Rashad Alakbarov, who creates works of art using shadow and light. I never would have found this otherwise.

On the whole, I've really enjoyed the 23 things project. While a lot of the applications I already had experience with, I made use of some great websites and learned many new things. Stumbleupon.com seems like a useful tool, especially if you are in search of new ideas or interesting articles. Scoop.it was also interesting to learn about. I had never heard of scoop.it before, and I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to use. It was nice to try something different each week, and even though I was already familiar with some of the applications, it was still fun to think of different ways to use them. You could use wordle to create your own home decor, and you could use pinterest to find new crafts for programs. All in all, it was a fun experience. It also stimulated a lot of discussion amongst our library staff about the different applications, and what their use value could be. I think that it was a worthwhile venture, and everyone definitely learned something new.

Apps: Week 9

I have a lot of apps on my iphone. CBC, NPR, the weather network, facebook, twitter, BiblioNB are among some of the apps I make use of. I probably tend to use twitter the most. When I travel, I upload a few podcasts from NPR to my iphone. When I workout, I listen to one of the myriad of artists that I have downloaded from itunes. I love the modern smartphone, because it allows you to be instantly up-to-date on news and community events. Of course, on the other side of that- you are also constantly being bombarded with information, advertisements, and in some sad cases- superglued to your phone. We do live in the age of technology, and are constantly looking for the better and faster alternative. Here is a link to mashable's best apps of 2013.

You cannot argue against the use value of a smartphone. It can be your GPS, your mailbox, and your telephone. It can also be access to your library, your social networks, and online shops. The downside is that people can be so enraptured with the newest piece of technology, that they can't resist looking at it during dinner or a class.

 I have an ereader app on my iphone (ibooks), but I must confess that I do not really make use of it. I find that the screen is too small and the backlighting can be irritating when reading for longer periods of time. I'm sure that with an actual ereader it is a much more convenient pursuit. In general, I like to have the feel of a book in my hands. However, I can see how it would be very beneficial to have an ereader. Especially when you are going on a trip, and are trying to save space. Here is a link to the best ereader apps for ipad and iphone.

Information curation/ sharing

This week I tried out scoop.it. I created a page for 'Great Films'. I used the newsfeed bar to select (or scoop) articles that I thought were appealing. I included Lupita Nyongo's acceptance speech for the film '12 Years A Slave'. I also included an article about Alfonso Cuarón becoming the first Mexican Academy Award winner. I used my love of film and diversity to highlight the strides that are being made in cinema, in terms of representation for people of colour.

I also used scoop.it to highlight recent films that pass the Bechdel test. To pass this test, a film must contain at least two female characters who talk to each other about something besides a man. Here is a link to ten films that passed the Bechdel test in 2013, via tribeca films. I have also scooped this article to my scoop.it page.

Scoop.it certainly is easy to use. However, I hesitate to connect my twitter account with other apps or websites because I don't want to flood others with advertising or unrelated content. With many online accounts, such as pinterest or scoop.it, they ask for permission to access your information and make posts on your behalf. I prefer to keep my accounts disconnected from one another, simply for the sake of greater security and privacy.

23 Things: Multimedia

The theme for this week is multimedia. There are so many new platforms to receive information from in today's world. Yesterday, I was in the car with my husband and we were listening to CBC. They were discussing a young acadian singer from Dieppe by the name of Caroline Savoie, who was competing on the France's version of The Voice.

Here is the interview with Caroline Savoie on CBC's Information Morning. She discusses the audition process and what it is like to be part of such a large television production.

It's so interesting, the multiple ways that her story has circulated. She went from being asked to audition because of her youtube covers, then had a skype interview, and then was selected to audition for the television show. Her story is circulating on the CBC website, through clips of the show on youtube, and through facebook. People receive their information through a myriad of platforms, and this makes things so much more accessible. Ten or fifteen years ago, if I would have heard her interview, I probably would have forgotten about it after 15 or 20 minutes. As a result of all the platforms for media, the visibility of the performance and of her story in general are heightened to the tenth degree.

This is Caroline's most recent performance on The Voice (France). I had never heard this song before. It is called "Wasting my Young Years" by London Grammar. It's a beautiful song. 

These new platforms for media have changed the face of advertising, journalism, and entertainment. People are more likely than ever to get their information from websites such as twitter or facebook, and also company websites. Our society is becoming increasingly invested in online comsumerism. This is changing libraries. Ebooks and ereaders are becoming increasingly popular, and websites like scrib'd or googlebook make it really easy to find information. University students probably spend much more time searching research databases and online catalogues rather then spending their time looking through the stacks.

I think that this type of access provides advantages for libraries. Library services are complemented by technology. Patrons can search for books online, place holds, and receive information in moments. This makes library services more efficient. Increased efficiency leads to better use of employee time and resources, which allows us the opportunity to improve collections and the quality of public service.

Some people speculate that libraries will eventually die out. What these people fail to realize is that libraries aren't dying, they are evolving. They are changing and growing, and developing new dimensions all the time. The use of ebooks and online catalogues exemplify this. There are many platforms for media, and public libraries have used these platforms to evolve into an entirely new experience.

Freedom to Read Week

This week I have been working on a Banned Book Display. I've been doing some light research on censorship, and it is kind of weird and surprising to see the works that have been challenged in the past. Mostly, because many of those books are considered today to be great classics. Fantastic works like Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" and books like "Catcher in The Rye" have at one time or another been challenged. Tolstoy's "The Kingdom of God is Within You" was banned in the Russian empire for being anti-establishment. "The Color Purple" by Alice Walker has met with multiple challenges in North Carolina (as recently as three months ago this was happening..)

This made me consider more carefully the justifications people use for censorship in today's world. I looked at the books have been challenged this year. If you are interested, this is an interesting article from the Kids' Right to Read Project and the top banned books of 2013.

What is the reasoning for challenging these books? At first glance, the listed books deal with race or lgbt issues. This shows that these are issues that our society is still struggling to accept. This is exactly why book challenges should not be taken lightly. These books offer learning experiences to adults and youth alike. This is why Freedom to Read week is so important. These issues need to be discussed. Especially in light of recent events, such as the deaths of Trayvon Martin and Jordan Dunn. Issues of race continue to permeate our world, even as people become more open and aware. Another example, "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chobsky is a beautiful coming of age story. It is an honest look at what growing up looks like, for kids from many different backgrounds. This book deals with themes of identity, sexuality, loss, and friendship. I feel like the only reason someone would challenge this particular title, is if they hadn't read it.

The list of the most banned books of 2013 seems to show many beautiful works that are having their literary merit discounted. Many of these challenges appear to stem from smaller and more rural communities. That in itself is worth nothing, as for many children of colour or lgbt youth, a book may be the first representation of themselves that they really have access to.

This is a great article on banned books via the New York Public Library.

That's all for now! Happy weekend!

visual tools: pinterest

Pinterest is a visual tool. It allows you to collect ideas and share your interests. Pinterest was listed in Time Magazine's "50 Best Websites of 2011". If you jump in and take a look, you will see that pinterest is essentially online inspiration boards. Many bloggers and entrepreneurs use pinterest as another means of reaching people. Artists on etsy.com use pinterest as a way to publicly share their work and drum up interest in their online stores. You can use it to gather ideas about books to read, places to visit, and recipes to experiment with. If you click on my pinterest button, you can take a look at a few of the different boards I've assembled and images that have piqued my interest. That's all for now!

Experiments with Wordle

I have experimented a bit with wordle.net, and I actually quite like the product of my efforts. I created a simple wordle using the surnames of some of my favourite authors. This is actually a very cool little tool. You could use it to create your own decor, or graphic designs. It's pretty simple, but the product looks great. It took me a minute to get the hang of it, and thanks to the help of my co-worker I think I have got it down pat. Until next time!

Images part 1 #thing4

Images are a great way to draw attention to a poster or project. For a blog, it can be a way to grab your reader's attention. Locating images can sometimes be time consuming, because you can't just use any picture you like. Copyright law dictates that the author or artist of any creative work has full creative license over their product. However, there are organizations that provide free content license such as Creative Commons. When you license your work with creative commons, you are granting people permission to use your image as long as they adhere to the terms outlined in the creative common license. For my purposes, I will use one of my own images.

This is the picture of a farm owned by a family friend. They raise horses, and they are beautiful. This was taken last summer outside of Fredericton, New Brunswick. I have always loved animals, and horses are no exception.  

Social Reading

Social reading is the new equivalent of reading in public. It's a way to share what you're reading, and how good or terrible it is. The website goodreads.com has a feature that allows you to sign in via facebook or twitter, so you can start sharing book recommendations with your friends. They have lists of great books for young adults, fans of historical fiction, and all kinds of different genres.

Social reading can also be a way to start a book group without leaving the comfort of your own home. Readups.com is a type of online book club. You can sign up with twitter, and get a book group going within minutes. This can be a great tool for university students to discuss readings. You can select something to read, set a timeframe for your group, and then start discussing.

I love a book that makes the world fall away. This past year, I discovered the works of Junot Diaz. He received the Pulitizer Prize for fiction for his immigrant-family saga entitled "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao". It is complex, multi-faceted, and an in-depth rendering of the immigrant experience. He shows us what it looks like to be entwined in the motherland of the Dominican Republic, and simultaneously living out the realities of immigrant life in New Jersey. He effortlessly combines these worlds. His short story collections are fantastic, and definitely worth your time.

If you are in search of good books, Booklamp.org is a site worth checking out. It acts like Pandora.com does for music lovers. Based on what you love, you are recommended other works in a similar vein. You start with a title that you love, and based on the elements of that story, you are recommended other books. For example, I started with "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" by Junot Diaz and was recommended other works that contained the same elements. You can also play with "StoryDNA" to adjust the elements that you are interested in. For example, the book I selected has five highlighted components: pain and fear, extended family, explicit language, deviance, and elements of time. You can adjust those elements to find books that are closer to your interests.

Social reading opens up a lot of different avenues for public libraries. Social reading makes it very easy to stay informed about new books and local authors. These resources can help patrons find books that their children or family members may enjoy. It can also help them find new authors and introduce them to newly acclaimed works. Most importantly, it helps spark interest in reading. Bibliocommons now has a social reading feature. You can log into your account, and make lists and comment about your favourite books. I did a bit of exploring, and have decided to post a list of my all-time favourites:
http://vision.bibliocommons.com/list/show/124175794_rania2/230892977_great_books

If you are looking for something new and great to read, this will give you a good indication of the books people are loving: http://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-fiction-books-2013

23 things... the second thing- #twitter

Twitter is a marvelous thing. It's kind of like it's own ever-evolving monster. I love it. It's a fantastic way to keep up with local news, weather, and cultural programs. It's also a great way to get a dialogue going about a myriad of topics, from feminism to your favourite television show, you can easily find people with the same interests as you. I have been using twitter for years, and it is a great way to keep your finger on the pulse of your community, both locally and globally. It is a commonly used marketing tool for companies, as well as an agent of organization for social movements such as the Arab Spring.

However, twitter can be a mixed bag when it comes to privacy concerns- as can any social media site. In the words of Jonathan Zittrain, "[...] if something online is free, you're not the customer- you're the product". Twitter is people talking- about global events, politicians, television, celebrities and the mundane. While it can be a way to reach out and learn about the community, it's also a device for marketing and self-promotion. Lots of authors use it to reach out to their fans when they are launching a book. Popular authors such as Margaret Atwood, Neil Gaiman and Anne Rice are all avid tweeters. It gives them a way to keep in touch with loyal fans and grow their readership along the way.  It's quite interesting to look at how the landscape of self-promotion has changed with the advent of twitter. This is a great article on twitter and literary promotion:
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/mar/12/mohsin-hamid-twitter-self-promotion

For our public libraries, there is no doubt that social media is a vital part of raising interest in programs and engaging our patrons. Twitter helps get the word out, and is very accessible for our library patrons. It's an easy way to let patrons know about updated resources, upcoming lectures, book sales, and storm-related closures. It doesn't require much time to post an update, and it can have a great impact. Twitter seems to hold a lot of potential for libraries. The more creative you are, the more useful it can be.

23 Things... the first thing

I think I was seven years old when I got my first library card. I have always loved books. I love the feeling of completely losing yourself in a story. As a child, my favourite days were library days. I remember having one hour on a Monday afternoon to pick out my library books for the week. I read everything I could get my hands on. When I read 'Little Women' for the first time, I was completely drawn in to the lives of those four young girls. I may have hated the book-burning Amy more than Jo March did.

Books have always been an important part of my life, and I think of libraries as an oasis. I feel very at home in the calming silence of a library. I'm not sure exactly what I'll be writing about here, but at the very least my love of books and the awesome ones that I am currently tearing through. I just started reading "Brain on Fire" by Susannah Cahalan. I rarely read memoirs, but I seem to be on a bit of kick lately.  Here is a review by the New York Times if you are interested: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/23/books/review/brain-on-fire-by-susannah-cahalan.html?_r=0 .

Recommendation of the day: "Orange is the New Black" by Piper Kerman. I just finished reading this book, and I thought it was fantastic.  You may have heard of the netflix series by the same name. I have to say that I really preferred the book. I feel like the portrayal of the women in prison is much more empathetic, and realistic. The book is thoughtful and raises important questions about the state of correctional facilities. The television show is a more dramatic and exaggerated re-telling of Piper Kerman's story, and while well-written and entertaining, lacks some of the emotional substance. While I enjoyed the show, I found the protagonist to be much more thoughtful and interesting in the book. CBC's Q did an interview with Piper Kerman regarding her experiences in the prison system, and it's worth a listen: http://www.cbc.ca/books/2013/08/the-real-piper-on-prison-and-orange-is-the-new-black.html

If you're out there, let me know what great new books have you excited about reading. We are thinking of starting a Teen Book Club at my library, and I'm trying to draw up some new and exciting young adult titles. Until next time!