Task #10: New Website

First things first, I got some more books for Christmas: see photos below. Awesome!

The new website is looking good. I like the catalog search box a lot--no drop-down menus to block it when you're trying to search! I like the easy account log-in box as well. It's great that both of these stay at the top of the page even when you navigate away from the main page.

I must say that the only problem I have with the drop-down menus on the "old" website is when they block the catalog search box (which, admittedly, is all the time)--otherwise, I really kind of like them. Am I the only one? On the old site, for instance, it only takes one click to get to get to "Premium Resources A to Z," while on the new site it seems to take two clicks. On the other hand, you can see the Events calendar at a glance on the new site--zero clicks. That's pretty slick.

Speaking of the new Events calendar, I think it is vastly improved over the old one because of its calendar-like layout. With the old one, it was easy to get mixed up about what day you were looking at.

I think the two clicks to the "Premium Resources A to Z" issue I mentioned above is an isolated incident because everything else seems to be easier to get to. I like the footers because everything seems to be there without having to dig (it's organized logically--yay!), and it looks really sharp.

I think, like anything, a lot of people (staff and patrons alike) may need some time to get used to the change, but in the end, I think everyone will embrace it as a vast improvement over to old one.

Task #9: Universal Class and Life Enrichment

Universal Class looks like a great resource. I didn't actually sign up for any classes or for an account, though. I'm just not ready for any kind of structured learning right now (it's only been a year since I finished school--I need more time).

It looks like there are some great life-enrichment courses that would be fun to take, for instance: "Dog & Cat First Aid, Care & Maintenance," "How to Can, Freeze, Dry and Preserve Food" (although, if I had named the course I would have called it "How to Can, Freeze, Dry and Otherwise Preserve Food"--I think "Otherwise" adds something special, don't you?), "Soap Making 101," "Therapeutic Bathing 101" (I noticed that under "Other Related Classes in Alternative Medicine," it listed "Sewing 101"--Really? I did not realize that sewing was alternative medicine), "Birdwatching 101: Food, Feeders and Behavior," "Braiding Hair 101" ("...for the aspiring hair braiders who would like to start a hair braiding salon"--????), "Animals for Everyone: Penguins," "American Literature Review" (oh wait, I have a degree in lit, maybe a "high school level" course wouldn't be that enriching--hmm...), and "Horseshoeing Basics: An Overview."

I must say I was surprised that there was no basic course specifically geared towards first-time home-buyers under the Real Estate Section. There was a course entitled "Eleven Best Kept Secrets to Buying Real Estate," but it seems to maybe focus more on investing in Real Estate than on the needs of a person who just wants to buy a house and has never done it before.

One thing I noticed that would be especially great for patrons is the section on GED Training--I'll definitely keep it in mind to recommend to people.

As far as staff training goes, I found a course entitled "Basic Research Skills." Unfortunately, I am a little skeptical after finding the following sentence in the course description: "While some people might prefer books to be organized by authors, when you are organizing reference books." I'm sorry, but this sentence is not valid.

Task # 8: Español LibGuide

Another Webolution task, another quiz. This time, however, I only scored 80% due to the trick questions involved. I was able to go to the training for the LibGuide, so that was really helpful. As was mentioned in the training, if there's no one available to translate, we can bring this LibGuide up on the computer and turn the screen so a Spanish speaking patron can read and hopefully get the answers he/she needs. I really like that suggestion, and will definitely utilize it if the situation arises.

Task # 7: A Little Thing I Like to Call "the Future"

I like the idea that if your computer were to crash, explode, etc., you wouldn't lose all of your important files--rather than being confined to the ticking time bomb that is your computer, these files are floating in a cloud of safeness that hovers above you wherever you go. I also appreciate the comparison of cloud computing to email, because they really do operate under the same principle. I'm with Book Lush, though--I don't really have a huge need for this kind of elaborate file management. Google Docs and Dropbox seem like they'd be more suited for a business than for personal use (especially if you're going to actually be paying for extra storage space--I don't believe in accruing unnecessary monthly obligations--it feels like you're selling yourself into indentured servitude).

When I was first married (two years ago), we didn't have internet nor did we have a printer (nor did we have Microsoft Office, for that matter--which meant I got very good at saving in compatibility mode--except this one time, but my professor was very understanding), and so I would have to save my papers to a flash drive and get to school early enough to go to the computer lab and print out my paper before heading to class (this was most especially tiresome when I had to print out multi-paged handouts for the entire class). So, would Google Docs or Dropbox have been able to make my life easier back then? No, because they require Internet access and I didn't have it at the time. Okay, so the next semester I had internet access but still no printer. I would routinely email my papers to myself and then go print them out at the school. Would Google Docs or Dropbox have been useful for me then? Maybe, but I don't see why they would have been any easier to use then my own email. The email with my essay in it would have been the most recent one in my Inbox, so it's not as though it would've been difficult to find. In Lit classes, we didn't really do group projects (like in Education classes where you do group projects all the time, gag), so the file sharing features of Google Docs wouldn't have been of much use to me in that regard, either.

Here at work, we have our share drive which is pretty awesome. It is incredibly convenient to be able to access my projects from any staff computer. I could see how being on the cloud would be a comparable alternative to being on a server, but it would have its pros and cons: you could access it from any computer rather than being confined to certain computers, but I imagine you'd have to sign in to an account each time you access your area of the cloud, whereas with the server, you just have to be on a member computer. Another drawback is that you wouldn't be able to access the cloud without the internet.

I feel obligated to mention that I have actually used Google Docs' file sharing feature thanks to my sister. Last year, prior to Christmas, she came up with the idea of us all adding our wish lists to the same Google Doc. That way, we could not only see what our family members actually wanted but we could also place a mark in the field indicating that an item had been purchased and this way no one would get an unwanted gift or duplicate gifts. Yay!

I could see using Google Docs (because I already have an account with Google) to save the occasional "important" file rather than simply saving it in my gmail because it would make it easier to find for sure. And if it ever were to come up, I wouldn't have any problem telling a patron about these options.

Task # 6: People and the Helping of Them

I got a 100% on the quiz. Yay! I don't think there were any answers that surprised me.

A patron calls and is wondering if there will be someone who can help him put together a resume when he gets to the library in a few minutes (he has little to no computer skills and has never written a resume before). You would: *

A) Suggest that the Workforce center might be a good place for him to get assistance.
B) Tell him yes, there will be someone at the downstairs information desk who would be happy to assist him.
C) Suggest the Book-a-Librarian feature we offer and help him fill out the form if he's interested.
D) Recommend that he use Optimal Resume which can be accessed through our website, and suggest books on resume writing.
E) Tell him about the computer classes we offer.

*Feel free to combine more than one answer to be of the most help to the patron.

I will never divulge the answer--never (but seriously, if you think it's B, I sincerely hope that you're never scheduled in the call center when I'm at the PC desk).

Extra Credit #2: The Key to Enslaving the Human Race

A Google a Day = tons of fun. I would have to agree with Cinephile Femme about the Paul Revere question, though. It was kind of ridiculous--seriously, seriously ridiculous. The first question I encountered, however, was the one about the painting done by the inventor--first off, I knew (or was reasonably sure) that "What hath God wrought!" was the first message sent on the telegraph, so I searched Samuel Morse and read about him and his paintings--i.e., I only had to do one search to find the correct answer and was very proud of myself. Also, I knew that name of the colony from which the residents mysteriously disappeared was Roanoke--so I got to skip a step on that one as well. Yay! Since I'm not in school any more, I need these small affirmations. I tried several other of these Google "puzzles" (while I was working at the Orchard Mesa branch) and had great success with the exception of the cursed Paul Revere query.

In addition to being great fun, A Google a Day was very informative. For instance, I learned that "Popcorn smell has an unusually attractive quality for human beings" (I got this quote from where else but wikipedia, where it seems most of the solutions can ultimately be found--except the Paul Revere one, of course). I've never thought that much about popcorn's smell before, but wikipedia is right--our (the human race as a whole) affinity for the aroma of popcorn is kind of extreme. Think about it, we go where that smell is, we follow it--even if it were to lead us over a cliff, we would still follow it. If our senses tell us that our beloved popcorn has been burnt by some negligent microwave operator, we become incredibly offended and insulted and that person is never allowed the sacred job of tending to the popcorn again. It has a hold over us. If life forms from another planet wanted to enslave the human race, the key would be in the scent of popcorn--it has power. They would seriously just need giant microwaves with giant packages of microwave popcorn and giant theatre popcorn-makers and giant stove-tops with giant aluminum pans of Jiffy Pop and that would be the end of what is commonly known as the human race.

I would like my extra entry to go towards the down town gift card, please. Maybe I could buy popcorn with it.

Task #5: Paint Leprosy

Chilton library on-line is way awesome--if you're into that sort of thing. It has incredible ease of use. I was able to easily find a record of my Accord's recalled ignition switch (9/24/2002)--and verify that it was indeed the only recall on my vehicle! It didn't say anything about the temperature knobs breaking and falling off all the time, though--hmm. I don't think it's just me because I'm not that abusive towards my vehicle. It also didn't say anything about the faulty paint. Every other Accord like mine has the same paint-leprosy problem, so I know it's not me. I understand that it's a problem with the top coat. Kind of lame, but then again, if that's the only manufacturing fault with my vehicle, then I'm in pretty good shape. And, in a way, it's kind of liberating not having a perfect coat of paint--if I did, then I would feel obligated to regularly spend eight dollars on a car wash. This way I don't feel guilty when I don't wash my car! Plus, it rained really hard last night, so you know it's clean, right?

After looking up my car, I looked up my husband's truck. It has had no recalls of any kind. That's nice.

As for the Repair stuff, it's beyond me (for obvious reasons--I majored in English, I work in a library--need I go on?), but it's definitely useful for patrons coming in who know what they're doing. It's very detailed--for instance, it lists what questions you need to ask a customer when you're trying to diagnose a particular problem--and what tools you'll need, too. Then there are the diagrams--like I said, they are meaningless to me, but for those who know what they're doing, that's usually exactly what they need--and they can be found under Repair.

I've pointed patrons towards this resource many a time over the phone or when the hard copy for a particular vehicle was not available--there is no doubt that it is a valuable resource, and it's great that we are able to offer it to our patrons.

Task # 4 Really?

I just read a very fun article from the Dec. 2000 issue of "Consumer Reports" entitled "the new e-books." It's very entertaining reading--for instance, one model has a built-in modem so you can download reading material over the phone--no PC needed. Awesome!!! And both eReaders reviewed can hold at least 10 books at a time--Incredible! How do they do it?! Not to mention, they were crazy expensive. I think the basic rule of technology is never buy the first of anything--it will only get better and less expensive. . .

. . . Which is basically what the article "E-book readers," published exactly one decade later (also by CR) says: "They've never been better or cheaper." I just want to take a moment to say that I don't think Master File premier is very intuitive. I had so much trouble finding articles on eReaders. Typing in eReader or e-reader didn't bring up any CR articles. Typing in "e-Book Reader" was the key. Really, Master File Premier? Really?

Anyway, it seems like Kindle continues to be the best of the eReaders--unless of course you take in to account Amazon's insatiable greed which prevents library rentals. Really, Amazon? Really?

Now it's time for a fun story. A lady who was at the check out desk with a friend a couple of months back (she was not checking anything out herself) told me that she now owns a Kindle and no longer needs the library: "I can just buy popular books right from my Kindle and I don't have to wait like I did with library books." I don't think this lady realized what she was saying--if she likes to pay for books, then she never really needed the library to begin with--her acquisition of a Kindle really has nothing to do with it. There's this thing called a bookstore--it's been around for a while--and it, not unlike the Kindle, allows you to pay for new books rather than borrowing them at no charge. Really, Lady? Really?

Now, back to the CR article from December of 2010: First off, I feel like that's a little old for a review on anything electronic, but I'll go with it. Like I said, Kindle came out on top, but I wouldn't get a Kindle because of the lending issue. Nook is in second place, but Sony isn't even reviewed in this article. But then again, this is from an article that's a half a year old--and I've seen resent news suggesting that CR is now rating the Nook higher than the Kindle. Hmm. Then, of course, there are alternative options--for instance, you could use an iPad as an eReader. I think if I was really in the market for an eReader, I would get a dedicated eReader--the ideas of a long battery life and "e-ink" (not to mention a more reasonable price tag) are appealing. Of course, I would enjoy an iPad, but I don't think I'd be that happy using if for an eReader if I were into that sort of thing. Back to dedicated eReaders--since Sony was not reviewed, I peeked at their website to get an idea of the pricing--a little too pricey for my taste. And even a stylus is not going to get me to pay more (as much as I'd love to pretend like I'm going back in time--re: Palm Pilot). A stylus? Really, Sony? Really?

My decision, if I were hypothetically in the market for an eReader, which I'm not (see previous blog entries, most notably "Free eBooks and the Destruction of the Future"), would be to go with the WiFi-only Nook (I don't require 3G because I am not addicted to instant gratification). It's reasonably priced, it allows you to check out e-Books from the library, and it's got a way cool name--unlike, for instance, the Kobo--probably the reason we no longer have a Borders in this town (you can't just give your products stupid names and expect to stay in business). Kobo? Really, Borders? Really?

If I have sold you on the Nook, I just want to let you know some of the beginning steps to downloading an eBook to it from Overdrive. It would seem that the very first thing you will need to do is download Adobe Digital Editions. This is a one time deal, so once you have downloaded it, you should be able to check-out eBooks with ease. Choose which eBook you would like to check
out. Once you have done that, add it to the book bag, and proceed to check-out. Then you will need to type in your library card number and choose a check-out period. I hope this helps!

In the end, I have to say that I am still partial to book-books (the paper ones with ink-ink). The guy who did the presentation on the Sony eReaders sold me on real books. He talked about all the things people like about real books, and then failed to prove to me that an eReader could capture those attributes--I would like to see them make an eReader smell like a book.

Task # 3 Intelligent Telephones

In Jan. 2011, Consumer Reports published an article entitled "Best Phones & Plans." This article isn't necessarily about smartphones specifically, but it is about cell phones in general, and cell phones in general are becoming increasingly smart. That is why I think this is the answer to your query. Also, there is an article in the same issue entitled "Find the Best Fit"--also about cell phones, also has the word "Best" in it. Hmm . . .

Something I did notice is that I didn't get these results when I typed smartphones as two separate words. So that was kind of tricky. Hmm . . .

Extra Credit: This one was even more tricky than making smart phones into one word. How about "Izzy Quits Guns 'n Roses" for an article title from the first page of results for the 1/9/92 edition of "Rolling Stone"? That's right. Yay!!!!!

I would like another entry into the downtown gift card drawing. By now, you should already know my reasons.

Oh, and in other news, they really are making "The Hobbit" into a movie!!!!!!!!!!! (I wrote my high school senior thesis on Tolkien--I guess I'm kind of a nerd.)

This One's for David, or, Sad Day

It's a sad day MCPLD. I echo the sentiment of the little dog in check-out: Don't go, David. I find it strange that right after Borders has closed, David is moving away--coincidence? I leave that for you to decide.

Well, this one's for you, David.

#2 and 80's Day

I'm graduating this Sunday. Well, actually, I graduated in December, but commencement is this Sunday--kind of anti-climatic. Anyway, I am now a BA just like Anne of Green Gables. I'm really happy to be done with school. I do not miss the homework or the papers or the late nights writing the papers. One thing that I do miss, however, is being graded. Good grades are pretty validating. That is why I enjoyed this task so much. I got a 100% on the website scavenger hunt!!! Yay! I knew right where to go for the grocery bag question, too.

As excited as I am about graduation, I think I may actually be more excited about 80's day tomorrow.

Here's a little music to help get you in the mood.

Task #1: Create a Blog, check

Hello, one and all! I would like to start out by saying that I would like to be put into the drawing for the down town gift certificate. If you have read my blog in the past (most notably my post from June entitled Free e-Books and the Destruction of the Future) you will no doubt understand my reasons for not particularly wanting a Sony e-reader.

Note the awesome books shown on the left (Penguin Classics is publishing these amazing linen hardbacks--I want them all). How could you not prefer real books to e-Books when real books are so wonderful? In addition to reading real books, you can actually place them on a bookshelf and bask in their stately beauty and excellence. You cannot do that with e-Books. These fabulous hardbacks are one of the reasons I have no interest whatsoever in an e-reader and wish to be placed in the drawing for the gift certificate. Not that it really matters--I never win drawings anyway.