Exploring Google

Had a great time trying all the features. I am in the midst of planning a vacaton and found the Maps feature extremely helpful. One little “whoa” when I clicked on Satellite – the area I am thinking of visiting looks an awful lot like the moon – except it is green. I am looking for “medium challenge” not scary and nose bleed level! 

I like the News page layout – very user friendly. Easy to scan the clips and move from article to article. A news story I was reading in the Wall Street Journal was covered so much better in the publication Google selected. I got all the facts, clearly laid out, with about half the text of the wordier WSJ version. Downside is it’s hard to stop reading…

Wish I had tried Product search before I went Christmas shopping. Could have saved a little money, I think.

In Google book search I found a book I read as an 8th grader which over the years I have recommended to others but it has never been available.  My target readers are a little long in the tooth now, but  I still think they should read it.

You can spend hours in Google.  Amazing. and easy to use.

I created a Wiki

I created a Wiki and it wasn’t hard following your inst instructions. I don’t know how well I would do without them. I think this would be a lot of fun for our patrons in gerneral but how about for “interest groups” There could be a wiki group – similar to this Great 8 experience where the participants are walked through the process – baby steps – and gradually enabled to move on on their own.

I “IMd”

OK – I tried Ask Away and found it so easy and helpful that I am going to suggest it to anyone with a nagging question (watch out, librarians). Its very satisfying to get an immediate response to each query. I was so happy with the exchange that I almost signed off “LAL” (Love and Lollipops was very big in the olden days!)

Podcasts

I listened to this while at the TA desk so I had to wear headphones – really shuts out the world. I finally had to stop and continue later in my own office. I am afraid wearing the headphones caused my jaw to drop and the eyes to go glassy – a bad look. My affect had nothing to do with the podcast – http://www.librarybeat.com/longshots - I was impressed by Sarah Long as an interviewer.

Podcasts can be used at the library for training, meeting sharing and promoting our events and programs.

Me and Baby Jean

Last week we went to Kiawah Island, S.C., on a family vacation – Jean, Mom and Dad and Grandpa (Shel) and Grandma (me.) We sat on the beach, splashed in the surf, built up sand castles, broke down sand castles, saw baby aligators, ate grapes, went bike riding, yada, yada AND saw hours and hours and hours of Dora the Explorer – “Dawa!” I noticed once, while Jean was watching Dora, she absentmindedly balanced her pacifier on her big toe and then brought all up to her mouth. Very impressive move – but hard to do. Just try it and you’ll see what I mean.

Databases I have known

I tried Ancestory Library Edition. I cannot praise enough those patient souls who compile detailed family histories. They are heroes! I spent an hour and a half and the only thing I found was that my maternal grandfather registered for the draft in 1942 at the age of 55! He used to refer to himself as “Johnny Myers, 100% American kid!” I guess he meant it. By the way, we won the war without Grandpa – they never called him!

Denver Public Library promotes it summer reading program

I thought this video was really cute and I particularly liked the music – “Hot Girls..”  How about it YS – you girls could pull this off. Which one of you is a roller blader?

Kiawah Island Wildlife

Kiawah Island Wildlife

Originally uploaded by Garlic Kat

This is what I will be looking at in 48 hours!

Thank you Flickr for showing me the beautiful sights I am going to see on vacation!

Me and Baby Jean

Friday, 10/3, con’t – Well we had a very good afternoon. Jean was napping when I arrived so after I ate my lunch I thought I would take a little nap too. Just as I was drifting off,  Jean’s Dad – who has a home office and pops in to check on us – was afraid she was sleeping too long and he woke her up.  Well that was OK – she was glad to see me (translate: she smiled and gave me a hug). We read a couple of stories and then got dressed to go for a walk. We tried one playground but that was too crowded so we walked over to the lake and found another playground with just 2 or 3 children, which was just right (the last story we read was “Goldilocks and the Three Bears – the syntax seems to have stayed with me.) Jean had a great time running up the ramps, climbing the stairs and going down the slides. There was one tense moment when she wanted to climb thru a tube to the hightest level and go down the twisty slide. She scampered thru pretty well but the platform she came out on had a couple of open areas and I was afraid she might fall. The only way to reach her was thru the tube – I was frantically trying to get to her but kept sliding backwards – plus the tube was a little snug – just as I came bursting thru – Jean sat down on the top of the slide and pushed off. I had to get down to where she was before she started off toward the lake or the street, so back I went into the tube and down the ramp! We stayed in the playground until a group of pre-teens came along tossing a football. Jean was really attracted to them and wanted to be right in their midst. Since they obviously regarded her as an obstacle to run over, knock down, etc.. I decided it was time to move on. We walked about 6 or 8 blocks and then stopped at Starbucks. Jean had not had her afternoon snack (I forgot to give it to her before we left the house) so I thought we could share a yogurt parfait. Jean has not learned “share” yet – she ate the whole thing. Then she was so peppy she WALKED the whole way home. We played in the courtyard until her Dad came out to bring us in (too noisy?) When Mom came home, Jean’s parents took up my offer to extend the babysitting and they went out to dinner. Jean and I enjoyed the rest of the evening with dinner, bath and story time. There were a few tears – when Mom and Dad left, when Grandma told Jean she did not need her pacifier and when Grandma did not want Jean to take a library book to bed with her. When Jean finally went to sleep – face down with her head between her knees – ouch – she was armed with a bottle, 2 pacifiers AND a library book. I was just eating my frozen pizza when Mom and Dad got home. I got home to my house around 10 PM. Shel asked “Did you have a good time, Dear?” and do you know what I said “Of course – we had the best day!”

Me and Baby Jean

I am going to take care of Jean this afternoon – her regular babysitter cancelled. What a break for me! I like being with her so much. I have to use Shel’s old car – the car seat never got moved to my car and we may want to go shopping. I am bringing a bag of books and DVDs and we have to fit in nap time and maybe a bath…….too much to do? I won’t be ready to leave when Mom and Dad get home!

Rereading this I see the entry is all about ME. Promise the rest will be about Jean (the interesting one) after this afternoons visit