Wednesday, December 23, 2009

What's Happening @ Little Elm Library

12/21/2009
One thing that I always enjoy seeing around the holidays is lonely trees on the side of the road that have been decorated with garland and ornaments. I have seen two such sightings this year. One is on the right hand side by the bridge between the soccer building, before entering The Colony. The other is on the right hand side of the bridge when driving out of Lewisville on I-35 going across Lake Lewisville before you get into Lake Dallas. If you have seen any others, please share. Speaking of trees, we finally got our tree up this weekend. I guess this means I get to leave it up until the middle of January. I would like to know if anyone else has had a late start getting their tree up or have just decided not to have a tree at all this year.

One gift that lasts forever is the gift of reading. The Friends of the Little Elm Library and the Little Elm Public Library are partnering together to start Adult Basic Literacy Classes on Tuesday, January 5th. The classes will be held on Tuesdays from 6:30pm-8pm at the Little Elm Library and on Thursdays from 6:30pm-8pm at Button Memorial United Methodist Church. Call the library at 214-975-0430 for more information, class registration, or to volunteer to help. Registration is required to attend classes that are available for ages 18 and older.

I know that everyone is getting ready for the holiday so I will keep this brief by saying that our library staff wishes you and your family and friends a very safe and happy holiday. Remember that the library will be closed Thursday, December 24th through Sunday December 27th. So that you can plan ahead for your reading and listening pleasure, the library will be open Monday, December 28th and Wednesday, December 30th from 10am-5:30pm. On Tuesday, December 29th the hours will be 10am-8pm. The library will closed early on Thursday, December 31st at 6pm and will not reopen again until Monday, January 4th at 10am.

Stay tuned for next weeks update of all the exciting things coming up in January 2010. For more information about anything, call the library at 214-975-0430; email library@littleelm.org or visit the web site at www.littleelm.org/library.

Monday, December 7, 2009

What's Happening @ Little Elm Public Library

12/07/09

How is the holiday decorating coming? Do you have a tree up yet? If you don’t are you going to put one up? Do you put any decorations on your door? My husband and I have partially decorated the patio. I love my net lights because all I have to do is drape them over the bushes and wha-la, instant lighting. One thing I wanted to do was give the illusion of a couple of trees on top of a snow capped mountain. I was able to do that by turning a tablecloth inside out and draping it in front of a book shelf and then wrapping single colored garland around a couple of tomato wire trellis’s to give them the appearance of looking like trees. They are on top of the white tablecloth covered bookshelf. The front door cover is on my back patio door and I am going to put a different door cover on our front door. We don’t have a tree yet but it is on the to do list as soon as we make some room in the apartment.

Make sure to save time for reading in between decorating. New bestsellers added this week include “Ford Country” by John Grisham; “It’s Your Time” by Joel Osteen; “The Book of Basketball: The NBA According to the Sports Guy” by Bill Simmons; “Wolf Hall” by Hilary Mantel; “The Lacuna” by Barbara Kingsolver; “Kindred in Death” by J.D. Robb; “Pioneer Woman Cooks” by Ree Drummond; “Simple Christmas” by Mike Huckabee; “Under the Dome” by Stephen King; “Ice” by Linda Howard; and “Divine Soul Mind Body Healing and Transmission System” by Zhi Gang Sha. A new audio bestseller added is “One Simple Act: Discovering the Power of Generosity” by Debbie Macomber.

If you like pancakes then you won’t want to miss the annual Little Elm Lions Pancake Breakfast with Santa held at Lakeside Junior High (400 Lobo Lane). The breakfast is on Saturday, December 12th from 7am until 11am. Adults are $6 and children ages 6 and under are $3. Pictures with Santa are $5.00 each. There will be homemade crafts and retail vendors on site as well. Tickets can also be pre-purchased at the Little Elm Library for $5. For more information, email claudiahennebry@aol.com or call 214-683-7840.

Santa is coming to visit the library on Wednesday, December 16th during the toddler time (ages 1-3) that starts at 10:15am and story time (ages 4-6) that starts at 11am. Make sure to bring your camera to catch the memorable moment.

Other events that are happening at the library include a visit from Delta Society certified therapy dog Maggie at the 10:30am family story time and the 1pm knitting club on Saturday, December 12th. On Thursday, December 17th, the Little Elm Writers Group meets at 6:30pm.

Library hours include Monday/Wednesday 10am-5:30pm; Tuesday/Thursday 10am-8pm; and Saturday 10am-3pm. If you need anything, please call the library at 214-975-0430 or email library@littleelm.org.

Friday, November 6, 2009

What's Happening @ Little Elm Public Library

Little Elm Public Library newsletter
11/2/2009
Visiting the granddaughter was a new, exciting, and learning experience. First I learned that flying for long periods of time makes me queasy. Second, boy babies are not the only ones who get the urge to go to the bathroom when their diapers are off. Third, babies are unpredictable. For example, I was planning on taking a picture of my granddaughter and I in our pumpkin outfits on Halloween. Well, she had other plans, like spitting up three times on the outfit. So we took the picture before I left. All in all, the trip was great. Everyone is doing well, my granddaughter is a beautiful, well behaved baby and my daughter is a fantastic mom. It really does pay to try to set a good example as a parent.

In Little Elm, the third annual Lakeshore Fall Clean-up is coming up. The Texas Waterway Cleanup Program is a joint effort between Keep Texas Beautiful (KTB) and Keep Little Elm Beautiful (KLEB). The event will be held on Saturday, November 7th, at 9am. The location is the entrance of Johnny Broyle’s Nature Trail off of Lakeshore Dr. and Circle Dr. Bring hand protection. If you have any questions, please contact the Keep Little Elm Beautiful Committee at 972-740-6654.

After your morning cleanup on Saturday, November 7th, drop by the Little Elm Library and spend the rest of your day with us. At 10am, Credit Help USA will be presenting a free workshop (registration is required); Family Story time is at 10:30am; the children’s film festival is at 11am; Intro to Knitting Class is at 11am (a $10 registration fee is required); the up close and personal biography book club is at 12:30pm; the movie matinee, Toastmasters, and Crafter’s Guild is all at 1pm. Something for everyone.

Speaking of cleaning up, the One Bridge t-shirts are on sale just in time for early Christmas shopping or to wear during the Fall Clean-up. Shirts are two for five dollars. It’s a once in a lifetime deal for a one of a kind shirt. The sale ends November 19th and then they will be gone. This can also be a great stocking stuffer, literally.

Mark your calendar for all the events happening at the library on Saturday, November 14th. At 10am AARP will be presenting their Safe Driving program (fee and registration are required); 10am National Gaming Day; 10:30am Family Story time with Maggie the Dog certified through the Delta Society; 11am Holiday Craft fair; 11am Children’s film festival; and 1pm Saturday movie matinee.

Finish your day with a good book. Bestsellers added to the collection include True Compass by Edward M. Kennedy; The Scarpetta Factor by Patricia Cornwell; Blood Game by Iris Johansen; A Touch of Dead by Charlaine Harris; Evidence by Jonathan Kellerman; The Professional by Robert B. Parker; and Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls.

If you need to ask any questions or register for programs, give us a call at 214-975-0430; email library@littleelm.org; or visit our website at www.littleelm.org/library. We look forward to hearing from you.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

What's Happening @ Little Elm Public Library

Little Elm Public Library newsletter
10/26/2009

By the time you read this I will be in Arizona with my new grandchild. My daughter tells me they are wearing shorts and short sleeved shirts. This means I should be able to travel light, except for all the stuff I bought for the baby. The trick will be to fit everything in a carry on that will not raise suspicion in an airport. Wish me luck.

Some library programs that I wanted to remind you about include the all age (0-3), (4-6), (7-12), (13-19), and (adult) costume contest on Thursday, October 29th that starts at 6:30pm sharp, so arrive early; you can trick our treat at the library on Saturday, October 31st between 10-3; lastly, remember that the fall reading club ends Saturday, October 31st.

An event that I learned of that you might be interested in is the Family Fun Fest that Celebration Covenant Church is holding on Friday, October 30th from 7pm-10pm. Admission is free but tickets are $1.00 each for food, rides, and bounce houses. The event is at 8500 Teel Parkway in Frisco. For more information about this event call 214-387-9833.

Bestsellers added this week include “High on Arrival” by Mackenzie Phillips; “Arguing with Idiots” by Glenn Beck; “Have a Little Faith” by Mitch Albom; “The Perfect Christmas” by Debbie Macomber; “Her Fearful Symmetry” by Audrey Niffenegger; “Rough Country” by John Sandford; and “The Professional” by Robert B. Parker.

If you have not dropped by the library to see the winning posters of the Little Elm Fire Departments 2009 Fire Prevention Week Poster contest, they will be on display through Saturday, November 7th. The theme for this year was “Stay Fire Smart”. Congratulations to first place winners Christian, Lauren, and Aubrey; second place winners Nickolas, Olivia, and Pamela; and third place winners Brianna, Jacob, and Sophia. Brian Roach, Little Elm Fire Marshal reminds everyone to “remember to do your part in preventing home fires.”

For more information about anything, call a library. You can reach the Little Elm library at 214-975-0430 or email library@littleelm.org. We always look forward to seeing you.

Friday, October 23, 2009

What's Happening @ Little Elm Public Library?

I was able to talk to my grandchild the other day. Actually the conversation was a bit one sided since she was less than a week old. I was telling her how excited I was about coming to see her and all the fun we would have when I got there. I also told her that I was bringing some books to read to her and then she can keep them for her mom to read to her. That’s when she started to cry. I was not quite sure how to take that. But none the less, I still plan on reading to her. What are your favorite books to read to your children?

Speaking of reading, new bestsellers added this week include “An Echo in the Bone” by Diana Gabaldon; “The Professional” by Robert B. Parker and “The Year of the Flood” by Margaret Atwood. I am currently listening to “Look Again” by Lisa Scottoline about a mother who unknowingly adopts a kidnapped child. Good story so far.

Reading is for all ages and this week October 18th -24th is Teen Read Week. This year’s theme is Read Beyond Reality @ Your Library, which encourages teens and tweens to read beyond this world, for the fun of it. But wait, there is more! We are also part of the WrestleMania Reading Challenge held from October 19th 2009 through January 19th, 2010. The WrestleMania Reading Challenge is sponsored by YALSA and World Wrestling Entertainment. According to the American Library Association website “It is a program designed to encourage teens and tweens to continue their reading beyond Teen Read Week; by doing so, they can win prizes donated by WWE.” All teens and tweens have to do is read a combined total of ten books, graphic novels, and magazines and design a bookmark around a slogan that promotes reading. Reading logs and bookmark forms can be picked up at the library.

If you are looking for an early Halloween event for children, on Sunday, October 25th between 6pm-8pm, Alter Church of Frisco is holding Kandy Kraze. According to the flyer, there will be 1,000’s of pieces of candy and loads of fun for kids up to 12 years old. Alter Church is located at 9195 Preston (just north of Main in Frisco). If you know of other events, send us an email to library@littleelm.org.

Plan your time for next week too! There will be a costume contest for all ages at the library on Thursday, October 29th at 6:30pm sharp. The age categories range from infants to adult so dress up in your finest or freakyish to strut your stuff at the Little Elm library costume contest. Make sure to show up earlier than 6:30 so we can have time to get you where you need to be for the contest.

For more information about anything, contact the library at 214-975-0430; email library@littleelm.org or visit the website at www.littleelm.org/library. Follow our blog at http://littleelmlibrarypagebypage.blogspot.com/. If you follow the blog you can also go through my learning experiences of web 2.0 tools. At the blog page you can also sign up to become a fan of the library on Facebook. Just click on become a fan, then type in your sign in information for Facebook.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Method #12 Reflection and Evaluation

*First off, I enjoy the "in plain English" videos. Lee Lefever does a great job. Maybe my favorite discovery in this program was finding some good groups to join in the social networking lesson. It is very important to try and learn something new on a daily basis in order to provide the best service possible. My favorite exercise was YouTube. I can see how patrons can sit in the library all day watching them. *TSLAC's A Dozen Ways to Two Step program has enhanced what I learned during the North Texas 23 things program. I have set up accounts for the library in many of these applications and this learning experience will be helpful as we set up our virtual library in the future. *One takeaway from this program that surprised me was the number of social networking sites. I had no idea how many there were. I am thinking about ways to explore marketing our library and libraries in the international market through an international social networking site. * The way this program is put together is very good. Please keep the "in plain English" videos. One improvement would be to introduce the next level of 2.0. New sites that people probably have not heard of so that libraries can be ahead of the game with new concepts. *I would definitely participate in another program. Thank you for providing this opportunity and the CE credits.

Method #11 With Podcasting You Can Talk Anywhere

For this exercise I looked at a couple of podcasting directories. The first directory was the list of podcasting libraries in which I listened to two podcasts. Under Booktalks Quick and Simple, I listened to Todays podcast 10/14/09 that discussed Uncle Sam's America. They were right, it was quick and simple. One thing that I did like about the site was that I also learned about GoAnimate.com which looks like something I would like to learn more about and use with our library. I also listened to the Pro/con Presentation for May 19th Election podcast on the Sunnyvale Public Library site. It sounded like a taped meeting. The next directory I looked into was Podcast.com. I looked at the topics on the sidebar and chose kids and families where I listened to the parenting my teen show #48 where they discussed "sexting". I liked the way the speaker gave good teaser info in between general and show topics. For example, gave teaser info about the topic being hot, then went into general information about the show (when they broadcast type of things), then mentioned the topic "sexting", then went into a commercial, and then went into the show itself. My goal has been to podcast my weekly library newsletter and I am working towards that goal.

Method #10 Wiki Can Be Wicked

Funny thing, I had a hard time with this during the North Texas 23 Things training and I am still having a hard time. Though I am in awe of how others have used Wiki's because it does have major potential, for some reason it is still confusing how to get the information into the various wiki parts. I would like to put together some type of ready reference wiki but I need to understand wiki better. Another thing for my to-do-list :-) I did add a comment to the favorite fundraising page. Under recent activity of the Favorite Things Frontpage, I saw that people added and edited so I hope I followed the instructions correctly by adding a comment. Wiki's are so confusing!

Method #9 IM Chatty

Chat is not a new concept to me. I have tried it years ago and again most recently in various webinars and with a text referencing service that we are involved in called MyInfoquest. When the MyInfoquest libraries meet online for meetings, we use a combination of audio, online, and chat features. It is pretty high energy keeping up with all the various mediums and conversations. When I first tried chat years ago, it was not easy and I did not like it. Now that I have had more training and experience it is a lot easier. Chat/IM in libraries adds a whole new dimension of service. It fits in well with virtual library service. Though we do not currently offer this type of service we do plan to in the future. Currently we encourage people to drop by, call, or send us an email. We also have a Facebook, Twitter, and blog accounts to interact with people as well. After reading about Meebo, I think that would be a great way to start the IM/Chat service because you don't have to be tied to any certain account, it appears to interact with any of the services.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Method # 8 Let's Get Sociable!

Social networking sites are a great way to interact with others, including connecting with past and present colleagues and friends, making new friends, and keeping in touch with family. In regards to libraries it is an excellent way to reach out to both library users and nonusers alike to promote libraries. It would be great if someday everyone would either be physical or virtual library users and social networking is the way to make that happen. In regards to privacy concerns between private and professional life in an online environment, there is nothing wrong with combining the two as long as the personal information that you share does not reflect poorly on your employer. It is also important to remember that anything that is put into the online environment can be read by anyone. Our library is currently using social networking tools including Face Book, Twitter, Ning and a blog. We also have almost 5,000 people signed up on the library listserv. We plan on using more social networking tools in the future. It can be very time consuming but it is time well spent to promote libraries. I currently post my weekly library newsletter on our various sites once a week unless I get emails that let me know someone is following our tweets or wants to be added as a friend. I appreciate the various discovery exercises given on the TSLAC 2.0 because it enabled me to learn about other organizations and groups that I would like to join and follow. One thing that I really like about social networking is that others can learn about what you are doing when you sign up to keep up with what they are doing. Next thing you know many people are learning new things from each other!http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/profile.php?id=1131775397&v=wall

Method #7 Tags Are Delicious!

Tags are definitely more user friendly and laid back than regular subject headings that librarians try to adhere to. For example, in Amazon, funny was a tag used to describe an item whereas librarians would tend to use the term humor as a subject heading. Whenever I tag my work I try to think how others would look up the information so that I would get the most amount of hits. I actually set up a Delicious account when I took the North Texas 23 Things training and have been using it ever since but I did learn some new things with the TSLAC 2.0 as well. When I took the NT23, I bookmarked a lot of the sites that I add my weekly library newsletter so that I don't have to look each one up separately each time. In the TSLAC 2.0 training, I added Tampa Bay Library Association and TSLAC IDCEC bookmarks to my Delicious network because I saw a lot of good information. After reading the article "Several Habits of Wildly Successful Del.icio.us users" blog, I shared the website with my boss and other department heads and I also requested updates from the Bizzia site because it had a lot of good information as well. I am looking forward to using the information that I learned from both trainings to continue improving how I use Delicious and tagging.

Friday, October 16, 2009

What's Happening @ Little Elm Public Library

Little Elm Public Library newsletter
10/12/09

The most exciting thing happened on Saturday, October 10th. My daughter had her baby (named Annalia Irene, weighing in at 7 pounds 3 ounces). It is a good thing that I came into the 21st century by buying a new phone that has texting and other media capabilities. I was spending a lot of time texting her husband during the time that she was not in the mood to talk due to the labor pains. What was really psychic is that I had not texted for a few hours and then the next time I sent a text asking how she was, he told me she was delivering the baby. There is a lot to be said about a mother’s instinct and intuition. Stay tuned for weekly updates and I would love to hear any of your stories about mother’s intuition and instinct. I am also conducting a survey. For those of you who are grandparents, what do the grandchildren call you?

Bestsellers added this week include “Dexter by Design” by Jeff Lindsay; “The Lost Symbol” by Dan Brown; “Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman” by Jon Krakauer; “Pilgrims” by Garrison Keillor; “Have a Little Faith” by Mitch Albom; “Hardball” by Sara Paretsky; Perfect Piece by Rebeca Seitz and “Hothouse Orchid” by Stuart Woods. I am currently listening to “Hothouse Orchid” on audio and it is very good.

Speaking of reading, drop by the library on Saturday, October 17th at 10:30am during family story time and listen to stories while spending time with Molly the Schipperke certified through Therapy Dog International. At 1pm, visit the knitting club.

For a future event, mark you calendars for the upcoming business and craft fair held on Saturday, October 24th from 11-2. Representatives from Scentsy Wickless Candles; SATLUP.COM (Buildablanket); Discovery Toys; Local Crafter Linda Dallas; Avon; Local Crafter Raejean; Fu-Jin Restaurant; Little Elm Toastmasters; Occasions and Causes; 1st Class D.J. Service; Tupperware; Local Crafter Norma Perez; Herbalife; Bev’s Designs (jewelry); U.S. Census Bureau (will have giveaway items); and Dickey’s BBQ (free cups while supplies last).

There is still time to buy your hockey tickets to watch the Texas Tornadoes Hockey Team in action on Saturday, October 24th at 7pm. Tickets need to be purchased by Thursday, October 22nd at 5pm. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at the Little Elm Public Library. The library receives $5.00 of each ticket sold.

Another event that starts on October 25th and runs through the 27th is the Little Elm Fire Department’s “Care Enough to Wear Pink; Firefighters For a Cure”. Join the firefighters as they support breast cancer by selling pink shirts for $15. Shirts can be purchased at the Central Fire Station between 9am and 5pm Monday through Friday or by emailing James Connor at local4220@hotmail.com. All profits donated to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

For more information about anything contact the library by calling 214-975-0430; or email library@littleelm.org.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Method #6 Movie Tubes

I have explored YouTube before but had not seen TeacherTube. I am under the impression that I could trust what was on teacher tube because of the educational aspect where as YouTube is a free for all of expression by anyone. I do like the layout of YouTube better, it appears more "user friendly". Since National Library Card Sign Up Month just ended, I chose the YouTube video Scott Township Public Library - National Library Card Sign-up Month at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwn94jqgmVU. I did try to embed the video into my blog but nothing worked, including asking two of my co-workers if they knew how to do it. We all pressed the same buttons and tried the same things and nothing worked. Very frustrating. I would like to do more promotions of the library programs and services using YouTube but I still need a lot more understanding of how to use this medium and also more time, which I just don't have right now. I will keep an eye out for a volunteer or a student who might be able to assist us with this project. This would also be an important addition to virtual branch libraries, which we hope to have some day.

Friday, October 2, 2009

Method #5: Smile You're On Flickr!

First off, I always enjoy watching any "In Plain English" videos by Lee LeFever. I really like how he puts things in general terms so it is easy to understand and the background humming at times and the hand signs are hilarious. I am familiar with Flickr but have not done anything with it since my North Texas 23 Things online experience. In checking out what other libraries are doing with Flickr, I was glad to see a discussion list. This will be a great place to see how libraries are handling certain things or to ask questions. The picture that I have uploaded is from our library's 2008 haunted house. It is one of my favorites. I use the caption "old librarians never die, they just bone up on good books." On a personal note, I can see how Flickr would be useful to categorize all my pictures but one thing that I would need to do first is get my pictures on disk because most of my photos are from Poloroids or disposible cameras (old school) and second of all it would help if I had a home computer. On a professional level, Flickr has a lot of potential for organizing library photos it just gets a little complicated sometimes when there are people in the picture. The hard part is that you want people in the pictures, you just have to be careful how you use them when promoting and marketing programs. It is also very time consuming organizing the pictures. I still would like to do more with Flickr in the future.
When comparing Flickr with Picasa, wow, they both have a lot of good features and it seems like they both do a lot of the same things. Usually when one site does something different, it isn't long before the other site starts doing it too. What was interesting is when I pulled up Picasa, I saw that I already had a couple of photos there already. I can't really say which I like more because I have not used either one a lot but I would probably start working with Flickr, only because the name is familiar. I did like the fact that Picasa could upload pictures into YouTube but Flickr might do that too, I just may not have noticed that in my readings. Can you say "information overload?"

What's Happening @ Little Elm Public Library

Little Elm Public Library newsletter
09/28/2009
Texas weather is pretty cool. Where else can you have spring, summer, and fall weather in the same weekend? Sometimes the weather changes can make it a little difficult to plan what to wear but if you have an inside job the same problem can exist depending on how the air conditioning system works.

One thing that you can do in any weather is listen to audio books. A new audio bestseller added this week is Think Smart: A Neuroscientist’s Prescription for Improving Your Brain’s Performance. Please share any feedback you have after listening.

Speaking of using your brain, there are many different kinds of jobs in the world today. For example, have you ever wondered what it takes to work a job that involves closed captioning? On Saturday, October 3rd you can attend a presentation that talks about what closed captioning is, how it works and how it can benefit you. You will learn about the field of closed captioning, along with what qualifications and equipment you would need. The Little Elm Public Library is hosting a presentation on closed captioning by Dallas Captioning. Volunteers at the program will have an opportunity to use the short hand machine and write their first caption. Learn the importance of Spanish captioning. These and many more topics will be covered on Saturday, October 3rd from 10am-11:30am for ages 17 and up. For more information and to register call the library at 214-975-0430.

Programs taking place on Saturday, October 3rd includes the Closed Captioning presentation at 10am; family story time at 10:30am; a knitting class for ages 8-adult at 11am (costs $10 per person and proceeds go to the library); up-close and personal biography book club for all ages at 12:30pm; and a crafters guild meeting at 1pm.

A hot town event that is taking place on Saturday, October 3rd from 11-2 is the Little Elm Fire Department Open House that kicks off Fire Prevention Month. The Fire Department has a lot of exciting things planned so visit www.littleelm.org and click on Little Elm Fire Department 2009 Open House in the calendar section for more information.

If you like to plan way ahead, the Little Elm Friends of the Library are celebrating their 12th anniversary on Thursday, October 22nd at Town Hall (100 W. Eldorado Parkway). Light refreshments will be available at 6:30pm. At 7pm, guest speaker, humorist, teacher, actress, historian, journalist, and author Rosemary Rumbley will be giving a review on the book “Promised Land, 13 books That Changed America” written by Jay Parini. Please RSVP to Lynn Hidell by emailing lhidell@hidell.com or call 214-215-7720 so that they can have an idea of how many people may be attending.

For more information about anything, contact the library at 214-975-0430 or email library@littleelm.org. The library is open Monday/Wednesday 10am-5:30pm, Tuesday/Thursday 10am-8pm and Saturday 10am-3pm. To sign up for the library newsletter visit www.littleelm.org/library, click on Get Connected, type in your email address, scroll down and check the box marked page by page, then submit. We are looking forward to you joining us.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Method #4 Feed Your RSS, It's Hungry!

I would like it a lot better if my feeds could be fed into my email! I learned about RSS feeds when I took the North Texas 23 and I set up my reader at that time. Since then I have not taken much time to go back and read the feeds. It would be more beneficial to me if my feeds could "feed" into my email inbox which I check more often. When I went to add subscriptions and looked for the "discover" link, it was nowhere to be found so I just typed in a topic anyway. I typed in library politics but the results were not what I expected. I subscribed to feeds in the NT23 but like I said before, had not gotten back to them until now. I decided to look at the Top Recommendations. The four new feeds I have subscribed to include Designing Better Libraries (http://dbl.lishost.org/blog/feed) North Texas Regional Library System (http://blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default) Blog Junction (http://blog.webjunctionworks.org/index.php/feed) and M Word--Marketing Libraries (http://themwordblog.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default) I really liked the Designing Better Libraries and even sent the information to Laurie (a staff member) for us to keep in mind when planning for current and future library growth. I enjoyed another article from Blog Junction (Twitter Tips for Libraries) so much that I sent a Face Book friend request to the author of the article so I could keep up with other library articles he writes. I do like the idea of RSS feeds but I still would like them to get closer to me, which is my email inbox.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

What's Happening @ the Little Elm Library

Little Elm Public Library newsletter
09/21/09

I like to fish, though I am not very good at it. One reason may be because if there is not much action, I get bored and start doing something else. I AM very good at catching snags and losing my line. Since my eyesight is not as good as it used to be, tying hooks and sinkers are a challenge. I am sure that the fish that I am not catching get quite a belly laugh watching me. Well, the joke is on them now! My husband and I have found a new place to fish and we caught four catfish! The place is called Catfish Corner and it is at 1702 Lawson Road in Mesquite. It only cost $2 per person to get in (we saved $2 on the entry fee by using the coupon in the Entertainment Coupon book the library sells) and then it cost $2 per pound for what you catch. They also will clean or fillet for so much per pound as well. We saw all ages fishing in the three ponds. There was a little girl maybe no more than 6 years old that was reeling in fish as much as the adults were. Now you may say that this way of fishing is cheating. I say it is our way of stimulating the economy and enjoying the great outdoors while experiencing the feel of a fish on the line. The homemade fish soup that we had that night was pretty good too. If you want the recipe, send me an email at thager@littleelm.org. For more information about Catfish Corner, call them at 972-222-2823.

Have you ever seen Texas Tornadoes? The opportunity is here! On Saturday, October 24th at 7pm, you can see the Texas Tornado Hockey team in action. The Little Elm Library is selling $15.00 tickets for this special library fundraiser. Not only does $5.00 of each ticket go to the library but you will receive a Limited Edition Texas Tornado hat and an entry in a raffle to win Tornado merchandise. You can pay by cash, check, or credit card.

Though sports events can be exciting, sitting down with a book can have its own rewards. New Christian fiction added includes Plain Perfect by Beth Wiseman; The Missing by Beverly Lewis; and A Vote of Confidence by Robin Lee Hatcher. A new audio bestseller added includes Blindman’s Bluff by Faye Kellerman. New bestsellers added include The Eleventh Victim by Nancy Grace; Even Money by Dick Francis and Felix Francis; 206 Bones by Kathy Reichs; and Alex Cross’s Trial by James Patterson & Richard Dilallo. A book of possible interest added to the collection is called 101 Secrets a Good Dad Knows: How to skip a rock, how to photograph lightning, how to carve a whistle, and other tricks of the trade by Walter and Sue Ellin Browder.

The friendly lake library card sign up competition will be over at 5:30pm on Wednesday, September 30th. The Colony, Lake Cities, and Little Elm libraries are competing to see who can sign up the most new people for National Library Card Sign Up month. We need your help! The Colony is ahead so far. All you have to do is come to the library and sign up for a library card before the end of September. Cards are free and a library card is better than a credit card and the benefit of a library card is priceless! For more information about anything call the library at 214-975-0430 or email library@littleelm.org.

Method # 3 Up in the Clouds

This is one of the Web 2.0 tools that I think is information overload. Regarding Google Docs, I think it is a very good tool with lots and lots of capabilities but I would need to spend an entire day to fully experiment and understand. I did use it to obtain feedback from staff on a project. I plan on trying to learn it better but it will have to wait for now. In regards to ZoHo, I liked being able to sign in using my Google account. I had heard this name mentioned before, especially by academic librarians. It looks to be pretty cool as well. I think I might like to try the meeting function sometime. I plan on experimenting more with Google Docs and Zoho as time permits.
In regards to "cloud computing", I do think that it has its place but it does concern me the amount of "personal" information that people freely share over the internet. I am a fairly "open" person but there is a safety factor that should be considered as people share information about themselves. There are many ways that "cloud computing" can be beneficial for libraries. I have recently been reading about "virtual branch libraries" and I think cloud computing could easily be used when putting together a virtual branch or even a "hyperlinked" library but no matter what we do, the most important thing should always be to provide friendly customer service.

Dozen Ways To Texas Two Step method #1 & #2: On the road with web 2.0 again

I have been writing a library column for many years so that I can keep people informed of library events. What I have learned is that no matter how many people you are reaching, there are other people who are getting their information somewhere else. Trying to figure out how to reach the people who weren't being reached was pretty mind boggling. Then I learned about blogging. For a long time I wanted to turn my library column into a blog so that I could get feedback from people who read it. I like to be walked through new computer experiences but I was not able to find someone who could take the time and I did not have a lot of time to figure it out myself. And then along came the North Texas 23, the online web 2.0 experience. I made sure to sign up myself and staff in order to better serve our patrons. Many library users have been familiar with the web 2.0 tools for a long time so it was time for us to catch up. I have put many of the web 2.0 tools to use. As library 2.0 tools it has been a way to get library news and events out to a greater number of people and reach them where they are in order to keep them informed. Though the Dozen Ways to Two Step is going to be more of a refresher course, it will greater improve what I have already learned. By the way, "The Machine is us/ing us" is my favorite resource that explains Web 2.0.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

What's Happening @ the Little Elm Library?

Little Elm Public Library newsletter
09/08/09
Fall into reading with the fall reading club open to all ages including adults that runs from September 1st to October 31st. Read or listen to 7 items then return the form to receive reading rewards. Many thanks to business sponsors Premier Martial Arts and La Hacienda Ranch.

Need some ideas of books to read for the reading club? New bestsellers added this week include Even Money by Dick Francis and Felix Francis; 92 Pacific Boulevard by Debbie Macomber; 206 Bones by Kathy Reichs; Smash Cut by Sandra Brown; Intervention by Robin Cook; In the President’s Secret Service by Ronald Kessler; and Culture of Corruption by Michelle Malkin.

September is National Library card signup month and the Little Elm Public Library is in a friendly lake competition with Lake Cities Library and The Colony Library. If you or your family and friends have not gotten a library card yet, this month is a great time to get one. It will also give you an opportunity to see Libearian Bear, made especially for the Little Elm Library by Build-A-Bear Workshop (Stonebriar Centre).

There is still time to give your feedback on how you think the Little Elm library is doing. Visit http://tinyurl.com/lelibrarysurvey and tell us what you think.

It is exciting when people work together to benefit the community. Some community partnership fundraisers that are currently taking place include the Caw Coo Parrot Head Club selling raffle tickets for a cool Cruzin Cooler and/or a real wooden treasure chest filled with over $2,000 of merchandise and gift certificates. The tickets are $5.00 each or 5 for $20.00. Though both items are awesome, I have to admit I have never seen a cooler that you can ride. Pretty cool! Tickets can be purchased at the library or contact Caw Coo Parrot Head Starr Brewer at 940-368-2826. The drawing will take place at the Little Elm Autumn Fest, September 26th and the proceeds go to the Little Elm Library.

Another partnership fundraiser involves the Little Elm Food Bank and the Little Elm Library working together to sell one of a kind Lewisville Lake Toll Bridge race t-shirts. They are only $5.00 each. The shirts are cool because they marked a historical event in Little Elm history. T-shirts can be purchased from the library and the proceeds will benefit both the library and the Food Bank.

Speaking of community events, make sure to mark your calendar for the Patriots Day ceremony on Sept. 11th from 8:45am-10:45am at the Little Elm Athletic Complex. The event is hosted by Little Elm American Legion Post 182. Guest speaker will be U.S. Navy Captain Tracy D. Smyers. The event is free and open to the public. For more information contact Hal Grant at 214-407-6010.

Little Elm Library events include free Spanish, French, and elementary math tutoring on Sept. 8th and 10th at 4:15-5:15; on Sept. 8th Intro to Jewelry Design Class $10 + supplies 6pm for ages 13 and up and Saturday, Sept. 12th at 11:30 (registration required for both classes); chess club is Sept. 10th at 5:30pm; Little Elm Epilepsy Support Group and the library is sponsoring a presentation by DARS Sept. 10th at 7pm and the Little Elm Friends of the Library will be meeting on Sept. 10th at 7pm. On Saturday, Sept. 12th, free tax return extension assistance will be available 10-1 and the Little Elm Crafters Guild will be meeting that same day at 1pm. For more information contact the library at 214-975-0430 or email library@littleelm.org.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

What's Happening @ the Little Elm Public Library

08/24/09
I finally broke down and bought a new phone. It all came about when my old phone’s battery kept going out when someone called. My standard answering procedure started being “talk fast, my battery is going out”. Not real professional. So, I stepped into the twenty first century and bought a phone that has a qwerty keyboard so I can text, a camera for taking pictures, and a speakerphone, etc. The good thing is that it only cost me ten dollars and my monthly bill is not supposed to be too much either. One reason that I needed text is to keep in touch with my daughter who will be having a baby soon. She is Queen of Text. The other reason is to get better at texting and understanding text language that we are using in a national collaborative text messaging service.

My Info quest--- In a press release written by Kitty Pope of Alliance Library System, My Info Quest is the first collaborative text messaging reference service of its kind. Alliance Library System (http://www.alliancelibrarysystem.com) in East Peoria, Illinois has partnered with approximately 50 participating libraries (including Little Elm Public Library www.littleelm.org/library ) across the United States, Altarama (http://www.altarama.com) and Web Clarity Software Inc. (http://www.webclarity.info) developers of Peoplewhere (http://www.peoplewhere.com) to build this exciting new reference service. To use this service just txt (309) 222-7740 and put “LEL” before your question if you are in the Little Elm or surrounding area. The LEL shows that you are in the Little Elm Public Library area. A librarian somewhere across the United States will text an expert answer to you within ten minutes of the hours of service. The service runs Monday through Friday 8am-10pm and Saturday 9am-5pm Central time. Standard txt msging rates apply.

Speaking of service, how are we doing? We would like to hear from you. Please visit our survey at http://tinyurl.com/lelibrarysurvey and let us know what you think. Our goal is to provide you with the best service that we can. We are looking forward to hearing from you.

Last minute reminders! If you picked up the Texas Tornado Hockey Reading program forms, they are due by Thursday, August 27th at 8pm to be eligible for the drawing on Saturday, August 29th at 10:30am. That is when Texas Tornado Hockey Team mascot Ike the Polar Bear visits family story time and will draw the winning entries for a free hockey game voucher provided by Little Elm Friends of the Library. Remember that the reading program is for all ages but kid’s ages 6-12 who read or listen to ten items will automatically receive a voucher for the October 24th hockey game. Also, August is National Inventors Month and Inventors Digest magazine is hosting a national youth essay contest for ages 12-17. Forms can be picked up at the library or by visiting the website at www.InventorsDigest.com. The contest ends August 31st.

Mum’s the word! The library is hosting a mum workshop on Thursday, September 3rd at 6:30pm. The workshop is being presented by Woodhaven Creations for thirteen years old and up. The fee is only $15 but registration is required so give us a call at 214-975-0430 by Monday, August 31st at 5pm to reserve your spot!

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

What's Happening @ the Little Elm Public Library

Little Elm Public Library newsletter
08/17/09

Looking for something fun to do this weekend? Look no further! Little Elm Library, Little Elm Chamber of Commerce, Point Bank, Capital One Bank, Independent Bank, and Sterling Bank all have last chance tickets to see the Frisco RoughRiders play the NA Naturals. It is Little Elm Family Night at the Dr. Pepper Ballpark on Saturday, August 22nd at 7pm. Don’t have a family? Bring your friends, neighbors, or co-workers. The idea is to kick back and relax for a good cause. The ticket cost $12 and includes a PlayBall game program, pre-game player autographs, bullpen section ticket, and a limited edition RoughRiders hat. A portion of the proceeds goes to benefit The Ryan Project (www.theryanproject.org) for more information about this event contact Laura Avis at 214-975-0406. Let’s PLAY BALL!

The ball game will be a great way to spend the evening but while you are at the library buying tickets for the game, make sure to visit the monthly business and craft fair going on from 11-2. Who knows what goodies you will find to start the school year or get a jump on holiday gift buying. Businesses and crafters who will be at the fair Saturday, August 22nd include New Home Locaters, Avon, 1st Class DJ Service, Scentsy (wickless candles), Little Elm Knitting Club, Woodhaven Creations, Marilyn S. (quilt pot holders and lap quilts), Linda D. (wire wrap), Enchanted Dragonfly (handmade jewelry), Mrs. Martins Goodies (stained glass and wood craft), Kelly Elise Creations (handmade wall plaques) and local artist Pali will be doing henna art. Members of the Little Elm Craft Guild will be on hand to sign up members and answer questions.

Saving money is the name of the game all the time but especially this year. The library is once again selling the Entertainment Passbooks for the Dallas area that includes Little Elm, Aubrey, The Colony, Frisco, and Denton, just to name a few. The book is only $20 but the money you will save with the coupons is priceless and a portion of the proceeds goes to help the library.

Speaking of saving money, this weekend (21st, 22nd, and 23rd) is tax free weekend so while you are out buying items, please consider buying some extra school supplies to donate for those kids who need them. The library, Communities in Schools (www.CISNT.org), and The Ryan Project are partnering together to collect school supplies to benefit students in Little Elm ISD. Supplies will be collected through September 17th at Little Elm Library, Little Elm High School, and Living Word Baptist church. For more information call Tina at 214-975-0430 or Correne Lynch-Fierro at 972-292-1840, ext. 26005.

Another way to save money is to check out books to read. New books added to the collection this week include Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand; Delicacy by C.L. Kelly; and Scrapping Plans by Rebeca Seitz. Is there something you need to know? Give us a call and tell us so. Contact us at 214-975-0430 or send us an email at library@littleelm.org.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

YaaaaaaaHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

This is supposed to be a reflection, but I have been reflecting all along in my blogs. Some recap worth mentioning (or not depending on who you talk too). I don't know that I really had a favorite. I liked the opportunity to do the 23 because I have been wanting to learn about these applications for a long time and always put it aside for later, where this made me learn it within a time frame. My least favorite I think was the wiki but that may be because that is what I currently remember that gave me a headache. Wiki was challenging (thank goodness my staff member Laurie was around). Laurie also said that Twitter will be the most challenging for me since I have to keep things brief, hah I'll show her. RSS feeds were confusing but maybe it is because I need more practice. As I said in the previous blog, I have already incorporated a lot of what has been learned into daily library applications and plan on adding more. Staff will be required to apply something they have learned and we are also going to work on another 23 things, submitted by staff. We will also come up with other ways that the public will benefit. Some of the things that I have learned I have already been doing in other library projects. So TTFN and keep up with Little Elm Library Page by Page!

Wild Things

The North Texas 23 Things has been a rewarding experience though sometimes challenging (as it should be). I did require all my staff to participate so we all could benefit from the trials and tribulations in order to better serve our patrons. In order to expand on what we have learned, I have not only asked staff to pick something out of the 23 things to focus on and do something for the library I have also asked staff to pick three more sites that they would like for us all to learn so we can do our own 23 things project. From my blogs, you can see that my goal has been to incorporate as much as possible into everyday library use, but I hope that we can also figure out creative ways to share this information with our patrons as classes, bookmark guides, etc.

Is There a Doc in the House?

After doing so many things in a days time I have a headache and could use a doc about now. Google Docs is actually pretty cool. The form application reminded me of surveymonkey but I liked the fact that I could use a theme to dress it up so I chose blockheads because that is how my head feels right now and I like the colors. It also made me laugh, which I needed. The presentation reminded me of PowerPoint. Spreadsheet seemed like a combination of Excel and Access. I am still trying to figure out all the bells and whistles. I liked the concept where you can invite others to work on the project together and chat. Today I chatted with myself, but not very long because I had to finish the 23 things. I definitely plan on using Google Docs at our library.

Hey Wiki Your So Fine

I decided to search Swine Flu and was given a redirect to 2009 flu pandemic. At the beginning of the article it does have see also references (one being swine flu) and also states that it is about the pandemic itself and information about the virus causing it can be found somewhere else. The article was very thorough and has many references so I would trust the information. It did not surprise me to see a lot of discussion on this topic. Looking at the history it was interesting to see the number of changes that occurred in one days time. Okay, I did the practice wiki and realize that I need a lot more practice before I do my own for the library. This project was a challenge for me. Maybe it is because I am working on it last minute on what was supposed to be my day off :-) I think I want to change by blog title to Hey Wiki Hear my Whine. On to Google Docs...

Friday, August 14, 2009

Tubing the Internet

First of all, I thought that our library had a YouTube account but I did not find anything under the library's name so I just started looking at some Little Elm tubes...The first was entitled Coming to Little Elm--Limited Engagement promoting the musical Bye-Bye Birdie. The promo had still pictures moving in and out with music. I thought it was pretty well done. The title is what caught my eye because I was wondering what the library did not know about. I also watched a Little Elm Autumn Fest 07 HipHop video of a HipHop group performing during the 2007 Autumn Fest. It was pretty good videography though it did not look like it was done by a professional. It would be useful to promote future Autumn Fests. I did notice that after watching that Hip Hop tube, other Hip Hop tubes came up for me to choose, so I liked that option. After perusing down Little Elm Lane I decided to go back to the Library world and found a tube entitled Discover a New World @ Columbus Public Library. Wow, was I impressed. The purpose was to show what the library had to offer. Very unique format with animation and popups. I had never seen a tube done in this fashion before but then again, I do not spend a lot of time on YouTube, though my patrons do. Since I just finished learning about Twitter, I watched a tube that was answering Twitter questions. The camera was focused on the individual answering questions. The camera would pan from the screen with the question to the individual reading the question and then answering them. Though the picture was clear and the reason behind what the purpose was understood, I thought the format was pretty boring. I do think that YouTube use by libraries can be very beneficial to promote what libraries are doing to various age groups and also help to train staff or general public about different things. I did try to sign the library up for an account but have not been successful yet but after I get finished with the 23 things assignment, that will be my next goal.

Here Birdy, Birdy, Birdy




Rockin' Robin has always been my favorite song, though Disco Duck is a close second. Must be a bird thing. (Thanks to OpenPhoto for Disco and Duck photos). Twitter was simpler than I thought and I found I CAN keep my info short. I am thankful it keeps count for me but so far I have not gone over. Having to keep my column to a certain length every week has probably helped me be more aware of verbage length but I really need to work on just writing enough to stay within the box when I am blogging (except for my column of course). I am currently following 11, have three followers, and made two tweets. I plan on using this account to let people know when a new column is out but I also think it will be a great way to keep people aware of upcoming programs and what's happening on a daily basis. Best laid plans...kind of like resolutions, works the first couple of days :-) I still say, marketing is a full time job in itself, but very important. I am going to look more into the hashtags and maybe see if I can use that for my Page by Page newsletter. My Twitter account name is littlelmlibrary. Notice it only has one e. The account name cut me off at y which made the name librar so I figured the name would flow better with one e because it still looks like it is supposed to. I hear about Twitter everyday but I heard about it on the radio today when the announcer was asking who does it and they reported a story that mentioned a woman was tweeting while giving birth. Screaming was the norm in my day :-) Tweet Tweet for now!

IM Wat IM

Well, that didn't take as long as I thought it would. IM or instant messaging, a concept that I tried years ago when first learning about computers. I did not like it then as a home use but have learned the benefits of it in the workplace. Since taking the 23 Things Web 2.0 experience but before learning about IM in the 23 things lesson, we have become part of a national pilot program of mobile reference service My Info Quest (the patron texts an answer and librarians answer via the computer). IM has come into play while attending the numerous meetings leading up to and during the project. The meetings are a combination of web, IM chat, and audio. Talk about multi-tasking :-) Since becoming involved in the mobile reference project I have been occasionally practicing text speak in conversations with staff. That gets interesting. As I get better at it, I will probably try it with some of our patrons to promote the mobile reference service. I do think IM has a place in the library setting and in regards to the text service, the IM lingo is important because you are only allowed so many characters. This can be a challenge for someone like myself who is very wordy or as some people have said about my writing style "chatty". I think the funniest thing is that IM lingo has been around for years, probably even before computers, it just wasn't called IM. I did choose gmail/google talk mainly because I already have my blog in google, and the reference service is provided through gmail so I figured this would give me even more experience with the various different functions google has to offer. TTFN and CHREO (made that one up...send your comments on what you think it means)

Thursday, August 13, 2009

What's Happening @ the Little Elm Public Library

08/10/09

History has been made by bridging communities! Have you tried the new bridge? I have not had a chance yet but people have told me that it saves a lot of time. I think the most exciting thing about the bridge is that it’s another part of Little Elm history. Little Elm is considered the Town with Lake Attitude and the bridge helps add to that reputation. For those who live in town the bridge provides a very important time saver connection to the other communities across the lake. The bridge also provides easy time saving access for the other communities to see all the wonderful things that Little Elm has to offer. So I would just like to say, come on over and see us, the water’s fine and we are ready to welcome you.

Speaking of bridging communities, PointBank has been serving numerous cities in Denton County for years and gives back to the communities in many ways. One way is by holding an annual charity golf tournament where the proceeds are given to the public libraries in the communities of Denton County that PointBank serves. Little Elm Public Library recently received a check for $1,277 from the 2008 tournament to be used towards the renovation and expansion of the library. PointBank’s 2009 annual Charity Classic Golf Tournament benefit fundraiser is going to be held on October 24th at Castle Hills Golf Club in Lewisville. They are taking registrations now. Forms are available at PointBank locations and at the Little Elm Public Library. For more information contact Deke Alexander at 940-686-7049 or David Fuller at 940-686-7021. The deadline for entry is September 30th. On behalf of the public libraries that serve Denton County, we appreciate your continued support.

Other events of interest coming up in the next few days include the monthly Little Elm Friends of the library meeting on Thursday, August 13th at 7pm. Friends are important to the successful growth of the library so come check out what’s happening!

On Saturday, August 15th, at 10:30am, family story time will be hosting Molly the Schipperke, certified through Therapy Dog International. This will be Molly’s first time with us so drop by to meet her. We hope to have her visit the third Saturday of every month. Beat the heat and stay at the library to make a summer memories book or jewelry with Woodhaven Creations. The program runs from 12-2, is open to any age and cost $5 per project. Registration is required so call 214-975-0430 to sign up. Also on that day the Knitting Club meets from 1-2. Bring your project and spend time with others who like to knit.

If you like to spend time reading, new bestsellers added this week include Rain Gods by James Lee Burke; Guardian of Lies by Steve Martini; Unmasked: the Final Years of Michael Jackson by Ian Halperin; Burn by Linda Howard; Fire and Ice by J.A. Jance; Return to Sullivan’s Island by Dorothea Benton Frank; The Defector by Daniel Silva; Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner; The Apostle by Brad Thor; Black Hills by Nora Roberts; and The Devil’s Punchbowl by Greg Iles. We look forward to hearing from you!

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

What's Happening @ the Little Elm Public Library

Little Elm Public Library newsletter
08/03/2009
Texas Tornadoes become part of the whirlwind of August activities @ the library. All ages can join the hockey reading program from August 1st through 27th. Any age can pick up the special form, read or listen to ten items and receive reading rewards. Kids ages 6-12 who complete the reading program will receive a voucher for a complimentary end zone ticket to the October 24th game. All other ages that complete the program will get put into the age category drawing for a complimentary end zone ticket provided by the Little Elm Friends of the Library.

While you read, bookmarks are very useful to hold your place during times you are not reading. During the month of August, we are encouraging people of all ages to enter the Inkheart bookmark contest. The goal is to create a bookmark that appears to come alive. All entries become the property of the Little Elm library. The first place winner will receive an Inkheart DVD donated by Ms. Sylvia, a longtime library supporter. The remainder of the bookmarks will be donated to a children’s charity to be determined. Entry forms can be picked up starting August 1st and all entries need to be turned in by Monday, August 31st.

The bookmark contest is being held in conjunction with the Scholastic Book Fair. We are encouraging families to create bookmarks together. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke is published by Scholastic. Over the years, the Little Elm library has been hosting Scholastic Book Fair fundraisers, which carries hundreds of titles, including Inkheart. The library will be holding the next book fair between Saturday, August 8th and Wednesday, August 12th during library hours (M/W 10-5:30; T/TH 10-8; and Sat 10-3).

A special free program for women entitled A Woman’s Guide to Money Matters will be held on Saturday, August 8th starting at 10:30am at the Little Elm library. Call Linda C. Bullwinkle, an EdwardJones Financial Advisor at 972-292-1824 to reserve your space.

Also on Saturday, August the 8th, it is dog day at the library. First spend time with Megan and Maggie the dog for the 10:30 family story time and then Clifford the Big Red Dog will visit around 10:50am.

Texas Tornado Hockey Team mascot Ike the Polar Bear will be visiting toddler time and story time on Wednesday, August 12th from 10:30-11:30. Bring your camera!

The Little Elm Crafter’s Guild has been holding numerous craft classes for adults and children. On Tuesday, August 11th, sign up for the Intro to jewelry design class for ages 13 and up that starts at 6pm. The fee is ten dollars and there is a supply list. They have also started a Knitting club that will be meeting on Saturday, August 15th at 1pm. If crafts are your passion, come join the Crafters Guild, all crafts welcome!

If reading is your passion, new bestsellers added this week include: Burn by Linda Howard, Black Hills by Nora Roberts, and The Devil’s Punchbowl by Greg Iles.
For more information contact the library at 214-975-0430 or email library@littleelm.org.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Peas in a Pod or Cast Out Your Audio



I have been wanting to podcast my weekly library newsletter Page by Page for quite some time but have not cast off into that world of the unknown...yet. Though this assignment has given me more information, I am still not quite ready, though closer. I have been told by our IT department that the town website provider will be adding podcasting capabilities soon so I am waiting to use their tools. I tried to open an account with podcastplatform but it said fatal error and at one time even said I already had an account but I kept being sent in a circle. I will keep trying because I did like the information there. I did put it in my favorites and tagged it in my Delicious account. I also liked the podcast friendly music links. Speaking of which, when listening to some of the library podcasts I was a little confused because I heard stories being read. Aren't there copyright issues? Did the libraries have to get permission to read the stories first? I am sure I will probably find out these answers once I thoroughly read through all the podcasting information. I hate to say this but some of the podcasts were kinda boring...zzzz. One thing that people need to remember when doing podcasts is to be careful of the letter p and b and to try not to be close to the mike when saying words with those letters. I like music in the background before a podcast because it gets you in the mood and ready to listen to what's coming up. I think I would be dangerous if I knew how to properly use all the podcast tools and toys because I would probably use a lot in my podcast. A lot of the podcasts that I heard were book talks, reading books, or interviews...standard library stuff.

Podcasting would definitely be useful to my patrons. As I stated earlier, the first podcast I plan on doing is the weekly library newsletter. I think the patrons will find it useful because I know people already read it. I am planning on doing a podcasting survey once we are close to providing that service to find out what people would like to hear.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

What's Happening @ the Little Elm Public Library?

07/21/09

We have questions…do you have answers? Take the library survey and give us your answers to our questions. We look forward to hearing from you! http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=UkdfCWoar5rDr_2fPF4XgQWw_3d_3d

New bestsellers added to the collection this week include: Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult; Swimsuit by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro; The Apostle by Brad Thor; The Neighbor by Lisa Gardner; A Rogue of My Own by Johanna Lindsey; There’s Something About St. Tropez by Elizabeth Adler; Knock Out by Catherine Coulter; Burn by Linda Howard; and Killer Summer by Ridley Pearson. New Christian fiction added includes Take Two by Karen Kingsbury and Tender Grace by Jackina Stark.

Are you a safe driver? Make sure by attending the AARP Safe Driver Program on Saturday, July 25th at 10am. AARP members pay $12 and non-members pay $14. There is still room so call the library at 214-975-0430 to register today! Attending this class could help save money on car insurance. Check with your agent to see if you would qualify. Also on that same day, the business fair will be taking place from 11-2! You can meet with business representatives from Luxury Interior Creations; Jeane’s Lacy Accents; Pixcha Captcha; Premier Martial Arts; Santana Studios; and Marc Matney State Farm Insurance.

This is the last chance to attend Drama Kids camp for the summer. The last camp will be held on Monday, July 27th at 3:30pm. The camp is for ages 5 through 12 and costs ten dollars. Learn fun theatrical activities that you can do at home.

Another last chance opportunity is the Twogether in Texas class. The healthy marriage initiative in Texas (Twogether in Texas) promotes free, skills-based marriage education and provides couples with the tools they need to manage the challenges inherent to relationships. Engaged couples who complete a qualifying class will receive the added benefit of having $60 of their marriage license fee waived, and they will not have to wait 72 hours to get married. Classes will benefit couples who are seriously dating, engaged to marry and those married for any length of time. Non-married couples will receive a certificate of completion that is good for one year and serves as proof that the couple is eligible for the discounted marriage license fee. The Little Elm library located at 100 W. Eldorado Parkway, will be hosting the class on Saturday, August 1st, from 8am-4pm. To call for details and to register for the classes please pre-register with Sharp Focus Centers at 1-940-381-5010. The Twogether in Texas classes may end at the end of August so call Sharp Focus to take advantage of this important opportunity.

For more information about these or other upcoming events call the library at 214-975-0430, email library@littleelm.org, or visit the website at http://ci.little-elm.tx.us/library.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

What's Happening @ the Little Elm Public Library

Little Elm Public Library newsletter
07/14/09

Four armadillos sniffing in the dirt, all stayed together so none would get hurt. My husband and I went for a walk at the Elm Fork Nature Preserve trail in Carrollton and were lucky enough to see four baby armadillos rooting for food. We stayed very still so not to scare them. One of them came close enough to sniff my husband’s shoe. I wanted to bend down to pet it but I did not want to scare it or them away. So the moral of this story is to take time to smell the roses, watch the armadillo’s or anything else that involves taking a breather every now and then. Life is too short to be stressed out ALL the time.

Speaking of taking a breather, check out these hot new bestsellers added to the collection which include: The Doomsday Key by James Rollins; Finger Lickin’ Fifteen by Janet Evanovich; Star Wars Fate of the Jedi (Omen) by Christie Golden; Catastrophe by Dick Morris and Eileen McGann; and Knock Out by Catherine Coulter.

If you think you have the “write” stuff, visit the Little Elm Writer’s Group on Thursday, July 16th at 6:30pm. Author/Musician Rochelle Rabouin will be working with the group on their musical short story romance and the group will also be working on their short story anthology. Whether you are thinking about writing or are already a published author, come join the Little Elm Writer’s Group. The group meets the third Thursday of each month at 6:30pm. We are also looking for any agents or publishers who would like to speak to the group.

Pepperoni, gooey cheese, black olives, tasty tomato sauce, and every thing else that is edible…oh sorry, I was thinking about the pizza that I was going to have at the Peter Piper Pizza fundraiser on Friday, July 17th between 5pm-8pm. Peter Piper Pizza is located at Eldorado and Dallas Toll way, 12021 Dallas Parkway in Frisco. The Little Elm Library will receive 15% of all food and beverage sales and if you buy your game tokens at the counter we get a portion of that as well. It’s a great way to spend a Friday with family or friends and make a difference at the same time. Either stop by the library for a flyer to bring with you or send me an email at thager@littleelm.org and I will send you a copy of the flyer for you to print off. Family, friends, food, and fun for a Friday night…life is good.

Stories, songs, movies, and crafts for adults and children. These are all happening on Saturday, July 18th. Family story time for all ages is at 10:30am; Children’s film festival happens at 11am. From 11am-noon Natalie McPhail will teach Mini-Mosaics to age 4-9 for $5 (registration required). Then at 1pm there will be a Saturday movie matinee. Also at 1pm the new Knitting club meets (bring a project and enjoy the company of others who like to knit) and there will be an Intro to jewelry design class for ages 13 and up ($15 per person and registration is required because there is a list of supplies that need to be brought to class) For more information about library events call 214-975-0430, email library@littleelm.org or visit the website at http://ci.little-elm.tx.us/library.

Friday, July 10, 2009

A Simply Delicious Buffet of Bookmarks

Delicious is going to come in handy. For one thing, I have a habit of wanting to save a lot of sites. For another, I have a lot of sites that I have the Page by Page library newsletter so it is going to make it a lot easier to keep up with where to update my weekly library information. I did add the bookmark buttons and that does make it easier to save sites by tagging the site but I also tried the manual way to get the "full" experience.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

What's happening @ the Little Elm Library

Little Elm Public Library newsletter
07/07/09
Being right handed, I never really gave my left hand a whole lot of credit except that it was conveniently around when my right had needed help. Currently, my left hand has been put into a brace until the doctor figures out why my hand is bothering me. This has made my right hand very sad because my left hand has been a bigger help all these years than I gave it credit for. Actually to narrow it down, my four left fingers can still function, but my thumb has decided to go on strike. I guess I won’t be bowling anytime soon.

One handy thing that you can do at the library is read. Hot new bestsellers that have just arrived at the library include The Angel’s Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon; The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe; Divine Soul Songs by Dr. Zhi Gang Sha; and The Neighbor by Lisa Gardner. I just finished listening to Swimsuit by James Patterson and it was awesome! I think it is even better than Sail by Patterson. Check it out and let me know what you think.

If you like reading award winning fiction books then you might want to bookmark the National Book Foundation’s book a day blog http://www.nationalbook.org/nba77fictionwinners.html. The National Book Foundation is presenting a book-a-day blog on the Fiction winners from 1950 to 2008 in order to celebrate the 60th year of the National Book Awards. The blog will run from July 7th to September 21st. If the library does not have a book that you are looking for, we can either provide you with a bookmark that has the phone numbers of the seventeen public libraries in Denton County or do an interlibrary loan that enables us to borrow books from across the United States. What’s on your reading list?

We need you! On Thursday, July 9th, at 7pm, the Friends of the Library will be electing new officers. If you are interested in being part of an organization that is helping the library grow up, now is the perfect time to get involved. The library has between 5500 and 6500 visitors a month and provides a lot of different services and programs to the community. Friends are very important to the library so we hope that you will either become an officer or join the friends of the library.

Upcoming programs of interest include the investment and retirement seminar on Saturday, July 11th at 10:30am. Learn how to determine if you’re on track to reach your retirement goals and what steps you can take to help. The Drama Kids workshop is every Monday through the middle of August at 3:30pm (first class free, then $10 per week); Summer memories scrapbooking for kids on Wednesday July 15th starts at 11:30a.m. (registration); Intro to Jewelry Design class for ages 15 and up at 6pm (cost is $15 and registration is required) and Little Elm Writers Group at 6:30pm happen on Thursday, July 16th; the Library fundraiser at Peter Piper Pizza is on Friday, July 17th 5-8p.m. (drop by the library to pick up your flyer). Saturday, July 18th programs include Mini-Mosaics art project for ages 4-9 ($5 fee and registration required) at 11am; Knitting club at 1pm and Intro to Jewelry Design class ages 15 and up ($15 fee and registration required). For more information contact the library at 214-975-0430 or email library@littleelm.org.

Friday, July 3, 2009

Tag, Your It!

Wikipedia had a mouthful to say about tagging. Librarians have been tagging for years, with the help of Sears Subject headings and Library of Congress subject headings to name a couple. Now with the web, subjects have become a free for all in the name of tagging. It is pretty obvious that some people are good at it and some are not. The topic to be tagged and what is considered important is actually in the eye of the tagger. For example, usually when I write about what the library is doing, the first tag I put is the library's name because I want people to find us. Someone else who reads my articles may not put the library's name because the library may not be the main topic of the article. The tagging assignment could easily be placed earlier on in the web 2.0 training because a lot of the web 2.0 tools give the option for tagging so learning about tagging early on could help know what it is and possibly how to do it. Tagging can be beneficial to libraries serving thier patrons but the most important thing is that the tags still need to be reviewed and evaluated to make sure that it provides the information needed so that the patrons can find the information they are looking for.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

What's Happening @ the Little Elm Public Library

06/30/09
If you need books for the upcoming three day weekend, remember that the library will be closed from Friday, July 3rd through Sunday, July 5th for the Independence Day weekend. Though Little Elm Toastmasters (meeting every 1st and 4th Thursdays from 7-8pm and the first Saturday of each month at 1pm) and Little Elm Crafters Guild are cancelled for that day, make sure to plan on attending the exciting annual Town of Little Elm July Jubilee celebration in Little Elm Park! July Jubilee is a fun event for the entire family that starts at 4pm on Saturday, July 4th.

Kids and teens between the ages of 10 and 18 are invited to join the WWE SummerSlam Reading Jam at the Little Elm library. This is a partnership between your library, the Young Adult Library Services Association and World Wrestling Entertainment. To enter, the first twenty-five kids check out two books by July 16th and receive a numbered poster while supplies last. These posters have been given out to libraries across the United States. On July 17th, WWE will randomly select 2 poster numbers as Grand Prize Winners (a trip for the grand prize winner and one guest to attend WWE’s SummerSlam live event in August in Los Angeles) and ten poster numbers as First Prize Winners (each will receive a WWE Encyclopedia) and fifteen poster numbers as alternates.

On Tuesday, July 7th at 4pm join us for the Parting of the Pants party. Inspired by the “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” series, by Ann Brashares, three pairs of pants have traveled around! Starting in California, the pants have been to over 40 libraries across the United States, Canada, and Australia! Along the way, teens have been adding their names and drawings representing their home libraries. The two pairs of pants are currently hanging around in the Little Elm library. We will decorate two additional pairs of pants so one Little Elm pair can travel on with the other three pair. We will also create a mini scrapbook to send along with the pants. Everyone is welcome to join the “sisterhood” for the Parting of the Pants party! Brothers are invited too!

If investments and retirement have been on your mind, sign up for the Edward Jones program being held on Saturday, July 11th, 10:30am at the library. The program covers specific financial topics and how to determine if you’re on track to reach your retirement goals and what steps you can take to help make them a reality. Call Linda Bullwinkle, Financial Advisor at 972-292-1824 or 214-215-5453 to reserve your spot today.

For the adult readers, bestsellers added this week include The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan; Matters of the Heart by Danielle Steel; Skin Trade by Laurell K. Hamilton; Roadside Crosses by Jeffery Deaver; Excuses Begone by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer; Relentless by Dean Koontz; Robert Ludlum’s the Bourne Deception by Eric Van Lustbader; Horse Soldiers by Doug Stanton; and audio books Brimstone by Robert B. Parker and Swimsuit by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro. Put a hold on your favorites today! To put a hold on these great titles or ask questions about anything else, contact the library at 214-975-0430 or email library@littleelm.org.

Let Me Tell you a LibraryThing or Two

Funny thing, I learned that I had signed the Little Elm Library up on LibraryThing back in 2006 and just hadn't used it yet. Now I have a couple of Friends :-) I have decided to add the really old and rare books that we get as donations and that we will turn into a special collection for people to look at but they are not in the regular collection and catalog yet. I never did find ThingLang, ISBN Check and MARCThing and I looked on every page for close to an hour. My eyesight must be really bad :-( I also found out that I was already a member of the Librarians Who LibraryThing. I See Dead People's Books was not something I was interested in. By the time I got to the Thingology Blog I had already been on the site for awhile so it was information overload time but it did seem to have some good information to reread in more detail. I did add our Writers group as an event and tagged the library and the writers groups as favorites. I am also interested in learning more about the Cue Cat Scanner that I saw on the site for $15.

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Squirmy LibWorm

It is always nice to have everything library in once place. I do like the various types of categories and subjects available to choose from because it helps narrow down the search. When it comes to the tagging page, it is interesting to see how many different ways someone can name a term. I can relate because there was a time that we found five different spellings of Little Elm in library records (Little Elm, Littleelm, Litle Elm, etc.) I did a phrase search of Little Elm Public Library and found two articles. As much as I have been publishing items over the last five years I was surprised not to find more information about the library but I noticed a lot of the information that comes up is from more well known sources or blogs. So, I signed up my library blog page and I checked with our Town IT department to see what it would take to turn my library page of the town website that has my weekly library newsletter into an RSS feed. Overall observation of LibWorm...it does have potential but it reminds me of a Wikipedia of information that can not be edited.

Monday, June 29, 2009

Digg it!

Since I got behind, I thought I would work backwords to get caught up.
Digg was a good assignment. It was interesting that you can use your facebook account to login to Digg but I was not quite comfortable enough to do that yet. I did like the hammer story about women being able to hammer better than men, at least in the daylight. I don't care what the article said the reason was, I think women can hammer better because they don't want to break a nail. I did create an account so if you search Page by Page or Little Elm Library, the weekly library newsletter comes up so I hope a lot of people will Digg it :-)

What's happening @ the Little Elm Library

Area teens and tweens have the chance to win a trip to WWE’s SummerSlam in Los Angeles this summer by taking part in the SummerSlam Reading Jam. Little Elm Library is part of a pilot project sponsored by World Wrestling Entertainment® and the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). Starting June 24th, the library will give out posters featuring WWE Superstars Rey Mysterio®, Evan Bourne™, Beth Phoenix™ and EVE™ to the first 25 patrons between ages 10 and 18 who check out two books. Posters, each of which are numbered, are available until July 16th or as long as supplies last.

A free Will Seminar will be presented by the O’Connell Law firm on Saturday, June 27th at 10am. Some topics that will be discussed include trusts, making a will online, and who will take care of your children if something happens to you. Fourteen people have registered already, so join us by calling the library at 214-975-0430.

The monthly business fair is on Saturday, June 27th at 11am. Businesses and organizations in attendance include LaFreda Williams with Mary Kay; Jennifer Stafford with Homemade Gourmet; Lilly’s Landscape; Tieperman Health and Wellness; Sandra Smith with Century 21 Judge Fite Company; Heather Zacny with TheParentHive.com & NorthTexasCoupons.com; Jewelry by Ana and Lorena; Foundational Wellness will be providing free MyoVision exams (MyoVision or sEMG stands for Surface Electromyography. It is a device which measures the amount of electrical activity your muscles release when they are contracting, more commonly known as muscle tension); local artist Pali; Little Elm Craft Guild; and AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) will be taking registrations for their Driver Safety Program.

Drama Kids International workshop will be held every Monday during the summer from 3:30pm-4:30pm at the Little Elm library. The workshop is for ages 5-10 and costs $10 a class. Enrollment is ongoing. For more information you can visit their website at www.dramakids.com/tx5 or register by calling the library at 214-975-0430. A portion of the proceeds will go towards the purchase of a drama book for the children’s area of the library.

The public is invited to the Even Start Family Literacy graduation on Monday, June 29th at 6:30pm. The event is sponsored by the Little Elm Library and will be held in Little Elm Town Hall at 100 W. Eldorado Parkway. According to Ginger Williford, Program Coordinator of the Little Elm Even Start Family Literacy Program, the grant served 126 families and 306 children during the four year grant cycle 2005-2009. The grant provided $800,000 of federal funds to provide the most intensive, researched based program available to break the cycle of poverty for our ESL families. It included adult education, parent education, early childhood education, home visits monthly, and a time for children to learn with their parent (ILA: Interactive Literacy Activities). The program was housed at Brent Intermediate School and served families that had at least one child under the age of 8. The Even Start Team is proud of Ana Garcia, who came to Even Start with limited English and went on to receive her GED and was the only parent in the nation to speak at the National Even Start Conference in 2008.

For more information about anything, contact the library at 214-975-0430; email library@littleelm.org or visit the website at http://ci.little-elm.tx.us/library.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

What's Happening @ the Little Elm Public Library

Little Elm Public Library Newsletter
06/08/2009
Texas weather is nothing to sneeze at, even though the weather stirs up all kinds of allergies. One of the more serious weather events in Texas are hurricanes and the season for them will be here before you know it. This was brought to my attention the other day when the news listed the upcoming names that are being planned for the hurricanes. Can anyone guess what names were given for the letter A and letter W? Answers will follow in next week’s library news but feel free to let me know your ideas.

New bestsellers added to the collection this week include Seducing an Angel by Mary Balogh; The Sign by Raymond Khoury; Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child; Last Child by John Hart; and Reinvention: How to Make the Rest of Your Life the Best of Your Life by Brian Tracy.

What do shoes, pizza, and libraries have in common? Peter Piper Pizza, the Shoe Bank, and Little Elm Library are partnering together to collect shoes and help raise awareness of the Shoe Bank. There is currently a Shoe Bank collection box in the Little Elm library. On Friday, June 12th from 11am-9pm, all six Dallas/FT. Worth Peter Piper Pizza locations will be donating 15% of all food and beverage sales to the Shoe Bank. So put on your shoes and bring your unwanted extra shoes to the library or drop them off at a Peter Piper Pizza location at a DFW location nearest you on June 12th while enjoying a bite to eat knowing that you are making a difference.

Another partnership that the library has become involved in is with Drama Kids International run by Toni Rogers, instructor and owner. Drama Kids is designed to develop each student’s speaking, presentation, confidence and acting skills. This summer, the Drama Kids workshop will be held every Monday during the summer from 3:30pm-4:30pm at the library located at 100 W. Eldorado Parkway. The workshop is for ages 5-10 and costs $10 a class. Enrollment is ongoing and there is a different lesson plan every week. Props and costumes are included. Children are allowed one free trial class. For more information you can visit their website at www.dramakids.com/tx5 or you can register by calling Toni at 214-592-4066. A portion of the proceeds will be used to purchase a drama book for the children’s area of the library.

The Friends of the library meeting for Thursday, June 11th has been cancelled. The next meeting will be Thursday, July 9th at 7pm. We hope to see you then.

The dog days of summer are fast approaching and we have just the program for the occasion. On Saturday, June 13th, Maggie the dog will be at the library with her owner Megan for family story time. Come relax and hear stories with Maggie. Petting is allowed.

Are you musically inclined or at least think you are? Then sign up for the Guitar Hero tournament hosted by Reilly at the library on Saturday, June 13th at 1pm. Sign up by calling the library at 214-975-0430. For more information about anything call the library at 214-975-0430 or email library@littleelm.org.

The Ning Thing

The first thing I thought of was that Ning is a lot like Facebook only less known. Once again, since I am trying to promote the library everywhere that I can, I did open a Ning network account, invited Friends, and created a blog with the library newsletter. I think the hardest thing about all these accounts, networks, pages, and groups is keeping them all straight and updated. I already have three pages of usernames and passwords and am trying to figure out the best way to add information about the library, how to get others connected to all these sites with the library, and getting it done in a timely manner. Just trying to keep up with library marketing by computer is a full time job. What I did not realize is that I had signed up for a social network a couple of years ago and I do not think I realized it was a "social network at the time". I have not kept up with it and this assignment has brought it to the forefront and now I saw that people have been responding over my question about whether they would be interested in seeing our library newsletter about what we are doing. Now I will add it to the list of places to post my newsletter. The two networks that I have currently joined are Little Elm Public Library (of course) and Roseville Public Library. ReadKiddoRead is a network that I joined a couple of years ago and another place I need to start posting information. I also noticed that Roseville Public is teaching web 2.0 so it will be another place to learn how to continue getting better at this :-)

Face Book and more Face Book

One of my Friends of the Library had already set up one account for the Friends of the Library and one account for the Public library. I had not done anything with it up until now because I was not sure what to do. This assignment motivated me to find out what I needed to do in order to work with the Facebook that was already in place. I did have to set up my own personal Facebook profile, which I did. This enabled me to obtain the admin rights from the Friends for my Facebook public library page. Since everything I am learning is being applied to promoting the library, I refer to the library a lot in my individual Facebook area. I personally think that people need to be careful how much information gets put on these profiles. I think too many people think that only thier friends and family see what is posted and do not consider the big picture that anyone who gets on the web could possibly see their information. These web 2.0 tools are beneficial in many ways, when used correctly and cautiously. Don't be afraid, just be aware.

Even more Facebook
I did add some friends to my individual facebook profile, making sure that information about the public library is evident. I am still trying to figure out how to invite friends and fans to the library facebook page itself. It is pretty amazing the number of people that you know who are on facebook. I wrote something about the library on my wall. I became a fan of a few organizations. I can honestly say I now understand how my patrons can spend all day in the library on the computer in these social networking sites. It is very addictive and time consuming. The groups I joined include ALA, TLA, Town of Little Elm, and Toastmasters International. Since the library has numerous clubs and support groups, I am thinking about making pages or groups for them but I need to understand the difference better. I can see why the two can be confusing :-) Now on to the Ning thing!

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Feed Your Blog: A Dual Post

I had always wondered what RSS feeds were and how to use them and now I know. I think one thing that is going to be frustrating in having a separate account for bloglines and RSS feeds is keeping up with reading them. I currently have thousands of emails that I need to get caught up with in my regular email account so I hope it does not become a contest between the two of which can go higher :-) A mission I need to undertake is figuring out how to get the blogline and RSS feeds account fed into my regular email account so I don't have to monitor both. If someone knows how to do that now, please let me know. Since I am having all my staff do this 23 things project, it is a great way to put all of their blogs in one folder so I can read and reply at any time. I have to thank my employee Laurie for the suggestion. I probably would have thought of it eventually but sooner is better than later. That is a good thing about this project and all of us working together is that we are learning which web tools we like, don't like, and who is comfortable with what so that we help each other through each tool.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

What's Happening @ the Little Elm Public Library




05/26/09

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod; Hey Diddle Diddle, etc. Strange and misspelled words are nothing new. They have been around for years and years in all types of capacities. So when strange and misspelled words are used in technology, it should come as no surprise. More like wonderment as to what the strange misspelled words mean and what purpose they serve in the mysterious world of the web. Take Flickr for example. Without seeing the spelling and only hearing the term, the first things that come to my mind is the title My Friend Flicka (horse) and the porpoises name Flipper. This is due to the words using a lot of the same letters and close sounds along with the fact that I don’t always hear very well. But come to find out it is actually a photo and video sharing site. It is going to be very helpful to organize and share the many library photos we have once I get it totally figured out but in the meantime I have at least one photo on the site. Visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/LittleElmPublicLibrary/ and add a comment to let me know what you think.

I also learned how to do mashups (allows you to have fun with your photos in creative ways) and image generators (makes images say whatever you want). Though these projects were very interesting to learn all the different things you can do, it was also very time consuming and frustrating at times. The easiest thing to do is spelling with flickr (http://metaatem.net/words/). Sometimes the hardest thing is knowing whether or not something worked the way it was supposed to. I have attached a couple of pictures as part of my mashup (pumpkin picture) and image generator (animated picture) project. I hope you enjoy. I am still glad that I am learning all these new social media concepts so that I can make my library news even more exciting!