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.

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.

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.

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.

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 #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.

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 #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.

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.

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.

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...

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!

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.

What's Happening @ the Little Elm Library

05/11/09

If given the choice of working with technology or people, my first choice is working with people. The thing is that a lot of people use technology so it is important to be familiar with at least some of the technology that people are using. This is one reason why I am taking an online course to learn Web 2.0 tools which include such things like blogging, Flickr, Ning, and a whole lot more. I want to make your library more accessible by using the tools that are being used to share information. My first assignment was learning how to do a blog. I already write a newsletter and I have always wanted to turn it into a blog and now I know how. Visit the website http://littleelmlibrarypagebypage.blogspot.com/ to see my blog and let me know what you think. In the meantime I will keep you posted on all the neat new things I learn. Who knows, it may open up a whole new world of computer classes @ your library.

If you have ever wanted to learn how to play an instrument, the library has purchased a new series of books entitled Learn to Play. Each book teaches how to play an instrument and it is an illustrated step-by-step instructional guide. The instruments include piano, guitar, violin, flute, trumpet, and clarinet. The books not only show how to play each instrument, but also include numerous songs to practice what you learned.

Speaking of music, Rochelle Rabouin, who is a musician, performer, and author, will be the guest speaker at the Thursday, May 21st writers group. She is looking for a short romance story to be read while she and her partner play music during certain parts in the story. It would be totally awesome if the Little Elm writers group could write a short romance story to go with her music. Anyone who may be interested in participating in this endeavor, please call the library at 214-975-0430 to sign up for the writers group.

Something else you may consider signing up for is softball. The Town of Little Elm is starting an adult softball summer league. Registration is May 11th to June 8th and games begin the week of June 15th. The cost per team is $350. You can register a team by completing a registration form and mailing your payment. You can also pick up a registration form and make payment at the Little Elm Public Library. For questions contact Athletic Coordinator Scott Dunn at 972-731-3294 or email sdunn@littleelm.org

Let’s not forget the books. New bestsellers added this week include The Lost Quilter by Jennifer Chiaverini; Boneman’s Daughters by Ted Dekker; Turn Coat by Jim Butcher; and Look Again by Lisa Scottoline. New large print books added this week include Loitering With Intent by Stuart Woods; Tea Time for the Traditionally Built by Alexander McCall Smith; Mr. and Miss Anonymous by Fern Michaels; The Perfect Poison by Amanda Quick; and Deadlock by Iris Johansen.

For more information about anything, call the library at 214-975-0430, email library@littleelm.org or visit the website at http://ci.little-elm.tx.us/library. We are looking forward to hearing from you.