Families and Facebook

In my last post I mentioned that my daughter-in-law had used Facebook as the primary mode of communication to tell everyone that she's expecting a baby. And through the vast line of communication available via technology, my other family members know that I blogged about my daughter-in-law's action.

This evening I checked my Facebook account, and one of my daughters had sent me a piece of Flair. (For the non-Facebook users, "Flair" are virtual buttons with sayings or pictures on them. Facebook users send and collect Flair. I'm still not sure why!) Anyway, the piece of Flair that my daughter sent to me says, "The family that Facebooks together, stays together."

I will admit that Facebook has lessened the distance among my family members--in more ways than just mileage.

Social Networking: Changing the Ways Families Communicate

I had my Facebook profile first--before any of my kids. I remind them of that fact often. "Your mom was cooler than you BEFORE you became cool!"

But now all of my daughters and my daughters-in-law have Facebook profiles. It's a great way for us to chat, tell stories, share pictures and have fun. And since there are several miles separating all of us, Facebook has become the new way for us to communicate. I didn't realize how much our communication styles had changed, though, until last week.

My daughter-in-law Jessica let the family know she's expecting. She didn't call us. She didn't tell us over dinner. She posted a message on her Facebook profile that said, "Jessica is feeling pregnant." WHAAAAT? The next morning, she had changed her "Flair board" (the place where you can post virtual buttons) to show only buttons of obviously pregnant silhouettes and a center button that said, "I'm pregnant!" Yup...the news was out. And now all of her friends and family--and my friends and family, and other friends who can view those friends' profiles--know that Jessica is expecting.

The neat thing about having Jessica post her good news this way is that I (and all of the other family/friends) can read the various reactions and posts to her news. Through a social networking site, it's as if we're all rejoicing with Jessica at the same time. I've got to admit that it beats a phone call!

Google's LIFE Photo Archive

I just discovered Google's newest feature (I think it's the newest one): the LIFE photo archive, available from the Google Images page. According to Google, you can "search millions of photographs from the LIFE photo archive, stretching from the 1750s to today. Most were never published and are now available for the first time through the joint work of LIFE and Google."

I'm wondering what kind of photographs were available in the 1750s. Guess I'll have to sneak a peek! With "millions of photographs," there's got to be something there for everyone. What a great resource for students, teachers, librarians and anyone interested in some great photography!

http://images.google.com/imghp?hl=en&tab=wi

Are Gamers Readers?

I know this seems like old information to post, but I thought my original comments (included below, although somewhat tweaked) might have been published as an editorial. Since it wasn't, I can now talk about this on my own blog.

In the September 15, 2008 issue of Library Journal, Joseph Grosso wrote "Mission Aborted?" (p.34) in which he questions if libraries have "aborted" their mission of promoting reading and have instead adopted a culture that embraces and promotes “multimedia” materials—especially gaming (materials and programs). Grosso admits that he will likely be “derided,” and indeed he was in the November 15 issue of LJ. I’ll try to be gentle in contradicting Mr. Grosso.

While I at times lament the fact that patrons aren’t always in the public library to get a literary classic, I must assure Mr. Grosso that gaming in the public libraries has promoted more reading—at least as I observed among the teens with whom I worked in my previous position as a teen specialist librarian for the Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library (EVPL) in Indiana. It was there that teens were not only offered electronic gaming events at least twice a month, but also given the opportunity to oversee those programs. Teens assisted with these programs by setting up, monitoring and cleaning up. They also developed new and highly creative ideas for spin-off programs (which kept spinning off from each other). These spin-off programs covered everything from non-electronic gaming events to a reader’s theatre where the teens presented children’s stories to younger children’s groups at the library.

As the teens realized they could take an active role in the library, they also began to view the library as their favorite place to “hang out” (in a good sense) even when no gaming events or other programs were offered. Of course, it was during those times that the teens perused the stacks and began checking out large numbers of books. In fact, at EVPL’s Central Library, where the bulk of teen programming occurred, circulation of teen (YA) reading materials (NOT electronic materials, mind you) increased over 18% from 2006 to 2007, the time period in which the gaming events b egan. Was the increased circulation of teen literature a direct result of the gaming events the library offered? I believe it was. Gaming brought the so-called “reluctant readers” into the library—a place they might not otherwise have visited. I also believe that gaming events allowed the teens to develop a special love for their library, and I am confident that the leadership these teens assumed there and the special social interactions they experienced within the library will convince those students to remain library users and supporters well into their adult years.

Readers are Happier

My former colleague, Marilyn W. (a reference librarian) shared this information with me.

Sociologists at the University of Maryland have concluded from a lengthy study that people (it seems the study focused only on Americans) who watch television are not as happy as people who "spend more time reading and socializing." While television seems to allow for escapism and gives the viewer an immediate sense of happiness, the feeling is not long term. As quoted from the report posted on the University of Maryland's website, " the researchers found that self-described very happy people were more socially active, attended more religious services, voted more and read more newspapers." No mention about people who read other materials, but it's always good to know that reading is a key to happiness. I think librarians have always known this fact.

View the story at the following link:
http://www.newsdesk.umd.edu/sociss/release.cfm?ArticleID=1789

Occupations with Happiest Results

I spotted a story/article when I was checking an email account I have on Yahoo. (I don't check that account too often, so I don't know how long this story has been posted.) It's titled, "Where Do America's Happiest People Work?" I thought it was going to list locations--cities or states or regions, but it doesn't. Instead, it includes the top 10 jobs that supposedly bring the most happiness. Reasons some of the people cited for their happiness in these top 10 jobs include "helping people" and "being creative" and having employers who help expand the employee's experience. I anticipated seeing librarians listed somewhere on the list. Really, I did!

Imagine my disappointment when librarians weren't mentioned anywhere. I know that I am VERY happy as a librarian. I find that the job brings a lot of satisfaction for many of the same reasons other people listed in the article. I am able to help people find answers to their information needs. I help people learn and grow. I have had ample opportunity to be creative in whatever position I've had within the field of public librarianship. From creating and presenting programs, to teaching information literacy...from creating displays to writing articles--I've had plenty of creative opportunities. I also believe that librarianship is a field where employers not only want their employees to expand their experience, employers actually expect it and routinely offer training and educational opportunities.

Other reasons I'm very happy as a librarian include the fact that I serve a wide variety of people, including those of all socio-economic backgrounds, races, and ages. I also like the fact that each day brings something new, and I constantly have the opportunity to learn something new. I also work with some fantastic people!

Oh...and another reason I love being a librarian is that I can read on the job and no one thinks I'm goofing off!

In case you're wondering, the number one job that makes people the happiest (according to the Yahoo article) is clergy.

You can read the Yahoo article and see the other top nine jobs from this link:
http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/career-articles-where_do_america_s_happiest_people_work-569;_ylc=X3oDMTE5YjNiaWdhBHRtX2RtZWNoA0JpekRldiAvIFBhcnRuZXIEdG1fbG5rA1UxMTAxNzAx

Irritating Phrases and Words

Oxford University recently published its list of "top 10 irritating phrases." The most irritating phrase, according to Oxford is "at the end of the day." (Hmmm...I've not heard anyone use that particular phrase around here recently.) You can read the other nine irritating phrases at the following link:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/debates/3394545/Oxford-compiles-list-of-top-ten-irritating-phrases.html

After reading the above article, I did a Google search for "overused American phrases and words" and got 156,000 results (one of which did include the word "got" on it--so sorry!).

If I were composing an American version of most irritating phrases and overused/abused words, I know that it would look something like this:

1. "you know"
2. "like"
3. "you know what I mean"
4. "there's" (used with plural objects instead of using "there are") Example: "There's a ton of
people who don't realize they mean to say 'there are' at the beginning of such a sentence."
5. "importantly" (used instead of "important")
6. "freakin'" (as in "that was so freakin' fun"--which, I suppose, is better than its obscene
cousin, although I've never figured out how the word became an adjective)
7. "wazzup"
8. "24/7"
9. "omigod"
10. "my bad"

Other irritations, although not words or phrases, are abuses of there/their/they're, similar abuses of your/you're, and overuse of apostrophes (using them with plural words instead of possessives).

Evidently, I'm not the only librarian who gets a bit frustrated with "irritating" words and phrases. View a list of overused words that were "retired" by a group of librarians at Hester Memorial Library at North Greenville University at the following link:
http://media.www.nguskyliner.com/media/storage/paper284/news/2005/04/27/News/Library.Staff.Retires.Overused.Words-938580.shtml

Haunted Libraries

'Just in time for Halloween, George Eberhart has compiled his list of "Haunted Libraries Around the World" on Britannica's blog. The list focuses on the U.S. with a break down by region, but it also includes libraries from other countries/continents.

http://www.britannica.com/blogs/2007/10/haunted-libraries-around-the-world-the-complete-list/

If I had wings...

A couple of years ago, I attended my oldest grandchild's "graduation ceremony" from preschool. At that event, there was a wonderful video presentation of each student in his class stating "what I want to be when I grow up." Out of a huge class (this preschool had well over 50 students), not one child wanted to be a librarian. There was the usual list of police officers, teachers, moms/dads, a cowboy, and even a "paleontologist" (spoken and defined correctly by one student whose uncle is a paleontologist). But no librarians. I left that ceremony wondering what is wrong with my career. Have we not promoted ourselves enough to young children? Have they not been exposed to us? Have they been exposed to us but not liked us well enough to imitate us? Have they been exposed to us but not realized what we're called?

Today I visited a preschool for one of the early childhood literacy presentations I regularly give. In the school's hallway was a bulletin board with the title, "If I had wings, I'd fly to...." Preschoolers' comments were listed. I scanned the list as I passed it. I'd fly to the playground. I'd fly to the candy store. I'd fly to the toy store. I'd fly to my grandma's house.

And then...at the very bottom of the list was this comment: If I had wings, I'd fly... "to the library." A preschooler named Yaire said she would fly to the library. YES! This child knows the joys of being at a library! And hopefully, she knows the joy of having a librarian in her life. I am making it a point now to begin all of my preschool programs (or any presentation) with, "Hello, my name is Maryann, and I'm from the library. I'm a librarian!" Maybe Yaire or her other classmates will not only want to fly to the library, but maybe they'll want to be the pilot.

YALSA's Call for Contributions

Posted October 7, 2008 on ALA's website:

YALSA is seeing contributions for its upcoming book, "Cool Teen Programs on a Shoestring," edited by Jenine Lillian. Expected publication is by Neal-Schuman in 2009.

"Librarians who have hosted inexpensive (under $100) programming or special events at their public or school libraries are invited to submit their programs for possible inclusion in the book."

See the form at http://tinyurl.com/yalsashoestring and email it to coolteenprograms@gmail.com by November 20.

Note: You must be a YALSA member in order to be included in the book! All the more reason to join this fastest-growing division of ALA!

Teens and Gaming--Some Good News!

I love the Pew Internet & American Life Project. They release some of the most interesting reports, and I especially appreciate the research they do regarding teens. One of their most recent reports (released last month) is "Teens, Video Games, and Civics" and it's got some interesting results.

According to the survey, 99% of teen guys and 94% of teen girls report playing games (we're talking electronic gaming here). That aspect of the report is not too surprising. What may be more surprising to the average adult is that these teens are not suffering from "social isolation" when they are gaming. 71% of teen gamers are playing with other people. Some of this interaction may be through online gaming with others (MMOG), but 65% of the teens surveyed specifically say they play games "with others in the same room." Could any of those teens be playing games AT THE LIBRARY with other teens there??

As a former Teen Specialist Librarian, I saw first-hand the benefits of sponsoring teen gaming events at the library. I saw how those teen flocked to the library in droves to socialize, play games, and yes--to check out books. Those same teens undertook the responsibility of overseeing the gaming events (setting up, monitoring, putting away), and they also volunteered for other activities at the library. They came up with creative teen programs as spin-offs from the gaming events.

So I wasn't too surprised by the Pew's report regarding teen gamers and civic activity: "The survey indicates that youth who have these kinds of civic gaming experiences (playing games that are about social issues or that involve decision making about leading a group) are more likely to be civically engaged in the offline world."

Click the link below to view the press release and to access the full report (all 76 pages of it!). Quotes in this post are from the following link as well:
http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/263/report_display.asp

Non-Partisan Political Sites

My friend and colleague from Indiana, Mollie (the Meditating Librarian), made a great post to her library's blog about non-partisan campaign info. If you like to hear (or in this case READ) a balanced view of the presidential candidates, check out this information. Since Molly did such a good job of succinctly listing the information, I'll use her words here:



"The PBS blog, Media Shift, had a helpful article this week, Political Fact-Check Sites Proliferate, But Can They Break Through the Muck? The non-partisan, fact-checking sites recommended are Annenberg Public Policy Center's FactCheck.org, the St. Petersburg Times and Congressional Quarterly's PolitiFact and the Washington Post's Fact Checker blog."



Mollie posted this information at
http://evpl.org/community/blogs/research/archive/2008/09/25/fact-vs-fiction-in-political-campaigns.aspx (Accessed 09/29/2008)



Mollie's own blog may be viewed at http://meditatinglibrarian.blogspot.com/

Thanks for the good info, Mollie!

Social Networking Communities and e-Dating Services

A brand new reference book from IGI Publications is now avaiable. Social Networking Communities and e-Dating Services includes several chapters on a variety of topics and would make a great addition to research libraries and/or those public libraries interested in building their "information science" collection. And as if that's not good enough reason to buy it, MY CHAPTER is included in it! (No, I don't get any kick-backs from sales. I'm just excited about the book, and I believe it is a very timely topic.)

Go to this URL to view details about the reference book that includes my chapter, "Teens and Social Networking Services: An Overview" (chapter 9). http://www.igi-pub.com/reference/details.asp?ID=8010&v=preface


Information Science Reference
Source: www.igi-pub.com

Wisconsin Library is Tough on Overdues!

In Grafton, Wisconsin, a library patron was arrested because she didn't pay her library fines. According to an AP story that appeared in today's Des Moines Register, the woman had received phone calls and notices about the matter, but she ignored them. One day, police officers came and took her away because of her failure to pay the fines. While I know there are library patrons who owe their public libraries hundreds of dollars, it seems that this Wisconsin patron, Heidi Dalibor, only owed approximately $30 for two overdue paperbacks. Hmmm...And I always thought my jokes about the "library police" were just jokes. It seems that Grafton actually has at least a couple of such officers! Ms. Dalibor, by the way, was freed by her mother who had to pay $172 to release her daughter.

The things kids say in a storytime

So I'm in the middle of a great Eric Carle story. All the kids are "into" the story and obviously loving it. Suddenly a little boy blurts out, "I like your hair!" I choke down a chuckle, bid him a quick thank you along with a suggestion to listen to the story, and continue with my storytelling. As I pondered his comment later in the day, I realized that the kids aren't always looking at the pictures in the book or the storytime props. Sometimes they're looking at ME!

Books as decoration

Having just relocated to another city, I was recently introduced to Half-Price Books. (My former city of residence did not have this store.) This is a fantastic store if you want great bargains on books of all kinds. I'm not writing this post to promote this business, though. I'm writing because I was intrigued by a concept the store offers. I first saw information about it on the store's website (http://www.halfpricebooks.com/bby.html). The concept is called "Books by the Yard." Prior to clicking on information about it, I wasn't sure what was meant by the term. Is this "yard" as in "yard sale," I wondered. Wrong. It's "yard" as in "yard stick." The store sells preselected books that encompass approximately three feet of space for you to purchase and use for your home decorating needs. Look out, HGTV! There are four different categories of books: Reader's Digest Condensed, Reference, Mixed and Law. Take your pick. Want your house to look like a well-read home? Choose the Reader's Digest yard. Want to look super-scholarly? Pick the Law collection. Need something to fill the knick-knack shelves? Get the Mixed set.

I laughed when I first saw the "Books by the Yard" information and silently commended the store for its ingenious creativity, although the concept seems to be exploiting books. Then I had to swallow my laughter when, later in the same week, my husband told me how he was determining which of his books would go on the family room shelves in our new home, and which would go upstairs in his office. He commented, "I suppose my system of organization is basically just showing off. I'm putting my manga upstairs. My scholarly books are in the family room." Since his personal library collection is all in Japanese, it hardly matters which books he puts where, as visitors to our home usually can't decipher kanji. But his comment made me realize that within my own household, my family is just as guilty of book exploitation.

I pity the authors whose books are not read and are merely used for decorative purposes. Thankfully, at least the books in my home have been read--regardless of where and why they're shelved.

Carnegie Libraries

Here's a link to a story that highlights Iowa's success in keeping the state's Carnegie libraries alive and well, although that's not always the case in most areas.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-ia-carnegielibraries,0,1183357.story

The Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library (Indiana) currently has two Carnegie libraries--the West Branch Library and the East Branch Library. Both locations received renovations within the past six years and are absolutely beautiful. Both also serve their respective neighborhoods well. It's wonderful that the EVPL system saw the value in these buildings. View these two libraries at EVPL's website at http://www.evpl.org/.

Way to go, Iowa and Indiana!

Toddler books

This morning my husband ran to the nearby branch library to get a couple of DVDs. (Yes, he does read profusely, but as we are preparing to move, he decided he needed something to use as a "relaxation" object later today.) He really surprised me when he brought back a stack of children's books (mostly toddler and early picture books) for my grandson. Hubby knows that I am babysitting this energetic 3-year-old this evening, so he took it upon himself to select some books that I could read to the tot. Just a few evenings ago I was discussing with Husband the abundance of research that overwhelmingly proves the benefits of reading to young children--not that my husband didn't already believe in the benefits of reading). Naturally, when I babysit my grandchildren, I take a supply of books to share with them. I had not had time to go to the library to get a new stash for tonight and figured my grandson would not mind hearing the same stories again tonight that he heard last week. I am thrilled, however, to know that my husband--a man who himself never had any children and who is not particularly comfortable around very young children--took it upon himself to make sure my grandson has a fresh supply of books for this evening's visit. His action is a way not only into my grandson's heart, but also deeper into mine! I consider his action one of true love.

Local Library Conferences

Today I attended the Indiana Library Federation's District 5/7 conference, where I presented a session. Yes, it's a small conference, but there is still a wealth of information to be gained from such conferences. This year's conference featured workshops on blogging, social networking sites and the ways teens are using them, historical databases, and more. Additionally, the keynote speaker was Margaret McMullan, author of several books, including How I Found the Strong and When I Crossed No-Bob. All said, the conference was a pretty good deal at only $35 a person--which also included a decent hot lunch (with dessert!).

So why were there so few people there? I pondered that question as I drove home from the conference...in the rain... for quite some distance. Are library staff too busy to attend conferences? Do they think local conferences don't have anything to teach them? Are their budgets so drained that they can't afford to pay the registration fee and mileage? Are they simply not interested? Did they have other programs and events scheduled today which prevented them from attending? I haven't yet found the answer. All I know is that a lot of library staff in the southern part of Indiana missed a really good conference today.

My congratulations to the board that put together the event--especially to Larry Oathout, district president and director of the Tell City PL.

I'm Baaaaa-aaack!

I will admit that this blog first started as an "experiment"-- a self-designed course for learning the how/what/why of blogging. One lesson I didn't seem to take to heart, though, was that blogging takes time! If you want to have a successful blog, you've got to keep it up to date. Honestly, who wants to read a blog that hasn't had any posts to it since JULY of last year?? So...I am now hyped up and ready to become an ACTIVE blogger. A friend of mine (a librarian who has a very good blog and is much more a pro at it than I am) said she spends 15 minutes a day with her blog. Hmmmm...I'm not sure I'm ready for that type of commitment. I'm just not ready for it! I'll plan to spend 10 minutes a day with my blog, which means you'll only have to spend 5 minutes reading the posts! Hey...we're all short on time, right?