Apps

Finally some things that I was already using.  I've been using Overdrive on my Playbook for over a year and although I prefer real books, it's great for finding something new to read without leaving the house. 

The BiblioNB app on my phone I use less frequently.  I prefer a larger screen for looking for books or checking my account. 

Scoop it

I had a little trouble getting started with scoop it but I think I've got it now.  It's a cool collection of random related things, kind of like flipping through magazines.   I think I prefer Pinterest.

DYI Professional Development

I went to the Library of Congress and discovered they have a lot of webcasts which are available on their web-site and on Youtube.  I watched a video about the Digital Public Library of America or DPLA.  The DPLA is a portal which instituions across the United States are using to share historical data, documents and pictures.  As items are digitized by smaller organizations they can be added to teh DPLA making them accessible to everyone. 

Here is the video for anyone who is interested. 

Multimedia and YouTube

Wayne and Shuster were two of my favourite comedians.  I glad to see some of their sketches on Youtube. 



Here is Wayne and Shuster with Shakespeare's Take on Baseball.

Pinterest

Some of my colleagues already follow Pinterest but it doesn't appeal to me.  I think I prefer to search for things using Google.  I created a few boards about Gardening and Library related articles and I've started following the Library of Toronto. 

Wordle is Fun!

It took a while to come up with something to paste into Wordle but once I thought of something it was fun to play with the different combinations.  Here is the Wordle take on New Brunswick Heritage Week.

Images

Even kids that have difficulty reading enjoy reading to a dog.  Here is a shot of a girl participating in a Reading to Dogs event at U.S.Marine base Lejuene in South Carolina.

Courtesy USMC via Wickmedia Commons

Social reading with Bibliocommons

This was fun.  I already use my Bibbliocommons account but it was good to have a refresher in how to make lists and comment on books.  It took me a while to find someone to follow, but I did finally find someone with lots of good suggestions.

Twitter

It's harder than you would think to come up with a comment that's short enough for a tweet.  Thankfully one of my co-workers came up with a helpful suggestion.  It is sort of like reading the headlines on newspapers.  You get an idea of what is happening but no details. 

"Spotlight On" Display

Our "Spotlight On" Display has been popular.  Last week we featured Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult and this week we have Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel.  One of our staff members picked these titles because she liked them and she could get ten copies quite easily.  They have been going out  quickly.  The display has been also been useful when a patron asks for a suggestion of something they should read. 

Welcome!

Welcome to the Corner of Spring and Summer!

Here in the Kennebecasis Valley in New Brunswick we are in the depths of winter and I can't help counting the days until Spring!  We have all been busy this week creating our new blogs.  It's good that we have been able to help each other get started.   This will be a good experience for us to learn about using social media. 

Another new thing we are starting this week is a new Display at the Circulation Desk called "Spotlight On".  We are highlighting a different book each week.  We have brought in multiple copies of the same book and so far they have been moving well. We have also had fun picking the titles of the books.