Check This Out

Came across a short piece in the Seattlest about self-checkout machines at the library- specifically at some of the Seattle Public Library branches. It's an interesting commentary about how the machines make the library a less friendly environment. One can zip in and zip out without having any contact with staff- which to some is a great idea! Makes me wonder if my job as a librarian will be automated someday soon!

Brooklyn vs. Tacoma

Photo courtesy of Vinnie716 on Flickr

As I begin to get ready for the move across the country, I am often asked if I will miss New York. Being a native New Yorker, I was born and raised on everything that is unique to the city. Whether it's culture, art, music, pan-handling, activism, or just plain craziness that becomes part of a New Yorker's lifestyle.

Yes- I can admit that I will miss a few things about the city. But, not everything will be missed. I will not miss the constant rushing, pushing and shoving on the train. I will not miss the massive crowds of people in Union Square shopping a Filene's Basement. Nor will I miss the rudeness of New Yorkers! OK- I hear the sneer. Who are you kidding?

Unfortunately, many of us hard-edge NYers have this rudeness in our blood. Of course, many would argue with me on this. I can't really say why many New Yorker's are rude? Maybe it's this concrete jungle we live in or our lack of nature that makes us grumpy and rude?

What will life be like in Tacoma? Almost everyone I have spoken to about my move to the area, have commented on how most, if not all, of the people are "always nice" to quote my doctor. In addition, the beauty that surrounds Washington State was high on the list on why I will love living in Northwest. Of course, most folks also mentioned that everyone lives/works/plays at a "much" slower pace. How could a cityboy like me deal with that?

I don't have an answer to that question? However, in the short amount of time I have spent in the Seattle/Tacoma area, I did find that urban atmosphere and neighborhood feel quality. Take those two qualities and sprinkle some of that beautiful landscape and lots and lots of nature and you have a place for me... and Milo!

Brunette 1, Blond 0

To All,

It is with mixed emotions that I announce my departure from CNN, effective Thursday, August 2nd. I'd like to take this opportunity to express my tremendous respect for my good friends and colleagues, their talent and high standards.

It's been an extraordinary journey since my first day on the job, September 11th, 2001. During my 6 years with CNN, we've covered the war in Iraq, the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, the death of a Pope and the massacre at Virginia Tech. I am enormously proud of the work we've done covering these stories as a team.
Now is the right time for CNN and me to move ahead on different paths. I wish good luck and success to everyone I was fortunate to work with. And for the first time in 30 years, I plan to take a break between jobs and catch my breath before I take on my next role.
- Paula

As reported here on June 17th, one of my favorite TV news anchors, Paul Zahn, resigned from CNN yesterday. The news of her departure was of interest to many- primarily due to the speculation that she had no choice. Both TVNEWSER and The Huffington Post, report that she was literally reading about her fate via the media. Coincidentally, Campbell Brown, from NBC's TODAY SHOW, signed a lucrative contract with CNN the day before Zahn's resignation email (above) was sent out.

For those who did see Brown's on-air farewell this past weekend on the TODAY Show, she was smart in not mentioning where and what she would be doing. A very smart decision since she did not sign on the CNN dotted line until the other day.

It is uncertain who will replace Campbell Brown on the today show or what Paul Zahn will be doing after her departure from CNN? Maybe she should start a blog?

What's Wrong with this Picture?

It is no surprise that I would take a picture of a plane at the airport. The particular one above is from my flight back to NY from Tacoma on JetBlue.

While snapping the picture, I noticed something odd and amusing to say the least. No, it is not the name of that particular aircraft, "Blues Brothers". Can you figure out what is most unusual or even potentially dangerous in this picture? I will let you decide...

Wikipedia Power

The world of information is overwhelming. Our lives are inundated with information from every angle. Our ears and eyes are perhaps the most inundated. Whether it's sitting on a train listening to someone talking about their life drama (hey, isn't that news?) or listening to Morning Edition on NPR or watching TV News or reading the review of the Harry Potter book before you were allowed to read it!

Yet another entry into the world of information is Wikipedia. The free encyclopedia that all of us can contribute to in one way or another- even though our contribution may not be trustworthy or accurate. What many do not realize is that Wikipedia is also being used as a source of current and up-to-date news. An example of this would be the Wikipedia page for the recent TAM airline crash in Brazil that killed 200 people. What intrigues me about this Wikipedia article is the in-depth information. At the top of the page is a header that informs the reader that this article is about a current event.

The article includes plenty of resources and even links to the video footage- which in itself is hard to watch- but you can clearly see the intense speed the plane was traveling down the runway. A great deal of research is done to gather all this information about an event and put it all together into one source for all of us read.

As a librarian, I believe this Wikipedia entry is a valuable resource for patrons of the library. If you think of a scenario where someone would come to the reference desk and ask about the recent plane crash in Brazil- we could refer the person to this Wikipedia article. Not only does it give information about the crash but it also provides information about the type of aircraft, the city, the airport, aviation history and much more- all with external links of information to all the above. Before Wikipedia, we would have to point to dozens of resources to collect this information for someone-- i.e. newspaper articles, airplane manufacturers, country profiles, etc. etc.

Then again, if you really think about it, with this Wikipedia article does anyone really need to come to the library to get this information? Or do they just go online and punch up Google and get this Wikipedia page? A debate in our profession now and in the future.

Steamboat Springs

A funny thing happened to me this afternoon while out and about walking Milo. As I was approaching my apartment building, I ran into a neighbor who was rushing to the store. She looked stressed and I said hi to her and asked how she was and her response was "better now"! She then asked me if I was around for the explosion? I responded "no". She continued to tell me how crazy it was and that they evacuated the building and everyone was running in the streets. Bewildered, I asked her when this took place and she said around 6pm. I thought, wow, and it's only 7pm and everything seems normal. The building doesn't look damaged or I don't see any police or firetrucks? She continued to say how it was a madhouse and everyone in the building panicked! I could not comprehend such an incident happening in my apartment building.

Needless to say, when I walked in to my apartment and turned on the TV, I was bombarded with every TV news breaking story of the steam pipe explosion in the city. It was big news. What was the second major news story of the day? You give up? The rain that flooded our lives all-day in buckets! Is there some connection between steam and rain?

All the Books, All the Time

Imagine every single book on this planet in one library that everyone can access 24/7. Looks like the time has come. Our worst nightmare? Probably not. A recent posting on Boing Boing about Internet Archive's Open Library which is now in demo mode online, will most likely raise an eyebrow here and there.

The following introduction greets visitors...

"Imagine a library that collected all the world's information about all the world's books and made it available for everyone to view and update. We're building that library".

The Open Library project seeks to catalog and shelve every book known to all. It's a library wiki of sorts. It is an ambitious project and the folks beyond this initiative are actively seeking the help and particpation of others- including librarians. In addition, a visitor to the site can see who and what has been added or updated in the library.

It will be a project to watch closely as it develops. What will they think of next?

Over the Fence

I find it difficult reading stories about pet deaths or watching Animal Planet's program Animal Cops or Emergency Vets show. A story in the Gothamist about a dog that went missing after being dropped off at a doggy spa and was eventually found dead, gave me chills. I could not imagine what the owner of the dog must have felt like when hearing that her dog was missing while she was on vacation in California. When I am away on vacation or business, I am not constantly calling my friend who watches Milo, however, when I see my caller ID flashing my friend's number, I jump to answer the phone. Of course, I am over-reacting and it could be a parent with a child scenario, etc.

I have been told by many that I am over-protective of Milo and that he is spoiled a great deal. I have heard many stories about dogs running off while playing in a yard and getting hit by cars or never to be found again. Yes- Milo is trained and in most cases, when he is at the dog run, he will come to me when called. But, a dog run is an enclosed area. I often see people walking their dogs in the park without a leash and wonder what would they do if the dog took off to chase a squirrel and was half-way through the park with the owner yelling the dog's name in a frantic attempt to grab the dog.

Is it a chance that every dog owner has to take? I will be moving to a house next month with a large front yard that has a fence. The fence is not tall and someone suggested it might be too low for Milo and that he could jump over the fence- which is right off the street! Perhaps it would be wise to think positive and know that Milo would not do such a thing. Maybe we as dog owners should question why our dog would run-away?

Random Thoughts

Scanning the library universe, I came across an interview with David Lee King on the website degreetutor.com. The Future of Librarians Interview is an interesting read. When King was asked why libraries are still important?, he said the following:

"We are still one of the few social places one can gather, tell stories, and create stories. People will always be attracted to that type of space. And, of course, we have free stuff".

King made an interesting point. What really stands out in his answer is the comment about libraries being "social places". Much has been on the library radar about the new social web part of our lives such as Flickr, Youtube, Second Life, etc. etc.

Blinging it with Social Life

It is difficult to keep up with this new surge in social software or new and exciting applications that make your online social experience easier.. Bringing everyone up to speed can be a challenge. Larger library systems have attempted to provide staff with the opportunity to learn about Library 2.0 via self-paced online tutorials. It is beneficial and I highly recommend that everyone take the time to spend a few weeks to learn about blogging, wiki's and MySpace, etc. etc. I would not be here right now writing this post had it not been for those free library tutorials!

Bookmobile

I recently saw this posting on the Unshelved Blog about a Pimp My Bookcart contest. Somehow, this must have missed my radar given the date of the posting and contest. At the ALA conference in DC, there was the annual book cart race and I assume that some of the carts in the race were all decked out.

Check out some of the designs! I have to admit they are pretty cool and it gives me some ideas of my own. More information about the contest is available here.

Make My Life Easier

A recent press release from Google announced that they have acquired Grand Central Communications (GCC). So who cares? I'm glad you asked. Google often purchases small mom and pop operations, and usually those mom and pop startup founders retire at a young age.

GCC allows subscribers to combine all their phone numbers and voice mailboxes into a central account. You might have a cell phone and a home phone or maybe a separate work cell phone and it can be really annoying to juggle every line. Minus a home phone, I use both a personal and work cell phone.

With GCC, users get a phone number that "ties" all the numbers and voice mailboxes together. This number is yours for life and you need only to give out that one number and anyone can call you on that number. You can even get a number in your area code. You will not have to give out your home, cell or work number anymore- just this new number. Sounds pretty cool.

You can access your voicemail messages by phone, email or online and it keeps your messages forever. There are a few key features that make this service something to check-out, especially if you have a few numbers that are running your life.

The product is in beta form and you have to go online to sign-up and be "invited" to join the service. It shouldn't be that much of hassle. I signed up and I guess I will just sit here by the phone and wait for it to ring.

Cool Factor

The Gothamist reported today about the recent articles that appeared in the NY Times and the NY Sun about hip librarians. I know this will be interpreted as a much needed publicity boost to the profession. I am not sure how many will read this article and run out to enroll in the nearest library school, however, there will be some surge in that cool librarian phenomena. Many attempts have been made over the years to change the perception of that image (we) embedded in our visual databases of a typical librarian- glasses, hair in a bun and long skirt.

Truth be told, I am not sure if I was considering the image of the librarian when I decided to pursue the profession? I was only reminded about the "historical" librarian image while I was in library school. None of my friends made comments or associated me with this image. What about the image of a male librarian? I could probably research what a male librarian use to look like back in the day, but I will let everyone come up with their own image of the male librarian.

Yes, there was the character from the TV mini-series The Librarian that seemed to be popular and probably, in some fashion, put the male librarian's image on the map. But, I never really thought about being an Indiana Jones librarian.

Does there need to be an image? I wonder how the image of a policeman, fireman or nurse has changed? Ok- that is comparing apples and oranges- or is it?

I like listening to all kinds of music, however, if I have my mp3 player or car radio, I am most likely listening to alternative/rock music--- AFI, the Cure, Muse, etc. etc. Does that make me a rock librarian? How cool is that? We can start this whole group of librarians into rock music! I am sure that already exists. What is a rock librarian anyway?

Snap, Crackle and Pop

Happy 4th of July to all!

Long Haul

Recently, someone asked me if I had any hobbies? I told them I collected beer cans! But, of course that is not so. How about books? Doubtful. I do, however, have an interest in commerical airlines/airplanes. I love to peruse the pictures of planes from the huge photo archives of airplanes from all over the world. Maybe it's the wild painted colors on some planes that is so cool- it is like a work of art.

I don't really consider this a hobby but merely an interest. You will not find color photographs of these planes decorating my walls. Nor will you find a plane in my apartment. You will however find these photographs on my laptop wallpaper.

I can confirm that when I do travel tomorrow, I will arrive at JFK airport and take a spot by the window. Do I collect little toy airplanes- no. At one time, I did.

I could have grown up to be a pilot, fligh attendant, baggage handler or any other airplane employee. One wonders how many work in the industry and are crazy about airplanes? Quite a few I'm sure. Do I fly often? Not really, however, when I do, I get really excited and sometimes arrive at the airport extra early (even though that is the norm these days) and watch the planes roll and fly up to some foreign destination.

Speaking of flying...a recent article about travel gadgets appeared in Forbes Traveler magazine. Some of the gadgets seem unusual. Then again, some maybe not. My favorite is the laptop powered slippers. Go figure!

Social This and Social That

In libraryland, much talk is surrounded around the word "social". Social software, social book catalogs, social blog, social wiki's and even social librarians. Stephen Leary's Reflective Librarian blog has an interesting comparison of the social book catalogs- aka Library Thing- as an example.


I was originally planning on taking my books and using LibraryThing to "catalog" my personal collections of books. But, I decided on a slightly different angle and have used Swaptree to track my books. Swaptree is a trading site. You enter your books, CD's and DVD's and if someone wants what you have you can trade it- but it doesn't have to be a lateral trade. Got it? So if you want my Janet Jackson CD, you can ask for it. But, I don't need to get or trade anything from you.

LibraryThing is more a cataloging system of sorts. Your own personal library collection. It's social aspect is so popular. There is a good deal of interaction between users- whether blogs or personal reviews of books, etc. Literally social- no pun intended.

Years ago, when I first started working in libraryland, I collected so many books that were being trashed by the library. I also had the good fortune of working in the field of publishing- so I had access to books-a-million. My Park Slope apartment had floor to ceiling book cases- the kind that some would die for. Eventually, I chose to move and I couldn't take the shelves full of books. I couldn't very well donate them to the library since I had taken most of them from the library- many first editions. I decided to take as many as I could to the Strand Bookstore and sell them and also to a now non-existent bookshop in Park Slope. To my surprise, I did rather well on the book sale.

Now that social book catalogs such as LibraryThing have come along, it would be great to enter my books. However, I don't have any books to catalog or those that I do have, I have already entered into Swaptree. Plus, the work is somewhat tedious. Time has to be set aside for entering each book's ISBN number into the database.

I suppose after I have entered my books into one of the social book catalogs, I can then socialize with other social librarians and go out and do come social drinking...Starbucks of course.

Reading the Future

Yesterday, after 6 years, I resigned from my job at Brooklyn Public Library. It was a very unusual morning. I was a little tense since I wanted to get it over with and was waiting for my boss to get into work. Ironically, he was late arriving which only prolonged my anxiety. My intention was to give him my resignation letter prior to a staff meeting. However, it did not work out that way and I was forced to sit in the meeting a listen to him delegate 6 months of new work to me. This only made my situation more difficult. After the meeting, I quickly followed him into his office and sat-down and placed my resignation letter on his desk. His reaction was "uh-oh"! It was a surprise to say the least.

I took a deep breath and thanked him for all the support he has given me over the past few years. The PULSE program was not only a success for the library, but also for the profession. Plus, it also put yours truly on the map. Kudos to me!

What now? I will be entering a new chapter in my life as I move forward and take a job as the Head of Reference and Information Services at the main library of Tacoma Public Library in the State of Washington. This position will put me on a slightly different career track and allow me to pursue my interests in public services and library administration. A colleague asked if I am interested in becoming a Director of a library someday? I am not sure if this is my intended career path, however, I will not rule it out someday.

Moving clearly across the country to Tacoma with Milo is exciting but also a big move. Tacoma is approximately 30 miles south of Seattle. Much of the city is experiencing a downtown gentrification. The Tacoma Arts Museum and Museum of Glass are anchors in downtown Tacoma. The arts and culture scene is bustling with activity.

So much to see and so much to do! It will be a learning curve both professionally and personally. I will be in Tacoma next week to meet the staff of the library and get my first look at the city- plus, I will be searching for a place for Milo and I to call home. Wish me luck!

i Am on the Phone

I am writing this from the line which is about 10 miles long from the Apple store in Soho! Okay- so maybe not! What the heck is this iPhone business I'm hearing about? Have you heard of this new cool phone gadget thing called an iPhone. What? You are so not cool.

Tomorrow is iPhone day and the media is having a field day. Boing Boing has done a good job covering the craziness on the web. How about I stand in line for you and you pay me a mere $250? Just check the ads on Craigslist.

Seriously folks, I am an At&T customer and I think all of us should get a free iPhone as a perk! The iPhone is a "revolutionary phone" according to AT&T.

What will be next? i Dream of Jeannie?

Cold as Ice

For those of us who are in the north/southeast, it has been very hot and humid! Power outages are beginning for the summer season and the most unusual methods of keeping cool are randomly on display.

When it gets really hot, I give Milo an ice cube to cool him down. I have been blasting the AC, but living on the top floor of an apartment building doesn't help much. Milo usually sits in front of the fan, which runs simultaneously with the AC to blow the cool air around the room.

Cooling off with water- in the ocean or in a park with sprinklers- is not an option for us city dwellers. We do have many parks with sprinklers, but walking into the sprinkler with hundreds of screaming kids does not seem fun- even though it would cool me off.

I recently saw a piece on the news about passengers stuck for 3 hours on a Delta Comair flight at the airport with no AC! A video showed the passengers fanning themselves with the emergency evacuation pamphlets. Apparently, the crew would open the door to let air in cabin every 1/2 hour!

Is that cool or what!

Lock Me Up Scotty!

I returned from the ALA conference in DC last night. Milo greeted me at the door with is big smile and wagging his tail.

I enjoyed the conference and DC a great deal. The weather was perfect and the hotel was great- with the exception of a very last minute freaky incident that brought on a slight panic attack.

I was checking out of the hotel on my way to a meeting yesterday morning and when I went to leave the hotel room, I could not get out of the room!!! For some unknown reason, the door handle would not turn to open the door. I tried and tried with no luck and called for help at the front desk. A few minutes later, the manager of the hotel showed up and took his card key to open the door and he couldn't open the door! It was not cool. He was baffled and for several minutes (which seemed forever) he tried to get the door to unlock.

I heard him call for back-up and power tools. Hearing him on the walkie-talkie only made me panic even more. I envisioned the fire department showing up and having to climb out the window onto and ladder!

Suddenly, I heard this steel crowbar prying the door open- or attempting to pry it open- with NO success. The manager was trying to be apologetic and assured me help was on the way. I was thinking the whole rescue squad was on the way at this point. Headlines- "GUEST LOCKED IN HOTEL ROOM FOR SEVERAL HOURS".

The manager was using all his power to break the door and pry the frame away from the lock. He was not having much success! We are talking steel frames here- not a wooden door.

Ten minutes went by and I was breaking a sweat. The manager finally took the crowbar and smacked the door handle on the outside so hard he broke the latch and KICKED the door open. In my usual way, I stood there and gave a slight chuckle, grabbed my bags and walked out. I was not a happy camper.

The sad thing is that I didn't make it on the news and there wasn't a picture of me climbing out the window down a firetruck ladder!

Information Overload

Prior to coming down to ALA in DC, I was speaking with several librarians who were to attend their first annual library conference. Giving my 2 cents, I gave them some tips. I tried to make it very clear that it would be overwhelming. Not only will there be so much information- in every shape or form- but there would also be about 20,000 in attendance.

Was I right? I have been here in DC since Thursday, somewhat earlier than the most. I had a few meetings and a pre-conference to attend. By Friday evening, it was obvious that librarians were taking over DC. On Saturday morning, when the exhibit floor opened, it seemed as 20,000 people mobbed the floor. The scope and size of the convention center is the equivalent to 4 football fields.

Saturday and Sunday are the main 2 days of the conference. The bulk of the programs are scheduled during these days. Unfortunately, there are so many programs of interest that it is impossible to get to see all of them. On average there are morning and afternoon sessions with scattered early morning sessions and evening sessions. In addition, there are several speaker programs that are in the evening.

After the programs, there are plenty of dinners and parties and librarians clubbing. This is a great time to network with 20,000 folks. I already ran out of business cards.

Stay tuned...