Librarian's Third Eye

Internet Radio

2008-12-01T18:19:00.001-05:00

I've tried it and it works pretty seamlessly with my windows media player. I mostly listen to CDs at home.

Electronic Resources to My Rescue

2008-12-01T18:01:00.003-05:00

I have been looking at Project Gutenberg for years -- when I was using a dumb terminal to seach the web. It does come in handy -- I forgot to get this month dicussion book for my library patron, Maggie a Girl of the Streets, by Stephen Crane. Oh, Oh. Then it dawned on me is it copyrighted, might Gutenberg have it? It does.

2008-11-24T19:00:00.000-05:00

I decided to go with Clipmarks, instead of the other social bookmarking web pages. CiteULike was contained very technnical kinds of things, and sometimes you were lead to pages that charge for full text. All these site contain a certain amount of serendipitous linking. I think that Clipmarks is similar to websites like Stumble Upon, but you don't have to follow a link -- it comes to you. I clicked on a clip link at http://clipmarks.com/ to a picture of Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland -- the page is http://www.lemondrop.com/2008/11/18/johnny-depp-as-the-mad-hatter/

My bounty is as boundless as the sea (Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene II)

2008-11-13T15:39:00.004-05:00

Fun, intriguing, and informative are some of the descriptive terms I could use for the variety of sites people have garnered. It is amazing how much of the Internet is free entertainment. I was very interested in the working of Aquabrowser. I don't really understand the logic of it; I would like to look into it.

Dreams of User Friendly Library Applications

2008-11-08T13:13:00.005-05:00

If I had the skills I would revamp the Boston Public Library's Electronic Resources page by using learning tools I came across by looking at Webjunction and Wikiversity and other sources I have learned about over the past weeks. I think if we could have a chat like sidebar, manned by a librarian on the webpages for Infotrac and othe databases, then people having difficulty with finding information would have someone to help them right then and there.

Also, having a tutorial with hints on how to get full text articles, how to send the articles to themselves in email, and how to narrow or widen a search. It would take some planning to accommodate the last searching problem.

Google Docs

2008-11-05T17:24:00.005-05:00

I have signed on to Google Docs. This looks useful for its templates. I downloaded one to keep track of birthdays, one - a timetable for goals I've set, and one, a travel itinerary. All I have to do is stop procrastinating and start using them.

Buying Things on the Internet

2008-11-04T16:47:00.005-05:00

I went to the site etsy. It is basically selling really neat handmade articles. I like that you can look for local sellers. The level of sophistication of things for sale are a far cry from the handmade things of yesteryear (Think crochet toilet paper roll covers, etc.). I think I might use the site; I don't Christmas shop really -- but I could see myself buyijng something for someone's birthday. Maybe I will just paint them a picture or something.

My Little Backyard

2008-11-04T16:33:00.003-05:00

I am a local from East Boston; there are a few blogs out there of people who have moved there and want to write about themselves (One woman's day to day in East Boston, etc.) . Excuse me, but so what. I feel like I am looking at one-sided conversations. Wicked local is for the North Shore, but doesn't have East Boston in it. Placeblogger didn't work for me at all. I guess East Boston didn't rate a spooky mention.

Librarythings -- Too Much for My Older Brain

2008-11-03T17:49:00.004-05:00

It was too much for me to take in. I have signed up. I just don't find the comments or the list of books that are most popular of interest. I use electronic sources like Fiction Connection or NoveList as guides. Novelist and Fiction Connection are sources that are smaller, more specific, and more organized.

Podcasts are Great in the Best of All Possible Worlds

2008-10-30T13:32:00.004-04:00

I don't have a computer at home. I can't down load any software to make a podcast work. I can use the RSS function to subcribe. I guess I have to settle for that.
This link will work for people with podcast software. It is for newsweek headline news.
http://http://feeds.newsweek.com/podcasts/onair

You tube and Me tube

2008-10-27T15:03:00.002-04:00

I am not much for computer video. I guess the last videos I looked at were the ones where people were putting Mentos candy in Pepsi bottles. I did look up library videos, but found them boring. Then I decided to look up what interest me -- cats in libraries. That was fun. Again, I am more focused on sitting down and watching a movie or documentary than internet snips.

I love library cats here is an imbedded video of one.

2008-10-27T14:49:00.003-04:00

Google Maps -- not for the faint of heart

2008-10-27T14:05:00.003-04:00

Well, I find using google maps, sans pictures, easy and useful. Going into google map and trying to utilize all the thumbtacks and pictures was not so fun. Things come up slowly. I did try and find out how well documented african american neighborhoods are on these sites. I have always wanted to see how people live in some cities. Watts in LA, certain neighborhoods in Chicago. Well these areas are poorly documented. That would be a good use for thes maps.

Flickr is Great for Sharing Art Collections

2008-10-21T16:30:00.007-04:00

What the Boston Public Library has done with flickr is really neat. There is a show of George Bellows drawings -- I have worked at the BPL for 24 years and I still don't know everything there is to know about the place -- who knew they had such a large collection of drawing from one of the greatest artists of the Ashcan school. Anyway, one of the things I miss, by not working in the Research Library, it was over for me when they took out the card catalog, was the art exhibits. Below is the link to the slide show for the Bellows drawings.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/boston_public_library/sets/72157604470957371/

RSS Feeds are Really Useful.

2008-10-14T17:01:00.003-04:00

I find that feeds are useful when I use them from my library's subscription with PW. I can cut and paste titles, saving them for future collection development needs. I have tried using them with other sites like the Metacritics page. This feed goes directly to the page and displays it, with all the bells and whistles. The PW feed just gives me the titles and the reviews. Acessing Google Reader seems to slow up my computer.

Looking for Something on Craigslist and Boston.com

2008-09-30T17:26:00.003-04:00

I found Craigslist a little intimidating. I would like to take a class this Fall, but when I looked on the List, I found the listings by day tedious to scroll through. Keywords in search were not sucessful. Next, I looked for halloween type things.
On the List, in events few things were listed. On Boston.com a search of Halloween brought up last years events, and a link to the Salem's Witches page.

Shopping on the Web, Getting Things You Can't Get in Boston

2008-09-30T14:15:00.003-04:00

I don't do much of it -- but once in a great while there is something I can't get anywhere else. That something is perfume. A passing fancy. So here is my link to a comment I made on Luckyscents. http://www.luckyscent.com/shop/detail.asp?itemid=15204&section=&rv=on

Social Networking It Seems a Little Forced

2008-09-30T11:35:00.005-04:00

I have a few groups I follow -- one is the EBAG@yahoogroups.com from which I get regular emails. I follow what is going on with artists in the area. It also includes events and meeting that are designed to try and bring environmental justice to East Boston. I particpate in the Chelsea Creek Action Group and receive regular email from them. There are some blogs that are fun to look at -- the blog for craftzine magazine and boing boing.

Making My First Post to Librarian's Third Eye

2008-09-29T14:20:00.001-04:00

It's another day in the digital ditches. Got to run and get a book for someone.
So Long