Where is My Teenage Daughter When I Need Her?

Oh, my goodness! This class has been amazing. I never knew that there were so many things to use on the computer. I love all of this new knowledge that I now possess but how do I remember it all? Oh, I know, I'll use Remember the Milk! Seriously, I really never knew that there were so many more ways to use my computer other than for email, word documents, and goggling (is that a word?). I don't know that I will have need to use everything that I have learned, but I am glad that I have had the opportunity to learn about the 21 things. I still love my Franklin Covey planner that I use for everything - it seems a lot easier to use than Remember the Milk, even the demonstrator on the video seemed to have difficulty at times finding what she was looking for. I do think that Googledocs will be useful here at work. I am on several committees and we spend a lot of time emailing our ideas about certain ideas when we could all just write our opinions on one document as a real timesaver. Thank you for this great opportunity.

I Hate Security Codes

I am so glad to see that I am not the only person in the world who has difficulty typing in the security codes. The guy from BeYourOwnIT had to try several times before he got it right and he is an IT Guy! What is the point of having a security code if no one can read it?

Webinars

I love webinars! I have enrolled in several and have found them to be very informative. The webinars I have participated in have been about new books coming out. Presenters from several publishing companies have spoken about future publications and why these books are important. It is great to hear a voice talk about books after spending so many hours reading reviews. It is a great change of pace and one that I will continue to use.

So Much Info!

I retired from the Detroit Public Schools as a youth librarian before my library was computerized. When I was hired by The West Bloomfield Twp. Public Library in 2001, I had to learn on my feet and was amazed at how quickly information could be accessed on the computer and how incredible it was to no longer have to use a card catalog. I had been so proud of myself about how much I had learned and am now able to do on the computer - until I started this class! I am learning so very much and absolutely love having a blog - but I feel as though my brain is going to burst. I find the video instructions so helpful on one hand, but so full of information and terms that I had never heard before that I realize on the other hand, how far behind I am in computerland. The Firefox video made me feel as though I was in front of a firing squad - the info was coming so fast and furiously! Does anyone ever leave their computer anymore? Will we have to have no computer weeks in the future as we had no television weeks in the past? Just a thought.

Weeding

I just completed weeding the entire JFiction collection. With encouragement from my Youth Coordinator and with the CREW weeding manual in hand, I embarked on a massive clean-up of dated materials, worn-outs, yellowed paperbacks, and other unsavory materials. Shooting for the CREW recommendation that only 75-85% of each shelf should be filled, I now have an up-to-date, attractive fiction section in the youth room for our patrons to enjoy. It is truly a sight to behold. Next up - picture books!

I found a great idea for a science craft on www.nasakids.com. The kids created their own galaxies using black construction paper, coffee filters that they colored with bright magic markers and sprayed with water for a tie-dye effect, and galaxy stencils from the website. They used the stencil shapes to cut out galaxies from the construction paper and then glued the tie-dyed coffee filters behind the construction paper. The effect was terrific and they learned about the different galaxy shapes and names.

Have you read twentybyjenny? It's a great website about books for children.

Welcome to Judieland, where the thoughts and musings of a Youth Librarian will appear.