Best teacher Xmas ornament

given to me by a storytime customer 12-20-08
Originally uploaded by groserita

Sometimes I rethink my decision on being a Librarian, but it's times like this that makes me feel that I really am affecting my customers.. The storytime customer who gave this to me is a shy one. She always clings to her grandparents. They tell me that she always raves about storytime and I would never have guessed this, because she rarely participates in the songs/fingerplays.

One time she came in with her parents instead of her grandparents and she strutted in - confident and smiling. She showed her parents around and she participated in some of the songs. It's nice to know that I have made an impact.

Thing #12

Select...nursing momSearch The Web

Rollyo is fun and also quite handy. I like that you can create your own searchroll and you have the option of sharing it or keeping it private. I like the Quick Quotes Rollyo .. it's fun to search.. I also checked out the Celebrity Gossip Rollyo. I had to check out the one of Joaquin Phoenix - where the gossip was that he was retiring.. all gossip. I'm thankful that it's just gossip! He's one of my favorite actors.

I created a searchroll on nursing moms since I'm a nursing mom. So if you are wanting to look up info on breastfeeding then this is the searchtool for you! :)

Thing #13

Del.icio.ous seems to be a useful tool - I like that you can bookmark the webpages that you need and then you can view what you're friends/coworkers/other people are bookmarking as well. It seems that everything that we do - or at least a lot of web features are sociable elements. It's funny to think that - because at first glance it seems that using the internet is just a one person searching the web thing - but just by using the web you're being a sociable creature - email, flickr, myspace, facebook, and now other things like rollyo, delicious, etc.. so even though in your personal space you are not around people - but in your webspace you are.
Interesting.

Thing #15

Away From the Icebergs - Reliance on User Education - I agree that libraries need to eliminate the barriers that come between customers and the information that they are seeking. People get frustrated with learning technology and they get even more frustrated when they want some kind of information right now, right now! Many times they are not going to listen, if you go through the steps of explaining how to find that research, what information is relevant, and so forth. So if there is a way to make information accessible with a one touch button or at least easier steps for the customer, then we'll have happier customers.

Into a New World of Librarianship - Librarians embrace 2.0 - this is so true. Librarians need to embrace technology and adapt to meeting customers through the webworld like the article suggests - through instant messaging, weblogs, creating myspace profiles.. If we are net savvy - then we can provide good customer assistance to internet users. If we have all the necessary tools to reach out to these customers - the ones who don't come into the library, but rather search online, then we have an outlet for reaching to them. But, like the article suggests, librarians don't seek out technology just for the sake of being cool, we seek out technology, to enhance our customer service.
But then this goes into the aspect that libraries need to provide training for staff to learn these new technologies.

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Thing #14

Okay I finally got it. For some reason it wouldn't work but there was another option that said something like copy code and paste if it doesn't work for the Claiming Blog button. In case anyone else has problems..

So my blog is claimed. Yay!

I find the whole Technorati interesting. There is so much to explore - where do I even begin?? I started with Popular Tags where I quickly selected Books.. which takes me to so many more places..

This is going to be a favorite website to visit.

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Thing #14

I'm having problems claiming my blog. I keep trying to claim it and it takes me to blogger but then when I try to log in - blogger is saying that I am not a member of the blog. What's that about?

This is frustrating!

Treehouse at San Antonio Botanical Garden

Treehouse at San Antonio Botanical Garden
Originally uploaded by groserita

This past Sunday my family and I got to visit the San Antonio Botanical Gardens. We wanted to see the treehouses that were being displayed at the gardens because it was the last day of the exhibit.

This was the second time that we had visited the gardens, and we always have such a wonderful time there! It's so relaxing to stroll around and enjoy the plants! If it's something you haven't had a chance to do, then you should take the time one day to enjoy San Antonio's treasures.. http://www.sabot.org/

Thing #11

I've had a goodreads account for awhile now. I love Goodreads! You can find it at http://www.goodreads.com/ and it is free to join! Anyone who is a book lover should join because you can keep track of what you've read, post your rating, write a review, and you can also create a list of what you want to read! Plus, you get to see what all your friends are reading along with their ratings and reviews!


I couldn't figure out how to grab a widget but luckily I had a computer-techy coworker help me with this and he was able to post a book montage for me! I like the book montage better. Ya! So thanks to the Collegium of Shadows!!

Thing #10

I played with the generator and found a fun one to do. That's the text generator that I posted yesterday. You can find it at http://generatorblog.blogspot.com/ under William Words or you could just go to this site http://alethe.net/words/artificial/. I thought it would be difficult to do but I just pasted the code from the source onto a new posting and it was able to display. Though it's not exactly the same, it still works well.

Besides the text generator, I liked one of the Comic Strip ones from the generator blog, I made a little comic strip, but I wasn't able to copy and paste it. I also liked the Twitter Status and Mafia Name.

This was a fun exercise!

Thing #10

chicana
  i  n   i    chi  n chic       a   h  a  c   an     an  hi    

Thing #9

I think I'd use RSS but I'm not sure if it would be a regular thing. I'm still adjusting to RSS, I'm not very comfortable at this time with using it. I think if I keep playing with RSS and the more I play ~the more I'll learn.. and then I'll be comfortable.

The easiest finding feed was technorati. I guess because I tend to already search for topic-specific interests - then this was perfect for me. I searched with keyword Chicana and found some good results. I tried clicking on Feedster but everytime I tried I got the "This Page Cannot Be Displayed" which was frustrating.

Thing #7

I think 2.0 is awesome. I can see why people who love technology go all out happy and excited about this stuff. But then again I can also see how people question technology and are afraid of using it because it seems daunting.


The video is really interesting - I really liked how it showed how far along we've come from HTML to XML to having people who are not technology savvy being able to create a blog ~ someone like me! I also like how the video explains that 2.0 links people together and it is so true. Going back to loving flickr - I am always posting pictures on there and this is great because family and friends who are not here locally get to see all the updated pics of what's going on in my family's life - thus this is linking us together. Isn't technology wonderful?

I went into Library Journal's Technology Review and read Product Pipeline: iPhone, iPod Touch, Kindle by Christopher Harris. He points out the positives and negatives for librarians on these technological items. I can see how if you are a librarian for a bookmobile or a wi-fi campus, you would need a gadget to be able to connect to databases, library catalog, etc. So having something lightweight that has user-friendly connections is a must for these librarians. Though I haven't had the chance to use these gadgets myself, I would think that they are valuable to those who do.

Thing #8

I like RSS because it is really simple just like the title suggests that it is. It keeps everything in order - and when someone who is like me - who is supposed to be organized, being a librarian and all, is not organized, then an RSS is really helpful.

I will be able to use this at work when I am in a hurry - trying to keep up with the latest news in National Public Radio. So while I'm busy doing all the wonderful things that we do in libraries - I could look up my RSS really quick and get a glimpse of what's going on nationally or wherever I'd like to check up on.