The library as a life raft, by Scott Jarzombek

A new Times Union blog, by the director of the Albany Public Library.

After being away for several years, I was given the opportunity to return to APL and Albany as the executive director. I am very happy to be back. This is an exciting time for the library, and libraries in general. I’m also happy to be back in my adopted “hometown,” this time as a father with a very different perspective on life and community.

Read more HERE.

Screwy Decimal

Cam,e across the Screwy Decimal blog.
A recent post: Goin' to the Ref Desk and We're Gonna Get Married

"It's my guess that every unmarried woman over a certain age gets asked one or two million times in her adult life why she hasn't yet found a nice guy and settled down already. The subtext of this question is, of course, "What the hell is WRONG with you?" I've talked in previous posts about patrons being overly and inappropriately concerned with my marital status. Because I am happy with my life as it is right now, it doesn't bother me much anymore when people grill me at the reference desk on this topic. I don't get defensive, but I also don't engage (no pun intended) with the patron either. I give a humorously evasive response - "I'm saving myself for Robert Downey Jr.!" - and then I change the subject.
"What? IT COULD HAPPEN."

This was written by Rita Meade, a librarian from Brooklyn.

100 Best Blogs for Librarians of the Future

...you’re probably excited about discovering and experimenting with the new tools and systems that have changed the way we find, receive and catalog information. But with all of the new technology out there, it can be hard to keep track of everything beyond your own niche field of study. This collection of library and information technology blogs have changed that, and now you’ll be able to learn about all of the trends, developments, tools and resources available to librarians in every niche.

Stop Trashing My Library!

Libby Post and some associates have launched a new website/blog. www.stoptrashingmylibrary.org is "designed to forcefully correct the untruth said about libraries in blogs and on newspaper comment pages. Those of us in the library world have to start responding to the inaccuracies and, honestly, the just plain stupid things people say about our public libraries."

The group will also have a corresponding Facebook page going up shortly. Check it out. Send them stories and links. Comment on what’s there and take action—go back to the newspapers where the negative comments are made and correct them, tell them how important libraries are the fabric of our communities.

Profile of the Pine Hills Branch

Wade Abbott, a College of St. Rose journalism student, produced this story for the Times Union’s Pine Hills neighborhood blog.

Infomavens' Desktop

A blog described as "informing, never boring," Infomavens' Desktop "is a fun and insightful (hopefully) blog maintained by a lawyer and a librarian, with diverse interests and backgrounds!"

Recent posts include a list of librarians dancing to Michael Jackson’s Thriller video (1/31), Southern California schools banning Merriam Webster’s 10th edition dictionary (1/27), the (possible) effect of social media on democracy (1/27), and a piece called Stop Freaking Out and Head to the Library! (1/20).

I found it, BTW, when ID started following me on Twitter (infomavensblog).

New U.S. Government Blogs

The ever expanding collection of U.S. government blogs on USA.gov has grown again with the following new entries:

+ By the People (http://blogs.america.gov/bythepeople/)

+ DoD Live (http://www.dodlive.mil/)

+ Rumors, Myths, and Fabrications (http://blogs.america.gov/rumors/)

+ Talking Faith(http://blogs.america.gov/religion/)

+ The Blog @ Homeland Security (http://www.dhs.gov/journal/theblog/)

+ USDA Blog (http://www.usda.gov/blog/usda/)

Mobile Libraries Blog And Its Companion Global Facebook Group

The Mobile Libraries Blog Is Located At http://mobile-libraries.blogspot.com/, while The Companion Facebook Group Is Located herr.

The Mobile Libraries Blog Is Devoted To Documenting Any and All Topics Relating To Services Provided By Libraries To Patrons Within Mobile Environments. Library Mobile Services Are Defined As Any And All Library Services That Are Provided Via Mobile Technologies.

The Companion Mobile Libraries Fb Group Is Intended To Primarily Serve As An Interactive Discussion Forum.

The Mobile Libraries Blog FeedBurner Feed Is here.


>>FIRSTS: The Musical Theme Of The Mobile Libraries Blog AND Fb Group Is
'Take Five' By The Dave Brubeck Quartet And The Artist-In-Residence For The Mobile Libraries Group Is Alexander Calder<<

New Blog from the Librarians at National Public Radio

"NPR’s information provocateurs are emerging from the stacks to bring you a super-fresh perspective on what it’s like to be an NPR librarian. We’ll cover everything from pop-culture insanity and weird pronunciations to the history of NPR and libraries in the news.

...as a matter of fact blog.

The Information ecology of social media and online communities

Social media systems such as weblogs, photo- and link-sharing sites, wikis and on-line forums are currently thought to produce up to one third of new Web content. One thing that sets these “Web 2.0” sites apart from traditional Web pages and resources is that they are intertwined with other forms of networked data. Their standard hyperlinks are enriched by social networks, comments, trackbacks, advertisements, tags, RDF data and metadata.

What kind of blog is this?

Perhttp://www.typealyzer.com/.

ISTP - The Mechanics
The independent and problem-solving type. They are especially attuned to the demands of the moment are masters of responding to challenges that arise spontaneously. They generally prefer to think things out for themselves and often avoid inter-personal conflicts.

The Mechanics enjoy working together with other independent and highly skilled people and often like seek fun and action both in their work and personal life. They enjoy adventure and risk such as in driving race cars or working as policemen and firefighters.
Analysis
This show what parts of the brain that were dominant during writing.

Plugging

My Times Union blog post mentions: the Fort Orange club parking lot obsession; the underground railroad residence clean-up; and, hey, Albany Public Library.