Playing With Paint Program

This morning I experimented with AppleWorks Paint to celebrate the end of February. We're leaping from cold, snowy February to sunny and, I hope, warmer March.

Thing #9 Collaboration

Thing #9: Using Google Docs to Post to this blog: A Library Story

I still remember when I got my first library card. The children’s section in my hometown library was called “The Magic Carpet Room.” Choosing my own books was a step to growing up. Other childhood library memories include silent games of tag my brothers and I tried to get away with, scrambling up and down the metal steps, over the glass-floored, tall stacks in the adult library. Someone always shushed us, of course. And the bad times when my mother said we could not go to the library until one of us found the long overdue book, a black mark on the whole family!
People still worry about lost library books, even after extreme situations like floods. Last September at the Rushford Public Library, I watched as woman brought in several books and asked about any others that her family might have borrowed. Their house had flooded, she said, and they’d probably lost some books. Librarian Sue Hart assured her not to worry about lost books or fines. The Rushford Public Library, always a key information-center, became a place of comfort and security amid disaster. Soon, library groups from other towns even helped pay for the many books ruined in flooded homes.

Flickr Badge Worked! Thing #8

The Flickr Badge worked, since I finally copied the entire code. Thank you, Donavon.

23 Things at Rushford Public Library

After School at Rushford Public Library
Originally uploaded by gschd

As you can see, Rushford Public Library is a very crowded place right now. We're working on plans for a new library, very much needed in a community working its way back to normal after August's devastating flood.
Big Huge Labs worked better for me than the Flickr Badge site. I like the intro video, as well as some of the other offerings like Big Huge Labs Writer, an "internet typewriter," with a thesaurus and writer's block (story starters) section.

Almost 23 Socks on a Flickr Badge!

The various photo-sharing options in "Thing #8" are amazing and can be very useful in promoting libraries and books. I especially like the one with 50 ways of telling a story. Today I created a badge of my hand-knit socks and hope I can figure out how to display it.

Email, IM, Text Messaging, Webinairs

The email productivity tips like writing less and using mail templates are helpful, even for my daily home use. The Rushford Public Library Board communicates through email fairly effectively, as does the SELCO Board and Executive Committee. There are certainly times when IM can be more effective, also.
I have used IM only a bit through Gizmo. Much quicker than email. (I have watched students trying to hide their IM'ing during classes, diversions I have not appreciated.)
After reading the articles and watching the UTube video, I now understand how these tools can work for libraries, and once staff gain training, publicizing them locally is important.
After listening to Tom Peters' Webinair, I downloaded a WebJunction podcast from Texas introducing the "Moyers on America Citizens Class," a conversation on how librarians could use the series and its many associated materials and website.

Garden Mosaic

It took me awhile to get the image here, rather than the code. It might be fun to photos of the library staff, patrons at special programs, and book groupings -- for posters and / or the web page.
I can see having a mosaic of authors' faces or story-element pictures for an English class's unit intro-sheet, review, and/or quiz. Many possibilities.