Closing the Branch

It's been a rough couple of days here at Morrison. First we found out that there are going to be layoffs and branch closings. Never did we dream that the Morrison library would be one of the libraries to close but we are and we're moving sadly on. On Friday the staff sat around seeing who would receive the telephone call notifying them they would enter the ranks of the unemployed in two weeks time. A significant number of our staff we let go and we'll miss them.

A small miracle did take place Friday afternoon. A few children decided to set up a cookie and lemonade sale at our front entrance to help raise money for their favorite library. A more apt display of why we come to this branch everyday could not have been thought up by an army of consultants. We thank them for their loyalty. They brought more than one person to tears.

Browser Statistics

Interesting trend going on here. It's good so see Firefox closing the gap.

Source: StatCounter Global Stats - Browser Market Share

Downtown Panorama

Downtown Panorama
Originally uploaded by zzazazz

The other day I went driving around town and was looking for a spot to do a panorama from. I found this spot here that gave me a view of downtown I hadn't seen before.

Cell Size and Scale

I've always loved stuff like this.

Readin'

You may not believe it but being a librarian isn't all about learning how to use the current social media technology, helping people apply for jobs online and blogging about video games. We also find time to read occasionally.

I've started and stopped a couple of books recently. I was getting antsy because I was having trouble find a book to really focus on. I started one the other day that had been sitting on my desk for a few weeks and it has really grabbed me. The book is a science fiction novel called Orbital Resonance by John Barnes. It's the story of 13-year-old girl living on a space station that has been fashioned out of an asteroid. Asteroid space stations were created to grow food for a planet Earth that has ruined itself through war and disease. The children the book focuses on are the first generation born on the space station and their lives are nothing more than attending a grueling schooling that is preparing them to continue the work of the space stations. I can't believe I've never heard of this book before. There's so much I don't know.

There are two new novels that I am greatly anticipating getting my hands on, Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld and Boneshaker by Cherie Priest. Coincidentally, both books are steampunk. I've read one book by each of these authors in the last couple of years. Westerfeld's Peeps is a vampire novel that truly has a unique take on the vampire story and Priest's Fathom which is a great take on the old gods subgenre of science fiction. Priest has the distinction of being pimped by both Warren Ellis and John Scalzi. It looks like steampunk may soon become the new vampire so this is a good chance to read some good steampunk before every hack in the world starts pumping them out.

My booktalk audience

My booktalk audience
Originally uploaded by zzazazz

About twice a year I go to Merrrywood, a retirement community on Park Rd, to give a half hour booktalk. I've been doing this for about five years now and I still get a little nervous before I start. It's always a challenge for me to deliver a talk to these residents and come off sounding like I know what I am talking about. I never assume to know what I am talking about but it's nice if others think so.

Having to give booktalks here has forced me to broaden my reading a bit. I can't go in there each time with my usual mixture of World War II, science fiction and baseball books. I am always on the lookout for a book that I will enjoy and that I can use for material when I go to Merrywood. Robert Harris, whose book Pompeii I loved, is a perfect example of a writer who writes books I love that I can use when booktalking.

A Twittering Library

We are trying that new social media thing. I've had a personal Twitter account for a while now. I've been having a grand old time annoying my friends with it. We decided to create an account for the Morrison Library. You can view our Twitter page here. We're trying to build an online community to interact with. We've already arranged to have some guerilla art left in the branch, recommended a CD from our collection and shared a couple of quotes with a quote lover. I hope we can get some library users to join us in our experiment.

We are also on Facebook. A lot of our Facebook entries mirror what we Twitter but we are there too if you want to be a fan. While on Facebook just do a search for Morrison Library and you should find us pretty easily.