Wednesday, August 6, 2008

3 days 2 blogs

It's a record for me, that's for sure! Podcasting 101 was a revelation, and a timely one at that. One of the teachers for the Mandarin classes here at BPL was asked by some of her students to create podcasts of the lessons so they could practice at home. She has done just that. And now I can continue learning, too. She'll be happy to know that I am taking advantage - and I do need the practice.

Xie xie, Li-li!

(I've also added Nancy Pearl's book review podcasts, and do I have some catching up to do.)

Monday, August 4, 2008

RSS'd

Sometimes I feel like technology is just passing me by. Sometimes that is just fine with me! But I've wanted to tackle RSS so that I will be able to get new posts from a couple of bloggers that I follow weekly (well usually weekly) , one in particular for help in selecting children's books.

I struggled with this one, but I did it. Woohoo!

Check it out at http://www.bloglines.com/public/furumote

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

WikiD Thoughts

Several of us who are working together on this assignment were just tossing some thoughts around about a wiki for patrons to use to discuss books. One could certainly be a wiki for parents to share their stories from the trenches. We get reader's advisory questions all the time, for example, about books that will work for a three-year-old and a seven-year-old on a car trip. So, here would be a great resource for folks to share their own successes - and disasters. I would love have a place where the kids themselves could share their own feelings and recommendations about books, and not just kids who can spell well. Would it work to have images (oh god, no more emoticons!) that younger kids could use to rate what they are reading?

Perhaps I was looking in all the wrong places, but I did not encounter a lot for making use of wikis within Children's Services. I want to go back and search further especially the Library Success Best Practices Wiki.

One other item I am fascinated with is the Altered Books idea - something that came up within a what-to-do-with-the-weeded-books questions. Another art project. Hmmm.... Someone I know used to use newspapers and pastels to create art that was mildly related to the articles in the paper or the location of the news story, etc. Perhaps art related to the topic of the book - I canjust see a new building trend utilizing weeded Architectural Digests!

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Favorite Illustrators

Marie Angel illustrated We Went Looking for local author Aileen Fisher.

Children's Books About Colorado Critters and Their Homes

Cooper, Ann Above the Treeline

What's it like in the apine tundra? Meet the animals that not only survive but thrive in the extreme environment to which they are so well adapted.

Cooper, Ann In the Forest

Explore the forest from canopy to floor.