The Month Ahead: September 2012

Each month, I'm going to be posting a short video called "The Month Ahead." We'll preview some of the exciting things going on at the library that month.

September is National Library Card Month. This little teal card opens the door to thousands of books, music, video, and online content. So we want you to get it, bring it, and use it all this month. Don’t have a card? Come by with your photo ID to get one, or use our new online application.

Now that you have a library card, why not learn about your family history? Come to the library and explore Ancestry, one of the largest sources for genealogical information online. You’ll find a link to Ancestry in the Reference section of our website.

Our theme for the fall is “Together.” Look for special events that celebrate togetherness like the screening of the fan film, Star Wars Uncut, on September 14th and the traditional Japanese tea ceremony on September 22nd.

September also means its back to school time. Checkout our homework help sections for kids and teens.

Finally, don’t miss our Friends’ fall book sale on September 28th, 29th, and 30th.

For more information about the month ahead, checkout our website at dppl.org.

Making a list...of books, movies, music, and more

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ivanwalsh/4450159189/

I keep lists around me all of the time—to do lists, reminder lists, lists of things to read, lists of lists. Our excellent Readers Services staff (the folks on the third floor) make lists too—lists of books, movies, music, and more. You can always find the most recent collections of lists on the catalog's Staff Picks page.

On the Staff Picks page, you will find top ten lists for everything documentary films to plays. There are top picks for teen lit, magazines, Each list is a collection of items that you can checkout from the library. Sometimes you'll find ebooks and websites listed too.


We've also started featuring these lists of great materials on our "Great Reads", "Great Movies", and "Great Music" pages. When you are looking for helpful tools to get reading recommendations or to access, you will also see covers scrolling by on the side. Click on an interesting item and learn more about it.

Our staff are voracious readers. These lists are a great way to tap into their knowledge about what's coming out soon and what is the best of the best. So, whether you are poking around in the catalog, or see something enticing on our "Great Reads" page, be sure to take advantage of this treasure trove of knowledge.

Want to hear more from our Readers Services staff? Hop on over to the Positively Ellinwood blog. This week, Laura writes about the post-9/11 novel, The Submission by Amy Waldman.

Learn to Love Twitter

I'll just come out and say it, "I love Twitter." Now, you might cry out that I'm biased because I'm the Web Services Librarian, and maybe I am. I like the Web--I use it everyday. But Twitter is something that I particularly like. This coming Tuesday (8/14/2012), I'm teaching a class on Twitter at 7 p.m. Sign up for it. I'd like to convince you to love Twitter too.

Surely you know by now that Twitter is a...what? A way of sharing short messages online. Each "tweet" has to be 140 characters or less, which means that brevity rules above all else.  The video clip above features Jack Dorsey, the guy that dreamed up Twitter. In his mind, Twitter was a way of trying to stitch together people spread out in time and space. It's kind of beautiful vision, if you ask me.

This is a tweet!

When you share on Twitter, you are sharing, by default, with the world. Twitter is a very public forum for sharing your what you find interesting and for talking with other people. I love Twitter because I can talk to and listen to people that I've never met. I can be connected to a larger world of librarians, web designers, celebrities, or whomever I choose.

So, sign up for the "This is How Twitter Works" class this Tuesday (8/14/2012) at 7 p.m.. Maybe you'll come to love it too! And don't forget the library is on Twitter.

-Brodie, Web Services Librarian