tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-286827792024-03-06T22:39:19.485-08:00Library BoundDecatur Public Library
504 Cherry St NE
Decatur, AL 35601jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13417515360220597007noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28682779.post-64922719817531515182007-08-08T10:19:00.000-07:002007-08-08T10:24:28.133-07:00Soldier in AfghanistanA reporter from the Birmingham News, is stationed in Afghanistan right now. He has a blog that he tries to write on every day to keep everyone informed on how it it over there. He is in the National Guard. Here is his blog address: <a href="http://blog.al.com/afghanistan">http://blog.al.com/afghanistan</a> if you are interested.jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13417515360220597007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28682779.post-8747221053310198432007-08-08T09:28:00.000-07:002007-08-08T10:12:07.682-07:00Linda Greene, a day in the life of a shelverLinda Greene is one of the library's crown jewels. How do I know that? For fourteen years at least she shelved books in the Children's Department and then one day last week her doctor said "No More!". A problem with her back that could be really serious if she continues to bend, stoop, and lift heavy things. Because she was gone so suddenly, other staff members have had to try to take up the slack and I have been shelving books in the Children's Department for the past few days. This was Linda's main responsibility and she took it seriously. Every book in its place standing up straight and tall just waiting for little hands to come along and choose it. I am no match for Linda. It takes me all morning to shelve what Linda could probably do in an hour. But it is interesting the things you learn. <br /><br />For instance, in the nonfiction 300s (fairy tales), 500s (space, planets, dinosaurs, insects, animals), 700s (hobbies & crafts, drawing & painting and sports) and 900s (history and geography) seem to be the most popular.<br /><br />When children start to read chapter books such as Junie B. Jones, they don't just check out one such book but a whole stack. (The same is true with Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew, Goose Bumps, Boxcar Children, etc.) I was introduced to Junie by my granddaughter heather who was 6 or 7 at the time, but I have to say I was a little surprised when my grandson Carson, who will enter first grade soon, asked me to read him a Junie B. Jones book. He said his teacher, Ms. Haynes, read one to them at school and he liked it. Some of Junie's traits I would prefer Carson not pick up but Junie is a very unique little girl and kids seem to love her. But back to the shelving, it sure makes it easier when I get to put a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">whole</span> stack on the shelf under PARK, KEENE, or WARNER! Clears my book cart much faster.<br /><br />One thing I wondered: why do children always seem to choose the books from the bottom shelf where I have to bend way over or get on my knees to put them away? (Bless you Linda, I can see why your back hurts!) Could it be because they can see those easier? I also noticed that you have to pull the books on the top shelves right to the edge or children can't see the titles. We didn't used to put books on the top shelves until we started to run out of space.<br /><br />Yesterday while I was shelving, I became aware of four little girls searching for books. What first caught my attention was the language they were speaking-certainly not English. When I asked if they were finding what they needed, one of them smiling said "Yes, we are" in perfect English. Here was a child who was obviously fluent in two languages and I especially had to admire that since I had been on the library's Rosetta Stone trying to learn Spanish. Not an easy thing! (Is a young child a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">nino</span> or a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">nina</span>?) Do you know about Rosetta Stone? It's an online language course that teaches you a language in a very easy way. Just go the library's web site <a href="http://www.decatur.lib.al.us/">www.decatur.lib.al.us</a> and click on Rosetta Stone and start learning any one of several languages. Before you know it you'll be reading a whole sentence in Spanish and picking out the picture it describes! Rosetta Stone is also audio so you learn how to say the words as you go. But I still can't roll my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">r's</span>. Just in case you don't know about the real Rosetta Stone, there's a book in the Children's Department about it.<br /><br />Another thing about shelving, you get to help kids find things. They think because you are in there working that you must know where things are. Wrong! But I did enjoy trying to find things, like books on snakes, that's 597.96 just in case you need to know. I tried to help a grandmother who was looking for books that her <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">granddaughter</span> needed to read <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">before</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">school</span> started but most of them were checked out. However, Kimberly came to the rescue and found her several. I found a joke book. "What did the football coach say when he learned his piggy bank was stolen? I want my quarter back!" That's J818 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Ris</span> if you're interested. (Okay, these jokes are for kids!)<br /><br />Other than the physical thing, you might think shelving would be easy and for some it probably is. But when the number goes out to 533.0712, I have to pay careful attention to get it in the right place. Sometimes the 7 looks like a 1 or vice <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">versa</span>. It is so important to put the book in the right place; if you don't, the next person who shelves might find that book and match theirs to it and you end up with a row of 504.5 and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">somewhere</span> in the next range there might be another row of 504.5. so you have to check the books before and the books after. I admire Linda more every day that I shelve! The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">shelver</span> must also be on the lookout for books that need replaced or repaired. Yesterday I pulled two that still had the green magic marker stripe on them from where we first added books to an online catalog back in the early 80s. Today a paperback Garfield had to go because it was worn out from use. It will probably be replaced if still available because it was obviously popular.<br /><br />Thank you Linda for all your faithful years of work. I'm sorry you came to the 999.999s so much sooner than we expected. We miss you and wish you well!<br /><br />Patriciajameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13417515360220597007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28682779.post-51608188534238783642007-07-24T11:11:00.000-07:002007-07-24T11:30:38.424-07:00Endings and BeginningsI'm molting. In the last few weeks I've been forced to shed the skin/feathers/carapace/whatever which was so comfortable and familiar for so long and, with much hope and some apprehension, see how the tight and shiny new covering will function.<br /><br />After 10 years with Decatur Public Library I have accepted a position as a Youth Services Librarian at Madison Public Library. It's like moving away from home all over again. Even though my natural inclination is to be introverted and insulated, I grew to think of the staff at Decatur as family and I care about them a great deal whether they ever realized it or not. OK, so I was starting to think of my computer at Decatur as family too and it's probably healthier to sever that particular addic...um, relationship.<br /><br />I arrived at Madison Public just in time to help end the summer reading program. Coinciding with these momentus transitions is the release of the <em>final</em> Harry Potter book (NO SPOILERS please, I'm only on chapter 13). While I'm very excited to see what will happen, I also don't want it to be over, don't want to let go of a proven and established good thing. That pretty much sums up my feelings about the job change as well.<br /><br />In the beginnings category, my oldest son is starting kindergarten in a few weeks and shortly thereafter I'll be starting the regular storytime schedule at Madison. I've already run into three or four families at Madison who knew me from the children's department at Decatur.<br /><br />Anyway, I'd better end this before I get all sniffly. <br /><br />P.S. Some of you may be wondering why I'm posting to Decatur's blog even though I no longer work there. To this I reply "All your blog are belong to us." Just kidding--this was hacked by permission, nay request, as are any subsequent contributions.jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13417515360220597007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28682779.post-11014747585366425592007-07-06T08:14:00.000-07:002007-07-06T08:16:59.634-07:00<p>Each year when my family gets together for the 4th of July my friend Matt and I are inevitably designated official instigators of pyrotechnics and every year as we light the fireworks and run for our lives I am surprised at the inappropriate and pointless names concocted for these things. “Purple Haze,” “Jump Jive and Jam,” and “Pretty Little Boat” were some of the names I encountered this year. What in the world those names have to do with chunks of incendiary chemicals flying through the air is beyond me. Somehow “Peony Shower” just sounds more like potpourri than a product designed to explode in front of my family. I have concluded that the fireworks industry must be very stable. Americans are always going to buy fireworks and, being Americans, all we really care about is the size of the package.<br />If fireworks manufacturers had to really market these things, I suspect we’d see some much more dangerous sounding names. Each 4th of July I start thinking of names I would use if I were trying to sell fireworks. Here is this year’s list of names guaranteed to boost sales to teenage males:<br /><br /></p><ul><li>Severe Tire Damage<br /></li><li>Uninsurable<br /></li><li>Satan’s Flatulence<br /></li><li>IED<br /></li><li>Cauterization<br /></li><li>“Hey y’all, watch this”<br /></li><li>White Phosphorus<br /></li><li>Pointy Pointy Shrapnel</li></ul>jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13417515360220597007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28682779.post-51369954198530519522007-06-05T14:05:00.000-07:002007-06-05T14:08:28.773-07:00"Just a minute--I'm uploading."<div align="center"><strong>Books: the most popular portable media device in history.</strong></div><strong></strong><ul><li><div align="left">No user manual needed.</div></li><li><div align="left">No need to buy or recharge batteries.</div></li><li><div align="left">Compatible with nearly every platform (all languages including Braille).</div></li><li><div align="left">If you can read this, you already have the technical knowledge required.</div></li></ul>jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13417515360220597007noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28682779.post-32315629146136381412007-06-01T13:53:00.000-07:002007-06-01T14:01:11.964-07:00Busy summer at the libraryWhat are your plans for this summer? Allow us to make some suggestions.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.decatur.lib.al.us/Nobility.htm">Free Rock Concert at the Library</a><br /><br /><a href="http://decatur.lib.al.us/Get%20A%20Clue.htm">Summer Reading Program</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.decatur.lib.al.us/DocTravis">Meet "Doc Travis"</a><br /><br />You can also leave comments letting us know what you're doing over the summer.jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13417515360220597007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28682779.post-74178829015861191382007-05-30T11:58:00.000-07:002007-05-30T12:05:44.200-07:00<p align="left"><a href="http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A9gnMiQMd11G6CgBuQajzbkF/SIG=1276babgk/EXP=1180616844/**http://www.crashonline.org.uk/18/images/gremlin.gif"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A9gnMiQMd11G6CgBuQajzbkF/SIG=1276babgk/EXP=1180616844/**http://www.crashonline.org.uk/18/images/gremlin.gif" border="0" /></a>Gremlins stole the links from the library website and tinkered with the code. We have our entire IT staff working on the problem and he hopes to have everything back later today. Thank you for your patience.</p>jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13417515360220597007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28682779.post-29740512778503216782007-04-26T10:53:00.000-07:002007-04-26T10:56:03.217-07:00Thumb's Up--from Tina (note her new avatar)<div align="center"><span style="font-family:georgia;">Thumb’s Up! An Ode to Wanda<br /><br />Wanda hurt her thumb:<br />It was no longer plumb.<br />She had to get it fixed;<br />Surgery she did not nix.<br />But when it came time to work,<br />This duty she did not shirk.<br />When checking out those books,<br />She gets many funny looks.<br />And in spite of that big cast,<br />She’s really getting fast!<br />So I’d like to say,<br />She’s admired in every way.<br />And we hope she heals real well,<br />And knows we think she’s swell!</span></div>jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13417515360220597007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28682779.post-86105166916827963442007-04-16T09:37:00.000-07:002008-12-11T19:12:59.617-08:00Photos from Feline Fantasy with Sondra Gray, author of <em>According to Punkin</em>.<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hk3rSqKwzQg/RiOulGggipI/AAAAAAAAABM/tsxf3LOWP48/s1600-h/untitled1.bmp"></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hk3rSqKwzQg/RiOxNWggitI/AAAAAAAAABs/GvadbdASRBI/s1600-h/untitled1.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5054078049778174674" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hk3rSqKwzQg/RiOxNWggitI/AAAAAAAAABs/GvadbdASRBI/s200/untitled1.bmp" border="0" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hk3rSqKwzQg/RiOxlGggiuI/AAAAAAAAAB0/0jlWbS53pUQ/s1600-h/untitled2.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5054078457800067810" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hk3rSqKwzQg/RiOxlGggiuI/AAAAAAAAAB0/0jlWbS53pUQ/s200/untitled2.bmp" border="0" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hk3rSqKwzQg/RiOu3WggirI/AAAAAAAAABc/gt8Bw0LnBNA/s1600-h/untitled3.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5054075472797797042" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hk3rSqKwzQg/RiOu3WggirI/AAAAAAAAABc/gt8Bw0LnBNA/s200/untitled3.bmp" border="0" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hk3rSqKwzQg/RiOvQ2ggisI/AAAAAAAAABk/3Y0Dq35QIqc/s1600-h/untitled4.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5054075910884461250" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hk3rSqKwzQg/RiOvQ2ggisI/AAAAAAAAABk/3Y0Dq35QIqc/s200/untitled4.bmp" border="0" /></a> <div></div>jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13417515360220597007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28682779.post-46238852974519744152007-04-13T13:56:00.000-07:002007-04-13T14:54:26.551-07:00Prestigious prestidigitationWithin the last couple of weeks I have watched two fascinating films by the same director, Christopher Nolan. Both also featured Christian Bale and Michael Caine. I recently finished my first viewing of <em>The Prestige</em> and my third viewing of <em>Batman Begins</em>. Banal as it is, my first observation was that the cockney tinged accent used by Caine that was so inappropriate for the character of Bruce Wayne’s butler Alfred Pennyworth fit quite well with his role in <em>The Prestige</em>.<br /><br />Perhaps a more important connection is the fact that the two films are based around the concepts of duality, identity, and the misdirection that may be required to protect them. Of course, these ideas are at the core of any Batman movie. For decades, comics scholars have debated whether Bruce Wayne or Batman is the façade and which, if either, is the true identity.<br /><br /><em>Batman Begins</em> is much more about Bruce Wayne and his development of and transformation into Batman than previous movies. Joel Schumacher’s Batman films are as colorful, campy, and over the top as 1966’s <em>Batman the Movie</em> and the TV series on which it was based. While I enjoyed Tim Burton’s takes on the franchise, and while his Batman was certainly darker, the characters were still surreal and imaginative enough that it could be hard to suspend disbelief. In concentrating on the “real” half of Bruce Wayne’s identity Nolan presents the characters much more seriously and on sets that more closely resemble the real world. Although the characters and situations are still not realistic, they are more “believable.”<br /><br />The same is in evidence in <em>The Prestige</em>. The fact that it is about stage magicians adds to its realism. After all, when dealing with prestidigitation and legerdemain you can’t trust anything anyway so what’s one more stretch?<br /><br />I have long been fascinated by stage magic and illusion and love to discover the secrets behind the tricks even though I can then no longer enjoy them on the same level. When I know how David Blaine “levitates” or how Criss Angel manages close up vanishes their melodramatic buildup actually becomes silly and boring. I can’t help it though. I revel in reading about the history of sideshows, scams, and magic as revealed by practitioners such as Harry Anderson and Rick Jay (who makes a cameo appearance in <em>The Prestige</em> as Milton the Magician).<br /><br />That obsession is shared and taken to extremes by the two primary characters in <em>The Prestige</em>. Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale, who mimics Caine’s accent) are two stage magicians working in England at the turn of the century (19th to 20th, not modern day). After an accident on stage kills Angier’s wife, the two magicians become enemies, each determined to undermine the other’s act. Keeping with the duality theme, the accident is caused by the choice between two types of knot that could be tied in a rope.<br /><br />The order of events is hard to follow at the beginning due to the nature of the plot. Each magician obtains a copy of the other’s journal at a different point so we see Borden reading in Angier’s diary about secrets learned from Borden’s own journal. You see how it can get confusing? Angier obsesses over Borden’s signature illusion “The Transported Man” and follows every lead to discover its secret. As remarkable as the illusions are, any of them could actually be performed…except one.<br /><br />Things turn decidedly weird when Angier travels to Colorado to visit the real life scientist Nikola Tesla, played by the most subdued David Bowie I’ve ever seen. The trick that comes into being with Tesla’s aid could never really happen, but gives Angier his own fascinating counterpoint to Borden’s deep secret.<br /><br />The secret of “The Transported Man” is also the film’s message about illusion and deception: it’s quite easy to do—if you’re willing to sacrifice enough. One character, Fallon, is obviously someone else in disguise, but every time I had a guess about his real identity I would see him in the same scene as my suspect. After eliminating all the suspects, the real solution finally dawned on me, and just like most magic tricks once I knew the secret it seemed as though it should have been obvious from the beginning.<br /><br />I won’t give away either magician’s big secret, but I will say that each is disturbing in its own way and that spoilers are available at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prestige_(film)">Wikipedia</a>.<br /><br />Both movies on DVD may be checked out at the library.jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13417515360220597007noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28682779.post-51336671798904652422007-03-15T06:37:00.000-07:002007-03-15T06:58:59.678-07:00FYIThe Microsoft Office software (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc.) on the library's public computers has just been upgraded to Office Professional Edition 2007.jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13417515360220597007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28682779.post-48532427528012972672007-02-14T13:44:00.000-08:002007-02-14T13:57:54.660-08:00I'm way behind in updating this blog and since today is Valentine's Day, I dug up something extremely mushy I wrote for my sons a few months ago around 4:30 one morning when I was up with a sick baby. VERY rough draft by the way.<br /><br />Yes it's corny, but keep in mind I'm extremely rusty at this type of thing. Other than a few anniversary poems, this is probably the longest rhymed thing I've written since college.<br />------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br />How many times have I greeted the morning<br />While changing your diaper or calming your cries?<br />How many times at the sound of your voice<br />In the dead of the night like a zombie I rise?<br /><br />How many times have I prayed that your sickness<br />Be taken from you and delivered to me?<br />I have cried when you’ve hurt and been scared when you’re worried<br />From going new places to scraping your knee<br /><br />How many nights have I lain awake listening<br />Just to be sure that your breathing was clear?<br />How many times have I fretted because<br />Any danger to you is the worst of my fears?<br /><br />How many times have I stood stunned and watched you<br />Discovering life like receiving new toys<br />The sound of your laugh is the best of rewards<br />And the sight of your smile is the greatest of joys<br /><br />How many times has my hope been restored<br />When I’m watching you play or just watching you sleep?<br />You are never a burden and always a lesson<br />The care of your life is a trust I will keepjameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13417515360220597007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28682779.post-65528287587995079652007-02-08T08:09:00.000-08:002007-01-02T12:26:46.822-08:0033 Reasons Why Libraries and Librarians are Still Extremely ImportantArticle from DegreeTutor.com:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.degreetutor.com/library/adult-continued-education/librarians-needed">Are Librarians Totally Obsolete?</a>jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13417515360220597007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28682779.post-86117987323884775552006-12-29T08:21:00.000-08:002006-12-29T08:32:50.257-08:00Romance audiosIn answer to a patron request, Tina recently compiled a bibliography of the audio books owned by the library in the romance genre.<br /><br />Here's a link to the list: <a href="http://www.decatur.lib.al.us/romance_audios.htm">http://www.decatur.lib.al.us/romance_audios.htm</a>jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13417515360220597007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28682779.post-5433283057793043952006-12-29T06:31:00.000-08:002008-12-11T19:12:59.868-08:00Et tu, Fox Trot?Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! <div><div></div><div></div><div>Bill Amend is ceasing to do daily Fox Trot comic strips. In 2007 it will go to Sundays only. Tomorrow's will be the last daily strip. Crud. </div><div> </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div> </div><div>I've always respected Amend. The strips have been consistently funny throughout its run (I know because I own all but the last couple of collections), the math in them is real, and the geek quotient is off the scale. I can't believe he's doing this so soon. According to the article below he started the strip in 1988. He couldn't hold out two more years and make it an even 20? </div><br /><div>I blame Berke Breathed, another brilliant comic writer and creator of Bloom County. Unfortunately, Bill the cat and Opus became so popular (i.e. profitable) that he all but killed off most of the other great characters to concentrate on the most merchandisable pair. Outland was funny (mostly), but nothing close to Bloom County. Later, he brought back Opus in a Sundays only strip. I guess Amend saw that as a measure of success. Pity. I would rather he measured success by the amount of joy his strip brings to people. Personally, I would measure it in dollars, but that's just me.</div><div></div><br /><div>Anyway, here's the official press release: <a href="http://www.amuniversal.com/ups/newsrelease/?view=468">http://www.amuniversal.com/ups/newsrelease/?view=468</a></div><div></div><br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5013957065460088754" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hk3rSqKwzQg/RZUnYs3O_7I/AAAAAAAAAAg/0n8VDMGWPEA/s400/ft061107.gif" border="0" /><a href="http://pics.livejournal.com/bunraku/pic/0000abet/" _fcksavedurl="http://pics.livejournal.com/bunraku/pic/0000abet/"></a></div></div>jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13417515360220597007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28682779.post-7685902415428636902006-12-20T13:04:00.000-08:002008-12-11T19:13:00.243-08:00Joseph Roland "Joe" Barbera (March 24, 1911 – December 18, 2006)<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hk3rSqKwzQg/RYmuVs3O_5I/AAAAAAAAAAM/I00P2i7yFdU/s1600-h/Arkiv_hannaybarbera.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010727748269703058" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 232px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" height="222" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hk3rSqKwzQg/RYmuVs3O_5I/AAAAAAAAAAM/I00P2i7yFdU/s200/Arkiv_hannaybarbera.jpg" width="211" border="0" /></a>Tom & Jerry<br /><br />The Flintstones<br /><br />The Jetsons<br /><br />Scooby Doo<br /><br />Yogi Bear<br /><br />Huckleberry Hound<br /><br />Quick Draw McGraw<br /><br /><br />Ever heard of any of these? They and many more classic characters were brought to our televisions by Joseph Barbera and William Hanna. The Flintstones was the first animated series to air in prime time and Scooby Doo, Where Are You? was the longest running cartoon in television history (17 seasons, and new incarnations are <strong>still</strong> on the air today). Hanna died in 2001 and now we have lost Joe Barbera too. He died at home Monday of natural causes. He was 95.<br /><br />Add Barbera to the list of the architects of my childhood who are no longer with us. I had already lost Ted Geisel (Dr. Seuss), Charles Schulz, Chuck Jones (cartoon artist, writer, and director), Fred "Tex" Avery (same as Chuck as well as creator of Bugs, Daffy, and Droopy), Mel Blanc, Fred "Mr." Rogers, and the most painful to me personally, Jim Henson. I was inclined to be discouraged over yet another loss. Sure, well-written and funny programs still exist, but the number is apallingly small and dwindling. In the 90s Tiny Toons and Animaniacs gave me great hope, but alas they too are no more.<br /><br />What will my children grow up watching? Well, "as for me and my house..." my four year-old loves the old Hanna/Barbera shows that he's seen on Boomerang. In fact, he likes The Flintstones and Scooby Doo FAR more than say, The Fairly Oddparents or Lilo & Stitch. So I guess many children will grow up watching the same shows I did. After all, most of the ones mentioned above were made long before I was born and I joyfully marinated in them...and still do.<br /><br />On another happy note, we still have June Foray. You may not know the name, but I can almost guarantee you know her voice. June was the voice of the original Chatty Cathy doll, Rocky the flying Squirrell, Granny (Tweety's owner), Jokey Smurf, scores of female characters in Hanna/Barbera and Jay Ward cartoons, <strong>every</strong> female and child voice in Frosty the Snowman, and more others than I could name.jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13417515360220597007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28682779.post-18279870815495681492006-11-30T06:59:00.000-08:002006-11-30T07:01:25.297-08:00May your days be merry and bright...Don't miss the Friends of the Library<br /><span style="font-size:180%;color:#ff0000;">Christmas Book Sale</span><span style="font-size:180%;color:#ff0000;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;color:#006600;">December 1st & 2nd<br />9 a.m. to 5 p.m.</span><span style="color:#ff0000;"> </span><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;"><br />Used Book Room, Decatur Public Library<br /><br /></span>Hundreds of Christmas books, movies & music--children's books, old favorites, crafts, cookbooks, history, romance. Most everything priced at $2.00 or less. In addition, many like-new books that are suitable for gifts also available at great prices. Bring your Christmas list and enjoy some spiced tea and cookies as you browse and make your Christmas selections!<br /></span>jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13417515360220597007noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28682779.post-30097513033816862362006-11-20T12:43:00.000-08:002006-11-21T11:30:37.543-08:00Remember, remember...<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2e/Fawkes_arrest2.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2e/Fawkes_arrest2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>Remember, remember the 5th of November</em><br /><br /><em>The gunpowder treason and plot</em><br /><br /><em>I know of no reason the gunpower treason</em><br /><br /><em>Should ever be forgot</em><br /><br />Yeah, yeah, I know--I'm a little late for Guy Fawkes Day. That's okay; Warner Brothers was way too early in releasing the <em>V for Vendetta</em> DVD. I know November 5th fell on a Sunday this year and the August 1st release date gave them three more months of revenue, but come on. It would have been perfect.<br /><br />If you have no idea what I'm talking about, Guy Fawkes Day is "celebrated" in England on November 5th to commemorate the day that Guy Fawkes was captured after plotting to blow up Westminster Palace when James I was going to be addressing the House of Lords and the House of Commons, thereby killing the king and both houses of Parliament in one fell swoop. Anyway, now every November fifth fireworks are set off and Fawkes is burned in effigy.<br /><br />In the 1980's, Alan Moore and David Lloyd (no relation) collaborated on a comic book series titled <em>V for Vendetta</em> in which the main character, known only as "V" wears a Guy Fawkes mask and seventeenth century clothing. V operates in a totalitarian England in the imagined late 1990's. He is a former concentration camp inmate, collector of media, and subversive anarchist with a penchant for obscure quotes. V brings down the fascist government using its own tools (e.g. media manipulation, hidden surveilance, and violence) against it.<br /><br />Having read and been depressed and impressed by Moore's classic comic series <em>Watchmen</em>, I viewed the <em>V for Vendetta</em> DVD shortly after its release. It wasn't bad, but I kept thinking that the original comic had to be better. I thought that the government portrayed was too obviously another anything-but-subtle Hollywood jab at the current US administration and that Natalie Portman's portrayal of Evie made her remarkably uninteresting.<br /><br />Well, I just finished reading the comic a few days ago and the movie's actually closer than most film adaptations. The film was a little heavy handed with government colors and symbology and the Leader's most interesting quirk was left out. Other than that, the main differences were the removal of a few subplots involving minor characters and the addition of Stephen Fry with an incongruous Benny Hill tribute. Turns out Evie was not terribly dynamic in the book either. V himself, however, is very charismatic in both versions and the ever present Guy Fawkes smile is at once reassuring and unnerving.<br /><br />Even more unnerving to me though, were V's sermons to Evie about anarchy which he qualifies as not the absence of order but the absence of leadership. Some days we all want to agree with that, but most of the time I would contend that any order in society will inevitably generate positions of leadership, therefore it's an all or nothing proposition and for my sake and my children's I would much rather have to deal with leadership than have to survive without order.<br /><br />Still, the story itself is exceptionally well written and deftly illustrated although in my humble opinion the inking and coloration could have been handled better. Lloyd arranges each scene very carefully to convey a great deal of information in a few small panels without distracting from the dialouge or plot. Moore is a highly literate author with a knack for making connections and tying up loose ends...except one. Refusing to reveal V's identity was the right (albeit frustrating) decision and I was pleased to see that the movie stayed true in that respect.<br /><br />Anyway, enough blather from me. If this commentary interested or confused you, check out the film and/or graphic novel and see for yourself what it's about. If it made you wonder why anyone would ever want to watch or read such a thing, check it out anyway and know exactly why you hate it.</div><br /><div><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/2587/3501/200/169238/v.jpg" border="0" /></div>jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13417515360220597007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28682779.post-80687335261847548722006-10-27T11:53:00.000-07:002006-10-27T11:55:03.726-07:00Alabama Citizens Asked to Share Library ViewsAlabama citizens are being asked to share their views on public libraries during an October online statewide survey. Their opinions will help shape the future of the state’s public libraries, said Alabama Public Library Service Director Rebecca Mitchell.<br />The library survey begins October 1 and can be taken at any computer with Internet access. Citizens can submit the survey from their home, office or local public library. The online survey will be available through October 31. To access the survey online, visit <a href="http://webapp.slis.ua.edu/goals07" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://webapp.slis.ua.edu/goals07</a> and follow the directions. <br />Mitchell urged citizens to take the survey. “We need input from the public to evaluate current services and to ensure libraries remain a vital part of the community in the future,” she said. APLS will use the information to develop a five-year plan for the state’s public libraries for 2008-2012.<br />Those who are unable to access the survey online can obtain a printed copy from their library and mail it to the School of Library and Information Studies, University of Alabama, Box 870252, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0252, ATTN: STATE PLAN. <br />The library wish-list of some citizens was heard at eight meetings held in the summer at locations throughout Alabama. The survey will allow anyone who did not attend a meeting to be heard.<br />The 2002-2007 plan identified priorities for the state’s public libraries, including reading programs for children and young adults, services for the underserved and for people with special needs.jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13417515360220597007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28682779.post-89296090361522675032006-10-05T06:28:00.000-07:002006-10-05T06:31:18.045-07:00Update on Decatur Public Library's fundingThe Morgan County Commission gave the Wheeler libraries level funding. However, there was a change in the way the money was distributed and Decatur lost $5,964 to Eva, Falkville, and Priceville. Decatur agreed to the new distribution method as fair. The Decatur City Council also level funded the library. A public library cannot lose local government funding without losing state and federal funds.<br />I am going to try to convince the Board for the Alabama Library Service that this loss of revenue is a reapportionment not a cut. If I am successful the library will only lose $5,964. If I am not successful, the library will also lose $5,964 in state funding and $25,000 in federal funding. If I get a waiver for this year, the library will have to get the local governments to increase funding by $5,964 or face the possiblity of losing state and federal funds next year.<br /><br />--Sandra Sherman-McCandless, Directorjameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13417515360220597007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28682779.post-28308036688785095532006-10-04T07:28:00.000-07:002006-10-04T07:30:39.793-07:00Further Observations from E-Rate training.During a break Tuesday, large bins of canned drinks on ice were available in an open area of the conference center. What were <strong>not</strong> available at all however were garbage cans. No, instead of a few tastefully designed and discreetly located trash receptacles, the Atlanta Airport Hilton evidently thought it would project a better image to have a man in a tuxedo personally relocate the mounds of empty cans, used glasses, and dirty napkins that had collected on the tables to a large tray which he then carried away, presumably to the bowels of the hotel where they have facilities for dealing with that sort of thing. It was absolutely ridiculous. <br /><br />So, to reiterate, the Hilton management doesn’t see anything odd about making their employees dress better than the hotel’s guests and then have them publicly handle garbage without gloves. You know, that actually goes a long way toward explaining why Paris turned out the way she did.<br /><br />As for the actual training…<br /><br />I speak some German, a tiny bit of Japanese, I’m learning Tech, and I’m fluent in several dialects of Geek (no I didn’t leave out an R), but I am not at all conversant in Bureaucrat so I barely understood a third of what was said during the presentations, at least not the parts for which I was able to stay awake. I did discover during the Q&A portions that I’m not the only one who thinks PIA minions are infernal. A healthy percentage of the questions were along the line of “Even though you just finished saying that X was all we needed to document, my PIA contact keeps telling me I also have to provide additional documentation, wash his car, and swear fealty to the dark lord of Program Integrity.” The USAC trainers, feigning shock that professional bureaucrats would be obstructionist, go on to respond “I’ll be happy to check into it for you. In order to find your records I just need you to give me your Funding Request Number, Billed Entity Number, Service Provider Identification Number, all the stuff PIA asked for, a pound of flesh, and your immortal soul.”<br /><br />Seriously, the training mostly consisted of people reciting the incomprehensible documentation that’s already on USAC’s website. They completely missed the point that anybody is capable of reading that stuff; we just can’t make any sense of it. They made zero effort to explain <strong>why</strong> you’re required to enter the same number in nine different fields on the same form or which forms have to be filled out when sacrificing an annoying neighbor to PIA. They did hand out a chart which allegedly shows the correct filing process, but it may as well have been a flow chart of Deep Blue’s process for determining chess moves or a circuit diagram for the chip in a vending machine that makes it refuse to take quarters.<br /><br />The vast majority of people at the training seemed to be there to find answers to specific questions only to be told “I’m reluctant to give a general answer to that without knowing the details. If you’ll come find me after this session and provide the specifics I’ll try to help you or you can contact USAC directly.” Well THAT’s helpful to other people having a similar problem. Why exactly are we here again?jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13417515360220597007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28682779.post-71908864626488103192006-10-03T07:58:00.000-07:002006-10-03T08:07:27.577-07:00Abandon all hope ye who file E-Rate<div align="left"><span>I'm in Atlanta this week for E-Rate training. What is E-Rate? My initial response (and that of most E-Rate coordinators I know) is “Be glad you don't know.” It is a bane, a thorn in our collective side (and other discreet anatomical locations), a burden, a bureaucratic morass, and a real BEAR (Billed Entity Application for Reimbursement, an E-Rate coordinator inside joke).<br /><br />You know those seemingly hundreds of little charges on your phone bill that the phone companies go out of their way not to explain? Well look at your bill and you’ll probably see that one of them is called USAC (Universal Service Administrative Company). All the USAC charges go into a pot and schools and libraries can request reimbursement from that fund to help pay for telecommunications and internet costs. Depending on the percentage of students on the free and reduced lunch program in the service area, E-Rate could pay 20-90% of a school or library's telcom bills.<br /><br />The catch is that while they take in between two and three billion dollars a year they receive requests for about four billion so a great deal of thought and effort seem to have been spent in making the application process as pointless, complicated, and painful as humanly possible. E-Rate paperwork makes tax forms look reasonable.<br /><br />Of course you can’t just file an application. You file an intent to open bids for service, then after a certain amount of time you file an application. Then you are bombarded with the most asinine and nitpicky questions imaginable by a low level demonic entity who works for PIA (Program Integrity Assurance or as I like to think of it Process of Increasing Annoyance). My personal theory is that if they deny enough applications they get to trade in their nerf pitchforks for real ones. A typical call from PIA goes something like this: </span><span style="font-size:0;"><br /></span><br /></div><blockquote><em>PIA:</em> For Funding Request Number ***** the contract end date listed is (insert date). I just need you to fax me the contract with your service provider showing that date along with sizable blood and tissue samples from yourself and all members of your immediate family.<br /><br /><em>Me:</em> Yes. I tried to explain this last time. You see, it’s an open-ended contract and there is no specified end date, but at the time we first filed a form for this service provider, you required an end date so we provided an arbitrary one and you said that was sufficient. In subsequent years, you changed the requirements. What do I need to do to stipulate that it’s open-ended? I have lots of documentation from the service provider explaining the situation. Could I perhaps send that along with the soul of a FedEx driver we cornered in cataloging?<br /><br /><em>PIA:</em> Great, so if you’ll just fax the contract showing that end date we’ll get right to ignoring it. Do you need an extension?<br /><br /><em>Me:</em> Wait. You see, the contract…it…you…oh, never mind. Yes, I need an extension please.<br /><br /><em>PIA:</em> OK, I’ll call you back the day after the deadline.<br /><br /><em>Me:</em> When exactly is the deadline?<br /><br /><em>PIA:</em> It’s listed online.<br /><br /><em>Me:</em> Could you be a little more specific?<br /><br /><em>PIA:</em> You go to the main USAC page, then click on Applications and enter your 87 digit application number. Then click on Deadlines, then Arbitrary, then Convoluted, then Kobayashi Moru. It will then prompt you to enter the application date after which it will generate a random date that isn't the real deadline, but gives you false sense of accomplishment. That’s really not necessary though. You can calculate the deadline yourself by adding 28, 29, 340, or negative 8 days to the application date.<br /><br /><em>Me:</em> Which number of days do I use for this application?<br /><br /><em>PIA:</em> Great, I’ll be looking for that contract then. Oh, and I see you’ve also been awarded an audit this year. The auditor for your region, a Mr. Torquemada, will be contacting you soon. Please have all paperwork for the last five years, including credit card applications you received in the mail, available when he arrives.<br /><br /><em>Me:</em> But…<br /><br /><em>PIA:</em> Do you need any MORE assistance? [maniacal laughter]<br /><br /><em>Me:</em> Um, no, thank you.</blockquote><div align="left"><br />If you survive PIA and actually get approved, you then have to file another form within so many days, and yet another form twice a year to get the money. I won't even go into the required Technology Plans.</div><div align="left"><br />Well, this post was actually fun to write and they frown on that sort of thing so I’d better get back to the ninth circle of training. </div>jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13417515360220597007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28682779.post-39530042757878086072006-09-21T13:18:00.000-07:002006-09-21T13:31:43.530-07:00Can the internet replace libraries?<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">The following is excerpted from a letter I wrote recently. Since I have heard this opinion expressed fairly often I thought I would reprint it here.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.4pt;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:black;">I would...like to respond to comments I have frequently heard regarding library service...In the interest of brevity and because it concerns my primary area of work (I am the library's systems administrator), I will just respond to the misconception I tend to hear most often: "You don't need libraries because everything is available on the internet."<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.4pt;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:black;">The answer to this is threefold. First, you would probably be amazed at the wide array of questions we receive for which an (accurate) answer is simply not available online. Even when data is available it's not always easy to find. In fact, it can often be quite difficult to track down the specific information a person needs. Librarians are trained and experienced in constructing internet searches and organizing the results. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.4pt;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:black;">Second, the information is frequently out of date, inaccurate, or purely fictional. There is no regulation of factual accuracy online. Any conspiracy theorist, child predator, or practical joker can post fraudulent information and present it as fact. Even well-intentioned web authors can post misinformation having gotten it from incorrect sources themselves. Most librarians have had a great deal of experience in evaluating the validity of online information and also have knowledge of and access to print resources that can verify the information or prove it false. I have personally helped children, high school students, adults, and seniors who not only have never had the opportunity to learn how to construct a productive internet search, but who then want to consider only the first result returned and treat it as gospel.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.4pt;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:black;">Third, many people in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Decatur</st1:place></st1:city> simply do not have access to the internet in their homes. Some students may have access in their schools, but only during school hours. I would invite you to come to the library any time of course, but I would especially encourage you to visit on a weekday after schools let out or on a Sunday to see just how many people use our resources. We are open from 2:00 to 5:00 on Sundays and nearly every week there are anywhere from five to twenty people lined up outside the door at 1:45 waiting to get in. We currently offer free use of 16 internet-enabled computers and there are often people sitting around the tables just waiting to use the next available computer. While they are waiting, we can always find them books, magazines, or newspapers to read. On Sundays in particular none of our computers sits idle for more than a few minutes if that long. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.4pt;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:black;" ><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" >One of our most frequent questions is "When will you be getting more computers?" Fortunately, a grant from the Gates Foundation will provide more computers, but it is clear that we could fill the building with computers and it still wouldn't meet the demand. For a large number of <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Decatur</st1:place></st1:city> residents, we are their <u>only</u> source for internet access. </span> <o:p></o:p></span></p>jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13417515360220597007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28682779.post-49296592890156301832006-09-06T12:42:00.000-07:002006-09-06T13:26:49.763-07:00Remembering 9-11On Monday, September 11, 2006, <a href="http://www.cnn.com">cnn.com</a> will air CNN's coverage of the events of 9-11 in real time from 8:30 to midnight Central time.<br /><br />I'm sure you remember where you were that day. The library was hosting a breakfast for United Way's Day of Caring and as the excellent cooks on our staff were busy with last minute preparations we began to hear vague reports of a plane crashing into the World Trade Center. By the time the breakfast was under way, someone had brought a TV with rabbit ears to the interlibrary loan area and we watched in shock as it became steadily more apparent that this was not a tragic accident but a terrorist plot of previously unthinkable scale.<br /><br />Most of the rest of that day is a blur. The shock just didn't seem to wear off. It seemed unlikely that there would be any kind of attack locally, but a general fear pervaded everything, which was of course one purpose of the attacks. I felt like I needed to DO something, but couldn't imagine what.<br /><br />For months afterward,<em> everything</em> was colored by that event. Assemblies and memorials were held, flags were displayed everywhere, and the general feeling was that Americans were more unified than we had been for decades. We thought that things would never be the same again, and we were right, but at the same time it's tempting to not think about it any more. The memories are painful and it's so much easier to concentrate only on the current conflicts (military and political) that have stemmed from the September 11th attacks, but we need to remember it and think about it. We have to dare to reopen those wounds lest we begin to deny they exist.<br /><br />Just typing this, I'm already beginning to feel that punched in the stomach sensation again, but I need that. I need to tell my children about it when they're old enough to understand and hope they don't shrug it off the way I always did when someone told me where they were when Kennedy was assassinated. I need to remind someone, and hopefully I just did.jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13417515360220597007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28682779.post-22507845549198381962006-09-05T08:39:00.000-07:002006-09-05T08:45:01.667-07:00New Computers are (Finally) on the WayFirst of all, let me apologize for not posting recently. I've had technical trouble with Google/Blogger Beta and can't post from the computer I use most often.<br /><br />The Gates Foundation is providing a grant for Decatur to purchase five new public computers. We will try to have them odered and installed as soon as possible.<br /><br />Eva and Falkville Public Libraries are each receiving one new computer as well.jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13417515360220597007noreply@blogger.com0