Social networking

The merits and de-merits of social networking have been trawled through a million times over and have been the subject of much debate. I'm on twitter and I wasn't on Facebook until a few minutes ago (that always feels like a startling confession to make!).  The background to it is this: what started out as it not really feeling necessary some years ago snowballed into having to stick to what seemed like a decision based on a preference for relative anonymity. The truth is, since friends have moved abroad for work and such I have thought about signing up, but am afraid. Very good reasons for being afraid are outlined in this article that was mentioned in the latest 23things update : it is a minefield, people...  Apart from common sense, a good rule of thumb, I find, is that you learn the etiquette of a community by sticking your foot in it repeatedly. Not to mention the maintenance aspects of every new thing you set up: a work blog, email acc, private email and twitter account, google reader crammed with RSS feeds, college email and portal (including a distinctly facebook-like e-portfolio) to check on a regular basis. But in the spirit of trying new things (and a little curiosity) I have now signed up with a test account. Regarding a library facebook page - it might be a good way to keep students in the loop - if you can get them on board and tackle some old library stereotypes. Regarding twitter - I'm not sure to be honest how this can be used for our library. I think tweets (and blog posts) are best with either a personal dimension or else alot of new projects and events to tweet about. I was following the New York Public library but unfollowed because of the amount of stuff received. Striking the balance between enough and too many is again key! Anyway, its the Friday of a bank hollier, this is all too heavy. Have a hungover owl.

My first (proper) Wiki

I've finally gotten around to creating a Wiki. Signing up was easy. We used a wiki in college last year but I didnt enjoy it possibly because it was homework! For that task we all had to look up information on a few names we were given and add/edit the biography info on the page for the names. I found it annoying because people were sticking up conclicting info on the names and I felt uneasy about deleting other's comments and adding my own. Perhaps that was the point of the activity - to make us appreciate the ups and downs of wikis - but it backfired cos I decided I couldn't be bothered. Having thought about it since; I can very much see the point of this kind of thing - if it is done in a useful way! Lists and compilations of resources/links seem to be the way to go for me. So I tried to think of something useful that a particular group of people (you guys!! or at least anyone studying/wanting to keep up with the current research) might have a passing interest in. Lo and behod the wiki:  Library and info e-journals for Cregan Library. Its not exhaustive, I simply searched for journals containing the keyword "library" in Serials Solutions and whipped out the (I thought) relevant ones.
Feel free to add some if you can think of any.
If I decide to develop this I suppose I could add other relevant resources.

Illustration corner and Galerie martel

Yesterday's book themed illustration was by Gabrielle Giandelli and you can see more of her pictures (and lots of other great ones) on Galerie martel. I feel like changing today so enjoy Shirley and Mr.Hoffman by Milton Glaser, also on Galerie martel in the corner. Check out the Dylan poster by Milton Glaser there too..

Wikis - stand back - I've hit the motherload.

I found this wiki of (admittedly American) academic library blogs through this presentation on why using blogs and wikis in academic libraries are a good idea.

ProQuest - Library Tools

ProQuest - Library Tools

This is a great list of free resources and tools for libraries and librarians. Particularly useful marketing ideas.  I sound like I'm working for them but I promise I'm not!

Movie review and Illustration Corner update

Hi there
On the right Illustration Corner is featuring one of Katy Horan's pretty yet somehow terrifying illustrations - Spectre. I decided I'm going to have to mention featured illustrations in posts as otherwise (because they're just in the image gadget) they will disappear when I change the image.

My first movie review is below - dont worry no spoilers! 
I went to see Meek's cutoff last night and I really liked it - alas in the IFI instead of the Lighthouse. I wanted to see it before reading Kelly Reichardt's article in last month's Sight and Sound (thanks for the tipoff, Anonymous Librarian!). The film does a great job of showcasing  the hardships of frontier life for settlers in Oregon (and the American desert) in the nineteenth century. The sparseness and dustiness of the landscape and the silhouettes of parched plants and the small band of lost wanderers in the desert look wonderful against the vast rolling sky; daylit scenes are flooded with light and the nights, devoid of light, are black and eerie. You get a real sense of what it must have been like to venture into unmapped territory, without roadsigns or markers of any kind, electricity, water supplies, or technology. The movie will have its critics - it doesn't answer any questions conclusively (I heard somebody muttering about disappointment as they left the theatre) and Meek himself seems a little cartoonish - but I think it works very well as a dreamy snapshot of the frontier, and the heart of the film is in its penetrating look at people stripped down to their most vulnerable. A word of warning: bring a bottle of water!

Pixton comic

Hmmm...Pixton allows very limited cartoonery! Dont know how others managed such nice comics using this thing! Guess it was fun anyway...i hate trying to think up dialogue so in the end I just fished for and found the cheesiest library-related joke on the net. Not related to RSS feeds but in its favour it does feature an owl...if you cant read the text (which I know I cant!) click the link after the picture.

Link to my stupid library joke