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The video of Jeffrey Phillips keynote speech is available now. It’s a good speech, although I don’t know if I agree with everything he says. I’m going to work now, so I’ll have to wait until this evening to give you my take. In the meantime, why not watch the speech and tell me what you think?          In case you don’t know, the 2012 Computers in Libraries conference starts today. It’s probably the biggest non-ALA conference on the use of technology in libraries of all types. Lots of good information. I won’t be there (next year?), but I’ve added a page (CIL 2012 Blog Aggregation) where I’ll be tracking the attendees who are blogging about the conference. If anyone knows of a blogger who should be included but isn’t, let me know through the contact form at the bottom of the page. On Brain Dump (see sidebar) I’ve started collecting links to training materials for librarians. It’s mostly archived webinars and handouts on topics that are interesting, like writing a blog, using social networking, and other things. My plan is to add more things, especially content I create for work such as FAQs, screencasts, and handouts for staff training. Keep an eye on it, especially if you work in a library. You might find something useful. And if there’s something you’d like to see included, drop me a line through the contact form at the bottom of the page. These are some photos of downtown New Albany that I took a couple of summers ago. Black and White, mostly buildings and street scenes. As you can see, I’ve modified some of them for my header images.
                      
Here’s a couple of photos of the cold weather moving in. I’m using a new app on my phone, so they’re a little weird until I get used to it.  Dollar General construction on State Street
 Cold weather from the west
Do you like ebooks? Do you have a Kindle or a Nook? If so, you probably need to know about ebookfling.com. You may already know that you can lend most books in your collection. How often and for how long is up to the publisher, of course, but it’s generally one time for 14 days. ebookfling.com makes it easy to loan books to people everywhere. You sign up, list your books, and people can browse and select books they’d like to borrow. The site automates the lending process for you and keeps track of which books have been loaned and can’t be loaned again. There are a few problems. I’ve occasionally had requests for books that Amazon tells me have already been loaned, so apparently the tracking on the ebookfling site isn’t perfect. Also, since requests stay active until they’re either filled or cancelled by the requester, I’ve got a huge portion of my collection on the site that just keep getting forwarded from one request to another. Apparently, a lot of people aren’t actively using the site anymore. It would be nice if the site administrators would build in some way to mark users as inactive so that their requests are removed from the queue. In spite of these problems, though, it’s a good site and I recommend it to anyone looking to expand their sources for ebooks. Here’s some photos I took a few years ago at the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park at Hodgenville, Kentucky. I thought it would be appropriate to get them out to people while we’re commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. I hope you enjoy them.          
Castillo is a very good writer, and she clearly knows her stuff. Whether it’s modern-day police procedures or life among the Amish, she has a depth of knowledge that I found refreshingly unexpected. Her portrayal of Amish life is particularly well done, showing the complexity behind the stereotypical simplicity. Castillo manages to be both sympathetic toward and realistic about the Plain people, thus avoiding the idolization I’ve seen in some other authors. This was one of the characteristics that drew me to the book. As for the story itself, I simply couldn’t put it down. The two main characters, Burkholder and BCI field agent John Tomasetti, have both been badly damaged by events in their lives and so are always on the edge of despair. Nevertheless, they remain likable characters. We want them to succeed at their task, as well as in their lives. And what a task they’ve got! A series of horrific (and I don’t use that word lightly) murders are happening in this small country town that exactly mimic murders from 16 years previously. Is it a copycat or the same killer? If a copycat, then how does the killer know details of the killings that were never made public? If the same killer, then why the 16 year break between murders? The investigation is confusing, and is further complicated by local politics and long-held secrets from Burkholder’s past. The author puts a great amount of detail into telling the story of both the investigation and the murders. Sometimes a truly disturbing amount of detail. Much of the book reads less like fiction and more like true crime reporting. After finishing the book you’ll want a long, hot shower to try to wash yourself clean. But you’ll want to put Linda Castillo on your list of must-read authors, too. I know I have. Like most book lovers, I’ve always got more than one book going at a time. Right now, I’m working on one audiobook, one eBook, and two traditional books. Here’s what I’m currently reading: Audiobook
eBook
Books
If you like audiobooks, and I know lots of people do, then Random House Audio has an offer for you. To promote their Car Share Program, they’re offering 5 free audio downloads. All you have to do is sign up for their monthly newsletter on the website, and they’ll email you a link to the downloads. Pretty easy. You don’t get really weird titles, either.
Not bad for a little time. Thanks, Random House! |
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