James LaRue - myliblog

I feel a little guilty about this. But if you somehow escaped this utterly infectious smash hit from the South Korean girl band the Wonder Girls, then you must be made to pay. The weird thing is that its appeal continues for me. My daughter, who taught in Taiwan, tells me that EVERYBODY knew this, all ages. That was almost a year ago now. But these Wonder Girls are just so dang cute. Oh, and here's a bonus link, a clip from the "Korean Beyonce." It goes to show you: American pop songs and moves are extremely widespread. So to speak.

Recently I was asked by a colleague what I thought about our 2008-2009 adoption of self-check and AMH solutions. Bob Pasiznyuk, who was our IT associate director at the time (now the director of the Cedar Rapids Public Library in Iowa) was chiefly responsible for that decision and its implementation, and I swear he wrote it up for me, although I can't lay my hands on the paper. But for other librarians considering the solution, here's the short version about why we did it, and roughly how it played out. We had three problems: * extraordinary growth of use. * sharp restrictions on space (for more traditional circulation stations) * limits on dollars for additional staff * a rising incidence of repetitive motion stress injuries The use of RFID tags, self-check stations (3M), and automated materials handling units (sorters from three different companies) was the right solution. Our initial investment was about $1 million. We paid for it out of savings. We calculate th...

A terrific name for a band, and a remarkably gifted couple of indie musicians, cranking out offbeat music in somebody's house. Nataly Dawn can sing like a funk-laconic angel, and Jack Conte is a demented percussionist with a tiny piano. Give it a listen here . My favorite: " If you think you need some lovin' ."

OK. This is about raw sex, featuring one of the hottest women who ever lived. Oh, and marine animals. And puppets. I haven't seen anything this entertaining since PeeWee Herman. Favorite line: "What am I - a duck??"

Click here or the title of this entry to hear an interview by Mary Ross of Douglas County Libraries librarians Colbe Galston and Amy Long about the topic of the "community reference project." Mary is the instructor of an Infopeople online course called Revisioning Reference . Colbe and Amy are staggeringly articulate - and lay out what I do firmly believe is the frontier of public library reference work.

In a three week period, I think I'll wind up giving some 10 talks to the library world. Some of them are part of my job, speaking (for free) within Colorado. Others I take time off to do (and get paid by the folks who invited me!). Yesterday, I gave a talk in Boise, Idaho, for the public library's staff day. I was actually filling in for my esteemed colleague Will Manley, who had some medical issues. (Get well soon!) Looking for an Emergency Backup Speaker? I'm your guy. This afternoon, I'm in Sacramento, California. Tomorrow, I speak at their staff day on the topic of intellectual freedom. I have to say, this life of travel and public speaking is fascinating. I'm seeing libraries in a way I hadn't before. So much is context. I enjoyed walking around Boise (ranked as one of the most livable cities in America). My stroll through the main library was surprisingly revealing. Today I walked through a few blocks of downtown Sacramento, and toured its library...

I just strolled through the Castle Rock Quilt Club's exhibit at the Philip S. Miller Library. Wow. Below are two shots of my favorites. Jerry Dunbar's "Mariner's Compass Sampler." Hand-quilted. And "Delectable Mountains," by Donna Ryman (long arm) The colors on my little cell phone camera are off. But these, and many others, are awe-inspiring. Come see them!