Saturday, May 20, 2006

OK, let's try this again...

A little while back, I posted this to the blog, but I didn't get any comments. Now that there are a few more people checking in here, I will beg for comments again (you can post them on this post).
I have tried, in vain, to get people interested in this board. And, if people aren't interested, that's fine - but I would REALLY like to know why librarians prefer listserves (which I just find too difficult/time consuming to keep up with) to message boards.

One thing that is a drawback to message boards is SPAM. I have tried to put safeguards in place on the board, but it's a constant battle to keep the SPAM at bay. Which, also brings me to another point - if people aren't interested in the board, I might as well take it down, because used or not, I do have to spend time maintaining it.

Just FYI re SPAM:
On this blog, "Anonymous" comments are welcome, but comments are "moderated" - meaning I review them before they are posted here. The only reason I do this is to control "comment SPAM" - NOT content.

On the Library Talk Forum, you have to register, and I activate the registration. Again, this is the only effective way to keep a handle the SPAM. I know it means you might have to wait to post (I live online, so the wait is pretty short), but most people prefer this to the vast amount of SPAM that show up on unmoderated forums.

I welcome comments about the SPAM policies as well...

Did I say that?

OK, I may be changing my mind - again.

After spending more time than I wanted to trying to set up the new WordPress version of this blog, I have decided to keep it as is, but move it onto my server.

Sigh. I am one of those people that do not think that software upgrades are always a good thing. Case in point: the theme that I use for my libraryland blog, which runs like a champ on WP 2.0.1, does not seems to work (completely) on the newest upgrade, 2.0.2. I am no code guru, believe me, but there are basic functions that I simply could not get to work properly under the new software. Unfortunately, my server/service provider, which has WP integrated, only gave me the option of using the newest version of WP for the new blog (luckily, I don't HAVE to upgrade the libraryland blog - and I didn't just for this very reason). So, there goes my vision of having all my blogs using the same theme (in different colors) creating a somewhat "standard" look (unless I can get the theme designer to help with my bugs - but I doubt it).

At any rate, I'll keep you posted - I'll either find a way to fix the bugs, or I'll just move this blog and let you know what the new URL is.

Monday, May 15, 2006

Random Stuff

First of all, I'd like to say how thrilled I am that people are reading this blog, and that I have received such interesting/helpful/supportive comments lately! Thanks! This is exactly what I need to motivate me to update more frequently.

Along those lines, I think I have decided to switch this blog over to WordPress, and host it on my server, which is what I do with my other blog. It'll take a few days to get it up and running (I still have to find a theme I like, tweak the code, etc.), but when I have a new address, I'll be sure to let you know - especially if you drop me a comment between now and then (if you haven't done so already). Comments that link to a website/blog/e-mail address will get a note with the new info.

I have mixed feelings about making the change; Blogger is a very easy app to get started with, and I highly recommend it for new bloggers or people who aren't into doing any code tweaking. It's fast, easy, and FREE! But WordPress is a much more flexible application (although there are instances where it could be a touch simpler) - it's also much harder to get a grip on, especially if you are used to Blogger, or if you want to change the look of your blog (or the order of stuff in the sidebar - although, now they have come up with "widgets" which help that process a lot). At any rate, since I already have one blog on my coollibrarian.com site, and may be switching my personal blog (no, I'm not going to tell you how to find that blog) over there as well, it will be easier to administer all of them from one place.

If anyone out there is a WordPress theme designer looking to "advertise," let me know - I am looking for themes for the cool librarian blog, and my personal blog (and if it's compatible with widgets, so much the better).

Friday, May 05, 2006

Frustrated...

I'm feeling frustrated with certain aspects of my "library" life, and I'm a bit bummed about it.

Though I never had any interest in doing YA librarianship (I so thought I was going to be an academic reference librarian), since it is part of my job (sort of), I find that I would really like to have some sort of program that YAs actually care about - yeah, right. There has been no interest in the Teen Reviews program - in fact, a co-worker, who tried to get her girls interested (both voracious readers), said that the kids said that it "sounded like homework." I am guessing that's the general concensus, as no amount of advertising has brought any interest. It doesn't help that the area teachers have no interest in the project, either, and have not gone out of their way to "sell" it.

So, does this mean it's finally happened - that I am old and have no idea what teens are into (besides drinking and sex, which hasn't changed since I was a teen)? I REALLY thought that kids might be drawn by the idea of having their stuff "published," but I guess since everyone has their own MySpace page, there's no cachet in that anymore.

I have no idea how to bring teens into the library, when I have ZERO budget to put on a program. Sure, I guess I could come up with "free" things for a program, but then I would need to oversee said program on my own time, without pay, because I certainly can't take the time out of my miniscule schedule as it is. Sigh. Sometimes I'm not sure why I care, since YA stuff is a not a priority, anyway.

See, here's where I get in trouble: I come from a non-profit service background. Subsequently, I spend an inordinate amount of time trying to make my librarian job "service" oriented. I keep trying to "help" people. I keep wanting to bring teens into the library. I keep trying to get the high school teachers to send me their assignments, or create a summer reading list that doesn't stink, or show ANY interest AT ALL in the library, or reading, or PROPER research skills. I keep trying to introduce "new things" (like the blogs)... and I keep forgetting that NO ONE CARES!

OK, rant done.

If anyone has any suggestions concerning any of this (and that can include just shutting my pie-hole), please, weigh in.