Ear Trumpets

One of my family members mentioned the tediousness of my constant "Pardon-ing?" as we were out doing errands. Yep. This person was tired of having to repeat.

(I did ask if I should say "Huh" or "What" instead......)

To make life easier for those around me, I've decided to invest in some technology.

Requiring no batteries, these handy devices direct energy into a working ear. Of which I do have one.

They've been used by some pretty advanced, creative people (such as Beethoven- not that I am creative in that fashion). Some people think I'm creative, others just know I'm annoying, some think I am creatively annoying. At any rate, this device will definitely help with communication. And it will add a "golly-gee" factor at the circ desk, just what the trendy librarian of today needs.

Peruse their online catalog, and e-mail (or post your comment) with the model you think most suits my personality.

Three of my favorites are the:
Silk Lined Mourning Ear Trumpet

















Or the Celluloid Collapsible Ear Trumpet















Or the one made of a shell:


















Feel free to peruse the website and let me know of your favorite before I place my order. Lots of changes in our life the last year, and your opinions to help guide us along are always appreciated!

No Books Were Harmed in the Makeover of this Shelf

A new school year.

A shiny new assistant. She rocks. Just the right blend of confidence while knowing when she doesn't have a clue and needs to learn. Cheerful and helpful. Just the right person at the right time. And she has an infectious laugh. Gotta love the gal.

Thanks, Brisena- we'll have a great year.

My new partner in crime and I decided to freshen up some of our scratched up, dull bookshelves.

Took a trip to the local store and chose a paint color, and added in a few "accent" colors to our basket, along with plenty of tape and plastic drop cloth material. Painted. Accented. Here are the before, during, and after photos.
The folks who have seen the shelf have been positive so far. Except one. This person indicated that we were setting a bad example by showing students that it was okay to deface furniture by painting graffiti on it.

What do you think?

Unshelved Comics- take 2

I neglected to mention that this is a favorite comic delivered daily to my mailbox-and did the cardinal sin of not providing a reference- yikes! Check out their unique sense of humor over at unshelved. Here is another example of why I love them! (click on the comic to enlarge it)

They sell clever t-shirts- Imagine wearing a "Frequently Asked Questions" one. Most of the middle school kids would not understand it :)

Unshelved Comics

I think we'll implement this policy when I return to Gage.
CLICK ON THE COMIC TO ENLARGE IT

Tattoos and piercings on librarians

Thought this would be entertaining for some: "Welcome to the web page of the Modified Librarian. Here we will discuss the concept and practice of body modification as it relates to librarians as persons and professionals. On this page we will provide a forum for the discussion of body modification in the context of librarianship. All library professionals and paraprofessionals alike are invited to contribute pictures of their tattoos, piercings and other modifications along with their stories."

Other modifications? Yikes!

P.S.
I had my first piercings done when I was somewhere in my 20's, I think (I'm sure my sisters will chime in here to correct my fuzzy memory). Didn't have the means to support earrings when I was growing up. Didn't really want them when I was growing up, either.... remembered kids talking about the needle with the potato, and then they would show up with this dirty braided string-loop through the ear lobe which kept crusting over. Yuck!

A smooth holiday song about a library....

Recently happened upon a cool Teacher-Librarian's blog. He had this to share. Thought it was so good..... here it is for you!

Life is full of books and chocolate... both free!

Yes, we are having a great time at the CSLA conference........
some of our favorite things are here.

Need we say anything else?

Librarians gone wild

What could be more fun than 1000 librarians gathered in a convention center?

Hard to imagine more fun than that, but I'd say to throw in books and authors and computers and gadgets and gizmos and friends and food.

BookArtRecycling

Another great way to recycle old books. But not for the common folk.

Artist Brian Dettmer uses books, cassette tapes, and maps to create works of art. Intricate. Ingenious. His works of art are displayed on a couple of art gallery websites:

KINZ, TILLOU + FEIGEN in New York

I also enjoyed the titles listed on the articles in the biography:
"Spine Surgery." " Cut to the chase." " Digging into a Good Book."

Recycling Books......

Gotta love the way that Jim Rosenau's decided to recycle old books.

You know, those encyclopedias that are 30 years old and you just can't part with because they look so nice there on the shelf..... never mind that most of the geopolitical data is so out of date....

Some of the creations are funny, like the one here. Book lovers, recyclers, artists....check out This into That.

The Wall

Saw a notice for an author/illustrator/artist signing by Peter Sis. His new children's book is called The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain.

Some of his bio: "In 1982 he was sent by the Czech government to Los Angeles to produce a film for the 1984 Winter Olympics. But the film project was canceled when Czechoslovakia and the entire Eastern bloc decided to boycott the Olympics. Ordered by his government to return home, Peter decided to stay in the United States and was granted asylum."

Illustrator/painter/artist. Illustrator of books by Jack Prelutsky, George Shannon, and Sid Fleischman. Writer and illustrator of his own books. Artist (subway stations. films with Bob Dylan. Pieces in the Museum of Modern Art. Awards all over the place)

He had long been thinking about writing the book, but decided to go ahead and do it after seeing our freedoms being taken away as a result of 9/11. My thought: this is a pretty powerful viewpoint from someone who sought asylum in America and enjoyed our freedom. I need to buy the book.

“Peter Sís’s book is most of all about the will to live one’s life in freedom and should be required reading for all those who take their freedom for granted.”
—Václav Havel, former president of the Czech Republic

Go here for more information: www.petersis.com

The author speaking engagement/book signing is free to the first 100 librarians who sign up. Sigh- but it is in Northern California.