Tomorrow is the last day for the summer reading program at the library, and it's been a good summer of reading over here. We had a lot of children, teens, and adults take part and turn in reading logs on a regular basis, collecting prizes and entering drawings.
I know I'm biased as a librarian, but I think summer reading programs are a great way to keep kids reading during the summer and keep their skills up so they're ready for the next school year, not to mention that a lot of kids like the freedom of being able to read whatever they like instead of what their teachers require them to read during the school year. And adults taking vacations in the summer like relaxing with a good read, getting their minds off their everyday issues and immersing themselves in different worlds.
My question is why do we always hear about summer reading? Why don't we hear about fall, winter, or spring reading? I know many people continue reading year round, but it's not advertised the same way like summer reading. Is it because most people put beaches and books together? What about curling up in front of the fire with a good book when it's cold and snowy outside?
I read throughout the year, but I probably get even more reading done during the cold weather when I'm "hibernating." I turn into an outdoor person during the beautiful, dry summers in the Northwest, but the snowy, treacherous winters of Eastern Washington keep me indoors. In my humble opinion, what better way to get through hibernation in the winter than by reading?
So I say let's hear it for fall reading, winter reading, and spring reading!
Today's wisdom from the perch.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
What's your "thing"?
I needed to take some time to think about my next topic to blog about, and then it hit me. Almost each one of my co-workers has a "thing." One of them is into penguins, one is into frogs, one is into snowmen, one is into Hello Kitty...well, you get the idea. And each person has her desk area decorated with artifacts representing her "thing."
For a while I wondered what my "thing" is. It's not that I don't have interests. If you've been following my posts you might have guessed that I have an interest in travel, so I have magnets, postcards, and bookmarks around my desk area from places I've been. But I didn't really consider travel a "thing" since it's more of an action, a verb rather than a noun.
This past weekend I took a trip to the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon to enjoy the waterfalls. I've always loved water and waterfalls in particular ever since I went to Niagara Falls when I was in college (if Niagara Falls doesn't convert you into a waterfall addict, nothing will). I went from one waterfall to another along historic HWY 30, taking photos from different angles, appreciating the personality of each cataract, and feeling the spray of water on my face.
I e-mailed some of the photos I took to my mother and wanted to hear what she thought about the different waterfalls. I thought she might have been as excited as I was about the waterfalls but instead she told me that one waterfall looked like another to her. That was when I realized that I had my "thing." I had it without even realizing I had it.
Now I'm happy to have an official "thing." It's great to Google different waterfalls and their photos, search for books on waterfalls, and ponder which waterfall to visit next. I'm even planning to make a screensaver of my own waterfall photos to put on my laptop as a pleasant reminder of the ones I've seen.
So, what's your "thing"? Don't worry if you don't know what it is quite yet; it'll come to you. And when it does, love it, read about it, live it!
Today's food for thought from the perch.
For a while I wondered what my "thing" is. It's not that I don't have interests. If you've been following my posts you might have guessed that I have an interest in travel, so I have magnets, postcards, and bookmarks around my desk area from places I've been. But I didn't really consider travel a "thing" since it's more of an action, a verb rather than a noun.
This past weekend I took a trip to the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon to enjoy the waterfalls. I've always loved water and waterfalls in particular ever since I went to Niagara Falls when I was in college (if Niagara Falls doesn't convert you into a waterfall addict, nothing will). I went from one waterfall to another along historic HWY 30, taking photos from different angles, appreciating the personality of each cataract, and feeling the spray of water on my face.
I e-mailed some of the photos I took to my mother and wanted to hear what she thought about the different waterfalls. I thought she might have been as excited as I was about the waterfalls but instead she told me that one waterfall looked like another to her. That was when I realized that I had my "thing." I had it without even realizing I had it.
Now I'm happy to have an official "thing." It's great to Google different waterfalls and their photos, search for books on waterfalls, and ponder which waterfall to visit next. I'm even planning to make a screensaver of my own waterfall photos to put on my laptop as a pleasant reminder of the ones I've seen.
So, what's your "thing"? Don't worry if you don't know what it is quite yet; it'll come to you. And when it does, love it, read about it, live it!
Today's food for thought from the perch.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
On Technology
Yesterday I blogged about e-readers and how I'm all for technology. To put your minds at ease, I'm still for technology today, but I thought a bit about it last night at a Michael Buble concert.
Before the show began, the couple sitting next to me were busy with their cell phones, playing games, checking messages, and whatnot. I looked around the arena and sure enough, I saw little glowing screens here and there. Once the concert began, to make the show more enjoyable for people like me sitting high up in the rafters, a sophisticated sound system was in use and huge screens magnified Mr. Buble's well-groomed, scruffy chin.
At one point it hit me: why do people go to live performances anymore? Where is the magic when people are doing the same things at a concert that they easily do at home or at work? Why go to a concert only to play with your cell phone when you can soak up the atmosphere and energy of the other people around you? Why pay top dollar to go somewhere to watch Michael Buble on a screen when you can watch him on PBS for free?
Then at the end of the concert something truly magical happened. Michael Buble came out from behind the curtain and started singing "A Song For You" without instrumental accompaniment and without the use of microphones. Nothing between the Canadian singer and his audience, just pure Michael Buble projecting his voice unaided out into the great space of the area. Without the use of the sound system his voice wasn't booming, but it was all him. And everyone hushed to hear the true Michael Buble. For me, at least, it was the highlight of the evening.
The point of all this: technology--whether it's in sound, television screens, e-book readers, computers, or what have you--is a wonderful thing that has changed and improved our lives in many ways, but let's not allow technology to take over our lives. It's good to keep a healthy balance between being plugged and unplugged; live in the real world and not exclusively in the virtual world of gadgets.
Oh, and I did enjoy the concert. :-)
Crooning "A Song For You" from the perch.
Before the show began, the couple sitting next to me were busy with their cell phones, playing games, checking messages, and whatnot. I looked around the arena and sure enough, I saw little glowing screens here and there. Once the concert began, to make the show more enjoyable for people like me sitting high up in the rafters, a sophisticated sound system was in use and huge screens magnified Mr. Buble's well-groomed, scruffy chin.
At one point it hit me: why do people go to live performances anymore? Where is the magic when people are doing the same things at a concert that they easily do at home or at work? Why go to a concert only to play with your cell phone when you can soak up the atmosphere and energy of the other people around you? Why pay top dollar to go somewhere to watch Michael Buble on a screen when you can watch him on PBS for free?
Then at the end of the concert something truly magical happened. Michael Buble came out from behind the curtain and started singing "A Song For You" without instrumental accompaniment and without the use of microphones. Nothing between the Canadian singer and his audience, just pure Michael Buble projecting his voice unaided out into the great space of the area. Without the use of the sound system his voice wasn't booming, but it was all him. And everyone hushed to hear the true Michael Buble. For me, at least, it was the highlight of the evening.
The point of all this: technology--whether it's in sound, television screens, e-book readers, computers, or what have you--is a wonderful thing that has changed and improved our lives in many ways, but let's not allow technology to take over our lives. It's good to keep a healthy balance between being plugged and unplugged; live in the real world and not exclusively in the virtual world of gadgets.
Oh, and I did enjoy the concert. :-)
Crooning "A Song For You" from the perch.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
E-readers: What to make of them?
You see them almost everywhere--in TV commercials, in the mall, and now in the library (I even see them with two of my co-workers). No doubt about it, e-readers are becoming serious business in the book world. Instead of lugging around your bag o' printed books to and from the library or book store, you can buy or download numerous titles in electronic format to your compact, lightweight e-reader. These gadgets are unquestionably handy for a lot of people. On a flight from New York to Denver, I saw a flight attendant in the rear of the plane reading from an e-reader, and I thought, "Wow. If I traveled for a living flying from airport to airport, I would rather carry an e-reader than drag a stack of books around with me."
I'm all for technology and the many ways it has and continues to advance our lives. And I think e-readers are a great thing. Really. But (I'm sure you could sense there was a "but" coming) I'm not completely sold on the e-reader...yet.
Why? Well, for one thing, e-readers don't come cheap. Over a hundred bucks a pop? For a lot of people (including myself) that's a wee investment. Another thing is the compatibility issue--what can go on one e-reader may not necessarily go on another. Then there's the thing about your e-reader breaking down. If your e-reader illuminated its last page ever, what happens to all the e-books you have stored on it? Do you lose them all forever? Or can you somehow re-obtain them and put them on a different e-reader? These are just some of the issues that need to be worked out with e-readers.
So, to sum up, I'm all for e-readers and would love to have one eventually (hey, I have a small, uncluttered apartment and want to keep it uncluttered), but they need to become a little more accessible both financially and practically.
My humble opinion from the perch.
I'm all for technology and the many ways it has and continues to advance our lives. And I think e-readers are a great thing. Really. But (I'm sure you could sense there was a "but" coming) I'm not completely sold on the e-reader...yet.
Why? Well, for one thing, e-readers don't come cheap. Over a hundred bucks a pop? For a lot of people (including myself) that's a wee investment. Another thing is the compatibility issue--what can go on one e-reader may not necessarily go on another. Then there's the thing about your e-reader breaking down. If your e-reader illuminated its last page ever, what happens to all the e-books you have stored on it? Do you lose them all forever? Or can you somehow re-obtain them and put them on a different e-reader? These are just some of the issues that need to be worked out with e-readers.
So, to sum up, I'm all for e-readers and would love to have one eventually (hey, I have a small, uncluttered apartment and want to keep it uncluttered), but they need to become a little more accessible both financially and practically.
My humble opinion from the perch.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Find A Grave
Here I am, your friendly neighborhood librarian blogging directly from the perch to all of you reading my blog. :-) From time to time, I'll bring some attention to particular resources of information that may be interesting or useful in some way.
On that note, today I'm going to bring attention to a website some may find morbid but I find simply fascinating. For over 10 years I've been visiting Find A Grave, which has information on deceased personalities from the past and present. The information provided includes a brief biography of the person, dates and places of birth and death, and a grave site photo.
Some of the grave photos are rather interesting and intriguing. Oscar Wilde's tomb in the famous Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris is smothered in lipstick from people who have kissed his grave. Why? It's a mystery. Unsanitary, yes, but a mystery. For Vladimir Lenin's page, there used to be a picture not only of the outside of the tomb in Red Square, but also one of Lenin's preserved body inside the tomb (we can assume the picture was removed due to the disturbing factor). Weird, but in a strangely fascinating way.
Then there are the amusing epitaphs on some tombstones. "I told you I was sick." "I'd rather be in Acapulco." "Lover of little ugly dogs." "He died because of his wife." One epitaph on the tombstone of a dentist reads, "Filling my last cavity." Then there's the one I can't include here because the four words describing the deceased form an acrostic spelling a four-letter word. Well, you have to admit some people have a good sense of humor about the beyond.
If you want to do more than just read about the deceased and see photos of their graves, you can leave "virtual flowers" on their pages. Some pages, understandably, have the virtual flowers feature turned off because some people were leaving more than just flowers. We can only surmise what some people wrote to go with their virtual flowers on the pages of Ferdinand Marcos or Osama Bin Laden.
The search features on the website are well ordered, and I recommend Find A Grave for your personal education, amusement, or both. Who knows? Maybe something from the website will help you answer that final Jeopardy question.
Today's musings from the perch.
On that note, today I'm going to bring attention to a website some may find morbid but I find simply fascinating. For over 10 years I've been visiting Find A Grave, which has information on deceased personalities from the past and present. The information provided includes a brief biography of the person, dates and places of birth and death, and a grave site photo.
Some of the grave photos are rather interesting and intriguing. Oscar Wilde's tomb in the famous Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris is smothered in lipstick from people who have kissed his grave. Why? It's a mystery. Unsanitary, yes, but a mystery. For Vladimir Lenin's page, there used to be a picture not only of the outside of the tomb in Red Square, but also one of Lenin's preserved body inside the tomb (we can assume the picture was removed due to the disturbing factor). Weird, but in a strangely fascinating way.
Then there are the amusing epitaphs on some tombstones. "I told you I was sick." "I'd rather be in Acapulco." "Lover of little ugly dogs." "He died because of his wife." One epitaph on the tombstone of a dentist reads, "Filling my last cavity." Then there's the one I can't include here because the four words describing the deceased form an acrostic spelling a four-letter word. Well, you have to admit some people have a good sense of humor about the beyond.
If you want to do more than just read about the deceased and see photos of their graves, you can leave "virtual flowers" on their pages. Some pages, understandably, have the virtual flowers feature turned off because some people were leaving more than just flowers. We can only surmise what some people wrote to go with their virtual flowers on the pages of Ferdinand Marcos or Osama Bin Laden.
The search features on the website are well ordered, and I recommend Find A Grave for your personal education, amusement, or both. Who knows? Maybe something from the website will help you answer that final Jeopardy question.
Today's musings from the perch.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Traveling and the Library
It's summertime. Time to take that trip you've been waiting through all those long, snowy winter months to take. So, what do you do before you go? You stop at the library to pick up a relaxing book to read on the beach, a DVD to watch in your hotel room, or an audiobook to listen to as you drive to your dreamy destination. Those activities have become as summer-like as going swimming or eating watermelon.
Did you know the library can also help out in planning your trip? I'm one of those local weekend travelers who loves discovering and researching various travel spots. Some good places to get ideas on where to go on your next trip are travel books and the Internet.
There are oodles of travel books on various states and countries, and some are even activity-specific (i.e. hikes in Washington, scenic drives in Oregon, mountain biking in Idaho, fly fishing in Montana, etc.). If you're not sure where you want to go or what you feel like doing, travel books can help.
Sometimes websites, like Mapquest or Google Maps, can help give you a better idea of towns off the beaten path that you may not know about. I like plugging in the town where I live, zooming in on the map, and then moving it about to see which places would be good for a day trip (this is how I found out about Steptoe Butte, a great viewpoint in the Palouse area of eastern Washington just 1 hr south of Spokane). After I've picked a few places, I do some online research to learn more and decide if I want to visit them. Google Images is great to get a bunch of pictures of a place to give you a better idea if you like the scenery and want to spend some time there. Photos have either encouraged or discouraged me from traveling to some places.
Of course, if you're one of those people who already knows where to go, the library's books and Internet resources can help you get the scoop on accommodations, restaurants, and insiders' tidbits that you may not have known. Many states and towns even have their own websites with pages advertising and showcasing the best things they have to offer visitors. Some websites even allow you to order free planning guides or sign up for informative e-mails.
So, beside getting that special read or that popular CD to bop along with on your way to Vacationland, use the library to find out things that can make your trip even more extraordinary.
Travel daydreaming from the perch...
Did you know the library can also help out in planning your trip? I'm one of those local weekend travelers who loves discovering and researching various travel spots. Some good places to get ideas on where to go on your next trip are travel books and the Internet.
There are oodles of travel books on various states and countries, and some are even activity-specific (i.e. hikes in Washington, scenic drives in Oregon, mountain biking in Idaho, fly fishing in Montana, etc.). If you're not sure where you want to go or what you feel like doing, travel books can help.
Sometimes websites, like Mapquest or Google Maps, can help give you a better idea of towns off the beaten path that you may not know about. I like plugging in the town where I live, zooming in on the map, and then moving it about to see which places would be good for a day trip (this is how I found out about Steptoe Butte, a great viewpoint in the Palouse area of eastern Washington just 1 hr south of Spokane). After I've picked a few places, I do some online research to learn more and decide if I want to visit them. Google Images is great to get a bunch of pictures of a place to give you a better idea if you like the scenery and want to spend some time there. Photos have either encouraged or discouraged me from traveling to some places.
Of course, if you're one of those people who already knows where to go, the library's books and Internet resources can help you get the scoop on accommodations, restaurants, and insiders' tidbits that you may not have known. Many states and towns even have their own websites with pages advertising and showcasing the best things they have to offer visitors. Some websites even allow you to order free planning guides or sign up for informative e-mails.
So, beside getting that special read or that popular CD to bop along with on your way to Vacationland, use the library to find out things that can make your trip even more extraordinary.
Travel daydreaming from the perch...
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