New DBRL Catalog

The new catalog is really an answer to a lot of what patrons have been asking for for a long time. I'm sure they will see it as more intuitive and user friendly. I particularly love the "My Collection" and "My List" features. This is a cool way to keep track of what you've checked out (which is the #1 feature patrons wish we had) and connect with other patrons about recommended items. It's a great way for someone who might be starting to get into a particular genre, but doesn't know where to start.

The only questions I have are:

What exactly does "Community Credits" mean? It says something about prizes? I could use more explanation about that one.

Also, when someone creates a username, I'm assuming it checks to see if that one has already been created. Does it just check against our users, or against other libraries that might be using bibliocommons?

Can't wait to launch this!

RSS Feeds

I subscribed to the following blogs...

Awful Library Books
Librarian By Day
Librarian in Black

Web 2.0 Awards

What a discovery! It is great to have a compiled list of websites for different areas of interest. Many of the ones I looked at were brand new to me.

I particularly liked the music section, and the 1st place site, last.fm. You can customize your playlist so that it only plays artists you like, or get suggestions on other artists you may like. I will be trying this out at home a lot.

My Wife's Pregnancy

So last week Faith had to be in the hospital, because she was starting to go into labor too early. My parents came up and visited awhile, and this picture was taken during that visit. Everything's fine now and we hope to have a precious little girl in the next few weeks.

7 1/2 Habits

I consider myself a life long learner, but why is it that every time someone asks me what I know, the response is "nothing." Anyways...

I would say the habit that comes easiest for me is Viewing Problems as Challenges. I like to solve problems and find solutions that might not be easily available.

The habit that comes hardest is definitely Taking responsibility for your own learning. I like to be taught a lot, and sometimes find it difficult to be the proactive one.