Spring Cleaning, well sort of...

Tonight I was looking at the desk in my office, and was pretty much disgusted. It is like a small band of toddlers ransacked it. But, it was me. I don't spend too much time in there so I usually just dump and run.

One of my big problems with cleaning has always been...I DON'T LIKE CLEANING. Plus, it bores me. So I was basically on the hunt tonight for someone to tell me how to clean and organize quickly.

There is this cool book about cleaning that I was looking at tonight...but I lost it in the pile of garbage on my desk. No, just kidding. I actually have brought all the books home from the library to help me organize and clean efficiently. Some of them are really great. I really got a lot of interesting ideas and some cute storage ideas too. I am taking home 5 Days to A Clutter Free House by Sandra Felton tonight...I let you know how it is. Maybe by next week, my desk will look fabulous!!!

 Lists are good, and lists that tell me how to clean efficiently would be awesome. And I thought this list was cute...I guess you can customize it too.

Source: armommy.com via Laura on Pinterest

An ADD Quiz, just for fun

Well...I took the quiz below. It kind of confirmed what I already knew. I am totally ADD. I don't know about the hyper part. Although, that part of the quiz was lower. Obviously, this isn't totally scientific, but it was fun. I do like to self-diagnose. Do you ever take quizzes to confirm what you feel is your issue?

020--Library & Information Science

After I finished library school, I didn't spend a huge amount of time reading books on library science. Instead these days I read a lot of articles, book reviews. read blogs and go to workshops and webinars (low budget stuff or no budget stuff). I did take a class online through ALA RUSA, on spatial literacy and online mapping. Great class, I would definitely recommend it.

If you are looking for learning opportunities... they are out there. Look for them. I think most librarians like to keep on top of what is going on and generally like to share their knowledge with others.

 Most of the workshops I go to are regional, usually limited to Connecticut, although I have gone to some in Mass., and I do love going to BEA in NYC. Have you every heard of BEA, or been there yourself? What an experience. I went the first time with my co-worker, Jennifer (YABookNerd)..and it is nuts! Pretty amazing actually, you get to talk to publishers, people in the book industry and of course, the authors. There are thousands of people rushing all over the place and snatching up copies of yet to be released books and talking to some pretty famous authors. Yup, Jennifer and I met and talked to James Patterson...and he was awesome.

I have to say I do love learning, and trust me...I learn something new everyday on the job (some things, I wish I never knew). But, it is always great to go to a more formal learning environment, whether it be in-person or online to get you thinking in a different way or help you out of a rut.

010--Bibliographies

010-- Bibliographies: So I don't like to name drop...but, I got my favorite book from this section signed by the author at BEA a couple years ago! That's right, the most respected Nancy Pearl, signed my copy of More Book Lust! (That's pretty cool for a librarian). This is a cute little book that helps you find the right book at the right time in your life...and who better to listen to than a librarian? Some of the sections are "Horror for Sissies', 'Science 101', 'Near Novels: Linked Short Stories', Brontes Forever' and many, many more.

This is a great book to pick up when you're stuck and looking for your next favorite read. Truly,  you don't need to sit down and go through this book in one sitting...it is more a 'browse when you need inspiration'. Don't forget there is also Book Lust and Book Lust To Go and also Book Crush--for Kids and Teens.

After hours...

Because I have too much scrapbook paper and a few extra minutes tonight...

Some of the staff and I came up with a cool idea for National Library Week...here is a sneak peak. It may not make sense now, but it should later. (hint: Rose City).

Found a great tutorial on making the paper roses here Click through the link and check out the Scrap A Little blog.

 

Source: scrap-a-little.com viaAmanda on Pinterest

000-- Computer Science, Knowledge and Systems

000's: So I do occasionally wander over to this area in the library it is full of fun computer stuff, I get some great items out of here. I just looked over Food  Blogging for Dummies by Kelly Senyei and I really got some great tips and some inspiration for this blog. I really liked the chapter on 'Finding Your Niche' because I think it can be a make it or break it item in the blogging world.

But, the 000's can be a mixed bag when I am helping people at the library. It is either a.) someone who is super hyped about learning Python or b.) someone that thinks the computer is an unnecessary evil...and their kid just bought them a laptop. Said kid lives clear across the country and won't be helping said parent become familiar with said laptop...but decided to set up their email for them and neglect to share the password (In the future think real hard before doing this to your elderly parents..it pisses them off).

Now, there is also some fun stuff in this Dewey section which seems totally unrelated to computers and systems; alien sightings, crop circles,Yetis and UFO's. I will readily admit to being extremely non-versed in this area. But I order quite a bit of it for patrons, and some family members... I have learned a lot by listening to their requests and reviews...and I also have learned that this category is not for me. One of my relatives just finished Area 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base by Annie Jacobsen. He loved the book, said the author debunked a lot of the myths of Area 51 by interviewing retired staff.

So, you really can have some strange bedfellows roaming the stacks in front of the 000's, but some of my favorite patrons (and relatives) hang out there!

Blogging with Orderliness

I have had a hard time figuring out how I was going to blog in my own way with some sort of purpose...and if not a 'purpose' than with at least an attempt at non-randomness.

But, it has been a struggle. And then it came to me when I was driving to work (its there or in the shower when I come up with my best stuff), why not use Dewey Decimal???...yeah, no, its not dead. Well, at least not to me.

Because to be truthful, at this particular time in my life I am living a very small bit of the Dewey Decimal, and in turn am only reading a small part of it too. I am a full-time librarian with kids and a house and various hobbies and all the other stuff that comes with it. Right now, I live in the 610's, the 640's and the 740's...sure sometimes I dabble in some random fiction, but I have a 3 year-old that comes up with some fictional dramas to cover what I might be missing in print.

Obviously, everyday, I learn something new because I have to research for a patron at the library, so that does help me get out of my comfort and/or interest zone...but it is usually not too in-depth.

So, I proposed to myself an idea: use the Dewey Decimal system to the Hundred Divisions to help me keep on track with blog posts. As I mentioned in my previous post, I am random, actually if I were truthful I probably have a touch of ADD mixed with horrible organizational skills.

In an effort to be a more well-rounded human, I am going to work my way through Dewey and get to know all its part a little bit better. Who better to experiment with than myself?

So 000's here I come...