Procrastination

   Are you a procrastinator?   Most of us procrastinate in one area of our lives or another.  There are many reasons why we procrastinate: fear of failure, wanting to do something else, feeling overwhelmed ,or being just plain lazy.

   First determine what situation cause you to procrastinate. The best way to overcome procrastination is to start small.  Figure out what it is you need to have done.  Take 10 or 15 minutes and tell yourself  you will just start the task.  (By breaking the task into smaller increments , you will feel better about starting, and you will see that you did accomplish a small portion of the task/ job.

  I like to break down large projects into do-able task.  The other thing that helps is writing down steps/ activities that need to be done and due dates when you want each segment done.

   Another help is to keep your written tasks in front of you , so you can grab a few minutes to do one part.
Then cross off /or date  each segment, and  you'll be able to see your self getting the job done.

   Some other tactics to stop your procrastination : offer yourself a reward/ bribe for the completion of the task or project, delegate part or all of the job, clean your workspace and leave only the task at hand out, or trick your self: I 'll only do one page today"

  Check out my book"The Organized Library" under the tab Books for Sale for more ideas on how to get more done.

Bookish

  Bookish is a great site that gives readers expert book recommendations. The mission of
Bookish is to engage readers with more stories , books, and authors,\.

  Bookish features great content about both new and notable books  Through this site you can read reviews , check ratings  , and read a sample.  If you are registered you can 'add to  your bookshel' and purchase books in various formats.

  You can get recommendations  to great reads by typing in titles, and then Bookish leads  you to other titles that are similar  or by the same author.

  You can also search by subject( cooking, children's, biographies,mysteries, romance, and Ya just to name a few.

  Check out down at the very bottom of the page  to just browse.  There are further recommendations lists of best sellers , and prize winning books.  I think you may find Bookish  an extremely valuable resource for both librarians and  book lovers.

Being organized- What are the Benefits?

  Being organized means being able to find what you are looking for, getting tasks m and activities done in a timely manner, and being in control of your life responsibilities, activities, and events.

  When you figure out which ( or all areas of your life that are not working, then it is time for you  to take the steps to learn how to be organized.  Start with one area that needs to be organized.  As you learn this skill, then you can select another area and continue to the organization bug spread to the rest of your life.

 You will  surprised how much more effective you will be and how much more smoothly  your day will go.

  If you are organized at work, then start to work on the other areas that need help.  I will be writing some posts that will give  you ideas to help you get started. 

Early Word Part 2

     More on Early Word!  This site is awesome and provides so much great information about the best and upcoming new books.  On the left hand side t, there are so many categories to select from: audio books, book events, books and movies,  fiction lists. ideas to steal, librarians in the news,  non-fiction lists,  to name just a few.

     As always, there are links on the left to the archives for each month.

   Now to the right!  We have links to best seller list which are invaluable to the the busy librarian selecting  reviews and recommendations.  There is also an awards list that will also help in collection development.  There is a Coming Soon section that showcases all the newest books that are arriving in the coming weeks and months.


  There are links to library reads, movies and TV tie ins based on books( and even links to trailers of the new show or movie.  Also there is a listing of links to publishers catalogs.

   The more you look at Early Word , the more  you see  how much it has to offer!  So keep checking out this great resource!

21st Century Library Blog

   The 21st Century Library blog offers a forum whereby librarians can form a community of discussions about problems, issues, and specific topics.  This blog presents broad perspectives on issues affecting the library profession.

  Librarians can collaborate by responding to polls, and surveys and adding their input.  There are links also to articles  relating to library issues that concern us today. If you continue you will find links to all blog posts, listed in order from oldest to newest.

 One of the things I like bet are the additional links to other library blogs and websites.  All in all this a great spot to visit and get the latest ideas and innovations.  You can see the issues and how other  librarians respond to them and what they think are the best  solutions.

Ficiotn -L Books Lists

  FicitonL is an electronic mailing list that is devoted to Readers Advisory topics.  There are book lists, book discussions, bibliographies, and a wide variety of library related topics.

  This site was developed for librarians dealing with readers requests for good reads.  Created by the staff of the Morton Grove Public Library,( Morton Grove, IL) this is a great service to librarians and staff.

  Subscribers can receive  single or many messages when a posting appears. There is an archive of postings available which dates back to the beginning of the fiction L list.

  I have used this listing to see  titles listing of different genres, author listings, and also  character listings when a question arises about  books with certain types of characters.

   Fiction L

Librarian Problems

   Librarian Problems is an extremely funny  website that will have you laughing until you cry!
Developed by a librarian named William, he has worked as a Reference Assistance and a Reference Librarian.

  Librarian Problems is a good way to vent common librarian frustrations.  Librarians can also submit quotes and problems  to the site.

   William ( the creator) also has a lined shop with t- Shirts, drink ware and other items with the Librarian Problem lingo. So when you need a break and a laugh , head over to Librarian Problems, and you will see what I mean,


 Here is the Link:   Librarian Problems

Stop - You're Killing Me!

   "Stop - you're killing me" is an extensive website for mystery fans.  This also includes crime, thriller, spy and suspense books.  They list over 4000 authors and give a chronological list of their titles!

  This site is extremely helpful top people who want to read their books in the order that they titles were written.

   Searching for an author is easy, just click on their first letter of their last name and you will find an alphabetical listing. You can also search by characters if need be in the same manner.

  On the left hand side there are links that take you quickly to: new additions( hardcovers, paperbacks & audio books)  Also included  on the side tab are: book reviews, read alikes, and various indexes.

  There is a newsletter you can sign up for.  And there are monthly Give ways! Plug in you email to the books you want to win- you will be enrolled in the sweeps.

   So if you are a mystery fan, head over to " Stop you're Killing me" ! You will be glad you did!

Early Word.Com- Part 1

       The slogan for Early Word is :News for Collection Development and Reader's Advisory Librarians.

       This site is one to visit everyday! It is so helpful in my quest to get the newest and best books for my patrons.  Each day they post articles about books that Librarians need to know about.

      Every Thursday , the site highlights the best seller lists.  Each Friday, there is a 'New Title Radar' which alerts librarians about titles that re ' in the news', new titles by popular authors, and a  watch list  of titles that may take off.

      There are also alerts about books being made into movies. Numerous other features worth mentioning" Gallery Chat: done a monthly basis where librarians chat about the new books not yet published.   Author Chat  which is frequently held with authors about their titles.

  Of course , there are  also book previews, Best book and Award lists, Coming this Month, and Best seller lists.  For Children's and Ya librarians , check out Nancy Perls- Book Lust and  Lisa Von Drasek " Early Word Kids"

Every Thing Library

    EveryThing Library is a website devoted to helping libraries get funding for their community libraries who are in need of funding in order to stay afloat, current , and full of resources.  Everything Library believes that campaigning  and talking to votes about their needs will increase  the libraries  power, services, and help with library initiatives.

   They will and have provided funds to help  sustain major libraries  from having services impacted by budget cuts.( restoring personal and programs)

   This is actually an organization that is dedicated to build voter support. They help libraries to get voters to come on Election day . Training is provided  on various topics: consulting services, conduct feasibility studies, develop fund raising strategies ad train volunteer  in" get out to vote" techniques.

  So even if your library in not is a budget crisis, check out Everything Library - some helpful tips and blog articles await you!

In the Library With Lead Pipe

  The " In the Library With Lead Pipe"site is an open access journal run bu a team of librarians.  There are articles and editorials written  by the team and also includes authors, educators, support staff and community members.

 The goals of Lead Pipe  is to explore new  ideas and start conversations and to help develop solutions to problems and issues  The  requirements for articles is founded in showcasing original research strategies in librarianship, and practical examples. So you will find highly engaging and substantial information  issues and topics.

 Right off the bat, I found several articles that were informative and extensive  - enough to help me correct the issue I was facing.  I will be visiting there again . It will keep the creative juices  interested in developing more intense  discussion with my staff and colleagues.

Library Reads

  Library Reads is a site that wants to  help Librarians connect readers with the best books.  Their goal is to give library staff the knowledge about new books  to share with their patrons.

  Each monthly Library Reads showcases a review of the 10 most popular books.  The aims is to help  many discover great books.  The reviews help staff know what the best books and be able to discuss them with patrons.

 Librarian who want to participate can help nominate the best books  they have read. You can check on the site for information how to join,

Teen Tech Time

    At our Public library System( 3 branches) a Teen Tech time was begun at the beginning of the summer. It is at my branch to start with.

   Our Computer tech guy is young so that appeals to many of the teens- especially the boys.   The guys outnumber the girls in this particular case.

   The first two sessions, the group built a pac- man type video game. they ended up sharing the games with the other in the group for at least three weeks. The Third session , the group learned how to produce a computerized comic strip using the Gimp program.

   I am anxious to see what they will do next!

   The group will be extended to the school year and will move to the branch that is closest to the High school. Hopefully the group will continue to grow. It brings  more youth into the public library , helping them to become aware of all the resources we have available!