Which Way to the Bookstore? Contains new and updated information.

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If I had a nickel for every time a student walked into the Midtown library expecting to buy a textbook, I’d have a pocketful of change. Why do they come to this place, where shelves are lined with so many books, yet I cannot sell them a single one? Doesn’t that sound like a bibliophile’s bad riddle? (OK. Here’s one. What do you get when a librarian tosses a billion books into the ocean? …A title wave!) No seriously, where is the bookstore?

Have You Heard Any Good Books Lately? (Part 2)

Audiobooks Can Be Moving

I am a late adopter of all things technological. I am not saying I am opposed to it; it’s more like I’m not exposed to it. So when Dr. Marianne Cooper, Professor Emeritus of Queens College Graduate School of Library and Information Studies, insisted that listening to audiobooks is considered “reading”, I insisted otherwise.  I refused to believe that listening to a book was more than a shortcut taken by those either unable or unwilling to read an ACTUAL book.  Despite this, an online search revealed that while some believe listening to a book is cheating, the brain processes audiobooks and text similarly.  Good to know!  So, for the purpose of this blog posting, I decided it is time for my brain to give audiobooks a chance, and to recount my experience with them to you.

Have You Heard Any Good Books Lately? (Part 1)

Carol Schapiro with a Book That Really Speaks to Her

I was once asked “Does Touro have any books on tape?”

Books on tape? This was the image in my head:

Books ON Tape

That can’t be right. Then I thought this:

 

My Internet Addiction

Internet, You Have My Undivided Attention!

 

 

 

 

 

The start of the day requires ritual, and each person’s daily ritual is different. Some people go to worship; some go for a run; some go for a cigarette. I go online. My day does not begin until I sit at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee and my Kindle Fire. I’ve got to tell you, that Kindle is my favorite thing. If I were Oprah, it would be at the top of my list.

Sometimes You Can Judge a Book by Its Cover

“Covers” by Henning M. Lederer on Vimeo

Way back in 2009, an observant blogger from the New York Observer noticed a “new trend” among booksellers. Rather than wrapping books in colorful paper dust jackets, some books incorporated the art directly onto their covers. It must have been quite an observation, since other bloggers repeated or quickly replicated the original blog. I can’t say I noticed at the time, so here is my contribution to the conversation, a mere eight years later.

What’s In a Name?

Steve Harvey knows it matters!

At the risk of being redundant, I do love Wikipedia. Without it, I would never have had exposure to the word disambiguation.  (It’s been a long time since I sat for the SAT, and consequently, a long time since I’ve learned any highfaluting vocabulary words.)  Wikipedia resolves ambiguity by clarifying a word, phrase, or person with additional identifying information.  This is a great benefit for the inexperienced.  For example, imagine you are invited by friends to the U of M for winter break.  I know you can have fun anywhere, you party animal, but knowing whether you are traveling to the University of Miami or the University of Minnesota will inform your decision about bringing your Canada Goose.

Score: Librarian–One, Google–Nothing!

 

Wrigley Field’s Scoreboard (CC photo by Scott R Anselmo

When I first entered the library profession, I discovered a secret known to librarians far and wide.  There were many search engines to choose among, and librarians were particular in their preferences.  Search engines were like opinions- everybody had one.  I pity the fool who favored Infoseek or Magellan, because they have gone to the resting place of dearly departed search engines in the sky. (Not the cloud.)  Back then, a typical job interview included the question “What is your favorite search engine?”  There would be no “Ask Jeeves!” for me.  It was Google all the way, baby!   Say the word – get the job! BAM!  It was that easy!  Didn’t you know Google is my middle name? (That’s Carol Google Schapiro, if you please!)  Imagine my shock and disbelief when Google recently could not produce the results to which I have grown accustomed.

Funny, Ha! Ha!

(CC image by Fábio Florentino via Wikimedia Commons)

Continued from Trust Me, I’m a Touro Librarian.

If you didn’t know by now, I enjoy a good laugh.  Joan Rivers was funny.  George Carlin was funny.  Chris Rock is even funnier, because he’s still alive.  Comedians are not the only humorous people out there.  There are other professionals who corner the market on giggles.

Trust Me, I’m A Touro Librarian

Don’t worry.  I’m not trying to get all up in your business, but I’ll have to ask you some probing questions.  You may find it a bit off-putting.  You may even be a little offended.  Perhaps you haven’t done this with anyone before.  There is a first time for everything, and darling, your time is now.  I will take care of you.  You have no reason to fear.

Librarian Reacts to Change, part II

Melvil Dewey Can’t Land Punch. Librarian of Congress Poised for Victory. (source)

[Continued from Librarians React to Change, part I] Academic and research libraries are not fans of the Dewey decimal system, and they employ other organizational schemes.  The Library of Congress (LC) classification system arranges books using an alphanumeric call number system.  It spans the alphabet from A to Z, although it ignores the W’s and a range of Q’s.  While subject headings are constantly updated and expanded, they are fit within the existing call numbers.  The National Library of Medicine (NLM) utilizes the letters unused in LC to classify medical books with a high degree of specificity.  If you would like to see a guide to the classification systems, click here. Which classification system should a large library use? I can picture a melee of librarians duking it out for classification supremacy.