nichole's auxiliary storage

Google maps, one county at a time

LISnews reports on Ender's Google map of public libraries in Maricopa County, AZ. The potential is there for bigger maps...worth thinking about.

I just started playing with the Google Maps API for a project of my own. The best way to learn is to play, as always.

Perfect solstice

Look who's back!

It was a perfect day. The morning thunderstorms woke me up before the alarm clock, and the rain softened up the ground for weeding after work.

Before:

After:

The first berries of the year are right on time.

Jail finds is making the rounds

This jumbledpile dude sounds interesting.

Trust

I'm kind of tickled that aaron found my jail finds flickr set. I'd been thinking about libraries trusting their patrons (and making things easier for them) ever since the infamous stapler post and its reprise.

Working in the jail has indelibly impressed on me that libraries are for use. Books in the library are dead. They're only useful when they're out there, getting abused and probably trashed, but read. At least some of the time.

Then again, Kyle, an actual prison librarian (with a budget to keep), might take a less starry-eyed approach. There are some titles (namely Donald Goines') that he just can't buy anymore because they disappear too fast to justify replacing.

It's only drizzling

I was on the bus and saw this truck toting a big mirror with an odd sign. "No spitting."

Stencil

Seen on a recent A to Z adventure:

More stencil graffiti is at the (sadly defunct?) Madison Art Crime Collective, and a (really old) article from Dane101.

Admiration

The Hudson Star-Observer published a great article (for a login, go to bugmenot.com) on the occasion of my mother-in-law's retirement from 30 years of teaching. JM pointed out that she may be one of the first teachers to retire from a full career in special education, which was new when she got her degree.

This is why I love her. She's straightforward.

She answers bluntly when asked what attracted her to teaching.

“Money,” she says, explaining that the only women in the small Wisconsin village of Alma Center where she grew up that had careers were teachers.

She doesn't go for handwringing about whether her work makes a difference.

Asked whether students progressed under her instruction, Rasmus laughs and says, “Oh, yes, or I wouldn’t have my job.”

And she's funny.

She takes with her into retirement a wealth of cute kid memories — like the little girl who told her she had her gym trunks on inside-out because the other side was wet, and the pint-size second-grader who took his assignment, sighed and said, “A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.”

She's also kind of shy so I hope I haven't embarassed her. Happy retirement, mom!

My favorite new feed

is the Consumer Product Safety Commission's "Recalls and product safety news from CPSC."

A recent gem: Endurance Treadmills Recalled for Unexpected Speed Changes Posing Fall Hazard.

They're got podcasts and mp3s too, if you're into that kind of thing.

Aaron Schmidt

...came to Madison to do a tech tools talk today. Sara & Mary got Flickred. It was fun!

Context of the Information Behavior of Prison Inmates

Via Library Juice, from Progressive Librarian 26, a fine and interesting article on inmates' info needs by Diane K. Campbell: The Context of the Information Behavior of Prison Inmates.

Again, my lack of commentary isn't from disinterest, just from busyness. Bad blogger.