nichole's auxiliary storage

By the same logic, a library blog would cost...

It's a different world: via WisBlawg, a lawyer says the annual cost of blogging is $20,000 of billable time, at 2 hours per week and $200/hour. He advises lawyers to hire someone to "manage the physical aspects of maintaining your blog".

Turner Middle IMC, 1995

Someone donated to the JLG a 1995 yearbook from Turner Middle School in Beloit, WI. Here's the library page.

I love the obligatory shush. And this bulletin board.

"Book worms keep jail librarian hopping"

Via LISnews, the Great Falls (Montana) Tribune ran a story on a group very similar to JLG. What an image:

As the cart goes by, inmates press their faces against the glass separating the volunteers from the book-hungry criminals. They browse the carts for new literature — but are limited to three books at a time.

The jail also seems to have a Kids' Connection-type program, which the article's author didn't cover. (Listing "fantasy and fiction" as favorites, and that phrase "book-hungry criminals," I count as a couple other weaknesses of the story, but it was interesting nonetheless.)

The conflation of the inmate reading program with "inmate religious activities" on the county web site is interesting. In Dane County there are several religious groups doing their own outreach. So, while our jail libraries never have a shortage of those tiny plastic-bound New Testaments, we are fortunate to have somewhere to refer inmates' requests for religious materials, while we focus on recreational reading.

ALA re-up time

LITA sent me a jar opener - guess I'll renew for another year.

Origins International Game Expo and Fair

So I was at Origins last weekend in Columbus, OH. It was my first game convention ever, and also the first year they opened their "Teacher's Hall Pass" program to public librarians. With that I got free admission, great swag, discounts, and tickets to seminars, where companies like Mayfair and experts like Reiner Knizia shared classroom game ideas with teachers.   

Some other highlights of the con:

1. The CABS game lending library in the Board Room, complete with Demco card pockets.



2. The podcasting panel, where gaming podcasting geeks (as opposed to other kinds of podcasters, who are universally "suave," according to Mur of Geek Fu Action Grip) gave some tips on getting started in podcasting.
3. There was never, ever a line for the women's restroom.

4. The Looney for Learning seminar, where folks from Looney Labs demonstrated classroom uses of Nanofictionary and Chrononauts.
5. The Teacher's Hall Pass got me into the expo hall early (at least on the first day, before the volunteer security people got debriefed). Note the teeming hordes, successfully avoided:



6. I got to play a game of Settlers on the fancy-schmancy three-dimensional board and on a giant board (not shown, mostly because I take bad pictures).



7. Spouseless? Make your own.



8. Pretty:
   

I'd definitely go again - and since "JM et al" will probably go next year to visit with game publishers, it's likely. A downside is that it happens at the peak of raspberry picking time, when all the tiger lilies are in bloom and there's nothing I'd rather be than on our back porch watching them wave in the breeze.