I'm so excited!

Wow! I put out the casting call for the two plays and I had "Spiderella" entirely cast in less than 24 hours and have just a couple parts left in "Caterpillar's Wish." I'm really grateful that so many colleagues are interested in adding their voices to the dialog. I had a sneaky suspicion that many of my co-workers were aspiring actors. ;)

It's the night before our LATI showcase where we complete the program and display our projects. I've just finished putting the final touches on my display board and pulled together all my supplies needed for tomorrow's event. I'm really happy with the project I've chosen. I feel it's a project that will benefit not only my colleagues from all branches, but also the young patrons and families who attend the programs. And, as if that weren't enough, it's been a whole lot of fun to work on! :)

Casting Call

A casting call has been made to my coworkers to see if anyone would like to be a part of the show. Here's what they've received:

Have you dreamt of being a star? Now is your chance! Lend your voice to the upcoming, highly-anticipated traveling puppet show for Summer Reading Club 2008: Catch the Reading Bug!

Two puppet shows are in the works and we are looking for the voices behind the magic…perhaps your voice! Do you imagine yourself as the Fairy Mothmother or the Cicada Prince in the smash hit Spiderella? How about a caterpillar or snail in the sweet story of Caterpillar’s Wish? Lend your vocal cords to this sure-to-be sensational production.

Cast of Characters for Spiderella:
Narrator
First Ladybug Stepsister
Second Ladybug Stepsister
Spiderella
Fairy Mothmother
Cicada Prince

Cast of Characters for Caterpillar’s Wish:
Narrator
Caterpillar/Butterfly
Bee
Snail

We will be practicing together as a group on Thursday, December 6th and recording the following week on Thursday, December 13th. Look over the attached scripts and let Julie know if you would like to participate. First dibs on characters to anyone who responds a.s.a.p. Any questions, just ask!

--So, we'll see the response we get...hopefully, there won't be fistfights breaking out for the various parts. ;)

gotta love technology...

So I'm trying to figure out how to attach a picture to our intranet discussion board...to no avail. I can do it posting the pics to my blog, so that's what I'll do. I'll figure out a better way eventually. :)

Spiderella

So, remember when the mice sing in Cinderella: "Cinderelly, Cinderelly, hmm...hmm..hmm.hmm... Cinderelly..." I can't remember that middle part.

Anyway, one of my awesome co-workers found a super-cool script for a children's play "Spiderella." It's a take on Cinderella, but with a spider as the main character, 2 ladybug stepsisters, fairy mothmouth, cicada prince, etc. I'm so excited and think this will be a perfect addition to the preschool and up crowd. More details to follow... (thanks Donna!)

Keep on, keeping on...

So, I've pulled every Anansi book possible and I'm whittling down the possibilities of what story to use for a puppet show for preschool and up. I really want to cater to the younger crowd and plan a show that is age appropriate for them, so I came across Mary Murphy's book A Caterpillar's Wish. It's very "toddler friendly," so I'm working on the script for that part. That way, if branches in our system want to use the puppet show box as part of a two's storytime or program, it's there. :)
I'm really having a much more difficult time (than I thought) finding bug-themed songs on CDs. I have plenty of songs and rhymes to sing along to, but I'm looking for an action song on a CD to really get the kids up and moving.
All in all, this has been a fun project so far. Time to go search the catalog for more CDs and other ideas that may light a spark...

LATI project: Starting to post my progress...

For my LATI project, I am going to create a traveling puppet show for Summer Reading Club 2008. Over the past six months, a few colleagues of mine and I created a puppet show, "The Gruffalo," and we traveled to the various branches in our county to perform our show. The puppet show was well-received and we loved putting it on for many children in Frederick County.
I'd like to keep the tradition, while making a few changes.
With the traveling puppet show, I plan on sticking to our Summer Reading Club theme for 2008, "Catch the Reading Bug @ Your Library."
I plan on creating a script from a bug-themed story, recording the dialogue, gathering all of the necessarily props for the puppet show, and including activities to encourage audience participation (action songs, fingerplays, movement activities). This traveling puppet show will fit into a box (Rubbermaid tub) and can travel around to the different branches. Branches who request the box will be able to open it up, review the materials, and present the show without too much preparation.
One of the suggestions in our project assignment is to keep track of our progress. I plan on using my blog to do so. More to come!

Thing 23: I think I can, I think I can...

Wow! I can't believe this is the last post for 23 Things...or, I should put it this way, I can't believe I'm actually finished with my posts for 23 Things. :)

This project was truly one of the best learning experiences I've had in any profession to date. I really liked that it was self-paced and the project was all about trying out new web technologies in an entirely hands-on process. I probably would not have created a blog on my own or would have even known where to begin when it came to trying out the latest/most useful sites on the web.

Toward the middle of the program, I was hoping that we would be assigned one Thing per week/e-mail so that we could really delve into the technology, but in looking back on that thought...I don't know if sticking with it for 23 weeks (half a year), would have been wise. I think I understand now why we would have a couple tasks each week! :)

If given the option to do this again, I would definitely sign up for it. The big question - where do we go from here? Golly gracious...hopefully doing more of these kinds of things.

Thing 6: Mashups & Third-Party Sites

So, in looking back on my 23 Things, I realized I never posted about this particular Thing, so here we go:

It took me awhile to figure out what in the world I was doing with mash-ups and such. I do like to play around online, but I kinda thought this was a bit of a time-waster. (Probably because it definitely took me forever to "get it.") I'm also not the biggest Flickr fan as I use a different program to organize my pictures, so maybe that's also why I'm not really into this particular Thing. Oh well, it's still nice to explore different web technologies. :)

Thing 20: YouTube

Thank you Mary Ann! I just happened to be hunting YouTube for a funny video, when Mary Ann came into the workroom and showed me this one. I apologize in advance, as you will probably get this song stuck in your head. :)

This 'lil diddy is library-related (Harry Potter = book = library = cool place to be = you get my drift). I think libraries could definitely take advantage of the YouTube phenomenon. Some ideas could include:

-a video showcasing the various branches with an overall welcome
-a video demonstrating how to use the catalog or how to request an interlibrary loan at home
-sharing video from an event, such as the Harry Potter party (and/or an advertisement leading up to an event)

Or a mixture of these rotating quarterly or so.

I know I'm a YouTube junkie, but come on...if someone saw a YouTube video on our homepage, chances are, they would probably click on it. It would also be in two places - YouTube and our homepage. Other than the resources needed for production, this is free marketing! :) Plus, it's keeping up with a current trend - and that, would definitely peak some interest in our patrons.

Thing 21: Podcasts

When I saw "Ask a Ninja" on the Maryland Libraries 2.0 task page, I was super excited. If you're having a bad day and you need a pick-me-up, just type in "Ask a Ninja" into a YouTube search and prepare to feel better than you did previously...

On to podcasting - this is something I've listened to off of iTunes a couple of times and I know there's a category on my iPod for these, but I haven't used it as much as I'd like to thus far. After searching through some podcast topics, I decided to add The Animation Podcast to my Bloglines account. Animation is a topic discussed quite a bit in our house, so this will help me keep up with the conversation. :)

One of the neatest things from attending the MLA conference was a podcasting station where you could give feedback on the conference. Robyn, James and I made a podcast on a session we attended and it was posted on the 2007 MLA conference wiki. I was going to see if I could try to post it here, but I can't seem to find it. At any rate, it was really neat to see how instant and easy it is to create a podcast.

Thing 22: Audiobooks

Ugg...I know I said viewing problems as challenges is an easier thing for me, but I'll be honest. I really was not looking forward to playing with Net Library again. I've used it in the past, to no avail, but I tried to keep an open mind and start from scratch like I was using it for the first time.

After playing with it again...

I still can't download to my iPod (which I know from researching this has to do primarily with Apple, and while I -heart- Apple, this kinda ticks me off). Since I don't have a different MP3 player, I'd have to sit at the computer and listen to a book. No thanks -- I'm not really a big audiobook fan. My mind wanders when I try to listen to them. I can't tell you how many I've tried to listen to in the car...I mean everything from Freckle Juice to Janet Evanovich to a variety of biographies.

I also couldn't find some of the books I was searching for. Not to be a "Debbie Downer," but Net Library? Not for me.

Thing 19: Web 2.0 Awards

The Web 2.0 awards are pretty neat, especially if you're looking for the best of the best and don't have/want to spend a lot of time just searching yourself for great sites.

I was immediately drawn toward the music category and I am now...not ashamed at all...to admit I'm hooked on Pandora. Register for free (unless you want to take your music with you, i.e. iPod, etc.-- then there's a charge), choose a favorite artist, and they will create a radio "playlist" of artists similar to the one you've selected.

The really cool part is that Pandora will save your choices so you can revisit them. While listening, if you don't care for a particular song/artist, you can take them out of your list. I'm loving this site!

Thing 18: Online Productivity Tools

Good idea! Since I have a Google account, I registered with Google Docs. This is really going to help on those days when I want to work on something at home and I forget my flash drive. I used Google Docs to add the work I've already created for my fall storybox and now I can tweak and add things to it, if I get inspired (or am procrastinating doing laundry). Nice!

Thing 17: Sandbox Wiki

I added a favorite food to the Sandbox Wiki and read a couple of the other posts. While I'm crazy about Wikipedia, this wiki didn't really peak my interest as much as the "Wiki of all wikis." No biggie...not every Thing can be a favorite. :)

Thing 16: Wild About Wikis

Hi, my name is Julie and I'm a wikiholic.
To quote Pat J., "it's a non-stop train!"

At home, I find myself on Wikipedia, feverishly searching some tidbit of information -- and by golly, I'll end up on some crazy (I use the term mildly) adventure...that wastes a couple precious hours.

Libraries have their own wikis!?! I've had fun searching the St. Joseph County Public Library's Subject Guides and used the MLA Conference wiki briefly back in May.

I think wikis could be used in a variety of ways throughout the library. What if book clubs posted their book selections on a wiki and linked to more information regarding the author and kindred books? Gosh, we could even link to the databases in the different subject areas.

Out of the 23 Things thus far, I think this is in the top 3. So...can we do this? :)

Thing 15: "To infinity...and beyond!"

What an exciting time to be part of the library community! Times, they are a-changing, and we really need to step it up and keep as current and user friendly as possible. I think Rick Anderson pretty much says what I think regarding the future of libraries:

No profession can survive if it throws its core principles and values overboard in response to every shift in the zeitgeist. However, it can be equally disastrous when a profession fails to acknowledge and adapt to radical, fundamental change in the marketplace it serves.

It will be exciting to see where 23 Things/Library 2.0/Web 2.0 takes us. :)

Thing 14: Technorati

I started exploring Technorati and found in the Top Favorited Blog section, the blog for PostSecret. Warning: it's not for the faint of heart. If you've read Post Secret, you know what I mean. That being said, I found it refreshing that it's one of the favorites.

Under Top Searches, I immediately clicked on iphone. This small, yet "powerful" device has been of much debate in our house -- if you know my husband, I'm sure you know his stance on the subject. :) There's a post regarding if there will be a second generation iphone coming out in the fall and all the fanatical hub-bub and flurry that goes along with anything with a lowercase "i" in front of it. Joy.

And for the Top Blogs section, I decided to go to Boing Boing because the name is intriguing! Now here's an iphone--Old School. I wonder how much one of these would be??? Since it's rare, it may be more than the new version.

Thing 13: del.icio.us

I think I finally "get it." At first, I wasn't too sure how this whole del.icio.us thing worked, but now it makes sense (thanks to a few colleagues and their blogs).
The San Mateo library's del.icio.us account is waaaaayyyy cool. Thanks, James, for pointing it out.
I decided to create my account and put in a few items that have helped me on the reference desk and at home (Two Paws Up...love that store.)

Thing 12: Rollyo

This is kinda neat. I decided to create my search roll for all of the ALA-accredited online LIS programs. While I like the idea of rollyo, I'm not really "sold" on how it's organized and its ease of use.

Great Googlie Ooglie!

Update: Google no longer offers this service. Bummer...it was so cool!


Wow! So I went to the training today that Kari and Trina gave on Google and...learned how to order pizza! Actually, we learned how to use Google Maps and a wicked cool feature where you can find a business and Google will actually call it over your home phone for you. It totally worked, too...we just called out for pizza. Rock on! Thanks ladies!

Thing 10: I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for...

Yummy! What flavor will you create? Ben & Jerry's Flavor Generator

Thing 11: My LibraryThing Selections

Wow! This is too cool! I didn't know it was going to be this easy to make a list of my favs. Now I need to figure out if I can organize them by type (childrens, YA, biography). I'm sure there's a way. More titles to come...

JT's picks

Things 8 & 9: So THAT'S what RSS means!

Here we go!

What a neat way of organizing some of the blogs I visit frequently. Cool beans!

Thing 7: Way to be organized -- technology-wise!

Check out "neat sites" for a way to keep all of those messy computer cables tidy. We've used one of these at home and it's just dandy...but, we haven't unpacked it yet to use in the new house. It'll happen!

Thing 5: Ruby

Ruby is a sweet Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever we rescued last July.

Pretty neat...

I must say, this blogging thing is pretty neat.
On a non-work note, I've been looking at various blogs over the past few days and wanted to let you know of one, if you're interested in art, design, furniture, jewelry, etc.
It's http://designsponge.blogspot.com/
Pretty cool...

Thing 2: 7 1/2 Habits

I certainly have more than 7 1/2 habits...some good and some rather annoying, I'm sure. (Cracking my knuckles...not a positive habit.)

7 1/2 Lifelong Learning Habits is really what I'm referring to. This is part of a learning activity I'm taking part in through the Maryland Libraries Learning 2.0 - 23 Things project. Another part of this learning activity includes creating a blog and posting on it. Pretty neat! With the blog, we're to post feedback, ideas, etc. on our learning process with 23 Things.
So, here we go.

With the 7 1/2 Lifelong Learning Habits, I'm to choose which is the hardest and easiest habit for me. The hardest came to me pretty easily because I feel that it's one I try to tackle every day. "Using technology to your advantage" is a challenge to me, but a welcomed challenge. I love learning new technology whether it's how to create a blog (my word...it's really not that hard!) or figuring out how to get my iPod to work with my car radio (without asking for help, I might add!). I really like that it's always changing...for real. What better way to keep learning? So, while this is my hardest, it's one of my favorites.

The easiest habit for me is to "view problems as challenges." I don't care for the word problem. Challenge --sure! Doesn't it sound like a lot more fun to deal with a challenge than a problem? Think about it: If someone came up to you and said, "_____, we've got a problem here." Isn't that more frightening than "______, we have a challenge here." For me--challenge is better. Easier? Probably not, but more interesting to tackle. :)

Thing 3: A what?!?

You're probably wondering about the title of this blog...I mean come on, a librarian wannabe? Yep...it's true.
Surrounding yourself with people who love learning, books and information all around, patrons excited to get the next copy of the new Janet Evanovich, children ready and waiting to dance and sing at storytime...what could be better? I love it!

I just need to get my master's degree in library science so I can truly be a genuine librarian (no -- not a li-berry-an; there is an "r" in there). Currently, I'm a library associate and cannot tell you enough how much I enjoy my job. For me, it's the best thing since iTunes. The grad degree -- it will happen!