Salt Lake City Public Library Slideshow: Supersize

Looks Like Retiring Guy's Been Missing Out

Link to November 2009 aarp.com article, "C*U*2nite: Sexting not Just for Kids". (via textually.org)

Shuffleboard. So Yesterday.

Excerpt: The catch is, Roger isn't a teenager—or even a 20-something. He's a 59-year-old divorcé, and, thanks to his cell phone and a slew of sassy ladies, his love life is more interesting than ever.

Shocked? Don't be. More and more of the 50+ set, both single and married, are using text messaging to spice up their sex lives. Boomers, often sandwiched between teenagers, aging parents, and busy work schedules, are taking advantage of the new technology because it's fast, easy, and fun.

Maybe not so fast and easy if you have arthritic hands.

Anchorage Library System Struggles to Postion Itself at the Center of Its Community

Z. L. Loussac Public Library (Anchorage)

Link to November 7 Anchorage Daily News article, "Are local libraries in the process of checking out?" (via Library Link of the Day)

Excerpt: Library supporters are rallying. They say the situation is dire, that Anchorage's libraries are fighting for survival. They have hired consultants and are calling for a town-hall meeting this Tuesday to look at the future. They say there's high library usage. They say Anchorage is not spending as much on its libraries as other cities of similar size. They say that in the mid-1980s Anchorage had 10 library branches while today it has five, with one more in Mountain View set to open next year.

The budget cuts come at a time when libraries around the country are rethinking their role in the 21st century. National library associations are redefining libraries beyond the book depositories and lenders of the past. Modern libraries also are digital centers where information is exchanged and Internet is available to those who don't have it at home. They are community hubs where people can learn skills they need in the digital era. They are evolving beyond quiet reading spaces to bustling places of public discourse. They are striving to make information available 24-7, not just during library hours.

20 Questions: The Internet Addiction Test

Take the test at The Center for Internet Addiction website. (via boing boing)

Then take the test again and substitute drinking for "Internet", "online", etc.

Post-Crescent Readers Weigh in on New Appleton Library

Link to November 9 Appleton Post-Crescent, "Reader Reaction Forum: Should Appleton build a new public library?"

Excerpts: (As you would expect with such a big-ticket project -- good economic times or bad -- there is no unanimity of opinion.)

Letter#1: A public library is a necessity.

Letter #2. I would suggest that, rather than build a new expanded library, a branch library would be a better choice. One location that would make perfect sense is in the vicinity of Ballard Road and Northland Avenue; another might be around College and Wisconsin avenues.

Letter #3. Worth doing? Too many unanswered questions to say.

Letter #4. GOOD INVESTMENT: Nothing beats going to the library, searching for that special book — a mystery by your favorite author, a resource that you need for a project, a fun book to read to your child.

Letter #5. DUBIOUS: It always excites me when politicians look at removing a block of tax-paying properties and replacing them with a public-operated, non-tax-generating structure.

Letter #6. NEED OR WANT? My daughter's teacher sent a note home last week, describing their new social studies unit on needs vs. wants. I asked my 6-year-old if she knew the difference.

Letter #7. Once again, I say, spend our tax money as if it were coming out of your own pockets and see if you still need a new library.

Letter #8: I mourned when the old library was torn down (despite the never-ending steps), but when my kids and I walked into the present library, it was just magical. It's a beautiful building, an imagination sanctuary, and as any library, the true "windows" to the world. As to bigger, newer and a better showcase, I'd have to say what any old library lady would: 'Sssshhhhhh!'

Letter #9: This appears to me to be another attempt at the prestige thing, i.e. the PAC. Why not fill up some of the empty strip mall stores with "neighborhood library" computer kiosks as a wiser use of the money?

Wisconsin: Independent Announces Run for Governor

Link to November 9 Marshfield News-Herald article, "Local man joins governor race".

Excerpt: "If I see a sinking ship, I'm not going to do nothing. That's what Wisconsin is, and I don't want it to sink," said [Kevin] Schmidtke, 37, of the town of McMillan.

Having no political experience isn't a disadvantage, Schmidtke said. As he travels for his business, he said, he sees how the political system that worked fine 40 years ago has become mired in red tape.

"When you call the county about a problem, you're told to call the state, which bounces you around to different departments, and you never get an answer," he said.

Boise Public Has Library Cards with Pizaazz

Here are 4 of the 7 Boise Public Library card designs, developed by Foerstel Design, a Boise graphic design firm.


Cool idea!