Tawny frogmouth moment

At the moment I'm watching a pair of tawny frogmouths in the front paddock. I'm hoping that spring chicks will arrive soon!

Delicious clouds and other stuff

I came across Library Thing a few years ago, but didn't expect to see how far it had developed. It's a classy way of sharing book knowledge, and rediscovering 'golden oldies' in a library- or personal book collection. I had some gorgeous old books in my own library which I was thrilled to upload onto the communal catalogue. You can check them out on the Library Thing widget.

I was impressed too, with the SBDS prototype, with some lovely intuitive search functions.

One of the sites I trawled through had a few dead links... one of the concerns with creating and maintaining good online content.

I guess we also need to be aware of the online archive tools which show the incredible journey that this format has travelled.

Thanks Mary for taking us on this journey- it was lots of fun!

RSS etc....

I found a treasure which will help immensely with storytelling for a corporate audience! Storyteller.net RSS has some great content, including a link to free storytelling resources... with some great perspectives on this age old craft from an international audience.

I loved the Powerhouse Museum Photo of the day! This is a very stylish behind the scenes overview of sourcing these fabulous images. Very applicable in a library setting- and what a joy to share and market some of the treasures of the collection with a wider network!

The Book Award Tragic RSS had some interesting content relating to various children's literary awards.

I was rather chuffed that I managed to locate an artistic site with a visual artist that creates cows from recycled products. There's a great cow sculpture made out of old clocks and watches! I'm sure that old book stock could be created into some imaginative, wild sculpture for patrons to enjoy. Does anyone do this already?

Cow girl zoom social neworking sites

I really like how the National Library of New Zealand is twittering about some of their historical images in their archives. This lovely photograph shows 'Gold in duck' from the 1950's.

Generally I'm not a big fan of social networking sites, but I like how libraries are using technology to attract a particular demographic. The IFLA site showcases how conferences can adapt these technologies for an increased marketing base.

An interesting aside- Facebook indicates that users can join as a 'celebrity band or business' member. I rather like the idea of libraries as 'celebrities'. We all know that libraries are essential commodities in the community, but this status relegates our service to the next level.

As Kath and Kim would say... 'Noice, very noice!'

Possibilities.....

Wikis create some pretty interesting possibilities in public libraries.

I rather liked the Wookiepedia- being a tragic with the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith, (and reading the newest release!!!), I can see how a community could be developed just with this series.

The 'Bush Tea and Generous Slice of Fruit Cake' bookclub - it has some rather nice possibilities. I'll just check if a wiki already exists!

Reading Cow

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mysapl/2689994080/

This is a pretty impressive cow at the local library, (how on earth did they make it?)

Bullarah School in the late 1960's

Look carefully at the photo of the Bullarah Public Hall, and you'll see gorgeous images of cows painted on the windows!

This was the first school that I attended in the late 1960's. It had two pit toilets at the rear of the building, and an old wire fence around the perimeter of the hall. At that stage our classes were held in the supper area, with the hall used for regular community events throughout the year.

I remember learning how to treat snake bite with my peers in very early lessons. A necessary curriculum agenda given the isolated nature of the school - about 130 km from the closest town, which was Moree, NSW.