Sharing new ideas, resources, knowledge and technology to keep abreast of new development in reference service field

Monday, June 22, 2009

A New Kind of Radio Station

http://www.pandora.com/invite

I just posted a blog this morning, but I couldn't wait to share this with music lovers.

My neice showed me how this site works in a matter of minutes.

" Everyone knows about it, and my friends all use it."

Dinosaur that I am, it's all new to me.

Pandora is to music as "if you like this book" is to Amazon.

By creating your own stations, it chooses like songs and artists.

You can accept or reject a particular song or artist at any time.

You can build up several of your own stations, and an extensive faq's page guides you along.

You may already have enjoyed Pandora, but for someone who used to carry around a transistor radio,this is HUGE!

Summer Savings in Massachusetts.

http://www.massvacation.com/valuepass/greaterboston.php




Believe it or not,summer is here.
The sun will come out...maybe not tomorrow, but soon.
With that in mind,take advantage of what Massachusetts has to offer in the way of discounts to many places of interest, hotels, restaurants, and activities.
There are good deals throughtout the state.
Choose a region you plan to visit,and see what is available each week,since the deals are for a limited time.

May the rest of your summer be filled only with warm, sunny days.
After all...we can only hope!

Thursday, June 11, 2009

AN UNEXPECTED HIGHLIGHT

One unexpected highlight for those of us charged with manning the registration table at the recent two-day Genealogy Conference, held at Worcester Public Library, was watching the steady and eclectic flow of library users stream past on their way through the building. Many stopped out of curiosity, to share a bit family history, or to warmly greet retired staff members who had agreed to participate in the event. A long-time patron proudly showed us a copy of a letter she had written to a local newspaper in support of funding for libraries. A young woman who had recently immigrated from Jamaica studied a list of upcoming programs. Families with young children walked out laden with towering stacks of picture books and DVDs. A member of a Sudbury fife and drum corps in full regalia hurried past on his way to use an express internet station, and several members of our YA Anime Wings Club dug deep into the pockets of their faded black denims to donate a few coins to the Gaudette Fund which supports the genealogy collections at WPL. It was all a moving reminder to me of just how integral the public library is to the communities we serve. I can't help but wish we'd had a video camera!

Friday, June 05, 2009

Earth911.com

When “going green” or “recycle” is what your patrons want to do to be a conscientious human being, earth911.com could help them achieve their goals. It is a one-stop shop for all your recycling needs with over 100,000 recycling locations from across the country. You can recycle hundreds of products from packing peanuts to computers with information provided by local governments, organizations and everyday consumers. Topics include reuse, recycling, hazardous waste disposal, composting, local agencies, state and local programs and environmental groups among others. There’s also a glossary, “green" shopping tips and community-specific environmental information.

Tuesday, June 02, 2009

CMRLS Regional Reference Center is on Twitter

Worcester Public Library, CMRLS Regional Reference Center, would like to invite all librarians in the region to follow us @WPLREF.

Worcester Public Library intends to use Twitter
· To share updates from WPL, reference Q&As, database and internet search strategies and reference tips
· To post all Regional Reference Center Blog entries
· To keep you updated with new technologies and new developments in the information field, and share with you how the WPL uses those tools to improve reference services
· To provide an easy communication platform to enable librarians in the region to exchange ideas and share experiences

Getting started:
· If you don’t have a Twitter account and just want to watch or listen:

Please go to http://twitter.com/wplref or http://wplrefblog.blogspot.com/ (look for Twitter updates in the right column) or follow @WPLREF via RSS on Twitter

· If you have a Twitter account, please follow us @WPLREF

· If you don’t have a Twitter account and wish to start one, please sign up at http://twitter.com/, and then use Search tool at the bottom of your Twitter page to find wplref and then follow us.

We’re looking for suggestions on how you’d like to use the regional reference center Twitter and blog. We’re also interested in having you to write and post on something that you are particularly knowledgeable about or curious about. If you have any questions or after you follow us, you would like us to follow you, please contact Pingsheng Chen at pschen@cwmars.org

CMRLS Regional Reference Center, Worcester Public Library, 3 Salem Sq, Worcester MA 01608