Jamie works so hard at her job!

All 23 things must come to an end

My sentiments exactly!

I did have fun for the last 10 weeks, but I'm glad it's over.
I think the most fun I've had is with the blog - as you can tell. 8-) I didn't get into the RSS feeds or Twitter (except for the cobra's tweets - those were hilarious!). Actually, I haven't had time to even look at Google Reader in a couple of weeks but I also had fun embedding videos. I think this was definitely time well spent and we should do it again in about 5 years - who knows what technology will be out there!
I'm not sure our patrons would be up for this, but who knows?

oops!

I forgot to do #16 and #17 (thanks for reminding me, 23 Luftballons!)

#16. NetLibrary...well...I searched for "Fall of Giants" by Ken Follett. I searched for Harry Potter...I even searched for Nancy Drew all to no avail. SO I finally did an advanced search, looked for keyword "mysteries" and found "Poppy Done to Death" by Charlaine Harris. It runs 7 hours, 5 minutes.

#17 Podcasts
Well let me just tell you that I'd rather watch, instead of just listen (i guess I'm part of the TV generation). I listened to a few minutes of the Genealogy Guys and right now I'm listening to the ESPN podcast - open Mike with Mike Tirico. That is very interesting (did you know that 5.9 million people entered their brackets and 2 got their right?) Wow!
I did not see RSS feeds on ESPNRadio...hmmm 8-)

computers circa 1983

In the spring of 1983 library director Ron Kozlowski announced he would ask the board of trustees for $600,000 to buy a computer and other equipment to automate the library system. The computer system would help the library keep track of the more than 1 million books, records, films, videos and other materials. It would also streamline a circulation system that hadn't changed much since 1906.
He said, "We haven't had an inventory since about 1917. If we tried, we'd have to close down for more than a month."
The card catalogs stayed with us until staff had had a chance to catalog alot of the collection.
The 2nd phase of the project was to add computer terminals for the public. These consisted of terminals where the staff (at main, anyway) would load cd-roms from Infotrac each month. This was our first automated magazine index.

I will probably post more on this later!

parking at the Main Library

A note in the CJ in August 1980 reports that:

"A Courier-Journal parking lot on York Street has a rather plebian, but admirably direct, sign: "Unauthorized vehicles will be towed away." A nearby lot, reserved for employees of the Louisville Free Public Library, is marked with a noticed that is considerably more highfalutin, if no more tolerant: "Trespassers' Vehicles Shall Suffer Abrupt Removal."

online reader tools

Thing 20: I recommended Fall of Giants, a wonderful book by Ken Follett. I hope to finish it in the not too distant future. 8-)

Thing 21: I had already subscribed to the mystery bookletter but to date I've not received any...

Thing 22: Novelist. I checked out the mysteries for adults in the "police procedural" and "it's getting very noir in here". I do like the subsections. I am well read in the mystery genre, if I must say so myself, but there are still alot of authors in this database I've not heard of. I don't do readers' advisory very often but for myself I tend to look at the bloodstained bookshelf http://mirlacca.com/Bookshelf.html to find out what's coming out when.

Computers cira 1986

In March 1986 the library unveiled a brand new service; a computer bulletin board! It was called Freeboard and parons could check the current bestseller list, see what videos the library had or leave a question or complaint.
The bulletin board also offered a collection of more than 250 programs for Apple, Atari, Commodore, IBM and other computers. Patrons could also send mail to other users and "someday they may be able to send mail around the world as well as cross town."
It was one of 20 bulletin boards in operation in Louisville at the time (and only one of a few operated by a public agency).
The Freeboard was online from 5pm until 9am weekdays and 24 hours on the weekend and the phone number was 584-4162.