10 Random Things About Me

I think these are supposed to be things people don't know.. but 10 things can be a lot sometimes!

1. I was a Classical Civilizations major at Denison University.. needless to say it got me far in life.. it did get me to take Latin for a year though. Did you know Weather Underground has a Latin version? hehe so cool!

2. I met my husband on Myspace- we talked on the phone for an entire night, and then met for dinner at Red Robin the next day. We got married a year and a half later. We've been married a year now!

3. I may not appear to be a sappy sort of person- but i'm addicted to the soap opera Young & the Restless- and have been known to cry watching it. Also, a few of my favorite movies are Terms of Endearment and Steel Magnolias- holy cryfest!

4. When i was deeply into my Little House on the Prairie phase when i was little- I had a mini breakdown and thought I was going to be blind like Mary in the books.. i have no idea why, maybe because we have the same name?

5. I talk to my cats and dog like they can talk back what this has created are animals that are very aware of what's going on around them and they'll chirp, meow and make noises at me when i talk to them. It may appear wacky from the outside but they are very sociable nice animals because of the attention they get.

6. In my elementary school i stamped due date cards and renewed books for my class on our visits to the library. I continued my career in libraries at Denison as a sophmore in college- and now i'm at CML with my MLIS.. so, i've had like a 19yr career in libraries if you count from 2-3rd grade.. shouldn't retirement be coming soon??

7. I lived in Italy for 5 months- this is when i studied Italian! I traveled all over Europe. I could be a travel guide in Rome, I can name almost any roman statue of emperors you put before me.. ask joanna, she saw it first hand. Oh and we went to the Florence Science Museum just so we could see Galileo's finger!

8. I randomly burst into song.. i also like making up my own songs. They usually revolve around the cats and they usually rhyme too- I'm not a crazy cat lady, really.

9. I love reading in bed at night, i used to read in bed until all hours, it's cozy warm and even better if its an awesome book!

10. I went to my first concert (AC/DC) when I was 13 (13yrs ago) and have been to lots since then, I have saved all my ticket stubs so you should ask to see my ticket book. I have traveled out of state to go to a concert- the furthest being Austin Texas one Spring Break in college. I love the concert experience, seeing all the different people and behaviors- I saw Poison once from the lawn.. never seen so many people still living in the 80's!

11. I have always desired getting an Art History degree of some type- BA, Masters.. whatever. I really enjoy that area of the library.

And for random fun: thank you rebecca!

Mary Wierzbicki's Dewey Decimal Section:

755 Religion

Mary Wierzbicki = 31853958629319 = 318+539+586+293+19 = 1755


Class:
700 Arts & Recreation


Contains:
Architecture, drawing, painting, music, sports.



What it says about you:
You're creative and fun, and you're good at motivating the people around you. You're attracted to things that are visually interesting. Other people might not always understand your taste or style, but it's yours.

Find your Dewey Decimal Section at Spacefem.com

thing 23

Well, it's sad that the program is over, i hope that they have more coming! I'm sure i'll continue the blog though because it's quite fun! The program itself has been very informative- a lot of the items I have used previously- RSS Feeds, Flickr, others I thought were silly-Twitter (we now know what I think of that.. I'm lolzrock) I started this as an aim to win stuff (don't get me wrong, i still want to win.. ) but I'm also glad that I've been reading other peoples blogs across the system, following co-workers on twitter and generally having lots of fun! It's been a great experience.

moldi.. no not mold..

I have actually used moldi several times! I have Overdrive downloaded onto my laptop, where I especially find this site useful is for those books that were published awhile ago that our library just doesn't have copies of anymore. For example, the first books from Laurell Hamilton's vampire series i really wanted it in audio but we didn't have it on disc, Upper Arlington Library didn't have it on disc, so i went to MOLDI and voila! reserved it, downloaded it, burnt it and now i have it! The same holds for her first meredith gentry fairies book.. no audio to be found except here! What i do wish though is that it had more recent titles- even though they likely wouldn't be able to be burnt which is what i would want.. i hate being tied to my computer to listen to a book!

Bilgemunky

That's right.. Bilgemunky, i found this podcast through Podcast Alley. What is it is a podcast with pirate music! Cracks me up that it even exists.. but hilarity ensues at the mere idea!

I really do enjoy podcasts when I listen to them- especially on my ipod if i'm not at home on the computer itself or if i'm not listening to a book.. very cool they are!

Today is election day, by the way.. thank god this will all be "over" tomorrow...!

YouTube, Video fun

I think these are just fun... i've already voted but I am so glad the political season is almost over! I'm a big fan of online video sites- i've always been a huge collector of music videos. YouTube of course is loads of fun for all the random viral videos! lots of fun below!

Bob Ross!

Web 2.0 Awards

I found myself drawn to the travel category as I am going to be traveling to Philadelphia and Atlantic City at the end of the week. While I am not a fan of Live search- Microsofts beta Farecast seems handy at first glance. It will give recommendations about whether you should purchase tickets now, wait because prices will drop, or wait because rates are steady. It also provides an option to search other travel sites. Kayak is different because it not only does flights and hotels but also cruises and vacation deals- plus it searches over 140 other online companies to get the best deals!

Another notable mention that i've used in the past is Pandora it's a really cool music radio site that you can build your own radio with- it'll recommend artists according to the artists you choose so it's a really fun way to be exposed to new artists and music out there that you otherwise would never have heard of!

CML Toolbar

I love the toolbar! I've been using it for awhile now quite honestly.. i check the newly ordered dvds and cds not to mention i can quickly access my account and go right to the homepage without having to go to a favorites menu, typing it in or whatever! It's all just so convenient. I have been looking at the other sites in the toolbox- i tried stumble upon awhile ago and it has yet to catch on with me, i pay just need to explore it further. The idea itself is cool but i don't know..
and of course i LOVE gmail- i've had it for about 3 years now, since it was a beta and you had to be invited to use it.. i love that it keeps all the messages in the same email string together instead of listing each and every individual email. It helps me keep my inbox much more organized than it was with my yahoo or school email accounts! Having a gmail account of course allows you to access all the other lovely items google has to offer- apps, reader, products, maps- if you're signed in it saves the places you've looked at. Google history keeps a record of all the sites you've visited which can be scary and handy all in one!

Zoho

i've had this site bookmarked for awhile Zoho

From first glance it has everything imagineable, and you can login using your google or yahoo login! Some of the items only allow a certain amount of uses, but it's still pretty cool- one stop shopping so to speak.

In my search for different apps- i found this site which lists a bunch of them. The convert it will especially be helpful for those documents that you create in word and don't want others to be able to modify them- so change them to pdf format and you're set! I've discovered a lot of different apps that i may start using but need to delve into further!

Wiki!

I generally really like Wiki's. There's a Harry Potter wiki- http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page a Halo wiki http://halo.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page or just the gaming wiki root site http://gaming.wikia.com/wiki/Wikia_Gaming In my other job i've come across some really wacky wiki's some of which i can't post here, others I can't remember but just remember laughing at.

One interesting library wiki I found was http://liswiki.org/wiki/Main_Page which has a section on RFID which i found helpful as this technology keeps coming back to libraries- whether to use it or not. This wiki could have potential http://libraryzen.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page except that it seems like a place for external links instead of actual info.


Fun wikis
http://www.thegreysanatomywiki.com/?t=anon
http://wiki.killuglyradio.com/wiki/Main_Page it looks funny
http://www.zombiesurvivalwiki.com/?t=anon who doesn't like Zombies after all
http://zombie.wikia.com/wiki/Zombie_Wiki
http://www.wikihow.com/Communicate-With-Your-Cat always important..
http://heman.wikia.com/wiki/He-Man_and_the_Masters_of_the_Universe oh the potential..
http://lego.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page

more to come...

The Sandbox

And no we're not talking about cat litter...

It seems cool, as long as people put their favorites up with their names, otherwise it's just a lot of random things, facts and stuff that are favorites of someone out there! I also like that we have to be approved to post, that at least gives some sort of "quality" control.. or at least control over who can put their ramblings into the box!

Rush, Colbert, Rockband!

The Learning Commons..

One really cool local example is OSU- Sullivant Hall on Campus has a huge space set up with group workareas where students can work on projects and presentations with a lot of privacy but with all the technology and library sources right there. Banks of computers, laptops available- it's all very modern and cool.
http://library.osu.edu/sites/sullivant/learning_commons.php
http://commons.carnegiefoundation.org/
http://www.library.uiuc.edu/ugl/lc/
http://libraryconnect.elsevier.com/lcn/0602/lcn060203.html

Web 2.0 Liberry 2.0

I think it's quite easy for libraries to jump upon the Web 2.0 bandwagon. New technology is great, using that technology to help patrons is great- but sometimes we need to step back and look at the bigger picture- where web 2.0 can take the future. Allowing enough time to absorb what the new technologies bring is essential. We can't expect patrons to be able to jump on the technology wagon with as much ease and excitement as we do. This does not mean we ignore the technologies obviously- it just means we need to take into account how our communities will react and be ready for it.

In the future we need to design new libraries around technologies- the learning commons is an example of what i think is an awesome "newcomer" to libraries. I've mostly seen them in university libraries- but I don't see why we couldn't have one in a public library. It would need to be tweaked a bit but it could be an interesting turn..

From Chaser..

Pop Goes the Library and more importantly..
Library Circulates Cake Pans..

Twits are Cool

So i have started the journey into Twitter- I haven't decided yet my opinion on it. It can be perceived as stalking I guess, but it's not much different than updating your status on facebook or wherever.. so the jury is still out on this one- here's my url anyway.. Twitterness

*Update*
I'm finding that I enjoy Twitter much more than I thought I would.. it's still kind of stalky and some people are following me and I don't know who they are.. but it seems cool!

World War Z..

is being made into a movie.. yay, i hope it's not ruined but there's nothing like a Zombie movie!

World War Z

del.icio.us

I had created an account with del.icio.us quite some time ago- i haven't really used it much since then, i guess because i like my RSS feeds in my browser well enough. But for anyone interested- here's where to find me!

del.icio.us

Library Thing or Goodreads

So, I think I have a Library Thing account from a long time ago-- but I personally use Goodreads.. I have a lovely box on the right side of my blog that shows some of the random books on my shelves... I enjoy Goodreads, there's a Columbus Book Group on it. It's just keeping it up to date that can sometimes be difficult! But it's cool to link friends and see what else everyone is reading!

Image Generator

My creation
Originally uploaded by marywierzbicki

I am a HUGE fan of the ALA Mini Read Posters- my only wish is that there were more options instead of the 4 listed- I need to get a really good photo to make one of my very own! Until then.. here is a bead image that i made using one of the fdtoys fun stuff..

RSS Library Feeds

As I continue to attempt to catch up- As most of you who know me are aware I was out of the Branch for a week, and am now behind a week on this lovely blog! Here is a link to iLibrarian which i found a few months ago- I subscribe to the RSS feed through my toolbar in Mozilla and you can see the feed here in my blog too- it's pretty cool and informative... and links to a lot of outside sources too.

http://oedb.org/blogs/ilibrarian/

Bloglines

http://www.bloglines.com/public/lolzrock

that's my blogroll for all those interested, I think I'm still more inclined towards google reader I think...

Noisebot fun..

Noisebot!

The Beauty of a DVR

ah technology. Technology is what allows me to buzz straight through the millions of political ads that flaunt themselves on our televisions, it allows me to pause so I can get up for a tasty drink. It allows me to rewind if I just wasn't paying attention to what Tim Gunn was saying on Project Runway.. and more importantly, it allows me to record every episode of Rock of Love, The Girls Next Door and whatever other lovely reality shows exist out there and watch them without prejudice when no one else is home except me!

That's why technology is awesome because even though I could technically live without my DVR, do I really want to? yeah not really.. especially now that I have it!

ps. another technology I wouldn't want to go without? Books on CD- so awesome!

Splashr

My Presentation

More Flickr Fun

Check out my slideshow down at the bottom of the page...

Zombie Librarians

Zombie Librarians
Originally uploaded by biketourist.org

Flickr fun! What's better than Zombie Librarians I ask you?!

Crazy Cat
Originally uploaded by billadler

!

I love it.. seminary students!

Collection Agency Does Fine Work -- Rounding Up Recalcitrant Library Users

By SARAH LUECK
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
December 14, 1999

JEFFERSONVILLE, IND. -- As night falls in this tiny town, Julie Wannamaker settles into her office cubicle, switches on her computer and goes to work prodding people to pay off old debts.

"I'm calling to remind you about your remaining balance of $88.50," the 25-year-old tells a woman in Muncie, Ind. "You'll want to step in and take care of that as soon as possible to avoid the possibility of credit reporting," Ms. Wannamaker says, the threat veiled in her sugary Southern accent. "Thanks very much."

If this Baptist seminary student sounds gentler than the average repo man, that's because she represents people for whom getting pushy usually means shushing a noisy patron: librarians.

Her employer, Unique Management Services Inc., says it is the only collection agency in the country that focuses exclusively on overdue library books and fines. Its business is booming as local librarians, squeezed by tight budgets and rising material costs, grow increasingly willing to use forceful tactics on recalcitrant borrowers.

"If you're losing 10% of your collection, you could be talking $1 million. You can't just let that go walking away," says Tamara Filbert, head of circulation at the public library in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, one of 250 libraries that have hired Unique to dun overdue borrowers.

Libraries are trying lots of new ways to deal with patrons in arrears. In Columbia, Tenn., the Maury County Public Library recently announced plans to publish the names of its top 25 "offenders" in an upcoming newspaper ad, director Elizabeth Potts says. The announcement alone shamed people into returning more than 450 books and writing $400 in "guilty conscience checks," Ms. Potts says.

In Westland, Mich., the public library turns tardy patrons over to the city police if its own notices don't work. First, a letter is sent on police department stationery, and those who don't respond can be charged with misdemeanor theft, which carries penalties of up to 90 days in jail and a $500 fine.

No one's been put behind bars yet, but about 300 such citations have been issued, says Joe Burchill, a library spokesman. So far, people who return books have been ordered to pay $100 in court costs in addition to their fines. "Libraries are traditionally nurturing places," Mr. Burchill says. "But business is business."

And libraries can be good business -- or so Unique co-owners Lyle Stucki and Charlie Gary thought when they were running a general collection agency together in the early 1990s. After helping a library in Bedford, Ind., retrieve its overdue books and fines, they decided in 1994 to focus on that market niche.

They soon discovered that librarians worry that arm-twisting tactics could alienate patrons. "The circulation staff is so fearful that these people are going to run into the library and yell at them or come in with a gun or something," Mr. Stucki says.

'Gentle Nudge'

So he and Mr. Gary developed what they call a "gentle nudge" approach to motivating procrastinators. "Our philosophy is to treat people the way we like to be treated, all the time, no matter what," Mr. Stucki tells a prospective client on the phone. He's a leader of his local Mormon church, and hanging on his office wall is a framed copy of the Golden Rule.

He says Unique's third-party status offers libraries added credibility and clout. "People just feel like, hey, it's the library, it's not that important that I get this stuff back," he says. "What we're doing is creating a little leverage so they'll respond." The company's goal is merely to goad borrowers into action; Unique doesn't even know the titles of the books that are overdue.

Libraries have turned over more than 500,000 accounts to Unique since 1994. Staffers send out roughly 75,000 letters and make 32,000 phone calls a month. The average patron owes $65, which can be reduced if books are returned. Libraries pay the company $4.95 per individual account, and add the fee to patron fines. Last year, the company recorded $2 million in revenue and collected more than $10 million in money and materials. Unique gets about 60% of the people it contacts to return books and pay fines, Mr. Stucki says.

When it gets a new account, the company first sends a "courtesy letter" telling people who've ignored library notices that the library "would like to have you again as a patron in good standing." A second letter warns that Unique may alert credit agencies. "Why allow this to happen?" the letter says. "We feel sure you will agree that response is the best solution."

Then comes a pair of phone calls from Unique staffers such as Ms. Wannamaker. Like many staffers, Ms. Wannamaker was recruited from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in nearby Louisville, Ky. Messrs. Stucki and Gary believe these future ministers, missionaries and Sunday-school teachers are more likely to turn the other cheek when provoked by patrons.

One night at the Jeffersonville call center, a shaken Ms. Wannamaker takes a coffee break after one library patron hangs up on her and another threatens a lawsuit. Caller Jody Thomas, 27, tries to reason with a woman who is angrily disputing that she owes $87.90 to New York's Queens Borough Public Library.

"Don't deal with us," Mr. Thomas tells her. "Clear this up with them." Mr. Thomas, also a seminary student, rolls his eyes as the woman yells in his ear. After the call, he laughs off her tirade: "She just got excited. If I didn't have the faith I do, it would be easier to get upset with people."

When patrons don't respond, this mild-mannered collection agency can get tough by reporting debtors to a credit-reporting agency. Company officials say Unique does so only as a last resort, but it did report 10,000 people in September alone.

The Class of 2012

Number 36 is interesting... as I had an Original Nintendo and I knew others who had an Atari.. granted I am a child of the 80's so I only graduated my undergraduate school of Denison 3 years ago.. this still interests me.. I'm also amused because my husband just started his Bachelors program and is thus supposed to graduate in 2012- the year of the apocolypse, yet, he's older than any of these kids..

Beloit College Mindset List-A snapshot of the world view of the Class of 2012
1. Harry Potter could be a classmate, playing on their Quidditch team.
2. Since they were in diapers, karaoke machines have been annoying people at parties.
3. They have always been looking for Carmen Sandiego.
4. GPS satellite navigation systems have always been available.
5. Coke and Pepsi have always used recycled plastic bottles.
6. Shampoo and conditioner have always been available in the same bottle.
7. Gas stations have never fixed flats, but most serve cappuccino.
8. Their parents may have dropped them in shock when they heard George Bush announce "tax revenue increases."
9. Electronic filing of tax returns has always been an option.
10. Girls in head scarves have always been part of the school fashion scene.
11. All have had a relative — or known about a friend's relative - who died comfortably at home with hospice.
12. As a precursor to "whatever," they have recognized that some people "just don't get it."
13. Universal Studios has always offered an alternative to Mickey in Orlando.
14. Grandma has always had wheels on her walker.
15. Martha Stewart Living has always been setting the style.
16. Haagen-Dazs ice cream has always come in quarts.
17. Club Med resorts have always been places to take the whole family.
18. WWW has never stood for World Wide Wrestling.
19. Films have never been X rated, only NC-17.
20. The Warsaw Pact is as hazy for them as the League of Nations was for their parents.
21. Students have always been "Rocking the Vote."
22. Clarence Thomas has always sat on the Supreme Court.
23. Schools have always been concerned about multiculturalism.
24. We have always known that "All I Ever Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten."
25. There have always been gay rabbis.
26. Wayne Newton has never had a mustache.
27. College grads have always been able to Teach for America.
28. IBM has never made typewriters.
29. Roseanne Barr has never been invited to sing the National Anthem again.
30. McDonald's and Burger King have always used vegetable oil for cooking french fries.
31. They have never been able to color a tree using a raw umber Crayola.
32. There has always been Pearl Jam.
33. The Tonight Show has always been hosted by Jay Leno and started at 11:35 EST.
34. Pee-Wee has never been in his playhouse during the day.
35. They never tasted Benefit Cereal with psyllium.
36. They may have been given a Nintendo Game Boy to play with in the crib.
37. Authorities have always been building a wall across the Mexican border.
38. Lenin's name has never been on a major city in Russia.
39. Employers have always been able to do credit checks on employees.
40. Balsamic vinegar has always been available in the U.S.
41. Macaulay Culkin has always been "Home Alone."
42. Their parents may have watched "The American Gladiators" on TV the day they were born.
43. Personal privacy has always been threatened.
44. Caller ID has always been available on phones.
45. Living wills have always been asked for at hospital check-ins.
46. The Green Bay Packers (almost) always had the same starting quarterback.
47. They never heard an attendant ask "Want me to check under the hood?"
48. Iced tea has always come in cans and bottles.
49. Soft drink refills have always been free.
50. They have never known life without Seinfeld references from a show about "nothing."
51. The Windows 3.0 operating system made IBM PCs user-friendly the year they were born.
52. Moscow residents have always been able to buy Big Macs.
53. The Royal New Zealand Navy has never been permitted a daily ration of rum.
54. The Hubble Space Telescope has always been eavesdropping on the heavens.
55. 98.6 F or otherwise has always been confirmed in the ear.
56. Michael Milken has always been a philanthropist promoting prostate cancer research.
57. Offshore oil drilling in the United States has always been prohibited.
58. Radio stations have never been required to present both sides of public issues.
59. There have always been charter schools.
60. Students always had Goosebumps.

Welcome back...

I have been known to blog before... deadjournal, myspace, somewhere else I'm sure. Hopefully this one will stick for awhile. I'm starting this lovely new setup because of Learn & Play at CML! There are so many awesome blogs out there, especially my fellow co-workers that I hope mine holds up!