Productivity

Conference Productivity

/ dwakimoto

Hi, all. Yes, once again we turn to talking about conferences and productivity. Why? Mainly because I am super-excited about Internet Librarian at the end of October, but also because work never stops–even when you are at a conference. So any help to make conferences productive, and keep us from wanting to gouge out our eyes from trying to keep up with what is happening back at the library, is probably a very good thing. Shall we dive into some conference goodies? Allons-y!

First, unless a conference happens to be in your backyard, or within reasonable driving distance, you probably are going to have to fly. And if you are going to fly, you better show up at the airport with a goodly amount of time to spare. So check out Lifehacker’s guide on how to always get to the airport on time. Lots of common sense tips, but it is always good to have a reminder. Also, you may be interested in when you can get the best price on airfare. Turns out that the cheapest time to book a flight is about eight weeks before your travel date. That’s definitely handy to know. (Also good information to share with your library patrons who may be traveling soon.)

Once you’re at the conference, you’ll want to implement some of the tips from WebWorkerDaily on how to stay productive at conferences. Lots of good tips and I really like the emphasis on not trying to do everything so you can actually enjoy and learn at the conference. I’ll try to take that advice to heart while at Internet Librarian.

Also, if you are ever like me and come home from conferences with a mess of notes that made sense of the time but now look like just scribbles, check out How to take effective conference notes. Then be nice and share your experience and tips on your blog. I really find it helpful to read about other people’s conference experiences, especially from conferences that I haven’t been able to attend.

And since you know you’ll be working on your laptop, computer, other digital device while you are away from the office at a conference, check out turning your flash drive into a portable privacy toolkit. Really, is there anything a flash drive can’t be reconfigured to do?

Do you have any conference productivity tips? If so, please share them in the comments. I’d love to hear about them and the Waki Librarian will be back on Friday with more library fun.

Apathy, technology, searching, and names

/ dwakimoto

Happy Friday! Isn’t it just lovely that it is Friday and the start of a three day weekend? I am ready for a break. Today’s post is a bit of a hodge-podge of stuff; in a way, it’s kind of how my brain has been feeling this week–lots of disparate pieces of information swirling around that I’m trying to make sense of and put in some kind of logical matrix. But never fear, The Waki Librarian will make as much sense as possible in this Friday’s post. Allons-y!

Since we are getting close to the start of fall quarter at my institution, I have been thinking a lot about apathy. I worry about apathetic students and how to combat apathy when I’m teaching. While not specifically on teaching, Seth Godin’s post, Better than nothing (is harder than you think), still rang true for me in regards to teaching which may sound weird at first because Godin was writing about sales, but bear with me. If I’m competing against my students’ apathy or even worse, actual disdain, towards the course I teach, then I have be such a great teacher and guide that I can pull them out of their apathetic stupor and into the realm of learning. And this is a serious and quite a large task, but it’s also the fun bit of teaching. (It’s also nice when I get students that are genuinely excited about learning and are curious people, but the real challenge is the apathetic ones.)

But enough on apathy, check this post of Godin’s, the blizzard of noise (and the good news) leads right into the Lifehacker post on why technology is so addictive, and how you can avoid tech burnout. Don’t go over to the dark side of technology! Resist the addiction and go talk to someone, in person. (Yes, I know, it’s a crazy idea, but go do it anyway.)

While you are talking with someone (face to face, naturally) you can ask them if they know about having free access to SAGE journals through October 15th? This is definitely information to share with your library patrons.

And while you’re out there meeting new people, please, please, please read and take to heart this article on how to remember people’s names. It really is true that having someone remember your name is fantastic and having someone screw up your name is like listening to nails on a chalkboard (or that horrible dying noise your computer makes right before it gives you the blue screen of death). It is especially annoying when, as Philip Guo wrote, people spell your name incorrectly in an email after they have to type your name in your email address. (I speak from experience. And no, telling me that Diane is close to Diana and I shouldn’t get upset is not helping your case. Also, trust the advice on avoiding nicknames.)

I really appreciated the tips in the article because I’m not naturally good at remembering names, but when you teach you have to remember a lot of names quickly so I’ve gotten much better. Plus, remembering my students’ names is just one more way to demonstrate that I’m not apathetic about teaching. And, if nothing else, it is common courtesy to remember and to get a person’s name correct in conversation and in writing. So take a couple extra seconds and cement the name in your memory the next time you meet someone new.

Speaking of teaching, have you seen Sweet Search: A Search Engine for Students? My question is: is this really helpful for our students? Or is this just a stop-gap measure and a substitute for teaching students to develop critical evaluation skills? Life doesn’t come at a person pre-screened and evaluated. Part of the learning process is figuring out who’s a charlatan and a quack and who is actually sharing factual, helpful information–be it online or in person. It reminds me of the quote from Don Marquis that says, “If you make people think they’re thinking, they’ll love you. But if you really make them think, they’ll hate you.” So are we getting our students to think they’re thinking by using a “better,” vetted search engine and therefore they will throw evaluation out the window? Are we playing into apathy about learning the hard and sometimes time-consuming ability to discern valuable information out of the “surplus of digital data” that Godin writes about? Or, is Sweet Search actually a better way to have students interact with the web? I’m not sure about the answer and would like to hear your thoughts on it.

Oh, and a PS to the post on privacy, a judge with common sense says cellphone tracking is as intrusive as a GPS tracker. I love to see that common sense hasn’t been supplanted by the lure of shiny technology.

Finally, enjoy “Simon’s Cat in ‘The Box'”:

Enjoy your weekend and don’t forget to read something fun.

Digital Archives, Productivity, and Having a Good Day

/ dwakimoto

Happy Friday! Isn’t it just so lovely that it is almost the weekend? I think it is and so I have the usual random assortment of articles and thinking points. Today’s topics are digital archives (because, really, who doesn’t like talking about archives?), productivity (because I can’t seem to get away from the topic), and having a good day (because it is better than having a bad day). This will be a short post, perfect for a quick break from working on your important Friday work. So let’s talk archives!

I have admitted it before and I’ll admit it again, I love research and I love researching in archives. I really think you do get “archives fever” when researching in an archives, or maybe that’s just because the last archives I was at didn’t have air conditioning and I was there in the middle of a heat wave. Either way, you don’t have to worry about that if you follow the Library of Congress’ Guide to Finding and Using Online Primary Sources from the Manuscript Division. Online archives: they are wonderful and should be shared. Even if you disliked your history classes when you were in grade school, high school, or even college, trust me, looking through primary source documents will make you enjoy learning. (You may never want to become a historian, but you’ll probably find something that strikes your fancy in LoC’s vast online collections. If not, head over to NARA–they have an amazing photography collection online too.)

Oh, and check out Library of Congress’ Podcast: Conversations about Digital Preservation. A podcast series on digital preservation–really could life get any better for the library and archives geeks among us?

Why, yes, yes it can. NARA recently debuted its first wiki which will hopefully continue to be populated with wonderful archival information and discussions. Granted it isn’t the prettiest site on the web, but hopefully it will become one of the most useful and get more people interested in archives and archival research.

This article from WebWorkerDaily is fantastic: Passion as “the Ultimate Productivity Tool”. (Reminds me a lot of the advice that Seth Godin writes in his books and blog about work, productivity and shipping.) Read the article and be inspired to do great work–work you love–because then work isn’t something you have to slog through, it’s something you (usually) enjoy. And, unless you have a TARDIS, you’ll never get this day back so why not be passionately productive?

Finally, I want you to have a good day–a great day even. But if you are feeling the makings of a bad day, take a break (grab a cup of tea) and read through Lifehacker’s The Science Behind Having a Bad Day and How to Solve It. I hope it helps.

Of course, I can’t leave you without something fun on a Friday. So go over and check out ThinkGeek. If you’ve never checked out their site before, you are in for a treat. If you already have, you know why it is awesome, geeky shopping fun. Did I mention they have the Friendship Algorithm on a t-shirt?

Have a great Friday, a fantastic weekend, read a lot, and The Waki Librarian will be back next week with more library and technology fun.

Productivity, Hugs, and Communication

/ dwakimoto

Hi, all. I’d say, “Happy Monday,” but that seems a little cruel. (Although I do hope your Monday is going, and continues to go, well.) I thought to myself that to make Monday a little better we’d talk a bit about fun stuff, like hugs, and useful stuff, like productivity and communication. So grab a cup of tea and take a break to read some of the interesting stuff going around the web.

In keeping with Friday’s post about back-to-school or, more specifically, back-to-college, I have this New York Time’s article, Failure to Communicate. Unfortunately, I can completely relate to having students who are unable to deal with conflict and only want to communicate via text messaging. And, truly unfortunately, I have been called by parents who want their students to get into my department’s classes. Really, I’m not making it up. This would all be slightly amusing, like the Threadless shirt about the art of conversation, if it weren’t so true. So really, get off your computer today and actually have a conversation with someone. If you teach, actually have your students interact with each other. Remember to connect and communicate. That’s all I have to say about that (although I’m always happy to continue the conversation with you later).

You want to be productive, you really do, but it is just so difficult with all the fun and distracting stuff on the web. I understand, and so do the people at Lifehacker. Check out their article on How to Deal with Distractions in a Web Worker’s World. Great advice and tips, as always, from Lifehacker.

Now we get to the super fun stuff. (I know, you thought I had forgotten about the hugs, didn’t you? As if I would do that.) Check out this guest post on Zen Habits, How to be Insanely Productive and Keep Smiling. I love this post probably because I like being productive and like being in a place (and headspace) where I feel like smiling. Also, it probably has to do with the introduction to the post, “You can be insanely productive–and still smell the freesias, savor a Pinot Noir, or enjoy a languid hug.” I’m a big fan of hugs; there should be more hugs in every day (Pinot Noir isn’t bad either, but I’d like to swap the freesias for roses, thanks for asking.) The advice, or lessons, in this post is great. I am very lucky in that I love what I do and definitely have a lot more days when I’m truly thankful to be doing what I do than when I want to pull my hair out. Granted I still get stressed, and I haven’t achieved perfect patience, but overall I know I’m on the correct path for me. And that is where I hope (and wish) that all of us are at in our lives.

So get out there and enjoy your insanely productive week. Give someone a hug and tell them they’re awesome (extra karma points if you also give them cookies). Walk over and actually talk to your colleague whose office is next door instead of sending another email. And finally, get outside and enjoy some fresh air (preferable on a break, with a book). The Waki Librarian will be back with more goodies on Friday.

Friday Thoughts on the Mobile Web, etc.

/ dwakimoto

Hi all. Happy Friday! Aren’t you just so excited for the weekend? I know I am because it means I can get out of Los Angeles and head back to my beloved Bay Area. I’m in LA for a research trip (which is going quite well, thanks for asking), but it happens to have landed me smack in the middle of a heatwave, again–so if parts of this don’t make sense, it is because the heat has addled my brain. So when I’m not buried deeply in a Hollinger box, I’ve been thinking about the mobile web and dreaming about wifi (as the archives I’m doing research at doesn’t have wifi). The mobile web is a hot topic, kind of like Web 2.0 (or I suppose Web 3.0), as can be seen from looking at the programming at this year’s Internet Librarian Conference. So this Friday, is mainly about mobiles and libraries.

EDUCAUSE recently released a couple of very interesting articles. The first of which is Universities and Libraries Move to the Mobile Web. A quick look at the mobile web and how universities/libraries are (and are not) making use of the mobile web. Does your library have a mobile optimized website? I’m hoping my library will have one soon (thus one of the reasons that I’m so looking forward to the talks at Internet Librarian). The second, kind of related article by EDUCAUSE is fantastically titled, If You Twitter, Will They Come?. Great look at using Twitter in educational settings. I personally love Twitter and I’ve found that it really works well in certain teaching situations. For example, for getting notices to Frosh who refuse to check their school email but don’t mind having another text message (using Twitter’s fabulous Tweet to Text option) sent to their phone. Plus, it saves me typing out long emails–140 character tweets are definitely your friend once the craziness of the term sets in. But I can’t say I’m surprised that students don’t want faculty in their social networks–I don’t want students to be in my personal social networks, not because I don’t care about my students’ learning, but because I like to keep some boundaries between my work and personal life too. (And let’s be honest, with how easy it is to set up accounts, it really isn’t difficult to keep one for work/teaching and another for friends/family.) I think the way to go is by using these easy tools in ways that work for students (this means we should actually talk to the students). That way we can create or adapt the technology so that the university or library isn’t “invading” a social network so much as working with it.

Oh, and don’t miss out on the Pew Internet Report on Mobile Access 2010. Good read with interesting data–more support for creating applications that will reach mobile users (although, again, talking with users/customers first would probably be a good idea to see what they want).

I seem to be on the road a lot this summer and therefore I’m thinking about traveling a lot, specifically things that make traveling easier. One of the things that makes my life easier is using Lifehacker’s Top 10 thumb drive tricks. The humble thumb drive–so small and yet so mighty.

Another great post from Lifehacker, Jumping ship from iPhone to Android: A switcher’s guide. It is a good comparison of the two and perhaps useful for anyone who is trying to decide whether to stay/get an iPhone versus an Android phone.

And for fun on Friday, check on this comic from the wonderful xkcd.

Analogies Comic by xkcd

'Analogies\

Have a wonderful weekend filled with reading and fun! The Waki Librarian will be back next week with more good library and technology stuff.

Busyness and Priorities

/ dwakimoto

Hi, all. I hope everyone is having a fantastic day and gearing up for a lovely weekend. I thought I’d take a little bit of time to write about busyness and give you some thinking points to mull over during your weekend between running errands and relaxing. I’ve been thinking a lot about this topics in the past few weeks as have a number of deadlines coming up in quick succession. So “allons-y” (let’s go)!

I think about about the links between busyness and priorities a lot. It is inevitable that the subject comes up at least occasionally in most people’s lives because everyone seems to be super-busy and have way too much to do. Until we come up with time-turners or a working replica of the TARDIS, we are still stuck with just 24 hours in a day.

I think about priorities and busyness more than I would like because people often ask me how I manage to get everything done. My answer is two-fold: I prioritize and I don’t multitask–I just work. Now I know that we don’t have total control over everything at work or in life, but for that which we do have control over–I say prioritize the heck out of it. And, like a lot of the self-improvement gurus say, if it is important to you it will get done. Just like making time for family, friends, and significant others/spouses/partners, we always have time for what is important to us (and it’s important to remember that nothing is written in stone and if something important comes up, the calendar can totally be cleared). So I just have a few resources to share today to maybe help you prioritize the tasks in your life and some fun stuff (because it’s Friday)!

Seth Godin has some awesome advice and thinking points over on his blog, as always. I am currently enamored of his post that validation is overrated. While I think it is human to crave validation (I mean who doesn’t like compliments?), needing validation before we do something is the way to stasis and not getting anything done. If you have a wacky idea (and it doesn’t hurt anyone), I say go for it. See what happens and maybe you’ll get validated later. And remember, there is a definite difference between needing to be told your idea is okay before you take action and liking the praise you receive after you’ve finished a project, plan, whatever. Oh, and if none of this makes any sense whatsoever, just watch the great Validation short below and smile.

Okay, are we all feeling better after that video? I know I always feel better after watching it.

I think we can agree that there is always too much to do in the library and archives. What are your priorities? What must get done in order for it to function? What would be wonderful but isn’t a priority? What do you know is a priority, but you don’t want to do it so you keep putting it off? If you can honestly answer these questions, you are well on your way to accomplishing tasks versus feeling (completely) overwhelmed with busywork. Also check out the lovely zen habits blog which has wonderful ideas for simplifying your life and getting rid of the feeling that you “need” to be busy just to be busy.

If reading RSS feeds from Lifehacker has you a bit overwhelmed, check out Lifehacker’s Newsletter. It’s a daily digest of their posts–fantastic for those who get stressed out by seeing lots of unread posts in their feed reader.

Oh, and for those of you that still have vacation time to look forward to, check out the Geek Vacation Checklist. And yes, I’m a bit obsessed with checklists and travel tips–I love traveling. Maybe a bit of a break will allow you to step back and re-prioritize your work life.

One of my priorities in life is baking. I know that sounds weird, but hear me out. I enjoy baking: I like how my kitchen smells when I’m baking cookies, I like trying out new recipes, I like that it is a task that can’t be rushed and gives me time to think, and I really like the smiles that come from sharing baked goods at work. I like to think I’m making my colleagues day a little brighter by bringing in some yummy, homemade baked goods. One of the recipes that is just too perfect for summer is Joy the Baker’s Strawberry Blackberry Shortcakes. Check her blog out, it is fabulous.

Finally, because it is Friday and now you have a lot to think about (re: priorities and being productive versus being busy), enjoy this video that has been making its way around the bibliosphere: “Zombies in their Natural Habitat.” What a creative way to ask for funding!

Have a wonderful weekend, read a lot, and the Waki Librarian will be back next week with more (productive) fun.

Summer Technology and Relaxation

/ dwakimoto

Hi, all. Well, after a couple of breaks and diversions from the regularly scheduled programming, we are back to library and technology fun with a summer twist. I love summer, don’t you? (And I really love summer in the Bay Area because it isn’t super hot and humid, but instead it is blessed with perfect warm days and usually lovely nights.) So in celebration of summer, I have some resources for relaxation as well as some for improving your use of technology.

If you haven’t seen it yet, check out the Best of 2009-2010 Scout Report. The Scout Report is one of my favorite digests of good stuff on the Internet. I always learn about something new reading the weekly reports and the “Best of” list is fantastic. (Though I might be slightly biased because the first resource listed is Xeno-Canto: Bird Sounds from the Americas.)

Speaking of lists of helpful stuff, check out 7 Things You Should Know About Open Educational Resources. EDUCAUSE creates great, short handouts; they are perfect for sharing with the instructors you know and hopefully you can get more people excited about OER (Open Educational Resources). At my library, we highlight various open educational resources in our presentations to faculty and encourage their use. Plus, lots of OER databases are also social networks where faculty members can come together and share their work, plus pick up new tips to use in the classroom.

Speaking of online resources, all my fellow bloggers out there should check out the Social Media Today article, Bloggers: 7 questions to ask before hitting “Publish”. Most of the advice is common sense, but it is still very worthwhile to give the article a quick review. Then stop putting it off, and update your blog already.

You knew I couldn’t possibly have a post without mentioning Lifehacker, right? Here is a great article on the Top 10 Clever Google Voice Tricks. As anyone can now get a Google Voice account, this article is particularly timely and has the usual great Lifehacker advice and tips.

For all my fellow West Coasters who are interested in technology, you’ll be pleased to note that registration is open for Internet Librarian 2010 to be held October 25-27 in Monterey, California. I’m hoping to make it this year (I missed last year’s conference). I was excited to see an entire track dedicated to mobile services in the advanced program. And come on people, it’s Monterey, in October and that’s as close to perfection on the coast as you’re ever going to get. (But I’m of course hoping to go for the professional development.)

Productivity tips of the day: How to Stay Organized when Life Throws You a Curveball. Great piece on organization that I think everyone will find handy–either now or in the future.

Now on to the summer relaxation fun! I love this article on Low or No Heat Meals Ideas for Easy Summer Cooking. Now in the Bay Area we can’t really complain about cooking in the summer because the weather is pretty mild, but I know for everyone living in the Central Valley, on the East Coast, and just about everywhere else, doesn’t want to cook and these ideas are perfect. (I can say from experience that I hardly touched the oven for cooking in the summer when I lived in Boston.) If you need more ideas and recipes, take a jump over to Joy the Baker who has tons of fabulous recipes (some not requiring an oven, but a lot do because, come on people, she’s a baker) including this recipe for frozen Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls. All I can say is “yum!”

I love vacations, don’t you? I love unplugging, unwinding, and generally relaxing (and contrary to popular belief, I don’t feel guilty about taking vacations). If you need some convincing to take your allotted vacation time, read this Psychology Today article on the Importance of Vacations. Seriously, take your vacation and not only will your body and mind thank you, all your colleagues will too.

So go forth and relax! I on the other hand need to get back to work scheduling the fall term’s information literacy classes, writing up some papers for a meeting in August, and finishing a grant proposal. Enjoy the holiday weekend for those of you in the United States, read a lot, relax outside (with sunblock and a nice floppy hat on, naturally), and the Waki Librarian will be back soon with more technology and library fun.

More Travel Fun

/ dwakimoto / 2 Comments

So how’s everybody doing? Sorry for no post on Friday, but I was enjoying my vacation too much to plug into the computer to write. (Not that I don’t, of course, love you dear readers, but I promised myself no work during my one week of vacation and while I love blogging, it felt too much like work before today.) I mean, really, take a look at the photo below and tell me you wouldn’t be out enjoying the quiet of nature instead of staring at a laptop screen:

photograph of Deschutes River

Deschutes River

I thought, though, that I should share a few links that I read while waiting thunderstorms to pass that may be helpful for those of you going to ALA this week.

Don’t you just love Lifehacker? I sure do and this post on the top 10 strategies for surviving airports and airplanes couldn’t have come at a more opportune time than right before ALA. I’m so not looking forward to flying in from the West Coast–jet lag is not fun, but I’m sure the conference will be.

Lifehacker also has a post on 5 tactics for getting sleep on long distance flights. Definitely a fan of getting sleep on planes and these are a few excellent tips.

Finally the Lifehacker pack for Macs. I felt it only right that I include this link as I already linked to the Lifehacker pack for Windows and far be it from me not to alert Mac owners of a cool suite of software.

I hope everyone who is going to ALA has a very safe journey to DC and a fantastic conference experience. I’ll probably post about it as I’m excited for ALA (it’s my first time attending). Have a lovely week, read a lot, and I’ll be back with more library and tech fun soon.

Friday Round-up of Tips, Help, and Advice

/ dwakimoto

Today is a round-up of tips to browse through while you try to find motivation to make it through the Friday work day. I can’t believe we are coming into the last week in May, that it is still raining regularly where I live, and that ALA Annual is going to be happening in about a month. Where does the time go? In the interest of saving time, let’s get right to the productivity tips.

I think Lifehacker has some of the best summaries of productivity tips and hacks. Check out the Top 10 motivation boosters and procrastination killers. Great stuff, especially when it is Friday and all you can think about is the weekend.

Also, in the interest of productivity, check out the Top 10 ways to upgrade your morning routine. Personally, I’m a morning person (it has a lot to do with once working for a bakery and (unrelated) doing bird counts when you have to be up before the dawn chorus), but I know a lot of people aren’t and need a little motivation in the morning. Check out the tips and I’m sure you can have productive mornings, even if you don’t love them. I need a list of the “top ten ways to upgrade the middle of the afternoon when any sane person is taking a siesta”, but I digress.

Librarians, and savvy library users, already know that public libraries are great places to check for free passes to museums and events. However, a lot of people, probably the vast majority of people, don’t know about this great service. I was very excited to see this short piece on Lifehacker, no less, Check your local library for free museum, concert, and event tickets. I loved Boston Public Library had a great program, though I wonder about its viability given the massive budget issues it is now facing.

Finally, on the tip front, it is getting to be vacation time up here in the Northern Hemisphere so check out a savvy traveler’s guide to vacationing abroad. It completely makes me want to travel abroad this summer.

Oh, and some shameless self-promotion. For those of you dear readers who are going to ALA Annual, I will be speaking on Sunday, June 27th along with Megan Oakleaf from 1:30-3:30 in Room 146B at the Washington Convention Center. Our talk is titled, “Question, Find, Evaluate, Apply: Translating Evidence-Based Practice to Information Literacy Instruction.” Come by and say hi. We’d love a full house for our talk. Okay, shameless self-promotion is over, back to the Friday fun stuff.

And because, once again, xkcd did not fail to delight, we (almost) end with today’s comic strip:
Infrastructures comic strip by xkcd

My very good friend, Hanna, who writes the amazing …fly over me, evil angel… (extra bonus points if you know what song that’s from) has a custom/tradition/thing to have Friday blog posts sharing awesome YouTube videos. I think it’s lovely, and so completely riffing off of her (and giving you a nice, short break from all that productive work you are doing), we’ll end with this amazing video–seriously how do people do that with cards?

Have a lovely weekend (whatever the weather brings), read a lot (I happen to be enjoying Terry Pratchett’s Witches Abroad at the moment), and there will be more tips next week on The Waki Librarian.

Productivity for Mother's Day

/ dwakimoto

Happy Friday! This is (once again) a quick break from focusing specifically on libraries and technology because it is Mother’s Day on Sunday. This probably means you have more important things to do than read a blog post (hopefully it involves making your mother something lovely for brunch). So without further ado, here is your abbreviated post that will leave you plenty of time to do all that last minute shopping or cooking.

Morning people have a lot going for them. They get up before most of the world therefore they get to start being productive earlier with less distractions. If you want to get more done in the mornings, check out Lifehacker’s post: ditch the morning drag by creating a new routine.

With all your new-found time, you can also check out this article from Lifehacker on HearNames.com. Anything to help me with pronouncing people’s names correctly is a good thing in my book.

Now that you are organized and have a couple of new tools in your pocket, check out Joy the Baker’s Mama’s Day Brunch Menu. Joy has one of the most fabulous baking blogs–I love the recipes and her writing. Seriously, check it out and surprise and delight your mother. (And if your mother happens to like chocolate, check out the recipe for old school fudge brownies with walnuts. Trust me, they are fantastic and you will not be disappointed.

So stop reading this post and go get ready for Mother’s Day, or enjoy the sunshine outside, or enjoy the sunshine while reading a book. Just have a lovely weekend and the Waki Librarian will be back next week with more technology and library fun.