What Does Insurance Cover?

     The current Web2.0 learning activities requires the addition of a library related video to my blog.  I don't want people to forget about the devastation experienced by schools and libraries during recent hurricanes.
      The quest for flood-related library videos was interesting.  The majority of search results were library collections of videos.  You Tube was easier to search than the web (using Google).
     The Pittson Library in Lazurne County, Pennsylvania, is just one of many flood-damaged libraries.    

     A flood-related library video I found on You Tube
(click on library name to view): Louisville Library
     The Library of Congress has several videos available regarding disaster preparedness and recovery.  The videos demonstrate how to clean audio and visual media after a flood.

      Recent weather related catastrophes have created many questions for this clerical library worker.  Several libraries in Northeast communities suffered extensive damage to or total loss of their collections.
     I work in a state agency that is housed in a county building.  Which party is responsible for the insurance policies? 
1. Does the current insurance policy cover the contents of a building as a result of flooding?  (It is available according to Floodsmart.gov)
2. Is the landlord or tenant responsible for purchasing the insurance policy?  
3. How does a government agency learn about any policies held by its organization or landlord?


More questions than answers today.


The Sunday links (no, not football related!) are:
Library of Congress (http://www.loc.gov/index.html) = every web search reveals another aspect of LOC's diverse collection of information.  I am always surprised by what is contained in the Nation's unofficial national library.
American Library Association disaster response bibliography.
The Buffalo Sabres (http://sabres.nhl.com/) = I know, not legal and not library.  Oh well, HOCKEY SEASON IS ALMOST HERE!!!  Can you smell the ice?'
-and for my friends in Ontario-
The Toronto Maple Leafs (http://mapleleafs.nhl.com/)  
Let the season begin!  Go Sabres!

Podcast Anyone?

Today's assignment requires the addition of a podcast to a blog entry.  I am happy that I am not required to record my voice for this project.  Some days my voice sounds like a ten year-old boy and others it sounds like a sixty year-old smoker.  

I found a series of author interviews on the National Public Radio (npr) website.  The podcast/audio file that I chose to include in today's post is an author interview from the npr website (www.npr.org).  Christine Sismondo, the author of America Walks into a Bar, discusses the importance of colonial taverns during the Revolution.  If the enclosure link does not work you can access the interview at http://www.npr.org/2011/09/18/140442065/american-history-seen-through-a-shot-glass.   Sismondo also discusses other aspects of American history that were influenced by bars.  The article, American History, Seen Through a Shot Glass, can be viewed by clicking here.

Some of the npr audio files are lengthy, surpassing 15 minutes.  

I can see how bars and taverns are an important part of our past.  My grandfather owned a bar in the Buffalo region.  Family events were celebrated in Johnnie's Old Timer.  In Buffalo, families gather in bars after funerals, before weddings, or during baby showers (come on, folks, you know you have all sat at a bar and watched the Bills or Sabres while your partner was in the next room watching a mother-to-be rip open boxes of baby gear).  This is a topic I would love to explore this topic in depth: the connection between taverns and history, local or national.  I would like to know how Canada's history compares with the States and Western New York.

Today's link for the legal-minded reader:

The highest court in New York, The New York State Court of Appeals (http://www.courts.state.ny.us/) website includes decisions and oral argument webcasts.  Available archived webcasts include past oral arguments and lectures.

And for the non-laywer:

The New York State Department of Corrections (http://www.docs.state.ny.us/) provides in-depth agency-related coverage on its website.  Information is provided regarding inmates, facilities, visitors, and victims. 

The preview option of Blogger does not test links.  This entry was posted before final editing for testing purposes.

A Call for Aid!

This is a test of Blogger's photo-editing feature.  I was easily able to resize this photo in Blogger.  Please note that I remembered Super Why's cape.  Superheroes (except Spider Man) need a cape!

I have to figure out how to change the alignment of the photo without loosing the links in the caption.  Ideas, anyone?  Today's shout-out for volunteers is book related.  This is an event that is close to my heart.  My son and I make the annual trek to Henrietta, New York, for the Rochester Children's Book Festival (http://www.rochesterchildrensbookfestival.org/rcbf/Welcome.html).  In the past this event was the focus of a minivacation involving a hotel stay (must have a swimming pool and free breakfast!) and other local sites.  The Festival needs volunteers.  Just click on the Volunteer link at the top of the page if you are able to help out.

DSC02416, a photo by MiniXterra on Flickr.

For those of you unable to get a sitter (like me) I highly recommend attending this event.  It is all about books and children.  Meet the authors, get autographs, participate in workshops, or attend a reading.  Last year I realized too late that Yolen and Teague were autographing Spanish editions of their books as well as English editions.  This year I hope to find several titles in Spanish for donation to the local Outreach Committee.

Other folks in need include the public libraries in Schoharie County, NY.  Links and more information to follow.  I need to learn more before I can share with you.  Anyone with information for their County library and Court library please feel free to post it here!

Thanks!

Katie

The Power To Read

One of the reasons I am studying to become a librarian is because I believe in the power of reading. For two years my son dressed as Super Why for Halloween.  Super Why is Wyatt's alter-ego.  Super Why and his friends areSuper Readers.  They can found on PBS Kids. 

DSC02411, a photo by MiniXterra on Flickr.

The second Web 2.0 assignment called for the posting of library related pictures to students' blogs.  I could not think of anything that was more closely related to libraries than reading.  Reading is needed to access information in most print and electronic formats.  Usage of Web 2.0 tools may be cumbersome if a person cannot read.  

One scary thing I learned today involves location.  Flickr has an option for users to place a photo on a map.  I am thankful I do not use a camera phone.  If so, would Flickr automatically place the photos on the map according to their embedded geotags?  

Today's links are about literacy with just a touch of law. 

PBS Parents, Super Why parent and teachers website: http://www.pbs.org/parents/superwhy/

PBS Parents, Between the Lion parent and teachers website: http://www.pbs.org/parents/lions/ 

-One award-winning literacy volunteer that I spoke with recently stated that she regularly assigns this program to her adult reading students

Volunteer Opportunities:

Literacy Volunteers of Buffalo and Erie County: http://www.literacybuffalo.org/ 

Lawyers for Learning, Monroe County Bar Association:

 http://www.mcba.org/Educational/LawyersforLearning/

Is Lifelong Learning Hard?

I searched for the definition of lifelong learning.  The definitions were as varied as the number of hits in my search results.  My favorite, "continuing to acquire knowledge and skills, through both formal and informal education, throughout one's life" was found at the State of Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations website, http://www.careerkokua.org/glossary/, on Sept. 4, 2011.


I feel that the hardest thing about lifelong learning is realizing that we are responsible for our own learning opportunities.  A recent school assignment outlined several habits of lifelong learning.  Habit One is creating your goal.  Having goals is easy, achieving those goals is hard.  The second habit, accepting responsibility for your learning (first step to reaching your goals), is harder.  


For me, taking that first step in learning something new is the scariest habit to conquer.  I have to show up at class or I have to seek help from people in cyber world.  In other words, I have to put myself out there for others to see, hear, or encounter.  This is scary to me.  Once I accept that I have to take that step and initiate that habit, I am fine.  


The purchase of my Xterra provided the opportunities to work through the learning habits.  In addition, I had to discover new ways of using technology.  In 2002 I learned how to use website forums to seek knowledge regarding the proper use and maintenance of my truck.  Since then Web 2.0 has played a role, albeit a small one, in my learning experiences.  I  have been a reluctant W2.0 user.  I barely use my use my twitter account, I neglected my blog for a long time, and I have been remiss in learning to use other Web2.0 tools.

Kindergarten & Graduate School

I feel as though April 2010 was one or two lifetimes ago.  My husband's deployment overseas ended (Covert Operation), Pre-K and Kindergarten have passed, and I survived workplace layoffs.  I continue to be an Xterra-driving graduate school student who has neglected her truck the last year or so.  The Xterra needs mud and I need an off road adventure.


This semester I am taking the Introduction to Information Technology class.  It is my fourth library and information studies course.  This is my third school year working on the Masters in Library Sciences degree.  I may be sidetracked from the legal reference websites by Web 2.0 discoveries.  I will do my best to combine the two for your future use.


Current lifelong learning events outside of school include soccer, hockey, and Xterra body work. This summer I coached soccer, purchased hockey equipment for the first time, and discovered the need to learn about repairing rust damage on a vehicle.  Coaching was more fun than anticipated.  I learned not to take the competition aspect as seriously as the fun aspect of the game.  I managed to outfit my beginner hockey player for less than $200.  I learned that garage sales are a great source of used equipment.  Sellers were willing to share information with this ignorant hockey mom.  The Xterra has a rust spot that requires work before salt season (winter).  I also need to learn how to re-affix the ceiling cloth to the interior roof of the truck.
There is homework that needs completion.
  
One quick resource for you before I leave:
NOVELny (http://novelnewyork.org/)
New York Online Virtual Electronic Library
All you need is a library card or NYS driver license/non-driver ID number to access a wealth of resources including magazines, reference materials, newspapers, and maps.  Surf this site before you need it for a report or paper.  I have been accessing the provided databases for my schoolwork for nearly five years.  I doubt you will be disappointed.


Learning never ends!
Enjoy the Labor Day holiday!
Katie