First and foremost:
We're so thankful to all of you, our readers, those who have been following us for two years and those who have found us recently. Your support on our blog and our social media accounts keep us going! We wouldn't be here, if it wasn't for you. Thank you!Jess B., Library/Social Media Consulting
Jess blogs about social media, marketing, technology, helpful librarian tips and tricks, and Teen Librarianship. She started this blog two years ago and will forever be grateful that Allie and Kat decided to join the blogging team. You, Ladies, are rock stars!
1. Hoopla
Over the year, I've become a huge fan of Hoopla. My favorite way of reading is audio books, but I usually end up having to go on wait lists for the books. When they finally are available, I don't have time to actually listen to them. Hoopla allows me to avoid that problem. They have a huge variety of content that is available for immediate download and it's rocking my world. Now that I don't work daily in libraries anymore, having this online service from my home library has been invaluable.2. Trello
My goal this year is to organize my life so that I can better stay on top of everything. Trello, a free online organize program, has been instrumental with keeping everything on track. I developed a system where I have a list for every month of reoccurring events and tasks, and deadlines of when I should get them. Now that I can see the whole year in one view, I can tackle projects in a better timely manner and hence, much less stress. (I also mentioned I use this to help keep my email inbox low, moving tasks from email to Trello.) I plan to write about this system in a future post, stay tuned!3. Children's Department
I'm so thankful for all of the Children's Departments in libraries. My daughter loves visiting them, picking out books, playing with the toys, and meeting new friends. We check out so many books that I had to create a shelf in my bookcase to keep track of them all (and had to learn to renew them all at the same time to keep track of due dates). I know it isn't an easy job, but we so very much appreciate all of you!Kat E., Assistant Director/Youth Services Librarian
Kat blogs about marketing, databases, programming, hot library topics, and Children's and Teen Librarianship.
1. Ingram Program Lists
I've recently started a new position that encompasses children's services, teen services, and a bit of management. I've done this before, but this time I don't have a staff to delegate to! No complaints, but I am a busy lady. I haven't really had as much time for flipping through Booklist and Kirkus reviews as I'd like - but I do have Ingram Program Lists, which is a compilation of new releases that have gotten good reviews, placed into a cart for me to peruse when I have time. I can quickly browse and easily decide which books to order with a few clicks. It's a huge time (and sanity) saver!2. OverDrive
This is somewhat more personal than professional for me (though I talk it up all the time, to the occasional dismay of people I meet at parties). I've had a fairly long commute, and the fact that I can download an audiobook and plug my phone into the jack in my car is amazing. No more fumbling with CDs or uploading things to an iPod, no more pressure of looking through the stacks, trying to find something interesting - I go to the app, browse by whatever genre I'm in the mood for, filter by "available now," and pick something. When I go to the gym, I can bring it with me. If I'm in the mood for a print book, I can do that too (I read a lot in bed at night with the lights off, so I can unwind before unplugging for the night). It's super Librarian of me to say, but I am extremely grateful to have OverDrive in my life.
