a footnote to my post about - Are the knitters in your library treated like makers?

In my post  Are the knitters in your library treated like makers? I was focusing on the in library makers.  I should not have left out a mention of the connections between Ravelry and Trove which are well described at Trove users still crafty.  This is an exciting link bringing the makers and the historic patterns together and resulting in new made objects all over the work=ld.  To see photographs of some of the projects click on the project column in this link from Ravelry. The Land also is mentioned.

Interesting use of Instagram by the artist Alasdair Thomson

An article called Airy Dresses Carved From Marble by Alasdair Thomson highlights the interesting sculpture being done by this artist.
A link in the article takes you to his Instagram account which shows some behind the scenes photographs. This is an interesting way of exploring the art, and something to consider for people being featured at your library - if they have Instagram or Flickr accounts.  The Flickr account of Beastman shows how a different artist is recording his work

Signage at the Opera House, Sydney - about Google indoors maps

Signage at the Opera House, Sydney - about their maps, a photo by ellen forsyth on Flickr.

I was interested to learn that these maps were in use here. It was great to see them being promoted so that people found out about them. There was also a promotion for free wifi, to make it easier for people to use the maps.

tor.com rereading and rewatching

I follow Tor.com on twitter and their blog. They also have a range of short fiction and exerpts which is an excellent way to discover new writers.  Within their blog their have a collection of feature series which are detailed rereading and rewatching of series.  For example there has been a reread of the work of Patrick Rothfuss, a read of Ice and fire, and a re-watch of Star Trek Deep space nine.  As you can tell these are not short works being reread/rewatched.

I have looked at the rereading and rewatching in the past as I think it is an excellent resource for readers advisory staff, especially those who do not read science fiction, fantasy and some horror (as well as for for those who do).  These rereads and rewatching bring detailed analysis in a very readable format.  This material could help with suggestions for clients, as well as collection purchases.  They also allow you to work out the different appeal characteristics and doorways into a work without having to read it.  They also could be interesting tie ins for library services and programs, or even something keen readers are directed to as a referral point.

Until now I have not participated in a reread, mainly because I was often reading or watching things for the first time when the reread was happening.  As you can tell by this I am often a long way behind in my reading.

I have decided to change this pattern, by reading along in the Harry Potter reread.  I am enjoying it so far after one blog post and reading one chapter (and yes it is really a reread for me).

Twitter and society - a review

Twitter and Society by Katrin Weller
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It is written to explore the outcomes of different analysis of twitter use and what this can tell us. There are topics ranging from sport, and disasters to journalism and scholarly communication.

Each chapter summary is written as a tweet, complete with relevant hashtags. Most of the writing is collaborative and the majority of authors have twitter accounts which are listed as part of their details at the end of the book.

I am interested in twitter analytics for some of the work that I do and read this book to help my thinking about this. It did. Some of the chapters were very entertaining, and there are many references to follow up. There are parts I will need to reread, but I look forward to to this.

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It's complicated : the social life of networked teens

It's Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens by Danah Boyd
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The title sums up the content really well. It is an entertaining and evidence based approach exploring how US teenagers use social media. The information is from research over several years. The specific social media may have changed (Myspace is frequently referenced) but the principles remain the same. It is significant that it is US based research, some of the issues explored will look a little different in other countries. It is a fast read, and people working with teenagers (as well as parents) could benefit from reading it. There are helpful references to other associated research. It is a fast paced and engaging read. Many of the elements of the work may be able to be extrapolated to other use of social media.

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