Google Search

 I don't think we will ever get away from retrieving thousands of results when using Google, but we can definitely use some tricks to sift through our results. Here is a table I put together for the reference department at Denver Public Library, a list of tricks/advanced commands to help retrieve better results. Many of these commands also cross over into Bing and Yahoo. 

Added Tips:

+      Instructs Google to retrieve pages with the exact word specified
        ex: +word

~      Instructs Google to look for synonyms
        ex: ~word

" "     Instructs Google to search words together rather than separately
        ex: "word/s"

Happy Searching!

My Library Story

My mother introduced me to libraries at the age of five. Every week my mother took my brother, two sisters, and I to pick up a collection of books to read so when we finished we received in exchange a happy meal gift certificate to Mc Donalds. My mother a single parent in the 80s worked very hard to give us an excellent education (something she never had), a roof over our heads, clothes on our back, and food in our mouths. The children's reading program at our local library was a godsend in tough times. I'm sure us reading and smiling as we ate those French fries made her heart melt. Education and food for her children her personal dream.

Her educational dream as a child growing up in the 50's did not go too well. Segregation, racism, and conventional ideologies about women were hot topics in southern California like the rest of the country and like many Mexican parents who grew out of this era she instilled her dreams on us creatively molding us hoping for us to receive a college education. We fulfilled her personal dreams when she listened to us read as kids and later when she witnessed her first daughter (me) graduate from high school. I then made her spill the beans over when I decided to go off to college! "Oh mija! I will pay for you to go to school!" she said. In which I replied, "Mom, I qualify for financial aid." "Oh mija, then I will buy your books!"

And there I was a college student studying history searching for personal meaning to my experience in this world. Everyday I visited the university library, a very different library from what I grew up with. Four stories high, computers galore, an archive, and stacks upon stacks of books... I was in heaven. History was the perfect degree for me. I loved the library.

Something about the library calms me. Maybe it's the vast amount of information in between the library walls, the smell of coffee lingering in the air, the quiet whispers in every room, the flow of people just like me in search of the perfect book, or the constant familiar faces. All I know is this is where I blossomed into the library lover I am today.

When I graduated my mom did not hesitate to remind the family I was the first in our whole entire Mexican family to graduate with a Bachelors degree. When I told my mom I wanted to go to grad school to become a librarian, she practically filled out my college applications. I made my mom the happiest mom in the world and mom I could not have done it without you. Your dream is now my dream come true. I am passionate about libraries. I love what they offer and I support them 100%! Thank you! They have provided me with the most fundamental skills to read, learn and grow. My goal and passion is to work hard and provide what libraries have always given to me, you and others... educational freedom. Thanks Mom! I love and miss you!

eBook User's Bill of Rights

The eBook User’s Bill of Rights is a statement of the basic freedoms that should be granted to all eBook users.

The eBook User’s Bill of Rights

Every eBook user should have the following rights:

• the right to use eBooks under guidelines that favor access over proprietary limitations
• the right to access eBooks on any technological platform, including the hardware and software the user chooses
• the right to annotate, quote passages, print, and share eBook content within the spirit of fair use and copyright
• the right of the first-sale doctrine extended to digital content, allowing the eBook owner the right to retain, archive, share, and re-sell purchased eBooks
• I believe in the free market of information and ideas.

I believe that authors, writers, and publishers can flourish when their works are readily available on the widest range of media. I believe that authors, writers, and publishers can thrive when readers are given the maximum amount of freedom to access, annotate, and share with other readers, helping this content find new audiences and markets. I believe that eBook purchasers should enjoy the rights of the first-sale doctrine because eBooks are part of the greater cultural cornerstone of literacy, education, and information access.

Digital Rights Management (DRM), like a tariff, acts as a mechanism to inhibit this free exchange of ideas, literature, and information. Likewise, the current licensing arrangements mean that readers never possess ultimate control over their own personal reading material. These are not acceptable conditions for eBooks.

I am a reader. As a customer, I am entitled to be treated with respect and not as a potential criminal. As a consumer, I am entitled to make my own decisions about the eBooks that I buy or borrow.

I am concerned about the future of access to literature and information in eBooks. I ask readers, authors, publishers, retailers, librarians, software developers, and device manufacturers to support these eBook users’ rights.

These rights are yours. Now it is your turn to take a stand. To help spread the word, copy this entire post, add your own comments, remix it, and distribute it to others. Blog it, Tweet it (#ebookrights), Facebook it, email it, and post it on a telephone pole.

To the extent possible under law, the person who associated CC0 with this work has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this work.

Sharing is caring

Last night I attended a virtual LIS networking workshop hosted by my school San Jose State University. The workshop was so insightful I thought it nice of me to share some of the key points and tips with you.

Steps to Networking
1. Find a strategy
* Whatever works best for your personality
2. Make a connection
* Introduce yourself
* Give out a business card
* Exchange emails
* Attend professional happy hours
3. Build a relationship
BY
4. Cultivating the relationship
AND
5. Taking action and following through

Tips for Networking and Cultivating the Relationship
1. Use Linkedin or Facebook
2. Meet for coffee
3. Attend a conference
4. Send a job lead or an interesting article
5. Send a quick email
6. Keep in touch with all contacts at an internship, not just with the supervisor
7. Stay in touch with librarians you meet when volunteering and other awesome people
8. Follow through, and take initiative
9. Keep track of all who interview you and send thank you letters

Don't know how to go about introducing yourself to someone, the 15 second pitch can help you set up an introduction. Also, check these websites out for more information on networking:
Job Networking Tips
Networking tips: How to work a room
Job Search Networking
ALA's Job List Guide: How do I Network?

Have any other helpful resources or ideas?

LIS Bloggers

If you're a library student, librarian, or library enthusiast and want to learn and join the conversation amongst us library folk, check out some blogs I've been following!

Librarian Blogs
In the Library with a Lead Pipe
iLibrarian
Agnostic, Maybe
Librarian by Day
Swiss Army Librarian
Librarian in Black
Libraries and Transliteracy

Library Student Blogs
Library Moth
Hack Library School
AnthroArchivist
I Found Myself in the Library
Lauren in Libraryland
Julia's Library Research Blog

Reader's Advisory Blogs
Early Word
Nancy Pearl's Book Lust

If you have any recommendations, send them my way!

Back seat library student

Until very recently I have been a backseat student. Meaning I went to school, did what was asked of me academically, and breathed. I signed up to volunteer at my local community hub, the Denver Public Library; I subscribed to the American Library Association and a few professional blogs; and just sat and read. Then!

I read this, Open Thread Thursday: Library School at Agnostic, Maybe which led me to this website Hack Library School. Whoa! Was my first impression, a very similar feeling to when walking into a dark room alone and out comes 20 shouts of SURPRISE!!!!!!!! I’m not alone?

Are you seriously asking me what I would hack out of my program? Are you seriously challenging me? Are you asking to hear my voice? Well then let me begin on what I would do different if it were up to me to rewrite the curriculum at San Jose State University...

1. I would definitely hack out the course requirements to enter the internship program. According to my LIS program, students are not allowed to apply for internships using the SJSU internship website until they have finished the 4 required core courses plus three electives. Due to this stupid guideline I lost an internship opportunity. Even though I met the requirements for the internship position, the hiring librarian had to politely decline me because my internship advisor would not give me a waiver. How does a professorate who teaches librarianship allow this to happen? If students meet the internship requirements, let them fly!

2. A healthy balance between theory and practical skills. While I thank all my professors for giving me the skills in librarianship, I feel I lack the theoretical aspect of librarianship. I am finding more and more LIS blogs attacking the theoretical topics and I feel I have lost my voice while working on my skills.

3. Collaboration between librarians and library students off campus. There is a lack of mentoring at the beginning stages. LIS schools should encourage librarians to mentor LIS students. I think this is imperative and librarians should be discussing issues, experiences, and skill sets with students to learn from one another.

These proposals come from my experience as a library student and like many of my online student colleagues have discussed over at Hack Library School, we need to collaborate, open up discussion to new ideas, and take initiative.

No longer will I be a backseat library student or future librarian. I am opening up my personal blog to discuss my experiences as a student and future librarian, and anything library related. I am not really sure what direction I am headed for, all I know is, I will be driving.

My user experience of the Kindle 3G

This past Christmas I received the most unexpected gift, a kindle with a gift card attached. It sat on my desk for a bit unopened. Every so often I stared at it and wondered is it really time for me to enter the digital world of books??? I, like many other hand held book people prefer to turn pages and physically hold a book. Well, this all changed when I finally decided to open the box and give it a test run. I am after all a soon-to-be librarian who should embrace technological innovation and be open to trying new technologies, right?
I unpackaged the very nice hand held device and plugged it in. After my Kindle charged, I read the instructions, went onto Amazon.com and purchased my very first book Decision Points by George W. Bush. I received it in less than two minutes! A huge plus. Having used my Kindle for a few weeks, I felt it was time to share with y'all my Kindle experience…
Pros:
1. Smooth, light, and easy to hold hand held device.
2. Access to an electronic dictionary while you read, very nice.
3. Screen is easy to read and not bright at all whatsoever, reads like a book.
4. Allows you to create and view bookmarks, notes, and highlights.
5. Supports PDF files with limitations.
6. Reader secrecy: know body knows what you are reading.
Cons:
1. Kindle Terms of Service does not allow me to borrow books from my library…A big boo!
2. The page numbers are whacky, rather than 1-300, pages have this notation 3935-43. Not cool.
3. You have to sync the furthest page read or else it returns you to your last bookmark after navigating away from the book. I much rather prefer a one step button to press automatically marking the last page I read.

I have yet to download a PDF file for I am a new Kindle user, and even though I am unable to borrow a library e-book, I still love my new gadget. Yay, for technology!
FYI, Project Gutenberg has free e-books you can download not only onto your Kindle but also iPad, Nook, Android, iphone, or ipod! Check it!

Crow Pass, Alaska

Here are some photos from a backpacking trip Alex, Trixie, and I took with our friends Kate and Rodney.

For Information about this trail click here:
Crow Pass Trail
Crow Pass Cabin
Visitor Guide Anchorage through Fairbanks

roadin'

My plan was to keep a daily journal during my 3 month road trip, but as we can see that did not work out too well. Internet is not very accessible on a daily basis while driving, camping, and hiking as I should have guessed, but then again all my assumptions about this trip proved me wrong. Like how many clothes I thought I would need, how much I believed trixie (my dog) loved road trips, and my fearlessness of bears to name a few. But then again that is why we travel, right? To learn by experience, to see the unseen, and to discover more about who we are...

So here are some things Alex and I learned while on this journey to Alaska...

1. The first applies to solely me: Do not bring a suitcase full of clothes.
2. Make sure to always travel with plenty of water, like a 5 gallon jug.
3. Make sure the truck's camper you might be sleeping in is water tight before leaving on a trip.
4. Do not give your dog Benadryl, even if the vet recommends it.
5. Make sure to pack your hiking boots first!
6. Do not expect to find a coastal campsite on a summer weekend along Washington, Oregon, and California!
7. Do not bring ANY cookbooks.
8. Avoid dirt roads unless you do not mind dust all over your stuff.
9. When it rains take advantage of dirt roads.
10. Make sure to bring mosquito coils.
11. Pack Uno and Scrabble and any other games you might fancy.
12. Always have extra batteries for lantern and headlamps.
13. Always bring wipes they are super handy.
14. Think more than twice about taking your dog on extended road trips.
15. Do not let your dog drink from puddles, streams, or lakes.
16. If your dog poops four times a day make sure to always carry poop bags.
17. Stock up on Starbucks instant coffee it is great for backpacking.
18. Bring plenty of firewood and water on the Denali Highway.
19. In National Forests you can camp for free along the road, excluding major highways.
20. Driving to Alaska is an awesome experience.

A ship about to sail...

Two more days and I will be leaving for Alaska. As of now I am cleaning up what will soon be another apartment I left to go and see the world. I am excited. Driving up to Alaska has been a dream and I am finally making that dream come true. Alex and I are driving his truck, Betsy, and my dog Trixie will be joining us too. It will be the three of us and together we will travel at least 7 thousand miles.

So many have asked what I will be doing up there and where I will stay. Others ask why Alaska, while others warn me of mosquitoes, and others tell me their stories. Here is my reason...

I love the rugged outdoors.

A velcro chandelier? Awesome!

I think this is really neat when artists use obscure objects, like velcro to create art. This artist/designer is Rachel O'neill from Ireland. I love her inspiration: the ocean.

Animals by Joshua Chavira

This is my nephew Joshua's first drawing on canvas.

When Joshua comes over to visit the first two things he does is one look to see if there are candies where I usually store the sweet stuff, and two, walks straight over to where I keep my marker collection. After grabbing his markers of choice, he then asks for paper to draw on only this time Auntie Gloria handed him a canvas for experimentation. While his art may look like scribbles to any ordinary person, it is actually the exact opposite. Here he used his unique mind, left hand, and big heart to draw all the animals he loves. When asked who he was going to give this beautiful picture to he said, "to you tia." Slowly he is decorating my apartment and I love collecting his pieces.

Psalm 23:4

"Even when I walk through a dark valley, I fear no harm for you are at my side"

*This photo was taken while hiking a trail off ortega highway in Southern California.

If there is a heaven I hope to see you there grandma

stretch those lips and show those teeth

changing the world one smile at a time.

my be continued...

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
-Mark Twain

point vicente

Exploring Palos Verdes. To learn more click here:
Palos Verdes Penninsula
Palos Verdes Wiki Travel Guide

i love hiking for many reasons and this is one of them!

The views along the coast in Palos Verdes, California are sensational especially on beautiful clear days like this.

goodbye 2009, hello 2010!

What a great year! I started grad school, I turned 30, I took a few awesome road trips, I learned a lot about me, and my year once again ended nicely.

Hola Amigos!