Downloading Audio Files

These 9 sessions have been so very enjoyable - especially working with Kathy Morgan. She was always available to staff and shows a great interest in helping everybody. The downloading to the MP3 using NetLibrary was a little difficult but we did accomplish downloading one title. I thought the instructions could have been more detailed in all areas of downloading. There was so much information fed to us over this period of time; however, we never felt rushed. I commend Rebecca for bringing this to a very knowledge hungry staff. Thank you to the entire committee who made this possible. Can you recommend a small pouch that we could order to put all this little "stuff" in? What's next on the agenda?
Barb

@ Your Library STDL 24/7

@Your Library

I can see the benefits of having the digital branch. Opportunities for listening and reading any way possible are plentiful for STDL patrons and staff. I would most likely not read an ebook. I find holding and reading a book much more enjoyable.

Exploring Schaumburg Township is always interesting. I found the following groups very informative and useful.
1) The entire site of the Schaumburg Community Garden Club is extremely well done, loaded with great information. Garden Talk newsletter needs to be updated – much too old.
2) Schaumburg Township District Library Genealogy Program needs a small blurb added. It doesn’t seem complete.
3) Happy Hands China Painting Art Guild is a club that I just submitted and hopefully will be placed on the website. It is a great pass time and recognized as a “lost art” today. It would be a nice addition under the subject heading ART.

Schaumburg Township’s History is quite interesting. Here are the answers to part B:
1) St. John’s Lutheran Church is on Rodenburg Road and is still existence.
2) Wihelmina Farm Peony field (Redeker)
3) On March 8, 1964, a DC-3 crashed into a home at 112 Arlington St., Hoffman Estates, IL.

Here are the answers to Part C:
1) The antique pincushion in the shape of a roller skate sold for $402 on 9/4/2004.
2) The items to teach aunty a lesson were pine needles and crabs inside her bag.
3) On 4/9/2002, Brad & Suzy Chestler paid $2,025,500.00 for their home in Long Grove.

Oops, I did not do a live chat with a reference librarian. I asked for the answer via e-mail since that was one of the options. See answer below. Sorry I really wanted it in writing since it is so well defined this way. Do I still qualify for the MP3 or do you still want me to do a live chat?

Question that was sent via e-mail:

Why is the art of china painting considered a craft?
The Art Institute of Chicago claims it is not recognized as an art, only a craft. I wonder whether this form of artwork will ever be recognized as an art. Can you define their reasoning further? My feeling is that we china painting artists still use the basic art principles of drawing, design and composition, balance, color theory, value, intensity and texture just as much as any other artist with skills in oils, watercolors, etc.
Thank you,
Barb Marik

Your Answer from theSchaumburg Township District Library Reference Desk .

To answer that question I feel we could only provide you with some definitions of each term as per the art reference books. Perhaps those definitions will cast some light on the logic behind their reasoning.

Craft: Craft must involve the application of a technique. The word is from the German Kraft, which simply means power or ability. Craft involves technique but not necessarily mechanical technology. Craft implies the application of human intelligence and usually when we use the word we have in mind the application of the human hand.

Art: It is difficult to find an agreed upon definition of the word "Art" - since such definitions are very subjective in nature. Generally art is regarded as a (product of) human activity, made with the intention of stimulating the human senses as well as the human mind; by transmitting emotions and/or ideas.

I hope this helps, and for what it's worth - I agree with you!
Regards,
Helen, Reference

Thank you for contacting the Reference Desk.
Schaumburg Township District Library130 South Roselle RoadSchaumburg, IL 60193
Reference Desk - (847) 923-3322 TDD - (847) 985-1462
STDL 24/7
Wherever you are...you’re at the library
Welcome to the Schaumburg Township District Library’s NEW digital branch: STDL 24/7! At STDL 24/7 you may enjoy great books and find useful information from the comfort of your home or office —24 hours a day, 7 days a week! Listen to a bestseller, read a book on your computer, ask a question, manage your library account, and more.
http://www.stdl.org/stdl247.asp

NOTICE WARNING CONCERNING COPYRIGHT RESTRICTIONS
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specific conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement.

MySpace

MySpace, one of the marvels in this computerized world. How fortunate the young people are today. I can't even compare my childhood to the kids of today. I was lucky to have a pen pal and then that was even questioned. However, I was fortunate to be involved in many volunteer organizations which helped me develop relationships with both adults and people my own age. It was an experience not equal to what the young people have today; however, I feel my experiences were more meaningful. Not too many young people are exposed to these opportunities that I took for granted. Today, the young people almost force their parents to keep up with new technological advances. It appears with MySpace, the young people are too secluded, staying in front of that computer too many hours and making decisions that become part of our public and permanent record. Perhaps it has its advantages; however, I do not see the purpose. Todays teens are facing an array of ethical challenges. It is a good thing that organizations like the MacArthur Foundation are involved in its development by helping the parent, teacher, student work through some of these issues and make sensible decisions about how they conduct themselves online.

Compliments to Amy Alessio and Joe Torres for the development of STDL's MySpace. It is colorful and perhaps useful to today's teens. It is much more attactive than the MySpace page for Charlotte-Mecklenburg. There appears to be a lot of useful information - like social networking, linking classrooms around the country and around the world, getting kids from different cultural background to share their everyday experiences with each other and learning to communicate across differences. These are positive results that I see happening. I am pleased to see ILA heavily involved by education and promoting safe use of the Internet. It is obvious that there should be more public discussion of the opportunities and risks represented by MySpace and other social networks.

Wikimania

After visiting the three Wiki sites, I would most likely use the Wikipedia site. This is a site I have used in the past and found the information to be accurate. That is due to the fact that the information is cited. Information is unique whereby allowing open editing. The searching possibilities are endless and wonderful and many times historical - making it so very interesting. WikiHow is very good as well since it is a how-to manual. Wikipaint is nice for those with the creative touch. I look forward to creating a Wiki on the library site and write about the AV department. It is quite interesting to be notified immediately when corrections are made to my STDL Wiki text.

These are my comments under The History of STDL - STDL's Wiki page:

n 1972, the Central library created an Audiovisual Department which was housed in a very small area near the Reference Department in our former building on Library Lane. The department owned a small collection of records, cassettes and sheet music. By the early 1980's, the Audiovisual Department moved to the lower level in an area that was once used by the Technical Services Department. Then in 1987, an addition to the Central Library was completed and a new department was created for audiovisual items. AV experienced quite a growth spurt and in that 11-year period added eight new formats. They included videos, music CD's, laser discs, software and CD-ROM products, audiobooks on cassette and compact discs. In 1995, a referendum was approved for the construction of the new Central Library. Groundbreaking for the new library took place in April 1997 and after 17 months of construction, the new Schaumburg Township District Central Library was opened. Audiovisual moved into an 11,000 square foot area. When we opened the doors of the Central Library September 13, 1998, we introduced 100 titles of our newest format, the Digital Versatile Disk (DVD). As of this writing, AV now has 23 different material types.

The Library has significantly invested in the decor of the AV Department. The walls are decorated with large murals by Skyline Design which depict five classic movies. We worked very closely with Paul Hickman, Skyline's project manager for the Library. Twenty-four pictures of recording stars grace the walls. Allen Vuchetich of Chicago, Illinois made these pictures available to us. Many years ago, Mr. Vuchetich started collecting 35mm film from old studios that had either thrown them out or sold them in huge lots at auction when they began to liquidate. Some of these transparencies have never been published and images like the Streisand, Hitchcock and Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra just stand on their own as stunning images of an era long gone. Completing the decor are ten instruments supplied by Jim Walsh from Karnes Music of Elk Grove Village, Illinois. The library's Audiovisual Department has a lot to offer both for leisure and education. We like to capitalize on our collection by highlighting our display areas. This practice contributes and accounts for about 48% of the total library circulation.

Podcasting Fun

There is so much to learn in so little time. Podcasting has opened up a whole new world of fun and excitement for me. I already feel like a sponge and now this just blows my mind. Never realizing all of this information is available, how does one find the time to absorb all of this during the day. It is already creeping into my sleep time!

Here are three podcasts that I found rather interesting:

1) Kankakee Public Library: A podcast interview with former governor George Ryan and his wife Lura Lynn Ryan. It took 20 minutes to hear how Mrs. Ryan raised funding to restore the Illinois Governors Mansion in Springfield. Mrs. Ryan authored the book "At Home with Illinois Governors: A Social History of the Illinois Executive Mansion." They discussed what it was like to live in the historic Springfield mansion and what went into creating this commemorative book. Cost of the book is $50 and is available to schools, libraries, etc.
2) National Library of Medicine: This podcast discussed various health issues - one of interest was about skin cancer and what to do to protect the skin at all times.
3) Smithsonian Folkways Recordings: This podcast series of 24 one-hour programs explores the remarkable collection of music, spoken word, and sound recordings that make up Folkways Records - now at the Smithsonian as Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. The music of modern day giants like Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and Ani Difranco are interwoven with original Folkways recordings to demonstrate the lasting legacy that Folkways Records has had on popular music. It continues on to look at how Folkways artists have used music as an instrument for social activism, focuses on musicians whose songs inspired those struggling for improved working conditions, wages, the civil rights struggle, especially through the ten year period between 1955 and 1965, the struggle for equality by American women, and music of World War II, etc. Wonderful series!

My InnerTube YouTube

This was most enjoyable. There was so much to look at and to hear educationally. The three winners and the most enjoyable in the order mentioned are:

1) Czech National Library
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVY29aZuTbQ
This was absolutely amazing and interesting. The Czech National Library started scanning 13 century treasures. Eighteen national libraries including France, England, Spain and new member states are cooperating to create a European digital library. The average book takes one week to complete. They are hoping to scan 6 million books by 2010. Problems are apparent due to financing, copyright and different legislation in various European states. Europeans do not care to accept private contributions as we have become accustomed to here in the United States. Only 1% of old manuscripts have been scanned European wide so far. Very educational and worth a watch.

2) The Harold Washington Library Center
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZBHTLvLp5w
Recognized as the largest public library on our planet, Chicago's Harold Washington Public Library is located south of the Chicago loop on Congress and State Street. It is 10 stories high with 3/4 million square feet under roof. Just one floor alone is devoted to the children's collection which includes restrooms and their own circulation department. The Harold Washington Public Library has 80 branches scattered throughout the Chicago land area.

3) Google Doodles
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCaJ0wYMBMw
This one is fun and from the Google Doodles library. This site shows some of the Google Doodles we have become so familiar with. The artwork is brilliant and to think that one man gets paid for doing such fun work.

I enjoyed viewing the many library videos that appeared on YouTube. STDL would benefit by creating a video tour of our lovely state-of-the-art library. Many behind the scene areas could be considered to make the video as interesting as possible. Staff with strong language skills and pleasant voices should be considered to conduct the tour. With so many staff members, we would hope there are those talented in theatrics, photography, the arts, etc. to get the best results possible.

STDL Audiovisual Department

This is the STDL Audiovisual Department photographed showing the south wall of the department. When walking into this area, most patrons feel like they are in a large Blockbuster. It is a very popular department with much activity planned throughout the year. Come visit us soon for a thrill of a lifetime.