Pen and Paper

The Spartanburg Herald-Journal ran a story on documents located during the move of the Holcombe/Bomar Law Firm move. Not just documents. The first ever documentation of the beginning of library services in Spartanburg. Click here for the article. Here are some pictures the Herald did not run.

Speaking of Technology

You have got to see this news story from a station in Canada. This story originally aired in 1993. Now through the magic of YouTube, you can view it as well. Interesting to think that in 1993 there were 15 million Internet users and today well over 1 Billion.

Technology and Change

I cannot say whether things will get better if we change; what I can say is they must change if they are to get better. --Georg Christoph Lichtenberg

This is an interesting quote from an 18th century German scientist. What would he think today? Change is hard and at times change comes at a rapid pace. We, like others, struggle to stay on the curve. And yes, there are times we may be so far behind that we don't even see the curve.

I think libraries that pride themselves on being ahead of the curve on all fronts all the time increase the risk of foolishly spending the public's money. Some folks have heard the stories of how the Spartanburg Library chose not to embrace Beta and 8-Track tapes. It was determined by staff that these formats may not have value. Interestingly, we were criticized for not having 8-Tracks in our collection. In the end, history proved that 8-Track and Beta were not supported by the market.

This week two changes for the Library came our way. First, the bandwidth supporting our connection to the Internet was increased from 3 megs to 10 megs. Now, I am not an expert nor do I claim to be one, but my understanding is that we could have up to 100 megs depending on the time of day and use. The outcome is a faster connection to the Internet.

Two, we added PC management software. This addition will reduce staff's involvement and allow patrons more control over their Internet sessions. The name of the product is SAM.

We will have to work through any "glitches", but in the end, we will be better suited to serve the public. This week's steps pulled us closer to the curve, but they do not put us on the curve. I will keep you posted as we continue to look ahead.

Winnie Retires

What kind of name is Winnie? The name itself conjurs up a vision of cute and cuddly Winnie the Pooh. Not Winnie the Scribe of Death.

After 20 years Winnie has retired. Our director of marketing and development has decided to slow down. I will miss her. Today, the Spartanburg Herald-Journal tells the story of how Winnie became the scribe of death. Go here.

What would Christopher Robin think?

A Wedding in the Swamp

Some creative folks have decided to coordinate a wedding in the swamp. If you are familiar with the Cottonwood Trail then you may have heard about the wetlands. Well, Leah Brown with Hub-Bub, has constructed a wedding in the swamp - titled Scarecrow Wedding. See map and photos below. This is a fun exhibition and a great reason to get outdoors!

The Beatles' 1964 British Invasion

Today I learned something. Nothing earth shattering---just new. I did not know that you could not legally download Beatles music. It seems that Apple and the Beatles have reached a deal. For the story, Will the Beatles go digital at last?, is located on the BBC News site. From the article, "The Beatles have held back on new music technology in the past - making fans wait until 1986 before they released their albums on CD - but they are now the last major act to abstain from the digital market."

It was on this date in 1964 that the Beatles invaded America. We have seen the Ed Sullivan Show clip before, but have you ever seen the :28 promo Beatles promo prior to the show? Of course, you may find it on YouTube. It's kind of funny. Click here: NBC Promo. Click here for the actual Ed Sullivan Show segment.

For the "official" Beatles web site visit: http://www.beatles.com/ . There are Podcasts, interviews, videos, games and tons of information. Under "The Music" click on "Albums" for a cool visual presentation of their albums.

Note: The Beatles are highly protective of their images. My sincerest apologies for any perceived infringement.

Super Bowl Sunday

Today the Colts and the Bears face off in Super Bowl XLI (41). For folks who like stuff like this I am pointing you to the Super Bowl History page. Statistics, collectibles, team information, etc. Tonight we should actually have a good game. Colts are favored by 7.