Feeding frenzy...

So...week 3 has been all about RSS feeds and they have certainly lived up to their name - they really are simple! (Really Simple Syndication - get it?!) I found setting up my Google Reader account very easy and have no doubt spent far more time than I really should have exploring the wonderful world of blogging.

I've been following some of the other '23 things' participants' blogs right from the beginning so they were immediately added to my Reader. I've also subscribed to a selection of library related blogs, my friend's blog from her year abroad in Russia and a couple of fun blogs too.

I like things to be organised so I decided to manage my subscriptions by creating 3 folders in the left hand sidebar; one for '23 Things' blogs, one with the fantastically original name 'Library Stuff' for, you guessed it, library stuff! and one unimaginatively named 'personal' for everything else.

This is what my amazing Google Reader page looks like:

Stunning, isn't it?! I have to say I am slightly saddened that there's no customising options beyond folder creating. I think the Reader needs more colour but that's probably just me & my obsession with customising everything in sight!

Also I should mention that in my messing around with the settings on Google Reader I discovered (under the deceptive title 'Goodies') that I could add my Reader to my iGoogle page so I can see updated blogs at a glance - very useful.

I'll round off this post by leaving a few words of wisdom from a blog I've newly discovered called 'A Librarian's Guide to Etiquette'...

Office supplies, Hoarding

Hoard office supplies in your desk and filing cabinets. Some day you may find yourself needing to dispose of a patron's body and all that library mailing tape and bubble wrap will come in handy. Just remember, it takes A LOT of paper clips stuffed in a person's pockets to make them sink to the bottom of the river.

Tissues at the reference desk, Supplying

Do not keep toilet paper at the reference desk. It's tacky. Toilet paper is for use at the toilet. The reference desk can be bad, but it's no toilet. Class things up a bit by buying a generic box of Kleenex. The ones in the floral box. If you really want to show the patrons that you care, splurge and get the ones with lotion. Are you crafty?
Crochet a Kleenex-cozy to keep those tissues warm and comfortable. Just be sure to color coordinate it with your library's decor. Nothing ruins a good nose-blow like a mismatched tissue-box cover.

Monograph, On calling a book a

If you want to sound like a library scientist, use the word monograph instead of the word book. The word book is very pedestrian, and shows little understanding of the complexities of our great profession.