I’M STILL HERE!

The library has become my second home these days….

It seems like I have fallen off the edge of the blogging universe, but I am just bogged down with school work. There are about 4 weeks left in the semester so that means it’s crunch time for me! I am still reading but not as much as I was last semester. Lots of exciting things have happened and I would really love to tell you about them in a separate post but, alas, I am too busy. So I will just give you brief, exciting clips of information here:

Each year the ALA student chapter picks a representative from each library school to participate in the ALA Annual Conference. I applied and got accepted, so I will be in Chicago from June 27th until July 2nd! I’ll be working a couple of hours each day with the folks at YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) and the rest of my time I will be attending conference meetings and such. I am really excited! Is anyone else going? Shoot me an email and we can coordinate a meet-up!
I got a part-time job at a local library working in their Youth Services department. I am VERY excited about this. For the past semester I have applied to jobs non-stop and haven’t come out with much luck. Getting the call about this job was a blessing because it’s the area I want to work in!
Another local library is opening a teen center (FINALLY!) in the main branch and I have applied for an internship there. I am not sure how this is going to work out since I applied for the internship BEFORE I applied for the job. There might be some cutting that needs to happen there

As you guys can see my summer is going to be BUSY! Of course, I am still pretty active on all my social media outlets. Some more than others, but you can get social with me here. That’s all the time I have today. It’s time to hit the (text)books again…

How is everyone else doing?

Jayla

Get Social with LadyBlueJay!

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I’ve been trying to think of ways to get more social in terms of my blog. As of now LadyBlueJay has five social networking accounts. The purpose of this post is to just let readers and passers-by in on how they can get in touch with me. I’ll also explain how I use each social network. NOTE: If you click on the links to each social network, it will take you to LadyBlueJay’s profile!

So we’ll start with Twitter…

My presence on Twitter isn’t as high as it was when I first started using this social media network, but it’s still the tool I use the most when trying to connect with other people. This particular function is the most used social media network that I have found so far. Next to email, it’s the fastest way to reach me on the web. You can follow me on Twitter at my handle @ladyblujay

Goodreads

I think every book blogger should have a Goodreads account. Not only is it a great way to track what books you read, but you can find out about some interesting books through connections with other readers! How cool is that? My use for it is pretty standard: track the books I read in one click.

Pinterest

Yes, LadyBlueJay has a Pinterest account! There was a time where I neglected this particular site because I wasn’t exactly sure how to use it, but I have come up with several ideas for it. Most of the time I pin different recipes and crafty things, but I have a board that is dedicated to quotes that I really like and my love for all things Dr. Who related. I even have a board that is dedicated to Blogging/Social Media posts that I think are really helpful. Check ‘em all out!

Tumblr

I had a personal Tumblr page for a few months, but I didn’t really do much with it except for use it like it was Pinterest. Starting soon, I am going to try to see if I can use Tumblr as a tool to post my photography inspired projects and have it be more book related than my Pinterest account.

Facebook

To be honest, I am at a complete loss at how to use this page. Like I said before, most of my communication goes through Twitter. I have a few followers on Facebook, but not enough. If anyone could give me ideas about HOW they use Facebook as compared to Twitter, I would greatly appreciate it!

So there you have it, the five ways to get social with LadyBlueJay. Keep in mind that the style and picture may change over time, but if you just click the links, they will take you where you need to go. Each social media page is it’s own unique little thing and that is the way I like it.

What are some of your favorite social media outlets? How do you use social media in contrast with your blog?

Review: Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky

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This book was read in 2012. I just got around to writing a review for it.

Awaken Book Cover

Maddie lives in a world where everything is done on the computer. Whether it’s to go to school or on a date, people don’t venture out of their home. There’s really no need. For the most part, Maddie’s okay with the solitary, digital life—until she meets Justin. Justin likes being with people. He enjoys the physical closeness of face-to-face interactions. People aren’t meant to be alone, he tells her.

Suddenly, Maddie feels something awakening inside her—a feeling that maybe there is a different, better way to live. But with society and her parents telling her otherwise, Maddie is going to have to learn to stand up for herself if she wants to change the path her life is taking.

In this not-so-brave new world, two young people struggle to carve out their own space. (image and synopsis from Goodreads)

I liked this book to a point. Some elements on the novel didn’t really make sense to me while the other elements were well done. I really liked how Kate Kacvinsky presented the people who were always connected as distant. The characterization of some of the characters was spot on, but others seemed all over the place. The novel is set in the year 2060, but from the synopsis you wouldn’t be able to tell. If it were for Maddie telling the reader the year and the authors describing souped up cars and extravagant computers, I wouldn’t have known what time period it was. I guess that is why I was shocked to see that in the middle of the novel a bunch of futuristic technologies and cars popped up.

However, the plot (though slow in some places) was really good and kept me engaged. I liked Maddie as a character, but there are times when I thought she was too trustworthy with Justin, the love interest in the book. Like I said before, some part of the book are really slow and I am sure she could have cut out a few scenes that were overtly repetitive. Despite several shortcomings Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky is a really exceptional read.

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Book Blogger Confessions: Blogging Slump

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Book Blogger Confessions

Book Blogger Confessions is a bi-montly that takes place on the 1st & 3rd Monday of each month. It’s hosted by For What It’s Worth & Midnyte Reader.

We’ve discussed blogging slumps before but have you ever seriously considered throwing in the towel and quitting blogging? If so, what changed your mind? Did you discuss it with other bloggers?

When I started blogging about books, I thought about throwing in the towel. I didn’t have any followers no matter how much I put my content out there. It was really frustrating and kind of felt like a waste of my time. Even though I have a few followers, I really think blogging has become such a huge part of my life that I don’t remember what it was like before hand. What changed my mind about quitting was that I really liked that because of this blog, reading became a huge part of my life again. In a way blogging has led me to the path I am on right now.

If I did quit my blog, it would because I have moved on to something that does the same thing as blogging (getting information about books out there) but on a bigger scale. That is ultimately what I want to work at when it comes to this blog. Hopefully LadyBlueJay Reads can help me to accomplish that.

My Reaction to a School Library Get’s Rid Of It’s Print Books…

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Last week I came across this interesting article in the Huffington Post book section. The article is entitled ‘Minneapolis School Library Without Books Thrives After Clearing Entire Print Collection’. Yes, you read right. The article goes over how a Minneapolis school decided to get rid of their 5,000 copy print collection. Why, you ask? I don’t know. While the scraped books didn’t really get thrown out (teachers kept copies and the rest of the collection was donated to school in Africa) I am still in shock that the school decided to “throw out” print books.

My first thought when I read this article was ‘How in the world can you just get rid of library books?’ The printed books is the most sacred treasure there is! Don’t these people realize that? Ok – maybe I am getting a little melodramatic, but it’s with good intention. Some people say we are moving to a digital age and that print books will soon die out. Frankly, I don’t believe that. I have read a number of studies that show that e-books aren’t really used as much as people think. And I can believe it because I don’t even use my e-reader as much as I would like to. Yes it’s convenient, but there is nothing like having a good, solid book in your hand.

On the other hand, I can see where the school is coming from. In one of my classes last semester we talked about information literacy and how most people don’t know how to actually research. What this Minneapolis school is doing is teaching students to find credible sources, yes, but still — they took away all the books. That’s just wrong.

I understand we are moving towards a digital lifestyle and that we are always “plugged in”, but be honest, isn’t it nice to take a break from that bright screen, sit down, and pick up a good book. To remove books from an institution that based itself off of the printed word is something I disagree with. Not matter how much it moves our society forward…

What do you think?

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