FRL – looking back, looking forward

As I get ready to retire next month, I find myself looking back at nearly 25 years of working for the Fontana Regional Library System.  There have been a lot of changes.  Walking into the Macon County Public Library on Wayah Street, for my first day on the job, the first thing I found myself …

National Parks and Recreation Month

Hi Shelf Life Readers! Happy National Parks and Recreation month! I am writing to you from the Jackson County Public Library but if you tried to find me during the summer months from 2012 to 2015, you would’ve had to look deep in the wilderness of either the Sumter or Chattahoochee National Forest, where I …

Libraries Lead

This past week, April 8th to 14th, was National Library Week! Hooray! We hope everyone celebrated appropriately with books and movies borrowed from your library. If not, don’t worry, Governor Cooper has declared this month as Library Appreciation Month!  National Library Week was first officially sponsored in 1958, making this the 60th anniversary! This week …

Broadband Connectivity on the Regional Level

By Guest Contributor Sarah Thompson, MPA Sarah Thompson is the Executive Director of the Southwestern Commission, and Administrator of the Mountain West Partnership. -What is Region A and the Southwestern Commission? The Southwestern Planning and Economic Development Commission was formed in 1965 by concurrent, joint resolution of the counties and municipalities within the seven westernmost …

#Selfie: Because Sometimes the Most Interesting Thing in My Life is Me

A "selfie," for the uninitiated, is a "self-portrait photograph." This seemingly innocuous, yet somehow  ire-inspiring, social phenomenon/trend shows no signs of reversing: estimates range from over one million selfies a day to 93 million selfies taken everyday worldwide. While selfies are generally held as an indicator of "millennial narcissism," it's always fun and interesting to see the …

Oh, A Doxxing We Will Go!

Actually, let's not.  Doxxing is rude.  Oh, what's that?  You have a question?  Ah, of course!  I need to explain what doxxing is. While I'm at it I may as well talk about some other Internet terminology.  It helps to be prepared, because you never know when some sockpuppet's viral meme will make you fall …

Do you use library computers and internet?

Do you use the computers and internet at the library? We would love to hear from you! From May 5th to May 24th the library will be running an online survey to understand how patrons use the library’s technology so we can provide resources and services that are valuable to the community. The Impact Survey is anonymous, …

Just because you’re paranoid…

... doesn't mean they aren't watching you! This blog post may get me added to a list somewhere, but it is chock full of information everyone should know (quick shout out to my buddies at the NSA!).  Recent events have spurred a renewed interest in privacy: Government data mining from U.S. Internet Companies, Arrest Caught on …

We’re not in Kansas anymore

My daughter has a Facebook account. She's 4 years old. (If you are Facebook, *Jedi Mind trick* this is not the ToS violation you're looking for...) You might wonder, "But, why?! Why does a 4 year old need a Facebook account?" She doesn't. No one needs Facebook, though seemingly more and more our lives revolve around updating and …

Oh, What a Tangled Web….

By Amy Imagine that you meet someone online. You get a Facebook message from someone who’s a friend of a friend. Maybe you glance through their profile: went to the same high school your cousin went to, has a nice job, and good looking to boot! You chat with them, get to know them. Every …