NGD minus 9 days: Scored the use of three big screen TVs from Central RTO - including delivery and pick-up! Scored the use of consoles from Tournament Town! The owner offered prizes too. :) Add them and volunteers to fliers and print more. Print NGD posters, mount them on card stock and posterboard and staple tear-away fliers to them.

NGD minus 7 days: Get commitment from best little coffee-house in Jerome for free cookie cards for all Pictureka! players. Volunteers are distributing fliers as fast as we can make them. They're telling friends, posting bulletins on MySpace, and recruiting more volunteers. Get PSAs out to schools.

NGD minus 5 & 4 days: (Everything begins to run together. I don't know what day is what. Hope I haven't totally missed a desk duty!) Unbox the Game Stop purchases, realize that the controllers they sold me must plug into wiimotes. Panic while I wait for store to open.

NGD minus 2 days: Get email with more info on video game events. Feel like I need two whole days to figure the tech stuff out. Worry about attendance. Still can't reach Tournament Town and really worrying about DDR. Director announces that she doesn't want NGD participants to have any reason to leave -- so library will be selling hot dog, chips & soda meals for $2.

NGD THE BIG DAY: Awake early, but feeling strangely at peace. Try to get family members to place nickel bets on attendance. I guess 138, but nobody bets me. I really think everything will be fine. Continue setting stuff up at library until 10 A.M. meeting of volunteers.

O.K., I'll address the "blog topic of the moment" in hopes that others will too. The ICFL Community blog has so so much potential -- Let's all use it! As I write this, there are eight "guests" who are at this moment visiting the community blog. After you've read, log in and post what you're reading. Please? And all of you other community members -- log in and post! Rah Rah Rah!

I may own a first. Yesterday, at the ILA region 4 conference, Anthony Doerr signed my copy of his eBook Four Seasons in Rome.A signed eBook! I had to assure him that it was more than O.K. To write on my iPod Touch case.

A short story: Long ago, a library started working with teens to provide a space, services, and programs for them and their peers. It all proved popular. Library policiies evolved, making the library a comfortable and welcoming third place for teens (and kids, and others who like a comfortable free place to meet and hang out where they aren't expected to buy anything.)

Want to see an Espresso Book Machine make a book? Watch this video. It is an ad, but worth watching to spark ideas about future libraries.