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General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: mamselle on August 29, 2021, 06:24:34 AM

Title: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: mamselle on August 29, 2021, 06:24:34 AM
Since we don't have a thread here (I checked), but did on CHE, I'm starting one now.

I am a fan of all things library--have been since my mom used to wheel us up in the baby buggy when I was 4, my sister 2, to the little branch library in the tiny shopping center near our first family home (we moved when I was finished with kindergarten, so I know it was that early).

My sister is now a retired town librarian, and I'm a well-worn traveler/visitor of probably 40 libraries and archives in the US, UK, CA, and Europe....so far.

I'm also very grateful for digitized sources at present.

To my mind, librarians make the world go 'round.

And we have some on these threads, so maybe this can be a space for things library-related overall.

M.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: sinenomine on August 29, 2021, 08:19:58 AM
I'm a big library fan, too, and remember my excitement when I was a child and my mother would tell me we were going there. I'm always bemused by the prevalence of ghost stories (something I study) told about libraries. Apparently many people find them creepy; I find them welcoming and soothing.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: mamselle on August 29, 2021, 08:24:12 AM
Yes, who knows what all those characters get up to at night when no-one's around to read them into being?

M.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: traductio on August 29, 2021, 08:47:13 AM
Last week my seven-year-old son got his very own library card! He was so proud. He checked out a stack of books about dragons and heroes of all stripes.

(I'm an avid reader, but my family puts me to shame -- in 2006 or so, my spouse picked up a handful of pamphlets listing cool books on different themes, and she has systematically read every single one. She has a spreadsheet. My daughter, who's 11, was complaining the other day because she had read every book in her room twice, or three times, or four. She has 100+ books in there.)
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: mamselle on August 29, 2021, 08:52:54 AM
Reminds me of the book sale stall at a conference once.

The janitor had come in with his 9-year-old son, who was shadowing him that weekend, and the son started looking at the books.

Suddenly, he got really still and started looking intently at one, slowing down, turning the pages, nodding his head.

We all snuck out to leave him to it.

"Shh--a reader," the bookstall owner said. "They're getting to be a rare breed these days. Don't want to scare one of the young ones away."

M. 
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: Anselm on August 30, 2021, 08:37:31 AM
I live walking distance from a Carnegie library.   I just visited the Iowa State Capitol building which has an impressive looking law library.  I have about 3000 books in my one bedroom apartment.  If I had a house then it would be over 10,000 books.

"When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes."

Erasmus.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: hmaria1609 on August 30, 2021, 09:09:15 AM
Mamselle, merci for starting this!  :)

The campus library where I did my internship (for academic credit) during my last semester of library/school supposedly had the ghost of a previous librarian.  Library staff thought it was nonsensical!

For those of who've been to Baltimore, there are branch libraries with Carnegie-like features but they're not. A historical marker by Enoch Pratt Central Library in downtown Baltimore explains the connection between Enoch Pratt, a prominent Baltimore businessman and philanthropist, and Andrew Carnegie.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: mamselle on August 30, 2021, 09:14:29 AM
I've visited the Enoch Pratt library (stayed at a youth hostel across the street from it and the Baltimore Cathedral).

They had some cool dance history materials I copied and still work from.

And of course the Walters Gallery's archives have several MSs that tie to one of my research areas, so I HAD to go there for a couple days, as well.

Such an inconvenience, it was all of three blocks away...

;--}

To say nothing of the elixers of life to be found in the Library of Congress....down the road a bit.

M.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: apl68 on August 30, 2021, 10:43:33 AM
I've never worked in an allegedly haunted library.  I wouldn't care to spend the night in one with the lights out.  They do tend to be spooky places.  A ghost at the library would be as good of an explanation as any I've ever heard for the many times I've had to meet the police here in response to a middle-of-the-night security alarm.

We did once have a boy who kept appearing and disappearing mysteriously during the day.  But he eventually turned out to be a flesh-and-blood child whose mother had allowed him freedom to come and go from their nearby home.  That's sadly unusual here, because our library was built in an area that's not very walkable at all.  You CAN walk here--I do it myself all the time--but most potential patrons would have to cross a moderately busy highway and/or sometimes muddy lots, so mothers letting their children walk here is nearly unheard of.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: mamselle on August 30, 2021, 12:07:09 PM
Did someone mention there is a writer whose mysteries all take place in libraries?

I recall Margaret Truman's work; all of hers occurred in National Park sites, I think.

But....libraries?

I'm sure I've bumped into Voltaire at the BnF....

;--}

M.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: Vkw10 on August 30, 2021, 04:48:55 PM
Quote from: mamselle on August 30, 2021, 12:07:09 PM
Did someone mention there is a writer whose mysteries all take place in libraries?

I recall Margaret Truman's work; all of hers occurred in National Park sites, I think.

But....libraries?

I'm sure I've bumped into Voltaire at the BnF....

;--}

M.
I use  https://cozy-mysteries-unlimited.com/category/Librarian/%2A (https://cozy-mysteries-unlimited.com/category/Librarian/%2A) to find cozy mysteries set in libraries for my aunt.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: mamselle on August 30, 2021, 06:27:05 PM
Ooh, cool!

Did she have any favorites?

M.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: onehappyunicorn on August 31, 2021, 06:15:24 AM
One of the joys I had as a child was going to the library. We had no money as a family so we never went to the movies or amusement parks or anything, the library was a great resource.
In the summer my mother would take us to the library, we didn't have ac in the house so I'm sure that was part of why we visited so much, and then we take our books over to the local park. I checked out as many books as I could, I was a voracious reader.
Someday when I retire I would really love to live close enough to a library to be able to walk over and just sit and read. There's something about the smell and touch of books, I have a hard time reading digitally.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: apl68 on August 31, 2021, 07:26:05 AM
Quote from: onehappyunicorn on August 31, 2021, 06:15:24 AM
One of the joys I had as a child was going to the library. We had no money as a family so we never went to the movies or amusement parks or anything, the library was a great resource.
In the summer my mother would take us to the library, we didn't have ac in the house so I'm sure that was part of why we visited so much, and then we take our books over to the local park. I checked out as many books as I could, I was a voracious reader.
Someday when I retire I would really love to live close enough to a library to be able to walk over and just sit and read. There's something about the smell and touch of books, I have a hard time reading digitally.

I remember the AC at our town's public library.  It was a converted two-bedroom house.  The children's room was one of the old bedrooms.  It had an AC unit mounted low in a window.  I remember sitting right in front of the bracingly-cold AC reading comic books while waiting for Mom to come pick us up.  We went for stretches where we had no AC at home.  I can still do a mental tour of the whole layout of that room and its shelves, even though the building no longer exists.

Since I work for (and supervise) the only library in town, I can't ever really enjoy just being a patron.  Once in a while when I visit another city I go by a local library and just browse around for a while.

Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: mamselle on August 31, 2021, 09:20:08 AM
One of the best ways to get to know a city is to visit its library(ies).

M.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: hmaria1609 on August 31, 2021, 10:58:27 AM
Quote from: mamselle on August 30, 2021, 12:07:09 PM
Did someone mention there is a writer whose mysteries all take place in libraries?

I recall Margaret Truman's work; all of hers occurred in National Park sites, I think.

But....libraries?

I'm sure I've bumped into Voltaire at the BnF....

;--}

M.
There was one set at the Library of Congress: Murder at the Library of Congress. It's #16 in her "Capital Crimes" series, published in 1999. Truman's novels are set at major DC buildings/landmarks.
Starting in 2012, Donald Bain then Jon Land took over the series.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: mamselle on August 31, 2021, 11:21:14 AM
See?

I knew a librarian would know!

;--》

(And thanks for the correction, which made me do further research to discover that it's Nevada Barr who has NPS backdrops for her mysteries.)

M.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: Vkw10 on August 31, 2021, 04:45:43 PM
Quote from: mamselle on August 30, 2021, 06:27:05 PM
Ooh, cool!

Did she have any favorites?

M.

She didn't mention favorites to me, just asked me to send more. She likes cozy mystery series that have a theme, so I was delighted to stumble across that website. Makes it easier to keep my aunt and her retirement supplied, between library bookmobile visits.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: hmaria1609 on August 31, 2021, 07:01:46 PM
Quote from: mamselle on August 31, 2021, 11:21:14 AM
See?

I knew a librarian would know!

;--》

(And thanks for the correction, which made me do further research to discover that it's Nevada Barr who has NPS backdrops for her mysteries.)

M.
You're welcome!  :) I consulted this handy website: fantasticfiction.com
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: secundem_artem on September 01, 2021, 07:51:49 AM
In my field, I sometimes think we are no more than 5-10 years away from libraries being totally virtual.  No need for a building, books, stacks etc.  Everything, including librarians, will be full text and online.  Even now, I use library resources quite a lot, but I only set foot in our campus library 1-2 times a year.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: mamselle on September 01, 2021, 09:45:32 AM
Even with digitization, I don't think manuscript studies will be able to do without archives.

One uses the digital files for basics, but one still needs to be able to look at hands-on objects for stray marks, binding errors, and other codicological details, etc., that digitization can't capture.

Thank goodness.

M.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: secundem_artem on September 01, 2021, 10:01:32 AM
Quote from: mamselle on September 01, 2021, 09:45:32 AM
Even with digitization, I don't think manuscript studies will be able to do without archives.

One uses the digital files for basics, but one still needs to be able to look at hands-on objects for stray marks, binding errors, and other codicological details, etc., that digitization can't capture.

Thank goodness.

M.

No doubt.  Mrs Artem once worked for a group of medievalists  and they certainly required access to the primary documents.  Not necessary in my fields, but I do appreciate YMMV.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: mamselle on September 01, 2021, 10:48:55 AM
Yes, a friend was working on a late medieval French document whose pages seemed oddly configured.

After a huge documentary exchange (over a year) of permissioning, she finally got to see it.

Turned out one of the quires had been reversed in an 18th c. rebinding, which you could only tell by the way the edges of the pages didn't align at the bottom and sides (thankfully they hadn't been shaved, which often happens).

By looking at the physical book, she was able to correct several centuries of incorrect scholarly assumptions about the person's interactions with the book's contributors (it was a commonplace-like collection of poems).

M. 
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: mamselle on September 03, 2021, 12:36:24 PM
Double, days later: I've been following up on some British comedians lately, and this episode of Veronica Wood's series came to light....

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvevW5FyxYM

I've been in British libraries before, but none quite like this.

M.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: Hibush on September 11, 2021, 05:05:29 AM
I enjoy reading the Los Angeles Times for their entertainment-industry perspective on the news. It is not a perspective I run into otherwise. A new museum is opening in LA this week and they are on it (https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2021-09-10/fantasy-oscar-experence-academy-museum-theme-park-influence). A couple of thoughts on presenting art are pertintent to libraries these days as well.

Quote from: Los Angeles Times. Academy Museum 2021-9-10Large museums have always possessed an air of theatricality. When I was a child, Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry held a similar space in my brain as Walt Disney World did, thanks largely to its ride-like coal mine experience. Here in Southern California we're accustomed to fantasy and larger-than-life environments, be it one of our area theme parks or the Pompeii re-creations of the Getty Villa — an art theme park, more or less.

"I think you're going to have some creators of more traditional experiences that are disappointed in [these newer experiences]," says Carissa Baker, an assistant professor with the University of Central Florida who writes about theme parks as artistic spaces.

There was a different approach to the design of these places in the past," Baker says. "The artifact itself was the thing that mattered, but then we started getting to setting. What's the setting? I can't think of a better example of that than the Getty Villa. That is a themed space. But those artifacts, in that space, feel more authentic, which is ironic, because they are authentic — but I feel immersed in that space, in a traditional environment that created that art."

That interpretation raises the question of whether an artificial setting can increase the authenticity of artifacts. How would the rare-manuscript room of a library be changed for the better if Disney or AMPAS designers were given free rein to use their imaginations?
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: traductio on September 11, 2021, 06:58:22 AM
Quote from: Hibush on September 11, 2021, 05:05:29 AM
Quote from: Los Angeles Times. Academy Museum 2021-9-10Large museums have always possessed an air of theatricality. When I was a child, Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry held a similar space in my brain as Walt Disney World did, thanks largely to its ride-like coal mine experience. Here in Southern California we're accustomed to fantasy and larger-than-life environments, be it one of our area theme parks or the Pompeii re-creations of the Getty Villa — an art theme park, more or less.

"I think you're going to have some creators of more traditional experiences that are disappointed in [these newer experiences]," says Carissa Baker, an assistant professor with the University of Central Florida who writes about theme parks as artistic spaces.

There was a different approach to the design of these places in the past," Baker says. "The artifact itself was the thing that mattered, but then we started getting to setting. What's the setting? I can't think of a better example of that than the Getty Villa. That is a themed space. But those artifacts, in that space, feel more authentic, which is ironic, because they are authentic — but I feel immersed in that space, in a traditional environment that created that art."

That interpretation raises the question of whether an artificial setting can increase the authenticity of artifacts. How would the rare-manuscript room of a library be changed for the better if Disney or AMPAS designers were given free rein to use their imaginations?

The idea that an artificial setting can increase the perception of authenticity ("authenticity" is a word I steer clear of, although I'm happy to talk about the perception of it) is the central idea in Umberto Eco's chapter about Las Vegas in Travels in Hyperreality, a book whose humor I thoroughly enjoyed when I read it years ago.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: mamselle on September 11, 2021, 08:33:58 AM
Ooh, ooh, ooh, Eco, libraries, "Name-of-the-Rose," now THAT was a library...

Also, I hope the Beaux-Arts has the good sense to keep keeping their paws off the reading rooms in the BnF/Rue Voltaire.

Nothing like the smooth round chair feet sliding like satin across the patina'ed parquet floor and the three-tier-high shelves with their little corner spiral steps going "into the gods" will ever exist again if they modernize that.

I was awe-struck the first time I went in, in 1996, and I have been every time since. (And It's where I bumped into Voltaire, looking for a book...)

The British Library is cool, too, of course...

M.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: mamselle on September 15, 2021, 03:44:09 AM
They  heard me.

The British Library, that is.

They just sent this, which, if you're named for a certain iconic, idolized, raincoat-wearing bear, might be of interest.

   https://britishlibraryemails.bl.uk/5JXV-ATSL-C0B9A3B24156DF9E13LM50029CBBC879F39141/cr.aspx

He's their mascot....

;--》

M.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: apl68 on September 15, 2021, 06:28:41 AM
Our library is getting ready to apply for a grant to build a "story time walk."  You know the nature loops at parks, where you have interpretive plaques on little stands here and there talking about local wildlife and such?  This is the same idea, except that the interpretive stations contain pages of a children's picture book.  You have to walk the whole loop to get the whole story.  I saw one at a park a couple of years ago while on vacation.

We've learned that libraries in our state will become eligible for 20 opportunities to get all the paraphernalia needed to set up a story time walk.  The deal includes 20+ stands, with laminated story pages to fit them.  And they will even give us multiple prepared stories to swap out!  We're supposed to make the trail about half a mile long.  I've been pacing off the library's grounds to figure out how we could loop such a trail here.  It will be a challenge, but I believe we can do it.

Alternatively, we could try selling the city park on serving as community partners to host the trail.  I've tried pacing off a likely-looking section there.  Looks like it will be a challenge to fit it in there as well, due to all the fences and ditches that break up the park property.  The advantage of putting it in the public park is that it would be far more likely to be discovered--the park has been getting a lot more traffic since COVID ruined our business.  I've got to make a decision about which of these options to propose before we start writing our proposal.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: mamselle on September 15, 2021, 07:03:18 AM
That's a cool problem to have!

How far is the library from the park?

Could you, instead of a loop, lead them, breadcrumb-like, FROM the park, TO the library? Even have an affiliated activity at the library when they get there?

I.e., 1. Curious George makes paper hats, or someone does, in one of his stories. Have materials for making a newspaper hat at the desk for them to ask for on arrival (maybe drop hints along the way that they, too, might get to ..., as teasers.

Or, 2. In "The Dancing Crane," there are images or the moving mystery -bird; have headphones for which the librarian could set some sakahatchi music, and ask them to slowly move as the crane is shown to move in the book--even have a silent video to watch of the ways they slowly pick up and put down their feet to watch with it--etc.

You could also have a small freezer-bag kit with a card of instructions for folding a paper crane, and a couple pieces of origami paper, so they could keep one, and leave one for the library to string up as a mobile, with others, in the children's room, or a dusky hall, or someplace.

3. Google just did, last year, a cool story about a young African girl who learns to play mbira (aka kalimba, or thumb-piano) and becomes part of a traditional/fusion band. If you have a space where kids can be overseen by the adults they bring with them, and a couple of kalimbas (easy to order online) they could read the story on the way to the library, then watch the ending on Google, then try playing the instruments and dancing, themselves.

It could also segue to a teaching session on the African-rooted slide-dance 《Jerusalemma》(Jerusalem, my home) that's become so popular on YT recently.

I've done the cranes in elementary classes as a sub, and used the kalimba materials for my younger music appreciation class last year, both went well.

4. They could make a shoe-box diorama of the story, using found materials and fabric scraps, tiny wooden doll-heads, etc. (Also online/orderable) for the people, etc.

I realize if the distance is too great, it might not work, and you may not have a room for the noisier or messier activities (but they could be done outside; parents just have to agree to remain present and active as cadmium rods to keep the neutrinos under control when the isotopes start bouncing around...)

Just...thoughts!

;--》

M.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: mamselle on September 21, 2021, 09:28:26 AM
Double, later....

The BL bear mascot himself:

   https://britishlibraryemails.bl.uk/5JXV-ATSL-C0B9A3B24156DF9E13LM50029CBBC879F39141/cr.aspx

There are also 2 medieval MS and other fun online workshops brewing:

    https://www.bl.uk/events

M.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: apl68 on September 21, 2021, 10:27:42 AM
Quote from: mamselle on September 21, 2021, 09:28:26 AM
Double, later....

The BL bear mascot himself:

   https://britishlibraryemails.bl.uk/5JXV-ATSL-C0B9A3B24156DF9E13LM50029CBBC879F39141/cr.aspx

There are also 2 medieval MS and other fun online workshops brewing:

    https://www.bl.uk/events

M.

Paddington has more charm than the Penworthy Books bear, although Penworthy Bear is nice enough in his own right.


A trail from the park to the library would be nice, but it would be somewhat too far to be feasible.  There's also a stretch between here and there where we really could use a length of sidewalk that does not exist and is not in any budget's future.  Unfortunately our library's location was not at all well chosen with respect to walkability or convenience to other attractions like parks and schools.  I don't know whether the planners didn't get good advice on choosing a location 20+ years ago, or whether that part of their advice wasn't given enough consideration.  At any rate, there was no thought whatsoever given to making the library a place that could be easily walked to.  We're on the side of a highway, over a quarter mile from the nearest traffic light, and several minutes' walk from the nearest house that's on our side of the road, with no sidewalks beyond what are on library grounds.  You CAN walk here if you're a serious and alert walker--I do it all the time--but it's not a walk most parents would allow their children to make.  We're also nowhere near any schools, and on the exact opposite end of town from the main business district.  There is nothing down the road from us but a sprinkling of churches and houses.  So we're not on anybody's way to anything--yet the highway still has enough traffic to make road crossing a challenge.

I did some more pacing at the park early this morning.  We have so much room there, but the way things are laid out makes it hard to find a good place for a story time loop.  Most possible paths through there are either much too long or not long enough.  Or only accessible at special event times.  A loop on the library grounds, awkward though it would be to lay it out, might still work as well as anything.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: mamselle on October 13, 2021, 11:21:03 AM
I always like wandering around outside libraries as well as in them, sometimes just to take a break, and I'd definitely read a cinematically-segmented children's book on such a jaunt.

(But was this the funded project you're having to give up on? (interthreadual question))

I hope not!

In other news, Paddington is about to hibernate:

   https://www.bl.uk/events/paddington-the-story-of-a-bear?utm_campaign=565944_PaddingtonClosingSoon_Exhibitions_20211013&utm_medium=email&utm_source=The%20British%20Library

Some other year, perhaps...

M.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: mamselle on October 20, 2021, 10:29:12 AM
I've apparently used the word "library" so much that my news feed is blossoming with references:

1) The NYPL is honoring historically significant women on their staff:

   https://nypost.com/2021/03/13/meet-the-badass-librarians-of-the-nypl/amp/


2) I've stayed at the Hosteling International hostel attached to this site, one of the local Paris libraries (every arrondissement has at least one):

   https://libraryplanet.net/2020/03/03/vaclav-havel-library-in-paris-la-chapelle-a-gift-for-everyone/

I didn't get to go in on my last trip (too busy navigating the bus-metro strike changes to have time--I walked most of the way from the BnF to this site on two different occasions, last trip, so my feet were just a ti-i-i-i-iny bit tired...

Looking back now, although I had to do a lot to deal with the French Metro strikes at the time, I didn't imagine it would be impossible to come back the next year and catch the places I'd missed, as I usually do...
 
...or the next...

   ...or the next...

Very glad I got there when I did, and got all the research photos/manuscript notes/meetup connections made that I did!

M.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: hmaria1609 on October 26, 2021, 07:46:04 PM
My library has an attic! I had thought this oversize square hatch in our staff office was for show. (We have a high ceiling) Today this contractor went up an extension ladder, pushed aside the hatch, and into the attic space. I could see the original brick wall and a small portion of the roof from where I stood.
No big finds aside from leftover building supplies. Another neat bit: the original chimney stack from when the library's fireplace was in active use back in the day.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: mamselle on October 26, 2021, 08:58:53 PM
Interesting! How old is the building?

I was once invited up into the attic of an historic house; we found on the underside of one of the long ribs a set of slots that may have been the inputs for crossbeams from an even earlier century, which had been missed because they were in shadow most of the time.

Attics are cool.

M. 
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: apl68 on October 27, 2021, 06:24:04 AM
You can learn a lot from scrutinizing details of old structures.  I learned some of that from Dad's observations while working on remodeling of older buildings.  I've never developed his eye for small details, though.  Even now he notices things that I miss entirely.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: hmaria1609 on October 27, 2021, 07:40:26 AM
Quote from: mamselle on October 26, 2021, 08:58:53 PM
Interesting! How old is the building?

I was once invited up into the attic of an historic house; we found on the underside of one of the long ribs a set of slots that may have been the inputs for crossbeams from an even earlier century, which had been missed because they were in shadow most of the time.

Attics are cool.

M.
It'll be 110 years old next month.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: mamselle on October 27, 2021, 09:31:24 AM
Oooh.....any Art Deco stuff?

That would really be cool.

M.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: hmaria1609 on October 27, 2021, 10:18:24 AM
Quote from: mamselle on October 27, 2021, 09:31:24 AM
Oooh.....any Art Deco stuff?

That would really be cool.

M.
It would've been great that had been included! We have lots of wood around the building: open faced shelves, fireplace, front vestibule, French doors going downstairs, oversize windows, etc. We have a pair of narrow windows by the fireplace with a stained glass appearance and features open book design.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: mamselle on October 27, 2021, 10:23:15 AM
Sounds cozy.

That's one of the neat things about earlier libraries, the sense of ambiance and the attention paid to the decor.

My local library has a big open gilt dome in the center and lots of cool gingerbread all around it. I had a couple of jobs as a nanny at one point, quite awhile ago, and it was fun to bring the 3- 4-, 5-, or 6-year-olds into the entryway, point upwards, and just watch them go, "ooooooohhhhhh....."

M.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: apl68 on October 27, 2021, 12:58:03 PM
Envious!  The small towns where I grew up usually had libraries that were either repurposed from old houses, post offices, etc., or very small and bland purpose-built structures.  Any public library has a great deal to offer, and I've got fond memories of the old places--but as far as architectural inspiration goes, they didn't have it.

The library I work in now is a nice building, and quite roomy for a small-town facility.  When it was built at the turn of this century they tried to incorporate references to local history.  It has a rather unusual colonnade in front built to look like the one on a long-gone local hotel.  We have a back-lit stained glass window in the outer lobby (Which serves as a night light) that is an actual survival from that motel, and a large painting of the place on the lobby wall.  The entrance to our Periodical Room boasts a reproduction of another stained glass window from the old hotel. 

We also have a number of paintings and framed photos by local artists around the building, and lamp shades covered with reproductions of historical photos in our local history collection.  We get a lot of compliments on all these touches.  Otherwise the building looks like many other libraries designed around that time--wide open plan, lots of accent lighting, plenty of windows and skylights, and a high metal roof.  Which has an attic that we use some for storage, and try to keep from being invaded by critters.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: mamselle on October 27, 2021, 03:13:01 PM
I love the idea of all the stained glass window installations..

If you can lure them in with beauty, you can get them to find a book and start reading...

;--}

M.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: apl68 on November 18, 2021, 03:28:25 PM
A library in our Neighboring State to the South has had an accident:

QuoteFARMERVILLE, La. (KTVE/KARD) — In the late night hours of Tuesday November 16, a vehicle crashed into the Union Parish Library on W Jackson Street, causing extensive damage.

In a post on the library's Facebook they advised that the library will be closed today as they recover from the accident. However, they will still be able to service patrons by phone at the front entrance.

    "Thousands of books were damaged and we work tomorrow on trying to get them reshelved in a temporary location. We can't thank enough those who came to our rescue tonight. Farmerville Police Department, Pafford, and Farmerville Fire Department made sure everyone was safe and building secure. The Union Parish Police Jury were amazing! Their entire crew and Emergency Preparedness contacted Read's who opened up after hours to get us lumber to rebuild the wall temporarily. Staff, family, and volunteers pitched in to move bricks, debris, and over 3,000 books! City of Farmerville chipped in to remove brick debris. We've had Library patrons and friends contacting us with concern and volunteering to help! Praying for us! We are so blessed to live in a community who loves and cares for their library!"


Link with photos here:


https://www.myarklamiss.com/news/local-news/union-parish-library-damaged-after-a-truck-crashes-into-it-overnight/


I've also seen a photo of ranges of shelving leaning against each other like giant dominoes.  Other articles indicate that the driver was drunk.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: mamselle on November 18, 2021, 05:19:57 PM
Whoa! Very sorry to hear that.

The getting-together-and-helping-out part reminds me of a church in a neighboring town that had an electrical fire in the part of the building where their congregation's library was.

A nearby church, just across a small open field between them, immediately set up a relay of people: the firefighters were taking books out as fast as they could, and people ferried them across to the other church's (clean, dry--hmm...recently cleared-out...) basement.

They saved them all, and had a ceremony to replace them a year-and-a-half later once all the repairs were done.

Thankfully, no-one was hurt, either.

M.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: apl68 on November 22, 2021, 08:00:16 AM
Some years ago I and two staff members thought for a moment that we were going to be on the receiving end of something like this.  We were in the cataloger's work area in the back of the building.  Out the window we saw a huge pickup truck (most trucks here are huge) jumping the curb of the parking lot in back, heading straight for us.  Before we could react, it reversed, backed back across the parking lot, and jumped the curb behind it.  Then it dropped back down onto the parking lot and came to rest. 

At that point one of the staff members there thought she recognized the vehicle.  She went out there and, sure enough, found one of our older patrons.  I think it was the last time he ever drove.  I know that that loss of independence is always sad, but not as sad as him plowing into the building and over the three of us would have been.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: mamselle on November 22, 2021, 09:49:32 AM
Some angels know how to work the brake pedals, thankfully....

M.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: apl68 on December 13, 2021, 09:26:34 AM
I take a Friday and Saturday off from the library to get out of town to do Christmas shopping, and what do you think happens?  First thing this morning I learn that on Friday the police arrested two wanted fugitives right here in the building.  The staff had been telling me over the past two weeks about some weird characters who had suddenly shown up and been hanging around.  Mostly they were using library computers.  One tried to apply for a library card, but became very evasive when asked about things like his ID, address, etc.  The staff were worried about them, though they caused no actual problems for anybody.  One of them came in at least one day with leaves in her hair.

Friday the police came in and arrested two of them.  They did not resist or make a scene.  A third has disappeared.  I'm still trying to get details from the police.  Evidently they had stolen a vehicle and dealt drugs around the state capital, then fled out here into the boondocks when things got too hot for them in the big city.  There are several acres of woods behind the library.  They apparently were living there for some days, coming into the library each day we were open to use our computers for e-mail and social media.  Not sure who tipped the police off to their whereabouts.  It doesn't seem to have been anybody on the staff.

Now I have to figure out how to write up a report on this for the Board of Trustees.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: mamselle on December 13, 2021, 09:48:53 AM
Any connection to the person reported for sitting outside in their car in the parking lot?

Clearly, libraries are more dramatic places than they're usually considered to be...!

M.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: apl68 on December 13, 2021, 09:59:07 AM
Quote from: mamselle on December 13, 2021, 09:48:53 AM
Any connection to the person reported for sitting outside in their car in the parking lot?

Clearly, libraries are more dramatic places than they're usually considered to be...!

M.

I'm now wondering whether there was a connection.  But maybe not.  Everybody on the staff agreed that last week was a weird week at work, even before the arrests happened.

I'm concerned about what the idea of vagrants living in the woods could do to staff morale.  Some years ago we had a Board member who kept getting a bee in his bonnet about people living in the woods behind the library.  I went there looking myself, and found no evidence of any such activity.  Now it has actually happened.  Maybe part of the problem is that I dropped my customary afternoon walks in the woods a couple of years ago.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: Harlow2 on December 13, 2021, 11:21:13 AM
Would you consider taking a buddy or pepper spray if you do resume those walks?  ( I walk alone all the time in the woods, but you might now have reason to take extra care). 
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: apl68 on December 13, 2021, 01:30:52 PM
Honestly, I think this was a fluke that we're unlikely to see again any time soon.  Unfortunately it seems to have some of the staff scared.  I'm now getting requests to fence off the entire three acres of the library's lot.  It would cost thousands of dollars, look unsightly, and probably not do very much to improve security.  Unless we really fenced the whole thing off and controlled access.  But we're a public library, after all, and going that far with it would make us look very unfriendly.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: apl68 on December 17, 2021, 08:55:16 AM
Spoke with the police today about last week's arrest incident to get more details.  I asked them to search the woods to reassure the staff that there was nobody squatting out there.  They didn't find anything.  It turns out that our fugitives had been staying at a house in town, not squatting in the woods.  They may have slept out there a single night. 

Meanwhile we're still trying to find a way to get that trapped cat out of the staff member's vehicle.  Last week's weirdness at the library has reasserted itself.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: mamselle on December 17, 2021, 11:58:07 AM
I opened my sister's Christmas card, thinking it was just a card.

Guess I should have saved it until Christmas.

Nestled inside was a gift card/order square for the British Library's online site...*

Draw me smiling....

M.

*This is only fair. She's a (now retired) librarian, and several of my gifts to her have come from their in-person shop, when that was possible. So...
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: apl68 on December 21, 2021, 01:59:00 PM
Library poetry:


IF--

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are away on break and the place is packed;
If you can keep abreast of the lists of overdue
And get hold of IT when the internet's cracked;
If you can order on time all the top-selling authors,
Yet find some money for well-written stuff;
And stay well-stocked with what the public calls for,
Yet keep the collection from being total fluff:

If you can make the Staff follow reasonable rules,
And stay off Facebook when you're not around;
Remind them that telephones are business tools,
And books carelessly shelved just can't be found;
If you can squeeze some Budget from your Board
To hire real workers and not volunteer freaks;
Get the Powers-That-Be to dip into their hoard,
To contact a plumber and stop those leaks:

If you can lure in the Teens to do some real reading,
Not Game-Boys and videos and Gossip-Girl junk;
Have story-time without all your older folks bleating
About unruly children with way too much spunk;
If you can keep a mile-long To-Do List at bay,
And stay graceful when some clueless churl
Cracks wise about getting to read books all day—
Then you've become a real Librarian, my girl!
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: mamselle on January 10, 2022, 03:48:51 PM
;--}

I think I saw this earlier but was rushing to teach and couldn't comment at the time!

I sent it to my sister, a town librarian who can't seem to retire (they've hired folks who leave x 3 now, calling her back as interim...) and she absolutely agreed. She said, "Ouch, yes--but there were some good days, too"... (this was between call-back 2 and 3, though...I haven't asked if that's still true...)

;--}

____

In a different vein, just found this...which doesn't include all it might, but does a pretty good job of hitting several high spots.

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhcPaCri0tg

M.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: Hibush on March 02, 2022, 01:32:31 PM
How do libraries matter in times of war?


The Ukrainian Library Association is taking action (https://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/story/president-of-the-ukrainian-library-association-to-the-world-we-are-at-the-forefront-of-the-fight-against-fakes-misinformation-and-cyber-threats) by addressing the most modern form of warfare."We are at the forefront of the fight against fakes, misinformation, and cyber threats!"

They are asking  (https://www.facebook.com/ula.org.ua/)global libraries to shut of access to their collections and remove Russian institutions from international databases.

They have also postponed their upcoming conference until "we have finished vanquishing our invaders (https://twitter.com/NickPoole1/status/1498309449169178634)".

Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: hmaria1609 on March 02, 2022, 07:27:31 PM
Quote from: Hibush on March 02, 2022, 01:32:31 PM
How do libraries matter in times of war?


The Ukrainian Library Association is taking action (https://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/story/president-of-the-ukrainian-library-association-to-the-world-we-are-at-the-forefront-of-the-fight-against-fakes-misinformation-and-cyber-threats) by addressing the most modern form of warfare."We are at the forefront of the fight against fakes, misinformation, and cyber threats!"

They are asking  (https://www.facebook.com/ula.org.ua/)global libraries to shut of access to their collections and remove Russian institutions from international databases.

They have also postponed their upcoming conference until "we have finished vanquishing our invaders (https://twitter.com/NickPoole1/status/1498309449169178634)".
The American Library Assoc. (ALA) released a statement yesterday:
https://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2022/03/ala-stands-ukrainian-library-community (https://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2022/03/ala-stands-ukrainian-library-community)
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: mamselle on March 03, 2022, 02:02:58 AM
It's World Book Day:

   https://britishlibraryemails.bl.uk/5JXV-GV3N-C0B9A3B24156DF9E13LM50029CBBC879F39141/cr.aspx

It's also Women's History Month:

   https://www.nypl.org/

and

   https://www.bpl.org/blogs/post/notable-women-notable-manuscripts-maria-weston-chapman/

Others?

M.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: apl68 on March 03, 2022, 07:42:02 AM
Quote from: Hibush on March 02, 2022, 01:32:31 PM


They have also postponed their upcoming conference until "we have finished vanquishing our invaders (https://twitter.com/NickPoole1/status/1498309449169178634)".

My brother sent me a copy of that! 

I'm glad to live in a place where the main threat to the library at the moment is the road work right in front of us that is preventing our patrons from getting here.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: hmaria1609 on March 03, 2022, 01:13:55 PM
The American Library Assoc. (ALA) Annual is coming (back) to DC this year!  It'll be in person and virtual.
Registration is now open:
https://2022.alaannual.org (https://2022.alaannual.org)
I've gone to each ALA Annual when DC was the host city. 2019 was the last ALA Annual I attend in person and DC hosted the conference.

Still thinking of going or not.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: apl68 on March 03, 2022, 01:22:08 PM
Quote from: hmaria1609 on March 03, 2022, 01:13:55 PM
The American Library Assoc. (ALA) Annual is coming (back) to DC this year!  It'll be in person and virtual.
Registration is now open:
https://2022.alaannual.org (https://2022.alaannual.org)
I've gone to each ALA Annual when DC was the host city. 2019 was the last ALA Annual I attend in person and DC hosted the conference.

Still thinking of going or not.

I had a great time when I got the chance to go to ALA in DC some years ago as part of a rural library sustainability workshop.  Small-town librarians seldom get a chance to go to national conferences anywhere.  It was mind-boggling!  I also had a chance to spend one long day ranging all over the famous parts of DC.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: mamselle on March 18, 2022, 07:19:19 AM
Life of a library book:

   https://bookriot.com/lifecycle-of-a-library-book/

M.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: apl68 on March 18, 2022, 01:43:36 PM
Quote from: mamselle on March 18, 2022, 07:19:19 AM
Life of a library book:

   https://bookriot.com/lifecycle-of-a-library-book/

M.

Word to the wise:  When you're buying book covers for your library books, don't buy the cheapest stuff the supplier offers.  Many years ago one of my predecessors tried to economize by buying a batch of cheap book cover material.  The covers soon looked awful, and felt awful to the touch.  I spent years cringing whenever I had to handle one of the books covered with that lousy material.  I think they're just about all gone from our collection now.

Getting rid of old books to make way for new ones is usually called "weeding," but I've always thought it should be called "pruning."  The old books aren't unwelcome intruders in the collection like weeds.  They're just old wood that has to be removed to let the new grow in its place.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: mamselle on March 18, 2022, 03:30:27 PM
QuoteGetting rid of old books to make way for new ones is usually called "weeding," but I've always thought it should be called "pruning."  The old books aren't unwelcome intruders in the collection like weeds.  They're just old wood that has to be removed to let the new grow in its place.

^Like.

A distinction with a difference.

Also applies to one's home library (gulp...!)

M.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: mamselle on March 19, 2022, 05:43:16 AM
There's another entry in that series (they persist in using the "w" word, sorry!) on the variety of jobs possible:

   https://bookriot.com/back-of-house-library-jobs/

Meanwhile, my newsfeed, catching my interest in libraries, sent this along:

   https://www.boredpanda.com/heartwarming-stories-libraries-safe-spaces/?utm_source=com.google.android&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=organic

I wonder about some of the practices noted, churches I've known that let people stay overnight have been reminded the insurance doesn't cover guests lighting a cigarette and starting a fire when they fell asleep with it half-smoked (as has happened) so I'm guessing the same is true of libraries.

But the kindly impulses of librarians that prompt the anecdotes noted--I can attest to those, indeed.

M.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: mamselle on March 23, 2022, 10:16:40 AM
And, of course, the British Library always has fun, useful stuff:

   https://britishlibraryemails.bl.uk/5JXV-HKQ9-C0B9A3B24156DF9E13LM50029CBBC879F39141/cr.aspx

M.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: mamselle on April 12, 2022, 04:05:33 PM
So, can any resident librarians comment on this?

   https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/libraries/article/89017-maryland-gives-up-on-its-library-e-book-law.html

Feels a bit like I've opened the book in the middle,  but all the preceding pages are glued shut...

Meanwhile,  just got my regular email from these folks....

    https://www.nypl.org/locations/lpa

True love...

;--》

M.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: apl68 on April 13, 2022, 06:39:19 AM
Quote from: mamselle on April 12, 2022, 04:05:33 PM
So, can any resident librarians comment on this?

   https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/libraries/article/89017-maryland-gives-up-on-its-library-e-book-law.html

Feels a bit like I've opened the book in the middle,  but all the preceding pages are glued shut...

It's like this:  With physical books, a library can buy the very same book you could buy in a bookstore or elsewhere at the same price you would pay (or less if we get it wholesale), catalog it, and offer it to patrons.  The library can keep offering the book to patrons until it is lost/destroyed/stolen, wears out, is weeded for lack of interest, or forever, whichever comes first.  There are such things as "library bound" books, which have a stouter than usual binding (usually to take abuse from younger readers) and cost a premium.  We can buy special library-bound versions where available if we think it is justified.  Or just buy the usual consumer edition, if we don't think library-bound is necessary or affordable.

Circulating e-books are, in effect, all "library bound."  They have to have special software that enables them to be checked out to a patron's device for a limited period, then cause the patron's "copy" to go away and make the item available for circulation again.  This is necessary to prevent unlimited numbers of copies from being created.  You can understand why publishers want it that way.  Endless electronic duplication and sharing of music has long since all but killed the music industry.  We don't want that happening to publishing.

But that means that libraries can't just buy and offer the same e-books that consumers can, as we can with physical books.  And library e-books come with special strings attached.  They can cost 3-5 times what a consumer copy would cost.  They may not be actual purchases, but rather a type of lease that automatically goes away after x number of months or x number of checkouts.  And they must be used with certain proprietary platforms.  Nearly all popular fiction comes on a platform called OverDrive, for which libraries must pay thousands of dollars a year in platform fees before they have bought a single actual title.  Were we ever to fail to pay the platform fees, we could lose access to our entire accumulated e-book collection.

These state library laws sound like efforts to make publishers offer e-books to libraries on much the same terms as they offer them to consumers.  But they've proven unenforceable, and are now falling by the wayside. 
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: apl68 on April 13, 2022, 06:51:44 AM
Libraries have mostly learned in recent years to live with the restrictions that surround circulating e-books.  Small libraries initially were priced out of e-books by the need to pay platform fees.  Our library was able to start offering them before most other small-town libraries in the region.  We sacrificed maintaining a DVD collection to be able to afford it.  Some other librarians I know tried to go with a cut-price service that proved unpopular.  It had very few truly popular authors.  I suspect it may have been largely a platform for self publishers.  At any rate, it seems to have been a case of "you get what you pay for."

Several years ago our State Library coordinated the development of a statewide e-book consortium for public libraries.  This enabled us to share collections and platform fees.  The cost management of the consortium means that our library now spends much less on e-books, yet can offer far more.  The consortium has proven popular, affordable, and sustainable enough to pretty well satisfy all parties involved.  I think at this point that public libraries and the publishing industry have groped their way to a reasonable compromise.  So the problem that e-book laws were designed to solve seems to have been solved without them.  Whether academic libraries are satisfied with the deals they're getting from their e-book vendors, I don't know.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: mamselle on April 13, 2022, 07:42:49 AM
Wow, complex, but I do understand it better, thank you!

This also just appeared:

   https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/nyc-libraries-are-offering-free-digital-library-cards-to-people-across-the-u-s-041322

In the face of widespread book-bannings, the NYPL seems to be standing tall.

M.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: dr_evil on April 13, 2022, 12:13:51 PM
Quote from: apl68 on March 18, 2022, 01:43:36 PM
Getting rid of old books to make way for new ones is usually called "weeding," but I've always thought it should be called "pruning."  The old books aren't unwelcome intruders in the collection like weeds.  They're just old wood that has to be removed to let the new grow in its place.

Unfortunately, my institution has pruned just about everything and has almost no physical books anymore. I had heard they threw the old ones out, including one on an art technique that I used to check out periodically. It hurts my book-loving soul. The old library space is practically empty. I think I heard echoes coming from there, or perhaps ghosts of those poor disposed books crying in agony. 

The issue for me is that I want a break from all the reading online. It causes eye strain that bothers me (probably more now that I'm old, or so I feel at times).
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: apl68 on April 13, 2022, 12:29:35 PM
Quote from: dr_evil on April 13, 2022, 12:13:51 PM
Quote from: apl68 on March 18, 2022, 01:43:36 PM
Getting rid of old books to make way for new ones is usually called "weeding," but I've always thought it should be called "pruning."  The old books aren't unwelcome intruders in the collection like weeds.  They're just old wood that has to be removed to let the new grow in its place.

Unfortunately, my institution has pruned just about everything and has almost no physical books anymore. I had heard they threw the old ones out, including one on an art technique that I used to check out periodically. It hurts my book-loving soul. The old library space is practically empty. I think I heard echoes coming from there, or perhaps ghosts of those poor disposed books crying in agony. 

The issue for me is that I want a break from all the reading online. It causes eye strain that bothers me (probably more now that I'm old, or so I feel at times).

Last time I visited my old job, a couple of years ago, they had moved massive numbers of books into off-site storage to create thousands of square feet of computer lab and study space.  There were a couple of floors in the building that still felt like a library, though.

The other day I had the chance to browse through the stacks at Alma Mater's library.  It really took me back!  I spend my days mainly in a public library, where most of the stacks are occupied by popular fiction.  I miss getting to browse extensive nonfiction stacks that give the sense of being surrounded by a whole world of knowledge.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: mamselle on April 15, 2022, 06:29:13 AM
A piece on the important place of libraries in society in a broader sense:

   https://www.buzzfeed.com/kristatorres/library-safe-space-twitter

M.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: hmaria1609 on April 15, 2022, 07:31:34 PM
Side note to apl68's previous comment, Libby is replacing the OverDrive name. Still the same service!
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: hmaria1609 on May 03, 2022, 07:17:00 PM
I saw this syndicated "Lio" daily comic on Saturday (4/30):
https://www.gocomics.com/lio/2022/04/30 (https://www.gocomics.com/lio/2022/04/30)
I wish this was in color!
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: mamselle on May 03, 2022, 09:13:26 PM
Then there are those of us who inhabit other centuries...

;--}

M.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: hmaria1609 on June 14, 2022, 02:34:24 PM
A federal judge in Maryland has struck down the library e-books law:
https://wtop.com/education/2022/06/judge-in-maryland-strikes-down-library-e-book-law/ (https://wtop.com/education/2022/06/judge-in-maryland-strikes-down-library-e-book-law/)
Scroll past ad breaks to read full article. Posted on WTOP Radio 6/13/22
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: hmaria1609 on June 25, 2022, 07:10:49 PM
Got my ALA Annual attendee badge on Thursday. It's good to see the conference back in DC again!
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: dismalist on June 25, 2022, 07:52:43 PM
Quote from: hmaria1609 on June 14, 2022, 02:34:24 PM
A federal judge in Maryland has struck down the library e-books law:
https://wtop.com/education/2022/06/judge-in-maryland-strikes-down-library-e-book-law/ (https://wtop.com/education/2022/06/judge-in-maryland-strikes-down-library-e-book-law/)
Scroll past ad breaks to read full article. Posted on WTOP Radio 6/13/22

Sorry I didn't see this sooner, hmaria.

What the decision means is that "price discrimination" -- charging different prices to different entities [infinite price for libraries] -- is legal. Like, no net neutrality!

It's on balance a good thing to promote authors to produce good stuff that the rest of us can consume if copyright doesn't last too long. Currently, works are copyrighted 95 years. Seems a tad too long to me. :-)

Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: hmaria1609 on June 27, 2022, 07:36:39 PM
ALA Annual 2022 is in the books. It was fun visiting the exhibits and seeing some folks I knew.  Some exhibitors didn't come like they did in past years. Ah, well.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: apl68 on July 07, 2022, 07:34:11 AM
Libraries are again serving as COVID test distribution sites.  We're among them.  This time we're actually collecting the tests and sending them to a test lab.  Patrons will have mobile phone codes and barcodes to go online and get their test results.  We'll see what the response is like.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: mamselle on July 07, 2022, 09:13:04 AM
Good for you guys.

There are so many dimensions to the 'public service' mandate that libraries fulfill so well: that dedication deserves more attention!

M.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: mamselle on July 16, 2022, 04:16:17 PM
So, a double, a bit later.

Here's another discussion of "the things we find in library books!!"

   https://lithub.com/look-through-this-archive-of-all-the-random-things-people-have-lost-in-library-books/

Just for fun....

M.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: apl68 on July 18, 2022, 08:09:13 AM
We used to find money that patrons had absentmindedly used to mark their place.  One patron in particular had a habit of it.  I don't know how much money the staff had to call her about finding over the years. 

At my old job I found a 1920s travel brochure that may well have been in the book that long.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: hmaria1609 on November 16, 2022, 01:08:52 PM
Yesterday, the American Library Assoc. (ALA) released its shortlist for the annual Carnegie Medals:
https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/ala-unveils-2023-carnegie-medals-shortlist/ (https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/ala-unveils-2023-carnegie-medals-shortlist/)
The winners will be announced in January 2023.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: hmaria1609 on February 08, 2023, 02:56:57 PM
Two awards lists from American Library Assoc (ALA) announced at LibLearnX in New Orleans last week:

Youth Media Awards 2023:
https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/2023-youth-media-award-winners/ (https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/2023-youth-media-award-winners/)

Carnegie Medals 2023:
https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/2023-andrew-carnegie-medal-winners-announced/ (https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/2023-andrew-carnegie-medal-winners-announced/)

Featured in "American Libraries (AL) Direct" weekly newsletter, Vermont State U. is closing its library campuses:
https://vtdigger.org/2023/02/08/vermont-state-university-to-close-libraries-downgrade-sports-programs/ (https://vtdigger.org/2023/02/08/vermont-state-university-to-close-libraries-downgrade-sports-programs/)
Scroll past ad breaks to read full article. Posted on VTDigger.com 2/8/23
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: hmaria1609 on January 25, 2024, 01:39:31 PM
Hey classic rock fans!
A library copy of the 1975 Pink Floyd album "Wish You Were Here" returns:
https://www.fox5dc.com/news/pink-floyds-wish-you-were-here-cd-returns-to-maryland-library-35-years-late (https://www.fox5dc.com/news/pink-floyds-wish-you-were-here-cd-returns-to-maryland-library-35-years-late)
It's making the local news rounds.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on January 26, 2024, 08:06:23 AM
Quote from: hmaria1609 on January 25, 2024, 01:39:31 PMHey classic rock fans!
A library copy of the 1975 Pink Floyd album "Wish You Were Here" returns:
https://www.fox5dc.com/news/pink-floyds-wish-you-were-here-cd-returns-to-maryland-library-35-years-late (https://www.fox5dc.com/news/pink-floyds-wish-you-were-here-cd-returns-to-maryland-library-35-years-late)
It's making the local news rounds.

Now that's funny and now I have that song stuck in my head.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: hmaria1609 on March 13, 2024, 07:56:31 PM
On Monday, American Library Assoc. (ALA) announced it was canceling LibLearnX 2026:
https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/ala-cancels-liblearnx-2026/ (https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/ala-cancels-liblearnx-2026/)
LibLearnX 2025 in Phoenix remains on the conference schedule.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: apl68 on March 14, 2024, 07:32:02 AM
Our state held a small face-to-face children's services workshop for the first time since COVID just last week.  One of our staff attended that.  They're supposed to have another one this fall.

We have a major annual event that we hold in conjunction with the local schools scheduled for this afternoon.  We'll be hosting student and local artist art exhibits, music, games, and food trucks.  We've got a team of teachers in the building right now working on the setup.  I took a couple of minutes to glance at the art on display.  Some of it is pretty impressive.

Unfortunately the weather seems likely to depress turnout.  It looks very rainy, and likely will rain by this afternoon.  We'd already postponed the event once due to fears of rain, and it didn't rain then.  Looks like the planning team zigged when they should have zagged.  Here's hoping for the best in a few hours.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: apl68 on March 14, 2024, 02:13:30 PM
Our event has now begun, and the rain situation looks good at the moment.  We've even been seeing a bit of actual sun.  The food trucks have arrived, the school buses are shuttling people from the school parking lot, and parents and children are touring the art exhibits.  So far, so good.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: hmaria1609 on March 14, 2024, 04:00:55 PM
We had a local public charter school come to the library for a community outreach event today. We were the hosting venue.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: apl68 on March 15, 2024, 07:42:32 AM
Quote from: hmaria1609 on March 14, 2024, 04:00:55 PMWe had a local public charter school come to the library for a community outreach event today. We were the hosting venue.

That sounds great!  We're still trying to persuade our schools to resume visits to the library that went out with COVID.  The almost total lack of cooperation between the library and the schools over the past four years has hurt us both.

The only cooperative ventures we've had have been those annual outdoor events, such as the one we had yesterday.  It's planned by teachers and features student art and music, and other local art and music, and is hosted at the library.  This time things went without a hitch.  We had attendance in the upper hundreds at least.  Everybody seemed to be having a good time.  The vendors I spoke with were satisfied with their experience.  As I type, I hear a team of teachers out in the main area taking down the student art.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: hmaria1609 on March 15, 2024, 07:50:30 PM
To add, the local public charter school is moving out from their current location to a new one so they're on a community tour to promote the school. We happened to be the hosting venue for their community meeting.

Apl68, I'm sorry that your children's staff hasn't been able to reconnect and collaborate with their peers in the school system.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: apl68 on March 16, 2024, 06:33:02 AM
Quote from: hmaria1609 on March 15, 2024, 07:50:30 PMTo add, the local public charter school is moving out from their current location to a new one so they're on a community tour to promote the school. We happened to be the hosting venue for their community meeting.

Apl68, I'm sorry that your children's staff hasn't been able to reconnect and collaborate with their peers in the school system.

Public libraries can be a great way to promote a school, and vice versa. 

We held a long post-mortem meeting with the teacher team while they were here yesterday.  We came up with several ways to make next year's event even better.  We also tried to start a conversation about re-integrating the public library into the schools' efforts to promote literacy.  Since parents have almost totally abandoned the public library post-COVID, reading has become something that children are hardly exposed to outside of school.  Which means they're coming to regard it the way they do math--as something they do only when forced to in school. 

Hence our district's truly disastrous recent literacy benchmark scores.  A few months ago the assistant superintendent of the district announced at Rotary Club that they were planning a new literacy push.  It was literally the first that I and our outreach staff member who attend Rotary regularly had heard of it.  It never even entered their heads that the public library would make a useful community partner in promoting literacy.  We're now trying to work our teacher allies to get us into the planning process for next year's literacy push.  Since the district is under the gun on raising their literacy scores, they have no choice about making a renewed literacy push.  If they don't start involving us and other community partners, they're going to continue to fail.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: Langue_doc on March 17, 2024, 01:41:46 PM
The main libraries in all the boroughs used to be open all seven days. Now it's down to six days, and very soon the hours are going to be cut further to five days a week. Our elected representatives need to get their heads from out of their behinds so that the city doesn't sink down to the level of countries that people are fleeing, for good reasons.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: apl68 on March 18, 2024, 07:41:15 AM
While visiting my parents last Monday, I tried going to the library in the county seat to speak with the librarian.  She's an acquaintance of mine who happens to live not far from my grandmother's old house.  Anyway, I saw that they are now only open five days a week, Tuesday through Saturday.  It did not surprise me, given that that county library has had major budget problems for several years now. 

A previous librarian seems to have retired on the job and let the old building rack up many years' worth of deferred maintenance, apparently on the theory that she could make it last long enough for her to retire and let it be somebody else's problem.  Her immediate successor spent some year-end money to cover the most urgent repairs, only to learn too late that the "year-end money" was actually the entire operating reserve her predecessor had left her.  What's sad is that the town's voters supported some quite substantial civic improvements not too many years earlier, but the old librarian seems to have made no effort to get the library included in that.  An institution's leaders just can't afford to miss a rare opportunity like that.  The current librarian has little prospect of getting the community investment she needs to keep running in today's climate.

I've been trying to think about what day we could close--we're currently open six days a week--to make the best use of a reduced staff if and when we have to reduce staff hours.  This will probably become necessary before many more years, simply because the local economy and property tax revenues are declining long-term.
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: kaysixteen on March 18, 2024, 07:32:16 PM
Have you gotten any sense that, in your ruralish red state community, public support for the very *idea* of a public library and its offerings, has itself dimimished, irrespective of available funding?
Title: Re: Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...
Post by: apl68 on March 19, 2024, 07:48:27 AM
No, I get more the sense that people have come to think of the library the way they often think of the local churches.  They're all for them, they just don't see much reason to go there themselves, unless there's some particular help they want, or some spectacular event that looks interesting.  The real enemy in both cases is apathy, not hostility.  In both cases it's a mindset that's honestly hard for me to understand, since I'm passionate about both types of institution.  But that's bucking the trend.

I've done a lot of soul searching over the years, wondering what I could have done differently to produce a different outcome.  Is it because I've failed to be as enterprising and talented as some of my more successful colleagues elsewhere?  Or have I just never been able to take advantage of the same perfect storm of opportunities that they've had? The most successful libraries have been in regions that have other things going for them as well.

The more I compare our library to those of other small towns in economically depressed areas, the more I've come to conclude that it's mostly the latter.  Our libraries are declining mainly because our communities are declining--declining in more ways than one.  As much as I wish it were otherwise, the library can't really do much to stem the general decline.