Libraries, Archives, and all things Bookish...

[mamselle]

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.

[apl68]

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.

[mamselle]

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.

[mamselle]

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.

[hmaria1609]

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.

[mamselle]

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. 

[apl68]

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.

[hmaria1609]

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.

[mamselle]

Oooh.....any Art Deco stuff?

That would really be cool.

M.

[hmaria1609]

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.

[mamselle]

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.

[apl68]

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.

[mamselle]

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.

[apl68]

A library in our Neighboring State to the South has had an accident:

FARMERVILLE, 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.

[mamselle]

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.