Category Archives: libraries

December 18, 2012   Yassine   community, fun, inspiration, libraries, Yassine  
4

Rallying round

I came across this interesting piece today about a group of squatters who had settled in a public library that had been shut down by the local council. Before they were finally evicted, the squatters-turned-librarians had endeavored to re-stock the library with books that were donated by the local community, amassing 8,000 books. Not only were the once empty shelves replenished, the commandeered library held events for children and authors and are set to have a pot luck style event this Christmas Day.

I was really taken by the sense of harmony and community in this story. And it was reassuring to know that in a world where we have a myriad forms of entertainment thrust in front of us, there is still such a strong affection for books, not just individually but collectively as well.

If you were a part of this community, which one of your books would you donate?

October 25, 2012   Michael   fun, ghostwriting, libraries, Michael  
6

Literary Spirits

Halloween is just around the corner, and as usual, it’s only increased my appetite for ghost stories. I’ve loved them since I was a kid and had my own paranormal experience while at my grandmother’s house. That incident seemed more likely due to my overactive imagination than supernatural forces, but it only increased my fascination with the specters, ghouls and the like. Two books in particular, though, solidified my love of all things macabre: A House with a Clock in Its Walls by John Bellairs and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, and its many sequels, by Alvin Schwartz with art by Stephen Gammell. The former made me sleep with a light on for the days I spent reading it–I swore I could hear ticking! And the latter was the most passed-around book in second grade and one that terrified me even in broad daylight. I’ll admit, I’m pretty easily frightened, but I have a feeling those books will be terrifying children for years to come.

What got me thinking about all of this, though, was a list of haunted restaurants here in LA, which then got me searching for a list of haunted libraries. And I found it! It’s helpfully broken down by region, so there’s sure to be one near you. It turns out I have a handful to go see right here in Southern California, and I’m going to go exploring my next free weekend. Sadly, the one I most one to go to, the Brand Library in Glendale, is closed for renovation. Here’s hoping the spirits stick around through all the construction noise!

Do any of you have haunted library tales or favorite scary books?

July 17, 2012   John   fun, inspiration, John, libraries  
2

A Little Free Library grows in Brooklyn

If you didn’t see this article in the Times this morning, get ready for some major cuteness: The first Little Free Library in New York City has gone up in Brooklyn. Have you heard about the Little Free Library program? Evidently it’s an international movement to set up some kind of receptacle—usually a box, but evidently canoes (?) or ovens(?!) work, too—in a neighborhood where residents can leave books for borrowing.

Well, if the kid-cuteness factor and neighborly good vibes are to be believed, I dearly hope we see some more of them around town, and soon. Right now, I’m having a bit of a lovefest with the NYPL—I took some books out last Friday for my 3 ½-year-old, and I’ve been amazed at his reaction. While Henry certainly gets excited when I bring home books to keep from work, the idea that these are on loan has made him completely obsessed—I think we read Revenge of the Dinotrux three times in a row this morning over breakfast, partly because he knows it has to go back to the library. At the same time, he keeps asking when I’ll go back to the library, and when I do, I must get him another Spider-Man book—or else!

And I have to say, considering his ever-growing list of demands and wants, this is one request I’m happy to oblige. Besides, I have totally selfish reasons here—after all, libraries build readers, and readers eventually buy books. So, to keep me in business, I’ll be heading back to the library for Henry this Friday afternoon. And who knows, if the red tape doesn’t choke us here in Manhattan, maybe there will be a Little Free Library on the Upper West Side soon—I certainly hope so!

June 21, 2012   Michael   ALA, librarians, libraries, Michael  
6

Librarians

As a kid, the library was a huge part of my life. During the summer, my mom would take me every week to check out new books and return the old ones. I loved going. In the unbearably muggy Illinois summer, the cool library (imagine a time when everything wasn’t air conditioned) was a welcome respite, and the seemingly endless supply of books meant hours of entertainment during those long, hot days. My favorite part of the trip was always story time, when we’d sit on the colorful carpet and listen quietly as the librarian brought a picture book to life. Even writing this, I can smell the old books and hear the crinkle of the cellophane covers. It was a magical time for me.

So I’m excited to set off for the beautiful town (I’m psyching myself up!) of Anaheim for my first ALA. In the children’s book world, librarians are some of the most important people around–and I’m proud to be a part of a world that recognizes them as such. With kids’ books, “gatekeepers” like librarians and educators aren’t seen as the enemy, but rather as allies. They’re the front line in getting kids interested in the books that are being published, and when they love a book, stand back: they will hand sell it to any kid who’ll listen. Librarians often champion the books that aren’t the biggest, loudest and most commercial; they’re often the first to recognize under-read talent. When they bestow their awards, like the Printz, Caldecott, Newbery and others, they literally change lives overnight. And when they get excited, they get excited. These are some of the most passionate book people around, and knowing how poorly most of them are paid, you know they’re in it for the love of books.

It’ll be great to spend the next few days with my authors, publishing colleagues, and the great unsung heroes of the book world, librarians. Do any of you have great librarian memories?

April 13, 2012   Rachel   libraries, problem solving, Rachel S.  
12

Making Room

After a confusing month of wondering whether or not to wear a jacket, layer with a sweater, go bare-legged or long-sleeved, it finally seems like spring is here to stay. Moods are cheery, windows are open and it’s time to turn over new leaves. Odd though it is, I look forward to my Sunday afternoon housecleaning (the kitchen especially) and even more to the big overhaul that comes with the changing of the seasons.

Spring cleaning. Out with the old and in with the new. It’s a great feeling except for one small glitch—sometimes, there’s just so much old to get rid of that I don’t know where to put it! We’ve all posted on this blog about the vast quantity of books and reading we’ve acquired over the years. There’s no room for a third bookshelf in my quaint (read: tiny) little living room in Brooklyn and so we’ve had to go through a bit of an overhaul, as we keep amassing books with nowhere to put them.

Painstaking as it was in some cases, both myself and my roommate have managed to fill a deceptively large shopping bag with enough books to leave us marginal space on the shelves. Deciding which books to get rid of was a process and heartwrench of its own, and so we thought the hard part was over once we’d finally settled. Except now it’s two weeks later and the giant bag of books is still sitting there. The question remains—where to donate?

The options, while not endless, are many. Easiest would be to bring them to the coffee shop down the street that has a little lending library that thrives on donations, but I dump books there all the time. There’s a small library three blocks from my apartment that might benefit from a few more additions. We could cart them into the city and donate to thrift stores or other charity-based bookstores. Surely we could think of friends who would gladly take some off of our hands, too. There’s selling to second-hand shops, online or in the front yard (pretending I have a front yard). Throwing them away is obviously not a possibility (They’re BOOKS!).

While it’s not the worst of dilemmas, it’s one I’m currently facing. What do you do when you run out of space for your books? To whom to they go?

November 10, 2011   Michael   author events, libraries, Michael  
17

Come out and see me some time

It’s a dream come true. Not only are you a published author, but your publisher is actually setting up an event for you! A reading at a bookstore, perhaps, or possibly something at a library or community center. You get nervous: What will I wear? Which section of my book should I read? What questions will I be asked? And, finally, most importantly: will anyone show up?

The answer to that last question, as just about every author can attest, is no. Well, it’s not always no–sometimes people show up. Especially if you’ve been writing for a while and have a following, of if you’re doing an event for later books in a series, or if you’re doing an event with authors who have a following. But as a first-time author out in the world, getting people to turn up is hard. I had an author at an event this past weekend that went spectacularly badly. Not only was it sparsely attended, but the store wasn’t able to get the books in time! So the author traveled to an event only to have a handful of people show up, and then couldn’t even sell the book to them. I wish I could say this was a rare occurrence, but it happens all the time.

But I’m not really here to complain. What I want to know from you, dear readers, is what makes you turn out for a book event? Do you ever go to events for authors whose books you haven’t yet read? Is there some sort of enticement that might make you come out? Or is the bookstore event best reserved to those with large followings?  I’m curious to hear what you think.

October 14, 2011   Lauren   Lauren, libraries, opinion  
7

Oh.

Normally I turn to Cracked for levity which begets fascination which begets something vaguely unsettling and distressing, but not actually of importance to my existence (an article I usually get to about 15 minutes before I’m going to go to bed, which is the perfect time to be creeped out by the world).  Okay, so maybe “6 Reasons We’re in Another ‘Book-Burning’ Period in History” didn’t exactly sound like a rollicking good time, but I was expecting Cracked to deliver something funny and dubiously connected.  I wasn’t expecting a really sad breakdown of what libraries do when there’s no more money to keep the books they’ve already got: burn them.  Even if they are incredibly valuable first editions or of some historical significance or perhaps the only extant copy (physical or otherwise).  Because it’s the most cost effective thing to do and needs to be done and there’s no money to do what many of us would think makes sense and because maybe in some ways the digital age means throwing out the baby with the bathwater.  My reading process was very much “But why can’t they…?  Oh.  But surely they could…?  Oh.”

It seems like this is something worth contemplating, as we face down an age in which we value physical objects less and less and digital ones more and more.  It’s a pretty safe guess that today’s children’s children will not have anywhere near the attachment to books as objects that I do—I grew up as the world was beginning this shift, so even my grasp is at times tenuous, where things like music and photos are concerned—so it seems like maybe this problem will more or less go away on its own.  Not because we’ll stop burning books, but because people like me will stop being around to find it sad and surprising.

So it saddens me, perhaps for dubious reasons, that this is the reality.  I have no answers, and I strongly suspect that the people who do these things don’t come to the decision lightly.  But I do know we have some librarians lurking round these parts, so I wonder if you’ve ever had to face this very task.  Have you found an alternative solution?  Or found a way to come to terms with tossing books onto the pyre?  Is it just the symbolism that’s getting me down?

September 13, 2011   Stephanie   about us, fun, libraries, optimism, Stephanie  
3

Musings on the library

As I floated through the Twitterverse today, I came across this great link I want to share with everyone. Apparently, for the past several months, there have been mysterious discoveries at libraries throughout Edinburgh, Scotland—delicate, intricate creations that are carved from paper, mounted on books, all of which form small yet fascinating works of art. These complex pieces have been left at places such as the Scottish Poetry Library and the Central Lending Library completely anonymously. My favorite is the most recent, which includes a small note: This is for you in support of Libraries, Books, Words, Ideas…LIBRARIES ARE EXPANSIVE.

Looking at these creations and their deeper meaning brought me back to my days within library walls. Throughout my college years at NYU, four to be exact, I worked at the school library. I began at the very bottom of the totem pole—shelving books and assisting harried (and usually rude) graduate students—and worked my way up to a research assistant in the course reserves and archives department. Besides meeting and working with some of the best people whom I now consider my second family, my time there exposed me to so many different elements of academia and taught me skills I couldn’t have learned elsewhere. I’ll never forget shelving first edition copies of books—printed in 1896—and marveling at the fact that they still existed and were accessible to anyone if only they knew where to look. Likewise when I worked in archives, searching through row upon row of microfilm reels, holding documents from all over the world that were several centuries old. The large majority of my fellow students probably never even knew these things existed.

In an age where articles, and sometimes entire books, can be found on the internet, libraries are becoming increasingly necessary. I think of how much material could potentially be lost to digitizing and it makes me concerned for the future of libraries. I certainly hope that discoveries like those made in Edinburgh will remind people of the importance of places like these.

August 23, 2011   John   celebrity, fun, John, libraries  
5

Libraries of the rich and famous

As my wife would probably tell you, home design isn’t usually my cup of tea. But I couldn’t help myself on this one: the Accredited Online Colleges blog (I know, random—thanks to the good folks at Shelf Awareness for digging it up) posted this awesome slideshow/list of 20 celebrity libraries to die for.

Leather binding! Oriental rugs! Mahogany! Fireplaces! Ahhh….

While I’m sure it would be lovely to sink into one of the couches in the Hearst library, my faves here would have to be Nigella and Keith Richards—something about the clutter makes them look like places you’d actually want to read, instead of just admire. Though I do like the clean look of Jane Fonda’s room—feels like a great space for escaping from the world.

On the other hand, what’s up with Sting, Rod, and Michael and their stuffy, faux British-manor reading rooms? Not exactly sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll, guys. And while I guess Karl Lagerfeld’s space is meant to be utilitarian, you’d think a fashion designer would come with something a little more… attractive?

Thoughts? Picks? Pans? Anyone know other celeb libraries worth checking out? If so, please link away…

June 21, 2011   John   galleys, John, libraries, opinion, questions, reading, recommendations  
5

What to read?

One of the blessings of working in the publishing industry is that you’re given plenty of books for free. Right now, I’ve got three stacks of books and galleys on my desk, plus another tower on my night table at home, none of which I actually bought. And it’s not like they’re all cast-offs or remainders, either. We’re talking front-list, big-book titles here—in other words, good stuff!

Yet, as much as I appreciate the swag, I find that sometimes it’s a curse as well. The constant availability of books means that I often procrastinate on reading what I actually want to read—or worse, I don’t get to them at all. I’m a huge fan of the Hunger Games books, but it took me months to get around to Mockingjay, not because of the reviews or word-of-mouth, but because I simply had other stuff that looked intriguing at hand.  And I still haven’t gotten around to A Visit from the Good Squad. Or Freedom.

Are the freebies books I would have sought out and purchased? Probably not. But in most cases I was glad to read them, and certainly there’s an educational benefit to reading books on subjects I’d never consider while browsing in the store. On the other hand, it’s been years since I read any classics, because that would mean actually going out and getting the books—and I do worry that my sense of perspective has become limited to what’s contemporary.

I know, it’s pretty obnoxious to complain about having too many free books… and okay, when it comes to book shopping I’m remarkably lazy, too. But still, I’m curious: do you ever put off reading what you want for what’s at hand? Or are you always more focused in your reading choices? If so, do you have a varied reading list? Any strategies for mixing things up?

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