Libraries as Safe Spaces

I believe this article covers an important aspect of libraries, especially public and school libraries, where librarians are sometimes called to act as counselors. I know from personal experience in a public library that there are a lot of teens who will identify with different staff members and most of the time, they just need someone to listen to them and possibly give advice. I am speaking in general, but this article is very specific about the queer community. I think that this group is targeted more in schools and it's still a subject that is a big deal in a lot of communities. Libraries tend to be safe places for any minority, as they are the holders of knowledge. About everything. And librarians are taught to not judge based on anything to do with a person or what their requests are. So it makes sense that this is where people go to find a safe space.

I had an experience in a public library where it was the only place I felt safe to come out as a lesbian because I knew these people and I trusted these people with what was the biggest secret I had at the time. If I wouldn't have had that safe space to come out in, and if I wouldn't have had the librarians that put the books in my hands that told me there were other people like me...I honestly don't know what would have happened. Libraries being safe spaces for everyone to go and have the information they need and have safe people to talk to is important. Librarians aren't counselors, but sometimes they are the best form of therapy.

http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/columns/my-mind/libraries-safe-spaces

Zombie Library!

In Alaska's largest public library last night, zombies roamed the stacks in order to teach people about being prepared (and to have a little fun, of course!).

http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/features/10312012/zombies-invade-library

Banned Books Week--Flash Mob

Lafayette College hosts literary flash mob to kick off Banned Books Week

http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/easton/index.ssf/2012/10/lafayette_college_hosts_litera.html

Ray Bradbury

Ray Bradbury died at the age of 91 on Tuesday (6/5). He was best known for Fahrenheit 451 (if you haven't read it, stop reading this and go to your library or local bookstore right now and read it), as well as being an often challenged or banned author.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/ray-bradbury-author-of-fahrenheit-451-dandelion-wine-remembered-by-fans/2012/06/07/gJQA9dVKLV_story.html

The Illuminator

The Illuminator : and a Bible for the 21st Century is a movie I watched recently about a group of monks who wanted to create a Bible for today's audience, but keep with the old traditions as well. The film takes place about halfway through the process (2005) and shows how Bibles have been made by hand centuries ago, as well as the technology used nowadays for this one-of-a-kind Bible. 


Fantastic watch. 5/5 stars.


P.S. Thank you to Noah for thinking of lending it to me!

Find out more here! http://www.saintjohnsbible.org/

Maurice Sendak

Maurice Sendak, author of Where the Wild Things Are, died today.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/09/books/maurice-sendak-childrens-author-dies-at-83.html

Books into Buildings

If you've ever wanted to live surrounded by books...then try these buildings made out of books!

http://flavorwire.com/283928/10-gorgeous-buildings-made-out-of-books?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Day%206%20%28Saturday%29&utm_campaign=Unified%20Mailer#1

Safety in Public Libraries

Working in a public library isn't always safe. Working in the children's room of a public library? Even less safe. Any public librarian can tell you stories of finding men exposed and passed out in the children's room, teens making out (or worse) all over the library, not to mention the drunken/drugged/disorderly people, or people with mental illness, or people who are homeless...all of these (and more) can become problems and have the potential to spiral into violence.

http://www.sunjournal.com/news/lewiston-auburn/2012/04/24/auburn-librarian-recovering-after-random-attack/1185411

Raskally fellows: Are copyright infringers "pirates" and "thieves"?

Ack! Copyright infringement! In academic and school libraries, this topic is especially important. Academic and school librarians are well versed in the subject and have many guides for all the various formats for proper citations. However, fair use is up for debate...how far does fair use go? Read the article below for some very compelling discussions.

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2012/04/raskally-fellows-are-copyright-infringers-pirates-and-thieves.ars

Book Repair: part 2

Well, I was able to finish the repairs on my friend's Bible! It turned out well. She'll have to be more careful with it! Took about three days total, including drying time. See the pics below (with explanations!) (Also, when I say "tape," I really mean "book tape." It's not your average Scotch tape on a roll!)

P.S. I know there are people out there reading this blog! Please feel free to comment on anything you like or dislike, and tell my your thoughts on things. Also, if there's anything you want to hear about, let me know!

I started back to front for this book, and had to finish separating the book's binding for the spine: the back half was still attached, while the front half was in multiple parts.

(Above) You can see where I used a heavier tape for extra support between the back page and the cover. (Below) I also used this kind of tape for pages that needed extra help.

(Above) As you can see, within the two halves, there were many other, smaller chunks of pages that were falling out (some were even only partially out!), sometimes even single pages. For these types of delicate mends, I used a thinner, clear tape. (Below) Some pages had lost some of their paper as well! I fixed these types with the stronger white tape seen in the above pictures, as leaving holey pages would lead to further damage. (You can see the wax paper behind the page to the left. This is useful because if I didn't use it, I would end up taping the page behind it as well.)

(Below) You can see that I sometimes used other books as weights to help keep the pages flat, after I had smoothed them with my "bone." As you can see, you have to very carefully lay down the tape to make sure the two facing pages don't end up having a gap, and so the words don't get covered!

(Below) I had to cut the book open the rest of the way so I could glue everything back together. The long cardboard piece laying across the book belongs in the spine...but the glue wasn't doing its job anymore.

Below you can see the final step in this repair job. I taped the two halves of the Bible to each other and glued the spine reinforcement down, as well as more gauze (Gauze used in bookbinding is called mull, and is used in case binding to adhere the text block to the book cover--from Wikipedia). 

The final final step is to let the book dry overnight or longer. I simply set the book spine down between two other books and set them against the wall (spines down!) to keep the Bible upright and so gravity would push the pages down into the spine.

Hope you enjoyed my journey through mending!

Book Repair: part 1

I got an interesting request from a friend the other day...she has a Bible that is in serious need of repair. Had this been a library book, I would have requested that we purchase a new copy. However, since this has great sentimental value to her, I told her I would do the best that I can.

As the below pictures show, there are many pages/chunks of the book that are loose or have come out completely. There are also some torn pages, and the spine has to be torn apart and glued/taped/pieced back together. There is a lot of work to do and it will have to be done in stages over the course of several days.

 The chunks of pages to the right are from the front of the book, and above is the worst torn page.

 Here are some loose pages...there are far more then seen here (there were a lot of individual loose pages within the chunks of pages that had torn out.

Above shows how out of repair this book's spine is! It's barely staying together: I'll have to finish taking it apart to rebuild it.

And interesting thing to note about Bibles is the thinness of the pages--it makes it difficult to repair these types of books because they can easily tear or soak up too much glue (I suggest trying to rely more on book tape for these types of projects), and they also wrinkle very easily (I've found that smoothing out the pages beforehand helps keep a book mender from wrinkling the pages too much when they lay down the book tape).

Below are the tools that I will be using.

Above is my book repair kit that I received as part of my course work for a technical services class I took. There is a variety of book tape, including colored and clear, as well as book binding glue, gauze (for spines), as well as other repair equipment (but I won't need to use those for this project). There is also this amazing how-to guide that guides you through the processes of book preservation (trying to prevent books from falling apart before their time), as well as repairing them.
Below are additional tools that come in handy but were not included with the pre-made kit. A knife (spine repair), small or medium brush (for delicate or precise gluing), scissors and something to smooth in and press down tape (I'm using an incense holder, but a flat edge of a comb or something similar would work as well).

I will keep posting as I go along! Wish me luck. :)

National Library Week!

It's National Library Week!
I thought about it and I think one of the most important things a library can provide is a wide range of knowledge and viewpoints, both fiction and non-fiction. Sometimes others don't like those viewpoints, so they challenge and try to ban books. (See my Sept 29 11 post: http://libgeek101.blogspot.com/2011/09/banned-books.html .) See the link below for the top 10 challenged books of 2011, then read them and decide for yourself.

http://www.americanlibrariesmagazine.org/censorship-watch/top-10-challenged-books-2011

Timbuktu Manuscripts

This is what happens when senseless violence threatens a culture's heritage and history.

http://www.americanlibrariesmagazine.org/global-reach/timbuktu-manuscripts-threatened-conflict-mali

Unshelved--The Fault in Our Stars

The Unshelved take on John Green's latest young adult book, The Fault in Our Stars.

http://www.unshelved.com/2012-4-6?utm_source=Overdue+Media&utm_campaign=5624aeab68-UA-127250-5&utm_medium=email

Also see my review of it on shelfari!

http://www.shelfari.com/libgeek/shelf

Multimedia Book

Once upon a time, a guy had an idea for a multimedia novel:

"So I wrote a different kind of love story. I worked with a lot of other artists. I borrowed words, phrases, images, and ideas from everything around me, just as the characters are influenced by everything around them. And then it begins to snow/rain/snow and they all head inside for an evening under the covers. And that’s how it goes.

Now I want my publishing to reflect those same values. I want to make a beautiful, animated, digital book that you can read on your desktop at work, your laptop in the bath, iPad under the stars, Kindle underwater, or smartphone in bed, under the covers with a lover. I want it to be collaborative, open-sourced, and multimedia. And when it’s done, I want to give it all away (pay what you will) so people can remix it and create their own things."

It's the future of books! The link below tells you more, as well as lets you contribute to the project if you want.

http://www.rockethub.com/projects/6066-into-the-green-green-mud-multimedia-novel

April Fool's at Your Library!

Pranks played by librarians. What could be funnier?

http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/inside-scoop/april-fools-year-s-best-library-pranks

Citing Tweets?

Around since 2006, Twitter finally can be cited (in MLA)!

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/03/how-do-you-cite-a-tweet-in-an-academic-paper/253932/

Activists bring "banned" ethnic studies books to town

I think the title of this post speaks for itself.

P.S. I'm consistently amazed by how often the southern/southwest portion of the United States bans books (especially when it comes to cultural differences!).

http://www.kgun9.com/news/local/142913605.html

Book Traffickers

Check out this article about some people who are willing to take a stand against the censorship of school libraries in the Tucson Unified School District (Tucson, Arizona).

http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/news/02222012/book-traffickers-meet-tucson-ban-mexican-american-studies

Update on White House Petition

Remember that article I posted about signing the petition to make sure school libraries continue to receive funding? Here is the result!

http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/inside-scoop/what-comes-after-victory

Literary Tattoos

Literature on skin!

http://tattoolit.com/

A lot of people get literary tattoos for one reason or another. Some are quotes (anywhere from a few words to paragraphs long!), some are pictures, some incorporate both. I myself plan on getting a literary tattoo after I get my Masters in Library Science. Not sure of the exact design yet...but I have a few years to work on it. Very cool website, easy to geek out over.

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John Green

http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/inside-scoop/john-green-nerdfighter-fighter-free-speech

I love John Green. I love his books, but I also love his ideas (and his hair). He is all about being who you are and being comfortable in your skin. He also is someone who uses social networking to his advantage (also very important for libraries!). His views on challenging/banning books are also spot on.

P.S. Check out his books! (Shelved in the young adult section.)

Article for the "Quiet Librarians"

If any of you has ever been typecasted as the socially awkward, quiet, geeky, glasses-and-cardigan wearing librarian...constantly shhing people...then this article is for you!

http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/inside-scoop/value-quiet-loudmouth-world

Librarian Atlas

http://www.newlibrarianship.org/wordpress/?page_id=2

Go. Visit this website. Anyone who is interested in getting into the field of Library Science especially should be interested in this and for those who are already there: the field is changing (as we should be aware of) and this guide is perfect for Librarians (and future Librarians!) in this changing information society. (The map http://www.newlibrarianship.org/wordpress/?page_id=16 is a very interesting look at reference librarianship.

"The vision for a new librarianship must go beyond finding library-related uses for information technology and the Internet; it must provide a durable foundation for the field. Lankes recasts librarianship and library practice using the fundamental concept that knowledge is created though conversation. New librarians approach their work as facilitators of conversation; they seek to enrich, capture, store, and disseminate the conversations of their communities."

A Letter from the ALA President

Dear Colleagues,

I hope that by now you have heard about AASL President Carl Harvey’s White House Petition on School Libraries. 25,000 signatures are needed by February 4, 2012, in order for this petition to reach the desk of the President. We are more than halfway there, but time is running out! In addition to signing the petition, please take these steps to ensure that this petition is a success:

1. Spread the word and see that at least ten of your friends or family members also sign;
2. Work with local educational groups, including the local PTA or PTO, and ask them to mount a signing campaign;
3. Work with other community groups and ask them to get involved.

School libraries are everyone’s issue. Cuts in staffing or elimination of school library programs in a specific community affect all libraries in that community, whether it’s the public library now tasked with serving a school curriculum, or higher education librarians teaching remedial information literacy skills. In order for any of us to succeed, we must be willing to work on these issues together to support our broader library eco-system. Please get involved and help create awareness about the need to ensure that every student has access to an effective school library program.

Please note that the petition is a two-step process. You have to create an account, and then return to the web page to sign. We’ve heard reports that it’s also temperamental: if you have trouble signing, please try working in a different browser, or try in off-peak hours. It might not be easy but please be persistent! Our school library programs, and the children we serve, are so worth it.

Let’s show the world that we can mobilize people to speak out for libraries. Anyone 13 or older can sign the petition. Help us make this an issue that commands attention. Thank you in advance for your efforts.

Sincerely,
Molly Raphael
2011 - 2012 ALA President

Shelfari account

Coming soon...my personal shelfari account! I've used shelfari to keep track of young adult books I've read for the library the past year or more. It's time that I start keeping track of what I'm reading for myself too. And any interested readers!

http://www.shelfari.com/libgeek

P.S. Check out my shelf to the right! Click on it for more. :)

Missouri Library

Public libraries sometimes make mistakes...this one inserted their own feelings into how they censored Internet. My favorite line?

“'Rather than dismissing the concerns of its patrons, the library should make every effort to ensure that its filtering software doesn’t illegally deny access to educational resources on discriminatory grounds,' said Anthony Rothert, legal director of the ACLU of Eastern Missouri. 'The library is the last place that should be censoring information about different cultures.'”

http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/censorship-watch/missouri-library-sued-barring-wiccan-websites