January 17, 2019
I like free movies. I suspect you do as well. But here’s the thing: Not every movie made in the world ever makes it to DVD. As a librarian, I cannot tell you how many times I’ve had patrons come in looking for a foreign film, a movie from the past, or a documentary they […]
December 19, 2018
Afrofuturism (def): “a movement in literature, music, art, etc., featuring futuristic or science fiction themes which incorporate elements of black history and culture.” Originating in the mid to late 1990s, Afrofuturism takes particular care to explore the intersection of African/African Diaspora culture with technology. And if you’re only learning about it now, you have one movie […]
December 6, 2018
What criteria should a librarian use to determine how successful a library display truly is? Should you consider how often the books are removed? The quality of the literature displayed? The timeliness of the topic? The inventiveness? Or should we do it the way our forefathers and foremothers intended? That’s right. Twitter hits. Recently one […]
November 20, 2018
It’s that time of year again!! The time when the librarians, clerks, and other staff members of Evanston Public Library that have been reading all year long, finally reveal their 101 favorite children’s books. When I moved to Evanston from New York City, I took with me New York Public Library’s idea for an annual […]
November 6, 2018
Imagine you’re sitting, waiting, bored. Maybe you’re at the Robert Crown Center, waiting for your kid to get out of hockey practice. Maybe you’re in the waiting room at the Erie Family Health Center waiting for your appointment. Perhaps you’re at the Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center, waiting for a show to begin. Waiting can be tough, […]
October 26, 2018
A library is a depository for books. That is common knowledge. Any child could tell you as much. But as it happens, libraries also receive an untold number of items that have nothing at all to do with literature. Case in point out latest donation. It’s big. It’s red. It features an outdated form of […]
October 10, 2018
Oscar season is still months away, but autumn is traditionally the time of year when movie studios start to release the films they feel have the best shot at Oscar gold. This year, a whole slew of new films are based on books (all of which you can find in your friendly neighborhood library). Want […]
September 28, 2018
In the early summer the library switched to an entirely new interface. Not an event that would be call for much notice on the part of the public, but there were certain perks that came with the temporary inconvenience. Perks that I’m not sure you even know about. Perks that involve your library books. Right […]
September 13, 2018
About ten years ago I was working as a New York City librarian, doing my due diligence in a massive system. My first job was in the Jefferson Market branch, a gorgeous structure that began its days as a women’s courthouse (Mae West was tried there, amongst many others). When it was turned into a […]
August 30, 2018
Today we shall engage in a little bit of edification for the masses. Poetry! It’s not April, but who says we have to relegate verses to that month alone? Today’s piece comes from the Ogden Nash collection Parents Keep Out, Elderly Poems for Youngerly Readers circa 1933 (it’s out of print but you can order […]