Celebrities Who Wanted to be Librarians

A couple weeks ago, I posted about LeBron James's support of literacy, and in November, I posted about Taylor Swift's support of literacy. Someone commented on my post about LeBron James and said that B.J. Novak of The Office also has connections to libraries, which leads me to today's post.

I was reading the link given in the comments of the LeBron James post and was delighted to learn that Novak wrote the children's book The Book With No Pictures. I haven't read the book yet, but I've had several colleagues recommend it to me. I had no idea it was written by a celebrity, because I don't watch The Office, and while I don't always like it when celebrities write books, for some reason, I'm thrilled that this one was written by a celebrity--maybe because I don't know anything about Novak.

What's even better about Novak is that once upon a time, he wanted to be a librarian. In the article "B.J. Novak Goes the Extra Mile for Libraries" (this is the link that was given in the comments of the LeBron James post), Novak was quoted as saying, "I was enthralled by the library in my elementary school, where anything could happen and where no one told you where your mind was supposed to be."

This is a completely different way of showing support for libraries. Novak hasn't donated money to libraries or other literacy efforts, but writing for kids and doing readings from his children's book at libraries is a great way to bring awareness to public libraries.

Since there's not much more to say about Novak and libraries than that, I thought I'd dig around to see if I could find other celebrities who support authors. I was delighted to find this list, from Public Library News. I was even more delighted to see Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones on the list. According to an article published by The Economist, Richards, like Novak, once aspired to become a librarian.

Am I the only one who is surprised (in a good way) about celebrities who wanted to be librarians at one point in their lives? Do you know of any other celebrities who have said they wanted to be librarians when they were younger? Let me know in the comments!

Our Website's New Look!

We've given the library's website a new look! Don't worry, same address, same great content, only now the site will be the same whether you are accessing it from your computer or your smartphone. We’ve also added a dropdown menu so that you can find what you’re looking for faster.

The beta site has been available for preview for a while now, but here's some features we'd like to mention:

Top Menu

• My Account: View your checked out items, renew them, place holds, view (and pay) fines; access your reading history (if you've opted in), your preferred searches, and your lists. This link now takes you to Encore instead of Classic Catalog, for you to take advantage of the Overdrive & 3M Cloud Library integration (check out digital media directly from the catalog!).


• Books and More: Have questions about Interlibrary Loan?  Want to Suggest a Purchase? Want to see lists of new music, DVDs, and audiobooks? You can also sign up for library emails to get book suggestions by mail and access Classic Catalog, if that's your preferred catalog search.


• Downloads: Use this to search our copious digital media offerings (3M Cloud Library, eBrary, OneClickDigital, Overdrive, and Zinio).  There's also an "About and Help!" page, which includes descriptions of the services, printable instructions, and links to in-person assistance through our Gizmo Garage programs.


• Research: Includes an A-Z list of of eResources and databases, a list of guides for 23 subjects (from Career Resources to Grants to New Mexico Interest and beyond), and links to our Genealogy Center and Special Collections Library.


• Events: Want to just see today's events?  How about just Storytimes or just computer classes?  You can find them here, or search by branch, age group, or subject.


• About Us: Read library news (nice pictures of our new Central & Unser Library!), view our mission statement, learn about special programs, services, and how you can get involved! Includes links to the Library Advisory Board, Friends for the Public Library, and Albuquerque Library Foundation.


• Ask Us: Really, ask us. Type in your question or see if the answer is already in our popular topics!  You can also text us a question.

Click on Mi Biblioteca for information about the library in Spanish.  Click on Hours & Locations for an overview of library locations, hours of operation, and contact information.  Click on the branch of your choice to find out more about their ongoing programs, amenities and services, and meeting and/or study room availability.

Note: If you enter a search term in Find Books, eBooks, DVDs, and more, you will be searching in Encore.

Right Sidebar

Much of the same information you can find in the top menu, but no searching required for those who want to scroll a list of events, visit the Teen Zone or Kids Corner (find events in these age groups, get homework help, see library eResources for youth...and for parents!), or see a list of Gizmo Garages and Computer Classes. How Do I...? has a dropdown menu of FAQ, such as Get a Library Card, Suggest a Purchase, and Pay Fines. Tutor.com links you to our homework help learning suite and the Library Card Mobile App shows you how to put your library card barcode on your phone - one less thing in your wallet! There's also links to a Value Calculator, our digital media info page, and a link to items labeled as "staff picks" in the library catalog.

Bottom Menu

Yay, you made it to the bottom of the page!  This menu contains many of the same links mentioned above, but includes contact information and links to the library's social media accounts - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and this blog.

Any questions?  Ask Us! Either use the link from the library website or leave us a comment below.
 

LEGO: For the Child in All of Us

Are you a LEGO fan? Those ubiquitous toy bricks have found their way into the library system! You can search the catalog using the word "Lego" to find all varieties of goodies, but we've also rounded up a list of some of the latest titles below.

We have books!

For Children

Dolphin Rescue adapted by Tracey West

LEGO Star Wars: The Dark Side by Daniel Lipkowitz

Robot Rampage by Greg Farshtey

Tribes of Chima by Ruth Amos

Build Your Own Galaxy: The Big Unofficial Lego Builder's Book by Joachim Klang, Oliver Albrecht, Lutz Uhlmann, Tim Bischoff

The LEGO Ideas Book: Unlock Your Imagination by Daniel Lipkowitz 

The LEGO Book by Daniel Lipkowitz
 
For Adults 

Brick City: Global Icons to Make from Lego by Warren Elsmore

LEGO Build-It Book: Volume 1 - Amazing Vehicles by Nathanael Kuipers, Mattia Zamboni [also an eBook]

Beautiful LEGO by Mike Doyle

The Cult of LEGO by John Baichtal, Joe Meno 

Brick by Brick: How LEGO Rewrote the Rules of Innovation and Conquered the Global Toy Industry by David C. Robertson with Bill Breen

Make: Lego and Arduino Projects by John Baichtal, Matthew Beckler & Adam Wolf 
 

We have DVDs!

Lego - Ninjago and Friends

The Lego Movie

Lego Batman the Movie: DC Super Heroes Unite

Star Wars Lego: The Empire Strikes Out  

Legends of CHIMA: The Lion, the Crocodile and the Power of Chi 



We have items in Spanish for kids!  

Las Leyendas De Chima: Comienza la leyenda by Trey King

¡A reparar ese camión! by Michael Anthony Steele

Los discos de poder by Greg Farshtey


And, last but certainly not least, if you got kids who'd like to get their hands on some bricks, our library system has 9 LEGO Clubs! Visit our Library LEGO Club page to find one near you! Age ranges vary (6-12, 2-14, 5+), so check with individual libraries for clarification.


Links

Bricks and Minifigs Albuquerque

Lego Is for Girls [Businessweek]

Noted: Found Items from Library Books

Lately, we have seen a spate of items returned with Post-Its attached. We often find items returned with opinions - DVDs especially, with their handy attached "report any problem" forms (some people's problems with the DVDs are more in the range of "This movie is really bad" than "This movie doesn't play", as seen in this post from the I Work At A Public Library blog). We thank customers for attaching their opinions and not writing in or on library items!

Should you find a book on the shelf that has been written in (or with other damage), please do bring it to the attention of library staff.  If you want to check it out, we can stamp it "Damage Noted", and there won't be any question upon its return that the item was damaged before you checked it out!

We also find a lot of items left in books when they are returned, including bookmarks, personal mail, library cards, Post-It flags, and other personal treasures. Sometimes we even find original drawings! Don't forget to check inside your book before you turn it in.  Most items found in books, unless they are trash (tissues, etc.), will be put in lost and found temporarily before being discarded.



By the way, we totally agree with whomever wrote this about Nick Hornby!

ABC Library Museum Discovery Pass Program

Did you know you can now check out passes to local museums at your library? The Museum Discovery Passes are offered at all ABC Library locations except for the Special Collections branch. 

Museum passes may be checked out by adult and juvenile (with parental consent) cardholders with full access accounts, in good standing.  Museum passes check out for 7 days and may not be renewed. Only one museum pass at a time may be checked-out by a family. Each pass allows 2 adults and 2 children free entry to the museum of choice below:

• Albuquerque International Balloon Museum
• Albuquerque Museum of Art and History
• Explora
• Maxwell Museum of Anthropology
• National Museum of Nuclear Science & History
• New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science

To check out a pass, find the Museum Pass display at your branch and select a ticket for the museum of your choice. Bring your ticket to the desk and the pass will be given to you and checked out on your account. You will be asked to fill out a short borrower agreement. When you return your pass, it must be returned at the desk of the branch from which it was checked out. At this time you will be asked to fill out a short survey about your museum experience - this helps us evaluate the program and secure funding for the passes in the future.

Please note that not all branches have passes for all the museums and the passes are available on a first-come, first-served basis - holds cannot be placed on the passes.

The Museum Discovery Pass Program ends March 15, 2015 - check out a pass today!

Visit our Museum Discovery Pass LibGuide for more information.

Bibliocraft: Crafts Based on Unusual Library Collections

Jessica Pigza, a rare book librarian and assistant curator of the New York Public Library's Rare Book Division, has written a book that serves as both a lovely introduction the library and a fun assortment of crafting ideas. Her book, Bibliocraft: A Modern Crafter's Guide to Using Library Resources to Jumpstart Creative Projects, begins with a guide to different kinds of library collections, finding the right library for you, planning your library visit, finding what you want at the library, digital libraries, and recommended library collections.  Pigza then touches on the different types of libraries (branch library, research library, special collections), library cards, fees, how to search the library catalog (both Library of Congress Classification and Dewey Decimal classification, which is what the ABC Library catalog uses), and more.

The craft projects inspired by the library include fabric pouches, decorated paper, cross-stitch wall panels, and votive holders.  Each project is listed in the category which inspired it - children's books, illuminated manuscripts - and each project lists its more specific inspiration - for instance, the Kittens Pockets Dress was inspired by Johanna Spyri's Heidi.

It's a beautiful book and we recommend it highly!  It also inspired us to search some unusual library collections and see if we could find craft projects that seemed to be a match for those collections.

Henry S. Hall Jr. American Alpine Club Library 
The Henry S. Hall Jr. American Alpine Club Library provides you with all the information you could ever want on mountain culture and climbing routes. Located in Golden, Colorado, we're able to help you find the information you're looking for even if you're across the globe.
~from their website
Project: Alpine Shrug


Whitby Museum and Library
The Museum, our library and archives are run by our parent organisation. This is The Whitby Literary and Philosophical Society. The Society was founded in 1823 by a group of leading Whitby citizens led by the Rev. George Young, the author of the classic nineteenth century "History of Whitby" (1819) and minister at the Presbyterian Church. The chief object of the Society was to setup and maintain a museum, specialising in fossils, since "Whitby is a chief town of a district abounding with petrifications and containing not a few Antiquities". Ever since Whitby Museum has been run for the people of Whitby by the people of Whitby.
~from their website
Whitby is also the backdrop for Bram Stoker's Dracula and the museum contains some suitably creepy relics such as the "Hand of Glory".
Project: Pocket Nosferatu from Creepy Cute Crochet: Zombies, Ninjas, Robots, and More! by Christen Haden


VATNASAFN / LIBRARY OF WATER
VATNASAFN / LIBRARY OF WATER is a long-term project conceived by Roni Horn for a former library in the coastal town of Stykkishólmur in Iceland. The building stands on a promontory overlooking the ocean and the town, and houses three related collections - of water, words and weather reports - which reflect Roni Horn’s intimate involvement with the singular geography, geology, climate and culture of Iceland.
~from their website
Project: Exploration Bottles


The Desert Libraries of Chinguetti
"As recently as the 1950s, Chinguetti was home to an impressive thirty family-owned libraries, but severe drought saw the town’s residents disappear, taking their books passed down from generations with them. Today there remains less than ten libraries in the old town, catering to scholars that occasionally visit the isolated town, but mostly to tourists who pass through to see the priceless texts and experience a traditional nomadic hospitality of the Mauritanian desert."
~from MessyNessyChic
Project: How To Make A Tunnel Book

Unusual Library Collections and Customs in History

Chained Library, Chelsea Old Church [Colin Smith]

From age to age, libraries grow and change, flourish and disappear, blossom and contract...
~Matthew Battles

There's a book in the library catalog called Library: An Unquiet History.  We've only skimmed it, but it tells the stories you might already know about libraries - the burning of Alexandria's papyrus scrolls in 48 B.C. (author Matthew Battles calls it a "biblioclasm"); that "[i]n the Middle Ages, access to books, even literacy itself, was parceled out on a strict 'need to know' basis"; that "...in the nineteenth century, the sheer proliferation of books in number and kind transformed the library from temple to market, from canon to cornucopia"; and the birth of the modern public library, with the help of folks like Andrew Carnegie.  What this most excellent volume does not mention (though, granted, we've only skimmed its 214 pages) is some of the more unusual, and now mostly archaic, traditions of libraries through the ages.  For example...

• Anthropodermic Bibliopegy: As was widely reported earlier this year, there are multiple libraries (at Harvard University, at Brown University, at the Boston Athenaeum, at the University of Georgia) that include in their collections books bound in human skin. A volume at Harvard, Des destinees de l'ame (Destinies of the Soul), contains a note by the binder which reads"'A book about the human soul deserved to have a human covering.'"* Anthropodermic bibliopegy, basically tanning human skin as one would tan leather, has been practiced since the 16th century, with a rise in popularity during the 19th century, when the skins of criminals who had been executed were given to bookbinders. The practice has also been used by doctors to honor a deceased patient or colleague. Philadelphia's Mutter Museum also features a collection of books bound in this manner by 19th century doctor Joseph Leidy, and a human-skin wallet owned by the same.
• Chained Libraries: During the Middle Ages, a popular practice was chaining books, especially large, valuable reference books, to the bookshelf to prevent theft.  The chains, generally fitted to the corner or cover of the book to avoid wear and tear, would be long enough to remove the book from the shelf and read, but not take the book from the library. There are still a few chained libraries which have survived in Europe, mostly in England. The film of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone featured chained books in the restricted section of the library at Hogwarts.
• Scholars' (or Reading) Cages: Marsh Library in Dublin, Ireland went a step further to secure their books - they actually locked borrowers in cages! These cages are actually three alcoves with wire doors, perhaps an early and less trusting version of the library carrels you see in the college libraries today. (Shields Library at UC Davis has something similar for the convenience of their graduate students, though students do find them "creepy".)
• Xylothek or Wooden Libraries: These libraries, relatives of Wunderkammern or cabinets of curiosities, reached the height of popularity in Germany in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Each "book" is made out of a particular type of wood, covered in bark, with moss and lichen from the tree used to decorate the cover.  Inside, "readers" generally find leaves, flowers, fruits, seedlings, root, cut branches, and seeds, along with a special compartment with a written description of the tree and its uses. Great for those studying forestry, botany, or related fields.

Do you know of any interesting library collections or customs from history that we've missed?  Let us know in the comments!

Links

Anthropodermic bibliopegy [Wikipedia]

"Harvard University book bound in human skin" [BBC]* 

"Anthropodermic Bindings or Books Bound in Human Skin" [Eden Workshops]

"The Bizarre Art of Binding Books in Human Skin" [Mental Floss]

"Harvard libraries contain three books bound in human skin" [Daily News]

"Reading in Restraint: The Last Chained Libraries" [Atlas Obscura] 

Chained library [Wikipedia]

Xylotheks: Wondrous Wooden Books That Hold Wooden Collections [Atlas Obscura]

The Wooden Library [Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences]

Mosaic Muralists at Juan Tabo Library

In July of 2013, artists and their young apprentices from the Mayor's Art Institute at Harwood Art Center began an art project at the Juan Tabo Library.  The tile mosaic mural on the building's front wall is an amazing celebration of New Mexico's storytellers.  This year, the muralists have returned, and are adding to their masterpiece.  The latest work will be unveiled at a ceremony on August 8, 2014 at 6:00 PM at the Juan Tabo branch library.  All community members are welcome to attend.  Last year's festivities included a reading by Albuquerque's then poet laureate, Hakim Bellamy, and a presentation by the artists on their influences and the message they hope to give through their mural.  We hope to see you there!

Many of the branches of ABC Library have art in all kinds of mediums.  Check with your local branch to find out what kind of art might be there.  You can learn about public art all over the city by going to the city's webpage on public art.  You can even view Albuquerque's interactive public art map!

If seeing the mural inspires you to try your own hand at making mosaics take a look at these books to get you started:

Garden Patterns and Mosaics by Clare Matthews

The Complete Mosaic Handbook: Projects, Techniques, Designs by Sarah Kelly

Easy Mosaics for Your Home and Garden by Sarah Donnelly

The Complete Pebble Mosaic Handbook by Maggy Howarth

You can also search our catalog under Mosaics. 

Remembering Erna Fergusson

July 30, 2014 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the death of Erna Fergusson. ABC Library remembers Fergusson as an ally, a pioneer, and a patron in the best sense of the word. The cultural and intellectual growth of Albuquerque’s citizens mattered to Fergusson as much as the growth of its streets and subdivisions. Her staunch support of Albuquerque’s libraries ensured that as the city grew, its libraries did, too.

Erna (Ernestine Mary) Fergusson was born in 1888. Her grandfather, Franz Huning, was one of three key players who brought the railroad to Albuquerque. Her mother, Clara Huning Fergusson, was active in civic affairs, and her father, Harvey B. Fergusson, served from 1912 to 1915 as congressman for the newly-admitted state of New Mexico.

Among her varied careers, Fergusson taught, worked for the Red Cross home service, reported for the Albuquerque Herald newspaper, ran Koshare Tour Services, and wrote several books. Her occupations always served her principal preoccupations -- her passion for the unique beauties of New Mexico, and her faith in “New Mexico’s extraordinary opportunity to make of its diverse heritages a richly patterned and truly democratic community.”  (New Mexico: a Pageant of Three Peoples, p.264.)  

When it came to Albuquerque’s public libraries, Fergusson was both historian and advocate. She remembered the library ball, an early fundraising effort by the Ladies’ Library Association. She was an adolescent witness to the battle over moving the library from the Commercial Club to the Raynolds building in 1901, and she was instrumental in the campaign to build a new library (now Special Collections)  in 1925.

Of the rebuilding of Albuquerque’ first public library she recalled the argument that persuaded Clyde Tingley that the fire-damaged Raynolds building should be demolished and a new library built on the same site:

“The chairman of the City Commission at the time was a very picturesque gentleman who had no books and naturally saw no point to anyone else having them. But he was a builder – he liked building – that interested him, and he said to me one time, ‘You know, I seen all that stone in that old Raynolds Building and I just thought wouldn’t that make a good fire station.’ So he put it to the City Commission that way, and the City Commission agreed that a new Fire House would be fine, and you couldn’t get any better stone than tearing down that old library. Then there was going to be a pile of bricks which they might as well use to build a new library.”  (“Libraries in the Southwest: Their Growth – Strengths – Needs.” UCLA Library Occasional Papers. Number 3. 1955.)

Fergusson led the call to rebuild the library in the Pueblo Revival style: “It will be as good an advertisement for the town as the Alvarado and Franciscan [hotels] have proven to be in the past.” (New Mexico State Tribune, June 19, 1924). Albuquerque was fortunate that she and her supporters prevailed – the Alvarado and the Franciscan are long gone, but the library is still in business.

Erna Fergusson understood that it took persistence and hard work to build a library – not so much to build the edifice, but to solve the “terrific problem: how to make people realize that money invested in books … is a good investment in the town.” (“Libraries in the Southwest: Their Growth – Strengths – Needs.” UCLA Library Occasional Papers. Number 3. 1955.) For forty years, she lent her support as the Albuquerque Public Library on Edith and Central grew into a library system with six locations and bookmobile service to the unincorporated areas of Bernalillo County.

The Friends for the Public Library, the Albuquerque Public Library Foundation, and the Library Advisory Board continue Fergusson’s efforts to address the “terrific problem”.  Albuquerque dedicated its seventh library to her memory when it opened Erna Fergusson Library on April 3^rd, 1966. The library named in Fergusson’s honor remains one of ABC Library’s busiest, liveliest branches – and that may be the best tribute we can offer her.

Dedication Card for Erna Fergusson Library

For a more complete account of Fergusson’s life, check out Robert Gish’s Beautiful Swift Fox.

Startling Discoveries at Special Collections

The cool thing about working at ABC Library’s Special Collections is making new discoveries every week. The humbling thing about working at Special Collections is learning how much more there is to learn! Every day, Special Collections grapples with the fact that living in a city isn’t the same as knowing its history.

Here are a few of our startling discoveries, some culled from our speaker series, some from helping customers make their own startling discoveries. These may be old news to you, but they blew us away:

• The rail yard buildings are so huge because building and rebuilding steam locomotives meant hoisting the locomotives into the air.
• The first water treatment plant ran from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily.
• Albuquerque’s first street lights were in series, like old fashioned strings of Christmas lights. If one light went out, the whole string went out.
• Albuquerque was the first community in the United States to hire female streetcar conductors, who were referred to as motorettes.
• Private rooms in tuberculosis sanatoriums were furnished with ash trays.
• The Villa de Alburquerque (Old Town) didn't become part of the City of Albuquerque (New Town) until 1949.
• The planning department changed 300 street names on July 1, 1952.
• Albuquerque banned discrimination in public places in 1952, but didn't pass a fair housing ordinance until 1963.
• For the 1956 celebration of Albuquerque’s 250^th Anniversary, the City Commission ordered the men of Albuquerque to start growing beards and the women to stop wearing cosmetics.

We’re confident that we have much more to learn, and we invite you to join us! Our speaker series continues on Saturday, July 12^th at 10:30 a.m. Come share the startling discoveries as retired Assistant Chief Herman Bishop tells the story of how Albuquerque’s Fire Department moved from the era of the horse drawn fire wagon to age of the hook and ladder.