Category Archives: library happenings
I’m a librarian. It’s my job.
A reference enquiry I answered yesterday: “I’m looking for a book. I can’t remember the title, but it’s only three words.” “Eat, pray, love.” “That’s it! How did you do that?” I’m a librarian. It’s my job.
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Ray Bradbury – Libraries raised me
Libraries raised me. I don’t believe in colleges and universities. I believe in libraries because most students don’t have any money. When I graduated from high school, it was during the Depression and we had no money. I couldn’t go to college, so I went to the library three days a week for 10 years. – Ray Bradbury via A Literary Legend Fights for a Ventura County Library – NYTimes.com.
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Too many options
A recent reference enquiry: THEM: Do you have any books on baby names? ME: Come to the shelf with me… looks like someone has cleared us out. How about I get some in from another branch for you? HER: That would be great. Thanks. HIM: Sure. ME: OK, I can get you “Brilliant baby names”, “Baby names for Australia”, “The complete book of baby names” HER: Thanks. ME: Oh, it looks like there’s one called “7,000 baby names” and another … Continue reading
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School library book returned 73 years overdue
Last year I had someone bring back a couple of library books she’d found when moving house. They were books she had borrowed for a high school project and she is now in her mid twenties. This guy leaves her for dead: Thomas McArdle did a naughty thing 74 years ago. As a sixth grader at Chestnut Street Elementary School in Scottdale, PA, he checked out Laura Orvieto’s The Birth of Rome to complete a class assignment—and he never gave … Continue reading
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Dinosaurs, drawing, and Andrew Plant
I spent today visiting three of our libraries, each of which hosted a group of students from grades 1-3 who were very excited to be hearing Andrew Plant speak. Andrew is a trained zoologist who actually works as an author and illustrator and also does theatre work. He is also a dinosaur nut. He knows heaps about dinosaurs. His sessions were engaging, entertaining and informative. The kids (and teachers, and librarians) laughed and learned. The end of the session involved … Continue reading