Daily Thoughts 06/20/2015

Artist: Elihu Vedder, American, 1836 - 1923, Poetry, 1893

Daily Thoughts 06/20/2015

I checked the library Twitter and Facebook.

I read some more of Patience and Fortitude.  This is a story partially about fundraising.  We learn how the New York Public Library sold off most of its art collection to buy material for the Mid Manhattan research library.  We also learn about recent attempts to sell off pieces of New York Public Library's real estate.  Part of this story is also about how the trustees of New York Public Library tend to focus on the Mid-Manhattan Research Library over the branch libraries in Manhattan.  There are citations for a variety of the local newspapers from the New York Times to the New York Post to the New York Dailly News to the Wall Street Journal.  My impression is that this book will have impact.

This is a link to a citation for an article called In Defense of New York Public Library by Robert Darnton. http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2012/jun/07/defense-new-york-public-library/  It is behind a pay wall though, so you probably have to get it as a paper copy somewhere if you want to read it for free.  This is a second link to another article on the proposed renovation of the New York Public Library.  It is against the renovation.  Lions in Winter https://nplusonemag.com/issue-14/essays/lions-in-winter/
Discussion on both of these articles is in Patience and Fortitude.

I sent out a few updates via Constant Contact.  I am also printing up some material for the Superhero Saturday event between 12:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m..

The Superhero Saturday Event went well.  I signed up quite a few people for adult summer reading.  All the departments, adults, teen, and children's were there.  A lot of my colleagues were in costume.  We had snacks and giveaways.  Towards the end Iron Man and Spiderman came to take pictures with the kids and the staff.  It was enjoyable.

I have a copy of Forecast to read from Baker and Taylor.  The book, The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins came in for me to read.

I checked the gift books and the displays.

I have to look through the New York Times Bestsellers and Publishers Weekly Bestsellers today.

I finished reading Patience and Fortitude, Power, Real Estate, and the Fight to Save a Public Library by Scott Sherman writes for the Nation.  This is an article that gives the sense of the book.  NYPL Shelves Plan to Gut Central Library.  http://www.thenation.com/article/179742/nypl-shelves-plan-gut-central-library

There is a real sense that the whole process and plan to remove all of the books underneath the Mid Manhattan research library was a bit of a disaster.  Now, the stacks are empty and the majority of books that were in the research library storage site are off site.  The story came across as a disaster of planning, community interaction, and political savvy.

I had originally heard about the book at Melville House.  I was there for a showing of the latest books they planned on releasing.  http://www.mhpbooks.com/books/patience-and-fortitude/

There already seems to be a clear impact in this story.  New York Public Library seems to be less focused on renovating the research libraries and more focused on renovating the branches.  This book was quite political.


Web Bits

Why We Still Need Public Libraries
http://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/why-we-still-need-public-libraries/