Lenten Librarian 2.0: Getting Physical

Around an hour into my day I realized that I was getting sucked into the laptop black hole.  Since I'm trying to connect the physical to the intellectual during these forty days, I forced myself to shift my attention from endless document editing to the stacks.  The truth is, we have a lot of books we don't need.  That's hard for me to say, since I am drawn to most books for one reason or another.  It's a big problem in an old school library - what do you keep, and what do you toss?  Old does not mean important, yet new does not mean better.

Here's what I think.  Some of these older books are special (that's not a good word, but I'm not sure what else to use here).  They provide a glimpse into a different time, a different way of thinking, a different social context.  A title written about the New Deal and published less than a year after its implementation is special.  The Diary of Ambassador Dodd, accompanied by Erik Larson's contemporary book In the Garden of the Beasts (which was based on that diary) - special.   Books that act as time capsules, specifically for the ideas we teach in our classes today - special.  Still, there are a lot of books that are interesting, curious, amusing, or perplexing, but just not special enough to keep a place on our shelves.  I have to remind myself that this library must serve the needs of the curriculum, as well as the curiosity of the students.  This is not the same as serving my curiosity, dang it!

So, out they go.  I have weeded this collection before. It is time I do so again.  Four years in I know (most of) the needs of the curriculum, many of the students' curiosities.  It pains me to box up some of these books and ship them off to parts unknown.  But this is what I'm giving up for Lent, I suppose - the comfort I've found in the idea that someday, someone might want to take a little look at an American Literature textbook from 1962.  Don't you want to?  Are you sure?

It's a brutal job, but somebody has got to do it.

Upcoming mind/body connections in the Library:
Today after school Tania Mouchamel films her live TEDtalk-style presentation for the SRP.
Tuesday/Wednesday of this week Sahvannah Henry uses the back of the Library to film interviews for her SRP documentary film.

Next topic - How libraries across the country are transforming their physical spaces to allow patrons to MAKE something (Like Tania and Sahvannah!)

Indulgences @ the Library

Recently discovered in the stacks is this autobiography of of Saint Therese of Lisieux.

The fine print on the verso page indicates that an indulgence of two hundred days will be granted to anyone who reads the book.  Another reason to visit your Library today!

For another recent discovery on a verso page, check out this blog post from January.

Even YOU can understand!

Today's library discovery is American Women of Science by Edith Yost, published in 1943.

The jacket description assures the reader that these fascinating facts are "written in a language that anyone can understand". What a relief!  Otherwise, how would we (women) ever be able to get through the book at all?  I mean, "The book is surprising, too, for few people realize - even scientists themselves - the extent to which women have already achieved distinction in many important fields of science."  That's probably because it's so hard for us to understand!

Below is a note I've never seen on a verso page (the back side of the title page).  It reads "Under Government regulations for saving paper during the war, the thickness of this book has been reduced below the customary peacetime standards.  The text is complete and unabridged."

WWII buffs - did you know they did this?  Did they go back to peacetime standards after the war, or did we continue the paper-saving efforts?

And here they are, the women of science. I've heard of one of them.  You?

Veritas Shield Features the Library

Did everyone read Carra Liwanag's article in the Veritas Shield, "Discovering the library's history in pages from the past" (page 12)?  I hope so!  If you haven't had the chance, stop by the Library to read her article and see a display of some of the books she mentions.  Not only is the article extremely well researched and written, it's also totally fascinating!  Carra did such a thorough job.  She came to the Library several times to follow up on some her interview questions.  She hunkered down in the back with a pile of old books, looking through them for the most unusual and interesting tidbits.  She read an entire novel published in 1909!  Speaking of which, I wanted to make sure you all know about the film versions of The White Sister by Francis Marion Crawford, the romance Carra refers to in her article.  Film adaptations of the novel were made in 1923 and 1933!  The 1933 version stars Clark Gable (of Gone with the Wind fame), and the movie posters for both versions look pretty steamy!  Perhaps a viewing at FSHA is in order....?

1923 movie poster

1933 movie poster

Many thanks to Carra for showcasing our Library's long and rich history.

I SO TOTALLY judge a book by its cover

The phrase "don't judge a book by its cover" is an excellent metaphorical maxim to live by, much like "all that glitters is not gold".  It is true that one should not accept the world at face value, and that many things are not what they seem upon first glance.  Some level of discretion is wise.  But taken literally, this phrase holds no water with me.  I judge books by their covers all the time, whether right or wrong.  When I browse shelves at the bookstore or library, I pick up books by authors I love, yes, but also because of beautiful dust jackets, interesting bindings, or titles splashed across the cover in cool fonts.  I'm willing to read a copy of a book with a hideous cover only if I know (somehow) that it's going to be a good read.  It's OK.  I don't feel bad.

Here are some AWFUL book covers from our school library.  Actually, these books are no longer part of our school library, but not because of their covers.  Well, maybe that's not entirely true.  The cover is a factor, but certainly not the only one.

Los Angeles Public Library: Who Knew?

Ok, so I have been to the central library downtown a hundred times, and I have always noted its beauty, but I have never really looked closely at the amazing details the artists and architects included when designing this building.

Did you know that images of Herodotus, Virgil, Socrates, Justinian, Da Vinci, and Copernicus are included on the outside of the building?

Or that on one of the patios there are relief sculptures of scenes from Alice in Wonderland, Mother Goose, Arabian Nights, King Arthur, Robin Hood, and Ali Baba?

I love this library for so many reasons, but I think next time I'm there I'll pay closer attention to something other than the books.

Blast from the Past

You just never know what you're going to find in an old book.  I was looking for a book that would help one of Mr. Cramer's US History students.  Her project is about religious fanaticism, and I pulled a book from the shelves that was written in 1951.  It's called The True Believer: thoughts on the nature of mass movements, by Eric Hoffer.  Inside the book was a cancelled check from 1977, made out to Nally's Uniforms, a business where student used to order school clothing.  It looks like a student names Margaret Yung used the check as a bookmark, because the library card shows that she checked out the book 10/6/77, and then renewed it twice.  I wonder where she is now.....