My head is still spinning from Panos Mourdoukoutas' post at Forbes last week suggesting that there should be a Starbucks in every local library. Granted it appeared in Forbes and they slant corporate but it might just be the most near-sighted, wackiest story I have read in some time. Of course he starts out proclaiming his love for his local library but before it's over he says "Simply put, Starbucks and local libraries supplement each other nicely—they are both “third places” with different rules of conduct, catering to different community segments. That’s a good reason to have a Starbucks store in...
Of Interest : Book Burning, a Bad Library Idea, Go-Sees, Riprap, Jean Prouvé, Peking the Beautiful, Newer Book picks and more
This week's Of Interest takes us from a rare book on Peking to an anthology of one line poems to a collection of songs inspired by books with a sprinkling of newer books that have caught our fancy. First a few headlines: Seems like the burning of books is a hot topic these days - Pro-Russian demonstrators are burning Ukrainian-language books "in small bonfires in the street" http://ow.ly/uRGOL In what might a first - Vandals torch a Little Free Library near an elementary school in Tuscon, Arizona http://ow.ly/uR7R5 and in what might just be the most nearsighted, wackiest story in some time...
Holy Library! Quebec church transformed into a house for books
Originally built in 1964 by architect Jean-Marie Roy this church in Quebec has been masterfully transformed into a library by Dan Hanganu & Côté Leahy Cardas Architects. The library has been named after Monique Corriveau a local writer who wrote ten children's books, one for each of her kids! Enjoy. Church Converted in Library in Quebec – Fubiz™. photos © Stéphane Groleau
Books on Wheels: A Global Jaunt
Antonio La Cava's Ilbibliomotorcarro - Italy Recently we posted a photo on Tumblr of Antonio LaCava roaming around Italy in his three-wheel creation. It has turned out to be a very popular post so we thought we would expand it a bit to feature some wheeled libraries from around the world. From India's first bookmobile to Raul-Lemesoff's book tank the power of the written word remains strong and our hats are off to these dedicated people of the book. Raul-Lemesoff's Weapon of Mass Instruction, Argentina Image (cc) by Carlos Adampol on Flickr Mr Doi. And his bike, Japan Eastern Europe? Bicicloteca, Brazil Kordestan, Iran,...
Music to Our Ears and Eyes: The Library of Congress Celebrates the Songs of America
Robert Winslow Gordon, first head of the Archive of American Folk-Song, at the Library of Congress, with part of the cylinder collection and recording machinery, about 1930. "Know the songs of a country and you will know its history for the true feeling of a people speaks through what they sing." – Preface to The Songs of Henry Clay Work (1884) The latest stellar online exhibit from The Library of Congress, Songs of America, celebrates: American history as documented in the work of some of our country's greatest composers, poets, scholars, and performers. From popular and traditional songs, to poetic...