A Michigan library closed since 2002 has a chance to be revived courtesy of Hollywood.In a unique resuscitation of yet another public library drowning in a sea of red ink, a filmmaker's inspiration may accomplish what a city could not. The saga of the McGregor Public Library in Highland Park, a suburb of Detroit, captured the imagination of writer-director-producer Andrew Meieran when he learned of it while surfing the web. The library began as a grand symbol of the industry, prosperity, and culture of a community. The village of Highland Park was incorporated as a city in 1918 to protect...
City of Brotherly Love Can You Spare A Dime? Philly Free Library to Close
In a previous article on Book Patrol, Seattle Public Library's one week closure was noted as an example of the consequences of the desperate financial straits public libraries now face. But in a much more shocking development, the Free Library of Philadelphia's website now features a pop-up window telling visitors that it will close completely, forever on October 2, 2009 unless funding is forthcoming from the Pennsylvania State Legislature.The Free Library of Philadelphia was established in 1891. By 1898 the Library had the largest circulating collection in the world, 1,778,387 volumes. The Central Library, originally housed in Philadelphia's City Hall,...
Party Time! Excellent! Wade’s World Saves Library
Dwayne Wade has accomplished a lot in his career. He won a gold medal as a member of the U.S. Men's Olympic basketball team. He won an NBA championship as a member of the Miami Heat. He was even named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year. But to Edward Leonard Sr. all of this is overshadowed by another of Wade's accomplishments: he kept his boyhood library from shutting its doors.On September 10, 2009 Wade donated $25,000 to the William Leonard Public Library in Robbins, IL., a suburb of Chicago. The library, founded by and named for Edward Leonard's father, was...
The World’s Strongest Librarian
Never let it be said that all librarians are alike. Librarians come in all shapes and sizes, and both genders, too. And if when you hear the phrase "male librarian" you envision a bespectacled, 98-pound weakling, you might want to take that up with the man who calls himself "The World's Strongest Librarian." Then again, you might not.Josh Hanagarne is the director of a public library located in the Rose Park section of Salt Lake City, Utah. He does wear glasses. He is also 6 feet, 8 inches tall and his hobby is weightlifting. Serious weightlifting.In his office at the...
Free, Fast, And Hot Off The Press Delivery
You're perusing the latest issue of your favorite magazine, The New Yorker. (Let's be honest here, if you're like me it's more likely you're taking a gander at the latest People Magazine-- we have to keep up with Kate Gosselin, right?) Anyway, next you and I check out the book reviews, and there it is: a four star review of the newest E.L. Doctorow novel, Homer and Langley. Terrific! Doctorow is one of our favorite writers, and he's writing about the legendary Collyer Brothers, who wrote the book on disposophobia, and eventually died as they lived: in a Harlem brownstone...