Librarians have good taste

Jean Preston, according to all of the newspaper accounts, was a modest woman. They say she travelled by bus, bought her clothes from catalogs, and ate frozen dinners. But this librarian seems to also have known a thing or two about the finer things of life. Here's what they found in her house after she passed away:

Two panels of the San Marcos altarpiece by none other than Fra Angelico.

The two panels, one of which you see to the left, sold at auction for approximately $3.5 million. Her dad bought them back in the sixties when she commented on how much she liked them. Original purchase price? Less than $500.

But just like those infomercial ads, "Wait, there's more."

She also had a painting by Dante Gabriel Rossetti and another by Edward Burne-Jones. Estimated worth of the pair: $2 million.

Don't worry though, as a librarian, she also valued books. She had a rare edition of Chaucer's works, worth about $150,000.

All told, she had approximately $8 million worth of valuables in her home. Not bad for a retired librarian living on a pension.

What a librarian looks like

Sure, when you picture a librarian, you usually think of the bun, the glasses, yadda yadda. But that's not what Giuseppe Arcimboldo saw when he thought of librarians. He imagined them being made out of, what else, books. This sixteenth century Italian painter, though employed as a royal court portraitist for his day job, painted highly amusing portraits of people made out of such things as roots, vegetables, and flowers. Arcimboldo, though his work was always well regarded, received renewed attention three centuries after he died when surrealists like Salvador Dali discovered his work.

What librarians stand for

Believe it or not, I don't like every book we have here in our library. In fact, the contents of some of the books make me downright furious. But I buy them anyway, and I make sure they are available for our patrons to read. I believe that is my responsibility as a professional librarian.

That's just what Jeanne Layton did as well. Ms. Layton passed away this week, but in 1979 she was willing to lose her job to stand up for one certain book to be in the library, Don DeLillo's Americana. She believed that members of the community should have access to a broad range of books, even a book that some might deem obscene.

As a veteran myself, I fully appreciate the sacrifices made by our troops in uniform. But we should also recognize the sacrifices made by those in communities across the country who defend our civil rights, and so often receive little notice. Ms. Layton eventually got her job back, but it came at a great price. And I wonder, how many of us would be willing to risk our livelihood so that a single book could remain on a library shelf? I publicly admire her strength but secretly wonder if I could be so strong if I was placed in the same situation.

We are the champions.....

OK, I know most people probably don't envision librarians as world class athletes. And truth be told, probably most of us did spend our school day afternoons reading a book rather than sweating it out on the old sports field. (Though I'll admit I did receive a Varsity Letter in school.) However, Manhattan Librarian Stan Friedman (that's him, second from left) has just won one of the most coveted sports championships of our time, and has made librarians the globe over proud to call him one of our own.

Mr. Friedman won the prestigious ESPN Zone Ultimate Couch Potato Competition. That's right, he sat for 29 straight hours in a recliner watching a 42-inch plasma TV. Now that takes training and discipline. One does not decide on a whim to get into this extreme sport. Oh no, I can imagine the nights he had to forgo going out for a walk or playing catch with his kid and instead stayed home suffering in front of the TV. Or how about the weekends, when friends would suggest going to the beach for a swim, Mr. Friedman would instead spend his time figuring out what was the most comfortable position that can be achieved in a La-Z-Boy. His dedication brings tears to this librarian's eyes.

And of course, when I am stuffing my face with potato chips and a few adult beverages on Monday night watching Ohio State battle it out with LSU for the BCS championship, I will turn calmly to my wife and explain, "I'm in training."

Oldest California Carnegie Library

As I was driving home last night from a shift at San Bernardino Valley College, I happened to pass by the old Colton Carnegie Library on La Cadena Avenue. Truly a beautiful library, well maintained, but alas, no longer a functional library. Today instead it houses the Colton Museum, still a worthwhile endeavor.

So I started to wonder to myself, "What is the oldest Carnegie Library in California that still operates as a library?" With time on my hands, I searched the Internet, and found that the Woodland Public Library claims the distinction. Built in 1905, it should look somewhat familiar to us in Riverside as it was built in the same Mission Revival style as our own, now long gone, 1903 Carnegie Library.

And then that got me thinking, "How does Woodland manage to use a 100 year old library?" We in Riverside outgrew our Carnegie library nearly half a century ago, and we now are planning an addition to the building that replaced it back then. Oh well, cities, at least here in southern California, get larger and the old buildings are no longer sufficient for their original purpose. But as we see in Colton, they often live on in different capacities.

Future library service?

Described as an ATM for books, the Espresso Book Machine has been just named by Time Magazine as one of the best inventions of the year. What does it do?
Say you come into the library and ask for a particular book. We look it up in the catalog, and we don't have it. But if we had this $50,000 machine, we might be able to print you a copy of it in about the same amount of time it takes to make an over-priced cup of coffee. It might even be cheaper than that cup of coffee as well. At least that's what the inventors of the machine are claiming.
I suppose once someone figures out how to raise the money for one, you can start looking for one at your local neighborhood branch.

I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying

Oscar Wilde has just been named Britain's greatest wit. If there were a World Cup for wit , I am sure he would place nicely there as well. Americans don't seem to appreciate the clever quip. Yes, we had Mark Twain, but about as far as most of us get into him is Tom Sawyer or Huckleberry Finn. Not only are quotes of his like "Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please" just funny, but most still ring true. But Wilde was special. He lived for wit. Whereas Paris Hilton may be famous because she falls down drunk, Wilde was famous because he would be drunk and still the one-liners would just keep coming. ("I have discovered . . . that alcohol taken in sufficient quantity produces all the effects of drunkenness") Supposedly, when entering the United States, he was asked if he had anything to declare by the customs official. Wilde replied, "I have nothing to declare but my genius." Anyways, more than a century after throwing him in jail and basically killing the man, Britain now recognizes what a great treasure he was.

Does your library have anything on ghosts?

We get asked that question sometimes at the reference desk. Actually, we get asked that question a lot. People really like ghosts. I have a neighbor who watches "Ghost Hunters" religiously. But back to the post at hand. So we usually give them call number 133 and send them merrily on their way. But this library in Indiana actually has its own ghost. Not only that, but their ghost even has its own ghostcams, three of them in fact. I would say that's taking Library 2.0 to the next level. So if you're an amateur ghost hunter who enjoys libraries (and I'm guessing you might because you're reading a blog written by librarians), then have yourself a gander.

I'll put ten on Oates!!!

I've bet on many things in my life, from the usual sports games (Go Angels!), to whether I could finish a marathon (I did, and collected handsomely), to the spur of the moment novelty bets (whoever's dart bounces off the dartboard first buys the next round). But I'll be honest and say I have never bet on who will be the next Nobel Prize winner for literature. But this Sportsbook may change that. They are posting odds on who will be next to collect that cherished prize. Favor Magris? So do they at 5 to 1. Atwood, Munroe, Rushdie? All there, at 20/1, 40/1, and 100/1 respectively. The one amusing entry is Bob Dylan at 500 to 1. Well, old Dylan once sang that "She bet on one horse to win/ and I bet on another to show," but I'll bet a dollar to the dime that ain't too many people going to be picking Dylan to win, show, or even place.

Reading is for ......................

For some reason or another, people like to leave notes in libraries. Perhaps the person who leaves the note hopes that someone who comes in afterwards will find the note and have their life magically transformed. It could happen. In the past, here at RPL, we have had patrons leave notes on a variety of subjects, some serious, others not so much. Here is one note that was recently left at a library in Arizona. A simple note really, but one can psychoanalyze it for days. Why the happy face? Did they misspell "losers" on purpose, just to be silly and/or ironic? Why the fancy upper case L? Does the subject really get them so agitated that they have to use an exclamation mark? Oh well, I am just happy that someone finally broke it to me that I am a looser.

Hitchcock should make a new film

I saw Hitchcock's "The Birds" when I was but a lad, and I knew those flying creatures were up to something. Well, it appears they are actually from the dark side and they banded together to close down a library. That's right, they denied people the right to read a book. It happened in Scotland no less, but I saw Mel in "Braveheart" so I'm sure they'll get it open again in no time.

New Library Perfume

While I must admit that many libraries seem to have a "smell" to them, I never would have thought to bottle it up and hawk it on the Internet. But alas, that's what separates Christopher Brosius and myself, for he has done just that. At his personal perfume shop, he sells one fragrance that he calls "In the Library," which Brosius describes as a combination of "Russian & Moroccan leather bindings, worn cloth and a hint of wood polish." Doesn't sound too bad. As a sales pitch he asks, "Don’t you find there are few things more wonderful than the smell of a much-loved book?"
Now to be honest, I thought people came to the library because of the excellent customer service we provide them as we check out their books and answer their reference questions. Now I find I'm mistaken. They just like the smell of the books. Oh well.
But then it dawned on me: he surely must not think that we librarians are potential customers for his product. I mean, after spending eight hours working in the place, I go home smelling as if I have been "in the library." So I guess I'll save the 55 bucks, and when people ask me what cologne I am wearing, I'll just say, "Oh, it's my designer scent."

Another mobile library for Riverside?

We already have one, the ever popular Storymobile adorned with our very own Buzz Bee. And I am sure it gets quite the looks as it zooms around town. But couldn't we use another one? Riverside is a big city after all.
I think I have found a mobile library unit that will be talked about even more than the Storymobile we currently have. They are already using it in Kenya, and they call it a Camel Mobile Library. (That's them in the picture.) That's right, borrowing their idea, we could load up camels with books and then go trekking down Magnolia Ave, stopping at the Plaza before heading back for the final pass by the Mission Inn. You can't tell me that wouldn't get people talking about the library.
Of course, the only thing I haven't figured out is how we are going to get a picture of Buzz Bee on that camel.

Buzz Bee Redone

As many of you may know, Buzz Bee is Riverside Public Library's official mascot and the main cartoon character here in Riverside encouraging kids (and some adults) to read. But then I was thinking, what if we had a character that could put a little more "bite" into the message? I know, I know, we would have to keep the yellow and black color scheme because we have already invested in the balloons and what not. With those parameters in mind though, here's my official entry for a new mascot. I call him Buzz the Boston Bull, just so we can keep the "b's" in there. Anyways, that's what I was thinking, but no need for anyone to rush to a decision.

Where's Your Card catalog?

Sitting at the reference desk, we still get that question sometimes. As someone who does cataloging, I can appreciate that we don't have to create several cards just for one book. Just type it in once, and people around the globe can find the information on their computer screen. But I digress. Nowadays people use the old card catalogs for all kinds of things, ensuring them a second life ranging from craft storage to planter. But for those who are nostalgic, the picture above is from the Claremont Colleges. And just to think, all that information nows fits on nothing bigger than a CD.