The Toronto reference library was recently renovated, and they sent a drone flying around it to get a bird's eye view. They now have a salon for "writers, thinkers, artists and innovators come together for conversation and debate."  They forgot to mention ASTRONAUTS.  Have any of you had experiences with drones in your libraries? Or astronauts, for that matter?

It was Banned Books Week last week.  Did you know it is still an issue? The Mercury out of Portland also has a list of books challenged in Oregon.

Did you know Overdrive is integrated with Bing search engine?  Overdrive is the company behind Library2Go, Oregon's digital library consortium.  Search for a title in Bing, and you'll notice now on the right side of the screen there's an option to borrow the book from Overdrive.  I searched for "donna tartt the goldfinch" and despite the weird results (El Jilguero?), I found it under "Read this Book".

The Library of Congress has many many things in its collection.  And people do many many creative things with them. And creepy things. Artist Kevin Weir has more examples over at his site.

Kevin Weir

Library retreat

This looks like such a relaxing library.  It's a personal library in a garden, so I'm assuming there's no staff.  It would certainly be awkward to shelve in, but I would totally love to spend some time there regardless.

It's in the Czech Republic and was designed and built by Mjölk architekti. It even has an opening roof that can be used as an observatory.

Photos by Barbora Kuklíková

Have you ever been to a library like this?

Oregon Libraries in the News this week

 The Rockwood library, part of Multnomah County Libraries, "with the help of Volunteers of America and Catering for a Cause, ... will be offering hot lunches as part of the federal summer food program" to feed hungry kids. How amazing is that?

Does your library have unusual or innovative programs to help out the community?

Oregon City Library

The Oregon City Library, headed by Maureen Cole (also appearing at our conference this year),  is looking to expand in its current location. This has been an ongoing issue for several years. I think the most interesting thing is the Carnegie library was originally built to accommodate an expansion. What a forward-thinking idea! Let's all keep our fingers crossed for Oregon City.

How many Carnegie libraries are in Oregon? Do you work in one?

Library news and ergonomics and slides

This article about crowdfunding is a pretty good answer to the question in one of our previous posts about funding libraries. There are a few other options besides kickstarter.com and it's interesting to see what results people got or didn't get.

Here's a great online course from the University System of Georgia all about library ergonomics that gives more information about what happens when you use your body incorrectly, and makes you pay attention with sporadic quizzes throughout.

You've all seen the library slide by now, right?

The library of the future

Images courtesy Yi ARCHITECTS

This is the floor plan for the 8th floor of the new Stuttgart library designed by Yi ARCHITECTS.  It's been described as the Apple store of libraries.  It's very modern and very, very bright.

As a support staff person,  one thing I always want to see, and rarely do, is the work space and how it will be used.  On the above floor plan, the sorting area is denoted by #7.   There are other sorting areas on other floors, but they are pretty much the same size.  Is it just me or is that really tiny for the size of the library?  Take a look at the pictures and let me know if you can figure out where the rest of the work gets done.

What do you think of the library of the future?

-Rebecca

Leaving and returning books

Ummm...

More book art, this time from artist Alicia Martin.  You can see several more views and a video in this My Modern Met post.

Do you work in a library where you get returns? Late returns?  How do your late returns compare to the one received by Archbishop Marsh's Library in Dublin?

For your reading pleasure

The latest issue of ASSOCIATES is out today.  What is ASSOCIATES? It's a worldwide Library Support Staff Journal in electronic form. Subscription is free and it always has interesting articles by support staff.  Check it out!

Photo: American Libraries

American Libraries’ annual review of the best in new and renovated library facilities is out in their Library Design Showcase 2012. Oregon State University Libraries, Valley Library in Corvallis is featured for their renovation of space on the main floor of the library in the "Collaborative Learning" section.

More library designs and donations

Check out these library designs - public and private.


Southern Oregon University library may get a great donation of early Oregon history.

More book sculptures (that aren't donations) that are simply amazing.

And I'm not sure how I missed this, there's an animated greeting from the anonymous sculptor who donated her book sculptures to libraries in Scotland:

A Book For Xmas from a book for xmas on Vimeo.

You can find the entire continuing story at thiscentralstation.com.

Oregon Library Architecture

Photo by BrianLibby

The gorgeous Mount Angel Abbey Library is one of the libraries featured in this Cubed story on Architectural Libraries. Seattle, Baltimore, and Oslo are definitely worth a look, too!

Seeing through a visitor's eyes

Sometimes first time visitors to my library comment on how beautiful it is and I smile, say thank you or some such and immediately think of all the ways the architecture is unsuitable to a library setting. There's the dim lighting over reference desks and much of the stacks. The open, circular staircase in the center of the building which allows sound to travel from first floor to the floors above, sound that can be cacophonous with crying kids and loud cell phone users. The shortened open third floor allows sound to spill over into sections of the second floor disturbing those patrons who are studying or reading; and of course second floor noise carries up to the quiet areas on the third floor.

Well, the other day my perspective changed when before the library opened a coworker beckoned me out to the public area on the second floor and pointed to the windows at one end of the building. There I saw what I hardly pay attention to, something visitors notice, and it filled me with joy. Spring green trees framed in the morning light by the stained glass windows that reach straight up from second floor to third. It was breathtaking.

Over the next few days I looked around at the rest of the library differently. I stood in the circular tiled rotunda looking at the smooth polished wood framing the curves of the central stairs, up, up to the far domed skylight on the 4th floor. From the magazine area on the second floor I saw the rich red wood of the third floor ceiling, curved in a wave pattern. The two oversized carved chairs - usable art pieces. I'm with the patrons - I think it's all beautiful.