The Week in Library Land: September 8 to September 14
This was a very strange week in Library Land. The quietest week for library visits in maybe forever. How quiet was it? There was exactly ONE visit (not counting my dropping a book in the book return at the Morse Institute.) but there was one thing we did that may have a big impact down the road. You might also think of the week as the calm before the storm, what with our plans to visit as many as 21 libraries in the Berkshires over three days (September 16-18)! But just because things were calm doesn’t mean nothing happened.
On Monday, I swung by the Morse Institute to return “Fall, or Dodge in Hell” by Neal Stephenson. His books are great, but they’re also pretty long. This one just came out so I could only borrow it for two weeks - not nearly enough time to get through more than 800 pages. It also couldn’t be renewed so I returned it and bought a copy. If you haven’t read it, check it out, it’s really excellent.
On Tuesday, we were in for a nice surprise. Lisa West and Janell Scannell, of Pop Up Art School, published a really nice story/interview about the Library Land project. We met them a few weeks ago in Stoughton and were so impressed by the work they are doing. They are able to combine their passion for teaching art with their love of libraries to make something new and amazing!
On Thursday, we had a great conversation with some of the team at Library Journal. Mum’s the word but it could be big.
Enjoy this joyous orange dragon from the Joy Parade!
Finally on Saturday, with the clock ticking down, Adam saved the day! He was in Boston for first-ever Joy Parade. The occasion was the move of Nick Cave’s Augment exhibit from the Cyclorama to Upham’s Corner - and what trip to Upham’s Corner would be complete without a visit to the Upham's Corner branch of the Boston Public Library? None! We’ve been beguiled by the curious little library before, with what was once a swimming pool serving as the site of the children’s section. There are plans to move the library to a new site in the next few years, a change that will be a boon for the growing community. Be sure to visit this one-of-a-kind library while you still can!
That’s it for the calm before the storm edition of the This Week in Library Land. I’m writing this from the Lee Public Library, the first stop on our whirlwind tour of Berkshire libraries.