Library Fangirl

Geek, fangirl, and library technician. Compulsive hoarder of tasty chocolate, kitty cuddles, and really good stories.

[libraryfangirl]

Neil Gaiman: Why our future depends on libraries, reading and daydreaming

We all – adults and children, writers and readers – have an obligation to daydream. We have an obligation to imagine. It is easy to pretend that nobody can change anything, that we are in a world in which society is huge and the individual is less than nothing: an atom in a wall, a grain of rice in a rice field. But the truth is, individuals change their world over and over, individuals make the future, and they do it by imagining that things can be different.

This is such a fantastic piece touching on so many things.  Neil Gaiman effortlessly puts into words so many crucial and simple truths about libraries, reading for pleasure, and encouraging a love of literacy and imagination in children.  Seriously, this man just gets it.

[libraryfangirl]

This is fantastic.  Finally, Geronimo Stilton and Big Nate FOR EVERYONE!  *Children everywhere rejoice*

Seriously though, our library should subscribe to this.

[libraryfangirl]

[libraryfangirl]

A Game of Thrones Pop-Up Book Should Tide You Over Between Seasons

If the months of waiting for the next season of Game Of Thrones leaves you curled up in a ball repeatedly muttering "Hodor" to yourself, you're going to love what Insight Editions previewed at Comic Con this year. Available in 2014, A Pop-Up Guide to Westeros is a lavish 3D book that lets you further explore and learn about the fictional land.

:B  Definitely not a book for the children's area.  Put this book in the hands of a five-year-old and Winterfell will just get destroyed all over again.

[libraryfangirl]

How can we make smarter babies? These days there seem to be brain building claims on almost every baby product. While many of these claims have been validated by research, what does the research say about educational apps for babies?

An interesting article from the School Library Journal.  Fuelled by the recent complaint filed by the CCFC (Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood) against Fisher-Price's popular "Laugh & Learn" apps, the article debates whether early literacy apps are actually beneficial to the faster development of infants, and whether they're even needed or not.

[libraryfangirl]

New Bookstore Ads Capture The Magic Of Reading

For anyone who has ever read a good book in bed.

The Sherlock Holmes one would be better if it were Benedict Cumberbatch Sherlock -- but if it were, I'm sure that woman wouldn't so much be sleeping peacefully as she would actually be jumping Mr. Cumberbatch's sexy super sleuth body~

[libraryfangirl]

Image, Public Perception, and Lego Librarians

So, how do we know when librarians have hit the big time? Lego has introduced a Lego Librarian – part of its minifigures series line.

Scroll further on in the blog post to see some additional self-designed  Lego librarians that the author did up, some of them are gold.  (I sniggered particularly hard at the children's librarian and the academic faulty-status librarian.)  :D

[libraryfangirl]

95 Young Adult Books To Read This Summer Instead Of Reading 'Harry Potter' AGAIN

Try anything on this list that doesn't feature angst-ridden, sparkly vampires.

(Not that we can't still read Harry Potter again, mind you.  Obviously it just means we have to read really extra fast to fit them all in.)

[libraryfangirl]

A beach library at Bulgaria’s Black Sea resort in Albena!

Here's another example of beach library at Tel Aviv -- launched by the municipality, the little mobile library roams a different beach each day.  If we had beaches (which we sadly don't,) this would be very cool~

[libraryfangirl]

Neil Gaiman has long been on record as a fan of libraries, sometimes even calling himself a “feral child” raised by librarians among the stacks. So it should come as no surprise that the American Library Association chose Gaiman to be the Honorary Chair of [2010] National Library Week.

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Who doesn't love Dewey?  All libraries should have an obligatory library cat -- it should be a law.  I believe it's written in the Bible somewhere.  *Nod*

More Dewey videos here.

[libraryfangirl]

[libraryfangirl]

Younger Americans’ Library Habits and Expectations

Americans ages 16-29 are heavy technology users, including in using computers and internet at libraries. At the same time, most still read and borrow printed books, and value a mix of traditional and technological library services.

The latest Pew Internet report delving into today's younger Americans' use  of libraries and thoughts on important library services.  I particularly found the graphs near the end interesting, illustrating which age groups were most likely to use which library services.  It really highlights the way younger people use technology; they want to use technology to enhance their library experience -- but they clearly want to be left alone to mess around with it and learn how to use it themselves.  Hand holding not needed!

[libraryfangirl]

The Best Uses for Your Local Library (That Aren't Just Books)

In ancient times, there were buildings in local communities that contain a collection of books that people could borrow for free. You may not realize it, but that tradition continues today, but they have a lot more than books.

[libraryfangirl]

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Not only that, he also tracks down delinquent patrons and makes them return overdue books.

[libraryfangirl]

11 Most Surprising Items You Can Check Out of a Library

Your local library could be the ideal place to check out much more than great books, movies, and CDs, offering many more resources you may not even know about. Many libraries are becoming much more like community centers and in the process have accrued collections of more offbeat and sometimes even unexpected items.