Parks and Recreation library shenanigans

The library in Parks and Recreation is a bad, bad place. In Season 2, Episode 8, we learn that the Pawnee Public Library is “diabolical,” made up of “the worst group of people ever assembled in history.” The librarians are “punk-ass book jockeys” who are “extremely well-read, which makes them very dangerous.”

In Season 3, Episode 4, Ron Swanson’s ex-wife Tammy, a librarian, sends a collection agency after Ron for his supposed overdue book, It’s Not the Size of the Boat: Embracing Life with a Micropenis.

I’m sure there will be more library shenanigans to come, or anyway I hope so, but I’m only partway through binge-watching the series.

 

 

life-size Candy Land

The Champaign Public Library in Illinois created a life-size version of the board game Candy Land in March of 2016. They did it the year before, too.

Thanks, Joan Petit!

library bars

Click the image to read about eight library bars, or bar libraries, in the U.S. and England. I wonder if anyone ever reads any of the books. Probably not in the bar pictured here, since it doesn’t look like the books are removable. Thanks, Kathleen Kirk!

Addendum, February 19: more library bars in London here. Thanks, Diane Westerfield!

dead mouse is not in database.

The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) at the University of Reading found a dead mouse in its 155-year-old “perpetual mouse trap.” Rest in peace, little mouse. Your deed shall live forever in the records of the museum. Thanks, Lynne M. Thomas!

books from the donation bin

“Weird Eddie” keeps track of unusual books donated to his library here.

I might try to make this:

Thanks, Suzie DeGrasse!

Bodleian coloring book

The Bodleian Library at Oxford University has released a digital coloring book of images from their collections! Apparently, it’s a trend — the Wangensteen Historical Library at the University of Minnesota is doing something similar, as are many libraries. Thanks, Lynne Marie Thomas and Marianne Aldrich!

cold? check out a book!

Yet another real-life meme, where it’s difficult to find the origin. The t-shirt is for sale here. Thanks, Daniel M. Shapiro!

preparing for the big blizzard

This map has been showing up all over Facebook and Twitter this week. I’m not sure who originally created it, but the earliest example I can find is a Facebook post from Peace Hill Press in Virginia. It’s also been shared by the Prince William Library and the Central Rappahannock Regional Library in Virginia and by Riverhead Books in New York.

Library Wars: The Last Mission

My friend Noah saw this Japanese film offered as an option for viewing on an international flight. The plot summary: “In a dystopian near future, a special police force protects libraries … A mission to safeguard a special book is actually a devious trap.” According to Noah, who saw bits of it over the shoulder of a fellow passenger, the film “looked to be one non-stop gun battle.” It’s based on a book series by Hiro Arikawa, Toshokan Sensō (図書館戦争), which has also been adapted for manga, television, and radio. Thanks, Noah Sobe!

fake library events from Obvious Plant

Several excellent fake library events from Obvious Plant. The one about rough-housing with a dog is pretty close to reality, though. Thanks, Julie Grisham, Steve Lawson, and Eliza Lake!