no dogs, drunks, or smallpox

The Hyde Institute Library in Barnet Vale, Hertfordshire, England had some strict rules for its patrons.

Citation for the original is uncertain. According to the Bodleian Library, the source may be a 1930 issue of the Nottingham Post. A slightly different version of these rules may have appeared in the May 2, 1930 issue of the Western Gazette. Yet another version appeared on page 11 of the May 29, 1930 issue of the Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser.

Thanks, Woody Guth3!

“Horoscopes for Librarians”

“Horoscopes for Librarians” by Mayur Chauhan and Sally Miller in McSweeney’s is funny even if you don’t care about astrology. Thanks, WoodyGuth3!

oh my gosh just look at this dress

just look at it

it’s by Sylvie Facon

thanks, Suzie DeGrasse

who says libraries can’t have fireplaces?

Students at the Portland State University Library figured out a building-safe way to study by the fire. As librarian Joan Petit puts it: “The most adorable thing I’ve ever seen at work: students using the large-screen monitor for studying ambiance.” Thanks, Joan!

Weird Book Room

How did I not know about the Weird Book Room at abebooks.com until now? I definitely need a copy of Acrobat Hamster. I do NOT need a copy of Electricity in Gynecology, though.

Thanks, JoAnn Jacoby!

spotlight on writers from “Sh*thole Countries”

Several libraries are doing this sort of thing in response to Trump’s idiotic and disturbing comment about U.S. immigrants, but I’m especially proud of the Winton Road Library in Rochester, NY, because I’m a Rochester girl through and through (just ayask my ayaccent).

Thanks, Jinny Spencer and Joan Petit!

Ankara free library

Garbage collectors in Ankara, Turkey set aside discarded books and started up a small library for their own use. With donations, it grew, and the library now has a full-time government-paid staff position.

Thanks, Dina Wood!

hmmf.

Erin Blakemore on women’s reading rooms and the problem of “library loafers.” Thanks, Dina Wood!

reflection adds books to room

Sometimes it’s the littlest shenanigans, even unintended ones, that can brighten up your day. A whiteboard was recently installed in the area outside Colorado College Special Collections, and now, when I look up from my desk, I see the reflection of the books on bookshelves behind me in the glass in front of that whiteboard, making it appear as if you could reach into the whiteboard and pull out a book made of pale fog.

 

library hedgehog

In case you need a little palate cleanser after that last post, here’s a picture of Quilliam, the hedgehog of the Cleveland Heights – University Heights Public Library.

Quilliam makes his home in the teen area of the Lee Road branch.

Thanks, Simona Mkrtschjan!