Atherton Library, Queensland

Atherton Library is a lovely looking library which seems to have had a recent refurbishment.


It was so popular, there were quite a few areas of it I was not able to photograph as they were in use.




It also had this listing of staff - and what you could ask them about.

 There was also a readers' advisory promotion about the website in the library.


This was outside the library.
More photographs of the library are here.

Mossman Library, Queensland

The entrance to Mossman Library had a local studies display supporting a recently released book.
 With some detailed information on display.
 Part of the library was a quiet zone (and it was interesting how this was described).
 I don't usually comment about books sales in libraries, but this was a good one. It was tidy. It was not in the entrance of the library. I don't like to see book sales dominate the entrance to libraries, especially when messy, but even when neat as it detracts from the loan items, and there should be better use made of entrance spaces to libraries.
 You can see more of the library here
 and here.
 

Cooktown Library, Queensland

Cooktown Library is a nice looking library.


There was this welcome outside the library.


Plus an ebook promotion


You can see more photographs of Cooktown Library here

local studies recording of the recent rain and floods in Tasmania

The recent rain in Tasmania was Storified by ABC news. This is a way of collecting some local images of rain and floods. It is the first step to adding these images to a local studies collection, and possibly tracking people down to interview for an oral history collection as well.

#ourcouncilday and #ÁrLáSaChomhairle : some interesting use of social media from Ireland

I came across the hashtags #ourcouncilday and #ÁrLáSaChomhairle because I follow Dublin City Public Library on Flickr and saw the following image come through my Flickr stream with this description
On 2 March 2016 we joined a nationwide campaign to highlight services provided by City and County Councils using the hashtags#ourcouncilday and #ÁrLáSaChomhairle on Twitter.

I investigated further, and liked the idea so much I did a quick Storify (see below). It is impressive to see the use of both hashtags. There are some interesting ideas for local studies in all of this.

Golden Valley Library building project

I really like the way that Hennepin County Library shares their stories on Flickr.  This set shows a library renovation.  

It is nice to see the changes, but also sharing the photographs through the project helps to explain why the library is closed.

The cat that ate the candle and the ewe with the crooked horn from Europeana sounds - music in libraries

The cat that ate the candle and the ewe with the crooked horn post appeared on the Europeana blog, from Europeana sounds. Go away and look/listen to this blog post before reading on.  You might like to explore Discover Rap music in Portugal with the project RAPortugal 1986–1999 as well.

Europeana sounds, at a national/international level, is doing what public libraries need to do locally - make people more aware of music and local audio, as well as collect and preserve it. I have written about this before.

Europeana sounds highlights the need for local collecting of music. Think about it in your library as a way of recording information about the community for local studies.  What music is being played now?  Capital City Records from Edmonton Public Library is an excellent example of local music collecting for a public library, for local studies and for current use.

Libraries and bees

I first saw bee hives at Salt Lake City where they were/are on the roof top of the library, but visible inside.



I have also seen them at Anythink Perl Mack as part of the community garden,


Anythink Wright Farms, also as part of the community garden



and Robbins Library, on a closed balcony.


They also had a display downstairs, about the bees, and the partnership with the local bee keepers.

Cornell Library has digitised some important work about bees.

There are probably many more libraries with bees.  I really like this development, as it has an educative and environmental approach.  It would be lovely to see more libraries with bees.

#blogjune Oak Park Public Library

They had a sloth in the library (although it did give me a Zoo city moment to see it)
and the different uses of
the idea box
 
 Although as an aside one expression I do not like is "think outside the box" - there is no box to think outside of (although in this case there really is).

#blogjune Dublin City Public Library

This give a strong impression of the library. I am using images from libraries I have not visited as I am interested in the power of the story I can work out through this.

This bus highlights a local and international event as Dublin remembers building up to the commemoration of the Easter rising next year


This is also good because of the bilingualism.
and their one city one book events

#blogjune Chattanooga Public Library

Chattanooga Public Library uses its Flickr account to tell stories about what is happening in the library.  Most of the emphasis is on what happens on the second and fourth floors.

an example of programs


and of how the spaces are used

Public markets and their potential for local studies

I follow Project for Public Spaces through various social media, which is where I saw this Storify.  I follow Project for Public Spaces because libraries are public spaces (depending on location and legislation), and I think there are some great ideas which libraries can use. I think libraries should always be public spaces - but sometimes need a bit of help to be effective public spaces.

When I saw this Storify I thought of local studies.  Of photographing local markets, and doing oral history recordings.  Also of of collecting stories and images from markets which no longer exist or have changed.  Current stories and collecting is important, because of the snapshot in time perspective.

#sharethewow with Halifax Public Library.

This hashtag came through my twitter stream thanks to @ryandeschamps.  There is a new central library and they have a great hashtag which lots of people have been using to share the joy of the new library.  It looks lovely, and people seem to be having a great time in it, and sharing their enjoyment through social media.

City Library, Cairns Libraries

This shows the entrance the library, and exhibition currently on. The halloween display was all through the library.  It was a 1920s building which had a refurbishment opening up the walls - into lots of glass.  It was a well used library.
 
This shows a nice seating area in the library.
This was a very impressive exhibition. It had lots of children using it, and so I could not photograph it for a while. You can see more photographs of the library here.

living library...gardens and information

Eastern Counties Regional Library in Nova Scotia, Canada has community gardens at six of their libraries.  Each garden is run differently, depending on the community.  There are very deliberate links to information provision as part of this garden and library connection.

Pico Branch at Santa Monica

This link shows some lovely photographs of the Pico Branch Library.

New technology cart at Los Angeles Public Library

This is a nice way of showing what will be available for a technology sandpit at Los Angles Public Library.It shows a range of staff experimenting, presumably as a way to encourage members of the public to also experiment.  Very nicely done.

What if your next strategic partner is a public library? from Nate Hill...

..
Quoting the text shown with this image on Flickr

Public Library as ______________. 

"I’ve seen libraries drive downtown redevelopment projects, aid public schools, or lead economic development initiatives. At their best, libraries become the finest collaborators in their communities; they flex and act as a bridge between individuals, between organizations, and between individuals and organizations."

- Nate Hill

Deputy Director

Chattanooga Public Library

Make sure you go to Medium and read the full article by Nate Hill.

Mending and makers

I follow the Tom of Holland blog which is about mending and repair, mostly of knitting.  His latest post is called Mending books and it is books about mending, and is well worth reading.  There are some lovely examples included.  I have not yet seen libraries offering mending programs.  It does not mean they are not happening, I have not seen them and would be interested if libraries are offering them - so please add a comment if you know of one.

The mending and repair would fit will with sustainability, and also seems a very neat fit for libraries.  Most public libraries will have some collection items relating to mending and repair and these collection items could be combined with library programming.  It is a nice way to promote the collection, encourage repair, and help with sustainability.  It can also be used as a way to show people how to search on Trove, and do text correction, which is a kind of mending.

There could be partnerships in the programming, like the one on upholstery running as part of the Sydney Design.  Partnerships with Mens Sheds could also be valuable, and some libraries are doing work in this area.  Or you could establish something like the Brighton Repair Cafe, or work with partners to do this.

It would also be a fit with some of the maker activities running in libraries.  It is not making something new, but it is making something older be still usable, rather than becoming discarded, and it can add new character (see this example of mending on the Tom of Holland blog).

Even if you will never mend something, read the Tom of Holland blog for enjoyment.

Scout

Pierce County Library has been doing some very interesting things with their summer reading over the last few years, with summer reading games.  This year they have the theme of the Hunger games. 

They have also started Scout, targeting people aged 18 and over.  They say Build a network of creative individuals who like exploring the library just as much as you do.  There are challenges, and you make and discover things.  It sounds a really interesting idea, and I will be looking forward to hearing more about it.  The tag line is "explore, create, share" which sounds a very good basis for any library service (as well as being a great description of research...and so many other things which happen in libraries).

And of course the Ann Arbor District Library has its summer game running as well.