Anne Faye

Those of us of a certain age can recall the joy of flipping through the cards of a library card catalog. A few years back, I walked into a rural library and was ecstatic to find that they still had one! Yes, a card catalog may be “prehistoric Google” as the internet meme states and I certainly wouldn’t want to trade the ease with which I can search for and request a book via my computer. However, card catalogs served a useful purpose for a century.   The Card Catalog: Books, Cards, and Literary Treasures by the Library of Congress is a delight for anyone who enjoys history, literature, or libraries. It traces the history of how books were organized in libraries (going all the way back to the Library at Alexandria); how the card catalog was ultimately developed; how technology impacted it; and how it has evolved into the computer systems we use today. Anyone reading this book will gain a whole new appreciation for those index cards and the people whose job it was to creat...

Libraries (Roads Reflections) is a visual delight for anyone who loves libraries. An oversized coffee table book, it contains few words - only a paragraph about each library rendered in several languages, but the incredible photos do a great deal of talking. Libraries from around the world from times medieval to modern are featured, with an emphasis on the unique architecture of each one. One can't help but wish it were possible to step into the pages and actually visit these beautiful locations. It definitely could prompt a bibliophile to add to one's list of dream places to visit in a lifetime.

The Public Library: A Photographic Essay by Robert Dawson" (Princeton Architectural Press, 2014) is more than simply a collection of beautiful photographs of libraries from around America. While that in itself would make an attractive book, this particular volume contains many reflective essays regarding the history of libraries and their current place in American society. To complete this project, Dawson spent eighteen years taking pictures of hundreds of libraries in 47 states. He writes, "My photographs capture some of the poorest and wealthiest, oldest and newest, most crowded and most isolated, even abandoned libraries." On a personal note, one of the libraries included is Storrs Library in nearby Longmeadow, Massachusetts - my copy of this book came to me via inter-library loan from that very library. In the Foreward, Bill Moyers writes that "when a library is open, no matter its size or shape, democracy is open, too." It is a place open to all wher...

I was sitting at the computer card catalogue at my local library today and reached for a piece of scrap paper to write the call number on. When I flipped it over, I realized that this was what I was writing on - a small piece of library history.

I had the pleasure of visiting The Mount several (many!) years ago. At the time, it had fallen into disrepair and was undergoing extensive renovations, but you could definitely see the beauty. I'm sure that now it is truly breathtaking. I saw this advertised online today and must say that this has been added to my dream to-do list. A Private Library Tour at the Mount

I received the Friends of the East Longmeadow newsletter via email a few days ago. In it was a link to their Library Wishlist . This new site allows libraries to create "wish lists" and solicit donations for improvements they would like to make to their library. Check out http://www.librarywishlist.com to search for your favorite library and ways that you can help!

Back when Through the Open Window came out, I sent copies to both the East Longmeadow and Springfield (MA) Main Library. The East Longmeadow library plays a prominent role in the story and the main characters also take a visit to the Springfield Quadrangle (of which the Springfield Library is a part). I had checked a while later and the book wasn't listed in the on-line catalog so I figured both libraries had simply given the book away. I hoped they found a good home. Fast-forward three years. Just for fun, I plugged my name into the Cwmars catalog and lo and behold, there it was at the Springfield Library. Of course, I needed to go take a trip to visit my book. I may never see one of my books in a bookstore, but I got to see one at a library! I even checked it out! (I plan to bring it back tomorrow.)

You can build just about anything out of Lego bricks, yet I am still amazed when I come across some incredible Lego creations. Yesterday, I was waiting to check-out at the library. They have a TV there that runs a scrolling series of announcements and images. One of the images was of a Lego library! Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find the same image, but a Google search turned up quite a few Lego libraries. I liked this one that I found from http://madscientistnz.wordpress.com/2009/10/25/the-discworld-in-lego/ 

Some picture books are as much of a delight for adults as they are for children. The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore is that type of book. The Academy Award Winning Short Film by the same name was based on this book by William Joyce. Honestly, I loved the video, but I love this book even more! The story is one all book and library lovers will enjoy. "Morris Lessmore loved words. He loved stories. He loved books. His life was a book of his own writing, one orderly page after another. He would open it every morning and write of his joys and sorrows, of all that he knew and everything that he hoped for." After his home is destroyed in a storm, Mr. Lessmore begins to wander and encounters a lovely flying lady being pulled by a squadron of books. She sends him a book which leads him to a very unusual library where he soon takes up residence and spends his life caring for the books and continuing to write his own story. The beautiful illustrations in this book ...

This is a lovely short animated film for anyone who loves books or libraries! It won the Oscar for the Best Short Animated Film.

Boston Public Library (Images of America) by Catherine J. Willis Charleston: Arcadia Publishing, 2011 This book quickly caught my attention at (where else?) my local library. Part of the "Images of America" series, it is primarily a pictorial history of the Boston Public Library system, but the introduction and photo captions provide a wealth of information. Written by Catherine J. Willis who is manager of technical services at the Boston Public Library, it takes the reader back in time to the beginnings of the public library system in this country. Originally founded in 1852, the Boston Public Library was the first large municipally funded library in the United States. Later on, it would become the first public library to open a branch and to have a dedicated children's room. This book will be of interest to anyone who loves libraries, architecture or social history. I personally loved seeing the way the books were delivered to patrons - you actually had to reque...

I was at the library today and a little boy was getting a certificate commemorating his getting a library card for the first time. I remember getting my first library card many years ago. I'm pretty sure I was eight years old. It was the Aldenville Branch Library in Chicopee, MA. Back then, they were still paper cards and you had to sign out library books. Anyway, I remember that the librarian asked me if I knew what year I would graduate from high school and she was very impressed that I actually knew! My parents actually weren't very big on going to libraries. The only times I was able to go was for school related research, but it was love at first sight for me. Libraries were (and are) magical places! All those books just begging to be read. Once I was able to go on my own, I became a frequent visitor. Over the years, I amassed quite a collection of library cards - every library I visited required its own. Of course, now that has been rendered obsolete by a computerized ...

I absolutely love libraries. They are second only to Churches as my favorite places, and I'd like to think that heaven has the most amazing library ever (where I hope to spend some quality time after I leave this world). Learn more here: National Library Week

I picked up this interesting flyer at my local library the other day. It explained how using the library can save a family of four $6,936 over the course of a year. You and your family may use some of these categories more than others, but any way you slice it, the library is a tremendous value and cost-saving measure. I don't know what I would do without it! Books 2 books per week for each child - 16 monthly @ $12 = $192 3 books per month for each adult - 6 monthly @ $15 = $90 Videos and DVDs 2 videos per week for children - 8 monthly @ $4  = $32 1 video per week per adults - 4 monthly @ $4 = $16 Programs at the Library (includes story times/adult programs/other activities) monthly savings - $68 Museum Passes 2 visits per month per family of 4 = $100 Online Databases (Magazines, Newspapers, Journals) used 4x a month for school, research, etc - $80

Obviously, I can't afford it, but if I could, this would be one hotel I would definitely like to stay in: Library Hotel

My travels this past weekend took me to a library that actually still had a working card catalog! Admittedly, it stopped being updated in 2004, but there it was, still in use. Also, books before 2004 still need to be signed for on the card in the back of the book. It was like going back in time. I also really liked the fireplace sign.