think about the concept of a library. that’s one thing that humanity didn’t fuck up. we did a good thing when we made libraries
Smaller Books
Today I helped a family new to the United States get library cards. After giving them the rundown on what a library membership means, I showed the kids the children’s area. The mother told them they could each check out two books. The smallest child, a girl of seven, picked out two small board books.
“Are you sure you don’t want a picture book?” I asked her, showing her a few new ones on display.
“Too much money,” she said.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“These cost less, right? They smaller.”
It hit me what she was saying: she was trying to save her parents money by choosing the smallest books.
“Do you know what?” I said. “All of this is free, no money. You can choose whichever books you want.”
She turned her head to look at the shelves of books and gasped at the bounty. She wandered away without another word and I watched her pick up book after book, shuffling through each one, making little piles, studying each one intently.
I’ve never been more proud I chose this career.
Lucille Baldwin Brown
Maybe the most stylish librarian ever - check out that fascinator! Lucille Baldwin Brown was the first Black public county librarian in Tallahassee, Florida. This photograph is part of the collection at the State Library and Archives of Florida. (Source: Ofanotherfashion.tumblr.com)
LOOK WHAT CAME IN FOR THE LIBRARY JUST NOW.
and perfect timing since i’m cataloging graphic novels today. woooooo!
putting new books in the system and i’ve typed the words “marvel adventures” so many times they aren’t even words anymore.
but hey, we’re about to actually have marvel books on the shelves in the children’s room again.
they have actually all been checked out since the avengers movie. we usually have about half of the children’s ones on hand at any given time, but nope. every. single. one. has been gone. and as soon as one gets checked in, it’s back out again to some other kid.
makes me really happy. :)
i’m 99% sure the majority of children’s books these days are written by a stoned person.
that said, when i’m going through catalogues of books to buy for the children’s room where i work, i primarily look for dinosaurs, girl pirates, and absofuckinglutely bizarre premises. so OBV we have this now. :D
- erik: oh hey i'll just email this guy i know who knows shit about shield!
- darcy: LOLZ bro, they took your laptop.
- me: THAT'S WHAT PUBLIC LIBRARIES ARE FOR.
FATFEB LADY!CAPTAIN AMERICA COSTUME IN PROGRESS EDITION.
guys. GUYS. so today i was inventorying books at work and there was a superhero squad book that said FREE PUNCH OUT MASK INSIDE! and i was like, ‘oh, processing probably took it out or some kid has already gotten to it.’ but i checked anyway and SURE ENOUGH. THERE IT WAS.
so i decided it must be mine.
add this to the fact that i got to pick up the skirt and shirt i’m using for my lady!cap costume for dragon*con/halloween this year (there’s also going to be a blue cardigan with the star embroidered on the front and back and i’m hunting for 1940s-esque red heels), and HEY LOOK IT’S THE BEST DAY EVER OKAY.
so yeah!
skirt and shirt both from sellers on etsy.
mask from superhero squad: captain america doom’s day courtesy of the fact that i work in the children’s department of a library.
so once upon a time someone checked out EVERY SINGLE ONE of our patricia polacco books
and it’s been almost a month. and they’re still not back. and i’m really starting to worry that we’re not going to get them back.
and how can we be a library without any patricia polacco books?
#whywearefriends
I got into a (very polite) disagreement with a woman questioning the suitability of In Our Mothers’ House once. I won. I felt very noble in the aftermath.
ALAS we don’t actually have that one. i need to buy it myself and sneak it in as a donation or something because i have a feeling that’s a conversation i would lose if i straight up asked our manager to buy it.
oh my tiny conservative town. :/
i have, however, been able to get todd parr’s books in.
(from the family book by todd parr)
my mom’s argument against piracy is “well what if you wrote a book and one person bought it and then hundreds of people got to read it for free and you didn’t make any money!”
MOTHER YOU HAVE JUST DESCRIBED
LIBRARIES
YES. YES. YES. THIS. THIS IS THE WHOLE POINT OF LIBRARIES. THIS IS THE WHOLE REASONS I LOVE LIBRARIES. THIS IS THE WHOLE REASON I WANT TO SPEND THE REST OF MY LIFE WORKING AT LIBRARIES.
ALL OF THE FREE SHIT FOR EVERYONE GUYS.
ALL OF IT.
