Dome of Sulzer Regional Library, Ravenswood, Chicago. We really lucked out when we moved to this neighbourhood. It is a true 15 minute neighbourhood and our one of our favorite spots is the Library.
Have recently got every into researching administrative records of past students. This was a fun post to do, where a member of the family of the student filled in some of the gaps that the administrative record masks
"As more and more readers turn to ebooks, libraries are forced to keep up with the trend, often having to pay onerous licensing fees just for the "privilege" of keeping the work in stock, and, often unknowingly, exposing their patrons' data." Read the full article about IDAD 2023: https://u.fsf.org/421#LearnLibre#EndDRM#Libraries#ebooks#DayAgainstDRM
Years ago, author, literary arts organizer and publisher Michelle Tea was hanging out with a fellow writer who was a nanny for a young boy, and noticed how the child was transfixed by the wigs in the window of Gypsy Rosalie's Wigs and Vintage in San Francisco. It was there that she had the germ of the idea for Drag Story Hour, which she launched in 2015 at the Eureka Valley/Harvey Milk Memorial branch of the San Francisco Public Library. For Alta Online, she talks about the evolution of the series, how she feels about right-wing attacks on it, and why she chose to launch in libraries. "Librarians have always been cool. They’ve always been pro-queer, pro-liberation, pro-freedom. Of course they’re going to love a drag queen reading to kids.”
At the weekend I attended a brilliant event at the British Library in central London for blind and partially sighted people themed around portraits. I was excited to go because unusually there was the opportunity to get creative in response to the audio described works.
The workshop was run by artist Karly Allen who obviously had years of experience because her description of the 2 artworks we were introduced to was comprehensive and very natural.
We talked about a portrait of novelist Hilary Mantel by Nick Lord and a marble bust of King George III by Peter turnereli from the British Libry’s collection and were given a tactile drawing of them both which were printed using a Zychem machine which I desperately want to get my hands on now! I found them really pleasant to feel and although I did need the description to make full sense of the diagrams I felt they were very useful.
After the descriptions we were given a small circular frame and some clay along with some tools and Karly talked us through ideas of how we could get creative. I decided to use the various tools to draw into the clay which I’d filled the frame with and smoothed down. It was hard to get started and I experimented a bit and smoothed it out and started again several times. I kept in mind that the frame would be filled with plaster of paris and the clay discarded to make a tactile relief sculpture so whatever I drew would come out backwards. I cheated a bit and didn’t attempt a portrait as working in this way was new to me and my first attempts were awfully confusing! I decided to do an illustration of a flower instead because as I’m totally blind I couldn’t go back and add to the marks I’d made, I just had to go for it in one go, imagining the drawing as I went. I did ask my PA to tell me where there were some gaps so I could ad a couple of details which was helpful. I wasn’t the only person to take this approach.
We had a break for lunch and then went up to see the 2 artworks in the galleries and discuss them further while our sculptures set.
It was so exciting to feel the end result when we returned and we passed our creations around which got us talking to new people. Before the workshop I’d felt nervous about trying to do something creative again after 10 years of being blind and although it was frustrating at first I was relieved to find that we were encouraged to just get stuck in and have a go in any way we felt comfortable. I’ll definitely be returning to the library for future events of this kind! #blind#PartiallySighted#Deafblind#audiodescription#TactileArt#art#creativity#inclusion#libraries#Disability
As the article states: "Every library is different, and not every library is going to offer all of the services outlined here. You will have to check the website for your local library—or head to the library and ask someone—to find out what your library has to offer."
So go ahead and check what your local library offers.
"The modestly funded West Haven Library has spent more than $12,000 over the last three years to lease just 276 additional digital titles beyond what patrons can access through a consortium of public libraries. Eighty-four of those books are no longer available. If that same amount had been spent on paper books, it would have covered about 800 titles."
#TIL: "…the term "internet surfing" was first used by Jean Armor Polly, a librarian from New York, who was one of the early adopters offering public access to computers and the internet."
"People scoffed and said, 'Why would you go to a library to use a computer?' "
De Gruyter Handbook of Citizens’ Assemblies (2023) #OpenAccess#Book by M. Reuchamps, J. Vrydagh and Y Welp (eds.).
"Citizens’ Assemblies (CAs) are flourishing around the world. Quite often composed of randomly selected citizens, CAs, arguably, come as a possible answer to contemporary democratic challenges. Democracies worldwide are indeed confronted with a series of disruptive phenomena such as a widespread perception of distrust and growing polarization as well as low performance. Many actors seek to reinvigorate democracy with citizen participation and deliberation. CAs are expected to have the potential to meet this twofold objective."
I was invited to participate in a small panel at work about #AI in #libraries & #archives. I agreed once it became clear I could rant for 15 minutes among friends with no consequences (I hope!). I put my notes and slides here: https://inkdroid.org/2024/03/12/ai/