Library of the Early Mind Update

Video: Library of the Early Mind Trailer:

Sad to have missed the screening of Library of the Early Mind: A grown-up look at children's literature when it came to The Ohio State University in May. According to their Facebook page, it will be available for digital download in autumn 2011 and dvd sometime thereafter.

Steven Withrow, the doc's co-producer, was kind enough to leave a comment on my original post in '09.

For more info, visit http://www.libraryoftheearlymind.com/

Obselidia

Video: Obselidia Movie Trailer:

Looks to be interesting.

"George (Michael Piccirilli) is a librarian assembling a collection of outdated ideas and inventions who believes that love is just one more obsolete concept, and Sophie (Gaynor Howe) is a projectionist who believes just the opposite." - Netflix

Please Donate to Pelotonia 2011

Great video for a very worthy cause. Please donate here.

100% of every dollar raised by every rider and volunteer directly benefits cancer research at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute.

Foul Play

Video: Foul Play Original Trailer (1978):

Somehow this movie has not made all the top 10 lists. Note: Goldie Hawn's character is a librarian.

NYPL & The Real Winnie-the-Pooh

Image: NYPL's Winnie-the-Pooh Collection:

I recently learned that the New York Public Library owns the actual stuffed animals that Christopher Robin Milne played with. Time to plan another trip to NYC!

Goodbye Columbus

Image: Goodbye Columbus Poster via IMDB:

Character Neil Klugman on working at the library. 

Mrs. Ben Patimkin: "It must be very interesting...the library business."
Klugman: "I don't know.  Yeah, I guess so."

Ouch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0M2xLSsy1XM#t=2m21s

Pelotonia 2011 Please Join Me in Fighting Cancer

As you may or may not know, my grandmother, two grandfathers, and father had cancer. Their lives were cut short, and their void can not be filled. Each step closer we come to eradicating all forms of cancer means we are another step closer to stopping the pain and suffering caused by this disease.

The Event | On August 19th, Pelotonia11 launched a community of almost 5,000 riders and further engaged thousands of volunteers who continue to work tirelessly toward one goal - to find a cure for cancer. 100% of every dollar raised by every rider and volunteer directly benefits cancer research at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute.

The Success | Pelotonia09 netted $4.5M and Pelotonia10 netted $7.8M in proceeds for The James. Again, every dollar raised benefited cancer research! And, our Simply Community peloton raised approximately $40k in 2010 and we are enthusiastically pursuing far more this year!

The Ask | Respectfully, I ask for your support of our Simply Community peloton (if you have not already extended your generosity to others). Our “ask” is an eleven dollar ($11) donation in honor of Pelotonia11, the third anniversary of this amazing grassroots initiative.

To Pledge | Follow this link:
http://www.mypelotonia.org/riders_profile.jsp?MemberID=108050

It’s tough to acknowledge that cancer knows no strangers but it is absolutely true. Each of us is surrounded by too many family members and friends enduring a battle with this horrific disease. I believe the cure is inevitable but funding will support the speed by which it is discovered. Thank you.

Black White + Gray

Video: Black White + Gray: A Portrait of Sam Wagstaff and Robert Mapplethorpe Trailer

An interesting documentary with, as you might have guessed, an emphasis on Wagstaff--a collector whose story I was not familiar with.

Lynn Whipple

Image: Lynn Whipple's She Would Look Good in a Paper Bag

While in Orlando, FL, I came across Lynn Whipple's amazing mixed-media art. Her work was on display with other artists at the hotel that we were staying at which was near several arts institutions.

For more info, please visit http://lynnwhipple.com/

The Universe of Keith Haring

Video: The Universe of Keith Haring trailer

Nice doc I recently watched on Haring.

Orlando Public Library

Image: Orlando Public Library

In June I had the good fortune to visit one of Urban Libraries Council's 2010 Top Innovators (PDF). Although the building exudes a certain sense of austerity, it was a pleasure to see the library bustling on a Sunday afternoon (although my pictures do not portray that...I usually shy away from taking pictures of people). When I entered the building, a lecture was just concluding, the children's area was hoping, and the entire library appeared to be well attended.


Flickr Slideshow: Orlando Public Library

Art of the Steal

Image: Art of the Steal Poster


Video: Art of the Steal Trailer

Recently, I watched Art of the Steal for the second time. Still upsetting.

Renovated OSU Thompson Library

Image: William Oxley Thompson Memorial Library Grand Reading Room

Last September, I had the opportunity to visit Ohio State University's newly renovated William Oxley Thompson Memorial Library as well as their renovated student center. Below are some pics from that trip.

One big takeaway is that the architects skillfully manipulated the stacks. Once seen as a dark, dingy, filthy, and, I guess to some, erotic [insert: ewww] place, the stacks have become a light-filled jewel within the library.



Thompson Library renovation architects: Acock Associates Architects/Gund Partnership


Flickr Slideshow: Ohio State University & the Thompson Library

Browsing, Libraries, & the Death of Serendipity

Image: Columbus Metropolitan Library Survey

I recently took an online survey for my library. The answers above struck me as I pondered how to answer. I realized that I no longer browsed shelves to find other like-kind titles. Instead, I am very mission driven when I enter the library. I have either placed a title on reserve, or I have ensured the title is available and have pulled the call number using the library's online catalog before I even set foot in the library. Even if the library were to institute a system within their online catalog to suggest additional titles (like Amazon), self-directed discovery has been lost.

I find this problematic for two reasons. First, I have found a number of interesting and though-provoking titles through serendipity--simply browsing the shelves and perusing titles at random. Second and more troubling, my library has become less about an experience and more about a transaction.

Renzo Piano and the Pierpont Morgan Library

Video: ARCHITECTURE - Renzo Piano - Morgan Library by fabriciopeixoto

Great light inside the library, but I wonder about the acoustics.

Mount Angel Abbey Library

Design Excursion: Mount Angel Abbey Library Designed by Alvar Aalto from Matthew DiTullo on Vimeo.

Cool that Alvar Aalto and his wife also designed the library's furniture. Via Core77.

SiteCake

Video: SiteCake Trailer

Super easy to create a website with maps, video, text, and other content.  Users can drag, drop, and resize various components.  Try a live demo at http://sitecake.com/

Michael Porter and Library Renewal

I was quite impressed with Michael Porter's interview and call-to-action in the current issue of American Libraries.  In the article "Libraries and the Future of Electronic Content Delivery," Porter clearly defines the threats and opportunities for libraries. 

Libraries either figure out new ways to be major players in a world where electronic content accounts for 85%–95% of content access (reading, research, music, and multimedia) or we become antiquated institutions that our local communities are less and less willing to support. - Michael Porter

He then describes how Library Renewal, a "think and do tank," will focus on the follow three key areas: research, relationships, and outreach.

I certainly hope that Library Renewal focuses on more than just innovative ideas.   The pragmatic implementation of solutions is absolutely critical for the future of libraries.

To learn more & get involved, visit libraryrenewal.org

Time to update for mobile (vid posted in ...

Time to update for mobile (vid posted in '09), but I still like the moxie. Working at a library is like the Matrix youtube.com - I always feel like working at a library is just like the Matrix because everything we need to do our job is right here for us at our fingertips. Anything we want to learn from languages to marketing to... View or comment on Bryan Loar's post » The Google+ project makes sharing on the web more like sharing in real-life. Join Google+

Can Astronauts Use the Library?

Simplified Reality

Image: Simplified Reality slide from Engaging New Technologies: Productivity

Last March I had the pleasure of co-presenting with Meghan Musolff on current productivity technologies and possible future applications.

I thought about what the opposite of augmented reality would be. Due to the increasing levels of information complexity, simplicity has been a catchword for some time. Instead of increasing the layers of complexity with reality and the digital realm, what if we could eliminate some of the noise that Adbusters calls mental pollution?

Hence, a technology that simplifies our reality and allows us to focus on what is important to us during a particular time period. A simplified reality.

Well, when I read about the project between PublicAdCampaign, The Heavy Projects, and Junaio in the Fast Company article "Augmented Reality Kills The QR Code Star," I literally jumped from my chair. Currently in beta, the project removes advertising from billboards and subverts it. Of course, the app could be set to show a field of nothing but flowers, and it is the first step to a simplified reality.


Image: Junaio AR app created in conjunction with PublicAdCampaign and The Heavy Projects

The Beautiful TU Delft Library

Image: Technical University Delft Library by Chris D.

Library Technical University Delft from ARCHITECTUUR.TV on Vimeo.

BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group Projects

BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group Projects 2001-2010 from beisistudio on Vimeo.

Nice way to sell a book.

Includes renderings from BIG's ambitious Astana National Library.