Librarian-At-Large

After what seems like two very quick years, I am proud to say that I am finished with grad school! I graduated with my Masters of Library and Information Science from Dominican University on May 3rd and am now an official Librarian! I'm looking forward to a summer free from school attendance and assignments. I'm also looking forward to a future full of public library work as well as loan repayment.

Starshaped Press

Over the weekend my History of the Book class met at the Starshaped Press, a print shop that uses movable type, platen presses from the 1920s, and engraved plates. It was amazing to see the things we'd been talking about in class come to life! Jen, the owner of the shop, studied book and paper arts through classes and through an apprenticeship and now runs her own press where she makes posters, cards, CD covers, etc. - all on old-fashioned presses.

This is all very different than other modern day letterpresses such as the Paper Source or other modern (albeit wonderful) printing companies. On her website, Jen writes, "There's an inherent beauty and imperfection to the form of each and every letter that cannot be replicated on the computer or in a polymer or magnesium plate." She has one Vandercook proof press (which we were able to use and make the print pictured above) and two Chandler and Price platen presses.

Seeing her different typefaces, movable type (some 100 years old), and woodcuts was an inspiration! We were able do a print of our own for a souvenir through cranking the paper through the printer over the inked metal type that was pre-set for us. Now that I am almost done with school, I might have to indulge myself in some extra-curricular activities next fall in printmaking.

Here are some videos of these classic presses in action!
Platen Press working (0:19)
Platen Press inking (0:12)
Letterpress Documentary (5:52)

1586 Reference

For my History of the Book class, we have the privilege of learning about and handling rare books from the 15th to 19th centuries. Our class meets at the Chicago Botanic Garden's Library once a month over a weekend. They have a rare book collection with about 3,000 books from this time after the printing press was created. My group studied and wrote about the book below which was an herbal reference book printed in 1586 in Frankfurt, Germany for physicians to use and prescribe remedies to their patients. There is even handwriting in the back by one of the book's previous owners. Be still my heart!

Bookshelves!

For our birthday this year, TK and I decided to make some bookshelves for the office in his house. I love to buy books and need a place for them. TK loves woodworking and building furniture...thus our task was clear. It's amazing to me what he can do with some oak plywood and a table saw. The man has mad skillz!

They've been finished for a while, but due to the busy fall, I've been slow on the blog. Now that the shelves are complete I can organize all my books....and maybe buy some more to fill the empty spaces.












Every time I enter the office, I'm proud of my builder. For more pictures from start to finish, click here!

Three Down, One to Go...

Today I begin my last semester of grad school at Dominican! It seems like just yesterday I was realizing that I wanted to be a librarian and that I would pursue my MLIS (Masters of Library and Information Science). How swiftly time doth fly. My last three classes are listed below with their course descriptions:

History of the Book - From Gutenberg to the present; introduction to publishing, printing processes, book design (typography, illustration, binding) and distribution.

Literacy and Library Involvement - An overview of library involvement in literacy programming in local communities. Emphasis will be placed on examining community needs for literacy services, developing and implementing library literacy services to meet those needs and building partnerships and networks with literacy providers and other community groups.

Library User Instruction - An introduction to the principles of information literacy with two emphases: developing a conceptual framework for library user education, including an overview of learning theory, teaching methods and instructional design; and applying the theory in practical library teaching/learning situations.

Presently I have a full-time job and a wedding to plan, why not throw my last semester of Grad school into the mix?

Children's Author Illustrator | Lois Ehlert

In my Library Materials for Children class this fall, each of us has to do a presentation on an author/illustrator of children's material. I was assigned Lois Ehlert and, if you'll be so kind as to indulge me, I will share some of the marvelous art (and writing) I encountered through her books.

She illustrates through the medium of collage, arranging brightly painted paper in the way that best fits her taste. Many of the themes in Lois Ehlert’s books come from her own interests, and seek to connect her young readers with the natural world. She doesn't just write a book about a cat trying to catch some birds for a good meal in Feathers for Lunch - she meticulously collages 12 different birds, presenting them in their true-to-life size and concluding with an appendix of useful identification information for each bird and plant seen throughout the book.

In Waiting for Wings - my favorite of her picture books - she shows the process of various caterpillars, who inhabit the smaller inset pages of the book, eventually becoming butterflies who branch out into a larger context. Again, the last few pages of the book provide colorful and informative identification facts about the book’s butterflies and flowers, and some adivice on how to create your own garden that will attract buterflies from the neigborhood. Other books illustrated in this style of painted paper collage include Planting a Rainbow; Eating the Alphabet: Fruits and Vegetables from A to Z; Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf; Nuts to You!; Top Cat; and Leaf Man.

In Eating the Alphabet: Fruits and Vegetables from A to Z, the pages are full of beautiful food from around the world. The appendix also includes useful information on the fruits and vegetables featured in the book as well as their common uses and origins. Growing Vegetable Soup, is a more simple book geared toward early learners and their caregivers. With bold graphic art, Ehlert presents the many steps in preparing, planting, and growing a vegetable garden in order to make some homemade soup. Other books of Eherlt's with a more graphic art style are Color Zoo, Color Farm, Fish Eyes, Circus, Moon Rope, and more!

Schooooool's Out - For - Summer!

One year down, one year to go.

Yesterday was my last day of class. - In case you don't know, I am getting my Master's of Library and Information Science at Dominican University. - This Spring I took Public Libraries (awesome), Management of Libraries and Information Centers (fair), and Cataloging (snoozefest). Those classes might not sound too exciting to you, but two of them were required and the next two semesters promise to be delightfully inspiring.

I live for summer. I shouldn't waste 9 months out of the year in anticipation, but I do...and with this I have come to terms. The trees, the grass, the sun, the cook-outs, the camping, the long days, the bike rides, the beach, the heat - I love it all. I love it all and I can't get enough. Now that I have spent the last year in school not having each evening free, I think this summer will be more appreciated than were those of the most recent past.

Summer + No School = Awesome.

Calling All Book Lovers

I just found the most wonderful online tool I have ever come across. It is called LibraryThing and it rocks the casbah. LibraryThing helps you easily organize and catalog all of your books. Not only can you input all the books you own into your account, you can tag them by whatever headings you want, view information about your collection, get recommendations, and connect with other users who share the same books. I'm addicted!

Creating an account is simple and free. There are several ways that you can easily add titles, but I have found an ISBN search to be the most accurate. LibraryThing searches the Library of Congress, all five national Amazon sites, and more than 60 world libraries. Once you enter a title, the cover art and book information magically appear and low and behold you have a glorious bibliographic record in seconds! You can look at your personal catalog in either a "list" or a "cover" view. Each title has a book information page which gives you library-quality data that you can edit at your discretion. You can access your catalog from anywhere and so can anyone else who has your catalog's URL. (You can also keep your account private.) Check it out and create your own LibraryThing catalog today!

Here are a few articles where you can read up on LibraryThing:
St. Petersburg Times: Bibliophiles Unite!
PC Magazine: LibraryThing
Wall Street Journal: Social Networking for Bookworms
Library Journal: LibraryThing

I am working on a separate account for DVDs too, but click here to link to my book account so far.

National Library Week

Guess what! This week is National Library Week and it is a time to celebrate your library!

At the library, people of all backgrounds can come together for community meetings, lectures and programs, to do research with the assistance of a trained professional, to get a job or to find homework help, to gain access to adult and youth education programs, and to READ! Public, academic, school and special libraries transform their communities and play a vital role in supporting the community's quality of life. Librarians help people of all ages and backgrounds find and interpret the information they need to live, learn and work in the 21st century. Libraries are places for opportunity, education, self-help and lifelong learning. Today, libraries bring you a world of knowledge both in person and online.

I don't know about you, but growing up, my mom and dad encouraged us to be avid users of the public library. We would check out books upon books and enjoy them for weeks on end. I can't wait to show my children the wonders that the library will expose them to, but there are so many more things your library offers besides children's books and storytime. Take a trip to your local library and see what programming they offer for adults, and you will probably be pleasantly surprised. Special guest speakers, art galleries, discussion groups, cultural events, and other educational opportunities thrive at public libraries that are alive in their communities. (If your library isn't flourishing, it might be because they are lacking the funding they need to create growing opportunities for the community, so get out there and vote in their favor during your next local election!)

I encourage you to visit the library this week - and every week - to take advantage of the wonderful library resources available and thank your librarians and library workers for making information accessible to all who walk through the library’s doors.

"There is not such a cradle of democracy upon the earth as the Free Public Library, this republic of letters, where neither rank, office, nor wealth receives the slightest consideration."

~Andrew Carnegie