Scottsdale Public Library: Discover Local History
The Scottsdale Public Library has a large digital library collection including photos, documents and interviews about the history of Scottsdale.
Nick Molinari is working on collecting what is called the Walking History Book Collection.
This collection features images, interviews, and video contributed by the citizens of Scottsdale which document family histories, local events and history – both local and beyond. This collection was supported with funds granted by the Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records Agency, a division of the Arizona Secretary of State, under the Library Services and Technology Act, which is administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
People can learn from the library’s collection but people can also add to the history as well. Bring in your family photos for scanning. Scottsdale Public Library is looking for old family photos, vacation photos around Arizona and yes, even your High School yearbooks!
The library also gives digital copies of one of their historical images to use in a project, hang in your home or to share with a friend.
Libraries are Social
Friends’ posts, pictures of funny cats, viral videos and now libraries are on Facebook.
Phoenix Public Library updates its page with posts about upcoming events at the library but also is a constant update of pop culture and updates with what is going on now. My favorite posts are the old pictures like one posted on the day king tut was found in 1922. Don’t let King Tut Day go by another year with out proper celebration.
Scottsdale Public Library always seems to have something going on and they always have a Facebook post to remind people about all their events.
My favorite posts are from Tempe Public Library’s Tuesday Trivia . Each Tuesday they post a question and people can reply to the post if they think they know the answer. I have yet to get a question right because they are usually very obscure but also fascinating.
Mesa Public Library focuses more on what is going on close to home. They post pictures of their library events, their librarians and people enjoying the library.
It was so cute looking at the kids in costume dressed up for Halloween visiting the library. And the librarians can put together a good Halloween costume as well.
Mesa’s Facebook page started as a page for teens in 2010 but became a page for the whole library in June.
Kate Griffin is a Librarian III at Mesa Public Library and leads their team of Virtual Community Specialists which also includes Shari Durst and Sara Lipich
Durst and Lipich said in an email interview, “Our goal is to raise awareness of the library and its offerings, as well as show our patrons that we’re a friendly, authentic place.”
Durst and Lipich said they know that their customers are online, so they need to be where their customers are. Not just to advertise but also to keep up with their interests.
“We want to be a part of the online conversation. We want patrons to be able to tweet at us or ask us questions on Facebook,”Durst and Lipch said.
Chandler Public Library is great at featuring new books and their librarian’s favorites.
Rosanna Johnson, Chandler Public Library’s Marketing Assistant said in a email interview they have been on facebook since the summer of 2011.
“We want to connect with [customers that] may not actually step foot into any of our four locations. They may download e-books and magazines, or if they place a hold on a book, they don’t go past the pick-up area at the front door,” Johnson said.
Most libraries are relatively new to social media. Johnson said they have regular followers who interact on different social media platforms but they continually get new followers too.
“In January we set a goal of getting 2013 followers on Facebook this year, and met that goal in July. Currently we have 2243 followers,” Johnson said.
Among Valley libraries, Phoenix has the largest amount of followers and Mesa has the fewest. They all post rather regularly but not to the point where the posting is so constant that it is overwhelming and a little annoying.
Most Libraries can also be found on Pinterest, Twitter, Tumblr and youtube.
Original Monster Mash
In the spirit of Halloween I wanted to share with you my favorite horror story. I’m not one for gore and guts or anything like the movie Insidious 2. I prefer horror in the classic sense.
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is one of my all time favorite books and has been used and reused as one of the classic monster stories but its original version by Mary Shelly is very different than its derivatives.
http://www.timetoast.com/timelines/721723
The story idea came from a competition between some of the best romantic writers Percy Shelly- Mary’s future husband, Lord Byron-original bisexual bad boy, their doctor who really didn’t have a chance, John Polidri and then Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin who was only eighteen years old at the time.
Think of them like the four best friends anyone could have, spring breaking it up near lake Geneva sitting next to the fire and daring each other to tell a better horror story. That’s how brilliant writers do spring break, with lots of drugs, alcohol and writing classic novels that have been in print since 1818.
Mary, Percy and Byron were huge parts in the Romantic Era which I like to think of like the first hippie movement. Everyone was questioning everything. Mary’s mom, Mary Wolstonecraft, was a vital part of one of the first feminist movements and her father, William Godwin was a political philosopher and one of the first promoters of utilitarianism and anarchism.
Mary was exposed to all this knowledge philosophy and literature with big names dropping by to talk to her dad all the time. But when everything is being questioned it leaves for a very unstable upbringing.
So what does this have to do with Frankenstein, well while the book centers around a monster, sewn together with the parts of bodies dug up in the middle of the night and then jolted to life with the spark of life considered to be connected to galvanism- a new science at the time that used electricity to animate corpses, the real horror was being an outcasted by a creator.
Guantánamo Public Memory Project @ Phoenix Public Library
The Guantánamo Public Library Memory Project @ Phoenix Public Library is collaboration with Arizona State University’s Public History Program.
The free exhibit is located on the second floor of Barton Barr Library in Phoenix.
Eleven panels explore the history of the United States Naval Base at Guantánamo (GTMO) from the beginning of U.S. occupation in 1898 to today.
Eleven universities collaborated to create a panel that explores a different component of GTMO.
The exhibit opened at NYU in December 2012 and is traveling to 9 sites including Rutgers University, Perdue, and NYU London.
The free exhibit is now located on the second floor of Barton Barr Library in Phoenix until November 24.
The Phoenix library periodically hosts traveling exhibits said Rita Marko, Phoenix Public Library Management Assistant.
They have hosted exhibits about the Holocaust in the past and will host another exhibit in the spring.
“It coincides with out goals as a library to introduce the community to a topic,” Marko said.
The library hopes to “shed light not heat” on a topic. The library doesn’t take a position but gives an opportunity to expand the topic.
In addition to the exhibit, Phoenix public library is hosting ten events to expand on the topic starting October 23 and going until December 8.
Events include a program with music by Victor Caldee, local Cuban architect, artist, musician and balsero who was detained on the base. The program will at 6:30p.m. and will include an opportunity for participants make clay pieces to add on the chain like fence of the exhibit.
Nancy Dallett, contributor and Professor in the Arizona State Public History Program says she hopes the exhibit paired with the programs give “a sense of the complicated relationship” the United States has with GTMO.
“It has been used for very different purposes since the Spanish American war to now being used for detention,” Dallett said.
Subject Librarians at ASU
Arizona State University has eight libraries.
Five libraries are located on the Tempe campus including Nobel Science and Engineering, Hayden, Architecture, Music and Law Library.
The other campuses, Polytechnic, West and Downtown also have library locations.
Every library has subject librarians to help students successfully find information.
Each library has the traditional book stacks to find information but there are also library guides found online that offer thousands of articles and journals available for students to use.
The university spends a lot of money for access to library guides. Subject Librarians are there to help students get their money’s worth and get the most out of the resources available.
Audio Books
My mom calls it cheating that I do most of my reading through listening. For a lot of my English literature classes most of our required text books are novels. I always buy a hard copy but then I ask for itunes cards to buy the audio book version as well.
But these audio books can get expensive which is why I was so excited to find that libraries also offer audio books and they are all free to check out.
My favorite way to check out an audio book is online. No transportation required all you need is a library card. Greater Phoenix Digital Library offers audio books and ebooks to read on your tablet.
Getting started can be a little challenging because the digital library is relatively new but Tempe library offers technical support if there are any problems or questions.
Children’s books, non fiction, classics, young adult, business and biography all come in audio book form. My mom and I did a lot of driving from California to Arizona. Six hours was a long time to keep myself occupied so we listened to audio books.
We have listened to every Harry Potter audio book at least four times. We were listening to the Harry Potter series back when audio books were available for check out in cassette form.
Libraries Celebrate Banned Books Week
Phoenix libraries celebrated banned books week Sept. 22-28, sharing their favorite challenged books and informing the public about censorship in libraries and schools.
Most of the celebrations were done through social media mainly on facebook. Mesa’s Public Library facebook page featured instagramed mug shots of people holding their favorite challenged book.
Banned Books Week page on facebook shared an article from Cincinnati.com about author Toni Morrison speaking out about remarks from the president to the Ohio School Board who called The Bluest Eye pornographic.
Morrison is a Nobel Prize and Pulitzer Prize winning American novelist whose novels consistently frequent the top 100 list of banned books.
According to American Library Association, Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to read. “It is an annual event that highlights the value of free and open access to information.”
Challenges due to sexually explicit material, offensive language, violence and homosexuality are reported to the Office for Intellectual Freedom.
According to ALA’s website the most challenged book in 2012 was the Captain Underpants series for offensive language and being unsuited for age group.
Captain Underpants is a children’s novel series about two fourth graders who accidentally turn their favorite comic book superhero, Captain Underpants into a real person.
Books have always been challenged as they should always be. Books are what teach people to think and challenge everything but Banned Books Week is meant to ensure access for all and encourage libraries and schools to advocate for freedom of speech and freedom to read.
Mesa Public Library shared a quote on their facebook page from George R.R. Martin: “When you tear out a man’s tongue, you are not proving him a liar, you’re only telling the world that you fear what he might say.”
Story Time
Phoenix Public Libraries offer events called Story Time at many of their locations at various times. The Arcacia branch has a baby story time and a preschool story time on throughout the week .
Miss Debbi taught for 35 years in South Phoenix before becoming a librarian at the Arcacia branch. She and a couple other librarians take turns leading story time.
“The Fridays I have story time are my favorite days,” Miss Debbi said. “I still call of them my students.
Each story time leader has their own style in leading the group. One leader is much more laid back, Miss Debbi said. “I like doing something different every time.”
In today’s half an hour story time, Miss Debbi did everything from singing the abc’s, reading Olivia, doing the hokey pokey, and playing with a parachute.
Story time is an opportunity for children to have social interactions with other children before starting school. It is also an opportunity for parents and grandparent to engage with children.
“I try to get parents involved just as much as the kids,” Miss Debbi said.
Meg’s Library Survival Guide: Tempe
Tempe Public Libarary is one of eight local valley public libraries, including locations in Chandler, Glendale, and Mesa. Some Libraries like Phoenix and Scottsdale have multiple branches.
Tempe has one branch that is located at 3500 S. Rural Road. If you are in the Tempe area and are looking to get there by public transportation the library is a stop on the Orbit Transit, a free bus service connecting residential and shopping areas.
Most libraries are the same so that if you understand the inner workings of one you can basically find your way around the rest. Most libraries now have available for check out DVDs, CDs, magazines, Bestsellers, as well as nonfiction, fiction, large type and Spanish books. A lot of libraries even offer all these materials in a digital version that only require a library card.
Beyond the resources libraries offer, they also give an comfortable atmosphere available to the public. One of the most inviting atmosphere can be found at the Tempe Public Library.
Tempe Public Library Manager Sherry Waren says the Tempe Library is fun friendly atmosphere with something to offer everyone.
“People come for scones, coffee and to read the newspapers.”
Inside is a coffee shop called Tempe connections. They sell café items like coffee, smoothies, sandwiches and muffins. It has tables where food is allowed which pair nicely with the shelves of varieties of newspapers and magazines.
Current periodicals editions are available as well as up to a year of editions, so if you were bummed you missed the issue of Glamour that featured One Direction, don’t worry because the library has it available and can be checked out for 28 days.
The library is becoming a versatile location that accommodates social gatherings like meeting for coffee as well as meeting space and group study areas.
It is still offers an atmosphere of study, learning and knowledge. With the recent expansion to the library Warren says more seating and outlets were added to satisfy those looking for a space to study with their laptop or however they may chose.
“It’s not a shushing library anymore,” Waren said. But there is a Quiet Room that does not allow conversation, computers and is for those who want to sit in a quiet atmosphere
The library has events that hold book discussions, movie screenings and tutorials on computers and Internet use.
Warren is most proud of the children’s library. It is one of the largest that isn’t used for storage. The children’s library is located in the lower level of the Tempe Library. Just like the upstairs adult library there are computers for children to use. Shelves and comfy chairs that are short and easy for children to navigate.
There are sections of audio books, magazines and DVDs just for kids. Its also a great resource for teachers. I noticed a DVD of Grammar Schoolhouse Rock that I almost checked out.
Sections are divided into middle school, early reading and picture books. There is a play area perfect for parents to read aloud to kids.
Book Major 