The Neverending (Library) Story

Much like Michael Ende’s novel (and, to a certain extent, the movie it inspired), the Library’s story is never-ending. In fact, it’s re-written each day…it’s true! Every chat you have with a library worker, every time you skim a book’s jacket copy, every time you log in to a computer (ours or yours), and every time you join us for a special event, the library’s story gets richer, longer, and stronger. Even when you’re not physically here you’re adding chapters, by using our website or downloading our digital content. Even reading our blog makes you a recurring character in the powerful play of words, ideas, actions, and events that has made Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh a bestseller since 1895.

How’s that working out for you?

Feel free to use this image in your blog posts if you’re participating in the “My Library Story” blog carnival!

We’ve been collecting stories from library users like you to learn what kind of impact Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh has made in your lives (click here to read a representative sample), but we never get tired of hearing new ones. That’s why we’ve created the “My Library Story” blog carnival, which will run between Sunday, May 18th and Saturday May 31st. Here’s how it works!

1. Write a blog post in which you tell us how Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh has affected your life. Did we introduce you to the pleasures of a certain author or artist? Provide quiet space for you to think and dream? Whatever you can remember, whatever it is about the Library that has enriched your life, we want to hear all about it.
2. Publish the post on your blog, with a link back to this post about the carnival, and invite your readers to share their stories, too.
3. Comment on this post with a link to your blog post, so that we can visit your blog and read your story.
4. Bonus round: share your post on social media, and encourage your friends and followers to tell their Library stories.

That’s it! And just for playing along, you’re welcome to use the image posted above in your blog and social media postings:

We can’t wait to hear your library stories. If you have questions about the blog carnival, comment below, or e-mail us at eleventhstack at carnegielibrary dot org [humans only, please, no robots or spiders!]. Not currently living in Pittsburgh? No problem: expats, former residents, and anyone with a Pittsburgh connection is more than welcome to play along.

Please share this link with your friends and networks, and happy storytelling!

–Leigh Anne

the “also a client” librarian, who promises to share her own story, if you share yours.

 

 

 

 

Oh, the technology!

If you’ve been reading along with the Eleventh Stack team for any length of time, you’re probably pretty comfortable — or at least a little less nervous — about getting some of your news and information from blogs. Lately, though, it seems like there’s a new social technology coming down the pike every few nanoseconds, and that can sometimes seem like a scary pace.  First Facebook was all the rage, but now Twitter is the new black. What kind of whizbang sorceries will these computer-folk dream up next?

Your guess is as good as mine, but as internet news breaks, the library will fix it! For a panoramic view of the techno-zeitgeist, check out some of these books on emerging technologies and the faster-than-light changes in society and culture they engender.

Born Digital, John G. Palfrey. Itching to peek inside the thought processes of a generation that’s never known life without a computer? Palfrey’s book describes what it means to be a digital native, how this differs from being what he calls a “digital settler,” and how people at all technological levels can work together to sort out issues like privacy, safety, and identity.

The Wikipedia Revolution, Andrew Lih. Love it or hate it, the Wikipedia project has changed the way people search for and create information online. Lih’s history of the internet’s most famous DIY encyclopedia stands out as one of the most comprehensive texts written on the subject so far, though curious readers may also want to check out How Wikipedia Works and Wikinomics, too.

Viral Spiral, David Bollier. Some argue that developments in internet technology represent democracy at its finest, with developments like open source software and Creative Commons licensing. Bollier’s book looks at these and other phenomena in that light, emphasizing the positive aspects of web culture. For a cautionary note, see Jonathan Zittrain’s The Future of the Internet. For some serious dissension, check out Andrew Keen’s The Cult of the Amateur.

The Rise of the Blogosphere, Aaron Barlow. How did blog culture come about? Barlow compares blogging to the early American popular press and describes how traditional journalism outlets themselves paved the way for blogging’s popularity.

If you’re still feeling a little apprehensive about the brave new world we live in, we’d love to show you how the Carnegie Library is using all kinds of technologies, from the familiar to the fantastic, to continue its mission of providing information for the people of Pittsburgh. Stop by the library on Saturday, April 25th and check out our Technology Playground.  We’ll have demonstrations and hands-on fun for you to sample, and you can enter a drawing to win one of three gift cards from Best Buy.

In case of a power outage or zombie apocalypse, there will always be print materials as a backup. But aren’t you just a little curious about what’s new, now and next? Pick the format you’re most comfortable with, then contact us in the way that works best for you, and we’ll hook you up with everything you need to know about emerging technologies. 

See you in the future!

–Leigh Anne

Big Day in Film, Comics, Sports, Poetry, Cooking, Music, Graphic Novels, Literature etc.

So, where, oh, where, do all these ideas for blog posts come from anyway, you might ask?

Well, when you work for an institution that nominally acts as a portal of all human knowledge, how hard can it really be? I thought I might talk about what I’m reading currently, a volume of poetry and travel writings by the Japanese master poet, Basho, or the graphic novel V for Vendetta by the modern master of the (comic) universe, Alan Moore, or an obscure volume of gothic short stories by the Welsh master of the macabre, Arthur Machen. But since I haven’t finished any of those (grist for future posts!), I thought I’d take a look-see if there has been anything notable about today, August 25th, historically speaking. And indeed there is. So without any further muss, fuss or babble, here’s a list of things we can celebrate today via materials in the library’s rich treasure trove of goods:

• 90th birthday anniversary of composer/conductor, Leonard Bernstein

• Anniversary of the release of the film The Wizard of Oz

• Birthday of tennis legend, Althea Gibson

• National Kiss and Make-up Day

• Birthday of American short story impresario, Bret Harte

• Anniversary of the liberation of Paris, August 25th, 1944

• 95th birthday anniversary of Pogo creator and satirist, Walt Kelly

• National Secondhand Wardrobe Day

• Birthday of modern film director, Tim Burton

• The start of Be Kind to Humankind Week

• Birthday of cooking maven, Rachel Ray

So, if you are suffering from blogger’s dilemma (aka what will I post about today), how exactly do you find all this stuff out? In the spirit of disclosure (although running directly counter to one of the Wizard of Oz’s most remembered lines, “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!“), you simply go to or call your local library and ask for the annual Chase’s Calendar of Events, an encyclopedia size tome listing all of the above (and much, much more) for every single day of the year.

Don

PS If you want that obscure volume by Arthur Machen, interlibrary loan is the way to go.

Are you Del.icio.us?

Do you have a Del.icio.us account?  Yes?  Congratulations, genius!  No?  Keep reading, buster!

Del.icio.us is a social networking website that lets you bookmark online resources, like articles you’d like to refer to later, funny videos, and interesting blogs.  It’s a little bit different from the Favorites folder in your browser, in that you can access and add content to it from any computer, and you can label or “tag” links however you wish and with as many tags as you wish.  And you can share links of interest with friends!

Another great feature is that under each entry Del.icio.us lists the number of users who have also bookmarked that site.  Let’s say you are interested in Mariachi music , tattoo designs, or recipes that use chocolate: you can click on the number to find like enthusiasts and the websites they have also found useful. 

I like to use Del.icio.us as a research tool when Google just won’t do.  Let’s say you are in the market for a new car.  If you type “automobile” into Google, you’ll get about 127,000,000 hits, many of which are irrelevant for the kinds of articles, guides, and reviews you may be looking for.  Key the same search term into the search field on Del.icio.us, and you’ll see the most widely beloved of the 16,317 websites members have saved tagged under the word “automobile.”  You can also type “automobiles shopping” and it will give an even more refined list.

It is easy to register for a Del.icio.us account, but be warned: once you start looking through the fascinating, hilarious, and thought-provoking websites everyone has saved, no one may see you for a while. 

For a great list of reference resources, check out our Reference Department’s Del.icio.us account.

–Bonnie