Enter the Secret World of Cirque

Readers tend to have good imaginations.

For example, you may have imagined that there is more to the life of the Library than meets the daylight eye. You have, quite possibly, entertained fantasies of secret rituals and mysterious adventures taking place after the closing chimes have rung and the doors are bolted fast. Perhaps you have daydreamed about the inner worlds of books leaping free of their pages, magicians and their companions (both sweet and sinister) roaming through the stacks, wild and playful, making merry mischief underneath the stars while the city’s mundane citizens sleep.

For one night, and one night only, all of those possibilities will come true. And you can be a part of it! But only if you have a ticket.

Click through to purchase your tickets!

Experience Cirque

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh – Main (Oakland) 

Friday, October 17 From 7 to 10 pm

This dreamy iteration of our popular after-hours event series ushers you into a world where the lines between reality and fiction blur. Enjoy enchanting performances by Belles Lignes Contortion, The Wreckids, Guy and Zoob, and Mr. A.H. Hastings. Refresh yourself throughout the journey with creative cocktails and sumptuous hors d’oeuvres, or fortify yourself with beer and wine as you face dazzling challenges which include:

• Glimpses into the future with tarot readings and spirit drawings.
• Winding your way through a shadowy maze in the Library stacks.
• Mask making, airbrush tattoos and elegant face art.

Early Bird Ticket Special: $45 per person until October 13
$55 from October 14 until we sell out!
Hors d’oeuvres and three (3) drink tickets included in the ticket price.

Want to bring some of the magic home with you? Our silent auction is your chance to acquire classic card catalogs and other refurbished library furniture, lovingly restored by Team Laminates and Workshop Pgh. Raffle tickets will also be available for other mystical treasures and cunning prizes–visit the auction page for full details.

Great treasure and magical adventures await in the shadowy world of the after-dark Library. Will we see you there?

–Leigh Anne

Note: After Hours @ the Library supports the day-to-day operations of Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. For tax purposes, the fair market value of the refreshments and entertainment for the event is $25. The tax-deductible portion of each ticket is the cost of the ticket, less $25.

Countdown to Extravaganza!

Summer reading! Two of my favorite words, smashed together like chocolate and marshmallows on a s’more.

Click through for the official schedule of Extravaganza events.

If you’re feeling the summer magic too, why not join us in Oakland on Sunday, June 8th, for round 14 of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s Summer Reading Extravaganza? Between 12 and 5 p.m., you can Fizz, Boom, Read your way into a good time, with a slate of activities for kids of all ages and their adult accomplices.

Highlights include puppet shows, adventures in 3D printing, DIY Smiley Cookies (thanks Eat’n Park!), the best used book sale in  Pittsburgh, and music, music, music. As ever, you’ll have the opportunity to sign up for one of our summer reading programs, with a chance to win fabulous prizes. And when I say “fabulous,” we’re talking “Kindle Fire fabulous” for grownups.

Click to learn more about Adult Summer Reading and your chance to win a Kindle Fire.

Kids in the Readers group (generally K-5) will also have a shot at winning a Kindle Fire, while their “Read to Me” siblings (younger children who aren’t reading on their own yet) are eligible for the grand prize of a LeapPad 2 Custom Edition. Other participation perks and prizes are available–ask a children’s librarian near you for more information.

Click through for more details on the Kids Summer Reading program.

Teens, we didn’t forget about you: each Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh location has chosen its own grand prize, so make sure to visit your library for more information. Don’t forget to ask about teen summer reading fine forgiveness, too.

For summer reading guidelines, info on teen fine forgiveness and more, click here.

There’s less than a week to wait for the family-friendly party of the summer, so make sure you clear your calendar, slather on some sunscreen and join us on the Library lawn. No need to register or pre-register for the party: just bring the family, your sense of adventure and a really big bag for all the books you’ll be taking home (er, we hope).

–Leigh Anne

 

We’re Souper, Thanks For Asking!

Looking for something to do next weekend that doesn’t involve pigskin and cleverly-designed attempts to part you from your hard-earned cash? Too depressed by the prospect of a certain sporting event without the hometown heroes in the mix? Interested in supporting your community while enjoying great local music in a warm, comfortable space filled with interesting things to read? You, my literate, music-loving, philanthropic friends, are in luck.

Bonus: kitty gets an extra nap while you’re having fun at the library. Image via openphoto.net

On Sunday, February 3rd, Main Library will host the WYEP 13th Annual Alternative Souper Bowl between 12 and 3 p.m. Our friends at the station where the music matters have planned a terrific line-up of performers, including Broken Fences,  The Deceptions, and The Billy Price Band. There will even be a special appearance, and performance, by the Pitt Repertory Theatre, and portions of the afternoon will be broadcast live on WYEP.

The really “souper” part about this fun, free event is that you’ll also have the opportunity to make a non-perishable food/sundries donation to HEARTH, a fellow Pittsburgh non-profit that shelters women and children in need.  Suggested donation items include pasta, cereal, juice, personal supplies, and cleaning supplies–click here for a complete list–but why not take a tip from our friends at the Pittsburgh Tote Bag Project and make a donation of items that can be easily combined into a meal?

We hope to see you here, foodstuffs in hand, ready to jam. Not quite the invitation you expected from a library? Maybe you should come see us before the event, just to catch up on all the amazing things we’ve been doing since your last visit. We hope you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

–Leigh Anne

Welcome Class of 2016!

Image hosted here

Dear incoming college students:

Hey there –how’s it going? We’re really glad you’re here. We know you’re super busy, what with the moving, unpacking, and starting a whole new chapter of your life thing, but we thought we’d write a quick note welcoming you to the neighborhood and inviting you to come over and check us out (literally and figuratively).  We met some of you at the Pitt new student orientation the other night, so we can already tell you’re just the kind of people we want to hang out with:  fun, smart, classy, and about ten different kinds of literate.

Here’s a few things you might not know about us, and some ways you can get to know us better, online and offline:

1. Library cards are free!  The carving over the door says “Free to the People,” and that means everybody in Allegheny County, including you.  Getting a card  is a snap, with the right ID and info, You can even start your application online, though we will need you to stop by after that and do a few more things before you can pick up your physical card.
2. Your library card has special powers.  Think of it as an Easter egg in the game of life: once you have a card, you’ll be able to check out items, search databases, download digital items to your Kindle/Nook/other device, get book recommendations, learn languages, and explore tons of other options.  Did we mention the “for free” part?
3. We will hide you from your annoying roommate.  If you really need to get some studying done, and you want to get off-campus for a little while, we’re a short walk down Forbes.  Make your way to the second floor and indulge in one of our quiet study areas.  We’ve got wireless. We’ve got long tables where you can spread out undisturbed.  We have comfy chairs. Heaven.
4. There’s an app for us. Got a smartphone?  Download our free app to have library functions–including catalog searches, account checks, and social media features–at your fingertips 24/7.
5. We know how to have fun on the weekend. The library’s fun all the time, of course, but we pack our Saturdays and Sundays with free special events like world music concerts, poetry readings, unusual films, and other interesting things as we dream them up. Perfect for dates or just hanging out with friends in air-conditioned comfort.
6. Coffee:  we have it.  Do you consider caffeine a vitamin? No problem.  The library’s Crazy Mocha coffee shop serves tasty food and beverages from local sources, so you never have to choose between your library books and your latte.
7. Community service options abound.  Maybe you have to earn a certain number of volunteer hours for a class or service club you belong to.  We can work with you to set up an opportunity that will make both you and us very happy. Visit the library’s volunteer page to learn more and fill out an online application.
8. Books you don’t have to read for class. Whenever you need a break from the rigors of Advanced Calculus or Extreme Spreadsheets, we’ll be happy to hook you up with reading material that will give your brain a break.  From world fiction to sci-fi, mystery, and romance, we’ve got a little something for everybody. And if we don’t have it on hand, we can usually get it for you in less than a week from anywhere else in the county.
9. An extra shot of academic support, minus the guilt. Because it’s not all fun and games, you’re eventually going to need journal articles, books and other materials to get those art history, literature, and science research papers written.  To level up from smart to amazing, come visit us after you’re done at your school library.  We’ve got journal databases, research guides, and a virtual library collection you can use long after the physical doors have closed. You can even get a jump on internships, local job searches, and standardized tests (it’s never too early to think about this stuff) via our Job and Career Center. If you want to be excellent (and who doesn’t?), make us part of your game plan for world domination.
10. Gandalf, Captain America, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer work here. Everybody on staff is a superhero in disguise, just waiting to solve your problems. Think of us as the kindly wise folk who show up when you have no idea what to do next; we can point you in the right direction either in person, over the phone, or via a variety of virtual services like e-mail, chat, and text. The only special power we don’t have is mind-reading (that’s not part of the official library school curriculum yet), so we still need you to let us know how we can help. Rest assured, though, that once we know, we’ll do everything in our power to get you the materials and information you need.

That’s a lot of data to process, and even though it’s just the tip of the iceberg, library-wise, we’re pretty sure you have things to do this weekend, so we’ll sign off for now. Stop by and see us soon, though! We hope your time in Pittsburgh is lovely and amazing, and that by the time you graduate, we’ll be good friends. Or, at least, the people you smile and wave to when you run into us between classes.

Cheers!

–Leigh Anne (but you can call her Buffy)

PS:  Make sure you get out of Oakland once in a while and see our other locations, too.  Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods are unique, and every single one of them is worth a trip. Plus, you’ll have someplace to take your folks when they come to visit.

PPS:  Please don’t lend your fabulous, free library card to that annoying roommate!  Or to anybody else, really.  Pretend it’s a credit card, because, really, it’s the same principle: you’re responsible for whatever goes out on the card, and we’d hate for you to start your brand new collegiate life with bad credit from library debt.

Recovery

Dear readers, is there anything quite like a debilitating sickness in which to get your priorities straight? This is the conclusion I am forced to reach after being absolutely crushed by the flu earlier this month, only to be rejuvenated by the prospects and possibilities that are “normalcy.”

When ill, the dilemma becomes what to do with the remaining hours of the day, exhausted despite your 14 hours of sleep a night. Not being able to do much other than lie around and wait to feel better, I did what any logical sick person does – I watched an entire season of a television series. And Mad Men is not messing around. Season 4 is the finest season to date, allowing for some major plot points and movement to occur in the slow burn that is Don Draper’s life. A new firm, new affairs, as well as a confrontation with his alcohol problem gives this season plenty of fuel, even to be enjoyed by those who are not delirious.

Properly nostalgic for an era I never knew, I decided to visit an old friend of a movie. The Boat That Rocked (Pirate Radio to you Yanks) is a perfectly cast British comedy about illegal rock stations that existed in the North Sea in the 1960s. It’s a charming movie that doesn’t drag on too long (huge plus for modern movie making), and it’s about the power and lasting impact of rock and roll. It features a great soundtrack, as it should, but the shining moment is the wordless perfection that is the Leonard Cohen scene, featuring “So Long, Marianne”. Watch it, love it, and report back to me with your thanks.

Five days of consuming nothing but water and watching television may sound like fun in hindsight, but it is books that I was forced to cast aside during my illness that I came back to with renewed vigor when finally healthy. David Mitchell has long been a fascination of mine, despite never really digging into the source material. He’s intelligent, well regarded, and stylistically challenging. Therefore, he is really intimidating. The best way to tackle him is head on, and Cloud Atlas is a testament to how rewarding that experience can be. With six narrations intertwining over centuries, all written in unique dialects and in unique settings, this book may leave you scratching your head at times, but the result is masterful.

Comedian Michael Ian Black presents a distinct challenge for me as well, as I think he is brilliantly funny and a vital cog in some of my favorite comedies of the past decade. However, I thought his first book was very sub par. So much so that even while waiting for my hold to come up for You’re Not Doing it Right, I considered calling the whole thing off. I’m glad I did not. Part memoir, part humor, this book of essays is a candid take on Black’s life and career, and is a huge step forward in his writing as well.

Finally, dear readers, as I don’t want you to think I am not a man of his word, I want to update you on my conquests in relation to my last post, in which I was stuck in the perils of non-reading and instead only further accumulating future books “to read.” Pulphead could possibly be the most enjoyable read (best said here) I’ve had in months, if it was not forced to live in the shadow of the major event that is The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. A book, that caused me to remark to a friend, “It’s so good I would rather be reading it than doing anything else at the moment.” (Good thing to say to a friend in conversation, by the way, reminding them you’d rather be doing something else.)  I am devouring it, and therefore been plagued by the regret of not having read it sooner. Would the past me have enjoyed it quite so much for the same reasons? I am left with the comforting thought that I must not dwell on what is not being read, but only to enjoy what I am able to do now – which is read on.

– Tony

Batting 1000!

Today’s Eleventh Stack post is our 1,000th published essay.  That’s 1,000 days of book, music and film recommendations, fun facts about library programs and services, and interesting intellectual detours.  To celebrate, we’ve put together a short booklist of library items with the number 1,000 somewhere in their titles or descriptions.

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell  (Don)

1000 Places to See Before You Die by Patricia Schultz (Maria)

Music for Lute-Harpsichord by J.S. Bach (including BWV 1000, Fugue in G minor) (Julie)

Where the Birds Are: A Travel Guide to Over 1,000 Parks, Preserves, and Sanctuaries by Robert J. Dolezal (Julie)

One Thousand Nights and Counting: Selected Poems by Glyn Maxwell (Tony)

1,000 Steampunk Creations: Neo-Victorian Fashion, Gear, and Art by Joey Marsocci (Don)

The next one thousand years : the selected poems of Cid Corman by Cid Corman (Don)

The Arabian nights, or, Tales told by Sheherezade during a thousand nights and one night retold by Brian Alderson ; illustrated by Michael Foreman (Joelle)

The best of Mel Blanc [sound recording] : man of 1000 voices. (Joelle)

One Thousand New York Buildings, by Jorg Brockmann (Scott)

1,000 Mitzvahs: How Small Acts of Kindness Can Heal, Inspire and Change Your Life, by Linda Cohen (Leigh Anne)

Patternreview.com: 1,000 Clever Sewing Shortcuts and Tips, by Deepika Prakash (Leigh Anne)

Star Wars: 1,000 Collectibles, by Stephen J. Sansweet (Leigh Anne)

That’s just one tiny sample from a field of nearly 1500 items, so don’t hesitate to browse the catalog for more fun reading, listening, and viewing options. And thanks for reading along with us; we promise to make the next 1,000 posts just as fun, adventurous and enlightening.

the Eleventh Stack blog team