The UniRead this past Saturday was an incredible, vibrant, and unique event. The weather was gorgeous, the sky was blue, the sun was shining, it was an utterly marvelous day for a library protest. The event hinged on this idea of having multiple readers recite the same text translated into different languages simultaneously. We chose the first chapter of the first Harry Potter as the text as there are so many great translations available and there is a built in audience/fan base both in the library world and in the wider public. The Unisphere is a great backdrop and it could not have been a more Queens event.

Getting the texts was a task in itself and we were fortunate in our contacts there. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone has been translated into over 80 languages. While you would think that the libraries of New York City would offer these up in the blink of an eye we only found about ten languages available on the shelves in circulation. Our good friends the dauntless workers of ILL were able to come up with another half a dozen or so as well. In the midst of the prep we came across a reference to a professor of Russian at the University of Calgary, Nicholas Žekulin who had a complete set. On an outside chance we reached out to him and he leaped to help. He has been an utter delight to work with, furiously scanning languages to match readers for us turning text around overnight. Thank you Professor Žekulin!

On the day we had readers in: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Irish, Italian, Korean, Lithuanian, Russian, Spanish, and Thai. The readers started off together and it was an incredible babel brought to life. It was just a jumble of language, a tumble of tone and inflection. You would hear the words Dursley, or Dumbledore, pop up occasionally but mostly it was just a wonderful welter of linguistics.

This event also marked the first appearance of Bonnie the Bookworm and her nemeses the Budget Birds. Bonnie is a hard working library professional just trying to do her job, help people, and hang out with her boyfriend Carl the Caterpiller (he’s in a band…so hot). Those Budget Birds keep pecking at her, messing with her storytimes, keeping the books away, and generally stressing her out. Bonnie doesn’t want to get a pink slip and neither do you!

This was the first stunt of the season but there are others in the works, big ones, fun ones. We would love to have you come out and join us. Our events are fun, lively, literary activism. We would love to see you there.

Libraries have taken a serious hit in the budget, let’s not forget that. There is a feeling in the air that “the money will be restored”. While we should all hope for the best at all times this is no reason to be complacent. We got cuts restored for the last two years due to a lot of hard work by a lot of people. If we don’t get out there and fight for our slice of the budget pie you can bet that someone else will be trying to take it right off our plate.

Don’t let the Budget Birds peck poor Bonnie. Please join us, get a postcard in, get lots of postcards in, come out, get active.

The third 24 Hour Read In to protest budget cuts will be held on June 9^th & 10^th from 4PM to 4PM at the Brooklyn Public Library Central Library in Grand Army Plaza. Please join us there.

To volunteer please contact savenyclibraries@gmail.com, or christian.g.zabriskie@gmail.com

Books Through Bars Annual Bingo Fundraiser (!!!)

Join Books Through Bars NYC for our annual Bingo Fundraiser.

WHEN: Saturday Jan. 28^th. Doors open @ 7pm

WHERE: The Brecht Forum – 451 West Street (that’s the West Side Highway) between Bank & Bethune Streets
Featuring SISTER LOUD MELISSA and DJ Lena

__________________

Prizes include gift certificates and treats from: Angelika Cinema, Anthology film archives, Babycakes, Book Thug Nation, Bluestockings, Criterion Films, Earth First Journal!, the IFC Center, the Feminist Press, the New Press, and many more!

Free entry; $1 per card to play. Beverages will be available. ALL PROCEEDS used to buy postage to send free books to prisoners.

http://booksthroughbarsnyc.org/

The Brecht Forum is accessible by A, C, E, 1, 2, 3 trains.

You could win your own garden gnome, we think he has kind eyes

Come one come all to the Books B Q Three October 2nd from 4 to 7:30. Ten bucks gets you a plate of food and a chance to help protect libraries in New York City. We’ve tried to do this twice and got sheeting thunderstorms the first time around and a goldurn hurricane the second. This time though we are confident that we will be graced with lovely autumnal weather for a great late season BBQ. Come out and enjoy pleasant company and some of the last outdoor eating of the season, all for a good cause.

Our cause is Urban Librarians Unite and the Save NYC Libraries Campaign that they put on. These are the people who do the 24 hour read in at BPL and who hugged the Schwarzman. They are looking to ramp up their efforts and keep that pressure on for libraries in the city. They were part of a huge win back last year and they are not letting up. They need cash to campaign though so your ten bucks will go to bigger and better rallies and protests.

Relationship therapy

We have the pleasure and privilege of having Vermont Country Store as a partner this time around and they have donated dozens of fantastic prizes for the raffle. There is all kinds of oldey timey goodness fun up for grabs and it might be your lucky day.

It is going to be a fun time for a good cause. Come join us and raise a glass, and your voice, for libraries in the city.

So many pickles

Love Among the Stacks

Right now, at this very moment, as I write this, the steps at Brooklyn Public Library’s Central Library are full of librarians, patrons, library supporters, book shoppers, and activists.

It’s Love Your Library Day!

10AM – 3PM

BPL Central Library

Suggested Donation $5

The Repurposed Library,

a Book-Art Workshop with Lisa Occhipinti

The Repurposed Library by designer and mixed media artist Lisa Occhipinti, is a collection of DIY projects that utilize every imaginable part of a book—from hardback cover to individual pages—to create new art objects and practical items for the home. Bibliophiles, DIY enthusiasts, design aficionados, and creative dabblers will find inspiration in the book’s unique art-meets-craft aesthetic. Often using no more than a craft knife, glue, and a little ingenuity, Occhipinti demonstrates how “orphaned” books can become home décor accessories, such as wreaths and vases, as well as functional items, such as shelves, storage boxes, and clocks. This event is free, but $20 buys you a copy of Lisa’s new book, an old book to make art from, instructions and use of craft supplies. Guests of all ages are welcome. Only a love of books is required!

05/16 at 7:00 pm at Housing Works

Stories: Not Just IN Libraries, Also ABOUT Libraries

The Moth, in conjunction with LIVE at the NYPL, presents:

Join The Moth for a special show celebrating the Centennial of New York’s finest fueling station for the mind and soul, The New York Public Library.

at The New York Public Library

Saturday, May 21

$25 general public; $15 Library donors, seniors, and students with valid ID.

Purchase tickets online or call 1.888.71.TICKETS (1.888.718.4253).

Graphic Nonfiction

Josh Neufeld, whose A.D. New Orleans After the Deluge is a Desk Set favorite, has collaborated with Brooke Gladstone of NPR’s “ON the Media” on this new account of the world’s news media, The Influencing Machine. The book will be released on Monday, May 23rd, and you can get your copy and hear from the author and illustrator.

Monday, May 23

7:00 PM

McNally Jackson

52 Prince Street, New York, NY

Return of the Mini Zine Fest

Join Marguerite Dabaie and tons of rad zinesters at Pete’s Candy Store for the upcoming Mini Zine Fest!

Saturday, May 28th

3PM – 7PM

More info

Well Kids, the Cruelest and/or National Poetry Month is almost over and here in Brooklyn, it sure does still feel like winter. Baseball games rained out, the cherry blossoms not completely fulfilled, the wind and the rain and the heigh ho hum. But here are a few things to do indoors while we wait for the season to catch up with our needs.

Literary Magazine Salon featuring Electric Literature and BOMB

The New York Society Library might sound like an elite and stuffy place, what with the use of the words “Society,” “Library,” and heck even “New York” in their name. But some readers’ version of the Knickerbocker Club it most certainly is not. While the collections are only available to members, the first-floor reference room and most of the events are open to the public. And, by the way, membership – which gets you entrance into one of the quietest and most lovely libraries in the city – is yours for a pretty darn reasonable price, should you be interested. But that’s not why NY Soc Lib made the beat this week.  Here’s one of the aforementioned events – open to you for $10 or $15 (depending on how far in advance you make your plans) . Hope to see you there!

The Writing Life
A Literary Magazine Salon

Join host Sally Dawidoff for a special evening of refreshments, conversation, readings, video, and more showcasing two great literary magazines:

• Electric Literature is a year-old quarterly short-story anthology whose mission is to use new media and innovative distribution to return the short story to a place of prominence in popular culture.  Featuring readings from Nathan Englander.
• BOMB is a quarterly magazine whose aim is to deliver the artist’s voice through the 21st century as a multi-platform brand. The magazine has been publishing conversations between artists, writers, actors, directors, musicians, and architects, as well as First Proof, the magazine’s literary supplement, for thirty years.

Thurs, April 28, 6:30 pm

The New York Society Library

53 E. 79^th Street

$10 with advance registration/$15 at the door

To register, please call or email the Events office: 212-288-6900 or events@nysoclib.org

RSVP on Facebook

Spring time is the right time for crafting

So here are a few of our favorite bookish places to get crafty in the next few weeks.

Crafts Night at the City Reliquary

Monday April 25th,

Join master craftstresses Anna Grant and Marissa Hiller as they usher in spring with fabulous creations of the garden-type variety. Expect flowers, felt, full color explosions, bunnies, chocolates, and enough c-u-t-e to shake a maraca at. Please do not expect maracas.

And what do you know, we might very well have Brooklyn Beer for those who decide to bestow upon us a donation.

Handmade Crafternoon at NYPL

Hosted by Jessica Pigza and Maura Madden, Handmade Crafternoons are monthly DIY salons for adults at New York Public Library’s Schwarzman Building. Each event “connects working artists and crafters with library users through hands-on projects that draw creative inspiration from the library’s collections.” The next Handmade Crafternoon features one of our favorite zinesters, Ayun Halliday. Participants will be introduced to NYPL’s impressive zine collection and learn how to create their own mini periodicals.

This is a FREE event and there’s no advance registration required.  The seating will be first-come-first-served, and  the doors will open at 1:45pm.  There is space for a total of 96 crafters.

Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, Margaret Liebman Berger Forum (on the Second Floor, Room 227)

Saturday, May 7th,

2:00 to 4:00pm (doors open at 1:45pm)

Check Hand-Made at NYPL for additional details as the event nears.

and, finally, this one doesn’t depend on our bleak Northeast weather forecast at all, because it’s happening in San Francisco

Public Library: An American Commons

Photographs by Robert Dawson, April 9 – June 12, 2011

If you happen to be in the Bay area, check out this exhibit in the library about libraries. Love that.

Public Library: An American Commons is an exhibition and photographic survey of public libraries throughout the U.S. by San Francisco-based photographer Robert Dawson. There are more than 17,000 public libraries in this country. Since Dawson began the project in 1994 he has photographed hundreds of libraries in 16 states. From Alaska to Florida and from New England to California, the photographs show a vibrant, essential yet vulnerable system.

Photograph by Robert Dawson, from Public Library: An American Commons

And if you don’t happen to be in the Bay area, terrific news: celebrate our country’s libraries from your very own computer. Architectural journal Places has published an online slide show of Dawson’s photographs here. How many of these have you visited?

Exhibition on view April 9-June 12 in the Jewett Gallery at the Main Library, 100 Larkin St., San Francisco, CA.

More than Just Green Beer

The Irish and Irish American contribution to our culture is particularly felt in the literary world. As it turns out, there are better ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s expulsion of the snakes than dressing up in green and getting your drink on at an Upper East Side douchebagary. Reading books, for example. Or better yet: passing out free (!!) books to passersby.

The Irish Arts Center celebrates Irish Book Day 2011 by distributing literature by Irish and Irish-American writers, and they need your help. Here’s what they tell us:

Irish Arts Center is in need of a few good volunteers for our first annual Book Day event on March 17^th.  We’ll be sending teams of volunteers to each of the five boroughs to greet the public and distribute 10,000 free books by Irish and Irish American authors.  That’s a lot of books so we’re going to need a lot of help.

Volunteers are still needed at select locations in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and the Bronx.

Essentially you’ll be an ambassador for a day, handing out books, chatting with the public and Book Day and the Irish Arts Center, as well as promoting Irish arts, culture, and literacy on the whole helping us reach New Yorkers of all ages and ethnicities.

Interested in helping out? Please call the Irish Arts Center at 212-757-3318 x 202, or e-mail Jen Browne at volunteer@irishartscenter.org

Beware the Ides of March

March 15th approaches, and it has me thinking of old Julius Caesar, which makes me think of Shakespeare, and that reminds me that the Royal Shakespeare Company is coming to NYC this summer. Which is cool under any circumstances, but the fact that they’re performing at the Park Avenue Armory makes it infinitely cooler. No, of course the tickets aren’t remotely affordable. But if you’re looking to splurge on live theatre, it sure beats Spiderman.

Check it: RSC at the Armory

Follow the Debate, Be a Part of the Solution

No matter your personal opinions on digital media, if you’re buying eBooks for a library collection, you need to understand the implications for your users. The recent decision by HarperCollins to limit eBook checkouts to 26 got me following Alycia Sellie’s take on it all, which lead me to learn more about her work on The Readers Bill of Rights for Digital Books. Alycia says:

We will be presenting the Readers Bill of Rights for Digital Books on April 1st at ACRL annual in Philadelphia. We’ll be discussing all of these issues and more. Right now we’re considering actions that could be taken then, and ways that we as librarians can collectively battle oppressive restrictions upon our right to read. I hope many librarians will be able to attend!

If you’ll be in Philly for ACRL, check out the April first presentation and report back. In the meantime, share your comments.

Image released under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license. http://readersbillofrights.info

Next Week: Just Seeds and Books Through Bars Present:

VOICES FROM OUTSIDE

Stacks and Shelves and Rooms of Our Own

I like reading about libraries in journals and magazines meant for practitioners of other arts, particularly when they draw from our namesake movie for inspiration. For example James Murdock’s recent article from Architectural Record celebrating the past and future of library design.

In the past, a central aisle offered the only way to navigate through these buildings. In the future, users must be allowed to make their own paths. But rest assured, books will always be there in both paper and digital form. In a world where everything is digitized, there is knowledge to be gained from the simple, tactile act of holding a printed work.

Oh, and don’t miss the slide show.

Austrian National Library

Got something to include in the next Bibliobeat?

email  bibliobeat@gmail.com

Did you make some New Year’s resolutions to do more literary things? Or perhaps to support more good literacy based causes? This Deep Mid Winter edition of the Bibliobeat is here to help.

One Year Later

From the American Library Association:

January 12th, 2011 marked the one year anniversary of the devastating earthquake in Haiti. Thanks to many recent donations ALA has raised $35,000!

National Library of Haiti

ALA has chosen to raise funds for three libraries: the Petit Goave Public Library, the Centre Culturel Pyepoudre Community Library, and the Bibliothèque haïtienne des Pères du Saint-Esprit, which was founded in 1873 and held resources documenting the history of Haiti, French colonization, slavery and emancipation.  Even without buildings, the staff of these libraries have been continuing to provide services, visiting displacement camps to provide story times or handing out books in front of their demolished location.

Funds raised through ALA have helped to clear and prepare land and create designs for new facilities. Thanks to all who have contributed so far.  Our Haitian colleagues are so very grateful for donations from individual members, library staff associations, friends groups, student chapters, Cub Scout Pack 77 of Ridgewood, NJ, and other library supporters.

Unfortunately, much more is needed, as the estimated cost to rebuild just the Petit Goave Public Library is $350,000. ALA encourages you to make tax deductible donations to help rebuild libraries in Haiti.

ALA suggests a variety of ways to make a donation.

Authors of Hungarian Heritage

From the American Hungarian Library and Historical Society:

The Library and the Hungarian Consulate General of New York invite you to a special literary evening with two celebrated writers of Hungarian heritage as they read from and discuss their new novels. Book signing and reception to follow.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011 at 7 p.m.

Hungarian House
213 East 82nd Street (Between 2nd & 3rd Avenues)
New York, NY 10028

This is an English-language event, free and open to the public. (Suggested donation of $10 gratefully accepted.)

Books will be available for purchase and dedication by the authors.

RSVP at (212) 289-5488 or info@americanhungarianlibrary.org

–Kirkus Review (starred)

“A magnificent tale of love, loss, betrayal and redemption. …a final riptide of revelations leaves the reader profoundly moved.”
–The Washington Post

“What begins as a jewel-box romance soon breaks open
into a harrowing saga of war. Orringer . . . conveys a
piercing sense of what it means to be fated by one’s
blood.”
—Vogue

“Truly breathtaking… A sensual feast.”
–San Francisco Chronicle

Ten Days of Walls & Bridges

There’s something for everyone at the first of three 10-day culture festivals.

Over the course of three 10-day series, in the winter, spring and fall of 2011 in New York City, Walls and Bridges—a program curated by the Villa Gillet (director: Guy Walter) and presented by the Conseil de la Création artistique (general representative: Marin Karmitz)—will present nearly 50 cultural events, combining about 100 speakers and artists, 30 partners and over 20 venues, ranging from the New York Public Library, Joe’s Pub and the Brooklyn Flea to bookstores, universities and various galleries.

January 27 – February 4th

Read all about it.

Books, wine, and snacks for teachers

Greenlight Book Store is hosting an educator’s night on Wednesday February 2:

Open exclusively to educators (teachers, librarians, and administrators in K through 12 schools), this evening is a chance for educators to hear from publishers about wonderful new books for their students, chat with fellow educators over drinks and snacks, and hear about Greenlight’s new offerings for schools — and get 20% off for one night only!  It’s a great opportunity to enjoy the company of our book-loving community and experience professional development at the same time.

Free goodies from sales reps, a healthy 20% discount on Greenlight’s stock, and complimentary wine and snacks add to the appeal.

Deadline for RSVPs is Monday, January 31, by 5:00 PM.

Please email jessica@greenlightbookstore.com to RSVP.

Wednesday, February 2, 7:30 PM

Greenlight Book Store

686 Fulton Street
(at South Portland)
Brooklyn, NY 11217
(718) 246-0200

Have a suggestion for a future Bibliobeat? Please email us at bibliobeat@gmail.com

Humble apologies for the Bibliobeat’s late summer hiatus. We’re back with a special Autumnal Equinox edition, and we’re delighted to be shouting out for our friends Billey, Matt, and Tara, curators of…

Que(e)ry II : On Reserve

Once again, the Que(e)ry Librarians throw down at Blackout Bar with go-go dancers, the shushed raffle, real life reference librarians, and queer lit drink specials! Featuring DJs Adam E. Milksop, Emoticon, and Shomi Noise. Also featuring YOU shaking it.

You don’t have to be a queer librarian; you just have to dance with one!

Proceeds benefit the Leather Archive and Museum and the LGBT Community Center’s Library.

Que(e)ry II : On Reserve

Blackout Bar

916 Manhattan Avenue, Greenpoint

Friday, September 24th

9:00 PM – 4:00 AM

$5 – $10 Suggested Donation

and, speaking of the

Leather Archive and Museum

did you know that there was such a place? Just one of the many ways in libraries can be so utterly surprising, and one of the many potential examples to give to those who wonder “So, what does a librarian do exactly?”

If you happen to be in Chicago, why not check it out?

Here’s what their website says about the collections:

The Leather Archives & Museum is a library, museum and archives pertaining to Leather, fetishism, sadomasochism, and alternative sexual practices. The geographic collection scope is worldwide and includes all sexual orientations and genders. The library collection contains published books, magazines, scholarly publications, films and electronic resources related to the subject matter. The museum collection contains original erotic art and artifacts from alternative sex organizations and individuals. The archival collection contains unpublished papers and records from notable activists, artists, businesses and organizations related to the subject matter.

You can find everything from works by the Marquis de Sade, to complete sets of Drummer Magazine. And you can search for all of it in their online catalog. Hot.

Book Thug Nation

Opened by longtime booksellers who previously sold their wares on the streets of NYC, this independent used book store specializes in literary fiction – like any good indie bookseller should! – but also boasts an impressive martial arts collection (how about that?), and serves as a community space that “fosters the literary arts in Brooklyn while being a welcoming place where anyone can walk in, have a cup of coffee and talk about books.” (Sounds a little like a library, no?)

This Saturday September 25th (rain date Sunday, September 26th) BTN is holding “an all-day book sale to raise money for Daniel McGowan‘s legal defense and commissary fund. The sale will be held at the Book Thug Nation book tables on Bedford Avenue and North 6th Street in Williamsburg Brooklyn.  Along with great books at cheap prices, there will be music, a table with Daniel t-shirts, merchandise and literature and maybe even some free food!”

Want to contribute? Take your desirable donations (be sure to check the website for the kinds of books they are looking for) to the BTN storefront on N. 3rd between Berry and Wythe, and let them know the books are intended for the fundraiser. Unsold books will be donated to Books Through Bars (oh, you know we like that).

and in case you didn’t know,

Banned Books Week

starts on September 25th.

So get your library display shelves ready, and bust out your copies of The Perks of Being a Wallflower and the His Dark Materials trilogy, ’cause we’re about to read dangerously.

Have a suggestion for the next Bibliobeat?

Let us know at bibliobeat@gmail.com

Do this Right Thing : Tonight!

This heat wave just won’t quit, and Brooklyn feels steamy, lazy, and increasingly ticked off. Can’t help but think about Spike Lee’s ah-MAY-zing Do The Right Thing, and I’m thrilled to report that Books Through Bars is screening the film tonight at Freebird Books. Great cause, great film, great idea.

And, speaking of the 80s…

Our favorite rock journalist and Desk Set friend, Rob Sheffield, just published his second book : Talking to Girls About Duran Duran: One Young Man’s Quest for True Love and a Cooler Haircut. Each chapter showcases a different song from the 80s, and a different moment in Rob’s coming-of-age. Unless you’re either made of stone, or under 20, you’ll love the moments when your own 80s musical history overlaps with Rob’s – and seeing as he was listening to everything from The Smiths to Big Daddy Kane, it will – and his funny, sweet narrative will just make you want to have a beer with him. Luckily, Rob is often found at Enid’s, and as the world’s nicest man, he will probably take you up on that.

Listen to Rob’s interview with Leonord Lopate on WNYC.

Dancing in the Stacks

Well, not the stacks exactly, but the stairs near them. There are three more chances to catch the live swing music and dancing at the Central Branch of Brooklyn Public Library. Show up at 6:30, and learn a few steps. Then stick around and dance the evening away.

Plaza Swing Series

Brooklyn Public Library Central Branch

Thursday July 29, August 5, August 12

6:30 pm

Free!

More Info

And, finally …

Seems like there’s a trend sweeping the librarians of the nation at the moment, and it involves singing about your profession. Here’s the latest example. If you’re an archivist, you’re O.K., and you just might find this amusing. (Thanks to lyricist and archivist David Kay for the tip!)

No, wait: there’s more

Check out this terrific interview with Gabriel Levinson, founder of the Book Bike project, a Chicago based library on wheels. Levinson talks about his project, his opinions on libraries, ebooks, book books, and some a-hole’s piece on Fox News.

Mini Festival, Regular Sized Zines

Check out Pete’s Candy Store at the end of this month for the Mini Zine Fest:

Pete’s Mini Zine Fest is what you need this summer. Cold beer, warm handmade zines and books, live music – great location. Come browse and buy, meet local writers and graphic artists and get inspired.

Pete’s Mini Zine Fest

Saturday, July 31, 2010

3:00 PM – 7:00 PM

Pete’s Candy Store

709 Lorimer Street, Brooklyn

Free!

More Info

Satisfy Your Curiosity for Vintage Photography

There’s always something unusual to see at the Burns Photo Archive Blog. I’m especially taken with the floating Victorian heads, and a little frightened by the colt with two legs.

2010 The Burns Archive

Dr. Burns’ collection of vintage photographs (1840-1950) has been generally recognized as the most important private comprehensive collection of early photography. It has been showcased in numerous national media venues worldwide. Artists, researchers and historians access the one million+ photographs.

Thanks to Burns Archive Librarian, Sarah Simms, for the tip!

Check out the Schomburg Center

If you’re free on Monday July 12th at 3:00, join the Desk Set on our tour and behind-the-scenes look at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. If you’re not free on Monday, check it out some other time! One of NYPL’s Research Libraries, the Schomburg Center is one of the nation’s foremost resources on African and African American culture and history.

The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is one of the world’s leading research facilities devoted to the preservation of materials on the global African and African diasporan experiences. A focal point of Harlem’s cultural life, the Center also functions as the national research library in the field, providing free access to its wide-ranging noncirculating collections. It also sponsors programs and events that illuminate and illustrate the richness of black history and culture.

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

515 Malcolm X Blvd, New York, NY

Tour with the Desk Set

Monday, July 12th, 3:00PM

RSVP thedeskset@gmail.com

Check website for regular hours

Have a suggestion for the next Bibliobeat? Let us know at bibliobeat@gmail.com