Category Archives: Libraries

NYC Bookwagons Are Coming Back

Posted on April 17, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Starting this summer, the New York Public Library will be bringing books to residents of the Bronx, Staten Island, and Manhattan via a new fleet of brand new, strawberry red-colored vans. These new NYPL bookmobiles are designed to help communities … Continue reading →

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The Library Project

Posted on April 15, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Not long ago, I posted a story about British -Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare’s book art project at the Cleveland Library called The American Library Project. Now his companion project called The British Library  has found its way into Tate Modern’s … Continue reading →

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21st Century Libraries

Posted on April 13, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Librarians from the historic California State Library in Sacramento created the cartoon-style infographic below to celebrate National Library week and to explore the many roles that libraries can play in the 21st century. Established in 1850, the California State Library … Continue reading →

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A Bibliophile’s Treasure

Posted on April 11, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

In a story right out of a librarian’s dream, a previously unknown volume incorporating thousands of summaries of books from over five centuries ago, many of which no longer exist, has been found in  the University Copenhagen Library, where it … Continue reading →

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A Very Timely Reminder

Posted on April 10, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

The American Library Association recently released its annual Top Ten List of Frequently Challenged Books, included in the ALA’s State of America’s Libraries Report 2019, an annual summary of library trends “that outlines statistics and issues affecting all types of libraries. Never … Continue reading →

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My Kind of Library

Posted on March 27, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Lochal is a new public library and city forum in Tilburg, Netherlands. The building offers space for the public library, co-work spaces, conference rooms, spaces for arts education and a large city hall for public events, exhibitions and debates. Lochal is … Continue reading →

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You should have seen him go go go

Posted on March 21, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

It’s been more than five years since Lou Reed’s death, but the seminal 60s rock icon has not been forgotten in New York City. To celebrate what would have been his 77th birthday, the New York Public Library has opened … Continue reading →

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Awful Books

Posted on March 13, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

One of my guilty pleasures is checking in periodically with this hilarious website dedicated to really terrible books. The Awful Library Books blog is the passion project of two professional librarians from the State of Michigan. Mary Kelly and Holly Hibner collect … Continue reading →

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It’s still Constantinople to me

Posted on March 11, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

As is often the case in the antiquarian book trade, we can search for a title for weeks with no avail and then years later stumble across a copy when we are not even looking. Many years ago I had … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Asia, Books, Europe, History, Libraries, Maps, Middle East, Travel Writing | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Citizenship in the land of knowledge

Posted on March 9, 2019 by Brian D. Butler
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