I only had a brief visit to Porto, but this charming video has inspired me to spend more time there the next time that I’m in Portugal. “Thank you, Porto” is a sweet tribute to Portugal’s second city by director Tiago Monteiro, starring Joana Sequeira.
Billings Public Library, Billings Montana
Last week, the American Institute of Architects and the American Library Association announced the winners of the AIA/ALA Library Building Awards for 2016. To qualify, an institution had to display an innovative reinvention of traditional library design. Are the winners:
Sawyer Library, Williams College
Hennepin County Library, Minneapolis
Ryerson University Learning Centre, Toronto
Chicago Public Library, Chinatown Branch
Lawrence Public Library, Lawrence Kansas
Renton Public Library, Renton Washington
Sometimes verbal communication fails us on our travels. A semi-disastrous trip through the Vietnamese countryside inspired three friend to create the Iconspeak clothing line. With 40 universal icons, their t-shirts, along some emphatic body language, should get you what you need almost any where around the world. Check out the website for more information on the product line.
The American Library Association has released its annual Top Ten List of Frequently Challenged Books, which is included in the ALA’s yearly State of America’s Libraries Report. You can read the report in its entirety here.
The Top Ten Most Challenged Books of 2015 were:
1. Looking for Alaska, by John Green
2. Fifty Shades of Grey, by E. L. James
3. I Am Jazz, by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings
4. Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out, by Susan Kuklin
5. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon
6. The Holy Bible
7. Fun Home, by Alison Bechdel
8. Habibi, by Craig Thompson
9. Nasreen’s Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan, by Jeanette Winter
10. Two Boys Kissing, by David Levithan
Founded in 1722, the glorious Baroque Klementinum Library is often overlooked by bibliophiles visiting Prague. Every one heads for the magnificent Strahov Monastery Library—sometimes even walking right by the Klementinum on the way. Once you view the video below, you won’t make that mistake.
The engaging and moving film Sugarless Tea uses watercolor paintings and stop motion techniques to visualize a very personal story of a journey between rural India and Queens, New York. Created by painter Amanda Selvarajan and her husband filmmaker Sai Selvarajan, this stunningly beautiful short is narrated by comedian Hari Kondabolu.
This past January, the Book Train began regularly scheduled daily runs in Korea’s Gyeonggi-do Province outside of Seoul. One car of each train is lined with book shelves stocked with everything from children’s books and poetry to novels and contemporary nonfiction for borrowers. There are also devices available for downloading free ebooks. The Book Tain also hosts author readings and other live book events. What a great way to de-stress the commute.
photos by Sohn JiAe
Travel Between The Pages 