How to grow a library

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

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Mexico City architects Arquitectura 911sc and Fernanda Canales have brilliantly surrounded a century-old two-story, brick and stucco house with a concrete and glass frame creating a 21st century library and cultural center.

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Situated in the southern district of Coyocán, the Elena Garro Center even includes the existing trees and landscaping from the old property into the complex.

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According to the architects, ” The project is the idea of highlighting the existing house and making an ‘open library space. Thus, a transparent block draws books forward into the street and at the same time incorporates the trees inside.”

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photos ©Sandra Pereznieto

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The Last Bookshop

Posted on April 18, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

The Last Bookshop is a charming short film that imagines a future time when physical books have disappeared. One day, a young boy’s digital entertainment fails, so he decides to explore abandoned areas of his town. On his wanderings, he finds the last standing bookshop. Inside, an old shop owner has been waiting twenty-five years for a customer.

This wonderful film was written and co-directed by Richard Dadd, and stars Alfred Hoffman as the shopkeeper and Joe Holgate as the boy.

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We Stand With Boston

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

It’s always difficult to find the right words to respond to brutal, senseless terror attacks, but Boston author Dennis Lehane got it just right on his Facebook page:

“Every thought and every prayer goes out to the victims and their families and loved ones. What a senseless act of waste and violence…. It’s hard to imagine any people more inspiring than all those people who dashed across Boylston Street within seconds of the first explosion, and rushed to the aid of the injured. Didn’t give their own safety a thought. Made me proud to be a member of the human race, which I think was the exact opposite of the effect the bomber was hoping for…. “When I watch the footage of the first explosion, I look at the Boston Public Library Main Branch across the street, and I think no matter who they turn out to be–Islamic jihadists, home grown militia, neo-Nazis, something else–what really scares them, what they truly hate, is the access to knowledge that building exemplifies…. So proud to be a Bostonian tonight. So brokenhearted to be one, too.”

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Comment Dites-Vous Pickpocket

Posted on April 16, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

Paris police have begun patrolling the Louvre in force following a day-long walk-out by museum staff in protest of aggressive gangs of violent pickpockets. Directeur de l’Office de Tourisme de Paris Paul Roll responded to concerns about museum visitor safety by admitting that the Louvre in particular has been targeted by organized gangs because it is a private institution without regular police security inside.

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Museum workers have complained that the groups of pickpockets that have invaded the Louvre and other tourist attractions have become more violent during the past year, even attacking museum guards and other employees. Museum union officials blame authorities for not acting more assertively against these organized gangs.

Posted in Europe, Museums, Tourism | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Moonlight and Glow Sticks

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

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Waterfall, don’t ever change you ways,

Fall with me for a million days.

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When I saw these fabulous photos, I immediately flashed on Jimi Hendrix’s song “May This Be Love (waterfall)”. Now I can’t get it out of my head.

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Photographers Sean Lenz and Kristoffer Abildgaard have collaborated on a stunning project titled Neon Luminance. The young pair dropped Cyalume glow sticks (sealed) into waterfalls around northern California and then took long exposure photos to capture the intense, colorful submerged trails of light as the glow sticks flowed with the current. To complete the most complex shots, they strung together multiple sticks to develop patterns.

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In case you’re concerned, the glow sticks were completely sealed, never leaked and were collected after each photo shoot.

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You can see more at their website From the Lenz.

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Posted in Photography, USA | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Mental Map

Posted on April 14, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

Anne Emond is a Brooklyn-based writer, illustrator and comic artist. If you read The Rumpus, you probably have seen her very amusing “comiques”. I had to share her hilarious Mental Map: An Illustrated Guide to A Writer’s Thoughts”. I’m sure you can locate every writer that you know somewhere on this map.

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Silence In The Library

Posted on April 13, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

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French photographer Jean-François Rauzier has been producing fantastic photos for four decades. In recent years, he has been creating astonishing images that consist of hundreds of shots assembled by computer into mind-blowing single images. These surreal images, created with Rauzier’s Hyperfoto system, are from his series titled Bibliothèques Idéales.  Dr. Who fans may be reminded of “Silence in the Library”.

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You can be a professional sleeper

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

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Hotel Finn is a newly renovated “budget” hotel centrally located in a historic Helsinki building next to the famous Stockmann department store. To promote the hotel’s re-launch, the Hotel Finn is searching for a “professional guest” to stay in each of their thirty-five renovated rooms. The only job requirement is to sleep in every room and then blog about the experience.

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According to the hotel manager Tio Tikka, they are looking for a dynamic blogger who is fluent in Finnish and English. A working knowledge of Russian is a big plus. Applications are being accepted until April 30th, and the job starts on May 17th.

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Vancouver to Mexico City by Subway

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

The webcomic site xkcd.com has developed an amazing map that links every subway system in North America. Based on this fanciful map, it appears possible to travel from Vancouver, Canada to Mexico City, Mexico completely underground. How neat is that? You can purchase your own poster copy of the map for $15 right here.

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Libraries of the Future

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

The infographic below was adapted from a keynote address for the State University of New York Librarians Association Annual conference by LibraryScienceList.

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