CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY

StoryCorps Comes To Chicago, And To The Chicago Public...

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:14:12 -0500

StoryCorps Comes To Chicago, And To The Chicago Public Library!

Founded in 2003 and new to Chicago, StoryCorps offers space, equipment, and assistance to people with something to say. It’s “a very simple idea,” as founder Dave Isay once put it. “You bring a loved one with you, a parent, a friend, someone you met on the bus whose story you want to get to know. And the door shuts, and for 40 minutes you just talk.” What you talk about is up to you.

The conversation takes place in a small, soundproof digital recording booth. Chicago’s eight feet by eight feet fit two participants plus a StoryCorps facilitator intimately (there’s room for a third participant to sit in on but not be part of the conversation). At the beginning of the one-hour appointment, the facilitator goes through guidelines, suggests questions, and checks microphone levels, then for the most part lets the participants navigate the conversation. At the end of the session, two CDs are burned. One goes home with the participants, and the other is archived in the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. Each Friday, the national StoryCorps organization contributes an edited story for broadcast on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Recently, the Chicago Public Library was selected to take part in the national pilot program StoryCorps @ Your Library. In conjunction with this year’s One Book, One Chicago pick, Isabel Wilkerson’s The Warmth of Other Suns, the program will record stories from people involved in the Great Migration.

Click here to learn more about StoryCorps!

Bookshelf iPhone Case Great find from Etsy, and the perfect case...

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:46:15 -0500

Bookshelf iPhone Case

Great find from Etsy, and the perfect case for anyone who wants to bring the library aesthetic with them wherever they go.

Click here to buy the Bookshelf iPhone Case!

Famous People’s Awesome Literary Tattoos Via Flavorwire: We’re...

Wed, 22 May 2013 10:12:04 -0500

Famous People’s Awesome Literary Tattoos

Via Flavorwire:

We’re all about literary tattoos here at Flavorwire, and we’ve even rounded up famous authors with ink, but what about the combination? After all, surely some of our favorite celebrities (and even some of our not-so-favorite ones) must have literary tattoos.

And boy, do they. We’d like to draw your particular attention to the fact that both Lena Dunham and Elliott Smith have Ferdinand the Bull tattoos — clearly the mark of someone we like.

Click here to check out more famous folks with literary ink!

His First Library Card! Today we see Zane with his first library...

Tue, 21 May 2013 10:27:34 -0500

His First Library Card!

Today we see Zane with his first library card (and an appropriate shirt for the upcoming Memorial Day). Congratulations Zane, and welcome to Chicago Public Library!

HIP HIP HOORAY!

Chance The Rapper At Columbia College Manifest Friend of the...

Mon, 20 May 2013 10:17:00 -0500

Chance The Rapper At Columbia College Manifest

Friend of the Chicago Public Library, Mr YOUmedia himself, Chance The Rapper performs on the main stage at Columbia College Manifest.

Photo credit to Brianna Lashé.

Livre Échange Tree Library - Saint-Étienne, France Via Design...

Thu, 16 May 2013 16:49:00 -0500

Livre Échange Tree Library - Saint-Étienne, France

Via Design TAXI:

‘Livre Échange’ or ‘Book Exchange’ is a ‘free bookshop’ that lets passers-by exchange books. Unveiled for the International Design Biennial 2013 in Saint-Étienne, France, by designer Didier Muller—the installation consists of huts suspended from trees that contain a book each.

Passers-by are encouraged to take the book within the hut, and deposit a book they have.

Watch the video below to learn more about the Livre Échange Tree Library!

Classic Video Games Recast As Children’s Books Illustrated...

Wed, 15 May 2013 09:55:00 -0500

Classic Video Games Recast As Children’s Books

Illustrated by H. Caldwell Tanner.

Click here to see more video game children’s books!

The Reading Den At Yucatan House, São Paulo - Brazil Click here...

Tue, 14 May 2013 10:16:00 -0500

The Reading Den At Yucatan House, São Paulo - Brazil

Click here for more photos of the Yucatan House.

Open For Business (From The Archives) London readers continue to...

Mon, 13 May 2013 10:36:46 -0500

Open For Business (From The Archives)

London readers continue to browse through a library, even though it was destroyed by German bombs during WWII.

What a powerful, wonderful image that perfectly illustrates the triumphant human spirit.

Anatomy Of A Book [Infographic] Books are like bodies — it’s...

Fri, 10 May 2013 13:03:20 -0500

Anatomy Of A Book [Infographic]

Books are like bodies — it’s hard to get rid of them. If a librarian is caught throwing books into a dumpster — and we could be talking about science textbooks from the 60’s that still refer to the Brontosaurus — bad press will follow. Suddenly, we’re all monsters for trashing the sacred cow. Like bodies, books display infinite variety and at the same time are all basically the same; they share a common anatomy.

Click here to geek out and learn the vocabulary!

Chicago Public Library Closed May 9th (All Locations) All our...

Thu, 09 May 2013 10:26:37 -0500

Chicago Public Library Closed May 9th (All Locations)

All our locations will be closed this Thursday, May 9, so all our staff can take part in our annual day of training and learning. Sorry for any inconvenience. We look forward to seeing all of you again on Friday!

Ernest Hemingway’s Urinal Fountain Via...

Wed, 08 May 2013 10:07:58 -0500

Ernest Hemingway’s Urinal Fountain

Via Reddit:

It’s no secret that he had a reputation for being a heavy drinker, and when his favorite bar (Sloppy Joe’s) moved locations, Hemingway took one of the urinals and moved it into this Key West home, stating that he had “pissed away” so much of his money into the urinal that he owned it. He converted this urinal into a garden fountain, where it remains today as a prominent feature and serves as a source of water for the ground’s cats.

Another reason why Hemingway retains the title as “The Most Interesting Man In The World.” and almost certainly always will.

Her First Library Card! Our First Card campaign today features...

Tue, 07 May 2013 09:57:21 -0500

Her First Library Card!

Our First Card campaign today features Zemirah in her lovely spring coat and her new library card! Welcome to Chicago Public Library Zemirah!

The Most Interesting Man In The World At The Library He is...

Mon, 06 May 2013 10:23:32 -0500

The Most Interesting Man In The World At The Library

He is allowed to talk loudly in the Library.
— Most Interesting Man (@TheDosEqiusMan) May 6, 2013

Well played, sir. Well played. And yes, it’s true. If The Most Interesting Man In The World comes into the CPL, he can speak at any volume he wants.

Happy Star Wars Day From The CPL May the fourth be with you!

Sat, 04 May 2013 11:16:37 -0500

Happy Star Wars Day From The CPL

May the fourth be with you!

Chicago History Book Collection Via the most amazing subreddit...

Fri, 03 May 2013 11:38:40 -0500

Chicago History Book Collection

Via the most amazing subreddit in the world, r/Chicago!

Click here to see more amazing photos from these vintage Chicago history books!

CPL Photo Of The Day Thanks to Instagram user @kingablanka for...

Thu, 02 May 2013 12:11:13 -0500

CPL Photo Of The Day

Thanks to Instagram user @kingablanka for this wonderful photo of the Harold Washington Library!

25 Vintage Photos Of Librarians Being Awesome via...

Wed, 01 May 2013 10:18:00 -0500

25 Vintage Photos Of Librarians Being Awesome

via Flavorwire

Librarians, in case you hadn’t heard, are essential members of society — likely to expand minds wherever they go — and, as such, are fully worthy of hero worship (whether they’re among the coolest librarians alive or just pretty cool). That’s at least part of the impetus behind My Daguerreotype Librarian, ”[a] tumblr dedicated to literally or figuratively hunky and babely librarians from the past.” Inspired by the website, here’s a little extra literary goodness: 25 awesome vintage photos of librarians from ages past.

Click here to see 24 more librarians being awesome!

CPL Alum Chance The Rapper Drops ‘Acid...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:02:00 -0500

CPL Alum Chance The Rapper Drops ‘Acid Rap’

It’s been a very exciting week for Chicago hip-hop, to put it lightly. Yesterday, Homewood native Rockie Fresh, who recently signed to Rick Ross’ Maybach Music Group dropped his mixtape, ‘The Birthday Tape.’

Today, the excitement continues with the release of ‘Acid Rap’ from Chance The Rapper. Chance holds a special place in the heart of the CPL.

As The Chicago Reader pointed out in a recent article:

“While in high school at Jones College Prep, he was a regular at the Harold Washington Library’s YouMedia center and attended and participated in events put on by Young Chicago Authors, including its Tuesday-night #WordPlay open mikes and its renowned month-long Louder Than a Bomb festival.

We hope that the experiences and opportunities that Chance had at the CPL will inspire other up-and-coming artists to use the resources of the library, and city of Chicago as a whole to cultivate their talent and ambition.

Congratulations to Chance The Rapper on the release of ‘Acid Rap.’ and we can’t wait to see where your career goes from here!

Click here to download Acid Rap now!

Free Neighborhood Parking On Sundays Part Of Chicago Meter...

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 11:23:21 -0500

Free Neighborhood Parking On Sundays Part Of Chicago Meter Settlement

Chicago motorists will get free neighborhood parking on Sundays, thanks to changes negotiated by Mayor Rahm Emanuel to settle outstanding reimbursement claims for “a lot less” than the $61 million demanded by the company leasing city parking meters.

The free neighborhood parking on Sundays will begin from whenever metered parking expires Saturday night. So if a spot’s metered parking ends at 10 p.m. Saturday, it is free from 10:01 p.m. Saturday until 8 a.m. Monday.

Click here to read the rest of the story.