CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY

Art Institute Lions Are Ready For Stanley Cup Final!

Our friends at AIC outfitted the famous lions with some much-needed headgear to get ready for the Blackhawks/Bruins series.

#BecauseItsTheCup

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. 

Naming Rights For Wisconsin College Library Sold To Red Bull

From UW-Madison College Library:

College Library is pleased to announce that after months of delicate negotiation, Red Bull USA has secured the naming rights to the 24-hour library at the University of Wisconsin. College Library will henceforth be known as the Red Bull Research Academy.

Upon confirmation of the deal with university and library administration, Merle Andrews, head of marketing for Red Bull, released a statement confirming the company’s commitment to caffeinated study. “With this merger, Red Bull expects to attain a new level of synergy in the energy drink/scholarly research crossover.

Not only will Red Bull give you wings, it will now give you books, DVDs, video games, laptops, music, magazines, and much, much more.” Carrie Kruse, newly-appointed director of RBRA, indicates that changes to the former College Library will be gradually implemented over time.

“At first we’ll see an increased number of Red Bull energy drink options in vending machines and  Red Bull will become the exclusive beverage of Open Book,” she reports. “Over the next six months we’ll be transforming the third floor quiet study into an extreme sports venue with skateboard ramps and a BMX course. We believe that students will embrace our definition of active learning.”

Libraries See Opening As Bookstores Close

From The New York Times:

At the bustling public library in Arlington Heights, Ill., requests by three patrons to place any title on hold prompt a savvy computer tracking system to order an additional copy of the coveted item. That policy was intended to eliminate the frustration of long waits to check out best sellers and other popular books. But it has had some unintended consequences, too: the library’s shelves are now stocked with 36 copies of “Fifty Shades of Grey.”

Of course, librarians acknowledge that when patrons’ passion for the sexy series lacking in literary merit cools in a year or two, the majority of volumes in the “Fifty Shades” trilogy will probably be plucked from the shelves and sold at the Friends of the Library’s used-book sales, alongside other poorly circulated, donated and out-of-date materials.

“A library has limited shelf space, so you almost have to think of it as a store, and stock it with the things that people want,” said Jason Kuhl, the executive director of the Arlington Heights Memorial Library. Renovations will turn part of the library’s first floor into an area resembling a bookshop that officials are calling the Marketplace, with cozy seating, vending machines and, above all, an abundance of best sellers.

As librarians across the nation struggle with the task of redefining their roles and responsibilities in a digital age, many public libraries are seeing an opportunity to fill the void created by the loss of traditional bookstores. They are increasingly adapting their collections and services based on the demands of library patrons, whom they now call customers.

Click here to read the rest of the story.

The Book Mural At Circle City Books, Pittsboro, N.C. 

From the LA Times:

Circle City Books in Pittsboro, N.C., has just completed an eye-catching mural: a side of a building covered in books. Huge, oversize books, with titles that even this myopic passerby could read.

What’s on it? Forty-eight titles, some of which are widely known: “Light in August” by William Faulkner, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou, and “Cold Mountain” by Charles Frazier.

Click here to see the complete list of books on the mural!