CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY

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!

He Was The Best Of Brothers, He Was The Worst Of Brothers

In honor of Charles Dickens’ birthday (February 7th, 1812), here is an interesting story about the famous author’s experience, or lack of experience with Chicago.

Taken from The Chicago Reader:

Charles Dickens’s worldwide fame gave his brother Augustus a name that opened doors even in the rough-hewn Illinois of the 1850s. But the author cut off all contact with his younger brother after Augustus abandoned his blind wife in England and fled to the American midwest with his pregnant girlfriend.

Even after Augustus died in 1866, the usually charitable Charles refused to help his niece and nephews, then living in Chicago—although when their mother died two years later he sent about $700 to provide for the orphans’ care.

Click here to read the rest of this story.

Elvis Presley’s Signed Library Check-Out Card

A library card bearing the signature of a 13-year-old Elvis Presley was sold at auction for $7,500, doubling estimates. The autograph is believed to be the earliest signature of the King of Rock and Roll.

The auctioneers did not expect much from the library card signed to borrow a copy of “The Courageous Heart: A Life of Andrew Jackson for Young Readers” from Humes High School in Memphis in 1948.

The card was discovered during a library inventory in the book about US President Andrew Jackson, one of the founders of the Democratic Party. The book was sold at auction along with the autograph.

“Life is not a spectator sport. If you’re going to spend your whole life in the grandstand just watching what goes on, in my opinion you’re wasting your life. “

Jackie Robinson: January 31st, 1919 - October 31st, 1972.

Google has also paid homage to Robinson with the their “Google Doodle,” which you can see below:

The Chicago Public Library has a large selection of Jackie Robinson books. Click here to see the list.