Pam Webb

a writer's journey as a reader

Archive for the tag “Librarian”

02 Feb 2013
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Literary Library Love Posts


Oh my I love libraries.  Even when I am on vacation I go visit the library.  Some people hit the shops, others browse the galleries, most play, but I go check out the library.  I am so fortunate to have the library that I do.  Have I mentioned this before?

  • image from hofstra.edu

I am not the only one who has a real life love affair with libraries.  I know some great characters who love their libraries as well.  I came across this love letter to a library the other day:

The library was a little old shabby place.  Francie thought it was beautiful.  The feeling she had about it was as good as the feeling she had about church.  She pushed open the door and went in. She liked the combined smell of worn leather bindings, library paste and freshly inked stamping pads better than she liked the smell of burning incense at high mass.
                                             –beginning of chapter two from A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Francie Nolan loved libraries.  The librarian wasn’t the greatest, but Francie persevered her weekly visits because  Francie had long ago dedicated every Saturday as her library day in order to work her way through all the collection, even though she usually ended up reading the same book.

What an amazing undertaking!  To walk into the local library and take down a book, read it, and move on to the next one until all is read.  A lifetime of literary adventure.

There are other literary library mentions.  For instance, Elizabeth Bennett comments about Mr. Bingely’s library, how fine she hears it is, and then he sheepishly admits he doesn’t read much, being he would rather be outside.  Lizzie’s father, Mr. Bennett, is well-known for hiding in his library.  They sadly are the only Bennetts who bothered with books. In fact, most of Austen’s books have a mention of libraries.  Emma’s father usually hid out in his library, avoiding the world. I’m pretty sure JA would be registered on my Book Boosters page had WordPress been around in her day.

What about you?  What aspects of the library do you love?

  • Is it the sheer volume of knowledge available at your fingertips?
  • What about the amazing amount of FREE reading waiting to jump into your book bag?
  • Are there special librarians or staff who make you feel welcome? (I think Francie’s librarian was an anomaly–all the librarians I have known have been absolutely wonderful)
  • Does the library have a special place where you sit and read or work?

I’m also interested if you have come across libraries mentioned in the books you have read or are reading.

Happy Pages!

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26 Sep 2012

What’s Read, Black, and Blue? :BB Week #3


Cover of "Kindle Wireless Reading Device,...

Cover via Amazon

As a former librarian (who am I kidding-I’m forever a librarian at heart), I embrace books. Reading them, writing them, discussing them, critiquing them, promoting them, yet being beaten up, imprisoned, or possibly dying for them is as they say, “I don’ t remember this being in the job description.”
The following is a reblog which originally came to my attention by way of my fab librarian cohort in all things bookish (shout out to ET). Although Banned Book Week is focused on books, it is important to remember librarians are the ones who put the books on the shelves so we can get them in our hands, hearts, and minds. I salute those brave Cuban librarians, as well as all librarians who face adversity while trying to protect intellectual freedom.

Here is a partial of the Cuban librarian post and you can click on the link to read more:

Kindle Users Arrested

HAVANA, Aug. 24, 2012 (Roberto de Jesús Guerra Pérez/Hablemos Press) – On Friday the Cuban secret police pursued and arrested librarians who had attended a technology workshop at the U.S. Interests Section in Havana.

[Note by the Friends of Cuban Libraries: the Obama administration recently enacted a program to donate hi-tech equipment such as Kindle e-book readers to Cuba’s independent librarians and other activists. This move greatly expands Cubans’ access to banned materials and evades the occasional seizure of bulky printed materials carried in the luggage of volunteers arriving at Cuban airports.]

The arrests occurred in the streets adjacent to the Interests Section when the librarians, about 20 in number, were returning to their homes.

“The workshop in which we were participating was on how to use an Amazon Kindle,” commented Lázara Mijan, who was able to escape the police roundup, together with Magaly Norvis Otero and Julio Beltrán.

Among the detainees are Juan Antonio Madrazo Luna, Julio Rojas Portal and Mario Echevarría Driggs. Two Kindles were confiscated from each of the latter two persons, in addition to cameras, personal documents and user manuals for the Kindle DX….

“The police operation was big, very big. Many State Security agents were scattered in Ladas [Soviet-era cars] and motorcycles everywhere in the streets near the Interests Section; it was a miracle that some of the librarians were able to evade arrest,” said Driggs, after he was released from custody….

The Cuban regime classifies the independent librarians and dissidents as counterrevolutionaries at the service of the U.S. government. In 2003, more than 20 librarians were arrested and sentenced to prison terms of between 5 and 20 years, and their library collections were confiscated and burned.

Reblogged from PC Sweeney’s Blog:

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