I took last Friday off for a long weekend. The resident West Coaster in the Library Marketing department, I had previously never been to Washington D.C. So when the opportunity arose, I took it. I spent Friday afternoon wandering around alone while my roommate attended a conference. Here is my attempt at taking my own photo in front of the Capitol building. Hi Mom!

After touring the Capitol building I saw signs pointing to a passageway that would take me to the Library of Congress… Of course, I followed them. The interior was gorgeous and so intricately painted.

and I was thrilled to see this exhibit…

I had to check out the Library of Congress Gift Shop and Bookstore where I was not at all surprised to come across…

I just had to snap a couple of photos when I saw…

Ms. Pearl, I’d say when you have your own “action figure” and are shelved next to  Bach and Mozart at the Library of Congress, you have arrived!

And with that, I was off to the Smithsonian where I oogled over Dorothy’s ruby slippers and Julia Child’s kitchen. But I think we’ll save those photos for another day…

-Marie

While surfing the web the other night I came across this article and video.

photo courtesy of CNN.com

Beth Hollis is a librarian for the Akron-Summit County Public Library in Akron, Ohio. By day anyway… By night she is MegaBeth of the Rubber City Roller Girls. At 53 years young she is the eldest member on the team but she is no slouch. She even broke a teammate’s nose during practice. Wow! Ms. Hollis, if you are reading, you rock! I recently signed up for a very social sports league. While I’m nervous I’ll embarass myself, these bruised and brave women make my endeavors look like playground fun. A librarian. Huh. Who’da thunk it, right? I’m sure that’s what all MegaBeth’s opponents think when she skates their way.

It all begs the question… Anyone out there wrestle, skydive, or swim with sharks? What are you hiding behind the circulation desk?

-Marie

Colbert reports library crime

The indomitable Stephen Colbert covers a story of library jurisdiction violation. As is always the case on his show, this is really ridiculous. Watch the video on colbertnation.com.

Sealife. Fleur de lis. Celestial bodies. Abstracts beyond comprehension: Every librarian has a secret. Some of them are kept in the dark corners of their brains, and some, it turns out, are kept under cloth. The time has come, now, for Texas librarians to reveal their true selves (or at least their tattoos).

As a fundraising activity for the TLA Library Disaster Relief Fund, TLA has put together an 18-month calendar of female TLA members from all over the state showing off their ink. Freedom of expression at its finest is what this is. Sure, the kittens and the penguin babies and the Jonas Brothers are fine to look at every month, but nothing beats a supine, tatted-up information expert.

So check out their website here and get yourself something worthwhile to look at every month. (Oh yeah, it’s for a good cause too.)

The Random House, Inc. Book Buzz @ ALA Annual

Sunday, July 12th

12:00pm – 1:00pm

McCormick Place West, Room W473

Join Marcia and Jen as they share the titles from our Fall 2009 season you won’t want to miss!  The hottest galleys will be yours and refreshments will be served!  If you can’t attend, send us an email at library@randomhouse.com and we’ll send you a copy of our handout.

Our bags are packed (almost) and our books have been shipped (fingers crossed). We have an exciting line-up of authors joining us for the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago.  Stop by Booth #1834 to see our latest releases, receive free galleys, hear about what we’re reading and what we’re excited about!  We can’t wait to see you there!

James Ellroy (Blood’s a Rover, Knopf)

Saturday July 11th – 10:30am to 11:30am
ALA Auditorium Speaker Series, followed by a free galley signing in the Random House Inc. booth, #1834.

Ben Greenman (Please Step Back, Melville House)

Saturday July 11th – 1:30pm to 2:00pm
LIVE! Stage Reading, Aisle 3200, followed by a signing in the Random House Inc. booth, #1834.

Michael Greenberg (Beg, Borrow, Steal, Other Press)

Saturday July 11th – 3:00pm to 4:00pm
Free galley signing in the Random House Inc. booth, #1834.

Nick Taylor (American-Made, Bantam)

Sunday July 12th – 8:00am to 10:30am
RUSA Literary Tastes Breakfast at the Palmer House Hilton Hotel’s Red Lacquer Room. Signing to follow on site.

Stephen G. Bloom (The Oxford Project, Welcome)

Sunday July 12th – 8:30am to 10:00am
YA Author Coffee Klatch at the Mariott Chicago. 10:00am – 12:00pm The Alex Awards at McCormick Place West, W-179 followed by a signing in the Random House booth, #1834

Carleen Brice (Children of the Waters, One World)

Sunday July 12th – 8:00am to 10:30am
ALTAFF Diversity in Literature at McCormick Place West W-476. Signing to follow on site.

Monday July 13th – 8:00pm – 10:00pm
Black Caucus Literary Awards and Reception at the Intercontinental Seville East Signing to follow on site.

Charlie Huston (My Dead Body, Del Rey)

Sunday July 12th – 10:30am to 12:00am
Things That Go Bump in the Stacks at McCormick Place West, W-190a. Free galley signing to follow on site.

Margot Berwin (Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire, Pantheon)

Sunday July 12th – 1:30pm to 3:30pm
ALTAFF First Author, First Book at Hyatt Regency Chicago – Columbus Hall E/F. Signing to follow on site.

Carlotta Walls Lanier (A Mighty Long Way, One World)

Monday July 13th – 10:30am to 12:00pm
ALTAFF: Reflecting on the Past at McCormick Place West, W-194a. Free galley signing to follow on site.

Gillian Flynn (Dark Places, Shaye Areheart)

Monday July 13th – 2:00pm – 4:00pm
ALTAFF Author Gala Tea at the Fairmont Hotel’s Gold Room. Signing to follow on site.

Tracy Kidder (Strength in What Remains, Random House)

Monday July 13th – 3:00pm – 4:00pm
ALA Auditorium Speaker Series Free galley signing to follow at the Random House, Inc. booth, #1834.

Two librarians from my home state of Michigan (after some Googling, the Salem-South Lyon Public Library?) have started an amusing blog called AWFUL LIBRARY BOOKS. If you think there’s no such thing, well, take a look. And anyway the authors do explain themselves…

So in answer to some questions:  No, the books on this blog are not necessarily “awful”, its just that “books-that-should- be- reconsidered- under-interpretation-of-current-collection developement-policies-and-retired”  is not  a fun name for a blog that is just trying to instigate a discussion on quality library collections! 

I think I remember having seen some pretty ridiculous titles in my local libraries. Add it to your RSS feeds, and feel free to submit covers if you have some “questionable” books in your library.

-David

Check out this new trailer for Hot House Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire. Also keep in mind that author, Margot Berwin, will be a featured author at ALA next month. She is participating in the ALTAFF “First Author / First Book” discussion panel on Sunday 7/12 from 1:30 – 3:00 pm. A signing will follow on-site.

Ohio libraries are on the offensive to save a proposed 50% budget cut by Governor Ted Strickland. According to a June 22, 2009 article in Library Journal, Governor Strickland is trying to close a $3.2 billion gap in the state’s budget by June 30, and financial support for libraries is on the chopping block.

Ohio libraries are urging residents to contact their local representatives and the Governor’s office to fight to save Ohio libraries from these budget cuts. The Save Ohio Libraries blog has more information how you can get involved by doing one of the following.

• Contact the Governor
• Contact your State Representative
• Contact Your State Senator

There are only a few days left for Ohio residents to show their support for public libraries.  Don’t wait – your impact is NOW!

-Erica

It’s always exciting to see one of authors and books receive national media attention.  I watch The Today Show every morning and even with my “insider” knowledge, am occasionally pleasantly surprised by a Random House author’s appearance.  But today, they did a segment on the state of the country’s libraries during these economic times, and it was by far even more thrilling to see libraries receive the attention they so richly deserve.