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This 1947 Encyclopaedia Brittanica production is a study in precious information simply and clearly documented! original site post
What would happen if we forgot this technology? I shudder to think.
How would we react if our library was under threat of looting and vandalism during a time of extreme crisis? I'd like to think that we would do what these people did to protect the Library at Alexandria (yes, THAT library!) this month in Egypt.
Here is what the library director had to say on the library's site:
Director’s Statement to Our friends Around the World: The Events in Egypt
30 Jan 2011
The library is safe thanks to Egypt’s youth, whether they be the staff of the Library or the representatives of the demonstrators, who are joining us in guarding the building from potential vandals and looters. I am there daily within the bounds of the curfew hours. However, the Library will be closed to the public for the next few days until the curfew is lifted and events unfold towards an end to the lawlessness and a move towards the resolution of the political issues that triggered the demonstrations.
Ismail Serageldin
Librarian of Alexandria
Director of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina
"Young students from the university designed and made a huge National Flag, and put it on the steps of the Library which elicited cheers from passing demonstrators as the director waved to the crowds."
Children were there
to protect their future and our past too.
A photo posted on the Literary Type, a Canadian source,
shows gaurdians joining hands.
Listen to our teens! They want a space to call their own in their libraries.
We all need a space to call our own. Places and spaces for us to come together face to face, outside of our cyberworlds, are becoming ever more necessary for our sanity, emotional development and survival.
Think of the importance of a city square where thousands co-operate to bring about the first steps toward democracy to a county.
Think of a hotel lobby with foor lamps and really cozy arm chairs where two people lay aside their books to discuss both sides of the political views on universal health care.
Think about how your library provides this essential 'spacial opportunity' that you provide for people of all ages in your community. We call it the commons.
(seating, teen space - Clifton Halfmoon Library, NY)
In our strategic planning sessions with library staff and communities we always hear about the need for a library to provide a space - a common area - for people to simply be in the presence of other humans. Strategic Planning for Results, Sandra Nelson for the Public Library Association
Today I found a link to this book. One part of the synopsis reads:
"Filled with practical solutions for today's economic, political, and cultural issues, it's a much-needed and thoroughly accessible field guide to the new world of the commons. Including success stories from communities across the country and around the world, this book is for anyone seeking new ways of thinking about our shared values."
Jay Walljasper and On the Commons
A very old idea has once more morphed into a very currrent and modern solution for our inter-isolated, globally-intertwined lives. Libraries are the core of the much larger concept of 'the commons' discussed in this book.
At PLAN22 we think libraries are an essential and integral piece of a communty's commons. Look around you, listen to your neighbours, observe the growing popularity of this concept that is once more becoming a respected ideal in our modern world.
PAPERBACK ORIGINAL: A field guide to identifying and saving the things we all own together—from water to the Internet, and everything in between
Librarians are professional Share-ians!
Why? Because they have always had to make do - or make more! - with less.
Here are just a couple links to Canadian sites where librarians gather to share and learn from one another.
It's no secret. Demand for library services has risen steadily these past two years as people struggle to stay afloat through this ' economic downturn ' - a polite way to reference this International Recession. Slow Economy Fuels Surge in Library Use
Perversely, the local, state, provincial and federal governments have continued to decresase funding to libraries and systems steadily and mercilessly
Libraries face rising costs:
People and Libraries are fighting for their lives. Advocating in aTough Economy - TOOLKIT.
People are beginning to notice how important the library is in their communities. (...) the Library,a cozy place to look for a job
We particularly like this little sound bite - you can use it to your hearts content - it usually makes people think for a second.
Libraries will get us through times of no money better than money will get us through times of no libraries!