Perfect Temperature

Every summer my local library is packed. Now I believe a lot of that is because of the excellent programs and the draw of summertime reading, but to tell you the truth I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that the library is air conditioned. I always tend to feel cold, even in the summer, so I loathed the air condition. I always wondered why they put the AC on so high, why not let it get a little humid and warm? I used to think it was because the people in charge of the AC were always really warm. Funny thing is, the AC levels had nothing to do with people and everything to do with the books.

You don't really think about it, but books are delicate creatures. In too warm climates, too damp climates they attract mold, bugs, and all sorts of organisms that will eat away at their pages. And of course books aren't the only objects in the library temperamental about their temperature. You have technology like computers that should not be left so hot they boil, nor should be they be in a place that is damp. Libraries who want to ensure a long lifetime for their materials can't afford to just let their library be any old temperature. They need to create the perfect environment that has the perfect humidity and temperature that will allow books and other items to maintain in the best condition for the longest time.

Why am I ranting about this? Yesterday IST 511 took a tour of Bird Library's special collections section, which was literally one of the coolest things I have ever done. Part of the reason I was so fascinated is I love books. I have spent years reading books, buying books and owning books and yet I had never thought about preservation. After years of being in and out of libraries, I never once considered how they keep their collection mended and usable by the public. Taking the tour of the special collections, preservation and conservation departments opened my eyes to the fascinating things people have to do to keep books mended, in shape with usability. We learned about ways in which one can help preserve a book and ways in which one should not preserve a book. We were told the horrors of scotch tape and Elmer's glue and all I could think of is all the library books I have seen that people have tried to mend with scotch tape. Granted, when you are talking about book preservation your typically not talking about a child's Dora The Explorer  book, but still, these people and their efforts throughout the years is the reason I was able to see, touch and hold a book that was written in 1582. 1582! That has to have been one of the most awe inspiring experiences I ever had!

 Long story short, next summer when I enter my local library with a huge sweater, I will not complain about the AC. I like to think I can manage a little cold, especially if it goes to helping books.

Where Have All the Catalogers Gone: Long Time Ago

The title of this post came from Pete Seeger's song "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?". This is because in class last Tuesday, as we were discussing how there aren't many traditional catalogers anymore, I couldn't help but think of this song. Obviously catalogers are not gone and probably won't ever be gone, however; our conversation in class did raise an interesting question. What happens to the future of libraries if future librarians don't have in-depth knowledge on cataloging?

Cataloging was once considered the most important thing a librarian knew. Cataloging was the main portion of the librarian profession, this changed as librarians gained the lovely ability to catalog an item and then allow everyone else to copy it. Now, when a library gets a new item it is much easier to use copy cataloging and duplicate an already created record then creating a  new record yourself. The problem with this solution is that librarians are no longer learning all the in-depth knowledge about cataloging. The question is, is this a mistake? Should librarians be focusing more on cataloging? I'm not sure, but I do think it is interesting that there aren't that many cataloging classes offered at the ischool. When I asked an older librarian why librarians need a graduate degree she said "because they need to learn how to do things like catalog." She thought this was the most important piece of knowledge a librarian needs to know. 

So I'm not sure where cataloging stands in the future. I know that it will always be apart of librarianship and it will most likely always be taught in library schools, but to what depth? As I have yet to take a cataloging class, I have very little knowledge of cataloging, but it seems to me that this is a skill that needs to be focused on more. Though it may be easier to copy an already existing record, someone has to make that record in the first place right? What will happen if all the people trained in cataloging retire, then what do we copy?

More than Books

From my very first IST 511 class I learned that libraries are more than just books. I have learned that libraries and librarians are going beyond the collection centered worldview in which patrons achieve knowledge through picking up a book. That's not to say that books aren't important, but that they aren't the be-all, end-all of libraries. And while I have seen and heard of libraries facilitating knowledge through conversation I have also witnessed libraries and librarians who are holding on to the collection centered worldview with an iron fist. So when I read Barbecue? Flamenco Dancing? Learning Gets Interactive I actually got really excited.

Today a copy of American Libraries came in my mailbox and conveniently today was also the day that I had to sit around my apartment for hours on end waiting for the cable company to come by. So I had time to sit down at my desk and read through some of the articles. Right away an article caught my eye. The article was entitled Barbecue? Flamenco Dancing? Learning Gets Interactive. It was written by Judy Rosenfield about a recent program that was held at Louisville Free Public Library in Kentucky. The article discussed how Louisville Free Public Library had put on a How-To-Festival in which people could turn up at the library and be taught things like how to do magic tricks, or how to grill the perfect steak. The library noticed that it had a community that loved to learn new things, but often lacked the time and space to hold classes that would teach these new experiences. So the library saw a need and fulfilled it. According to the article, the library got over 100 people and community groups to volunteer their expertise and over 1000 people to come and participate (Rosenfield, 18). I thought this was a wonderful example of how libraries are more than books on shelves. This library saw that their patrons wanted to learn and have hands on experience so they brought in experts to facilitate a conversation, to help the patrons learn. Granted not every community wants to have a how-to festival, but the point is that libraries are listening to their communities and giving them programs that they want, regardless of whether it  relates to what people think of as typical library programs.


Rosenfield, J. (2012, Nov). Barbecue? flamenco dancing? learning gets interactive. American Libraries, 43(11/12), 18-19.