Monday, May 16, 2011

A picture of the SF public library

This is lovely and amazing.    
In a series of watercolors, an artist attempts to capture the essence of the San Francisco Public library.  I particularly like the sketches of each floor, where it's clear that different things are happening in different places, and that all of them qualify as legitimate library activities.  An excerpt:

New Places for you to Work (edited to give credit where due)

Joan Lippincott  and Sarah Watstein came to talk to us in the library this past semester about learning spaces.  We were shown photos of a variety of library spaces in a wide range of places.  I was particularly inspired by a picture of a picnic table tucked under a chalkboard in a friendly outdoor nook.  And I thought, "we can do that."

Thanks to the quick work of our facilities staff, when you come back for the summer sessions, or even if you are not coming back until the Fall, there are new workspaces waiting for you!  There are now chalkboards in the outdoor area just outside of Peets.  We are lucky in Charlotte to have nearly year-round outside-friendly weather.  Enjoy!


Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Questions for you! Just in time for finals...

...but in this case, there's no such thing as a wrong answer.
We'll have easels up soon, so you can write your answer hard-copy if you like, but I thought I'd put the questions here in case someone (you, perhaps) might be inspired to answer them here.

We're trying to get at what people think about the library, and have been presented with some questions that might help us do that.

Please answer in the comments:


1.      1.   If the library as it is now were a car, what car would it be? What car would the library be if the library were everything we wish it to be?

2.    2.   If the library were to be a song, which song?

3.    3.   If the library were an actor/actress, who would it be?