What I Read This Week: 3/21/2013-3/27/2013

Library: An Unquiet History by Matthew Battles

There are weeks when I get to read a whole bunch of fun books that I have been excited about forever! And then there are weeks when all I manage to get through is a book for school. And you guys then have to read about it. Sorry.

My favorite class in information/library/archives/whatever you want to call it so far has been “Collecting New Media.” This class could also be titled “Sit around and talk about interesting subjects with smart interesting people,” because that’s pretty much all we do. A class about how one collects new media lends itself to a whole bunch of “So what is a library/museum/archive exactly?” type of conversations, which I believe this book was supposed to help illuminate.

Matthew Battles book tracks the development of the library through history. Books were burned (and not burned, as is the case with the Library of Alexandria), books were buried with scholars, books were kept private and then finally opened to the public. With all this, there are questions of intellectual freedom, the power of the library over its users and, yes, questions of what actually makes a library.

Although I find all those topics interesting, I found this book a bit dry. I really just wanted to get through all the ancient stuff and get to today…which never really happens. I also would have loved to read more about librarians rather than libraries. Battles seems to focus more on the books and buildings than the people, which is frustrating.

I did learn that librarians did really well in the beginning of Nazi Germany, because they totally just went along with the regime, helping out the Nazis with getting rid of those pesky, non-Nazi party line books and whatnot. Honestly, this was the most important lesson out of the book. Librarians tend to be rule followers (no matter how much you read about those riot, punk librarians…by and large librarians love their rules and systems), while they still espouse the ideals of intellectual freedom. Don’t let rules cloud your overall judgement about what’s right. A good lesson for everyone, not just librarians.

Also, because of this section of the book, I may have unintentionally likened librarians to Nazis in class today. I expect my faculty advisor to throw me out of school at any minute.

Banned Books.

Sadly, it’s Banned Books Week. As much fun as library school students have celebrating by hosting banned books read-outs and happy hours (you now know where I’ll be on Friday afternoon), this shouldn’t have to be commemorated.

It’s shocking to see what amazing books are commonly banned.

Some of these books made me look inside and assess my character. There is To Kill a Mockingbird, the novel that introduced me to Atticus and Scout Finch. Where would I be without Atticus’ unwavering, quietly brave moral compass and Scout’s spirited companionship?  Would I be brave enough to break away from a emotionally dead but safe world as Jonas does in The Giver? And thanks to Fahrenheit 451, I’m more aware of all dangers of book banning (no wonder book banners want it banned!)

Some books that simply transported me away. I’m looking at you A Wrinkle in Time, Harry Potter, and, well, Goosebumps.

And then there were illicit reads. I was a pretty tame kid. Too timid to break the rules, I stayed to the straight and narrow – good grades, no drinking, no drugs…not even a sneaked cigarette.  Yeah, goody two shoes, I know. Where did I let myself indulge my bad girl yearnings? Like all good bookworms, in my books!

As my parents are liberal, awesome people who always believed in letting me make my own decisions, I’m sure they didn’t really care what I read. But for me? Oh, I felt bad. Some of these books had bad words, mentions of boobs and even S-E-X. Sure I felt bad, but also independent and grown-up which I think are some of the important components for building self-esteem. I had the choice about what to read. I could make other choices about my life. Basic, yes, but still…I had agency.

So, thank you to Judy Blume for introducing me to the idea of “I MUST. I MUST. I MUST INCREASE MY BUST.” Oh, thank you also for Summer Sisters, which ended up being a very adult book for a 13 year old. I tried to hide that book for an awfully long time after reading it. Thank you to J.D. Salinger for teaching me the importance of curse words…which is pretty much the only thing I remember about The Catcher in the Rye.

And when I was a little older, there was that Erotic Literature class I took in college. Um, thank you to Lady Chatterley and Fanny Hill and others for teaching me things. So many things.

So, Go! Read a banned book! Read something a little challenging, a little surprising, and maybe even a little dirty. It’s your duty as a reader this week!

Or, if you really are just too busy, listen to the most beautiful , sexy sexy sexy reading of Molly Bloom’s soliloquy from Ulysses, a book that has actually been burned. You will feel better for it, I promise.

and I thought well as well him as another and then I asked him with my eyes to ask again yes and then he asked me would I yes to say yes my mountain flower and first I put my arms around him yes and drew him down to me so he could feel my breasts all perfume yes and his heart was going like mad and yes I said yes I will Yes.

Library Card Sign-Up Month!

My hometown library allowed children to get their first library card as soon as they turned five. I still remember signing the back of mine in the most childish, block print ever. This, more than the driver’s license I received 11 years later, gave me independence and autonomy. I could take any book I wanted home. I didn’t need my mom’s permission. And I was allowed to look through as many books in the children’s section as I wanted to, until my mom finally dragged me out to run grown-up, boring errands.

Since I was a kid, I’ve had library cards for five different public library systems and three university systems. The library I would go to in Greenwich, London was a tiny, musty, converted house. The public library in Bristol had the first coffee shop I ever saw inside a library (super ahead of its time!). I’ve curled up in the corners of the basement of Powell Library at UCLA. I’ve admired the view of the Hollywood Hills from the West Hollywood’s brand new picture windows. I’ve hung out in the stacks of the epic Central Library in Downtown Los Angeles to avoid traffic, and left with an unwieldy stack of books.

Now, when I need a break, I find myself in the quiet Austin library, which is the only library I’ve seen with a full vinyl record collection. Although that building is still new to me, I can’t wait to discover all of its little nooks and crannies, the areas that make a library truly special.

So, if you’ve been putting off getting a library card wherever you are, do it, do it now. The books are waiting.

Post inspired by Our City Lights.

For more information about Library Card Sign-Up Month, check out the ALA website.

Home Libraries

Ever since seeing Disney’s Beauty and the Beast at the age of 7, I’ve known that I’ve wanted a library in my house. I mean, have you SEEN the library the Beast presents to Belle?! Books! Staircases! Amazing.

Seeing as how I’ll probably never be a proud castle owner, I’ll most likely never has a library as opulent as that in my house, but I’ve found a few home libraries around the internet that may fit my lifestyle a little bit better.

This is less a library and more perfectly organized bookshelves. Looks great, but I know my books would be completely mixed up by the end of the week.

This, again, is not a full library, but it does have great California pride going on!

This is a perfect cozy reading nook. I love the Virginia Woolf portrait looking on!

Floor to ceiling bookshelves plus a giant window? Yep.

And this is where things get real crazy. A pyramid wall of books! Love it!

Double decker library! Fancy schmancy!

Ah yes. This is my writer’s retreat/library in Costa Rica. NBD.

And to bring us back to earth, here’s a simple window seat library. This is my favorite. I’ve always wanted a window seat that looks out into the forest. Add in books, and I’m sold.

Books! Flowers! Huntington!

The Huntington Library and Gardens in Pasadena has been on the top of my “LA To-Do List” for…oh….9 years. Yep. Pasadena always seemed so far away, and I’m just so lazy. I heard over and over again just how awesome Huntington is, but for I kept putting off going for no good reason whatsoever. Last weekend, I finally got my butt in gear. After running the 5k last weekend, the bf and I headed out to Pasadena to see what all the Huntington fuss was about.

And oh. Oh my. You guys. IT’S AWESOME.

My big camera was completely out of battery, so the only photos I have are from my phone, and they don’t even begin to show how wonderful it was to be there on a warm, sunny April day.

There are 120 acres of gardens at the Huntington, and they’re all ridiculous in their own way. My favorite were the more wildflower influenced gardens, like the one above.

The rose garden was lovely too…even if some of the roses have dirty names! GASP!

I’m scandalized! Scandalized, I say!

They have just re-done their Japanese garden, and it is extremely lovely and peaceful. It is also home to some of the largest koi I have ever seen. What do they feed those monsters?

 

For an English lit nerd like myself, the Huntington Library is an almost religious experience. Gutenberg Bible? Check. Super early manuscript of The Canterbury Tales? Yep. How about a Shakespeare Folio? Got that too. RIDICULOUS. I spent a lot of time staring at books, wishing I could take them out to stroke and smell them.

What. I have a thing for books. Geez.

And if books aren’t your thing (freak), there’s the science section of the library, where there are old science books and collections of crazy old lightbulbs. I’ll bet no librarian went to library school expecting to become a lightbulb librarian, and yet, here they are.

These photos are only a smattering of what we saw. They don’t include the adorable goslings, the American arts wing (we didn’t even get a chance to step inside the European arts wing), the bonsai tree collection, the random parrot who was living in the gardens, the desert gardens, the ponds, etc etc etc.

So, if you live in the general California region and you haven’t been to the Huntington yet, make it your business to get there ASAP. You won’t regret it. Pinky promise.

And for your reference, here is my new life plan:

• Get my Information Studies degree from UT.
• Get job at Huntington Library.
• Move to Pasadena and live in a lovely bungalow.
• Have 2.5 kids and a dog.
• Run around the Huntington Gardens after hours BECAUSE I CAN.

It’s going to be sweet.