From Peter Rabbit to Harry Potter and Back

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"What does it mean that feminism—or, barring a specific identification with that term, progressivism—has been divorced from the definitions or representations of “women” in a commercial search engine? That antifeminist or even pornographic representations of women show up on the first page of results in search engines by default?"

Safiya Noble, my professor this summer, in Bitch Magazine. Full article here.

I’m taking Race, Sexuality and Gender in Libraries with Prof. Noble, and the intersection of my personal, professional and intellectual lives is so cool. Among other things, I was a Study of Women and Gender Major at Smith (we had buttons that read “I study women in a major way”) and am currently a resident of a city where hate crimes against gays are – shockingly - double what they were last year. It’s going to be really interesting to further unlock the potential and responsibilities of libraries and librarians in this world.

#Bitch Magazine #Safiya Noble #Race #Gender #Sexuality #quotes #feminism #tumblrarians

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So sad I’m missing this but it sounds amaaaazing.

(Source: rachelfershleiser, via thelifeguardlibrarian)

#BEA #tumblr #YA #drinks #NYC

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"

Another Smith graduation speaker, Alistair Cooke, notoriously told the class of 1954 that their way to the top would be determined by whom they married.

I want to do old Alistair one better, and tell you that you don’t get to the top by marrying someone. A much simpler way is to sleep your way to the top.

"

Arianna Huffington’s Smith Commencement Speech in which she advocates for wisdom, wonder, well-being and, yes, actual sleep.

#Smith College #Commencement #2013 #quotes #Arianna Huffington

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(Source: turquesa1406, via beauty-is-in-the-i)

#books #readers #reading

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(via libraryphantomg5)

#children's book week #may 2013

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"

Everything I am is based on this ugly building on its lonely lawn - lit up during winter darkness; open in the slashing rain - which allowed a girl so poor she didn’t even own a purse to come in twice a day and experience actual magic: traveling through time, making contact with the dead - Dorothy Parker, Stella Gibbons, Charlotte Bronte, Spike Milligan.

A library in the middle of a community is a cross between an emergency exit, a life raft and a festival. They are cathedrals of the mind; hospitals of the soul; theme parks of the imagination. On a cold, rainy island, they are the only sheltered public spaces where you are not a consumer but a citizen, instead.

…A library is such a potent symbol of a town’s values: each one closed down might as well be six thousand stickers plastered over every available surface, reading “WE CHOSE TO BECOME MORE STUPID AND DULL.”

…Kids - poor kids - will never know the fabulous, benign quirk of self-esteem of walking into “their” public library and thinking, “I have read 60 percent of the books in here. I am awesome.” Libraries that stayed open during the Blitz will be closed by budgets. A trillion small doors closing.

"

Caitlin Moran, ”Libraries: The Cathedrals of Our Souls” in Moranthology

#Caitlin Moran #Moranthology #quotes #libraries #Cathedrals of Our Souls

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(Source: mykindafairytalee)

#beatrix potter #the tale of mrs. tiggy-winkle #books

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67th Street Branch

(Source: archimaps, via fggtlibrarian)

#NYPL #67th Street

Link Gothamist Spring Guide: 20 Fun Things To Do In May

Prepare yourselves for a sentence so indie, so Brooklyn, it’s as if Urban Outfitters penned it themselves: The Brooklyn Public Library invites you to Bike the Branches to celebrate Brooklyn, books and the combination of the two in a massive community bike ride to every branch of the borough’s library, culminating in day-drinking with fellow Brooklynites at Prospect Park. *Phew.* The event—which is not a race, because competition is so not cool, so not … Brooklyn—runs from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 11, and costs between $10 and $20 to register (Families and teams get discounted registration fees).

From 5 - 7 p.m., there will be entertainment, snacks and more at Grand Army Plaza outside the main library branch. Of course, you can bike around to the library any day, but ponying up the cash for this event will get you a bespoke Brooklyn Library “passport” to be stamped at every branch you visit, along with entry into a raffle. Plus you’re supporting libraries, which can use all the help they can get. (Aaron Marks)

Saturday, May 11th, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. // Adult registration fee $20

#Bike the Branches #gothamist #brooklyn #libraries #prospect park

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(via falling-inlove-with-books)

#a series of unfortunate events #lemony snicket #books

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Notes YA Blogroll

Here’s a wonderful (and wonderfully long) list of YA blogs, some of which I have linked to before but I mostly wanted all of these in one place. I’m intrigued but not surprised that all of the YA authors listed are women but don’t have the energy to delve into that reality at the moment, partly because I now have 87 new blogs to peruse.

* The Hub (http://yalsa.ala.org/thehub/)

* I Read to Relax (http://ireadtorelax.blogspot.com)

* YA Book Nerd (http://yabooknerd.blogspot.com)
* Librarified (http://www.librarified.net)

Blogs on YA librarianship and literature and pop culture
* Anna Reads (http://www.annareads.com)
* Bookalicious (http://bookalicious.org)
* Bookshelves of Doom (http://bookshelvesofdoom.blogs.com)
* The Compulsive Reader (http://www.thecompulsivereader.com)
* Fiction Folio (http://www.fictionfolio.com)
* Fiktshun (http://www.fiktshun.com/fiktshun)
* GReads (http://www.greadsbooks.com)
* GreenBeanTeenQueen (http://www.greenbeanteenqueen.com)
* I Read Banned Books (http://www.jenbigheart.com)
* Icey Books (http://www.iceybooks.com)
* Library Lions (http://librarylionsroar.blogspot.com)
* Mundie Moms (http://mundiemoms.blogspot.com)
* PopWatch (http://popwatch.ew.com)
* Princess Bookie (http://www.princessbookie.com)
* Steph Su Reads (http://stephsureads.blogspot.com)
* Stories and Sweeties (http://www.storiesandsweeties.com)
* Stuff for the Teen Age (http://www.nypl.org/voices/blogs/blog-channels/sta)
* Supernatural Snark (http://supernaturalsnark.blogspot.com)
* Teen Librarian’s Toolbox (http://www.teenlibrariantoolbox.com)
* YA Bliss (http://www.yabliss.com)
* YA Book Queen (http://www.yabookqueen.blogspot.com)

Author blogs
* Jessica Burkhart (http://jessicaburkhart.blogspot.com)
* Meg Cabot (http://www.megcabot.com/diary/)
* Gail Carriger (http://gailcarriger.livejournal.com)
* Ally Carter (http://allycarter.com/blog)
* Tera Lynn Childs (http://teralynnchilds.blogspot.com)
* Sarah Dessen (http://sarahdessen.com/blog/)
* Kim Harrington (http://kimharrington.blogspot.com)
* Carrie Harris (http://carrieharrisbooks.blogspot.com)
* A.G. Howard (http://authoraghoward.blogspot.com)
* Maureen Johnson (http://www.maureenjohnsonbooks.com/blog/)
* Suzanne Lazear (http://suzannewrites.blogspot.com)
* Malinda Lo (http://www.malindalo.com/blog/)
* Myra McEntire (http://myramcentire.com)
* Diana Peterfreund (http://www.dianapeterfreund.com)
* Lisa and Laura Roecker (http://lisa-laura.blogspot.com)
* Veronica Roth (http://veronicarothbooks.blogspot.com)
* Rebecca Rynecki (http://rebeccaryneckithequestsandperils.blogspot.com)
* Maria V. Snyder (http://officialmariavsnyder.blogspot.com)
* Laini Taylor (http://www.lainitaylor.com)
* Kiersten White (http://kierstenwrites.blogspot.com)

#blogroll #blogs #YA #authors

Link Diversity in YA

Diversity in YA was founded in 2011 by YA authors Cindy Pon and Malinda Lo as a website and book. We celebrate young adult books about all kinds of diversity, from race to sexual orientation to gender identity and disability. We hope you’ll enjoy celebrating them with us.

#YA #authors #malinda lo #cindy pon #diversity

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The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

(Source: nightowlauthor, via prettybooks)

#short movies #william joyce

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Notes Urban Librarian’s Conference

I’m way late (somehow final projects and a zombie-themed rugby weekend got in the way) but wanted to update about the Urban Librarian’s Conference. There have been so many conferences that I’ve been reading and hearing about lately – this was a great way to dip my toes in the water.

My two favorite speakers were Wick Thomas and Steve Teeri, both librarians who create really cool spaces that allow their teens to sparkle. Wick works in Kansas City and mentors his teens as they create a literary magazine called Unheard Voices. Steve is in Detroit at the HYPE center and supervises a Makers Space that I am 100% jealous of. I’m also super late on the Makerspace and MakerFaire thing but they are just so freaking cool.

I also (obviously) met a ton of cool librarians, including Amy from Oakland California, Ingrid the Magpie Librarian, Rita of ScrewyDecimal and those who run LibrarianShipwreck. There was a good queer contingent (plus lots of glittery nail polish and dyed hair), which was not surprising but still refreshing.

Some of the ideas from Rebecca Lubin of the Albany Library included seeking out local movie theaters for the day-old popcorn (which is still tasty) to use for kids storytimes or movie hours. Another was to hold storytimes in local businesses, especially when the library is undergoing renovations.

You can also see Princeton Library Director Peter Bromberg’s presentation here. He created an innovative story to market the library, which stood out because I’ve been hearing so much about library advocacy and marketing this semester.

Afterwards, we went for a beer at Sepia. I’m so glad so many of my library pals realize that socializing can be as important as what gets absorbed via lectures. I realized I also need to get on some business cards for myself and would love suggestions on that front (Etsy? Staples?)

Here’s a good write up from SLJ if you want some pictures and the textbook definition of twerk, in case that was missing from your Sunday.

#Urban Librarians Conference #librarians #libraries #programming #makerspace #HYPE

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Notes Gone, Gone, Gone

Just finished two more Queer YA books with really intriguing characters.

Gone, Gone, Gone tells the story of Lio and Craig who are super compelling, complex and amusing. It’s set in DC a year after 9/11 when the Beltway Sniper was terrorizing people - I forgot how scary that all was (which in and of itself is a little unsettling). The boys deal with a lot of real world shit (cancer, burglary and grief, totally frothy themes) in addition to the usual high school stuff and I was constantly touched by the voice Hannah Moskowitz carves for these characters and their sweetly supportive families.

Beautiful Music for Ugly Children by Kirstin Cronn-Mills is Gabe’s story; Gabe was born Elizabeth, is in love with his best friend, Paige, and has his own late night radio station. His family struggles with Gabe’s trans reality and there’s a pretty realistic portrayal of the hateful ways people can act when they don’t understand someone. I liked the presence of music throughout and the wry humor but I am sort of tired of the ‘main-character-in-love-with-their-best-friend’ theme. I completely understand that gender and sexuality complicate what are already fraught relationships but I’d just like a fresher take on the trope. Still worth reading though simply because it articulates a voice that is under-represented in fiction (and, probably, our culture) at the moment.

#Gone Gone Gone #Queer #YA #Lit #book review #Beautiful Music for Ugly Children