Round Up

Sarah Vowell groupie-yes, I am. Hear what Sarah has to say about architect Louis Sullivan. Do you have a favorite architect? And, please don't say Frank Lloyd Wright. I love him too, but who else.

Oak Park Public Library has received a $3,000 grant to develop the countries first transgender resource collection. Love the name of the Collection Development Librarian-Bleue Benton.

Hmmm...Great Moments in the History of Technical Services.

I was searching for something the other day, and it escapes me what it could have been, but I wound up on the List of Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks Wikipedia entry.

I've spent the week reading articles from the magazine The Next American City. I haven't seen this one on the newstand anywhere. Really great articles on cities.

Interesting article on yearbooks and libraries that collect them.

Cute new children's book-The Boy Who Was Raised by Librarians by Carla Morris.

I would love to see the musical Bookends. This musical is about Madeline Stern and Leona Rostenberg, the legendary antiquarian booksellers who you may have read the book Old Books, Rare Friends: Two Literary Sleuths and Their Shared Passion. More about the musical here.

Sadly, Madeline Stern passed away this wake at the age of 95. Ms. Stern was the person who discovered the earlier "blood and thunder" writings of Little Women author Louisa May Alcott. Ms. Stern was 95. Read an interview that she give with her partner Leona Rostenberg.

Someone else who made my world a bit brighter passed away this week as well. Jon Lucien was a jazz singer, but for me, his rich baritone was evocative of warm island breezes and sand between your toes. He was 65. Here's more from Mr. Lucien's website.

Have a good weekend.

"There are times when I think that the ideal library is composed solely of reference books. They are like understanding friends - always ready to meet your mood, always ready to change the subject when you have had enough of this or that." J. Donald Adams