Hello from DC, which has a World Series-bound baseball team! The last time that happened was 1933, and we are pretty excited here. Nice to see red baseball hats with curly Ws on them all over town for a change. We really needed a win, folks. #GoNats #stayinthefight
Beyond baseball, DC’s been investing in its public library buildings, which means DCPL patrons get more: more light, more work/study spaces, more outlets. This makes me happy, because I write about libraries, and work in them, every chance I get. These days I’m not tethered to an office, but I still need to get out of the house to focus on getting this clutter book in shape (that January manuscript deadline is headed my way fast), and the public library is the original (free!) co-working space.
This morning, I’m tapping away in the revamped West End Library, which features a busy cafe at one end (so much for library quiet) and some neat LEED-certified features like bird-safe fritted glass.
Some library/archives linkage worth your time this week:
1) At least one library has installed custom playpen workstations for caregivers with tots in tow. (More thoughtful designs like this, please.)
2) The son of Superman comic-book editor Mort Weisinger wants the University of Wyoming to return his father’s archives. (Blame Rep. Liz Cheney.)
3) A scandal in academia: An Oxford prof allegedly stole fragments of ancient Bible manuscripts and sold them to Hobby Lobby. Yes, you read that right.
4) Library professionals at MIT Libraries want to unionize.
5) This Chrome browser extension serves up a public-domain image from the LC’s collex when you open a new tab. Using it is like being haunted by friendly ghosts as you go about your daily rounds online.
6) Romance scholars/enthusiasts: You have until Nov. 1 to submit proposals for the bi-annual “Researching the Romance” conference, which will be held at Bowling Green State U.’s Jerome Library April 24-25, 2020. The 2020 theme is “Romance Across Boundaries,” and the keynote speaker is Alyssa Cole.
7) The Twitter feed we all need now: Soviet soldiers dancing. (This counts as quasi-archival, maybe.)
Thanks for reading!
Cheers,
Jen
P.S. Afraid of War and Peace? DCPL has a book club for that.